I picked up Touch your heart because I really like the OST “What if Love” by Wendy. It’s one of my favorite K-drama soundtracks on spotify. To be honest, I was hesitant because I heard it was a flop but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It is cute and heart fluttering. If you are in the mood for a light heart rom-com then this would be a solid 8.

Story: The plot’s starting point is nothing new or original. An apparently cold, arrogant and competent man falls for his subordinate. There appears to be one of such formula produced every month in K-drama land. But the characters and their growth in TYH are likeable enough to compel me to finish watching. The story is set in a law firm but the court cases are just plot devices for characters development and the romance. It’s a simple yet enjoyable story of two people falling in love. There is no love triangle and its associated banality, no irritating misunderstanding, or silly time-skip separation etc. I love how honest the main leads are to each other in communicating their feelings, a fresh breeze of change in contrast to the over used trope of miscommunication in K drama which has grown tiresome for me. A very easy and delightful watch with lots of comical moments if you are in need of a dose of fluff like I was. But if you are looking for a story with more substance, then you may be disappointed.

Cast/Acting: A lot of people praised the chemistry of the main couple, especially after their renowned performance in the hit Goblin. I couldn’t manage to watch Goblin till they become couple because of the creepiness and annoyance of the central couple, so I cannot comment on their chemistry there. In this show, personally, I don’t think I really picked up the couple vibe from them. They are still very cute together anyhow. Individually, I’m really impressed by Yoo In-na. I’ve watched her in several dramas. I don’t remember much of her in Secret Garden because it’s too archaic and I find the whole show revolting anyway. But in my favorite “My love from the star” and in the few episodes of Goblin that I watched, she really know how to bring out unique personality for each of her characters. Although she plays washed up actresses in both MLFTS and TYH, I can clearly see the different person in each role. In MLFTS, YIN’s character is seemingly a quiet and supportive friend to the FL but brooding with jealousy inside. I was really unimpressed with her then, because I always felt I was missing something from her though I couldn’t really point out what it is. Then I watched Goblin, and my mind changed, YIN gave me this quirky and chic vibe yet very charming at the same time. In TYH, she is a little ditzy and naïve girl but with a bright and happy-go-lucky personality. Now that is a very cliché and archetypical character that I usually find annoying because a lot of actresses overplay it to be comedic but I find YIN’s performance loveable instead, especially her sincerity and resilience. This is the only show I know that she plays lead role. I wish YIN could receive a bit more appreciation for her talent.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Lee Dong-wook, in both Goblin and TYH, he is just the typical stoic and indifferent ML in this type of dramas, nothing original in his acting. However, the supporting cast is entertaining and solid in their performance. I absolutely adore everyone at the law firm. They are funny and lively, bringing me so much laugh, yet manage maintain the professionalism of a workplace. The prosecutor couple is very bland that I’m not every sure of their role in the plot development. Despite having a fair amount of screen time, they have no story. But I don’t hate them. They give me this mature sense and normalcy of a real life romance. Overall, it’s a good cast assemble and everyone does well in their roles.

Music: As mentioned above, I chose this show purely because of its soundtracks, which speaks for itself how good the selection of the music is, particularly What if love, my favorite.

Recommendation and Rewatch value: I would definitely recommend this drama if you are looking for a fluffy rom-com. But if you are looking for a romance with more drama and plot twists then this may not be the right choice for you. As for rewatch value, Im not sure if its worth a second watch. There are a lot of amusing and romantic moments but may not be enough to convince me to watch again, even for a quick dose of laughter.

Leia Mais

oldie but goodie

Overall:
From the synopsis, I was sure that I would hate this drama, especially when its also very old. Kdrama ages relatively quickly. Most stories are outdated after 3-5 years and the cinematography also ages. Particularly, having spent my teenage in the late 90s and early 00s, I had watched enough Cinderella-type dramas to know all the motifs of the genre like the back of my hand, which may have been appealing to a dreamy teenage girl me, but as I grew up, I also grew out of its annoying stupidity. I decided to watch it anyway, as I was in the mood for some feel good romcom after finishing my assignments and exams for the year and I had covid so i was off work as well. Plus I figured its a remake, why would they have remade something dumb, right? And I was surprised by how watchable it is, although I must admit the 2010s fashion and hairstyle are hideous looking from the 2022 perspective. Also like all K drama, make sure you turn your brain off at all the illogical coincidences, inconsistency and discontinuity and just have a good laugh at the cuteness of the central couple.

Plot:
Yes, the story has all the elements of the genre. You name it, rich chaebol ML, poor pushover FL, perfect yet hopelessly friend zone second ML, clingy conniving ex, interfering relatives, amnesia, noble idiocy, time skip etc. It's so cliche that I know how it starts and ends without having to watch it. But it is executed well enough to compel me to finish it albeit with skipping the most if not all of the second half. I finished it, which is an attestment on its own to its story telling. Full disclosure, I drop most shows i start, including similar stories like Secret Garden, What's wrong with secretary Kim, Dont dare to dream, Oh my ghost etc. Indeed, I almost dropped this show after the first few minutes because of the over-the-top (ott) advertisement scene and the ear grating laugh of the ML. If you can manage to pull off the first 10 minutes, you will enjoy the next 10 episodes. There are a lot of funny moments and true-to-the-genre drooling sweetness. I guess I kept on watching because I needed that dose of ott romantic prince charm to escape from the harsh reality of my nonexistent love life. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill pretty quickly after that once the amnesisa kicks in. I feel that the story can end at episode 12 when the amnesia is resolved. But it drags on with noble idiocy where the ML's stupidity is on full mode for another almost unbearable 5 epsisodes. While I agree that had I have some sort of heritable disease, getting married and reproducing would definitely and totally be out of my consideration. However its only applicable when there's no child on the way. In this case, the FL is already pregnant by accident from the very beginning. To me, speaking as a mother myself, it is extremely irresponsible and selfish to not inform her of the risk of an incurable disease to her unborn child. That should have saved us from the infuriating noble idicy and the FL could have whacked some sense into the ML way before episde 18. Luckily, the reunion scene is on fire and worth skipping to. I've watched it like a hundred times. The last few episodes are literally just scene filler with no plotline although not unbearably frustrating like episdoes 13-17. The only bonus point of the second half is that ML is given a haircut, and man, he IS super hot. In general, it is an old cliche drama but done well.

Characters/Acting:
Initially, I thought Jang Hyuk's face is a bit too old for this type of drama, especially with his ridiculous hairstyle. But he plays it out well. His character is down right crazy and does take some time to get used to, not the few odd eccentric traits that are usually seen in this type of character but full on mania. But unlike other similar characters of the same era, the ML is not the annoying type "boy mistreats girl because he likes her". In contrast, he never belittles the FL and gives her nothing but encouragement. Yes, they do do the push and pull thing typical of the genre, and he's two timing but it is justifiable by the circumstance that they meet and their chemistry is so good that Im willingly turning a blind eye. He is controlling like this type of character defines him to be but from a different angle, he is manly and decisive, yet also humble and down to earth, not absurdly arrogant and obnoxious like Hyun Bin's character in "Secret Garden" or Park Seo Joon's character in "What's wrong with secretary Kim". The biggest complaint from me for the ML is the noble idiocy and the lack of communication mentioned above. Overall, its a likeable character, though im not sure its because its written well or executed well by Jang Hyuk or both.
As for the FL, I dont think I ever liked a weak FL but Jang Nara's character makes me want to cheer on for her rather than punching the screen. She is just simply pure and kind to a fault but not portrayed as stupid. She carries a silent strength that makes her transformation believable (personality wise not career wise though). The first half of the show brings us a timid adorable girl while the end delivers a courageous and confident woman but keeping true to her core. Watching her growth in how she faces the press at the beginning and at the end is gratifying. Jang Nara brightens every scene she's in and her smiles warm my heart. I do secretly wish they had actually cut the noble idiocy short and extended their courtship to make her more visibly pregnant with more comical scenes along the pregnancy though. Anyway, another likeable, well written and/or well executed lead character. And together their chemistry is phenonmenal. All the passionate kiss scenes are heart melting, especially at the reunion scene, their gaze at each other really shows how much they long for each other.
With regards to the second ML and FL, they are just standard characters of the genre that leave no impression in me. The same goes for the supporting casts, with the exception of the FL's mother, the ML's grandma and surprisingly the second FL's mother, The scene where the FL's mother stands up for her daughter when everyone is pressuring the FL into marriage is one the deciding factors for me to keep on watching. She is protective and has her daughter's best interest in mind however, she's also very respectful and supportive when the FL says no. The grandma is probably the most welcoming chaebol family in K dramaland. Some of her lines are hilarious. And to my amazement, the second FL's adoptive mother 'also capture my attention with her no nonsense attitude despite appearing for only a few seconds. She is the most sensible character in the show. I'll forever remember her line "stop your self-pity and you will be happier that way."
All in all, a very likeable ensemble with no overly annoying characters.

Music:
I dont think I've ever come across any K dramas with bad music and this one is no exception.

Recommendation/Rewatch:
If you are a sucker for ott comical romance like me, then knock yourself out with the first 10 episodes but feel free to drop when the angst gets too tiresome after that.

Leia Mais

Overall i rate this drama above average, at least I finished it despite skipping huge chunks of it. I stopped watching k drama since full house in 2004 (I didn't even finish that) and only just picked up again since COVID. Must admit I couldn't finish most of them so anything I can finish watching even with skipping is worth noting.

What I like:
The music
The romance
ML acting
What I don't like:
The plot and subplots and all
The characters

Story:
Summary in a few words: forced, illogical and over-dramatic. I generally cant tolerate medical drama (with the exception of Hospital playlist) because of gross inaccuracy in the portrait of healthcare professionals and in medical knowledge. I picked up doctor John because of the high ratings and the topic of euthanasia, which if done right in highlighting both sides, the proponents and opponents of euthanasia, could be explosive. However, this show fails to deliver. I skipped most if not all of the hospital scenes unless involving the main couple romance.
What the ML did is involuntary euthanasia, which is considered murder and illegal in all countries. He deserves jail time and having his license revoked permanently. He does not have the right to end a patient's life without consent under the disguise of relieving pain. Also he has absolutely no respect for patients' wishes. I absolutely hate that kind of doctors who think they know better and willingly violate patients autonomy. The show confuses euthanasia, assisted suicide, assisted dying and DNR etc, hence the whole euthanasia plot is just a mess. The prosecutor and the nurse are obsessed with Cha for no valid reasons, or in other words, the reason the show presents is very forced. They should be charged with harassment. Cha did not kill their kids and the killer dies a painful death, so the grudge is very contrived, particularly for the prosecutor who is supposed to be smart and competent. I'm not even sure if it's legal for him to be involved in Cha's case to begin with. His involvement seems like a blatant conflict of interest to me. They are just batshit crazy for no reason. And I hate that trope in Kdrama, bad guys are bad just because they are bad. The lawyer and the former minister are even more ludicrous. There are plenty of drugs already available for assisted suicide. There's no good reason to develop a new drug to kill yourself with no financial gain. I initially thought it was to get rich but turned out they just want to die themselves. How stupid.
The CIPA/hospital plot is even less convincing. On what ground can't a doctor treat patients because he has an illness especially when it's not contagious and does not hamper his ability to work?????? If so, there wouldn't be any doctors left in this world. Doctors are also human and they can get sick, too. Dismissal based on this is discriminatory and illegal. Plus I can't understand why the hospital executives are so hellbent in getting rid of Cha while he is not even a threat to their positions. It also appears that doctors in this fictional hospital do nothing but running around aimlessly. One patient is tended by several dozens of doctors.
Let's not even get into the medical stuffs because I accept the fact it's a fictional work, there's no need to nitpick the inaccuracy.

The only reason that I kept watching was the romance. I'm a bit lost in the first two episodes why the FL decides to return to work after the encounter with ML other than her love-at-first-sight crush for him. It seems very forced when she has been dwelling on it for 2 years and one encounter somehow was enough to resolve her emotional turmoil and restore her confidence. If she was a as competent doctor as supposed to be, she shouldn't have trusted a stranger whose credibility is questionable. In fact she doesn't even know if he is qualified to give medical advice. I wouldn't if I was her. If her confidence is that low to even take on quack medical advice on the street, she shouldn't have returned to be a doctor. But Ill let it slide because I can see why the two of them are a match and she also redeems herself by taking the lead in the relationship. She is a lost puppy looking for a mentor and he fits the bill. He is aloof and closed off to the world because of his illness so if it wasn't for her forwardness, he would have never taken a move. I can see why her clinginess and ott expression touch a lonely man like him and why he falls for it. Thanks to Jisung' s suberb acting, the ML shows subtle hint of romantic interest in FL from the very beginning and never pretends to not like her, like earlier trope in Kdrama of the 00's (jerk ml has a crush on FL but acts otherwise, the main reason I quit watching years ago). I'm also very glad that there is no love triangle and all of it's banality. Their romance appears to be very accepting, understanding and supportive even without the lovey-dovey, which I absolutely love. The confession scene in the penultimate episode is heart melting, thanks to Jisung's electrifying gaze. However, the finale was disappointing, I still have no idea why they break up, like the writers has nothing better than time lapse to fill the slot. The more convincing logic wouldn't be to be with your loved one and go through difficult time together, would it? Anyway, romance is still the only plot that scores point for this show.

Acting/casts:
As I said earlier, Jisung's top-notch acting skill saves the show. I have never heard of him or watched any of his show before, probably because he debut after I quit kdrama. Although I don't like how the character Dr. Cha is written, the acting is still outstanding. Jisung delivers excellent performance in portraying the character's personality, the struggle and loneliness with his illness. His eyes speak volume. He gives me butterflies just with a tiny lift in the corner of his mouth, not to mention his heart-melting gaze, the perfect blend of care, concerns, gratefulness and sincerity.
As for the FL, I can't comment when her character does nothing but crying. I give her credit for her crying skill ?
Other characters have so little story to tell for the acting to shine.

Music
I absolutely love the OST, very fitting for the romance.

Rewatch value:
I can watch the confession scene hundreds time. But that's about it .

Leia Mais

Was it love or was it a waste of time

Let’s be honest. I did not finish this drama and dropped it a while ago midway through episode 2 or 3. I don’t remember the story very well but I do remember vividly the annoyance that the FL brought me while watching. I could say it is one of the worst K-drama out there in my taste. Most shows I dropped half way but I don’t recall any that irks me this much as this one. If I could give a score of 0, it would be 0 for everything from story to cast.

Story: The premise is very promising. A hardworking single mom is determined to build a better life for her daughter but also to live her dream. I’m probably biased and over-hopeful for an empowering story because it is very similar to my real life situation. But the FL turned out to be just crazy. The plot is severely flawed from the very beginning. She gets pregnant and decides to have a kid alone without telling the father or any attempt for communication and to hate him without any reasons. I don’t care what misunderstanding that may have been between them, it is psychologically NOT normal for a modern woman to behave in such contemptuous martyrdom. It is not only selfish to the family, the father and the child but also insulting to the efforts of generations of women to advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. Every one of her actions throughout the short few episodes I watched is whiny, self-absorbed, pity-seeking and unrepentant.
The MLs aren’t any better, unfortunately. It’s another major plot hole I cannot comprehend that is what qualities the MLs see in the FL other than they know her in the past. The writer seems to forget that there has been a 14-year gap. It is extremely unrealistic and unbelievable that they are all still single and hung up over a woman after such a long time. I’m glad that I did not finish the show because apparently from other reviews I have read, the reason for the breakup is because of interference from one of the ML based on the logic that he likes her first. More maddening is that the real father upon making up to the FL decides to run away for another two years instead of making up lost time for his daughter. Seriously, WTF! Had I watched it to the end I would probably have smashed my phone unsubscribed Netflix, lol. The story appears to go from bad to worst in 16 episodes.

Cast/Acting: I generally don’t tolerate loud and excessive FL very well, and I’m very disappointed with Song Ji Hyo (SJH) in this one particularly. I have watched her in Emergency Couple, the premise of which is also similar to this one where the FLs overcome adversities to realize their dreams. I kinda tolerate her in the other one and managed to finish the drama albeit skipping a lot but this one she really made me just switch off my phone completely. The two characters have slightly different personalities and stories, however, SJH’s portrayals of the two turn out to be identical, just pure annoyance. She fails to demonstrate the characters as strong and capable women and only shows them as illogically unreasonable and stubborn people. I guess her strength is more suitable for variety shows than dramas.
As for the MLs, I can’t be sure if all the suitors had been introduced by the time I dropped to really comment. One thing I do remember is Son Ho Jun. I expected something more from him after Reply 1994 and Backtrack couple. Although he is not the best actor, his performance in this drama is simply just flat and bland. The chemistry between him and the FL is also off. He cannot convey any emotions at critical moments such as at the revelation that he is the father (I skipped all to this portentous scene instead of torturing myself through all the lengthy and wearisome middle episodes).
The best performance in the first 2 episodes probably should go to the FL’s daughter. The kiddo is witty and show maturity beyond age but it does not come across as forced or fake.

Music: I doubt that any K-drama would feature bad music but I dropped the show very early on and did not have any recollection of the music, so unimpressive is probably the best description.

Recommendation/Rewatch value: Avoid at all cost. A total waste of time. If you are looking for romance, there’s no chemistry between the casts and not even romantic swoon-worthy scene. If you are looking for an inspiring story about a determined and independent woman, this show is the opposite of it. I don’t even know what it is.

Leia Mais