Central Romance is really heart warming, interesting premise, minor "flaws" in some element

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Historical Romantic Comedy Drama with 16 approximately 60minute episodes.

I first provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis:
Marriage is a big deal in Joseon era Korea and, at the top of their game Ma Hoon, (Kim Min-jae) Young-soo (Choi Seung) and Do Joon (Byeon Woo-seok) are three handsome bachelor's who use their unusual charm, intelligence, and good looks to run the most successful marriage agency in the land. Things are going well for the trio until the groom is stolen and the bride jilted during the wedding of Lee Soo (Seo Ji-hoon), a blacksmith's son and Gae-ttong/Yoon Soo-yun (Gong Seung-yeon) whom Lee Soo has loved for many years. But things are not what they seem and Lee Soo was a hidden prince who was abducted to fulfill his destiny as the King of Joseon. The marriage agency feels like they have to make it right for heart broken Gae-ttong and vow to help her determine what happened to Lee Soo and get the marriage back on track. When Ma Hoon foils an assasination attempt on Gae-ttong it is clear things may not be as they seem. The matchmakers pull Gae-ttong into their circle to protect her until they can figure out what, exactly is going on. Lee Soo still has not given up on marrying the girl he loves and asks Ma Hoon to help him figure out how to marry the girl who is now below his social station. Love is a tricky business though and destiny may have other plans.

Review:
Overall I really liked this. The concept of these match making men was a unique twist. The fact that each had a unique back story was very interesting. I loved Gae-ttong as she was very spirited and a-typical. It was a very heart warming story of love and friendship and good overcoming evil. Great all the way around on the surface.

Spoiler alerts**I did not like the romance between one of the matchmakers and the snobby noble daughter. I never found a single thing redeeming about her character and could not fathom a reason, other than her hard to get nature, why he would like her. She looked down on basically every one and the only consistency in her character was snobbery. Every time those two were focused on I just couldn't wait for the story to move on.

I felt very sorry for Lee Soo. He never asked to become king and his love for Gae-ttong was complete. My daughters, who watched it with me, found it nearly unforgivable that the only time he forced his powers as king was to try to force a situation where he would marry her. I think that is a bit generational. I thought his persistence just showed the depth of his love for her. They thought it was stalker level I just thought he was steadfast. I knew he would come around and he did. Said she could marry whomever. But it was sad to me. He mentions that he is married to the nation. I would have loved for him to have a happy ending. I know that is not realistic but I don't watch dramas to have them match sad reality.

There was no real sense for how her life with her brother went after they reunited. Was he living with her? It showed them hanging out a time or two but not if they had any sort of deep connection beyond that. It seemed he understood who she was but there was no emotional moment where it was clear that he did. When Gae-ttong was in trouble for impersonating a noble, he seemed to actually know her and suppress it to protect her, but that was it. And the maid that seemed to have something going with him. I liked that she was protective but to envision she had romantic feelings for him was a bit of a stretch. He was so child like in his thoughts that it would be weird. So that could have been cute if it was just a strong friendship but the implied romance was a little strange.

After all the effort and Gae-ttong to become a noble lady I really wanted to see her keep it. Like the noble who allowed her to use his name would fully adopt her. I mean he complimented her and said he thought his daughter would have been like her but I thought that was a missed opportunity at a really compelling relationship and another heartwarming story. He defended her at just the right time. But I wanted a real relationship to develop between them. It seemed he needed a daughter and she definitely needed a father figure.

I was disappointed in the last episode like so many others were. I really was asking in the second to last episode how the heck were they going to tie up all the political intrigue. Some prince, who we never saw, was supposedly coming back and two friends, turned enemy (the two high nobles) suddenly unite to back stab the king. So that could have been a big thing but it was so rushed it was like wait, how did they go from hating each other and seeming to have different goals for the throne to being in alliance again? It was just strange. A cool plot twist would have been that Do Joon was the prince. Then the snobby noble lady would have had to reconsider her actions. And I wanted him to fully tell her off. He minorly chastised her one time but I wanted him to call her on it and not like her anymore. So she was the one who wanted him but he was so over her. Instead he still wants her, even after she basically told him she wasn't interested because he wasn't a noble and not just any noble but a member of the royal family. So I think him being the hidden prince would have been a great twist.

After all Gae-ttong and Ma-Hoon did for Lee Soo I would have thought he would have given them high positions. I mean who could you trust more than them? It was unclear who filled his "cabinet" after expunging the traitors and how he turned public opinion. They started but never really finished that tangent. What happened with the Queen regent?

In conclusion I think this is well worth the watch. Despite some of the minor plot failings the characters were compelling, the romance was cute, and there were lots of interesting social constructs explored. Don't expect a perfect story. There are, in my mind, some unfinished tangents, and some questions left unanswered. It does end happy which is important to me and most of the major plot elements are tied up.

Read More

One of my favorite couples - romance is heartwarming

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese Romantic comedy set against an e-sport backdrop. There are 32, 35 minute episodes (actual episode time ranges from from 30-45 minutes).

First I will provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis:
Qiao Jingjing (Dilraba Dilmurat) is a model, singer and actress who is isolated from regular social contact because of her fame. As such, she is only able to keep up with what is going on with former classmates through her close friends. One former classmate in particular, the guy who got away, Yu Tu (Yang Yang), turned her down in high school but she has never forgotten him. Years have passed but he is still handsome and brilliant and broke up with a long term girlfriend Yu Tu finds out through her circle of friends. She discovers by accident that he is a very skilled player in the mobile game Honor of Kings, which is a game she is advertising for. When fans found out she had been playing the game she needs to become a master or risk loosing the sponsorship to someone else. Looking for an excuse to see her former flame, Jingjing tricks Yu Tu into a face to face meeting for the purpose of enlisting his help as a tutor on Honor of Kings.

Review: (contains spoilers)

The romance portion is one of the best I have watched. I absolutely love the couple they represents everything that comprises a good relationship. They support each other and try to understand the other person's perspective. Although both have jobs that keep them away for long periods of time they ensure they are able to be part of each other's daily lives. She is no push over. When he rejects her she doesn't beg she walks away. When he decides he wants to be in a relationship with her she doesn't immediately accept his feelings. There are scenes when they are together where it is like they are the only ones in the room. When she was out with their classmates and he found out where she was he zeroed in on her. She was the most important person to him in that room and that shifted their relationship and made it so she believed he was sincere in his feelings after having rejected her earlier. The chemistry was there between them and they represented relationship goals.

Jinjing was someone who was fun to be around and amazing beyond her fame. It made it easy to understand how he could have fallen in love with her. She was mischievous, which was enjoyable to watch and was part of her overall confidence and unwillingness to accept being treated poorly. Both of the main characters underwent a lot of character development to become the best version of themselves for each other. She became less focused on material things and he became more fun loving.

I loved the sets and scenery. I felt like I saw parts of modern China that I had not seen to date. There were some beautiful places with lights, flowers, sculptures, architecture that showed the modern aspect(s) of portions of China. As they traveled, you got to see the diverse geography from desert to more tropical landscapes and from country to city. I felt like I got a mini tour of China it was nice.

There was slice of life of her career as a Chinese idol and that aspect was interesting and there was also slice of life of his career as a aerospace engineer. I found the aerospace engineering aspect less interesting because there were these long stretches where it was just him solving various aspects of space engineering puzzles. I remember when I was younger a popular saying was "I am not a rocket scientist" which was a self effacing way of saying you weren't an expert on something. It could also mean something was simply to do "it's not rocket science." In this case he was a rocket scientist and they went pretty far into the details of what he did to provide that slice of life. For me, I found it boring and actually fast forwarded through some episodes because it didn't show her much at all and was just focused on his issues surrounding his work. They could have cut out maybe 4-6 episodes that had heavy focus on rocket science. They didn't show Jinjing's work as much and her lifestyle was, to me, the more interesting of the two.

Overall I enjoyed this a lot and this is one of my top couples now. What detracted for me was just the unnecessary depth on rocket science. I recommend this highly, may watch parts of it again but would fast forward as I did through the "dry" episodes where not much is happening between them.

Read More

Surprisingly funny and often underrated

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Fantasy Romance drama with 32, 35 minute episodes.

I first provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis: At a point where she should have had everything in life, a loving family, stability and living her best life in her middle aged years Min Jae-hee's (Hae Jae-sook) life takes a sudden and tragic turn. That all changes though when Jae-hee discovers her husband Kim Tae-joon (Jo Han-chul) is having an affair with a younger woman. Saddened by the fact that she is no longer young and able to start over she decides suicide is the best way out of what she sees as an inescapable situation. Just when she is about to fulfill her dark fantasy of ending it all fate steps in, in the form of a delivery man with a magical perfume that transforms her back into a beautiful young woman with a second chance at life. She becomes a top model, goes by the name of Min Ye-rin (Go Won-hee) and works with a top fashion designer Seo Yi-do (Shin Sung-rok) who is unlikable in nearly every way. He also has a lot of allergies and phobias that makes it so he drives people even further away when he freaks out because someone triggers one. Can life change for both as they interact, conflict and grow?

Review: I hesitated for a long time in watching this because it reviewed so low. When I looked into it more some of the low ratings were not because of the story or acting it was due to one element of the plot line which some felt was "fat shaming." I think there is a fine balance between calling a spade a spade and actual fat shaming. If someone is heavy I don't think everyone should have to pretend they are svelte. I also do not think anyone should have to make believe that people who are physically fit are going to see the beauty inside and be okay and attracted to someone carrying around a lot of extra weight. So, I did not see it as fat shaming I just saw the reality in life. Those that are on the heavier side of average, are likely to find not as many people are going to be attracted to them in a society that admires skinnier body types. Men, and particularly women that are heavy might have self esteem issues because of societal pressures. There was a time and place in history where portly was actually favorable and skinny people were not looked on in a good light. It all has to do with what body type is favored by the majority. If you can get back the early episodes, where her husband is just a jerk who quits loving her because she gains weight, you find that the main characters are not as shallow as he is.

Spoilers**
What I liked
It was funny. Yi-do is over the top dramatic. And it is very comical. He is one of those that seems very rough on the outside but is very caring and kind internally. The designs they showed were actually something I could see people wearing. The slice of high fashion life was interesting. There was a little bit of idol trope with the younger brother. I liked that he was very nice. I really liked Yi-do's assistant and how he became one of Ye-rin/Jae-hee's top confidents and friends. I liked the romance between Ye-rin and Yi-do they had chemistry and it was believable. A magical perfume that transforms her into a younger and more beautiful version of herself was a unique premise and I really enjoy series with magical elements. I liked that the daughter finally realized she had been unkind to her mom and decided her dad did not deserve her loyalty.

What I didn't like
I didn't like the romance between Jae-hee and Yi-do. There was no chemistry between them and it wasn't because she was heavy. It really just did not seem like they were romantically a couple. They seemed like someone that would be really good friends. I thought the personality was too dramatically different when she was Jae-hee. Not only was the appearance different but the personality was different. To me Jae-hee seemed cold and bullish. She was mean to Yi-do a lot of times when she really did not need to be. Ye-rin seemed sweeter and more innocent. Really they should have seemed like the same person but they didn't. I think it would have worked better if they had used a skinnier model in a heavy suit. I also was disappointed, at the end, that her 1 year transformation did not result in her being a healthier version of herself. I mean I liked that he loved her no matter what but I just thought, for her own self, that going off and getting healthy would have been a success/win over her horrible husband. I was disappointed that the Idol younger brother was so disturbed when she turned into the "Auntie". I didn't expect him to still be in love with her in that form but it just made he seemed a lot more shallow. I didn't mind that the ex husband harassed her through a lot of the series but for him to come back, yet again, and break the perfume bottle, and then immediately be captured by the police just seemed like too much.

Overall
I enjoyed this series a lot. It was great comic relief and I enjoyed the characters. I liked the magical element. I would watch it again and recommend it to others.

Read More

Friends Turned More, coming of age, fresh angle - one of my new favorites

10/10 is my rating! This is a 2022 South Korean college romance drama series. There are 12, 60 minute episodes. It is also known as love playlist.

I will first provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis: The gossip chain is set abuzz when an anonymous confession is posted on the University's forum. Everyone wonders who the "secret admirer" is and who they are enamored with. Ma Joo-ah (Park Hye-su) is majoring in business and interacts with the computer majors a lot because of her long term friend Cha Min-ho (Jeong Jae-hyun) who is a computer major. They have been besties for 12 years but you definitely sense that, Min-ho at least, might want something more. She has never had a relationship but develops her first crush on one of the guys in Min-ho's major and gets him to reluctantly play wing-man. Seo Ji-min (Roh Jenong-eui) is one of Joo-ah's roommates and is one half of the "it" couple on campus. She is beautiful, with many admirers, is completely happy in her relationship and dreams of leading the cheer squad. She is a "justic warrior" and has a talent for standing up to bullies. The third roommate, Hwangbo Young (Woo Da-vi) is a bit older than the others, and has a very cool, no-nonsense approach to dating. Her potential partners either meet her dating expectations or she quickly moves on. With a lot of dating experience, and deep insight, she gives advice to others on dating. Park Ha-Neul (Bae Hyun-sung) is Ji-min's devoted boyfriend and the second half of the campus "it" couple. He is well liked, personable and goal oriented. Gil Mok-jin (Lee Jin-hyuk) is a psychology major who actually struggles to understand the psychology of others. He is a neat freak who has driven other roommates away but finds tolerance and understanding in his current roomies Ha-Neul and Min-ho. These computer, economic, psychology and business majors all come together as roommates, friends, and sometimes more as they navigate toward their future and college life. And they now have a common goal - just who wrote this confession? It's a mystery that intrigues them and binds them together.

Review: This has become one of my new favorites. I am rarely impressed by these shorter series as I often feel they could have used at least the four more episodes that is the "average" length of 16 to fully develop the story. This one was perfect at 12 it had great character development, major plot points were explored and "tied up", and did not feel rushed. When there are multiple romances I often find at least one of them tedious but I liked all of the romances. I am a huge fan of the friend turned more trope and this one went to the very top of that list. I loved the two together. The "villians" in this were also interesting because there was some redeeming for one of them and the other never grew or learned significantly. It is a heart warming story and I found myself rooting for them both in pursuit of their educational and career goals, in their friendships, and in the romantic encounters. The "mystery" around who was writing the letters was also very well executed. Hints were dropped that would lead you to one or the other and I felt like it was surprising when there was the "big reveal." Highly recommend this to anyone that likes coming of age, heart warming romance, compelling friendships, the bully/"mean girl" angle, and the slice of college life you get in this friend group.

Read More

Lighthearted slice of life romantic (sport) comedy movie

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a (2019) South Korean romantic comedy (sports) movie. The total run time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Hye Jin (Lee Elijah) is an archery athlete with an attitude. Life in a wheelchair has not slowed her down much and a dispute over a contest ends in her motorized wheelchair being damaged. When she leaves she discovers that her braking mechnism malfunctions. She crashes into a tent where a group of robotics engineering students are hosting a tent as part of a larger event Hwi so ((Ji II Joo) can fix almost anything electronic and fixes Hye Jin's wheelchair for her no problem. Grateful for his help, she wants to buy him a meal and this is the start of an unlikely friendship. These two young people and their group of fiends navigate the challenges of life and grow through it together. Will love develop between two seemingly oppositve people?

I highly recommend this cute drama. I think the title is a bit lost in translation because I think it just refers to how she is a bit of a forceful personality that doesn't always play well with others.
But that is really her charm. I enjoyed the main female character's feisty nature and the fact that she was an amazing archer. Hwi so had attributes that made me think high functioning autism. But it could have just been the genius mentality. He was sweet to the core and I thought it was great the way he fit her personality like missing puzzle pieces. Each contributed to the other what they needed. She had that "cool girl" vibe and he had the quiet, itroverted "nerd" like mentality. She liked to do fun/exciting things and he was the quite the genius. I could easily have seen this being a series as I liked the main couple and their friends and enjoyed watching what they could create. Spoiler** There were fun scenes like they all sit around and are drinking beer. One of the friends is like here drink up and he is like I am one of those people that lack the metabolite to break down alcohol (only in way more technical terms) and our "cool" female lead is basically like shut it and drink your beer. And he got quite drunk but had a lot of fun. She brings him home and is apologetic because I don't think she realized he would get as drunk as he did. But his mom actually thanks her for exposing him to life. Same when, later, she encourages him to drive but they get in an accident. Mom comes and she thinks she will be mad because she is the one that encouraged him to get his driver's license but she says no-one was hurt and it was basically good for him. I loved the mom. With only a little over an hour and a half it was well paced, believable and my main critique is it left you wanting more only because the characters were so enjoyable. They did not fully tell us what happened to put her in the wheel chair nor whether, or not, the main male lead had a psychological condition or was just severely socially inexperienced to the point it made him seem like he might have autism. It ended well/happy. Enjoyed this immensely and would encourage others to watch it.

Read More

Thought provoking, great cases, slice of life surgeons and ER doctors

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2016/2017 South Korean romantic medical television drama with 21, 60 minute episodes. Also known as Romantic Doctor and Romantic Doctor Kim. The 21st episode is a "special" episode but is such an integral part of the story I consider it part of the 1st season personally and not separate or "other".

Below I have a synopsis as I feel a lot of the synposis do not describe the dramas fully enough to get a good sense of what theya re about. In the next section I give my thoughts/review.

Synopsis: Boo Yong-joo (Han Suk-kyu) was a top doctor and a triple-board certified surgeon, who worked at one of the most prestigious hospitals in Seoul. Everything changed when his junior died and, as a result, he disappeared from his life in Seoul and assumed a new name Kim Sa-bu. In order to still work in the profession he loves yet keep his identity a secret, he works at a very small hospital in the Gangwon Province. Circumstances bring two young doctors, Kang Dong-joo (Yoo Yeon-seok) and Yoon Seo-jeong (Yoo Yeon-seok) under his tutelage. In the major hospitals, money and power often determine timing and quality of patient care with the very important persons (VIP) taking priority over those with less power position or money. Sa-bu sees patients according to their medical need regardless of their social status, power, prestige or the status of their bank account. His influence unearths Seo-jeong and Dong-joo's inner desire to disregard money and power and treat just the patient.

Review: This was a great, fast paced, medical slice of life drama with lots of interesting medical cases. The acting was, for the most part, outstanding with one small exception. When they would shock the patients you typically see the paddles placed high up on the chest and the person has to lean over the unconsious person a bit because of the position of the paddles then when they shock them the unconsious person's body jumps a bit off the table from the intensity of the current. Several times, particularly when it was Dr. Kim, the paddles seemed to be placed really low and the unconsious person barely moved. It sort of took you out of the moment a bit. But very minor. I loved all of the character development. Dr. Kang went from someone that had "given in" and was sort of in pursuit of money and power to getting back to his "roots" in medicine which is patient focused regardless of whether, or not, it benefitted him. He learned that from Dr. Kim. Dr. Kim learned to trust other doctors more again from all of the students who "baby ducked" themselves to him even when he tried to portray he didn't want it. He also learned to stand his ground and fight at times rather than always just figuring karma would sort it out. Seo-jeong learned confidence in her ability as a doctor from Doctor Kim and that she had the right to love again from Dr. Kang. There were a lot of surprise mentees that came from the main hospital and also attached themselves under Doctor Kim's tutelage. I particularly liked the director's son because he was headed on a dark path and both Dr. Kim and Dr. Kang really turned him around. The love story was cute and well paced. I didn't feel like we got a good sense of why he was so in love with her from their time together at the other hospital but I think we saw enough of their interaction under Doctor Kim that their love was believable.

Spoilers ** The reason Seo-jeong was so reluctant to start anything with Dong-joo was because of the accident she was in where her boyfriend was killed after she refused his proposal. She carried guilt feeling that was the cause without knowing that he was cheating on her and had drank a lot that day. There was an episode where she returned to the main hospital and encountered her former friend her boyfriend had been cheating with and that friend mentioned she had a five year old child that looked just like the father. You saw Seo-jeong give it some hard thought but it was never clear she made that connection. And then she was just sort of all right with moving forward with Dong-joo and I felt it wasn't obvious enough why she had the change of heart when the full extent of that situation was not revealed. She also had the attempted suicide episode and there was no complete resolution to that. It made it like just "tough love" was enough to snap someone out of that. Dr. Kim was basically like you can't be a doctor with thoughts like that and she was sort of like okay I won't have PTSD and attempt suicide anymore. Didn't make sense.

I also wanted to know a lot more about Dr. Kim's former students and why the one student had surgery. And what really went wrong. Why did she allow a proxy? Were they "sneaking" the proxies. What was the story with the cassette tapes/music. Lots there I did not feel was explained and I was very curious.

They left quite a few pieces unresolved I am sure in anticipation of the future seasons. But I prefer when a season can stand alone and I can decide whether to watch future seasons or not. I haven't watched season 2 yet because I am hearing there will be a season 3 and that season 2 ends without a lot of things unresolved. I am not a fan of being dragged along like that uncertain when and if a season will come out.

Overall I liked this drama. It portrayed well the very real world struggle doctors go through between being funded and doing the right thing by their patients. The slice of emergency and surgery life also showed the difficult decisions doctors often have to make in when to let go, who to treat first, and who to rely on. Dr. Kim was a very compelling character. It is true that when you are that good - you can have a target on your back from other's greed an jealousy. I will be looking for the 3rd season to come out and then will re-engage with these very compleling characters. Highly recommend for those who like medical dramas.

Read More

Uder-rated romance, crime and supernatural drama

My rating is a 9/10. This is a 2019 South Korean Romantic, Fantasy, Crime drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. In the first portion below I provide a synopsis followed by review highlights.

Cha Min (Ahn Se-ha/Ahn Hyo-seop) is not very attractive in a traditional sense but he is a wealthy heir so some people are drawn to him not for his looks but for his wealth. He has been in love with Go Se-yeon (Kim Sa-rang/Park Bo-young), whom he graduated with, for 20 years. She has "led him on" as she liked him but could not get past his looks enough to see him as a romantic partner. She dates a lot but her main focus is on her work as a prosecutor. Cha Min has finally given up on dating Se-yeon and becomes engaged to a woman that Se-yeon introduced him to. That is until she breaks off the engagement abruptly leading Cha Min to contemplate his life choices while balancing precariously on a rooftop. Supernatural beings cause him to fall to his death when he was on the verge of changing his mind so, to make up for it, they revive him in a body that matches his soul. The result is he is flower boy handsome. They also leave him with an object, an abyss, that can bring anyone it is in contact with back to life. While investigating a serial killer, Seo yeon winds up being murdered and Cha Min uses the Abyss to revive her. She also comes back in a body matching the beauty of her soul and, to her dismay, it is much more average than her former "goddess" like beauty. Ironically Cha Min becomes the prime suspect in Seo yeon's murder so the two wind up working together to solve the mystery of Se-yeon's murder.

I put off watching this for quite a long time as the descriptions did not do justice to the depth and complexity of this story. Those that like crime drama will really like this particularly those that are interested in serial killer criminology. The supernatural twist in this is unique in that the object revives the individuals in a "normal" form, they are not zombie nor ghost like but appear completely normal. Part of the mystery is the how and why abyss works as it does. It also has a very heart warming romance and some compelling friendships and family relationships. Lots of character development and complexity. Some of the series posters I had seen showed this glowing ball and made it look almost silly but it is more of a serious crime thriller with supernatural elements and very occasional comedic (not slap stick) moments.

Spoilers**My main detractors were toward the end. I was glad I knew ahead that Cha min uses up all of abyss's power and becomes a ghost or it would have made me sad. They were separated for three years and we had to see heart broken Se-yeon go through her life without Cha min. I am not a fan of that separation trope. I was not really clear on what abyss was and whether the "beings" that had given it to Cha min were Gods of some sort or aliens. It wasn't clear why her love and his brought him back after three years and what all he had done in that timespan. Abyss was an important part of the story so I would have liked to have known a bit more about it. But none of that is enough for me not to recommend this highly and watch it myself again someday.

Read More

Living through disaster and beyond

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2017/2018 South Korean romantic drama with 16, 70 minute episodes. Also known as “Rain or Shine or “Just Lovers”.

A horrible disaster leaves physical and emotional scars on Lee Kang-doo (Lee Jun-ho) and Ha Moon-soo (Won Jin-ah). They have both grown up and are living lives heavily damaged by the episode they continue to relive in their nightmares and day time flash backs (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Moon-soo builds architectural models and has an uncanny ability to spot dangerous flaws in the design. Kang-doo takes odd jobs and often works in the seediest part of society. They were together during the collapse but never maintained contact so they are unaware, in the beginning, of their shared past. Still they find themselves drawn toward each other. Can two people, so damaged by their past, find healing in their love for each other?

I really liked this drama. I was not aware it was based on an actual incident of a mall collapse but with the depth and attention to detail it makes sense they had something to draw on. It is a heavy drama, with romance sprinkled through, so if you are in the mood for something light hearted or with focus on the romance, this is not it. This is very much a slice of life of people who survive any major disaster or who lose love ones due to such tragedy.

Spoiler alert ** Moon soo is the typical teenager in the beginning, who resents the attention her younger sister gets as a child model/actor and doesn't want to be bothered by watching her. When her younger sister lends her phone so Moon soo can contact her boyfriend, you get a glimpse of how their relationship might have been like in the future. Although Moon soo is injured, her sister is killed in the incident and she blames herself for not being right with her sister (even though, in the end, she says to her mother did you want me to die with her which shows she realized her sister would still have died even if she had been right with her). Everyone handles the grief differently and through the interaction with the main characters and their later interviews with some of the victim's families, the complexity of grieving is shown. Moon Soo's mother becomes an alcoholic spending her days trying to bury her grief in alcohol. As a result, like most alcoholics, her maturity has never grown beyond the time of the tragedy. Moon soo's mom blames everyone herself for having her daughter act/model, Moon soo for not keeping her sister closer, her husband for withdrawing, and the people resonsible for the project. Moon soo tries her best to be understanding and take care of her mom even through her destructive behavior. Moon soo had a head injury and doesn't remember, at first, many of the specific details of the accident. She blames herself for not being with her sister and often feels like her mother wished she had died in her sister's place. She even says this toward the end of the series. Her guilt over her sister's death and feeling that she also caused her boyfriend's death in suggesting they meet at the mall, makes her feel she does not deserve love or happiness. Early in the series her focus is on supporting her mom, running the bath house, and building architectural models. Her models are so detailed that she can spot flaws in the design that could lead to safety issues. Through her work she is invited to work on the new construction project going on the site of the mall collapse. The passion she has for her work, and beauty bot in and out, attract the CEO of the architectural company who mentiors her but also is drawn to her as a similar soul.

Kang doo is a typical althetic teen-ager who is hanging at the mall while waiting for his father to get off work so they can go do something together. He is enamored by Moon soo whens he puts on lipstick in a shop window not realizing that, while she has a mirror effect, he is seeing her from the other side. He dreams of being a national soccer player. His dreams coming crashing down when the mall collapses and his legs are injured horribly. He, Mon soo and her boyfriend are all trapped close together as they were in the same portion of the mall at the time of collapse. Kang doo sings to Mon soo to keep her calm and comforts Mon soo's boyfriend who was fatally injured. When the opportunity presents Kang doo encourages Moon soo to crawl toward rescue first an action which will later add to Mon soo's burden of guilt.

This was near perfect for what it was - a heavy drama - but I did feel that Mon soo was rather cruel to Kang doo in the last few episodes. I did not find it credible that she would not have gone to him when he was calling to her and said he was sick. It showed her delaying and, even though I know she was tied up in grief over the events around the collapse, and punishing herself for all the things she felt guilty of, to leave someone who calls out for you outside, in the cold, until after they collapsed seemed very hard hearted. It was a departure from what I had come to know and believe of her character.

The situation between Mon soo's mom and dad never changed. It did not make sense to me that they would hold onto their relationship for so long and then it was divorcing that made them both decide to get better. The relationship between the bad director and Kang doo's "adopted" big sister also did not make a lot of sense. They obviously were in love despite the fact that he was married. She was someone who made him better. In the end, it seemed they would be together but I didn't feel like his character growth was enough to make him a good match for her. I liked the romance between Moon soo's friend who did webtoons and her assistant and wish they had played it out a bit more. All in all though these things were minor flaws in an otherwise great story.

Not sure I would watch it again just because I get dragged down mood wise fairly easily and this is a very heavy topic. I recommend it though for those that like dramas and are interested in a lens on past events or slice of life.

Read More

The Story that Might Have Been

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean romantic drama with 13, 20 minute episodes.
Ae-Jin (Shim Dal-Gi) lives a double life as a bullied high school student who is constantly harassed as being "ugly" and a "goddess" social media influencer which she achieves through costumes, camera angles and photo editing. Her worst fear is that someone will discover her trickery and reveal her dual existence to all. This fear nearly comes to fruition when she receives a text with a picture of her posing in her costume and makeup unedited. A series of circumstances lead her to suspecting her only friend at school, Lee Jin-Sung (Yang Hong-Seok) of being the blackmailer. Lee Jin-Sung is an idol trainee who is literally too cool for school and he, on the other end of the spectrum, is also an outcast. He and Ae-Jin become friends as they were both frequently alone at school.

The premise of this was very interesting and that alone carries viewers through. All of the young actors do a great job of conveying their roles. Spoiler(s)** Often I am disappointed because the actor who plays the role of someone unattractive is not unattractive. Now I am on the opposite end, the actress who plays Ae-jin can be pretty with makeup and a flattering hair style but they do everything to have her look unattractive in never smiling, her body posture, and attitude. Which makes it really hard to buy that Jin-sung would fall in love with her. I got the whole he was an outcast because he was too cool sort of thing but, even if they were lunch friends, him falling for her when her personality did not even come through as that good, was a stretch. If she had been super smart, really nice, creative, or just really fun, I could have seen him falling for the beauty inside. But, she was a bit self focused and whiny so it was a stretch to believe he would have fallen for her. The more believable pairing would have been Ae-jin and the "lunatic detective", Kim Ho-In (Choi Bo-min), because they were alike on so many levels. Ho-in's girlfriend, Yang Ha-Neul (Heo Jung-hee) was such a bully to Ae-jin, even with her later redemptive actions, I could never see Ae-jin embracing friendship with her. And Ho-in even mentions how he hated seeing her bully other people and yet he still cannot live without her - that was a bit of a stretch too. The 12 short episodes flew by and it really felt like some of the issues could have been fixed with more episodes. They could have shown a side of Ae-jin we didn't see that would have made her more lovable. Maybe a fuller explanation of why Ho-in was bullying and an apology to Ae-jin. I really wanted to like this show more than I did because it was a great premise. I think it is worth watching for the unique premise, I would not re-watch it, but watching it once through was enjoyable enough. I also thought it showed, quite well, how bullies can make every day a living hell for the bullied whether it be a bully at school, at home, or in the workplace. I have combated bullies in my life, defending others, and also a workplace bully once myself, more times than I care to count. Seeing a bully get come-uppance is enjoyable as it rarely happens in real life. Hopefully a similar premise will arise in the future but there will be a better job with developing the characters and showing positive aspects of the relationships. Not a bad series, just not particularly good either. It's the show that might have been.

Read More

Exciting cases, great bromance, and romances, great character development and complexity

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean paranormal mystery medical drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

Cha Young-min (Rain) is a highly skilled cardiothoracic surgeon who suffers no idiots. He is a professor at the teaching hospital and is mentoring a cadre of residents when an unexpected accident leaves him in a coma and wandering the hospital as a coma ghost. One of his mentees, Go Seung-tak (Kim -Bum) was a dislike at first site situation. Seung-tak is the heir to the hospital and is pursuing medicine at the direction of his grandfather who wants his grandson to know the business from the ground up. The thing is Seung-tak is book brilliant but adverse to doing anything hands on and his plan was to coast through on his brains without doing any hands on practice. When Young-min becomes a coma ghost he is able to take over Seung-tak but no one else. Since he was the only doctor of his skill at that hospital and many complex cases come in he finds that he needs Seung-tak's body to be able to save patients with the need for complex surgery. As things go along it seems that Young-min's injury may not have been an accident. Someone wants both him and Seung-tak out of the picture. These two who are so at odds with each other find they must work together to save patients and also to figure out who is trying to eliminate both doctors.

This was really the perfect drama that avoided all the tired tropes that are somewhat annoying. It had heart warming relationships, all major aspects were well finished, interesting cases, great chemistry between the leads and among all the cast. I loved the bromance. The friendship and interaction between the two male leads was super cute. Spoilers* I wasn't sure how they were going to carry off the whole "ghost doctor" angle but it made sense within believing that comatose patients are a special type of ghost. They did such an excellent job of showing not only how and why Young-min became the hard, seemingly uncaring, doctor that he was but his evolution into a doctor that not only cared deeply about the patients he knew he could save but all of the patients. Young-min and Seung-tak took the best qualities of each other and blended them together in a mentorship/friendship that was durable and made them both better people. I liked how both men had love interests and that was an important part of both of the worlds yet the central relationship was theirs. All of the ghosts in the story were interesting and complex and went through their own evolution. I liked how, while they were able to solve some of the cases of the comatose patients, there was that one they were not able to solve as that it made it more realistic. The only thing I thought was odd is you had a whole cardiac specialty section but none of the other doctors seemed capable of performing any but the most simplistic surgeries. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. That seemed a bit of a stretch to me but it wasn't a story killer. They let us know, for all the main characters, why this one or that was able to see, hear and/or interact with ghosts. The parents were not overbearing and the "children" held their ground and made it clear that while they respected their elders, they planned to live their own lives their way. So there was no bullying parent trope and there also wasn't a long separation trope. I mean Young-min and his girlfriend did have a long separation but that happened before we were introduced to the story so we didn't have to "live it" so that was a better way of doing the whole separation thing (which I still don't understand as being a necessary element but those who write these dramas seem to think it is). They also did not break up during the active story line (again that happened before the story started) another trope I am not a huge fan of. I fully expected him to wake and not remember anything that happened while he was in a coma but they found a way around that overused amnesia trope by making it so he left a film for himself and also that the heavens or gods or whomever allowed him to cheat the odds and actually remember (perhaps as a reward for saving so many lives). I worried that they would rush some of the romances but they didn't. They gave just enough detail to know what direction things were headed in then just left it there. Sometimes that can be frustrating but, in this case, it was actually perfect. I highly recommend this drama, would watch it again, and it is one of my new top favorites. It's a great medical drama, has the romance but it is not the only driving force, and has some complexity to the plot and some surprises as well.

Read More

Great comedic paranormal romance

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean drama spanning 16 episodes (~60 minutes/episode). The main character, Na Bong-sun (Park Bo-Young) is painfully shy and socially withdrawn because she sees ghosts and does not get enough sleep. Along comes Shim Soon-Ae (Kim Seul-Ki) – a ghost who is determined to lose her virginity as she thinks that is what is tethering her in place. Bong-sun has long had a crush on her boss, Kang Sun-woo (Jo Jung-suk), who is as arrogant and self-assured as Bong-Sun was shy. With the ghost on board, Bong-Sun's complete change in personal style captures the boss's attention. And the hilarity, uncomfortable situations, and romance continues from there.
Spoiler 🚨 This is one I often recommend to those that are new to Asian dramas because I think there are enough “interesting” elements in it that they can't help but get “sucked in.” There were a lot of fascinating cooking elements – an immersion into the high class cooking culture in South Korea. It was a little predictable at times but was such a good mix of drama, romance, crime and comedy. It ended in a perfect spot without being rushed or drawn out which seems to be something Asian Dramas struggle with a bit.

Read More

Sizzling romance, well acted, interesting plot...what's not to like?

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean Historical Romance Drama with 20, 70 minute episodes.

During the Josean era, the birth of twins was considered an unfortunate sign. To disguise the event, the king sends a message to kill the infant girl and everyone who attended the birth. The mother, the Crown Princess Constort, had the twin infant secretly snuck out of the palace to save her life. After years of living at a monastery, Dam-yi, the girl twin, winds up returning to the palace as a maid. It is not long before her brother, the young Crown Prince, notices their remarkable similarity and gets her to pretend to be him so he can go on a mission outside the palace. Unfortunately, due to mistaken identity, the young prince is killed and the Crown Princess Consort realizes her daughter was disguised as her brother. To save the life of the only child she now has, Dam-yi's mother requests that she continue in the role of the Crown Prince, her brother. As the years pass Dam-Yi (Park Eun-bin) yp keep people from discovering her secret she maintains both physical and emotional distance from others earning her the titles "the five step prince" and "Ice Prince". When her first love, Jung Ji-woon (Rowoon), is brought to the palace to tutor the "Crown Prince" she finds that the womanly feelings she had buried for so long start to emerge. Now Dam-yi must not only keep her true identity secret but also protect those around her in an environment where many factions seek the crown.

I loved the premise of this. The reason she had to act as her brother was both logical and believable. The interactions between her and all of the characters around him/her were interesting and engaging. The love story between the two main characters was well paced and heart warming. There were multiple villians and they were very much love to hate. It had a Mulan sort of feel to it overall. Spoilers** The only slight detractors were I felt we never found out what happened to her cousin who was mortally wounded in the end. If he lived and there was a possibility that he would although unlikely, he would come for the crown again. I thought the young prince being killed was unnecessary. It was very disheartening because she had told him he would be okay. Hyun never expressed any interest in the crown and they did not explain how it came about that he wound up being the one to ascend to the throne. I mean he was more or less the last in line that they talked about but still there was no mention of how he felt about it. In general the monarchy was portrayed as weak, they did whatever their vassals wanted to the point of maids and the eunichs somewhat bossing the royals around. I am sure some of that went on but it seemed to be very prevalent in this one. She is very petite and feminine to "buy" that she was a man. That is not unusual though, every one I have seen with this trope you have to allow artistic license and just "play along." I mean if the queen seemed to buy it, and the rest of the royals who would question it? I don't expect movies to match reality - they are movies. People generally cannot bound between two buildings, jump out of moving cars, take on 50 guys, but we accept all that in action movies. So, I didn't mind that she was a very "feminine" looking man and that those around her bought it. Overall I loved it though and those minor points were very minor. I loved how strong her characater was and all the things she had overcome. I would watch it again and totally recommend it to anyone that likes this genre. Very well done. The acting was amazing, costumes were beautiful, settings were eye candy, and the characters had a lot of depth and development.

Read More

Slice of national athlete and translator life with two compelling romances

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021/2022 Romantic Sports Drama with 16, 60 Minute Episodes.
Seon-gyeom (Im Si-wan) is a runner on the National Track and Field Team. He is the visual for the team but also a strong runner who has consistently scored second. Heading into retirement his goal is to finally take first place, but a bullying episode with a mentee leads him to put his career on the line for principle. Some would argue he is able to do this as he grew up with priviledge but he suffers intense criticism and malice for his action from his family and from the sports world.
Seon-gyeom grew up with a politician father and a famous actress mother and an older sister who is a pro golfer. He was a latch key kid who did not get much social interaction and whose family was all about expectations and less about caring and love. His older sister is his only ally against his father's unreasonable expectations. Oh Mi-joo (Shin Se-kyung) was an orphan who worked hard for every opportunity she ever had. She is an interpreter for films and takes great pride in high quality subtitles to the extent she will watch each movie multiple times. Her and Seon-gyeom cross paths when she is hired to interpret for him as he attends several key sporting functions that could benefit his father's political career. The father hired her thinking, since she had such modest means, she would be easy to manipulate but what he did not count on was Mi-joo's pride in her work and high ethical standards. As the two get to know each other they discover they are more alike than different and love may change both their lives for the better.

2nd Couple: Lee Yeong-hwa (Kang Tae-oh) is a young artist who displays his art works in a local coffee shop where Chaebol CEO, Seo Dan-ah (Choi Soo-young) grabs coffee. She grew up in a severe family environment as her mother died early and her father had multiple relationships resulting in half and illigitimate siblings. Competion for inheritance is fierce in the household so the siblings do not develop loving relationships among themselves or with their father. As a result Dan-ah is sarcastic, rude and has no social filter - she pushes most people away. She had a close relationship with Seon-gyeom when she managed his sports career and they even appeared on each other's blind date lists as they both come from wealthy and elite backgrounds. The lively and engaging artist Yeong-hwa is able to crack through the frozen exteriors of both elites and befriend one and romance the other. Yeong-hwa and his infallible good humor and persistence may be the only one able to break through Dan-ah's icy exterior.

Spoiler Alert** I mostly liked this series. I wish it had focused more on the running culture and was a bit disappointed that his career as a national athlete ended so early in the series. The statement he made about bullying among athletes really fizzled out. The coach who was allowing it continued to coach. He was never exposed for enabling and actually condoning the behavior. The bullies were sent off but it did not feel like they got the punishment they actually deserved. In terms of exposing the issue - it did that - but I personally like seeing the good guys win. The way it played out it was like don't bother blowing the whistle as it will only ruin your career and no one will want to have you on their team. The bullies belonged in jail for what they did. I know it may have been more reality based that way but I like the positive outcome when I am watching fiction - I want the good/positive outcome. Show the possibility and give people hope. I really liked the slice of life of a sub-title writer/editor. It was interesting to think about how much control they have over how things are said and how that can flavor the whole movie or whatever piece they are working on. I liked that her career took off and it was a result of her hard work and strong ethics. I loved the ML and FL characters and they were so similar in so many ways. He was extremely socially awkward but she was a bit too. She had no filter when it came to voicing what she was thinking. I could see how they fit together in personality so nicely but also why they might bicker. I felt a bit irritated in this part where she got angry with him for being out all night and not telling her where he was. She was insecure he may have been with another woman and that he did not care enough about her to keep her informed. I understood she was upset he didn't bother to text or call but when he apologized and was trying to make it up to her I thought she should have forgiven him. I was also disappointed in the way she reacted when his father threatened her. The man could be terrifying no doubt but I wouldn't hurt someone I loved because of it.
I would find a way. When the mix up was cleared up though she remained angry with him until she needed something. She even commented that she was being bad for only making up with him because she needed something. The second couple had a very interesting dynamic. I understood her damage yet still thought she could be somewhat abusive to him. The ending was less than satisfying for me. It showed everyone back together but there was no type of permanence in any of the relationships. Everyone was just dating. And given they had broken up so many times before it did not feel like a happy ending. My daughter who watched with me is in her late 20s and was perfectly happy with the end. But, in my early 50s, I am in the generation where marriage or at least engagement was the happy outcome. So I think whether or not the ending will feel happy and wrapped up is somewhat generational. It was really good - kept me interested the whole time but just a few things that kept it from being perfect. Definitely worth watching for the great acting, insight on national athleticism, and sub title writers and the character development and chemistry between the leads was on point.

Read More

Hidden Gem

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 South Korean Romantic Drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. Also known as "Lovers of Trot" and "Trot Romance" and "Trot Lovers".

Choi Choon-hee (Jung Eun-ji) has lived a difficult with her mother dying in her young years and her father embroiled in debts from a gambling habit. She finds herself the main income earner for the household too busy earning a living to pursue her dreams. When her father disappears she also now has her younger sister to take care of. With debt collectors barking at her heels, things seem pretty desperate for Choon-hee. One of her greatest outlets is singing Trot at the local noerabangs, a talent she inherited from her late mother (who was a professional signer that released one album before her death). However, someone has been watching Choon-hee, someone who knew her late mother and wants to give Choon-hee a chance to realize her dreams of becoming a famous trot singer. So when down on his luck Jang Joon-hyun (Ji Hyun-woo) becomes available due to a scandal which suspends his successful songwriter/music producer career, that someone seizes the opportunity to enlist Joon-hyun to train the aspiring singer. Joon-hyun is not a fan of trot but he doesn't have many options to break back in to the music scene. Joon-hyun and Choon-hee had met before, and did not think very highly of each other. As they work together toward common goals, love blossoms in this unlikely place. Can Choon-hee realize her dream and change the direction of Joon-hyun's life/career?

I have to say Trot was also not my favorite music. However, Choon-hee's rich, smokey voice had me enjoying this fringe music more and more as the series wore on. I also did not like Joon-hyun in the beginning as he did such an excellent job of playing the spoiled, arrogant super star. Choon-hee's little sister, Choi Byul (Yoo Eun-mi) was a real show stealer. I really enjoyed every scene she was in. Despite having some plot holes and an aspect of the storyline that I am not a fan of, I overall enjoyed this drama immensely and am surprised it does not come up on the majority of lists of good dramas to watch. It received awards the year it came out and I can completely understand why - it has even aged well. Spoilers* There were a lot of plot holes. At the start of the series Joon-hyun is framed in a sex scandal and that is the reason he falls from grace as the "god of music." What was never explained is why? You know the motivation of his manager, he was offered a chance to sing by a rival music company, but you do not know why the people that took him down wanted to bring him down. There was a brief scene where it seemed some executive had something against him but that was nevery fleshed out. It also wasn't clear why his agency did not stick up for one of their top stars more. The reason all the events happened with the parents was not fully explained. It seemed both women were in the car and perhaps shared responsibility for what happened to Choon-hee's mom but it was never fully explained how that all went down. And what role did Choon-hee's father play - they all called him oppa which is typically reserved for close relationships but it wasn't clear if they all went to school together, were all trainees, or just what the relationship of Choon-hee's father was with the rest of the women. It also wasn't clear how Choon-hee's mother died. There were some references that made me infer she died of some sort of illness but I was never completely sure. The chemistry between the male and female leads was over the top. They were the cutest couple. Everyone kept indicating Choon-hee was not all that attractive and I thought she was actually very pretty and cute. Then there was some of the "classic" only in Korean drama things such as the women fall in a pool and for some reason start drowning. There is an accident and Joon-hyun loses his memory and forgets about his love for Choon-hee. And then, when they find out Joon-hyun's mother was involved in Choon-hee's mother's accident the couple, who were about to be married, take a break. And he goes to the USA for a year and doesn't call or write. Then he comes back, his fame restored, but with some attractive female manager on his arm. There are even rumours he is in a relationship with the manager. But then he approaches Choon-hee and she is a little mad at first but then quickly they are back to being a couple as if nothing of that ever happened. I would have liked for her to ask him why he never called or wrote but she did not even do that. But the relationship between the two was so hearwarming and believable I was able to see past quite a few plot holes and still very much enjoy this drama. I would watch this again and highly recommend this underrated drama to others.

Read More

Slice of Life in Small South Korean Village - heart warming romance

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean Romantic Comedy with 16, 60 minute episodes.Alternatively known as Seaside Village Cha Cha, Seashore Village Cha Cha and Fishing Village Cha Cha.

Yoon Hye-jin's (Shin Min-a) life takes an unexpected turn when she decides to stand up to her employer for overcharging their dental patients. After outing her employer on social media she find she has been blacklisted in the Seou

l dental community and decides to take a trip to Gongjin, a coastal town where she had found memories as a child. Once there fate seems to step in to keep her there as she loses access to her money and her car suffers mechanical difficulties. A city girl with little skill for country life she finds she has to ask the go to guy of the village, Du-sik, for favor after favor. Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho) is not only the top bachelor in the village but also an indespensible member of the village community. If it needs solved Du-sik can likely solve it, and if it is broken he is most likely to fix it. One thing the village lacks is a dental office and Hye-jin is a dentist that needs some work. Not only does fate decide to continually throw Hye-jin and Du-sik together but it also has landed her in a town in need of her skills. Will this sleepy seaside village be that little something in Hye-jin's life she didn't even realize she was missing? Is there a future for these two very different souls that fate has thrown together?

I rarely find a drama near perfect. There are just so many out there and always aspects that could use improvement. But I have to say, on this one, it is near perfect. I liked how the characters were complex and showed good character growth. The various stories of the people in the town kept it interesting. The romance was very heart warming. They are both amazing actors and had good chemistry. I did not feel too bad for the second lead even though I liked him a lot. It ended well and was neither too drawn out nor lacked in completing the story. The one very minor thing I was not a huge fan of was the romance with the 2nd guy and his writer. She was just a very flat, and I felt, somewhat cold, character. I could not get behind their connection as she seemed like someone that was not very compatible with him and all it seemed she did was nag at him a lot. It was clear she was jealous and a lot of her behavior was around her. If you want a feel good, slice of life in a small town, romance then this would definitely fit the bill.

Read More