It was going smooth then the story plot is too weak it feels like it's forced in there
I like the acting It's on point but the thing I hate about this is that the plot of the story is rather forced to be there. Like the plot was forcefully inserted into the story which made it worse. It took me 4 weeks to finish this Kdrama because of the weak plot and I was kinda irritated with how they made the flow of the story I just really wanted to know how it ended that's why I finished it. I was curious about the ending but man, the ending was not really kinda of satisfying in my point of view.Was this review helpful to you?
Jinxed By Design
Sucked at first sight, actually. It certainly failed to leave a good first impression. The first episode was horrendous in all regards, especially when you get some context later on. Subsequently, this led to all kinds of problems with the narrative. At first, the story presented a big predicament to overcome, as described in the synopsis, what would ML do once he meet her again, but the drama decided to nullify the tension in a record time and turn the drama into a mindless slice of life with bubbly visuals. The unusual romance was never justified, the drama also attempted to play the same scenario for their romance at the end but it only made things worse by creating an unnecessary new diversion that came with it more problems, it just doesn't work unless one of them was mentally challenged. One of the drama's genres is mystery, but there was barely any and what was present was surface level cheap addition.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A hidden gem - It's a solid romantic comedy with interesting elements
8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic fantasy television drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. Also known as Jinx's lover.I will first provide a synopsis then review/comments after
Synopsis
Seon Seul-bi (Seohyun) has been shut away from the world along with her mother Lee Mi-soo (Yoon Ji-hye) for her entire 20 years. She lived in such isolation that she knows little of how the outside world works. The Chairman who is keeping Seul-bi and her mother isolated believes he is doing it to protect them and others from their negative energy. The women come from a long line of Shamans who used to advise kings but their history combines fortune and misfortune simultaneously. As such they, and those before them, have been both revered and feared. Mi soo has been no different, the Chairman has utilized her shaministic skills to further his business interests but has kept his distance despite having some romantic involvement. Seon Sam-joong (Jun Kwang-ryul), the chairman, is a redeemable villian and it is apparent there is way more to the story of his relationship with Mi soo and his reasons for locking them away. Gong Soo-kwang / Go Myung-sung (Na In-Woo) meets Seul-bi when she escapes into the city and determines he is her Prince. Something about the vulnerable girl sets off his protective nature. What can all these complex characters learn of and from each other? Is there a place in the world for someone that has such power or is the best for all concerned for the shamans to remain in isolation? What happened in the past and what does the future hold?
Review/comments
I loved Seul-bi as do most of the characters in the series. She has a child like innocence and yet is both highly intelligent and extremely caring and compassionate. In the first part, the parallels to the little mermaid were intentional and unmistakeable. Common objects were fascinating to her because she had never seen nor used them. I had a harder time with Soo-kwang because he was very harsh with Seul-bi. I felt like he would shower her with affection then turn his back on her for things that were out of her control. Some of it was cultural I know, the whole "sins of your father" angle, but I still had a very hard time with his emotionally abusive behavior at one point in the series.
*Spoilers. For the most part this was very enjoyable and I would have rated it much higher but for some aspects that I felt were unfinished or unnecessary. I really dislike the amnesia trope. It was a little more palatable in this one because using her power caused the amnesia. Still it felt like she was starting all over with all the relationships she had which made it feel like the first 14 or 15 episodes were a waste. Her mother died and, because she didn't remember anything, there wasn't a lot of mention of that. She had just developed a relationship with her father but he simply disappeared off the radar. Her relationship with the market people was different because she didn't remember the time they spent together. They alluded that she might be getting her memory back when her child said mom knew where all the characters were which is something from her past, but it wasn't definitive. The concept that the business had been built through the efforts of the female shamans therefor the only way to get rid of the "curse" and allow her to live a normal life was to dissolve that business seemed ike a complete waste. I also felt like, because she lived her first 20 years with no freedom, she should have had all the advantages of the wealth that had been accumlated to live the next portion of her life free and with the benefit of everything that had been gained from the sacrifice. It felt like the Aunt was just being spiteful over her sister's death in wanting the company to dissolve. We joked half way through when we suspected that she was actually the Chairman's daughter, and when her brother was expressing romantic interest, that there would be a Luke and Princess Leia like moment when they said something like "somehow I knew, somehow I always knew" and it was a bit like that. Her brother was like those feelings I had for you must have been because you were my sister. It was a bit amusing because the parallel for Star Wars fans was obvious. It was the only way I would have felt okay with her not choosing 2nd guy. Because he was awesome. Lead guy lost my support when he was blaming her for his mother's death and being so cold to her. I loved her abilities. She was a force to be reconed with but never used it in an evil way. So, I thought, for me a more preferable outcome would have been if all that negative energy nonsense wound up not being true in her case and that she was able to continue to help people. But they had to do away with the magic for some reason so she could be an ordinary person. I didn't hate it but it would have been even better for me if she had been able to retain her amazing abilities.
Overall I highly recommend this. There are a few detractors but the overall story is interesting, unique, and compelling.
#JinxedAtFirst
#seulbi
#NaInWoo
#SeoHyun
#TrueVisions
#Na-Inwoo
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maybe not for me.
all I can say is, "I tried" maybe this drama is just not for me.What I like:
1. the casts
2. the soundtrack
3. the cinematography
what i don't like:
1. good at the beginning until I felt that the story is becoming less and less interesting (personal point of view only)
2. I sometimes get confused if its a fantasy or a dark fantasy series.
3. acting is Ok but it didn't capture me.
4. a bit lacking in chemistry (Personal opinion only)
overall I think the drama could have been better if made short about 8 to 10 episode as it felt like dragging me in circles. The story probably could be made better but who am i to complain? they made it as decent as possible but for me it's not worth the time for there are other good fantasy drama out there.
( these are just my personal point of view, not the general public who watched this series.)
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had potential
The storyline overall had so much potential but at some point it just went downhill, pretty fast I'd add. The first half of the show was great and all the plot twists happening around episodes 12 and 13 gave me hope that all of this could go somewhere but it just didn't. As it goes on it makes less and less sense and so many bits of the story get left behind, even important ones I'd say. The ending was cute but SO rushed and considering everything that happend beforehand it just didn't make sense as well.I've definitely seen worse so I wouldn't say it's not worth watching at all, but it's not a drama that I'll remember either.
Honourable mention to the seodong market cast, so many great actors where gathered. Their vibes and their adorable relationship with the female lead definitely made the drama more bearable and enjoyable
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"It Is What It Is."
If I were to review this drama more critically, the rating would be far lower than 7/10. But I went into this knowing, for the most part, what kind of ride I was in for: I wanted something on the lighthearted side, full of wild neighborhood shenanigans and a pretty couple whose relationship is so cute it made my eyes water. My expectations for Jinxed At First did not exceed this list. I'm a realist. So, no regrets here.Did everything go off the rails around episode 10? Absolutely. Did I almost wish I had stopped watching around episode 6? Sort of. I think this drama would have greatly benefitted from shorter episode times, perhaps as a bite-sized webtoon a la Go's Starry Night. As it stands, with 16 full-hour episodes, it got draggy, repetitive and convoluted. It couldn't decide what genre it wanted to be. It felt a little like watching a TV show having an identity crisis. I was like, baby, what is you doin? It tried to go in depth with too many characters and thus many of the arcs fell totally flat or didn't feel properly resolved or earned. I had the feeling by the finale that a lot of the ending was revised during reshoots.
But, that being said, the first 6 or so episodes were UTTERLY divine. Syrupy, heart-swooping, butterfly-inducing romance that made me clutch my pillow like a teenager. Seohyun has never wowed me before, and this character is the Born-Sexy-Yesterday trope personified, but she did well here and her performance felt genuine enough that it didn't veer into what could have been Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory. Na In Woo was such a delight, though. He's relatively new on the scene but I have a good feeling about his career. He has great comedic timing and delivery, and DAMN, this man's look of yearning and despair is unparalleled. Every time he gazed at Seul Bi with tearful eyes my heart shuddered in my chest. He is very charismatic on screen and I'm looking forward to see what he does next, but his chemistry with Seohyun was strong and their love story delightfully adorable (until it got bogged down by plot devices).
If you're willing to skip through some slog later on, this one is a worthwhile escapist fantasy. Just keep your finger near the fast-forward button.
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Not sure of the genre, but it's an ok show
While I kinda loved most of the series, it seemed like it wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. At times it was a bit fantastical, at times it made me laugh out loud. Sometimes it was action packed, but other times, it was dark…almost to the extent of a psychological thriller. Sometimes it was just silly, or didn't even make sense, but I went with it anyway.Jinxed at First is a drama about a female "shamen" (prophesier/oracle) who escapes into the world after being locked in an opulent 'prison' for the first 20 years of her life. With the help of Gong Soo Gwang, Seon Min Joon, and the store owners of an entire marketplace, Seul Bi learns what it's like to have friendship, family, and love. Getting to that point, however, involved corporate conspiracy, family drama, murder, intrigue, and everything in between.
KingLTC (Reviewer from Aug 4, 2022) had it right when they said that Seul Bi’s character was played exactly as it should have been, given that the girl had been sheltered from the world and didn’t have the chance to mature or learn to be an adult in the real world. But there was character growth, or at least evolution, within all the characters, including Seul Bi. All of the characters were played by talented actors. I think I enjoyed Choi Jung Woo (Dong Shik), Ki Do Hoon (Seon Min Joon), and Kim Dong Young (Wang Yoon Ho) the most. I am very interested in seeing what else those actors have to offer in other shows.
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This review may contain spoilers
At the beginning i wondered why this drama ha d a low rate because i sawthis drama had a great storyline with strong plot and well connected characters
then i realized why
THREE THINGS spoiled this drama
1st the Female lead's acting
2nd the last 4 episodes were very messy for me with lukewarm events
3rd the side stories although they were important for helping the FL but they took too much space with no need and at the same time they didn't take a proper space for their own stories
those reasons spoiled the whole drama for me
the cutest character for me was the 2nd ML and his girlfriend
i hoped they took a proper space for their own story but their story was too rush with sudden events
this drama just to watch once not more
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I know almost all the actors in the drama, and I didn't not like their acting here compared to their other dramas especially the leads. The most disappointing acting is the second male lead. I can't feel his emotions, he is just like a talking standee.
The music/OST is nothing special to me.
Definitely will not rewatch this drama. I would still recommend this to those starting out in korean dramas.
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annoying
dropped on episode 6. like a lot of viewers as I read later. it was difficult to continue watching, and after episode 4 I just watched in order to finish it, but it was too annoying. it's very frustrating because the synopsis was good and the ideas were so unique. but, they failed to deliver to same level of content after episode 4.I realized watching this that I really appreciate story about people who can see (guess) the future. it could have been a very good drama, but they just stick to one scenario: she is kind and naive, and the bad guys are powerful and heartless, and the poor little thing just get out of this mess by the grace of gods (and a little bit with her ability).
for the story to exist she must lie and conceal everything she knows, and this is more and more artificial over time.
when to watch? if you have nothing more interesting to watch
audience: family friendly
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Good portrayal of characters, a pinch of fantasy, good balance between fun and serious story-line
To be honest, I started this drama because of In-Woo. Well, he did not disappoint at all. His face is very expressive and I felt genuine emotions and realistic acting. Out of 3 episodes, the FL-ML interactions are fun to watch. I can't wait to see where the story progresses because it is not a cliche storyline(yet, maybe on a high level, it does have a bit cliche storyline, but then again, so many stories are told already). And, the second ML is handsome too. (And, this is how fangirling starts, :) I know :)).Was this review helpful to you?
