THE SHORT VERDICT:
Looks cute and attractive with its good-looking leads, bright, youthful color palette and peppy, happy music.
BUT. Requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. Female lead is written as unbelievably naive and tends to behave like a kid rather than a 20-something woman. Not cute.
Also, the story basically turns into makjang-lite with a Disney vibe.
Only if you’re bored and have nothing else to watch.
Or if you just want to ogle Donghae. Or the pretty, pretty cakes. Or both.
THE SHORT VERDICT:
This drama is really different. It’s zany, irreverent and funny, with a sense of humor that’s often outlandish and a bit manic. It’s not actually slapstick, though it can sometimes veer (just a little) that way.
It often took me by surprise, and I already went in expecting it to be different.
The style and humor can take a while to get into, but it’s well worth checking out. Even my mother was amused.
THE SHORT VERDICT:
Moon/Sun is basically a romance dressed as a simplified saguek with supernatural elements, so it’s fairly light on the political intrigue.
Kim Soo Hyun is absolutely fantastic in this, and everyone else is pretty excellent too, except for Han Ga In, who seems miscast. Kim Soo Hyun more than makes up for it, though.
Cliffhangers are mostly of the romantic kind instead of the political kind, and there’s some pretty strong sexual tension that goes on for a good stretch of the drama.
I lapped up back-to-back episodes of this. Even my mother zoomed her way through the first 8 episodes in just 2 days
The ending could have been handled better, but overall, I really enjoyed this one 🙂
THE SHORT VERDICT:
Very, very good.
What we get is an interesting fantasy world that has a well thought-out mythology and that is well fleshed-out in all its little details.
Add the fact that this world is populated with interesting characters, each with their own backstory and motivations, and we get a very believable, intricately-woven drama.
Both Lee Jun Ki and Shin Min Ah are fantastic in this.
And no, it’s not a scary show 🙂
THE SHORT VERDICT:
Big started out promising but under-delivered. It was a little uneven in the beginning, but the sight gags were funny and the burgeoning feelings between the leads kept things interesting up till episode 12.
Then episodes 13-16 went progressively downhill.
BUT. There is one compelling reason to watch this show: Gong Yoo. He is amazing in so many ways. And hot. Let’s not forget hot. He’s the only reason to watch Big, but he’s reason enough.
THE SHORT VERDICT:
Starts out as a cute rom-com peppered with physical comedy gags, and turns into a sweet, epic romance.
I was expecting this to stay in comedic territory all the way, so the epic-ness of the romance took me completely by surprise.
It was a little uneven here and there, but overall, I have to say that I liked this drama a lot.
THE SHORT VERDICT:
So. Good.
Despite my high expectations from all the rave comments online, I was still blown away. And that’s quite a feat, no matter which way you look at it.
The cinematography is gorgeous, the color palette is beautiful, and the writing is tight. The actors do a fantastic job bringing the characters to life.
So fantastic, in fact, that Ji Hyun Woo fell for Yoo In Na for real. Which makes watching this drama extra awwww-inspiring coz you know all the lovey-dovey googly eyes he makes at her are for real 😉
It’s lovely, and worth a re-watch, even. Continue reading
THE SHORT VERDICT:
This drama has a gorgeous color palette and the cinematography is excellent.
I thought Winter Sonata (done by the same PD) was pretty when I first watched it, but fast forward 8 years – that’s like a whole century in technology years – and everything is way, way prettier.
That’s the main – perhaps only – change, really. The PD maintains the rest of the style that he used in the Seasons dramas. The slow pace hasn’t changed. The bent towards classic melo and its associated tropes hasn’t changed.
Only go here if you’re feeling nostalgic for the Seasons dramas of yore.
THE SHORT VERDICT:
I really, really liked this.
Don’t be put off by the political nature of the premise. I’m not into political stories myself, but I found this easy to like.
It’s got a robust story, lots of great acting, a fast pace, a compelling conflict, strong character growth, chemistry between the leads and a strong romance.
This lent itself to back-to-back episodes, and I finished it very quickly. And I plan to revisit it for more.
THE SHORT VERDICT:
It took me a couple of episodes to feel completely engaged and get used to all the characters in the ensemble cast, but once I hit that point, this drama was just fantastic.
I love Dream High (a lot), but I think this is even better. This manages to be more grounded, relatable and true to life than Dream High ever was.
There is an OTP in this drama, as with most dramas, but the OTP doesn’t take centerstage. And that works in this drama. Shut Up is more about growing up and about friendships and bonds, and it is heartwarming and heartbreaking all in one, depending on where you are in the drama.
Yes, sometimes it hurts, but it hurts so good.