KDrama Review: Dream High

The Gist: Go Hye Mi (Suzy) doesn’t have an ounce of doubt that she’ll get in when she auditions for an arts academy. She gets knocked down a peg when the staff doesn’t choose her, but her geeky, shy friend Yoon Baek Hee (Ham Eun Jung). Baek Hee overnight transforms into a sleek stylish star to be, quickly becoming Hye Mi’s rival. Hye Mi can’t give up on her dream and the school takes pity on her, saying if she can get two other students to come, they’ll let her in. The first is cool and friendly Jin Guk (Taecyeon) and the second is hillbilly kid Sam Dong (Kim Soo Hyun). Together, all of them end up on the road to superstardom, but only one of them can be mega famous.

Love:

1.Jason and Pil Sook 

Played by Wooyoung and IU respectively, these two quickly become my favorite characters. Jason was pretty much the most talented person on cast and his ability to like Pil Sook despite her weight issues was adorable. Then, we get that beautiful moment when Pil Sook comes into her own and pretty much just kills it. They are an adorable couple and I love it.

2.Hye Mi and Baek Hee

There’s nothing like some good frienemies to make a show go round. I love it how Hye Mi and Baek Hee square off and push themselves to new places to best each other. In Baek Hee’s case, this starts to get a little scary, like injuring people scary, but that’s what makes her a good antagonist. I’ve said it before but I love a good reconciliation and trying to watch these friends turned enemies try and become friends again is one of the most engaging things about the show.

Meh:

1.The Romance

Hye Mi gets Sam Dong to come to the school with rather obvious seductive tactics and a fake confession. From that point on the romance goes through a psycho roller coaster, ultimately forming a love triangle between her, him and Jin Guk. I generally have a problem when the final matching doesn’t become clear or make the most sense throughout the show. Pretty much until the end, it could have been either of them. That, of course, leads to definite intrigue while watching, but I wish I felt more solid about the ending pair.

2.The Music

Honestly, at writing this, it’s been a little while since I watched this show. Still, the music was utterly unmemorable to me. I can’t think of a single song. With so many strong rivals – You’re Beautiful, Heartstrings, Shut Up Flower Boy Band, Mary Stayed Out All Night – Dream High kind of falls behind as far as producing striking, memorable music. In this aspect, it’s probably my least favorite musical drama.

Hate:

1.Umm…Is it cold in here?

But really though – it looked like the actors were freezing to death, even when they were supposed to be inside the school. As soon as I read a video comment pointing out that you could see their breath, it was all I could notice the whole time. I ended up just feeling really bad for them, which was totally distracting.

2.Unoriginal

This isn’t a critique I generally hold strongly because on some level, everything’s been done before. While DH has its unique qualities, but nothing about the show made me think, ah, that’s new and exciting! I’d say that Dream High was the first musical drama I watched and even in that regard, it has now been surpassed by so many others. It’s crazy popular and even merited a sequel, but I found myself somewhat bored with the storyline.

So:

So… for as much buzz as this show gets, I found myself ultimately unimpressed with it. The romance was confusing and left me feeling a bit strange. If you’re looking for an excellent musical drama, I feel like there are so many more that I prefer. It’s got a strong cast and some interesting relationships, but it’s not something I wanted to re-watch and didn’t keep me particularly tuned in while watching it the first time.

Final Grade: C
Picture credit: dramacrazy

KDrama Review: Playful Kiss

*Available on US Netflix Streaming*

The Gist: High school student Oh Ha Ni (Jung So Min) is mesmerized by classmate Baek Seung Jo (Kim Hyun Joong), the smartest and most handsome guy in school. When she finally confesses via love letter, Seung Jo shames her by exposing the letter and correcting all of her grammar and spelling mistakes. Embarrassed, Oh Ha Ni decides to stop loving Seung Jo, a declaration that doesn’t last long when an earthquake knocks down her house and her father’s old friend, Seung Jo’s dad, asks them to stay at their place. Now living under the same roof, seeing Baek Seung Jo every day, Ha Ni finds it impossible to give up on him, no matter how coldly he treats her.

Love:

1.Baek Seung Jo and Oh Ha Ni

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally a drama called Playful Kiss could only be about romance and this classic story is based off of bestselling manga Itazura Na Kiss. This romance works on so many levels it’s hard to identify them all, but here’s a few. It’s obvious why the characters should be together as they bring out the best in each other – Seung Jo drives Ha Ni to work harder and study more and Ha Ni lets Seung Jo relax and have fun. It’s a perfect fit. With a character so stoic, it’s easy to tell when Seung Jo’s enjoying himself, softening towards Ha Ni, even as he is confused and perplexed by her.  So Min and Hyun Joong play off each other well and they seem like they’re enjoying themselves acting with each other. It’s just lovely.

2.Baek Seung Jo’s Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture credit:dramacrazy.net

 

Oh Ha Ni is without a mother and Seung Jo’s mom is without a daughter, so the bond between them is almost instantaneous. Their characters are also very similar and it’s so like a mother to know her son’s heart better than him. I love Jung Hye Young in this role – she is fantastic. I also love little Eun Jo (Choi Won Hong) as Seung Jo’s brother. He’s like a mini Seung Jo, copying him exactly, and just like his brother, he takes his time warming to Oh Ha Ni. The episode where Ha Ni takes care of him when he’s sick shows how much like family they become.

3.The Scope of the Show

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having watched the anime before I watched this live action version, one of the things I loved about the story is how much ground we cover. It’s not just a year in high school, but high school, college, and if you watch the shorts (which, why would you not?), some of their career life. The story goes on quite a bit longer in the Taiwanese version, which I also enjoyed, but the quality of this version is better.

4. Um… Can I go to school there … and live there?

Seriously though, the high school, college, house, and even the pasta restaurant are beautiful. I want to go there!

Meh:

1.Bong Joon Gu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lee Tae Sung plays Oh Ha Ni’s desperate admirer. More on her level, Joon Gu doesn’t do well at studying and ends up working in her dad’s shop as a genius cook. I feel conflicted about this character. On the negative, his voice is ridiculously overdramatic; actually he is just ridiculously overdramatic. He seems like a cartoon character, more than a person. On the positive, we actually get some mature moments from him when the show progresses. I think as he realizes that Oh Ha Ni and him really can’t be together, it makes him a stronger character.

2.Kyung Soo

 

 

 

 

Picture credit:dramabeans.com

 

Played by Choi Sung Gook, Kyung Soo is a sunbae and tennis coach at Ha Ni’s college. He’s obsessed with Hae Ra, who’s obsessed with Seung Jo, so Ha Ni and him often team up to thwart their relationship. As genuine as he is about Hae Ra, Kyung Soo is kind of an obnoxious character. You feel bad for him because his efforts with Hae Ra are even more unsuccessful than Ha Ni’s with Seung Jo, but he’s still a bizarre person. I think at the end of it though, I do like Kyung Soo’s part in this story, so we’ll lean him towards the positive side of things.

Hate:

1.The Cycles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As much as I love this story Oh Ha Ni proclaims that she’s giving up on Baek Seung Jo like five times in the show. She tries to be very serious about it every time and it’s impossible to even kind of believe her because she changes her mind so quickly. There is one time where she makes a good genuine effort and that’s the time it matters – so good for her! However, the million times she cries and says she’ll stop loving him just gets old. At least it’s realistic, people are totally like that.

So:

So…this show is easily in my top five. The story is concise, but still gives you what you want out of it. The leads are likeable and the supporting cast really adds to the story. If anything, I would have hoped for a little more physical intimacy between the characters, but it’s an innocent show, so it plays just right. It’s a perfect romance, with the right amount of build up to a rewarding ending.

Final Grade: A+

KDrama Review: Lie to Me

Picture credit: asianwiki

*Available on US Netflix Streaming*

The Gist: Government worker Kong Ah-Jung (Yoon Eun-Hye) suddenly has something to prove when she runs into a former friend So-Ran (Hong Soo-Hyun), who stole her first love. Embarrassed by her single status, Ah-Jung confesses that she is married to the most eligible bachelor in the city Hyun Ki-Joon (Kang Ji-Hwan) – president of a resort empire. Of course, Ah-Jung only knows Ki-Joon from a night she passed out drunk at the bar and he took her to the hospital. Not exactly romantic. As the lie grows deeper – So-Ran will not let it drop – Ah-Jung gets help from a new friend to keep up appearances. That new friend happens to be Ki-Joon’s younger brother, Sang-Hee (Sung Joon). That would work out perfectly, except they are estranged. Ki Joon gave up his fiancée because Sang-Hee loved her too, so for his sake he kept himself from happiness. She’s making things hard on them, though, when she suddenly reappears in Korea. All these elements swirl together as Ah-Jung tries to get Ki-Joon to play along and when both brothers start to fall for her, will history repeat itself?

Love:

1.Kong Ah-Jung

Picture credit: asianwiki

I instantly recognized Yoon Eun-Hye from Goong/Princess Hours, another drama I liked immensely, but I think I like her character in LTM even better! Even though she’s a helpless liar, she is likeable as an energetic and frazzled young business woman. You really feel her pain at losing her love and friend in one fell swoop and have to admire the fervor, if not the desperation, that she approaches the obstacles with. So often I really remember the hero and not the heroine, but Ah-Jung really struck a chord as both interesting and charming. It’s fabulous writing and acting at its best.

2.The Romance

Picture credit: asianwiki

I was a little skeptical about uptight Ki-Joon at first, but I fell for him as quickly as Ah-Jung did. The chemistry these two have is almost tangible when his distaste for her dragging him into her lies turns to understanding. There’s this point in the middle of the series where Su-Ah insists Ah-Jung have them over for a house warming party. Instead of simply lending her his house, Ki-Joon himself stays for the party, at first to spite her. When they are forced into a karaoke duet, he really starts to see Ah-Jung as someone he could have real feelings for. The scene is silly and sweet, but literally had me squealing at how adorable it was. Another scene I really liked was when she was trying to figure out Ki-Joon’s shirt size because that’s something wives are supposed to know! Little pieces like that take this from a good drama to a great one.

3.The Music

Every time the episode would end and there’d be this upbeat music, I’d go, “WHAT SONG IS THIS?” Turns out it is Heo Ga Yoon’s Shameless Lie, now currently on my iPod. Love love love the music.

4.The Places

Picture credit: asianwiki

Ki Joon has a beautiful house, a beautiful hotel, and they go to beautiful seaside resorts. The whole thing made me want to hop a plane to South Korea.

5. So-Ran and Jae-Beom

Picture credit: dramabeans.com

Lie to Me treats its antagonists well. The audience gets a clear picture of how much a show So-Ran is putting on, trying to make her marriage seem perfect. She lies just as much as Ah-Jung does and while she gets frustrated at Jae-Beom, they are trying to make their marriage work. The fairy tale is a fantasy, but I love the relationship between Ah-Jung and So-Ran, bitter but still hints of friendship buried deep. So-Ran is kind of a terrible person, but I like how she tries to come to terms with it.

Meh:

1.Sang-Hee

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

I must admit I almost put him in the love category too, but I think I’m being swayed by him in Shut Up Flower Boy Band, which I just watched. BUT, at the time I watched Lie to Me I hadn’t seen SUFBB, so I’ll try to recall my feelings then. As is the theme, he lies a bit too, not telling Ah-Jung that he’s Ki-Joon’s brother for like an eternity. Also, how selfish do you have to be to tell your brother not to marry the woman he loves because he likes her too? She doesn’t want you, get over it. He does grow into a more selfless person and for that, we don’t have to hate him! YAY!

2.Ah-Jung’s Dad’s Romance

Picture credit: asianwiki

I have no idea why it’s a trend to do parallel romances with kid and parent, but I really could have done without all the older people romance. It wasn’t that interesting and detracted from our main story. That said, it was sweet to see Ah-Jung get more accepting of her father dating.

Hate:

I hate nothing about this drama.

So:

So… I loved this drama. It’s not heavy, but light and sweet. The plot is good and somewhat original. The cast suit their characters perfectly and the characters themselves are very endearing. The romance hits every step just right. Love it!

Final Grade: A

KDrama Review: City Hunter

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

The Gist: Friends and comrades, Lee Jin-pyo (Kim Sang-joong) and Park Mu-yeol (Park Sang-min) are ready to do their country proud when they are called to a secret mission: assassinate North Korea’s high ranking officials. However, mid-duty, South Korea’s leaders decide the mission could lead to scandal and take out their own men to hide their secret. Protected by his friend, Jin-pyo is able to escape back to his homeland as the only survivor. He then abducts Park’s son, names him Lee Yoon-sung (Lee Min-ho) and trains him fiercely in combat to one day avenge his father. That moment comes when Yoon-sung gets a job at the Blue House (Korea’s White House), where he is poised to take down the five people who commanded his father’s death. Things are complicated, however, when he begins to take notice of the president’s daughter’s bodyguard, Kim Na-na (Park Min-young). Her increasing interest in him threatens to expose his identity as City Hunter as he fulfills his uncle’s quest or revenge.

Love:

1.The Action

 

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

Lee Min-ho is proving himself much more than a pretty face as he fights his way through the romances he’s cast in. One of the things that make this drama worthwhile are the tension filled fight scenes. Well set and choreographed, the battle sequences are charged and exciting, perfectly displaying our feature character.

2.The Romance

 

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

Of course it’s going to be complicated when a bodyguard to the President’s family falls in love with a terrorist, which is really what Yoon-sung is. I’m surprised at how sweet the moments between the two macho types got. For someone as stoic as a bodyguard, Na-na is totally adorable. When Yoon-sung is staying with her is really when the drama gains traction.

Meh:

1.Slow Start

 

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

The entire first episode had me bored out of my skull for how action packed the whole thing was. I don’t really care for the politics of the show and I felt like it took too long to find its footing. That said, I’m glad I stuck with it because it definitely does pick up as time goes on.

2.Lee Jin-pyo

 

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

You have to feel bad for the guy, I mean, his country betrayed him and his best friend dies. That really doesn’t warrant stealing his son and raising him to be a killing machine, but whatever. Still, I never made a good connection with Jin-pyo. You feel bad for him and he’s the only father figure Yoon-sung knows, but his obsession makes him bitter and unlikable. However, considering that most of this dissonance I feel for the character is intentional, I’m letting it slide as a decent device by the drama.

Hate:

1.The Politics

Honestly, I feel totally split about this show. I really like the personal aspect and the chemistry between our two leads, but the political backdrop and constant ranting from characters we don’t know about made me seriously disinterested. The revenge is the backbone of this show and I just couldn’t possibly care less about it. I know in my head I should care, but it just wasn’t that interesting to watch any of the officials converse. Min-ho’s other show, Faith, does a better job of mixing the political with the personal.

So:

So… the romance and action of the show really suit leading man Lee Min-ho and are equally interesting and heart wrenching to boot. That doesn’t really make up for how muddled the plot is in political drama, most of which left me bored and not really wanting to continue watching the show. The ending is satisfying, but it’s a long haul to get there.

Final Grade: C





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Kdrama Review: Shut Up Flower Boy Band

*Now Available on US Netflix Streaming under the name Shut Up Let's Go*

The Gist: Six member band, Eye Candy, plays the underground scene as they deal with family/money problems. Things seem to be on the up and up for them when they get transferred to a ritzy new high school, where they are both shunned and idolized. Rival band Strawberry Fields, led by the quiet and mature Seung Hoon (Jung Ui Chul), challenges Eye Candy. Eye Candy's leader Byung Hee (Lee Min Ki) picks out Seung Hoon's Girl, Su Ah as his muse, which only serves to strengthen the animosity between the two bands. Good things never seem to last for Eye Candy, though, as tragedy strikes, leaving them only to depend on each other to make it through.

Love:

1. The Boys

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

Rarely do I find a cast so well developed as this one. Initially, Byung Hee absorbs all the attention as one of the most interesting characters on any drama I've watched. His free spirit and clear attachment to music and his friends makes him enigmatic. Seeing as how their interaction is the heart of their show, each of the boys gets a clear development. Second in command and singer/guitarist, Ji Hyuk (Sung Hoon), lives on his own, cast out by his family and a real connecting point of the group. Hyun Soo, guitarist, (L) has an icy temper, but is fiercely loyal towards his friends and family, constantly looking after his sister. Do II (Lee Hyun Jae), drummer, is the mellow kind hearted and soft spoken member of the crew - despite being a mob boss' son. Ha Jin (Yoo Min Kyu), playboy and bassist, and Kyung Jun (Kim Min Suk), baby brother of the crew and keyboardist, have a sub friendship of strong dependency, constantly looking out for each other. Their protective nature and tight bond is the glue that holds this show together, as you just want them to succeed together.

2. Seung Hoon

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

No matter how you feel about him as a character, I love that he isn't a traditional bad guy, but is rather a sympathetic antagonist. Initially Seung Hoon is just trying to stay out of other people's messes, but Eye Candy's reckless ways and his unrequited love of long time friend Su Ah start to drive him crazy. Still, Seung Hoon has a way of making you feel bad for him. His friendship with the Strawberry Fields guys is obviously shallower than the boys of Eye Candy and no matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to get the girl, though there's nothing really wrong with him. Even though you have to root against him often to root for our main cast, I really found myself wanting Seung Hoon to succeed also. His maturity is a stark contrast to most of the kids on the show who are just living hard and young.

3. Su Ah

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

Initially, I wasn't sure how to feel about Su Ah. She seemed a bit like a brainless rich girl, but just like Seung Hoon broke stereotype, Su Ah develops into a much more complicated character. In the show's intro, her father is headed to jail and she's stuck on her own, living in the rooftop room next to Ji Hyuk. She shows herself capable though, not spoiled and complaining, but taking on several jobs and keeping a smile on her face. There's one scene after something terrible happens, that her class is laughing and going about business as normal, and she just says "you're all terrible." That's when I knew I'd love her for the rest of the series.

4. The Music

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

Eye Candy's two songs, Jaywalking and Wake Up, are well composed, but still sound like they could have been written by a high school band. I didn't realize at first that the cliffhanger music at the end of the episodes were actually parts of Wake Up until the end of the show, but I loved it even in those small pieces. I personally found the music better and more memorable than Dream High. Thumbs up music!

5. The Pacing

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Shut Up Flower Boy Band moves at a pretty quick clip. There's never a moment watching the show, where I felt like it was moving too slow. In fact, I ended up forcing myself to stop watching at certain points to draw out the experience.

6. The Romances

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I really wasn't expecting this show to be romance heavy when I started watching it, but what high school boys don't care about girls? The show really ends up having three major romances and I loved them all equally. They played with how the boys' friendship reacts when a competitive factor comes in and shows the tension of being loyal to each other and the girls they like.

Meh:

1. Su Ah's Friend 

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This girl is about as annoying as can be. She does show herself to be a good friend to Su Ah at times, but is mostly stuck up, thinking she's better than Eye Candy, only admitting it when they become popular themselves. Still, we need a character like her to put pressure on Su Ah, to complicate her relationship with Eye Candy and her current economic state. She's one of the most least likeable characters on the show anyway.

Hate:

1. Whoever Named This Show

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Seriously, Shut Up Flower Boy Band is just the dumbest name of any show I've ever seen. I want to smack whoever named this show. I honestly put off watching it just because the name was so god awful. Secondly - Strawberry Fields??? Eye Candy I get, but what high schoolers are going to name themselves Strawberry Fields? Really. It's such a good show with such a bad name.

2. The Tragedy

***SPOILERSSSS*****
So our dear Byung Hee dies at the end of episode two, just after you've gotten attached to him. I've forgiven the show because it handles it so well and it seems so necessary to what happens next, but Byung Hee is the most fascinating character I've seen in a drama. This was actually spoiled for me by reading a review and even knowing he dies, I still got attached to him. I wish we had gotten to see more of him. I cannot overstate how awesome his character is.

So:

So... I loved loved loved this show. I wasn't expecting it to be as perfect as it turned out to be. The plot is clean and fast moving and the characters are well developed. The emotions run high in this show - it will have you laughing and crying in quick succession. The boys are cute, but it's the real depth of their characters that has me very impressed with this show. I expect to watch the whole thing through again very soon.

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

Final Grade: A+

KDrama Review: Flower Boy Ramen Shop

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

*Available on US Netflix Streaming*

The Gist: Yang Eun-Bi (Lee Chung-ah), teacher in training, thinks she’s found her man of destiny when she meets Cha Chi-soo (Jung Il-woo), hiding from his father’s employees in the girl’s bathroom. Heartbroken by a cheating ex-boyfriend, Eun-Bi works up her courage to ask Chi-Soo out. Only after she does this and is immediately shut down, does she realize that Chi-Soo is one of her students. That problem is short lived when her father passes away, leaving her to run his ramen shop. However, narcoleptic Choi Kang-Hyuk (Lee Ki-woo) shows up out of the blue saying that he is actually the owner of the ramen shop and Eun-Bi’s fiancé. As Eun-Bi tries to sort out this problem with the still nagging feelings she harbors towards Chi-Soo, Kang-Hyuk hires him and two of his good looking classmates as part timers at the shop. Thus the Flower Boy Ramen Shop is born. Though Chi-Soo’s constant arrogance and lack of work ethic is a constant problem, Eun-Bi finds herself sandwiched between feelings for him and the nicer, more relaxed Kang-Hyuk.

Love:

1.Kang-Hyuk

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

We might actually have a likeable character here!! The sleeping all the time thing is unnecessary in my opinion but Kang-Hyuk is genuine and sincere. He makes a good patriarch for the ramen shop, wiser and more observant than the other characters. He’s one of few characters that I want to succeed and be happy! Which, *SPOILERS* means I didn’t really love the end of this show.

2. Kim Ba-Wool

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Compared to Chi-Soo, Ba-Wool is just a better example of a tough guy with a heart of gold. He gets into scraps, but he really throws himself into things he cares about. Despite a short temper, Ba-Wool excels as a strong supporting character. You really have to feel sorry for him as he continues to care for So-Yi as she continues to play him.

Meh:

1. Yang Eun-Bi

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

Eun-Bi is our heroine and is one of few characters to really have any growth. She does mature and get slightly more likable, but she’s still an indecisive and somewhat obnoxious character. I think what she really needed was to take a break from being so obsessed about boys for a minute, but alas, somehow, the Eun-Bi at the end is still somehow eerily similar to the one we started with. I guess at the end of the day I’m pretty much just tolerating Eun-Bi.

2.The Ramen shop

Picture credit: dramacrazy.net

I like the fact that the ramen shop becomes a home for all these scattered characters, but I do wish that we saw more bonding between the little “family.” Things stay somewhat distant and disjointed between them even as the show progresses. At some point, it seems like a concept that just wasn’t well executed.

Hate:

1.Cha Chi-Soo

Chi-Soo is definitely in the running for male lead that I like the least. The writers of this show seemed to miss the crucial factor of giving your bad boy any redeeming qualities. You expect to see some sort of growth throughout the show, but he really continues to be selfish, doing things with very little regards to other people. He only acknowledges Eun-Bi when he feels like it and does so forcefully, ignoring what she wants entirely. I feel like there was a real missed opportunity here to turn Chi-Soo into a better person, but as it is, I have NO idea why Eun-Bi continues to choose him when Kang-Hyuk is the worthier choice.

2.Cha Chi-Soo’s Father

Conglomerate head, Chi-Soo’s father indulges in work, grooming his son to take over the company. When Chi-Soo becomes involved with Eun-Bi, he worries that Chi-Soo is going to make similar mistakes to himself and forbids it. This character confuses and bugs me. It’s so clear that he wants Chi-Soo to be happy, but then does everything in his power to prevent his happiness. You keep hoping for some resolution between the two of them, but their relationship continues to get worse. He didn’t really need to be a villain in this show and honestly, his actions towards the end of the show just seem out of character. For someone who wants to be a good father, he does nothing but push Chi-Soo away. ACK! It bugs me so much.

3. Yoon So-Yi

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Ballerina and fellow student, So-Yi dates both Chi-Soo and coworker Kim Ba-wool (Park Min-woo) throughout the show, with their knowledge. Again, I feel like So-Yi is another missed opportunity for growth. She doesn’t take love seriously, which angers Eun-Bi, but that never really develops. Obviously, since Chi-Soo is our lead, he eventually ditches her, but she never really has to make a choice. At the end of the day, So-Yi is just kind of a ho, a puppet master ho. Other than being pretty, like Chi-Soo, she really has nothing likeable about her.

4.Eun-Bi’s Friends

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Kang Dong-Joo is Eun-Bi’s roommate and like So-Yi is a player. She is enthralled when a man we never see onscreen proposes and quickly goes about planning her wedding. That’s all good and well. She’s allowed to be shallow, but it just full on pissed me off when she starts hooking up with their old volleyball coach and is STILL ENGAGED. She should have just broken it up then, but no, she makes it all the way to her darn wedding day before she calls things off. That’s kind of a spoiler, but you shouldn’t watch this show anyway, so don’t worry about it.   

So:

So… I just really shouldn’t have bothered with this show. It’s well acted, but the writing is terrible with characters you not only don’t care about, but actively dislike. All of my favorite characters get shafted by the end of the show. It’s not terribly original either, making me feel like I could have gotten something similar, but better, with another show. That said, this is, as always, just my opinion, and I know plenty of people really like this show.

Final Grade: D-