Don't Dare to Dream

Forget all the clichés that come with Korean soap operas. Forget about the brash scripts, model behavior, overacting, and unnecessary misunderstandings. The jealous Haw-shin is here, and he brings to Korean screens a new perspective on love and relationships in general. I can't say that the plot unfolds the way I'd like it to all the time, but it's not supposed to. I was thrilled with the main duo (trio, actually). I was thrilled with the script. I was thrilled at how many neglected themes the show opens up. I was thrilled about pretty much everything. A nice breath of fresh air. 5 stars. (05/02/2021)

I just love that Kong Hyo-jin. Most of her series have a certain maturity to them she brings to her characters a charm that causes you to see them as more than just two-dimensional characters, they simply always have something to them. And that's true in this case as well. Although the series is rather long for my taste, I devoured it in a relatively short time because I really enjoyed it. Plus, Hyo-Jin was seconded by two handsome and mostly likable actors, so no problem. Plus, they also had personalities in addition to charisma, so no problem; this love triangle was very well written, acted, and directed. Apart from the love relationships of these three, the series also bit into serious and stigmatized topics, including male breast cancer. I thought this theme was very well handled and maybe it spoke to society in some way. Like another Hyo-Jin series, Thank You, this series speaks to society about AIDS. Often times I don't like the fluff around the main couple, but here it was fine because they were all kind of likable, they had their own habits and personalities, and overall it was very easy to keep them apart, rather than just having people blend into some kind of blurry mass in the background. It was fun to watch them, too. Even though some things were left unfinished, and of course I'm not 100% pro, I still think this series is worth checking out. I had fun, I laughed out loud, I had fun with them. Finally a Korean series that I can say was fun to watch. And it's probably for older viewers, I don't think a high schooler will get as much out of it as someone who's been working/been in college for a while. (27/08/2018)