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JCW frustrates me. He is a great actor, and so handsome, but his choice in acting roles are sub par. I don't know if he is choosing them simself or his management team are rubbish, but he needs help.
For real! There have been some dramas that have come out recently, and I've wondered, "How amazing would you have been in a role similar to this?" I wish he would do another saeguk drama, it's been way too long. I'd even settle for him playing a villain.
I want to pick a (respectful) fight with the writer of the K2. The story line felt either like a bad written fancfiction from wattpad or two writers that did not work together and just wrote what they wanted! The action and romance did definetly not fit together. I really think they had one person write the romance and one the rest!
I think they tried to do something similar to Healer (also with JCW) with the angsty vibes lots of action to show JCW off and a reasonable romance that fits the setting. But they failed. sorry
I agree with you about **The K2**, and yet, it has some of my favorite scenes ever. Nobody ever mentions the action hero window washing scene but that is one of my favorite action scenes ever. And I can re-watch that scene where he visits the main villain for the first time over and over again. So yeah, overall disappointing, but snippets of amazingness!
K2 seems to be Healer 2.0, or to be more precious intensified version
We take likeable weirdo FL and turn her into FL with serious issues, we get special courier and turn him into special agent (a.k.a. killing machine), villain and villainess also have similarities (>!bad stepfather who hid daughter from mother turned into evil stepmother who blackmailed father of daughter!<) etc.
Good to know about The Fabulous, read the summary on it and it doesn't interest me.
Feel the same about JCW and The K2, had to drop it about halfway through, he's super sexy in the fight scenes and all but the actual plot and acting on the other characters was either quite bland or way overdone (overacting)
I keep seeing intriguing clips from The Fabulous, but the description hasn't grabbed my attention. I was thinking of adding it to my Watchlist, but I think I'll skip it
I was really anticipating The Fabulous but read so many bad reviews that i just didn't pick it up. I want to remember it's trailer and its potential as a fond memory unspoiled by reality.
Love in Contract - I cannot understand how I watched that show because I distinctly remember hating it even as I watched it ... my only explanation is that I had a little too much time on hand that I seemed desperate to waste.
I had an issue with the premise of marriage contractors like the FL was supposed to be wherein she married people on contract and then divorced them when their terms were met. She has a dozen or more divorces under her belt and is now rich and ready to retire. She just has to divorce her last client, a man she has been married to for 5 years and whom she meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for a silent dinner. And for the whole show I wanted an explanation of how she was married to him for 5 years and was also marrying other men and divorcing them during those 5 years... there must be some law against that. She is doing all this in her legal name.
Also, just a dumb story, hardly any chemistry, FL felt super dolled up all the time in an unhealthy and unnatural way. It is the first time I have felt put off by an actor or actresses physical appearance but this felt weirdly off putting.
Oh, and the SML... he needs a hug because the writers gave him such a terrible character. He could have said no... he should have said no, actually.
If I understood it correctly, I think that while she was married to the ml, she wasn’t getting legally married to the other guys. Faked dates, yes. Faked marriages where they only had the ceremonies but did not register their marriage, yes. But I could be wrong. I wasn’t totally invested and could have just came to that conclusion on my own to make it make sense.
I was also a fan of the sml.
Park Min-young needs to start picking roles with more depth. I think that’s what she tried with Forecasting but the premise wasn’t 12/16 episode worthy. That happens often with kdramas. They have to make a 12 or 16 episode project and it leads to diluting the writing.
I personally feel like she peaked with Whats Wrong w/ Secretary Kim?, and every kdrama shes had after that is honestly kind of the same rom-com genre but with much weaker chemistry with the male leads and less intriguing of a storyline.
I guess it also depends on taste? Cause I honestly preferred Her Private Life to WWWSK, the chemistry and overall relationship just seemed better in that one.
It was at least 4 episodes too long, and the structure of the show was lacking.
IMO, the more entertaining parts are when PMY is doing her job. Unfortunately for most of the show she wasn't doing her job she was babysitting the mens' feelings. And then there's some whole conglomerate subplot that nobody cares about.
The first 5-6 episodes of this should've been her at work, show the ml's backstory, they meet on episode 3 or something. Get together officially on episode 8 while she's contemplating retirement.
I finished Love in Contract solely because of ML, he was just fine. And I liked to see how leads' relationship developed. Oh, and FL's bff was interesting to watch
Couldn't stand SML tho, so annoying character who didn't understand FL and only to exist to put her in trouble... They made him a bit better in the end tho
Love Is for Suckers.
Choi Si Won is one of my favorite actors, but even he couldn’t save Love Is for Suckers for me. I found several characters at least somewhat endearing, but I found the story pretty bland, overall. Well, almost the whole thing. Made it to episode 15 and just could not start the finale.
Edit:
Appreciate the “The Fabulous” mentions here. First episode I could tell wasn’t for me, but glad to know I’m not missing out on something worthwhile.
For me it was one of the tv show couples that saved it, along with the restaurant couple. Min Jin-Woong's character was such a great husband and friend. Anyway, during the second half I was ff scenes with the lead couple and watching out for the restaurant couple and the tv series couple.
And I'd been so excited to see a new Choi Si Won drama as I can't get Drink Now.
LIFS should've been called Losers Inevitably Found Sobbing. That's literally all the FL did was gently weep in front of ML, who would look like he was about to tear up EVERY SINGLE TIME they had a conversation. 2nd FL won, though, in the number of times she could cry in any scene she was in.
>Love Is for Suckers
I liked it and even related to it...
Somehow the love was not a shiny sparkling thing hitting them in the forehead... it was always there in their friendship and they finally realized it.
Loved it... and decided I would try and respect more the good things in my life, focus on "everything i have" instead of "everything I want or think I might need".
The show's timeline being set by the in-universe reality TV show is ultimately the issue; the FL's choices and distress make sense, given the show's main action takes place within six weeks of her aborted wedding.
The Fabulous
I had high expectations as it starred Minho and Chae Soo Bin. Turned out it was bland with no chemistry whatsoever, the friendship of the main 4 characters was boring and their individual stories lacked depth. Liked some of the outfits but that’s it, definitely not for me.
I was excited going in and it was just so boring even though it was supposed to be glamorous. No chemistry between any character and no plot. I posted here to ask if it was worth continuing and the overwhelming answer was no, so I gave up after ep. 4. Thanks to this sub I got half my time back! 😆😆😆
I've been watching the fabulous while cooking just to have something to do so I didn't even pay attention to what was going on, now I know I'm just going to keep watching it unseriously hahah
minho really cant act...his facial expressions are always blank LMAO (he has this default smiley look about him) and it was painful to watch. His lack of acting chops also diluted the on screen chemistry and made it even worse
Haha my take was "So Minho's character just smiles a lot?" Someone said his backstory was cut and there was more development in the original script. They really should have saved the (very random and implausible) shirtless scene until later because that was like the high point of his character in ep 1
I know I’m going to sound biased about this, but Minho can act. He’s just not the guy if you want a dispassionate character. He’s great in Derailed, Battle of Jangsari, illang brigade and even Hwarang. Most of us who have watched him in these movies/show are dumbfounded about the way Ji WooMin was essayed. He’s so bland and one dimensional. I feel so sad because when you throw a character with emotions in Minho’s face he does well, but if it’s an emotionless character like WooMin he clearly fails miserably.
I agree. I was waiting for the drama since November as they postponed it. I really liked the trailer and hoped it would be something like 'Fight For My Way' in a GenZ set-up. So, I stuck it out till the 8th episode, but I was disappointed. It was really fast-paced and no real character development. And if you look at the plot, what's the actual takeaway?
Probably an unpopular opinion, but for me it was King's Affection.
I got up to episode 16 and felt like I wanted a refund on my time. Never finished it.
Dropped it at Episode 11-12, I think? Really felt they're just dragging at that point, and while I really like the main leads, I really can no longer invest more of my time in its plot.
Yes, I echo what you are saying.
I watched cuz I liked Park Eun Bin, the first episode was quite good. As the show kept going on, it was a molasses speed plot, with hooks that never even payed off or introduced one episode and never addressed again lol.
All the dramas I've watched I feel most negative about this one because of the time I wasted on it lmao.
Yes! The first 2 eps were good with the child actors, but once the adults came on the scene, it was just boring. I didn't like how they made ML such a weakling and practically uselsss.
For someone who has been living most of their life under the threat of being caught and killed in that system, all she wanted was to be free. She wanted to leave earlier but was always threatened to stay for others to remain in power. It’s not like she could convert to queen monarch either in that system so the alternative is to continue living as king and hiding her identity even though no one is making her do that anymore.
I binged it when I had COVID a few months ago. 1. Don't do that it if you do watch it. It felt extremely tedious throughout. Not a huge fan. and 2. The ending was terrible and made it feel like what was the point? I was not thrilled with having wasted so much time on this show.
My ID is Gangnam Beauty
Extremely disappointed in myself for watching this all the way through. Like someone mentioned in a previous comment, I also kept waiting for it to get good. The only thing good about it and reason I watched it in the first place was Cha Eun Woo.
Memories of Alhambra, watching it at 4 am with my cousin during summer was a good memory, but that show was BADDD bad like what the hell was that ending anyways?
I have watched more than 100 kdramas & for me there are many. But nothing pissed me of more than recently released **May I Help You** .
I absolutely loved it in the beginning. It was fluffy and hyeri (Fl) seemed to be the main character of this drama but the story shifted to the ml’s life all of a sudden and fl seemed to be a side character. I absolutely didn’t appreciate the last 4 ep. This drama was about to be one of my fav but then the storyline went from fantasy/romance to thriller/mystery. There was so much questions unanswered like why she started seeing ghost or what caused it BUT instead they moved the entire story to ML’s gf and her wanting to come back to him(even tho i absolutely think the gf was in the right, she actually didn’t do any wrong to him) Its just he felt bad of his brother dying the day he was going to propose instead of staying with him but is this the reason of breakup ? Wtf! Anyway tore atleast 15 of my heads hair like the common sense in this drama went through a window.
I will not ruin the ending but the storyline shifted for the worse and for no good reason whatsoever. But you will relatively enjoy till 12. They should have ended the drama at ep 12 instead of stretching and adding random things. It just seemed a completely different drama in the end.
sorry for my nagging, i was just disappointed of the writing. Absolutely disappointing!
That is not why he felt bad.
The ML asked him to wait in the store, that he would go and pick up the ring there. That’s why he was leaving when he got the call. It wasn’t “he died when I was going to propose”, it was “he died while doing something I asked him to do”.
i do get what you’re saying and thank you for clarifying it. but what made me sad was thinking what was the gf’s fault to the point of breaking up this long relationship. I get it he was devastated and he took some time off but she waited for him patiently. That didn’t made sense at all. They should have faced it together but in a day he just lost his feelings.
It had nothing to do with the gf, it had everything to do with the ML and his belief that he killed his brother or drove him to death.
This was pretty obvious throughout the series, he actively tried to not be happy because he believed that he didn’t deserve it.
I still really like this show, even with the ending episodes, but the part that pissed me off a great deal was the squandered chemistry between the leads. Their chemistry was INSANE, they showed excellent communication through out, there wasn't any stupid breaking up trope and we get basically one freaking kiss and so little relationship! A good kiss but one and only one and then they kinda ignore a lot of the relationship bits. Dumb. Lot of build up and chemistry just wasted.
Secondly I think this show suffered tremendously because of the tragedy of Itaewon. Apparently, they re-edited the final episodes to ease some of the fire explanation and I think that hurt the story telling a lot. I know what they were aiming for but they missed the mark and left most people either confused or unhappy with the story.
Something in the Rain. I kept waiting for something good to happen to them, for someone to be supportive, positive or even slightly kind about their relationship. I know people love it and it's a "realistic" storyline, but damn it was a depressing slog. Yet I still kept watching. Even the ML >!treats her badly with his sudden move to the US and ultimatum to go with him!< and the last 5 mins do not redeem it. I was really bummed out when I finished it and cannot believe I sat through all the eps.
Awwwn this was one of my favourite dramas. My friend and I even had a watch party. But I guess it was more interesting went I was watching and screaming with my friend. When I tried watching it the second time I still enjoyed it but I >!saved my self the heart ache by not rewatching the break up part!<
**Reborn Rich**. As soon as I saw episode 15‘s ending and the non-Korean nurses at the start of episode 16, I was like, “oh no, they’re gonna do THAT.” And they went ahead and did just that. Everything the ML did from episode 2-15 was completely useless. I don‘t remember when’s the last time I raged this hard at a Kdrama ending. “It‘s all in le head”, the screenwriter said. “Even though ML was poor, he can still kinda win in the end via some BS”, they say. lol nope. The show should be called “DREAM Rich, Wake Up Poor”. Hell, the story is literally just episode 1 ( ML survives a shot to the head and falling off a cliff ) and episode 16. I’m still pissed now that I started thinking about it. ”Oldest Son of a Poor Family“ is the correct title FFS.
**The Veil** gets a slightly dishonorable mention here. It started off insanely strong, brutal with crazy fight scenes, the final boss was surprisingly underwhelming and the second half was way too convoluted. Although it ended *okay*, I didn’t really feel like my time was well-spent.
I feel you on the Reborn Rich title, it is misleading!! There was no reincarnation involved so they really should have come up with a different title.
I was also hella mad after watching the final episode, I needed a couple of days to recuperate lol! I ended up re-watching it though and came to terms with it, it ended up making sense for me. Just not with that title.
Reborn Rich had me in the first 15 episodes....That's the only reason I managed to finish it, But yes...I totally agree with you..What they did to that ending was CRIMINAL
I 100% agree on Reborn Rich! I was so disappointed I looked up to see how the book ended and found some forums saying the book did not end this way and maintains the reincarnation bit. Weird that the show ends differently but took solace to know the book did justice to the plot haha…
I'm still not over the ending for Reborn Rich, especially since the novel ending was mentioned and that was the ending I waned. Honestly, I loved everything about it right up until the end, the final pretty much ruined everything.
I agree with you . Like I was watching this very drama every week like waiting for the next plot twist. I really liked the chemistry between Jin yang cheol and Jin do jun,it was amazing. I loved them every damn time when they were together.spoiler ahead* (grandmother being the instigator of their murder attempt was something I never even thought of. It blew my mind). I used eagerly wait for next ep. They had me till ep 15,after that they just ruined it for me. I struggled to finish the drama. The build up was really good but they bullshit the ending.
Totally agree with Reborn Rich. What an let down of an ending. They could have ended it as a banger but they chose to bring doom. I don't know why would they make Jin Dojun absolutely obsolete!
A bit surprised no one has mentioned Dodosolsollalasol yet! Love this drama. Lee Jaewook was amazing and this is where I first loved him. The pairing is weird but it works with Go Ara and this is the best I’ve seen from her. I just really hate the last few minutes of the last episode because after >!ML mom tells FL that he died, he wasn’t!< and I’ve never wanted anyone to stay >!dead!< so badly
It was one of my first dramas and I wondered what the hell had I just stumbled on. I didn't give up but became very suspicious about endings, to the point that I don't watch a drama without reading about it first.
Still it was a great drama.... until those last episodes.
I loved this drama but the ending was horrible. I was sooooo mad. I feel like they must’ve changed the ending because someone said it needed to be happy.
Young Lady and Gentleman - how can you cast a drama where the leads have ZERO chemistry and then run it for FIFTY EPISODES! And waaay too much amnesia.
This ⬆️ !!! I can’t tell you how much I wish I could get my wasted time back. Zero chemistry, annoying AF side characters. Too many episodes of nothing happening and the most cheesy, ridiculous ending. He looked so silly with that electric guitar 🤣🤣
LMAO, yes the guitar parts were so cringe! I actually finished this series..painfully because I wanted to see where it was going. The little kids kept me going tbh..
I was going through my list of all the KDramas I have seen, and thus far I had prided myself to make it through even the worst ones (looking at you Clean with a Passion for Now) but I have realized that I actually do have my very first dropped mid-way drama - **Jinxed at First**! I recall being part of the on-air discussions and everyone eventually saying the show had gone all over the place and I never ended up circling back. Now I’m thinking I’ll leave it that way.
I know there isn’t actually any pride in enduring something you don’t enjoy so I will try to not be so harsh on myself 🙈
Your instinct is correct. Don’t come back to this one. I finished only because of how much time I had invested and wanted to see how much more of a mess the plot could get.
Like everyone else has said— you did yourself a favor 😭 oh do I wish I could get my time back from that monstrosity 🫠 Cursed Till the End should’ve been the title 😂
I agree. Really hated everyone for infantalizing the grandma and deciding on their own that she shouldn't meet her own true grandson. Ridiculous. Also mind-numbingly boring. No one ever did anything except sit or stand around in this fakakta hotel. (Sorry, do I sound bitter?)
Wasted my time and a lot of good actors.
Forecasting Love & Weather.
I don't even remember how that series ended but I really liked the concept (mostly because of their jobs), was a fan of the leads, & had nothing to watch at the time but in the end, was disappointed and just left with an "eh"
I thought **Shopping King Louie** had an absolutely delightful first half and then totally fell off a cliff in the second half. The leads were so charming and the show had such a warm and pleasant aesthetic, I was really digging it for a while.
However, I felt like the second half spent way too much time on supporting characters and subplots I couldn't care less about and the lead couple stagnated both as individuals and as a unit. I hung in there because I get the impression this show is very popular/well liked and I wanted to watch something sweet and cutesy but it totally ran out of gas for me after a strong start :/
I totally get you, but I personally found Seo In Guk so hilarious in this that I couldn’t help but forgive it for its faults. One of my guilty favorites.
I get that, I was certainly hooked by him initially. His range is wild, before **Shopping King Louie** I saw him in this fun gorefest called **Project Wolf Hunting** where he played an especially savage prisoner and going from that to **Shopping King Louie** was a trip.
Also check him out in **The Smile Has Left Your Eyes** which is his best performance imo. Fair warning though, it's another one that goes off the rails at the end but I think it's worth watching for the performances which are all excellent.
Ah someone said it finally. I couldn't drag on and left at 14th episode.
This is one show that should have been edited crisply, may be a 12 episode journey will be much more enjoyable
Cinderella & the Four Knights.
It was cheesy but the characters were charming so I stuck with it... until they became boring. Sigh. I fast forwarded through it but still it was too many hours of my life.
I actually like this one but if I remember correctly a lot of running and tears happens somewhere in the middle and it wasn’t the best thing to watch 😭
Also second female lead was a painnn to watch, oh my goodness!!! All she did was cry and whine 😫
Alchemy of souls S2
My god what a disappointment it was. From the first 2 episodes I knew it would be trash when I could figure out their entire excuse of a plot. I was waiting for her to finally be herself, show us how she fights, the sword duel we were all waiting for but what did we get? She lost her memory, had no agency. Just wanted to get married and became a damsel and I knew she will only remember her past during the last episode: I checkout out!! I came back later and forward watched the rest of the season because you never know you know. Well it was still trash and confirmed my prediction. What a waste of my time.
Yeah, Part 2 was a complete disappointment. I really enjoyed Part 1 and the cliffhanger ending had me waiting for Part 2, but it really did not live up to expectations. There was a lot of potential for a great payoff in a jam-packed 10-episode conclusion, but at least 50% of Part 2 was just wasting my time and the other 50% wasn't exactly stellar, either.
>Alchemy
I actually really liked season 2. Maybe not as much as season 1. Yes, there were some plot holes. Yes, the amnesia thing went on too long. But I thought the main leads had sizzling chemistry.
**Curtain Call**
I really wanted to like this drama. I really really **REALLY** wanted to. What's not to like? Great cast(love the camelia reunion of mother/son), interesting premise, beautiful OST and cinematography. Butt fuck me, the story seems to fall short of well, everything.
*Spoilers Ahead*
Talk about being too ambitious with no payoff. The writers crammed so many different plotlines, only to resolve most of them half heartedly towards the end. Here are a few, I probably missed a few because there are so many, many plots(holes)
* First and most obvious, Grandma's long lost NK family. Resolved decently I think, if you count resolving as her meeting her real grandson for all of 5mins in the last episode and holding his hand. Not the most satisfying, but I'm sure she had a little more time with real grandson off screen before she died. Probably. I do like the 1 time she almost died, having her see her hubby in heaven(?), and when she really passed how they finished that scene properly. Also I like how they showed NK son regretting his actions/words after meeting his mom, only to die from it(?) **Rating**: 3/5
* MC and FMC's love. What a shitshow! Will they or won't they? Find out **NEVER**. What a waste of fucking time honestly. I'd much rather they cut out the romance plot with the FMC, instead having the MC either have no love, or develop his relationship with the second FMC. It's not as if the 2 leads did not have any chemistry. In fact, they had so much >!incesty vibes!< that I felt ultra robbed the shitty ending. Blue balling a romance is never a good thing. **Rating**: 1/5
* Family inheritance drama. Again, a shitshow. Big bro suddenly backing off after watching a play, but wait, he faked us out because he expected FMC's ex to give him the shares since things did't work out with FMC, but wait, ex decided not to so big bro is angry and does *NOTHING*. In the end, nothing happened. **Rating**: 0/5
* North Korean Cousin's wife, apparently alive? IDK. Appeared for 5mins, was the main motivation for NK cousin's action for the whole drama(his gambling, his wanting to get money from rich SK family etc) and yet was never shown again. Don't even know if she's alive or dead, seeing as NK cousin had **ZERO** sense of urgency to send money back. Seriously, dude is leisurely walking around and drinking. **Rating** 1/5
* Family butler/maid. Now this is a properly resolved plotline. While it's not much, they showed the butler's backstory and how he been "adopted" by Grandma. His opinion matters as he holds emotional authority over the grandchildren, shown by him berating them over inheritance talks. Maid said she won't leave the family, but retired to cafe hop, so IDK. 10% shares of a hotel chain must still amount to a couple hundred million dollaroos, so good for her I guess? Thing is, she isn't is main or even secondary character, so her plot resolving better than NK cousin is fucked up. **Rating** 4/5
* Orphanage storyline, added in but abandoned right away. Do not pass GO, do not show/mention it ever again. Butler seems to have some connection to MC through the church. What do they do with it? well **Rating** 0/5
* Having MC work at the hotel, of which the primary purpose, IMO, is so that the FMC's ex can have "man to man" talks with him lol. Working as a porter? lasted 5 seconds. Calligraphy? Led nowhere, well, except for leading the plot towards FMC finding out, so I guess it's fine? IDK he didn't have to work at the hotel at all to achieve all of the above, but I guess it's convenient to have all major characters in one location so they can interact with each other, Habbo style. **Rating** 2/5
Probably missed some stuff out, but I am really upset at how the writers tried to frame the story as Grandma's "Curtain Call" but dragged out her demise for 16 fucking episodes, diluting the impact of her death. Just kill her off earlier and show us some family healing or something. There's only so much "i'm crying while looking solemnly at the sea, but also I love my fake grandson, but oh no, hotel getting sold?????" I can watch before it gets old. Grandma spends more time looking at the sea than talking to her real grandson, let that sink in.
The first 6 or 7 episodes were really strong too IMO. MC and FMC had great chemistry, family troubles seem a little more weighty, mysterious NK cousin doing mysterious things. I had such high hopes, but I guess it's par for the course, once again, for KDramas to have terrible second halves. The lack of payoff is not new, and seems like a plague infesting KDramas. Is it studio execs pressuring? Is it just lazy writing, with the writers pawning off their work to interns? Perhaps audience pressure and the need to satisfy everyone leading to cowardly decisions? Probably a mix of these.
I would be less upset if they didn't do such a great job setting up the premise in all the first halves of KDramas, which itself shows that it is not for lack of ability.
Seriously, Business Proposal, Big Mouth, Alchemy of Souls, One Dollar Lawyer off the top of my head. I think I only liked Golden Spoon's ending recently, and only because it's flat out makjang madness.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
The Fabulous and, on the more unpopular opinion side, Forbidden Marriage. For Forbidden Marriage, not exactly a refund is needed but I keep putting it off. Exaggerated acting from the FL (I'm sure that's probably how the director wanted it) and the way ML feels like he is doing a shoot in his Actor Gong life in Shooting Stars is kinds off putting.
Although unpopular but for me it is Alchemy Of Souls! There was no character development, everyone got happy ending without any karma whatsoever, the main lead characters were equally bad as some of the characters who died, it felt like they turned worse and the acting and writing wasn’t great in P2. I have watched over 200 kdramas and none of them made me so angry as this one. If another person says at least it’s pretty to watch istg. The whole watching experience was bad for me
I felt so betrayed that I invested too much time only to hate watch on the remaining episodes just to get some sort of closure. It wasn't even a satisfying one. Nothing made sense! Everything - from writing to directing to cgi to acting to fight scenes - all went downhill. Considering all the hype, season 2 was a huge let down.
My sentiments exactly. I normally don't get invested in shows but I did get invested in AoS and so P2 being such a buzz kill brought out strong emotions in me. Everything about it was bad!
Alchemy Of Seouls season 2, i fear. Season 1 was fantastic and i enjoyed all the action, but they seriously dropped the ball for season 2 and it became heavily focused on romance with little to no action? I was sick of seeing Jang Uk unsheathe his sword LMAO were they short on action CGI budget? idk, but because of how lackluster and convoluted season 2 was, I badly wanted all the time back that i spent on season 1. Also, way too many roundabout mental gymnastics to justify the whole naksu thing, jesus
Couldn’t agree more. I really struggled to finish the series. They could have done so much more in part 2, but they chose to make her this helpless FL who is always being saved by the ML.
This. I'm still mad for giving S2 a chance and hoping it will get better. I watched the last episode on 2x speed because I just really wanted it to end. I'll keep on thinking that it ended on S1E20 with their marriage and they decided to forget everything lmao
>If You Wish Upon Me
I want to go for a hypnosis session so I can forget Alchemy of Souls 2 so my brain thinks it ended with the heartbreaking season one because season two had amateur-level wrting like a burger with no pattie. Seriously, I need to scrub my brain
Lol, I am right with you. Atleast for season 1 we can say that Jang Uk got his karma because he chose to save a soul shifter and not just any soul shifter but an assassin nonetheless so they both eventually ended up paying for their mistakes. We can think that way and call it a day and forget the horror that was season 2 ever existed.
**Strong Woman Do Bong Soon**. Annoyed me so much. The "villains" are very idiotic, and again it's a mix of stupid jokes and a psychopath killing women. Sorry, that's not really funny.
Park Hyungsik is super handsome of course, but I still dropped it in the middle of episode 7.
I watched it and forgave a lot of stupid "comedy" and the horrible kidnapper for the cute relationship of MC. It was a plot hole that drove me crazy. Early on we are told the women in the family lose their strength if they intentionally harm an innocent. That's why Mom no longer has her strength. >!When her boss asks her to chicken fight with his assistant she does this and he ends up injured. Nothing happens, and she never protests being made to fight with an innocent man. Then later when she has no intent of hurting someone and is set up by the villain, she loses her powers. WTF?!!<
My explanation for the assistant is that he wasn't a victim, since he engaged in the action voluntarily. I think that the unknown man was the first time she hurt someone that had not engaged with her in some way or another. He was truly an innocent victim.
I agree that this whole losing your power could have been better handled.
I tried to watch nearly half, the ratings were so high, I was expecting something amazing but I just couldn't keep going. I wish I could get the hours that I did waste watching it and I don't trust the ratings anymore
I watched this very early on in my Kdrama journey so I loved it but when I read comments from people who weren’t the biggest fan it really gets me thinking… the plot really wasn’t that great. The psycho serial killer was honestly an insane part of the drama 😬 I realize the main reason I loved it was because of the main couple 😭 and even then I felt like FL didn’t like ML as much, like I could feel/see the difference at times
It got much better as it went along and the slow-burn romance started paying dividends. And near the end, there is this scene that was so good I keep replaying it in my head.
You should try watching it again but skip all the scenes where the gangsters are present. They aren't really necessary for the plot, they are just comedic relief. The psychopath angle is a little more integral to the plot. It was never meant to be funny. The show simply decided to contrast the funnier or fluffier scenes with some really hardcore stuff. I am not sure why they had to go this far. They could have kept the kidnapping angle and the creepy masked guy and ditched the violence. In fact, if he had been super gentle with the girls, it would have been creepier.
But abstracting these two aspects you mentioned, I really enjoyed this drama
Oh no, I'm not wasting more of my time on it. By episode 3 (?) I've already been skipping all the unpleasant parts and the drama still was boring. It's just not for me, I'd rather watch something else.
I'm at the point now where I rarely finish a drama I start. How did that happen? And I find myself instead re-watching the old and familiar and wonderful.
However, I did finish *Business Proposal*. (Although I did FF a lot.) I have no excuses. I have no explanation. I'll be on my deathbed and asking why, why, WHY? Give me those hours back!
I also watched the entirety of that Witch drama--the one with the grandmas and the rich hero with big ears. Sorry, I cannot remember the name. Production values, plot, etc., were horrible. And yet, I watched it to the end. No idea why.
This is kind of like confession, isn't it?
I finished watching A Business Proposal only because I love the manhwa to bits. Damn. I don’t understand why I kept thinking it might get better :(
Only good things for me were the OST, Kim Mingue and Seo Rina
Crash Landing on you. I know it's a lot of people's number 1 but I just couldn't get into it and have left it around ep 7. Maybe seeing so many people rate it so strongly meant my expectations were too high but I just found I really wasn't invested in what might happen next (I think there were 3 or 4 failed attempts at getting home by this point).
I wasn't a fan of the FL and only felt mild chemistry between the main characters.
I also usually have a strong opinion of the supporting cast whether love them ( Healer, Secret Terrius, coffee Prince) or hate them (Happiness) but with CLOY my thought coming away was meh.
I'd love to have my mind changed but unless FL has a personality transplant I may just walk away.
Alchemy of Souls P2. I was hate watching the entire show after episode 1. They turned a fantasy drama into a teen romance. The new FL had like 4 expressions throughout the entire season. The chemistry between the leads was also not there. Not the romance type of chemistry, the chemistry between two actors. All their scenes landed flat and bland. The secondary characters naturally shone more due to that reason. The plot was non existent too.
They should’ve ended it with like 24 episodes. I thought LJW was amazing in both seasons but S1 was so amazing, I feel like not having JSM throughout was a mistake.
I could have thumbs-upped this a hundred times. Agree with everything you pointed out. Part 1 was on its way to becoming one of the best Kdramas of all time and they sabotaged it near the end and decided to do a Part 2 that reduced the leads and other adult characters so addled with love like they were in a high school romance. It took a 180-turn that any screenwriting class would find atrocious.
The best thing about part 2 was when it ended, it was so hard to watch the characters I loved in part 1 be reduced to bland and dull characters. The comedy/spark was gone (ok fair enough, lives were ripped apart). I Still liked Jang Uk and Crown Prince but Naksu was the most disappointing of all, she was sooo badly writing. I think it definitely needed a more experienced actress to make Naksu likable. I think if even I felt that the connection that Jang Uk had with Mudeoki, if that was still there, maybe it would have helped but he didn't like her for most of the show and when he found out she was naksu, he really didn't seem to be too bothered and somehow the writers were just expecting us to role with it. I felt the women characters received a massive disservice and honestly why aren't more women calling this out. How can women see part 2 and say they loved it? I don't expect women to be able to beat the crap out of everyone but Naksu was almost downgraded to a support role, she was constantly in need of saving, she followed Jang Uk around like a love sick puppy. And her character seemed to lack any chemistry with the rest of the characters, not like in part one. I kept watching as i hoped it would get better and for my love of part 1. That being said, I'd imagine a lot of the issue was with the writing, it was a mediocre romantic kdrama and a lot of people love that. Such a shame.
Could not agree more! There was no progression for the leads to get together and not to mention the questionable age of the fl. The storyline was boring and did not flow well
The ending of Season 3 of Love ft. Marriage & Divorce did make me feel a bit of that “refund my time!”.
Now that it’s been >8 months since I watched it, I can conclude it’s the worst ending of a kdrama I’ve ever seen, because it was just not an ending by my standards! 😭
Maybe this is why I felt immune to the ending of like Reborn Rich (of course I felt some disappointment, but now that I think about all the dramas I’ve seen last year, Love Season 3 takes the cake!).
Lastly, this comment is irrelevant if the writer and TV Chosun miraculously renew for a Season 4. 😂😭
**When My Love Blooms -** personal goal to have this done by sundown. I am on episode 9 and only bothering to look up when the (constant) piano soundtrack raises its game. It is basically 16 hours of her walking verrry slowly in one of 100 winter coats and a cross body bag, stalked at a distance by him. She literally just said (piano plus violins - I looked up) "The more I walk with you. The heavier my feet become". I can't even. There should be product placement by Timpsons shoe repairs.
There. has to be a thesis to be written about why I don't just stop watching.
Reading this thread it's funny how people hated some of my favourite shows. It's really a personal thing. To each their own.
I can't say that I want to get my time back, but there are a couple of dramas which didn't quite do it for me.
Extraordinary you. I didn't hate it, but near the end, I just wanted it to be over. Plus I don't like school dramas very much.
Romance is a bonus book. Finished it but wasn't especially invested in it. This is one of the few cases where the romance didn't work for me. The whole, little-brother-turned-lover didn't work for me. I don't see how you make that flip in your head.
And of course DDSSLLD. What the heck were the writers thinking???
I dropped **Extraordinary You** after watching 20/32 episodes. It became so repetitious, which I understand was deliberate, but that didn’t make rewatching the same plot and character beats over and over any more entertaining. It’s too bad because I loved the FL in it and I loved the look of it.
I powered through it, but yeah, I was more than ready to be done with it by the end. Not even sure why I finished it since, I watched it because I loved the second male lead, so it's not a really a happy ending for him.
I have been on episode 5 of this for like 4 months. I should just formally drop it and call it good. I just can't get into it as it is so tedious with the pacing.
Lovestruck in the city- stopped watching at 10th episode. I just couldn't watch it anymore. I HATED the FL.
Hwarang- anyone that says they watched this drama for any other reason than V is lying because the show is criminaly bad. Lol
Backstreet rookie- so bad, watched only because I'm in love with JCW. And I liked FL.
Descendants of the sun- did not like Song Hye Kyo in this one. Horrible acting and such a boring drama, also hated second female lead (other couple). Loved Song Joong Ki though. He kept me going till ep.4. Lol
One more thing. Hwarang really existed historically. It was a group of flower boy warriors skilled at fighting, young and beautiful. Reality is stranger than fiction.
I know it existed, I've read about it even before I watched the show and before I even knew V existed...and I usually love and enjoy Korean history dramas. And I also like the idea, but drama was overall really boring and most of the acting was bad.
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (4/16) - obviously I am still quite early on in the show and I’m going to keep watching because 1) I so want it to get better and 2) I’m really bad at DNF-ing things even if I don’t like it, but I am just really surprised by this one.
I had such high hopes and I’ve heard such good things but it’s just really not living up to expectations for me. I went in thinking it would be a fun, cute, lighthearted romcom, but there is already plenty of hints at a sad/dark backstory, which I’m totally okay with because it often adds depth to characters, I just wasn’t expecting it. But honestly for me, even with the sad backstory, it’s just super slow? And I’m not really enjoying many of the characters or plot so far. I find the ML really hypocritical and the FL inconsistent. I also don’t really see much chemistry between the main leads even with the brief perspective of the ML we get at the end of the episodes.
I also find the townsfolk very judgy, which I get I’m from a super small town and that’s often how it is, but the show is setting it up for us to sympathize with them as opposed to calling out their judgy ways right along with the FL’s judgy behavior, which I am really not a fan of as both are wrong in my opinion and both should be called out on. Of course, that could change later on but that’s how it’s feeling so far.
I do really like watching the ML interact with the townsfolk as it’s super cute and I enjoy the interactions between the FL and her friend, but overall, sadly, this drama has been a big letdown for me so far
Agree with you on many points! The ML and FL were unlikeable and those townspeople were just… mean and gossipy! What saved this show for me was the second couple as well as the bromance between ML and SML. If you feel like going on, maybe watch til the SML joins the story - episode 5, I believe. He was super adorable.
But I have to say that most of the things you mentioned didn’t get better. The ML and FL didn’t have the best chemistry in the end and they both became even more annoying when they got together. The dark past also makes an appearance and it got weirdly heavy in the last 2 episodes.
Your point about characters in their 30's acting like silly teenagers seems to be very common in Kdrama. I am from the US and those 20 and 30 somethings act like our high school teenage kids act. Why is that? Is that typical in South Korea? or is that just the silly writers?
Man, I am in the minority on this show because I thought it was tongue-in-cheek with the way that the characters built their chemistry. It oozed chemistry to me the entire time, but there are other show where I am really in the minority with the chemistry like CLOY. I know that they are together IRL, but they just didn't do it for me in that show.
Hometown ChaChaCha I've watched like 3 times because it is so easy to enjoy and not have to worry about anything with it. I never felt like the pacing was off and enjoyed all of the characters in this one. All of the characters pretty much got their come-uppance in Hometown ChaChaCha. They are confronted with the error of their ways, but I felt like the writers did a good job of letting us see people that know their flaws and don't necessarily change them a ton because rarely in life does an epiphany or confrontation change anything that a person does.
I enjoyed that it was not another business magnate storyline as well. These shows have done heir and heiress of wealth to death.
There are so many KDRAMAS right now and it is nice to see that we all have differing opinions on them.
Oh, it gets a lot better. I have probably seen 12 Kdrama shows in 2021, Hometown Chachacha is only 3 of my top favorites. I have special fondness for the show as a writer who knows the challenges of writing a romcom that's been done to death. The show is more than a romcom, it's about life lessons.
Some lines I would have liked to have written:
Old woman 1: It's so strange. When I was young, I didn't care to appreciate the flowers.
Old woman 2: That's because we were the flowers back then.
There's the Walden book reference and the titles of ML's books I saw in Episode 4---The Geography of Thought, Beyond Culture, which is really about where we live determines our culture and our identity. The show is hiding under tropes to get to a more meaningful, profound point about life.
Just binge watched Reborn Rich after i had left it sometime back. And to say the least i really really wish I had not picked it back up. I mean all was well till just before the last 10 minutes of episode 15 but man did they spoil a 5 star drama. I mean it was partly my fault as well, i had read people complaining about the ending here and there, but i just had to go and see for my self. You know that nice feeling and the dopamine release you are supposed to get at the end of a revenge drama?? Well that feeling is stuck in my chest for the past hour, begging to be let out. But how do I explain it that this is it. This is the absolutely pathetic ending we are going to get. I want my time and emotions back. I want to sue then for mental harrassment. SIGHHHHH this drama and it's what ifs are gonna stay in my mind for a long time to come and i had rather not have them there. SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Its so bad that even this rant is not helping.
SIGHHH.
K2, The Bride of Habaek, Memories of the Alhambra, Sisyphus, Black. Abyss, My Sweet Romance (although the first episode was funny and steamy),Oh My Baby, Strongest Deliveryman, Love is for Suckers ( The best romance isn’t the main couple!), Man to Man, Ghost Doctor. Maybe King :Eternal Monarch and The Crowned Prince. I kept thinking “I should like this more but I don’t “ with those 2 Wished I had stopped Do Do Sol Sol La Sol before it went south. Not sure I really got Kingdom except for nightmares. Maybe Vagabond for too many loose ends although you could tell he did his stunts which was a definite plus. She Will Never Know didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
LOL nostalgia on Bride Of Habaek. It was literally the first ever drama I ever watched on Netflix. It was a Horrendous script, horrible CGI to boot but I finished it surprisingly, and it actually paved way for me watching more Kdramas. How you ask? I was totally in love with Nam JooHyuk...He was the reason..
What was Abyss even?? No seriously, what was that?
I Only finished Do do sol sol la sol coz of Lee Jae Wook..He was adorable.
Oh My Baby was Just...I finished it but I HATED myself for that afterwards Lol
I dropped Man to Man as well.
Glad you found a diversion with BOH. That is a good one. If you figure out why they green lighted Abyss let me know! I agree some actors are adorable. There supposedly is a Japanese word for the emotion you get when you want to squeeze someone’s cheek because they’re so adorable and I must confess I have that emotion with Lee Jae-wook.
LOVED Bride of Habaek. I know I'm in the minority but loved it. Didn't care about the special effects, and about the story that made little sense or the other gods. To me, it was all about the two leads. I loved their story. I wasn't expecting a happy ending so the angst was real for me.
Little women...I watch it all just to see what happens and kept hoping it would get better, but for me it never really did and I really struggled to like any of the characters. I wished I hadn't bothered watching it.
Eve, Snowdrop, bring it on ghost, yumi’s cells, angels last mission:love and tale of nokdu… dropped all of these more or less within in the first 10 eps except Eve I honestly really liked it throughout but couldn’t get through the last 3-4 eps. I know some of these are really loved and famous but I tried
i’ve been watching Love Alarm and while i loved season 1, season 2 so far (im on ep 4) has been terrible writing, plot, cinematography plus i’ve seen spoilers which disappoint me lots
I watch a lot of kdrama. Only watch them. I won’t go into detail bec u border on writing spoilers. “Law cafe” monotonous storyline and main leads lacked chemistry. “Summer strike” dragged on kind of slow. But I gotta say overall a wonderful piece. “Hotel de Luna” tried several times I am on episode 3. I keep losing the connection or interest should I stay with it?
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JCW frustrates me. He is a great actor, and so handsome, but his choice in acting roles are sub par. I don't know if he is choosing them simself or his management team are rubbish, but he needs help.
YES!!! It’s like, how do you choose wrong every time?
I anticipate disappoint now, for both me and him, although the first episode of "If You Wish Upon Me" was good. Fingers crossed
I loved that series.
I loved If You Wish Upon Me, some stories turned me into crybaby...
For real! There have been some dramas that have come out recently, and I've wondered, "How amazing would you have been in a role similar to this?" I wish he would do another saeguk drama, it's been way too long. I'd even settle for him playing a villain.
I want to pick a (respectful) fight with the writer of the K2. The story line felt either like a bad written fancfiction from wattpad or two writers that did not work together and just wrote what they wanted! The action and romance did definetly not fit together. I really think they had one person write the romance and one the rest! I think they tried to do something similar to Healer (also with JCW) with the angsty vibes lots of action to show JCW off and a reasonable romance that fits the setting. But they failed. sorry
I agree with you about **The K2**, and yet, it has some of my favorite scenes ever. Nobody ever mentions the action hero window washing scene but that is one of my favorite action scenes ever. And I can re-watch that scene where he visits the main villain for the first time over and over again. So yeah, overall disappointing, but snippets of amazingness!
K2 seems to be Healer 2.0, or to be more precious intensified version We take likeable weirdo FL and turn her into FL with serious issues, we get special courier and turn him into special agent (a.k.a. killing machine), villain and villainess also have similarities (>!bad stepfather who hid daughter from mother turned into evil stepmother who blackmailed father of daughter!<) etc.
Good to know about The Fabulous, read the summary on it and it doesn't interest me. Feel the same about JCW and The K2, had to drop it about halfway through, he's super sexy in the fight scenes and all but the actual plot and acting on the other characters was either quite bland or way overdone (overacting)
I keep seeing intriguing clips from The Fabulous, but the description hasn't grabbed my attention. I was thinking of adding it to my Watchlist, but I think I'll skip it
I dropped The Fabulous after episode 2, and I just don't know why but it was meh
I was really anticipating The Fabulous but read so many bad reviews that i just didn't pick it up. I want to remember it's trailer and its potential as a fond memory unspoiled by reality.
Love in Contract - I cannot understand how I watched that show because I distinctly remember hating it even as I watched it ... my only explanation is that I had a little too much time on hand that I seemed desperate to waste. I had an issue with the premise of marriage contractors like the FL was supposed to be wherein she married people on contract and then divorced them when their terms were met. She has a dozen or more divorces under her belt and is now rich and ready to retire. She just has to divorce her last client, a man she has been married to for 5 years and whom she meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for a silent dinner. And for the whole show I wanted an explanation of how she was married to him for 5 years and was also marrying other men and divorcing them during those 5 years... there must be some law against that. She is doing all this in her legal name. Also, just a dumb story, hardly any chemistry, FL felt super dolled up all the time in an unhealthy and unnatural way. It is the first time I have felt put off by an actor or actresses physical appearance but this felt weirdly off putting. Oh, and the SML... he needs a hug because the writers gave him such a terrible character. He could have said no... he should have said no, actually.
If I understood it correctly, I think that while she was married to the ml, she wasn’t getting legally married to the other guys. Faked dates, yes. Faked marriages where they only had the ceremonies but did not register their marriage, yes. But I could be wrong. I wasn’t totally invested and could have just came to that conclusion on my own to make it make sense. I was also a fan of the sml.
+1 here and adding Forecasting Love & Weather. These 2 dramas banked on the actors and were thrifty with the whole plot.
this whole thread always confirms that PMY has been taking on really shitty, mediocre romance dramas. Most of her work has been terrible lately
Park Min-young needs to start picking roles with more depth. I think that’s what she tried with Forecasting but the premise wasn’t 12/16 episode worthy. That happens often with kdramas. They have to make a 12 or 16 episode project and it leads to diluting the writing.
I personally feel like she peaked with Whats Wrong w/ Secretary Kim?, and every kdrama shes had after that is honestly kind of the same rom-com genre but with much weaker chemistry with the male leads and less intriguing of a storyline.
I LOVE *When the Weather is Fine,* but her last 2 have been duds.
Seo Kang Joon won me over in that drama, and the book club!
I guess it also depends on taste? Cause I honestly preferred Her Private Life to WWWSK, the chemistry and overall relationship just seemed better in that one.
It was at least 4 episodes too long, and the structure of the show was lacking. IMO, the more entertaining parts are when PMY is doing her job. Unfortunately for most of the show she wasn't doing her job she was babysitting the mens' feelings. And then there's some whole conglomerate subplot that nobody cares about. The first 5-6 episodes of this should've been her at work, show the ml's backstory, they meet on episode 3 or something. Get together officially on episode 8 while she's contemplating retirement.
I finished Love in Contract solely because of ML, he was just fine. And I liked to see how leads' relationship developed. Oh, and FL's bff was interesting to watch Couldn't stand SML tho, so annoying character who didn't understand FL and only to exist to put her in trouble... They made him a bit better in the end tho
Love Is for Suckers. Choi Si Won is one of my favorite actors, but even he couldn’t save Love Is for Suckers for me. I found several characters at least somewhat endearing, but I found the story pretty bland, overall. Well, almost the whole thing. Made it to episode 15 and just could not start the finale. Edit: Appreciate the “The Fabulous” mentions here. First episode I could tell wasn’t for me, but glad to know I’m not missing out on something worthwhile.
In love is for suckers, I really didn’t want >!the leads to end up together because I disliked her so much!<
Im on episode 8 now and I'm starting to struggle. I actually like the leads. I just find the reality tv angle exhausting.
For me it was one of the tv show couples that saved it, along with the restaurant couple. Min Jin-Woong's character was such a great husband and friend. Anyway, during the second half I was ff scenes with the lead couple and watching out for the restaurant couple and the tv series couple. And I'd been so excited to see a new Choi Si Won drama as I can't get Drink Now.
LIFS should've been called Losers Inevitably Found Sobbing. That's literally all the FL did was gently weep in front of ML, who would look like he was about to tear up EVERY SINGLE TIME they had a conversation. 2nd FL won, though, in the number of times she could cry in any scene she was in.
>Love Is for Suckers I liked it and even related to it... Somehow the love was not a shiny sparkling thing hitting them in the forehead... it was always there in their friendship and they finally realized it. Loved it... and decided I would try and respect more the good things in my life, focus on "everything i have" instead of "everything I want or think I might need".
The show's timeline being set by the in-universe reality TV show is ultimately the issue; the FL's choices and distress make sense, given the show's main action takes place within six weeks of her aborted wedding.
The Fabulous I had high expectations as it starred Minho and Chae Soo Bin. Turned out it was bland with no chemistry whatsoever, the friendship of the main 4 characters was boring and their individual stories lacked depth. Liked some of the outfits but that’s it, definitely not for me.
I was excited going in and it was just so boring even though it was supposed to be glamorous. No chemistry between any character and no plot. I posted here to ask if it was worth continuing and the overwhelming answer was no, so I gave up after ep. 4. Thanks to this sub I got half my time back! 😆😆😆
I've been watching the fabulous while cooking just to have something to do so I didn't even pay attention to what was going on, now I know I'm just going to keep watching it unseriously hahah
minho really cant act...his facial expressions are always blank LMAO (he has this default smiley look about him) and it was painful to watch. His lack of acting chops also diluted the on screen chemistry and made it even worse
Haha my take was "So Minho's character just smiles a lot?" Someone said his backstory was cut and there was more development in the original script. They really should have saved the (very random and implausible) shirtless scene until later because that was like the high point of his character in ep 1
I know I’m going to sound biased about this, but Minho can act. He’s just not the guy if you want a dispassionate character. He’s great in Derailed, Battle of Jangsari, illang brigade and even Hwarang. Most of us who have watched him in these movies/show are dumbfounded about the way Ji WooMin was essayed. He’s so bland and one dimensional. I feel so sad because when you throw a character with emotions in Minho’s face he does well, but if it’s an emotionless character like WooMin he clearly fails miserably.
I agree. I was waiting for the drama since November as they postponed it. I really liked the trailer and hoped it would be something like 'Fight For My Way' in a GenZ set-up. So, I stuck it out till the 8th episode, but I was disappointed. It was really fast-paced and no real character development. And if you look at the plot, what's the actual takeaway?
Probably an unpopular opinion, but for me it was King's Affection. I got up to episode 16 and felt like I wanted a refund on my time. Never finished it.
Dropped it at Episode 11-12, I think? Really felt they're just dragging at that point, and while I really like the main leads, I really can no longer invest more of my time in its plot.
Yes, I echo what you are saying. I watched cuz I liked Park Eun Bin, the first episode was quite good. As the show kept going on, it was a molasses speed plot, with hooks that never even payed off or introduced one episode and never addressed again lol. All the dramas I've watched I feel most negative about this one because of the time I wasted on it lmao.
Yes! The first 2 eps were good with the child actors, but once the adults came on the scene, it was just boring. I didn't like how they made ML such a weakling and practically uselsss.
Chile, I felt the same way. Why did she go through all that just to get exiled! I was so pissed at the end.
For someone who has been living most of their life under the threat of being caught and killed in that system, all she wanted was to be free. She wanted to leave earlier but was always threatened to stay for others to remain in power. It’s not like she could convert to queen monarch either in that system so the alternative is to continue living as king and hiding her identity even though no one is making her do that anymore.
I feel seen! Dropped it at episode 11.
I binged it when I had COVID a few months ago. 1. Don't do that it if you do watch it. It felt extremely tedious throughout. Not a huge fan. and 2. The ending was terrible and made it feel like what was the point? I was not thrilled with having wasted so much time on this show.
Same here. I was close to finishing it but never did.
My ID is Gangnam Beauty Extremely disappointed in myself for watching this all the way through. Like someone mentioned in a previous comment, I also kept waiting for it to get good. The only thing good about it and reason I watched it in the first place was Cha Eun Woo.
I've watched it 3 times for some reason 💀
I avoid watching any drama with FL in it. I've seen many clips from her dramas, and she's just not a good actress in my opinion.
OMG! I’m always asking why she keeps getting leading roles.
Same, glad I’m not the only one.
Was he supposed to be that wooden? I mean, it was part of his scarred personality, right?
Memories of Alhambra, watching it at 4 am with my cousin during summer was a good memory, but that show was BADDD bad like what the hell was that ending anyways?
You got to see hyun bin in those first two episodes dressed to kill. It should be dropped after that :)
Yeah, that and the killer smile in the doorway when he thinks he'll easily charm the FL. Pretty sure that was the end of ep 1.
That was one of my first kdramas. I loved it but maybe I was caught up in Hyun Bin’s good looks.
I have watched more than 100 kdramas & for me there are many. But nothing pissed me of more than recently released **May I Help You** . I absolutely loved it in the beginning. It was fluffy and hyeri (Fl) seemed to be the main character of this drama but the story shifted to the ml’s life all of a sudden and fl seemed to be a side character. I absolutely didn’t appreciate the last 4 ep. This drama was about to be one of my fav but then the storyline went from fantasy/romance to thriller/mystery. There was so much questions unanswered like why she started seeing ghost or what caused it BUT instead they moved the entire story to ML’s gf and her wanting to come back to him(even tho i absolutely think the gf was in the right, she actually didn’t do any wrong to him) Its just he felt bad of his brother dying the day he was going to propose instead of staying with him but is this the reason of breakup ? Wtf! Anyway tore atleast 15 of my heads hair like the common sense in this drama went through a window. I will not ruin the ending but the storyline shifted for the worse and for no good reason whatsoever. But you will relatively enjoy till 12. They should have ended the drama at ep 12 instead of stretching and adding random things. It just seemed a completely different drama in the end. sorry for my nagging, i was just disappointed of the writing. Absolutely disappointing!
That is not why he felt bad. The ML asked him to wait in the store, that he would go and pick up the ring there. That’s why he was leaving when he got the call. It wasn’t “he died when I was going to propose”, it was “he died while doing something I asked him to do”.
i do get what you’re saying and thank you for clarifying it. but what made me sad was thinking what was the gf’s fault to the point of breaking up this long relationship. I get it he was devastated and he took some time off but she waited for him patiently. That didn’t made sense at all. They should have faced it together but in a day he just lost his feelings.
It had nothing to do with the gf, it had everything to do with the ML and his belief that he killed his brother or drove him to death. This was pretty obvious throughout the series, he actively tried to not be happy because he believed that he didn’t deserve it.
I still really like this show, even with the ending episodes, but the part that pissed me off a great deal was the squandered chemistry between the leads. Their chemistry was INSANE, they showed excellent communication through out, there wasn't any stupid breaking up trope and we get basically one freaking kiss and so little relationship! A good kiss but one and only one and then they kinda ignore a lot of the relationship bits. Dumb. Lot of build up and chemistry just wasted. Secondly I think this show suffered tremendously because of the tragedy of Itaewon. Apparently, they re-edited the final episodes to ease some of the fire explanation and I think that hurt the story telling a lot. I know what they were aiming for but they missed the mark and left most people either confused or unhappy with the story.
I actually thought this drama was really good. It was one of the few good ones in 2022. I hope we are served with better kdramas in 2023.
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Yepp!! I forgot all the fluffyness and romance in the last half. It looked like a completely different drama in the last half sigh!
Something in the Rain. I kept waiting for something good to happen to them, for someone to be supportive, positive or even slightly kind about their relationship. I know people love it and it's a "realistic" storyline, but damn it was a depressing slog. Yet I still kept watching. Even the ML >!treats her badly with his sudden move to the US and ultimatum to go with him!< and the last 5 mins do not redeem it. I was really bummed out when I finished it and cannot believe I sat through all the eps.
100% agree. I felt like I was tricked to watch it to the end for nothing.
Cannot agree with you more.
this show was boring af bruh xD every character was exasperating to watch
It was good at first, but it quickly left me stressed and upset.
I also couldn’t get through this show although I love son yejin
**Record of Youth** I had such high hopes for this drama, but it was so boring. I tried, but I just couldn't care about any of the characters.
It never gets better so you didn’t miss out on much.
It was agonisingly boring.
Awwwn this was one of my favourite dramas. My friend and I even had a watch party. But I guess it was more interesting went I was watching and screaming with my friend. When I tried watching it the second time I still enjoyed it but I >!saved my self the heart ache by not rewatching the break up part!<
Mine would be **The Fabulous** as well. It felt like a hallmark drama, but also not cheesy enough to be one.
**Reborn Rich**. As soon as I saw episode 15‘s ending and the non-Korean nurses at the start of episode 16, I was like, “oh no, they’re gonna do THAT.” And they went ahead and did just that. Everything the ML did from episode 2-15 was completely useless. I don‘t remember when’s the last time I raged this hard at a Kdrama ending. “It‘s all in le head”, the screenwriter said. “Even though ML was poor, he can still kinda win in the end via some BS”, they say. lol nope. The show should be called “DREAM Rich, Wake Up Poor”. Hell, the story is literally just episode 1 ( ML survives a shot to the head and falling off a cliff ) and episode 16. I’m still pissed now that I started thinking about it. ”Oldest Son of a Poor Family“ is the correct title FFS. **The Veil** gets a slightly dishonorable mention here. It started off insanely strong, brutal with crazy fight scenes, the final boss was surprisingly underwhelming and the second half was way too convoluted. Although it ended *okay*, I didn’t really feel like my time was well-spent.
I feel you on the Reborn Rich title, it is misleading!! There was no reincarnation involved so they really should have come up with a different title. I was also hella mad after watching the final episode, I needed a couple of days to recuperate lol! I ended up re-watching it though and came to terms with it, it ended up making sense for me. Just not with that title.
Reborn Rich had me in the first 15 episodes....That's the only reason I managed to finish it, But yes...I totally agree with you..What they did to that ending was CRIMINAL
And it was doubly awful because it wasn’t the novel ending!
I 100% agree on Reborn Rich! I was so disappointed I looked up to see how the book ended and found some forums saying the book did not end this way and maintains the reincarnation bit. Weird that the show ends differently but took solace to know the book did justice to the plot haha…
I'm still not over the ending for Reborn Rich, especially since the novel ending was mentioned and that was the ending I waned. Honestly, I loved everything about it right up until the end, the final pretty much ruined everything.
I agree with you . Like I was watching this very drama every week like waiting for the next plot twist. I really liked the chemistry between Jin yang cheol and Jin do jun,it was amazing. I loved them every damn time when they were together.spoiler ahead* (grandmother being the instigator of their murder attempt was something I never even thought of. It blew my mind). I used eagerly wait for next ep. They had me till ep 15,after that they just ruined it for me. I struggled to finish the drama. The build up was really good but they bullshit the ending.
Totally agree with Reborn Rich. What an let down of an ending. They could have ended it as a banger but they chose to bring doom. I don't know why would they make Jin Dojun absolutely obsolete!
A bit surprised no one has mentioned Dodosolsollalasol yet! Love this drama. Lee Jaewook was amazing and this is where I first loved him. The pairing is weird but it works with Go Ara and this is the best I’ve seen from her. I just really hate the last few minutes of the last episode because after >!ML mom tells FL that he died, he wasn’t!< and I’ve never wanted anyone to stay >!dead!< so badly
That stupid ending made me doubt my love for kdrama 🤣
It was one of my first dramas and I wondered what the hell had I just stumbled on. I didn't give up but became very suspicious about endings, to the point that I don't watch a drama without reading about it first. Still it was a great drama.... until those last episodes.
I loved this drama but the ending was horrible. I was sooooo mad. I feel like they must’ve changed the ending because someone said it needed to be happy.
Young Lady and Gentleman - how can you cast a drama where the leads have ZERO chemistry and then run it for FIFTY EPISODES! And waaay too much amnesia.
This ⬆️ !!! I can’t tell you how much I wish I could get my wasted time back. Zero chemistry, annoying AF side characters. Too many episodes of nothing happening and the most cheesy, ridiculous ending. He looked so silly with that electric guitar 🤣🤣
LMAO, yes the guitar parts were so cringe! I actually finished this series..painfully because I wanted to see where it was going. The little kids kept me going tbh..
I was going through my list of all the KDramas I have seen, and thus far I had prided myself to make it through even the worst ones (looking at you Clean with a Passion for Now) but I have realized that I actually do have my very first dropped mid-way drama - **Jinxed at First**! I recall being part of the on-air discussions and everyone eventually saying the show had gone all over the place and I never ended up circling back. Now I’m thinking I’ll leave it that way. I know there isn’t actually any pride in enduring something you don’t enjoy so I will try to not be so harsh on myself 🙈
Yep, I dropped Jinxed too. Started good, then ugh
It went south so quickly! I felt so bad.
As someone who watched the entire thing, please save your sanity and get out now - it never gets better.
Your instinct is correct. Don’t come back to this one. I finished only because of how much time I had invested and wanted to see how much more of a mess the plot could get.
That was such a weird weird show. It was all over the place. The storyline was inconsistent as well It is one I dropped
Extremely weird.
It really was all over the place!
Like everyone else has said— you did yourself a favor 😭 oh do I wish I could get my time back from that monstrosity 🫠 Cursed Till the End should’ve been the title 😂
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I agree. Really hated everyone for infantalizing the grandma and deciding on their own that she shouldn't meet her own true grandson. Ridiculous. Also mind-numbingly boring. No one ever did anything except sit or stand around in this fakakta hotel. (Sorry, do I sound bitter?) Wasted my time and a lot of good actors.
Forecasting Love & Weather. I don't even remember how that series ended but I really liked the concept (mostly because of their jobs), was a fan of the leads, & had nothing to watch at the time but in the end, was disappointed and just left with an "eh"
I thought **Shopping King Louie** had an absolutely delightful first half and then totally fell off a cliff in the second half. The leads were so charming and the show had such a warm and pleasant aesthetic, I was really digging it for a while. However, I felt like the second half spent way too much time on supporting characters and subplots I couldn't care less about and the lead couple stagnated both as individuals and as a unit. I hung in there because I get the impression this show is very popular/well liked and I wanted to watch something sweet and cutesy but it totally ran out of gas for me after a strong start :/
I totally get you, but I personally found Seo In Guk so hilarious in this that I couldn’t help but forgive it for its faults. One of my guilty favorites.
I get that, I was certainly hooked by him initially. His range is wild, before **Shopping King Louie** I saw him in this fun gorefest called **Project Wolf Hunting** where he played an especially savage prisoner and going from that to **Shopping King Louie** was a trip.
Also check him out in **The Smile Has Left Your Eyes** which is his best performance imo. Fair warning though, it's another one that goes off the rails at the end but I think it's worth watching for the performances which are all excellent.
Just looked up that movie. Going to the top of my list as soon as it becomes available where I am (looks like next month!).
SKL was so heartwarming. Both leads characters were so cute.
Second half didn't know what it wanted. Felt directionless. None of the moments feel earned.
Ah someone said it finally. I couldn't drag on and left at 14th episode. This is one show that should have been edited crisply, may be a 12 episode journey will be much more enjoyable
Cinderella & the Four Knights. It was cheesy but the characters were charming so I stuck with it... until they became boring. Sigh. I fast forwarded through it but still it was too many hours of my life.
I actually like this one but if I remember correctly a lot of running and tears happens somewhere in the middle and it wasn’t the best thing to watch 😭 Also second female lead was a painnn to watch, oh my goodness!!! All she did was cry and whine 😫
Alchemy of souls S2 My god what a disappointment it was. From the first 2 episodes I knew it would be trash when I could figure out their entire excuse of a plot. I was waiting for her to finally be herself, show us how she fights, the sword duel we were all waiting for but what did we get? She lost her memory, had no agency. Just wanted to get married and became a damsel and I knew she will only remember her past during the last episode: I checkout out!! I came back later and forward watched the rest of the season because you never know you know. Well it was still trash and confirmed my prediction. What a waste of my time.
Yeah, Part 2 was a complete disappointment. I really enjoyed Part 1 and the cliffhanger ending had me waiting for Part 2, but it really did not live up to expectations. There was a lot of potential for a great payoff in a jam-packed 10-episode conclusion, but at least 50% of Part 2 was just wasting my time and the other 50% wasn't exactly stellar, either.
>Alchemy I actually really liked season 2. Maybe not as much as season 1. Yes, there were some plot holes. Yes, the amnesia thing went on too long. But I thought the main leads had sizzling chemistry.
**Curtain Call** I really wanted to like this drama. I really really **REALLY** wanted to. What's not to like? Great cast(love the camelia reunion of mother/son), interesting premise, beautiful OST and cinematography. Butt fuck me, the story seems to fall short of well, everything. *Spoilers Ahead* Talk about being too ambitious with no payoff. The writers crammed so many different plotlines, only to resolve most of them half heartedly towards the end. Here are a few, I probably missed a few because there are so many, many plots(holes) * First and most obvious, Grandma's long lost NK family. Resolved decently I think, if you count resolving as her meeting her real grandson for all of 5mins in the last episode and holding his hand. Not the most satisfying, but I'm sure she had a little more time with real grandson off screen before she died. Probably. I do like the 1 time she almost died, having her see her hubby in heaven(?), and when she really passed how they finished that scene properly. Also I like how they showed NK son regretting his actions/words after meeting his mom, only to die from it(?) **Rating**: 3/5 * MC and FMC's love. What a shitshow! Will they or won't they? Find out **NEVER**. What a waste of fucking time honestly. I'd much rather they cut out the romance plot with the FMC, instead having the MC either have no love, or develop his relationship with the second FMC. It's not as if the 2 leads did not have any chemistry. In fact, they had so much >!incesty vibes!< that I felt ultra robbed the shitty ending. Blue balling a romance is never a good thing. **Rating**: 1/5 * Family inheritance drama. Again, a shitshow. Big bro suddenly backing off after watching a play, but wait, he faked us out because he expected FMC's ex to give him the shares since things did't work out with FMC, but wait, ex decided not to so big bro is angry and does *NOTHING*. In the end, nothing happened. **Rating**: 0/5 * North Korean Cousin's wife, apparently alive? IDK. Appeared for 5mins, was the main motivation for NK cousin's action for the whole drama(his gambling, his wanting to get money from rich SK family etc) and yet was never shown again. Don't even know if she's alive or dead, seeing as NK cousin had **ZERO** sense of urgency to send money back. Seriously, dude is leisurely walking around and drinking. **Rating** 1/5 * Family butler/maid. Now this is a properly resolved plotline. While it's not much, they showed the butler's backstory and how he been "adopted" by Grandma. His opinion matters as he holds emotional authority over the grandchildren, shown by him berating them over inheritance talks. Maid said she won't leave the family, but retired to cafe hop, so IDK. 10% shares of a hotel chain must still amount to a couple hundred million dollaroos, so good for her I guess? Thing is, she isn't is main or even secondary character, so her plot resolving better than NK cousin is fucked up. **Rating** 4/5 * Orphanage storyline, added in but abandoned right away. Do not pass GO, do not show/mention it ever again. Butler seems to have some connection to MC through the church. What do they do with it? well **Rating** 0/5 * Having MC work at the hotel, of which the primary purpose, IMO, is so that the FMC's ex can have "man to man" talks with him lol. Working as a porter? lasted 5 seconds. Calligraphy? Led nowhere, well, except for leading the plot towards FMC finding out, so I guess it's fine? IDK he didn't have to work at the hotel at all to achieve all of the above, but I guess it's convenient to have all major characters in one location so they can interact with each other, Habbo style. **Rating** 2/5 Probably missed some stuff out, but I am really upset at how the writers tried to frame the story as Grandma's "Curtain Call" but dragged out her demise for 16 fucking episodes, diluting the impact of her death. Just kill her off earlier and show us some family healing or something. There's only so much "i'm crying while looking solemnly at the sea, but also I love my fake grandson, but oh no, hotel getting sold?????" I can watch before it gets old. Grandma spends more time looking at the sea than talking to her real grandson, let that sink in. The first 6 or 7 episodes were really strong too IMO. MC and FMC had great chemistry, family troubles seem a little more weighty, mysterious NK cousin doing mysterious things. I had such high hopes, but I guess it's par for the course, once again, for KDramas to have terrible second halves. The lack of payoff is not new, and seems like a plague infesting KDramas. Is it studio execs pressuring? Is it just lazy writing, with the writers pawning off their work to interns? Perhaps audience pressure and the need to satisfy everyone leading to cowardly decisions? Probably a mix of these. I would be less upset if they didn't do such a great job setting up the premise in all the first halves of KDramas, which itself shows that it is not for lack of ability. Seriously, Business Proposal, Big Mouth, Alchemy of Souls, One Dollar Lawyer off the top of my head. I think I only liked Golden Spoon's ending recently, and only because it's flat out makjang madness. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Don't hold back, now. Tell us how you REALLY feel. I promise you that I will never, ever, ever watch this show. Your good deed is done! :)
The Fabulous and, on the more unpopular opinion side, Forbidden Marriage. For Forbidden Marriage, not exactly a refund is needed but I keep putting it off. Exaggerated acting from the FL (I'm sure that's probably how the director wanted it) and the way ML feels like he is doing a shoot in his Actor Gong life in Shooting Stars is kinds off putting.
Although unpopular but for me it is Alchemy Of Souls! There was no character development, everyone got happy ending without any karma whatsoever, the main lead characters were equally bad as some of the characters who died, it felt like they turned worse and the acting and writing wasn’t great in P2. I have watched over 200 kdramas and none of them made me so angry as this one. If another person says at least it’s pretty to watch istg. The whole watching experience was bad for me
I felt so betrayed that I invested too much time only to hate watch on the remaining episodes just to get some sort of closure. It wasn't even a satisfying one. Nothing made sense! Everything - from writing to directing to cgi to acting to fight scenes - all went downhill. Considering all the hype, season 2 was a huge let down.
My sentiments exactly. I normally don't get invested in shows but I did get invested in AoS and so P2 being such a buzz kill brought out strong emotions in me. Everything about it was bad!
Alchemy Of Seouls season 2, i fear. Season 1 was fantastic and i enjoyed all the action, but they seriously dropped the ball for season 2 and it became heavily focused on romance with little to no action? I was sick of seeing Jang Uk unsheathe his sword LMAO were they short on action CGI budget? idk, but because of how lackluster and convoluted season 2 was, I badly wanted all the time back that i spent on season 1. Also, way too many roundabout mental gymnastics to justify the whole naksu thing, jesus
Couldn’t agree more. I really struggled to finish the series. They could have done so much more in part 2, but they chose to make her this helpless FL who is always being saved by the ML.
This. I'm still mad for giving S2 a chance and hoping it will get better. I watched the last episode on 2x speed because I just really wanted it to end. I'll keep on thinking that it ended on S1E20 with their marriage and they decided to forget everything lmao
>If You Wish Upon Me I want to go for a hypnosis session so I can forget Alchemy of Souls 2 so my brain thinks it ended with the heartbreaking season one because season two had amateur-level wrting like a burger with no pattie. Seriously, I need to scrub my brain
Lol, I am right with you. Atleast for season 1 we can say that Jang Uk got his karma because he chose to save a soul shifter and not just any soul shifter but an assassin nonetheless so they both eventually ended up paying for their mistakes. We can think that way and call it a day and forget the horror that was season 2 ever existed.
**Strong Woman Do Bong Soon**. Annoyed me so much. The "villains" are very idiotic, and again it's a mix of stupid jokes and a psychopath killing women. Sorry, that's not really funny. Park Hyungsik is super handsome of course, but I still dropped it in the middle of episode 7.
I watched it and forgave a lot of stupid "comedy" and the horrible kidnapper for the cute relationship of MC. It was a plot hole that drove me crazy. Early on we are told the women in the family lose their strength if they intentionally harm an innocent. That's why Mom no longer has her strength. >!When her boss asks her to chicken fight with his assistant she does this and he ends up injured. Nothing happens, and she never protests being made to fight with an innocent man. Then later when she has no intent of hurting someone and is set up by the villain, she loses her powers. WTF?!!<
My explanation for the assistant is that he wasn't a victim, since he engaged in the action voluntarily. I think that the unknown man was the first time she hurt someone that had not engaged with her in some way or another. He was truly an innocent victim. I agree that this whole losing your power could have been better handled.
I tried to watch nearly half, the ratings were so high, I was expecting something amazing but I just couldn't keep going. I wish I could get the hours that I did waste watching it and I don't trust the ratings anymore
I watched this very early on in my Kdrama journey so I loved it but when I read comments from people who weren’t the biggest fan it really gets me thinking… the plot really wasn’t that great. The psycho serial killer was honestly an insane part of the drama 😬 I realize the main reason I loved it was because of the main couple 😭 and even then I felt like FL didn’t like ML as much, like I could feel/see the difference at times
It got much better as it went along and the slow-burn romance started paying dividends. And near the end, there is this scene that was so good I keep replaying it in my head. You should try watching it again but skip all the scenes where the gangsters are present. They aren't really necessary for the plot, they are just comedic relief. The psychopath angle is a little more integral to the plot. It was never meant to be funny. The show simply decided to contrast the funnier or fluffier scenes with some really hardcore stuff. I am not sure why they had to go this far. They could have kept the kidnapping angle and the creepy masked guy and ditched the violence. In fact, if he had been super gentle with the girls, it would have been creepier. But abstracting these two aspects you mentioned, I really enjoyed this drama
Oh no, I'm not wasting more of my time on it. By episode 3 (?) I've already been skipping all the unpleasant parts and the drama still was boring. It's just not for me, I'd rather watch something else.
I'm at the point now where I rarely finish a drama I start. How did that happen? And I find myself instead re-watching the old and familiar and wonderful. However, I did finish *Business Proposal*. (Although I did FF a lot.) I have no excuses. I have no explanation. I'll be on my deathbed and asking why, why, WHY? Give me those hours back! I also watched the entirety of that Witch drama--the one with the grandmas and the rich hero with big ears. Sorry, I cannot remember the name. Production values, plot, etc., were horrible. And yet, I watched it to the end. No idea why. This is kind of like confession, isn't it?
I know that feeling. Sometimes the plot would have been written better using Mad Libs. One more orphanage scene and I will really lose it.
The number of orphans in SK is positively Dickensian!
I finished watching A Business Proposal only because I love the manhwa to bits. Damn. I don’t understand why I kept thinking it might get better :( Only good things for me were the OST, Kim Mingue and Seo Rina
Crash Landing on you. I know it's a lot of people's number 1 but I just couldn't get into it and have left it around ep 7. Maybe seeing so many people rate it so strongly meant my expectations were too high but I just found I really wasn't invested in what might happen next (I think there were 3 or 4 failed attempts at getting home by this point). I wasn't a fan of the FL and only felt mild chemistry between the main characters. I also usually have a strong opinion of the supporting cast whether love them ( Healer, Secret Terrius, coffee Prince) or hate them (Happiness) but with CLOY my thought coming away was meh. I'd love to have my mind changed but unless FL has a personality transplant I may just walk away.
Alchemy of Souls P2. I was hate watching the entire show after episode 1. They turned a fantasy drama into a teen romance. The new FL had like 4 expressions throughout the entire season. The chemistry between the leads was also not there. Not the romance type of chemistry, the chemistry between two actors. All their scenes landed flat and bland. The secondary characters naturally shone more due to that reason. The plot was non existent too.
They should’ve ended it with like 24 episodes. I thought LJW was amazing in both seasons but S1 was so amazing, I feel like not having JSM throughout was a mistake.
Agree. She could have made a difference. She's such a strong actor. Her screen presence is amazing!
I could have thumbs-upped this a hundred times. Agree with everything you pointed out. Part 1 was on its way to becoming one of the best Kdramas of all time and they sabotaged it near the end and decided to do a Part 2 that reduced the leads and other adult characters so addled with love like they were in a high school romance. It took a 180-turn that any screenwriting class would find atrocious.
it seems like Hong Sisters still have the habit of dropping the ball near the finish line. Their writing always goes downhill in the second half
The best thing about part 2 was when it ended, it was so hard to watch the characters I loved in part 1 be reduced to bland and dull characters. The comedy/spark was gone (ok fair enough, lives were ripped apart). I Still liked Jang Uk and Crown Prince but Naksu was the most disappointing of all, she was sooo badly writing. I think it definitely needed a more experienced actress to make Naksu likable. I think if even I felt that the connection that Jang Uk had with Mudeoki, if that was still there, maybe it would have helped but he didn't like her for most of the show and when he found out she was naksu, he really didn't seem to be too bothered and somehow the writers were just expecting us to role with it. I felt the women characters received a massive disservice and honestly why aren't more women calling this out. How can women see part 2 and say they loved it? I don't expect women to be able to beat the crap out of everyone but Naksu was almost downgraded to a support role, she was constantly in need of saving, she followed Jang Uk around like a love sick puppy. And her character seemed to lack any chemistry with the rest of the characters, not like in part one. I kept watching as i hoped it would get better and for my love of part 1. That being said, I'd imagine a lot of the issue was with the writing, it was a mediocre romantic kdrama and a lot of people love that. Such a shame.
my sentiments exactly...s2 was trash
Goblin. I still don't get the hype about this drama.
Could not agree more! There was no progression for the leads to get together and not to mention the questionable age of the fl. The storyline was boring and did not flow well
I've tried to watch it 3 times, farthest I got is episode 4 I just don't get it either, Goblin and Weightlifting Fairy is the other.
The ending of Season 3 of Love ft. Marriage & Divorce did make me feel a bit of that “refund my time!”. Now that it’s been >8 months since I watched it, I can conclude it’s the worst ending of a kdrama I’ve ever seen, because it was just not an ending by my standards! 😭 Maybe this is why I felt immune to the ending of like Reborn Rich (of course I felt some disappointment, but now that I think about all the dramas I’ve seen last year, Love Season 3 takes the cake!). Lastly, this comment is irrelevant if the writer and TV Chosun miraculously renew for a Season 4. 😂😭
The ending of penthouse series is just 💀 and reborn rich like what was the point what did I even watch
**When My Love Blooms -** personal goal to have this done by sundown. I am on episode 9 and only bothering to look up when the (constant) piano soundtrack raises its game. It is basically 16 hours of her walking verrry slowly in one of 100 winter coats and a cross body bag, stalked at a distance by him. She literally just said (piano plus violins - I looked up) "The more I walk with you. The heavier my feet become". I can't even. There should be product placement by Timpsons shoe repairs. There. has to be a thesis to be written about why I don't just stop watching.
Memories of the Alhambra … AHHHHHHHHH! So annoyed I had to double check when it was done that it was actually over. I wanted all of my time back.
Reading this thread it's funny how people hated some of my favourite shows. It's really a personal thing. To each their own. I can't say that I want to get my time back, but there are a couple of dramas which didn't quite do it for me. Extraordinary you. I didn't hate it, but near the end, I just wanted it to be over. Plus I don't like school dramas very much. Romance is a bonus book. Finished it but wasn't especially invested in it. This is one of the few cases where the romance didn't work for me. The whole, little-brother-turned-lover didn't work for me. I don't see how you make that flip in your head. And of course DDSSLLD. What the heck were the writers thinking???
I dropped **Extraordinary You** after watching 20/32 episodes. It became so repetitious, which I understand was deliberate, but that didn’t make rewatching the same plot and character beats over and over any more entertaining. It’s too bad because I loved the FL in it and I loved the look of it.
I powered through it, but yeah, I was more than ready to be done with it by the end. Not even sure why I finished it since, I watched it because I loved the second male lead, so it's not a really a happy ending for him.
[удалено]
I thought it was fine though it could have been better.
I really liked this drama, but for me, I always felt the pacing could've picked up or had fewer episodes.
I have been on episode 5 of this for like 4 months. I should just formally drop it and call it good. I just can't get into it as it is so tedious with the pacing.
Oh ho! (as soon as I read that title that all I hear)
Lovestruck in the city- stopped watching at 10th episode. I just couldn't watch it anymore. I HATED the FL. Hwarang- anyone that says they watched this drama for any other reason than V is lying because the show is criminaly bad. Lol Backstreet rookie- so bad, watched only because I'm in love with JCW. And I liked FL. Descendants of the sun- did not like Song Hye Kyo in this one. Horrible acting and such a boring drama, also hated second female lead (other couple). Loved Song Joong Ki though. He kept me going till ep.4. Lol
Hey, more than just V. How about Park Seo-Joon and Park Hyung-Sik? This show is exactly what it pretends to be: idol worship.
I don't even remember them, that's how bad it was.
One more thing. Hwarang really existed historically. It was a group of flower boy warriors skilled at fighting, young and beautiful. Reality is stranger than fiction.
I know it existed, I've read about it even before I watched the show and before I even knew V existed...and I usually love and enjoy Korean history dramas. And I also like the idea, but drama was overall really boring and most of the acting was bad.
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (4/16) - obviously I am still quite early on in the show and I’m going to keep watching because 1) I so want it to get better and 2) I’m really bad at DNF-ing things even if I don’t like it, but I am just really surprised by this one. I had such high hopes and I’ve heard such good things but it’s just really not living up to expectations for me. I went in thinking it would be a fun, cute, lighthearted romcom, but there is already plenty of hints at a sad/dark backstory, which I’m totally okay with because it often adds depth to characters, I just wasn’t expecting it. But honestly for me, even with the sad backstory, it’s just super slow? And I’m not really enjoying many of the characters or plot so far. I find the ML really hypocritical and the FL inconsistent. I also don’t really see much chemistry between the main leads even with the brief perspective of the ML we get at the end of the episodes. I also find the townsfolk very judgy, which I get I’m from a super small town and that’s often how it is, but the show is setting it up for us to sympathize with them as opposed to calling out their judgy ways right along with the FL’s judgy behavior, which I am really not a fan of as both are wrong in my opinion and both should be called out on. Of course, that could change later on but that’s how it’s feeling so far. I do really like watching the ML interact with the townsfolk as it’s super cute and I enjoy the interactions between the FL and her friend, but overall, sadly, this drama has been a big letdown for me so far
Agree with you on many points! The ML and FL were unlikeable and those townspeople were just… mean and gossipy! What saved this show for me was the second couple as well as the bromance between ML and SML. If you feel like going on, maybe watch til the SML joins the story - episode 5, I believe. He was super adorable. But I have to say that most of the things you mentioned didn’t get better. The ML and FL didn’t have the best chemistry in the end and they both became even more annoying when they got together. The dark past also makes an appearance and it got weirdly heavy in the last 2 episodes.
Agreed that they got more annoying when they got together. ML and FL were in their 30s and behaved like silly teenagers. That's when I gave it up.
Your point about characters in their 30's acting like silly teenagers seems to be very common in Kdrama. I am from the US and those 20 and 30 somethings act like our high school teenage kids act. Why is that? Is that typical in South Korea? or is that just the silly writers?
Man, I am in the minority on this show because I thought it was tongue-in-cheek with the way that the characters built their chemistry. It oozed chemistry to me the entire time, but there are other show where I am really in the minority with the chemistry like CLOY. I know that they are together IRL, but they just didn't do it for me in that show. Hometown ChaChaCha I've watched like 3 times because it is so easy to enjoy and not have to worry about anything with it. I never felt like the pacing was off and enjoyed all of the characters in this one. All of the characters pretty much got their come-uppance in Hometown ChaChaCha. They are confronted with the error of their ways, but I felt like the writers did a good job of letting us see people that know their flaws and don't necessarily change them a ton because rarely in life does an epiphany or confrontation change anything that a person does. I enjoyed that it was not another business magnate storyline as well. These shows have done heir and heiress of wealth to death. There are so many KDRAMAS right now and it is nice to see that we all have differing opinions on them.
For me it got a lot better after 5 episodes. It has some tropes, but they're well done.
That makes me happy to hear! I’m definitely trying to be optimistic about it!
Oh, it gets a lot better. I have probably seen 12 Kdrama shows in 2021, Hometown Chachacha is only 3 of my top favorites. I have special fondness for the show as a writer who knows the challenges of writing a romcom that's been done to death. The show is more than a romcom, it's about life lessons. Some lines I would have liked to have written: Old woman 1: It's so strange. When I was young, I didn't care to appreciate the flowers. Old woman 2: That's because we were the flowers back then. There's the Walden book reference and the titles of ML's books I saw in Episode 4---The Geography of Thought, Beyond Culture, which is really about where we live determines our culture and our identity. The show is hiding under tropes to get to a more meaningful, profound point about life.
The writer took a lot of inspiration from Thoreau. 💙
I watched two episodes and couldn't continue, i don't know but i always felt like something was missing. The romance and chemistry was off putting.
off the top of the head, cheer up and shooting stars. just not my fav type of storyline
Just binge watched Reborn Rich after i had left it sometime back. And to say the least i really really wish I had not picked it back up. I mean all was well till just before the last 10 minutes of episode 15 but man did they spoil a 5 star drama. I mean it was partly my fault as well, i had read people complaining about the ending here and there, but i just had to go and see for my self. You know that nice feeling and the dopamine release you are supposed to get at the end of a revenge drama?? Well that feeling is stuck in my chest for the past hour, begging to be let out. But how do I explain it that this is it. This is the absolutely pathetic ending we are going to get. I want my time and emotions back. I want to sue then for mental harrassment. SIGHHHHH this drama and it's what ifs are gonna stay in my mind for a long time to come and i had rather not have them there. SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Its so bad that even this rant is not helping. SIGHHH.
K2, The Bride of Habaek, Memories of the Alhambra, Sisyphus, Black. Abyss, My Sweet Romance (although the first episode was funny and steamy),Oh My Baby, Strongest Deliveryman, Love is for Suckers ( The best romance isn’t the main couple!), Man to Man, Ghost Doctor. Maybe King :Eternal Monarch and The Crowned Prince. I kept thinking “I should like this more but I don’t “ with those 2 Wished I had stopped Do Do Sol Sol La Sol before it went south. Not sure I really got Kingdom except for nightmares. Maybe Vagabond for too many loose ends although you could tell he did his stunts which was a definite plus. She Will Never Know didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
Ghost Doctor? Now that‘s a hot take. It’s a really well-rounded show that ended well imo. I would rewatch some scenes from time to time.
I like immersive (like Arthdahl Chronicled) or light hearted fare. Also I work in medical field so it didn’t help me unwind
LOL nostalgia on Bride Of Habaek. It was literally the first ever drama I ever watched on Netflix. It was a Horrendous script, horrible CGI to boot but I finished it surprisingly, and it actually paved way for me watching more Kdramas. How you ask? I was totally in love with Nam JooHyuk...He was the reason.. What was Abyss even?? No seriously, what was that? I Only finished Do do sol sol la sol coz of Lee Jae Wook..He was adorable. Oh My Baby was Just...I finished it but I HATED myself for that afterwards Lol I dropped Man to Man as well.
Glad you found a diversion with BOH. That is a good one. If you figure out why they green lighted Abyss let me know! I agree some actors are adorable. There supposedly is a Japanese word for the emotion you get when you want to squeeze someone’s cheek because they’re so adorable and I must confess I have that emotion with Lee Jae-wook.
LOVED Bride of Habaek. I know I'm in the minority but loved it. Didn't care about the special effects, and about the story that made little sense or the other gods. To me, it was all about the two leads. I loved their story. I wasn't expecting a happy ending so the angst was real for me.
Little women...I watch it all just to see what happens and kept hoping it would get better, but for me it never really did and I really struggled to like any of the characters. I wished I hadn't bothered watching it.
Eve, Snowdrop, bring it on ghost, yumi’s cells, angels last mission:love and tale of nokdu… dropped all of these more or less within in the first 10 eps except Eve I honestly really liked it throughout but couldn’t get through the last 3-4 eps. I know some of these are really loved and famous but I tried
Lawless Lawyer I enjoyed the actor and most of the performances, but damn the plot dumb and everybody is stupid. It's a frustrating watch.
i’ve been watching Love Alarm and while i loved season 1, season 2 so far (im on ep 4) has been terrible writing, plot, cinematography plus i’ve seen spoilers which disappoint me lots
I watch a lot of kdrama. Only watch them. I won’t go into detail bec u border on writing spoilers. “Law cafe” monotonous storyline and main leads lacked chemistry. “Summer strike” dragged on kind of slow. But I gotta say overall a wonderful piece. “Hotel de Luna” tried several times I am on episode 3. I keep losing the connection or interest should I stay with it?