Useless Lies (2023)

"If I say so, then it is."

As I reach the midway point of the drama, I can't help but find it absolutely ridiculous, but in the best way possible. It adeptly captures the essence of the genres it aims to portray, particularly excelling in the realms of romantic comedy and fantasy. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and their romantic moments are nothing short of heart-fluttering.

The drama fits seamlessly within the genres of Romantic Comedy, Fantasy, and Drama. The very first scene sets the tone as we're introduced to three men on the brink of being thrown off a building, they work for a gang and the boss suspects one of them has betrayed him. This tense situation takes an unexpected turn when Sol-hee, the "liar hunter," arrives on the scene. The writing brilliantly infuses humor even into these intense moments.

The initial meeting between the main leads further illustrates the drama's penchant for blending seriousness with humor. The female protagonist comes to the rescue as she intervenes in a scenario where the male lead is being attacked by his ex-girlfriend's brother on a bus. The juxtaposition of the serious situation and the writer's comedic touch makes for an amusing scene.

While some critics might nitpick about how characters bump into each other numerous times in quick succession, with each meeting proving more unlikely than the last, this drama is more rooted in fantasy and comedy, with moments of gravity interspersed. The story line offers numerous scenes that are utterly re watchable, packed with humor and charm.

To critics, I'd suggest embracing the drama for what it is rather than focusing on what it isn't trying to be. Beyond the romance, the story provides a fresh experience by highlighting Mok Sol Hee, a character with a unique ability. Flaws are present in most dramas, no matter how realistic the story is. But this drama isn't about intricate plot twists. Instead, it offers a straightforward yet engaging narrative that keeps viewers intrigued by Kim Do Ha's mysterious secret. The drama captures curiosity without relying on elaborate twists.

The drama's message is profound. Even though Mok Sol Hee appears to lead an uncomplicated life due to her special ability, true love has the power to challenge even extraordinary skills. Our obsession with truth and lies often hides the intentions of those who deceive. The core of the story is the growth of love through understanding and trust, even when emotions are hidden.

Up to this point, the drama has certainly delivered as a genuinely engaging experience. However, I reserve my judgment about whether it will achieve the status of a "great" drama until I see how the second half of the story unfolds, particularly in terms of the development between the two main leads.

A more comprehensive review will follow once I've completed the drama. Nonetheless, my current perspective remains positive. As I'm halfway through, I've even found myself re-watching episodes and relishing the memorable scenes that never seem to lose their appeal.

Leia Mais

the great chemistry and acting will make you go for it !! Great drama

at first I didn't want to watch this drama at all because of the reviews I saw in the top... those should have been haters because from the first episode this drama captivates you and it's super catching, I haven't seen a drama like this for a long time and I really waited for a drama to be aired again in which you find a story, chemistry and personables are really amazing. I have not left a review on this page until now, but I felt it was worth it. I'm 26 years old and I was really captivated by this drama and I can't wait to see more episodes and how the story of the two will end

Leia Mais

Lies, damned lies and couple therapy

Superpower shows can be a challenge to make if there are budget constraints. Hence some k-dramas focus on simple ability like seeing smell or reading minds. A bit of fancy camera work and simple practical effects can work magic. This show has the FL hearing a bell chime if she hears a lie. No CGI required, easy peasy. Obviously, this makes her daily life challenging. The bell would go off constantly as she moves amongst people. She becomes cynical and untrusting. All that changed when the ML literally crashes into her life.

I wondered how the writer-nim is going to work the lie detection power into the show so I started to watch. I’m glad that they did a good job in the early episodes, but it does create its own narrative issues later on. The writer-nim had to resort to misdirection to avoid giving the game away. This serves to drag out the show with little gain. Would it be better if it was 12-14 episodes long?

Putting other issues aside, the love line does work quite well. Our leads makes a lovely couple and have good chemistry. Both are vulnerable and have damaged psyches. How they learn to trust each other and heal each other is nicely told and portrayed. There are heart fluttering moments and a decent amount of skinship. I’m also glad that they didn’t drag out their romance until the dying moment of the show. Once they are official, their bond is unshakable.

This brings us to the main message of the show. Both leads must learn to trust again. The FL finally understood that not all lies are bad. Some are necessary to mitigate harm to others. Some might even be beneficial. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut and have faith. Once that message is delivered, the show began to lose momentum. A historical crime is pushed to the fore to take up the slack.

I’m not saying the crime is irrelevant. It is the key to the ML’s social phobia and is the source of much tension and angst during early episodes, but it has done its job. A quick resolution would have sufficed but the writer-nim spun it out for all it’s worth. It is not really the high water mark they have hoped for. It feels like the show is on autopilot during this segment. It runs through some tropey subplots, and voila! Crime solved, justice served and we are on the predictable home straight.

The last two episodes are total fan service with redemptions and resolutions handed out left, right and centre. Some of them ties up loose ends while others are a bit farcical. I’m running out of ways to say “nice” and “sweet”. It is not quite to the point of sugar overload, but it gets close, real close.

In terms of acting, the ML is very handsome but he feels a little flat to me. He has flashes of high emotions but most of the time he just seems to float through the scenes. The FL put in a solid performance, but this type of role is bread and butter for her by now. The rest of the ensemble is a mix bag. It is not their fault per se, but the show did not really develop their characters beyond their original traits. Most are a bit quirky, but you soon realise that what you see is what you get. The FL’s mother is particularly one-note. She barely changes until the last moment when she was gifted a happy but very contrived ending.

In the end, this is an enjoyable show and quite watchable. The romance is sweet, and the growth of our leads is rewarding to watch but I also feel that the show is trying too hard to please and to play it safe.

Production value is decent and par for the course. There is a sudden jump in PPL towards the end. Most likely due to the growing popularity of the show. OST is nice, especially the jazz numbers. Some of the k-pop songs are catchy. Rewatching a highlight reel will not be a chore.

Leia Mais

TEPID CHEMISTRY

An typical average K-drama. They have no chemistry, the guy wasn't great, they both had tepid eyes and smiles to each other, dialog was simple and petty, the supporting actors were even worst. The story was about a girl that could hear lies from people, she met this guy who couldn't tell lies. This guy was a famous composer, hide his face behind the mask and real identity. He supposed to be the main suspect of the murder of his ex-girlfriend 5 years earlier. He hide himself at the apartment next door to this girl, no personal connection whatsoever but eventually got to know each other over favorite British soccer teams, this girl helped him to open up to himself and took on challenges. If they've fallen in love, we wouldn't know, there wasn't any warms or sweetness on the relationship. Shy? that was not, it's more like lack of talent. It got worst when the plot started to focus on community approach in which supporting actors didn't do well (annoying acting) and investigation on murder accusation. It was interesting what lies the girl try to detect when many VIP clients hired her (she earned lots of money with this job) while not so when he went on for personal vendetta looking for the real murderer.

So, that wasn't only about Pretty Lies but fillers about combination of one sided 'gay love', vendor's community in area, famous singers and her fans, mysterious famous composer, his vindictive ambitious political mother, her greedy mother and reclusive father, victim's brother who went berserk every single scenes, involvement polices or reporters. Yeah too much mingled all over the plots, so it's forgotten the main (on the title) synopsis about 'HEARING PEOPLE LIES!'

Leia Mais

the expressionless ML left room for improvement

It was a rollercoaster of emotions that kept me entertained for most of its run. The unique premise of the FL possessing a lie detector added an intriguing twist to the story. Her daily life and business endeavors were captivating, showcasing her wit and charm as she navigated the world of deceit.
The chemistry between the FL and ML was undeniable, and their unwavering support for each other as they faced numerous challenges was heartwarming. Watching their relationship grow stronger and more affectionate throughout the series was a highlight.

While the last two episodes leaned heavily on the lovey-dovey side, they did a commendable job wrapping up the side stories and providing closure to all characters. It's refreshing to see a drama that doesn't forget its parallel plots.

However, one major letdown was the choice of the ML. His expressionless demeanor and limited range of emotions were frustrating, making it difficult to connect with his character. Perhaps a different actor or a more dynamic character development could have improved this aspect.

In the end, My Lovely Liar had its flaws, but it managed to deliver an overall satisfying experience. It's a drama that will leave you with mixed feelings – offered heartwarming moments, yet the expressionless ML left room for improvement. Overall enjoyable

Leia Mais

A Human Liar Detector and her Musical Genius Find Love In the Mist of Lies and Crime

This started off interesting. There were some entertaining “cases of the week” where the FL had to decipher lies from truth. I like how she used this “gift” to make a great living. I also liked the music business storyline with the ML (Dong Ha). Dong Ha, living a secretive life due to his shady past was quite intriguing as well.

It was nice to see him become human again once he moved outside of the city amongst people who didn’t know that he was famous and his relationship with the FL was cute. However, this series started to loose momentum about halfway through.
Though the ML/FL looked good together they didn’t have any chemistry. Both were kind of flat. Though Min-hyun is doing a good job at spreading his wings into acting, he needs more work in order to become a believable ML as there was hardly any charisma exuding from him here, and perhaps that was due to the lack of chemistry with the FL.

I was expecting more to happen with the ML’s life once things started to come to a head about his past but besides a few paparazzi snapping pictures of him as he left a hospital that was it. The media who’d been relentlessly trying to track him down at the start of the series seems to have gone on holiday. There was virtually no impact to his songwriting career. The mom’s burgeoning political career was thrown in for good measure to add drama that was essentially window dressing, but not much happened with that either. Honestly, I didn’t think that storyline was needed. It served no purpose except to try and make the audience think the ML had indeed killed his ex, when we all knew that was not where the story was going.

The FL skills did come in handy in clearing the ML’s name. But then once it was obvious, he was innocent the show went from somewhat entertaining to downright boring. They really could’ve tightened the story threads and ended this series in 10 or 12 episodes. Unfortunately, they took it to 16 episodes, with the last 3-4 being pointless. Those episodes were so boring I ended up fast-forwarding through most of them.

Despite the lack of story, the ending was nice. Those who are fans of the main couple will be happy. Is this worth watching? It’s one of those shows where I think viewers will fall heavily across all spectrums as to whether they liked this, hated it or feels it okay. This wasn’t the worst series I’ve ever seen, but it wasn’t really good either. Just okay. Would I rewatch. No.

Leia Mais

A charming drama with unique main leads and their healthy relationship

"My Lovely Liar" is not on excellent level, but it's not bad like some people are claiming. It's simple yet meaningful. This drama has always been showed as romcom-mystery from the get-go. I like how the romance is not cheesy and the mystery is not heavy. This drama gives a good balance, along with the supernatural part about the female lead's ability and job as a liar hunter which makes it fun, and addressing mental health issue through the male lead's experiences as murderer suspect and being a reclusive person which makes it emotional.

The charm of this drama is the healthy relationship and gradual growth of the main leads. It's interesting to see how the relationship unfolds between the female lead who is a confident woman that takes the initiatives while the male lead is a socially anxious gentle man who balances the line. Some people dislike how they got in a relationship too fast, but it wasn't fast and they had a decent development, prominently how they got closer by casually eating out with each other, which is special especially for introverted people like the main leads. They gradually became friends who formed a special bond and learn about each other - understanding, caring and protecting each other in various things until they naturally gained feelings and open up with their secrets. It's such a good thing that this drama didn't add unnecessary misunderstandings since the main leads has always been straightforward and they know how to communicate with each other. TRUST and HONESTY are the main theme of this drama. I'm glad that they didn't need to push back their relationship and be stirred into conflicts, instead they helped and worked together to solve their problems especially about Doha's murder case. Their mature, stable, healthy relationship is truly important in this drama and it's one of the best representations in kdramaland. The chemistry of this couple is comforting and cute. It's heartwarming to see the healing process of Doha and Solhee, overcoming their own flaws while giving light and strength on each other through all the odds.

Leia Mais

Supernatural but mundane

The plot was there but also very lacking. In a way certain aspects made sense, especially Sol-Hui’s attraction to Do Ha - which was not because she COULDNT hear his lies, but rather he did not lie often.

It had the potential for a thriller/mystery story , which it sort of went with the latter part of the drama but the supernatural ability was used for a mundane lifestyle ; which I find does fit the title “Lovely Liar”. However, it is more on a romance/drama than mystery which I still enjoyed.

Slightly boring and slow but still entertaining.

Would have liked it more if they didn’t make the gay character into a villain but I digress.

Leia Mais

Ain’t that lovely at all

The cast but not the characters -the sole reason why I added this drama to my watchlist is because of the actors playing it. I am a big fan of Kim So Hyun’s acting projects and Hwang Min Hyun’s idol career. And yet, the drama itself is a total disappointment. The human lie detector seems a unique concept to talk about but somehow the story got too attached to the main character that it gets draggy towards the end. It has the cliches and norms from the usual Korean Drama and the storyline is boring.

Kim So Hyun’s charm of having the second-lead syndrome continued on this show. Yet. they let the police officer be excluded from the romantic vibes and let him focus on doing his job as a police officer. To be honest, I like him more than Kim Do Ha. The police also have a tear-jerking past that is not as scandalous compared to Do Ha but still breaks my heart.

As I said earlier, I love Hwang Min Hyung as an idol but his acting skills in this drama are not that remarkable. He has a handsome and innocent face but fails to deliver a more emotional facial expression as Kim Do Ha. I would like to give him another chance in his future projects but with different characteristics of his role. His performance isn’t what I want from a main character.

Side characters aren’t helping to save the show either. Almost all of them got their toxicity presented in the story and failed to give them character development. I just finished the drama mainly for the reason of completing all sixteen episodes.

Leia Mais

A Disappointing Dive from a Thrilling Start

"My Lovely Liar" initially captured my attention with its unusual and promising beginning. The first few episodes, filled with hints of suspense and action, led me to believe that I was about to embark on a captivating journey. However, my excitement was short-lived. As the series progressed, it became clear that the narrative was losing its grip. What could have been a multifaceted drama with twists and turns settled into a predictable and uninspiring romance.

The depth and intricacy I had hoped for were overshadowed by clichéd romantic tropes that failed to engage or surprise. Furthermore, the character development seemed superficial, leaving me yearning for more substance. The storyline lacked the intensity and richness that the opening episodes promised, making the viewing experience somewhat unsatisfactory.

I can't help but think that the show's widespread appeal might be largely due to the charisma and appearance of the lead actors. Their performances, while commendable, were not enough to salvage the plot's shortcomings. In essence, "My Lovely Liar" felt like a missed opportunity, a series that could have delivered so much more but chose to tread the familiar and overused path of romance without much depth.

Leia Mais

Sweet

This was a very sweet show.
The story revolves around a woman who can hear lies and a man who's running from a painful secret in his past.
She's cute and quirky.
He's the greenest of green flags; a real sweetheart.

I loved watching her slowly open up to the people around her and making friends.
I adored seeing him fall for her, instinctively protecting her and taking care of her.

Their relationship is so wonderful. Sweet and cuddly.

The mystery hurt me bad though. I feel so bad for our male lead. Thank goodness he has the female lead there for him.
He came through it all stronger than ever.
The ending is lovely and perfect. They both deserve their happily ever after, and we get to see it!!

The actors did a fine job. The music was okay. The shooting was great.

Although this show is not short, it is the type of show I'd watch in one sitting with a blanket and hot drink, smiling all the way. The overall impression is sweet and cozy.

Leia Mais