OMG DRAMABEANS, i totally get your frustration.

it's just SOoo annoying when things are left with loose ends, although sometimes it's a good thing depending upon whether the afterthoughts are purposeful in any way. In this case, the opening ending is just a lazy way to cut off the plot. Also, one of driving forces, from what i have read so far without laying my eyes upon this drama, is the romantic pairings. When this force just fizzles with ambiguities, the drama really just falls flat.

there is a reason why i always start a drama after reading reviews on its complete run.

(:

p.s. dramabeans, you're so awesome. i am so thankful for your recaps. they are so fun to read!

@momosan: I’ll invoke the Shin Woo Law of the Airport -- love this phrase!

Two further points:

1. I'd forgotten about the underlying illness sub-plot. Was there a humidifier or could the budget not run to that?

2. Just watching a few minutes of that spanish-subbed final episode segment (a few minutes is all I could stand)... JNR is really annoying. But I'd forgotten how adorable Kim Rae Won is when he's yelling "khaaaaa!". I take back some the of the earlier slanging of him, that he'd pretty much phoned it in for MLP. He's not working hard, but he is letting that charm just seep out all over the place. He'd be oozing charm while having his wisdom teeth removed, though, I bet.

Now that I think about it, that last bit doesn't work so well, but you know what I mean.

3. JB is right (yes, 3 points, finally): she doesn't make up her mind, it's ridiculous, and makes for an epically unsatisfying ending.

part of what makes me want to give this drama a try, even if it's just to see how bad it is, is this ongoing confusion of who the lead guy is and who the OTP is... i've never come across a drama where people thought the OTP were different characters! sure, there are different shippers, that's to be expected... but for the OTP to not even be clear.. this i gotta see.

@ ockoala

"Except it was worse in YB, Shin-woo got PWNED by a pig-rabbit, which as we all know, regardless of its uber-cuteness, is in fact an inanimate object! Which is what SW was at times anyways, so it was a fair fight."

omg LOL... so true, so true.

lol how did this even start this looks like an ancient drama hahaah

I remember watching this drama years back. In the beginning, it was cute and light and easy to watch. However later on, it dragged on a little bit. The Kongzzi character was the quintessential kdrama villaness and was rather annoying.

I was dissapointed by the ending seeing as I watched the entirety of the drama to figure who she would end up with and there was no real closure. I hate open ended plot lines the most.

So I will agree with Samsooki that its a cute drama. Cute and different. I see what the writers were trying to do but I am not certain that they successfully pulled it off.

I agree with Javabeans that the end was stupid and that Jang Nara was a little bit annoying.

Wut?!? That was the ending? So she basically lead them on? Not good. I could say so many things about that, but nvm. Glad it's just a drama.

@ Gems
"Today is just filled with revelations! I was so shocked that Samsooki is a male and married that I didn’t even know how to proceed. My space and time continuum is greatly affected."

No worries. Samsookie has that affect on readers or maybe readers have preconceived notions about drama lovers.

@JB
I would say your taste is not high brow (no snarkiness intended here in any way). To me your the Ruth Reichl of kdramas. Pretty democratic and able to enjoy dives as well as the French Laundrys of this world. I love Ruth Reichl because she was one of the first food critics to go to korean restaurants and review it and she did it as the New York Times Food critic when they only reviewed highbrow french restaurants.

The only thing I could remember about MLP is:

1. The story is basically annoying, but I was stringing along for the fun of it
2. Yay to KRW when the Shin Woo Law of the Airport was invoke
3. What????? I thought KRW was the champion? How did it turned out to be her stringing along 2 puppies?

I love Kim Jae Won...I hate Kim Rae Won. I just do. I expressed this sometime like several years ago, but that guy...ughh irks me to hell.
You could call it superficial, but I dont care It was Harvard Love Story that just totally ruined it for me. lol
Any who-what happened to Kim Jae Won anyways? I miss seeing him on tv...with his nice smile :))

@ JO
"Any who-what happened to Kim Jae Won anyways? I miss seeing him on tv…with his nice smile :) )"

He was last seen kissing Samsookie's other crush Ha Ji Won in Hwangjini and never seen again..EVER.

Be afraid Kim Rae Won. Be very afraid.

I guess the bottom like is..do not take it so seriously, its a great light! drama comdey romance with cute and surprising twists. It also very much a personal thing..I seem people who end up hating a drama because they could not stand the hairstyle of one of the actors, so the reasons for liking or disliking a drama are up to the person watching it. I think the best thing about all this is people instead on taking reviews at face value realise its only a personal option of the reviewer.
I always try to find a both good and bad review, and then watch and decide for yourself. Like they say in drama, even it you hate someone, it still means you have feelings for them...

AAHAHAHAHAHA I love you guys.

great, so i read some spoilers here (-.-)... my drama taste is almost similar to JB's and after reading this post, i think, maybe when i watch this drama i'll have the same opinion as hers .... however, i will STILL watch this drama for the sole reason - i am curious... ;)

I'll find out myself how great or terrible this drama is.... (good Lord, i hope Jang Nara doesn't get on my nerves)...

SHOCK....I also thought Kim Rae Won was the lead.

@momosan: " Shin Woo Law of the Airport " LOL luv this law. Will have to remember this.

-+Thanks for clarifying the disatisfaction i got after 10hrs ( most of it spent ffwd) of this drama , i like your take on this drama....it was totally wishy washy, with an annoying lead actress, that was just hollow,,,,it was interesting to watch Kim Rae Won and Kim Jae Won in their early years of dramas....they have both improved immensely since this drama, Hallelujah!!!!!!!

It's been awhile since I watched this drama but I recall being confused by the ending. It was my understanding that no one got the girl and assumed that was the writers attempt to deprive the viewers of a neatly tied up predictable ending.
For the record I also believed KRW to be the primary male lead.
Looks like I've got to watch it again given all the new insight gained from this post.
Think I'm with the JB camp on this one, sorry Samsooki.

Pauly Shore movies have a l-e-e-t-l-e depth. Not much, but some. Maybe not enough for ticket prices today, but hey, if Avatar's raking the bucks in...

I confess I never finished MLP, but going by the debate, it sounds like KRW totally dissed the k-drama second lead's doom/fate/ignominous ending.

This debate is great! Now for Ms Dahee's rebuttal!

You say "the Song-yi character tends to turn off a huge chunk of its core audience". How do you know?

Great rebuttal, Javabeans!! In all honesty, I didn't dislike this drama, but the ending I DID have issues with. I mean, for me, the entire drama should be leading up to that brilliant moment where all the loose-ends are tied up, where feeling have been resolved, and a happy ending is within reach--but in MLP, it reached that crescendo, fizzled, and then died horribly. By the time I reached the end, I didn't care WHO she ended up with--I just wanted her to finally make a decision. But she still never did, which ultimately destroyed the drama for me...

Great Rebuttal Javabeans, Ya i so agree with you, the ending sucks and Jang Nara was annoying , Period.

I actually liked and enjoyed this drama when it was aired on my national tv many years ago. Maybe it's because it is just so good-natured like you said, and so different from other dramas which has lots of fights and villains in it..

However, HOWEVER, YES I FOUND MYSELF SCREAMING AT THE END! I was shrieking, pulling hair, EVERYTHING! I mean...I followed this drama religiously on national tv (one episode a day, and even that, they normally cut each episode into 40 minutes or less, so they could extend the drama longer..which makes it around 14 episodes altogether...yes the wonders of the media in my country) AND THIS IS THE ENDING?!

...to say we were terribly disappointed is an understatement. All the waiting for a new episode everyday, just to know who she'll be with in the end....and...........ARGH!

If the director and the scriptwriter actually made her choose someone in the end, as in a definite choice, then this drama would have been perfect. When I say perfect, I mean fit-enough-to-watch-again perfect.

Just so argh when I think back to all the anticipation my family and I had for a DEFINITE ending.

Jo: Kim Jae Won is doing his army time, like Jang Nara he is turning 30 this year I think that is the cut off for army service?
Also like Jang Nara [they are real life school friends same age same school]
he did time over in china in dramas. Korean who head off to china tend to drop off the world map, very hard to get info on happenings in china. Even Jang Nara herself, who arguable the most well know and popular of the koreans working in china has had the same trouble, such a huge place and population you just disappear, at lest from those outside of china.

,,,,just like i said on Samsooki's article...MLP is such a mediocre drama & can't grasp it's importance enough to dedicate 3 articles on this topic!!! I'm sticking with JB on this issue, though!!!

I love the debate. Personally I enjoyed the series, and did not find Jang Nara annoying even though she is overacting big time. I was so moved by Kim Rae Won's story that everything else paled in comparison. At the time I watched this after Attic Cat so I also assumed he was the lead.

The ending for me was OK. Since the whole romantic interaction was rather childish and naive, it seemed fine in the context. I mean most k-dramas hardly show the main couple together even if we do get a decisive pairing, i.e. You're Beautiful. In some shows (I won't mention which) they have the main couple reunite again a few years later only in the last five minutes of the show, so at best we get a hag and a big question mark whether this time they will work things out...

Whoa, I totally did not know KRW was second male lead!

Alright Oppa, JB's got me on the ending. I remember being sorely pissed and blasphemy after watching the ending. My friends were all upset along with me and we had weeks of discussion on who was with who, why, and what not.

Of course, I was at a tender age at the time, a mere teen, and was just starting to explore trendy, fluffy dramas (funny but I went backwards and watched heavy, mature, and critically acclaimed works before I embarked on the more lightweight, commercial dramas) so I easily found shutting off my brain refreshing.

All I know was I liked MLP - pitied Jang Na Ra, and found the two leads both attractive - oh, and the ending was horrid. But it was so long ago that I've seen MLP that I can not give a proper analysis - which means it probably wasn't as memorable as I thought it was.

i have to agree with javabeans.
jang nara was so ANNOYING that i could not find myself siding with her which for me is pretty much a must for me to continue watching a drama- sympathizing with the main heroine.
i did love kim rae won though.

Case closed! haha :D

Both of you make such good points.....

I haven't watched it........ so should I watch before picking a side..mmmhh??
Since you both of you bring such good arguments.... alas I must watch (although its kind of ruined with spoiler <_< )

Loving the debate by the way
:D

your so2x beautiful...god bless as all.jejeje

I enjoyed the show in general because it's light and fluffy, except for the banterings between the two "friends". I like the ending too. I also like the ending to "Success Story of a Bright Girl". I just like fluffy endings.