Manga adaptations are often disappointing, but I liked the original manga (Kanojo wa uso wo Aishisugiteiru) enough to give this drama a chance. And to my pleasant surprise, although it did take a lot of liberties with the original story, I still totally loved it!
As with most manga, the story's premise is a bit unrealistic and does require some suspension of disbelief (though less than the original, I thought). In addition, while most of the characters still have their original personalities, the flow of events and character histories in the story have been significantly altered or rearranged.
Normally, these kinds of changes would annoy me, but in this case, I thought they added a great deal of depth, realism and humanity which helped to flesh out the original characters. Unlike the manga which focused primarily on simply moving the characters through various situations/events, the show looks at how those situations/events impact the characters internally and highlights their resulting development. There is a great deal of psychology and commentary on personal motives, which I found totally riveting.
This approach also helped me make sense of some things that I couldn't fully understand in the original work (such as Shinya/ChanYoung's bitterness toward Aki/HanKyul or Director Takagi/Choi's true intentions as their boss). Then again, if psychology isn't your cup of tea, you may find the storytelling pretty dull.
On top of a well directed story, the script, acting and soundtrack were all very polished. If you like manga (especially Josei), k-pop, k-dramas, and don't mind treating this show as a stand alone product, you might be pleasantly surprised! Recommended.
ROMANCE RATING: 7/10 There are only a few kiss scenes, but I thought they were beautiful, emotional, and I completely bought the main characters' chemistry. Though I will say I was a teeny bit disappointed that, unlike the manga (which has some extremely heated kisses), the k-drama keeps the romance strictly light and fun. But it's ok for what it is.
