My Holo Love

I was expecting this to be a futuristic ROMANCE flick, focused primarily on the excitement and challenges of falling in love. And while it did start down that path initially, before we could get into the "meat" of the trio's relationship, the plot changed gears, evolving instead into a suspenseful tech THRILLER. After that, the romance took a backseat to the corporate intrigue.

As may be expected of Netflix, this production is technically slick with plenty of low-key special effects, a nice soundtrack and some decent action scenes/car chase stunts. If you have seen "Memories of the Alhambra," I would say this has a similar flavor (minus the gaming). Lee Ki Chan also did a great job of portraying two polar opposite personalities and acting to green screen. The manga-like plot, though not especially original, was still interesting enough and started strong.

Unfortunately, about halfway through, some obvious plot holes began to appear, and the last 2-3 episodes had to rush to accommodate all the necessary twists and turns for a happy ending. On the other hand, the faster pacing also neatly tied up most of the loose ends, so at least there's that.

All in all, if you go for light, family-friendly fantasy/sci-fi romance stories that don't require much basis in reality, this will probably be right up your alley. Recommended.

ROMANCE RATING: 7/10 I can't speak for others, but considering that this is being marketed as a romance film, it would have been nice if the love stories with both Holo and Nan Do were a little more fleshed out. All the necessary scenes were there, but somehow, I just kept expecting...more. Like looking at the rough sketch of a picture, or only reading every other line in a book (though you may disagree).

Aside from that nitpick, as far as actual chemistry goes, I thought the main leads had good compatibility. It was a little disappointing that we didn't get to see much of the kisses (2+ scenes) when they actually happened, but by K-drama standards, I would consider them acceptable.

It was definitely a good watch. After watching Memories of Alhambra and now this. I really understand explaining the limits of technology and the power of imagination in paper and pen is so much more difficult than what it looks like. But the cast did an amazing job. Even with smaller roles to play each of the supporting roles were so strong in character. It was funny, romantic and a bit of thriller make the mix so much good. And one of the best ending as well. And definitely doesn't leave you feeling miserable.

I watched this in a day. It's soooo good. It made me feel part of the story, the actors are amazing, the plot and storyline is innovative and great. Such a good drama. I hope Netflix will make a season 2

Enjoyed it enough the first time that a year later I watched it again. Didn't quite hold up as well the 2d time. Usually my rating of TV goes up with the second watching, probably only 30-40% get a second watching; and then there are the gems that can be watched over and again-

I enjoy Korean romance dramas, their sensibility around family and love are so different than Americans, at least portrayed on TV, though I did have confirmation of this when I had the chance of working in S Korea for 3 months around 2001. My impression was they were somewhat like American culture in the 40's and 50's, not as worldish as we all are now, and with a very strong family system where you were expected by one and all to be married early, ideally by your mid-20s.

Anyway- the over-dramatization of feelings, much as we'd characterize in this country as being childish, is more the norm in these S Korean dramas, esp for the women, so no problem there, I'm used to it and like seeing this different cultural take of vulnerability. But it did get on my nerves a bit watching it the second time, the main female lead was even more childish than ever, lost interest a bit there, but I suppose with the story being what it was, that wasn't inconsistent with the traumas both of the leads under went.

It was 12 episodes, it could have easily and more dramatically been done in 6-8 episodes. I often bemoan how movies will overly condense a story and appreciate the long form of TV episodes. But in this case the story and unfolding didn't have enough depth to warrant 12 full episodes, I began losing interest as it went on and on.

Chairman Baek was right out of mythology, he played the villain well, his face an almost cartoonish mask of greed and raw power. Most S Korean dramas I've seen have portrayed the corruption of the top firms, which makes for a good anchor point, though it's become a worn out trope using the seemingly endless squads of goons that show up every time.

Also enjoyed the advanced tech, esp one designed to look out and care for the end user. We're not terribly far from what was shown, perhaps 5 years? I look forward to an always with me digital assistant and companion! Someone to talk to, share problems with, learn from, etc. Etc. I found the movie HER very moving. Hopefully these shows will give the tech industry some bright ideas!

This is my second korean drama in lockdown. It is dubbed in English. I am so glad that I have found it. It would be one of my favourite movie for all time. The drama is cute , sweet and romantic....