Interesting Slice on Idol Life

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 4 episode South Korean mini drama (~21 minutes/episode). Kim Hye Rim (Lee Da In) and Lee Ki Kwang (Lee Ki Kwang) attended school together and were best friends verging on boyfriend and girlfriend. A misunderstanding drove them apart and they meet, years later, at 20 years old. Kim Hye Rim has led an ordinary life while Lee Ki Kwang has become the lead singer of a boy band (an idol). Turns out Kim Hye Rim was the girl he never forgot. Love rekindles but will it survive in the environment of a k-pop idol?

Spoiler 🚨 I watched this to watch something quick and light after watching "City Hunter" which had a much heavier theme. I am also really interested in this aspect of Korean culture as I try to understand how idols are prevented, by their fans, and producers from leading a "normal" life. Stars in the United States do have to go around incognito just to avoid being overrun by over-zealous fans. However, there is not the same level of disdain if a star chooses an "average" person to date or marry. That person may expose themselves to scrutiny and media attention but not so much hatred and ostracism like it seems Korean idols experience. I enjoyed this for what it was and it did the trick for me in terms of lifting my mood.

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Good on So Many Levels

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 South Korean Drama with 16 episodes (60 minutes/episode. It is also known as Happy Once Again.

The story centers around four women who are living life and trying to find happiness after their time as girl band idols in a group called "Angels." There is actually a fifth member but the girl group fell apart because of her and she has only a very small part of the story. Han Mi-mo (Jang Na-Ra) is the main female lead and she falls in love easily. She is a hopeless romantic who has been hurt many times in her search for the right one. With her best friend and former band member, Baek Da-Jung (Yoo Da-In) she runs a matchmaking service called "Brave Wedding." All of the women are in their 30s now and feeling the clock tick on their ability to find the right guy (or salvage a current relationship) and experience their happily ever after. Across the hall from Mi-mo is her former classmate who she recently reunited with, Song Su-Hyuk (Jung Kyung-ho), who is a reporter and a single father. He has an attractive doctor best friend, Goo Hae-joon (Kwon Yul) who decides to pursue Mi-mo after Song Su-Hyuk reassures him he has no romantic interest in her. Da-Jung married an older wealth man and has one child but her marriage is in jeopardy as the couple has grown apart. Go Dong-mi (Yoo In-na) was the least popular member of the group and is now a teacher who is having a hard time finding love. Hong Ae-Ran (Seo In-young) is the owner of an internet shopping mall and on the verge of getting married to someone she is not sure she loves.

Spoiler 🚨 This movie was quite different than what I expected from synopsis and reviews. I expected it to be very light and fluffy and actually it has some deep elements. It was enjoyable watching all the different stories and how they came together. It was one of the few dramas where I preferred the lead to the second guy. The friendship between the women was a central part of the story and it was enjoyable to see how they supported each other in life and love. No-one is ever more honest than a close friend. The ending was surprising - which I liked. But it ended well/happy.

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A Great Office Romance - Love it

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean Drama with 16 episodes (60 minutes/episode).Kim Hye-jin once had it all - a wealthy family and beautiful looks. However, her family's business goes bankrupt and she quits taking care of her appearance due to the hardships associated with surviving. As a child she befriended Ji Sung-joon (Park Seo-joon) who was a hefty kid with few friends. They become best friends but eventually are separated when their families go their separate ways. When Sung-joon returns to Korea he wants to unite with his childhood friend she panics at her current state and asks her attractive best friend and roommate Min Ha-ri (Go Joon-hee) to pretend to be her. As fate would have it, Min Hye-jin winds up working for the same magazine where Sung-joon has just transferred in as deputy chief editor. Kim Shin-Hyuk (Choi Si-Won) is Hye-jin's immediate supervisor and befriends her early on.

Spoiler 🚨 I enjoyed the entirety of this. I liked how she evolved and how things in her life improved. I loved the relationship she had with her best friend/roommate. When she got the job at the magazine it was fun to watch the interplay between all the characters. The romance was believable and the story wrapped up nicely. Park Seo-joon starred in "Fight My Way" and I enjoyed his acting and character in that one. This was a very different role where he was not Mr. Nice Guy all the time. Kim Shin-Hyuk, Hye-jin's supervisor is hilarious. That character made me laugh a lot and reminded me of some of the pranksters in my life.

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Take a Hike Batman - Healer has it Covered

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2014/2015 South Korean Drama with 20 episodes (~60 minutes/episode).Seo Jung-hoo/Park Bong-soo/Healer (Ji Chang-wook) does illegal jobs as a "night courier." Jung-hoo is an exceptional martial artist who utilizes cutting edge technology and a partner who specializing in computer technology and hacking. The night courier work is a way Jung-hoo plans to purchase an island off the coast of Panama to live on solo. One of his clients, Kim Moon-ho (Yoo Ji-tae) is a famous reporter who asks Healer to locate and protect a girl named Chae Young-shin/Oh Ji-an (Park Min-Young) from people that want to harm her. The three come together to discover the truth of a tragedy that occurred in 1992 which resulted in the crippling of one friend in a group of five best friends and the death of two. There are those who are determined to insure that past is not uncovered and who will harm anyone who gets in their way.

This show had everything I love in it. There was amazing action scenes, suspense, a sweet romance, love of family, good winning over evil - just all the elements were there. The characters were so compelling that I was sad when my time in "Healer" world was over. This one shoots right to the top of my favorites list.

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Love Crime Dramas and "magical" elements it was amazing to have the two combined

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean television drama with 16, ~60 minute, episodes.

As a student, Choi Eun-seol (Shin Se-kyung) is a witness to her parent's murder. The killer, who turns out to be the infamous "Barcode serial killer" attempts to kill Eun-seol who gets away but is hit by a car during her escape. The accident leaves Eun-seol in a coma with little hope of waking up or recovery. The same tie Eun-seol is admitted, Choi Moo-gak (Park Yoo-chun) goes to the hospital to see his young sister who had been in a minor traffic accident. Moo-gak is shocked and devastated to find his young sister lifeless in the hospital bed with her throat slit. Miraculously, about a half year later, Eun-seol emerges from the coma. There are three things that are different about her when she wakes up 1. One of her eyes has turned green 2. She cannot remember anything 3. She is able to visually see smells with her green eye. Moo-gak was so devastated by his sister's death that he was unable to sleep or eat and winds up fainting and being close to death for a period of 10 days, and wakes up to find he has lost his sense of pain, smell and taste. After his sister's death, Moo-gak became a police officer and aspired to be a detective. Eun-sol aspires to be a comedic actress. When the two fatefully cross paths they discover each needs something fro the other. Without senses, Moo-gak needs Eun-sol's ability to smell and use it as a tracking method and Eun-sol needs a partner for her acting skit in order to advance with the troupe she has associated with.

Spoiler 🚨 This was an amazing drama. i liked the "magical" element to it where, when she sees smell, it is all colorful and unique. I like the crime and suspense and the way the detectives grew into a great, caring and cohesive team. The romance between the leads was perfect - I could see them together in real life. It is a shame Park Yoo-chun was incarcerated as I enjoy him so much as an actor. I loved him in Roof Top Prince as well. I hope he can get help with his drug issues and is allowed to recover his career. I think as the American fan base grows there will be more forgiveness for these types of things. The title made me hesitate - how the heck can someone SEE smells? But it was "magical" and added such an interesting level to the story that I loved it. If you want a great crime, drama, romance with a unique twist - this would be the one. It ended well too!

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He's Psychometric

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean drama that has 16, 60 minute episodes. Lee Lee Ahn (Park Jin-young) is able to see past events by touching the person who experienced the events. He acquired this ability after losing his parents in an apartment fire. He fortuitously meets Yoon Jae-in (Shin Ye-eun) who is the daughter of the accused arsonist and Kang Sung-mo (Kim Kwon) who saved Ahn during the fire. Investigator Eun Ji-soo (Kim Da-som), is like an older sister to Ahn and is also a police investigator, The four team up to solve cases they feel are interrelated including the case that took many of their parents.

Spoiler 🚨 Overall I liked the story and the romance was very believable. I was disappointed by some of the twists and unexpected aspects of some of the characters I had come to know. I felt like some things were unnecessary. Some would not have problems with the same - but I like happy and neatly tied up. It is very suspenseful and has a lot of surprising elements. The romance between the two leads is very heartwarming.

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One of my all time favorites

10/10 is my rating. A 2016 South Korean television series with 16, 60 minute episodes. It is based on a novel that had the same title and the basic elements of the story draws some parallels with Boys Over Flowers (2009).

The "Cinderella" in this story is Eun Ha Won (Park So-dam) who is hard working and mature for her age. She lost her mother and her father remarried but is rarely home. She lives with her stepmother and step sisters who do not consider her family and are selfish with the limited resources the family has. Ha Won is working multiple part-time jobs to save up for college. Her mother, when alive, encouraged Ha Won to be a teacher and that is her life goal.
Circumstances lead her into the realm of three rich, spoiled, heirs to an empire and the Grandfather thinks she might be just the one to get the boys into shape. This is after he saw her "discipline" one of his grandsons who was not treating his elder or her with respect.The grandfather strikes a deal with her and gets her to move in with his handsome nephews as sort of an adult nanny. Before moving in, Ha Won already had encounters with lady's man and playboy Kang Hyun Min (Ahn Jae-hyun) and the "gangsterish" rebel Kang Ji Woon (Jung ll-Woo). Kang Seo Woo (Lee Jung-shin) is not immediately on Ha Won's radar but the grandfather does not think much of his music career. The fourth knight is the grandson's live in bodyguard Lee Yoon Sung (Choi Min). Park Hye Ji (Son Na-eun) is a childhood friend of Kang Hyun Min and Kang Ji Woon has designated himself as her protector. Hye Ji sees herself marrying into the Kang family and often uses one of the cousins to get the attention of another.

Spoiler 🚨 I was actually surprised with how much I loved this movie. Ha Won was everything I love in a lead female character she was feisty at times, sweet and nice to most, fun, positive. I really loved the way she slowly transformed the rich, spoiled heirs. I love bromances and developing relationships. I wasn't disappointed in any aspect of this movie - it was pretty much perfect to me.

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Incredibly good and great insight into what used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean drama with 20, 60 minute, episodes. It is about a young man, Cha Do Hyun (Ji Sung), who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID - formerly called multiple personality disorder). As the story unfolds it is revealed that Do Hyun experienced many traumatic, life-threatening events. As a a third-generation business heir he must keep his disorder secret from those that would displace him which is challenging, and sometimes comical, when the personalities often appear with little warning. Desperate to lead a normal life, Do Hyun, seeks the help of Oh Ri Jin (Hwang Jung-eum) who agrees to help him privately. She is a first year resident but is skilled in dealing with some of the more difficult psychiatric cases. Ri Jin has a twin brother who writes under a pseudonym and who reveals the seedier side of the rich and famous. Do Hyun must gain control of his condition before one of his personalities takes complete control and also before he is discovered by reporters like Ri Jin's twin or his devious, plotting, family members. Do Hyuns personalities are: Shin Se-gi: A tough, bad boy, dare devil who comes out when Do-hyun experiences a physical threat he meets violence with violence but never hurts children or women. Se-gi knows all about Do Hyun as he has complete memory of everything. Se-gi falls in love with Ri-jin at first sight. Perry Park: Is an older man (40) who likes to build bombs and fish. He makes his appearance whenever Do-hyun thinks back on good times with his father. This personality is named after a boat that Do-hyun promised to procure for his father. Ahn Yo-na : An outgoing and impish 17 year old fan girl. extrovert and mischievous 17-year-old girl who loves idols. This personality emerges when something stressful occurs that has to be endured quietly. Ahn Yo-seob : An artistic 17 year old who is suicidal. This personality emerged when Do-hyun made a suicide attempt during his high school years. Yo-seob is Yo-na's twin brother. Na-na (Cha Do-hyun): This personality represents all of Do-hyunn's childhood fears and she is named after her teddy bear. Mr. X: Na-na's father - a mysterious character among the other personalities.

Spoiler 🚨 I read, before I watched this, reviews where others said how amazing Ji Sung did in acting the many personalities of the male lead. I thought it would be serious but it is handled with a very healthy dose of humor and tons of compassion. I laughed so hard when some of the personalities emerged both at the personalities' antics as well as everyone's response to it. I remember when I was a psychology student meeting someone with what they then called multiple personality disorder. I was skeptical. I was later convinced. Typically the person has suffered severe trauma or abuse and develop the other personalities as a coping mechanism. The person presenting who had multiple personality disorder explained it like you have one road you typically travel and there are grooves in it from the well worn tires but then that road gets a huge pothole so you take an alternative road. Over time that second road gets grooves and it is easy to switch between the two. I saw that person change personality and it did not at all seem like acting. I think they portrayed that quite well in this drama - how the switch happens and why it develops. I was a little disappointed in the way it ended as it left a lot of questions unanswered and it felt pretty rushed. Not enough to keep me from watching it - I would recommend it - but just decreased how good I thought it was by a small amount.

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8/10 is my rating. This is a 2011 South Korean drama with 16 episodes. Yang Eun-bi (Lee Chung Ah) is a college student with plans to become a high school teacher. She has a chance encounter with Cha Chi Soo (Jung II Woo) whose family has a food conglomerate.

Spoiler 🚨 If you like series with an anime feel - this would be a good fit. It definitely has some silly moments that break the "4th wall". I really like all the characters and the relationships were very believable. I thought the relationship/romance between the leads was really cute. I rated this a bit low because there were a lot of plot elements that did not make sense to me. The father in this one starts very different than most Korean drama parents but then does a quick reversal and it makes it seem out of character. Some of the past mysteries are not completely answered and some of the plot points are simply dropped. I still thought it was very good and worth the watch but it just doesn't rank up with some of the spectacular dramas I have seen because of some weaknesses in character consistency and follow through with plot points.

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Breaks with tradition - changing cultural norm

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2007 South Korean Drama spanning 16, 60 minute, episodes. Kim Dang Ja (Shin Eun Kyung) is the editor of a magazine who decides she wants to have a baby because her biological clock is ticking. Now she just has to pick the perfect father and convince him to be a no strings attached father. Choi Gi Chan (Ryu Soo Young) is a university professor who is smart and attractive and would make the perfect father in Kim Dang Ja’s eyes.

Spoiler 🚨 I really liked the twist of having a Korean female deciding to raise a child solo. Seducing a man with no plan to have a relationship is something you would see more in American culture so I could relate to it from that perspective. The "side romance" was just beyond cute. I found I was as much, or more, interested in the outcome of that situation. It is very sad in the middle. I cried buckets of tears. I was not sure it would end well but it did. If you are okay with a sad sandwich (happy in the beginning and end but sad in the middle) I would recommend this one. I rated it down because I really felt I was dragged through the emotional ringer and that felt unnecessary to me.

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When a Little Lie spirals out of Control

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2011 South Korean t.v. drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. Gong Ah-jung (Yoon Eun-hye) is a dedicated civil servant who worked hard to work in her career with the hopes of impressing and gaining the attention of her first love. Before Ah-jung can enact her romantic plan her seeming friend steals her guy and marries him. Flash forward a few years and Ah-jung has maintained contact with this frenemy but is determined to get revenge. Still unmarried she chooses to lie about her status and says she is married. The lie snowballs through the gossip chain until it transforms into she is secretly married to the most eligible bachelor in Korea, wealthy hotel heir, Hyun Ki-joon (Kang Ji-Hwang). Ki-Joon is none too happy with the lie and is determined to exact his own revenge. Hilarity and heartbreak ensue amongst plots, revenge, romance, and love triangles.

Spoiler 🚨 There were some slow parts as well as some parts where I felt sheer frustration with the female lead. The romances were believable and the plot held together well. I recommend this highly but warn there are some slow spots.

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Interesting Premise, slow in some parts

8.5/10 is my rating. This tv drama is also known as Another Miss Oh. This is a 2016 South Korean drama with 18, 60 minute, episodes.

Oh Hae-young (Seo Hyun-jin) grew up in the shadow of another girl, who went to the same school, who had the same name. Things finally seem to be going right for her in her adult life when she is on the verge of marrying Han Tae-jin (Lee Jae-yoon) an attractive businessman who is worthy of bragging about. However, the day before their wedding, Tae-jin breaks it off saying some very hurtful things. Park Do-kyung (Eric Mun) is no stranger to heartbreak, his fiance did not show up on the day of their wedding. Do-kyung finds out that Hae-young is going to marry another man, Tae-jin and Do-kyung and his friend formulate plot to ruin the husband to be and stop the marriage. Do-kyun is a successful sound director who supports his brother and his widowed mother. His mother is looking for a wealthy husband who just so happens to have the right connections to help Do-kyung carry out his plot. Only problem is he is breaking up the wedding, and ruining the husband to be, of the wrong Hae-young. Now there are two miserable, jilted, people who fatefully cross paths and find solace in each other. Hae-young does not know Do-kyung, who she is drawn to as if by fate, is the very person who caused her current unhappiness. Can a relationship built over such a deception last? Tae-jin is acquitted and returns to reclaim his intended bride. Will Hae-youngs feelings rekindle? The other "pretty" Hae-young returns and decides she made a mistake and wants Do-kyun back, will her beauty and style win back Do-kyun? Can the "normal" Oh Hae-young step out of the shadow of the other Hae-young and realize her own worth?

Spoiler 🚨 I liked this one but I didn't love it. Some of the posters showed dolls and such so I thought it would be a lot more comedic than it actually was. The characters said things to each other that I cannot imagine anyone saying to someone else and that person still liking them. They also say things about other people and life that is a bit shocking. I really liked the side romance. I also liked the main male lead's sister and his friends. The story was compelling, the romance was sweetly satisfying but there were times, when I felt angry or shocked at things the characters said or did. I also found that it dragged a bit for me, in some areas. And her mom was strangely abusive to her daughter. it was good but I didn't think it was great. Totally worth watching but not a list topper.

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Very edge of the seat, fast paced and entertaining

9/10 is my rating. Also known as "I Remember You" is a 2015 South Korean drama with 16, 60 minute, episodes. Profiler Lee Hyun (Seo In-guk;Park Bo-gum) after a case he receives triggers a memory he thought long buried in the past. Detective Cha-Ji-an (Jang Na-ra) has never stopped investigating Lee Hyun as she knows that his brother disappeared and his father were murdered
and that Lee Joon Young (Do Kyungsoo), a criminal, was somehow involved. Things are not quite as they seem and the tangle seems to gain twists and turns even as they unravel it.

Spoiler 🚨 I really liked this and it kept me engaged the whole way through. I am a big fan of the crime genre so this appealed to that interest of mine. I also like psychological thrillers and romances and it had all those elements. There were multiple serial killers and they really explore the nature versus nurture psychological concepts which I found very intriguing. I would have rated this even higher but the ending was just a tiny bit softer than I like it. Just being extremely picky but there were some elements that seemed as if it was being left open for additional episodes or even another season. But it ended well - just not with all aspects completely tied up. Some do not mind that at all so it will not diminish at all for those that like to have some pieces to ponder. It was very well acted as I have come to expect from the two leads. Their romance was "cute", heart warming and believable. I liked the interplay of the "team" that was built to track the killers. Parts were predictable but not in a bad way. But there were also a fair number of surprises. It is a great drama that I highly recommend.

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I enjoyed it - it was very different and that made it super compelling

9.5/10 is my rating. 2019 South Korean television series with 32, 30 minute episodes.

Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon) has a heart condition that is terminal despite repeated operations. Despite that she is kind and hopeful that something in her life will change and her heart will last on. Her fiance, Baek Kyung (Lee Jae-wook) is the son of one her father's business partners and their parents paired the two. Eun Dan-oh's father agreed to the engagement because Dan-oh has had a crush on Baek Kyung for 10 years even though Baek Kyung can be cruel to her and does not return her feelings. Eun Dan-oh begins to have memory lapses and the sensation that she just "comes to" in various activites. As she digs to determine the source of these strange occurances, she discovers, by chance, that she is a character in a manhwa called "Secret." Not only is she in the Manhwa but she is a supporting character who must do things to aid the lead characters in falling in love. She begins to resent the role she must play and becomes determined to do things to change the story. She soon notices a boy that has no name. When she looks at the Manga she can see that he is a background character that is not even fully illustrated. Dan-oh realizes that because he is not a central part of the story he has more freedom to do things in the "offscreen" that can impact the way the plot plays out. His name is Number 13 (just number 13 alphabetically in the year-book) but, as Dan-oh begins to develop feelings for 13 (Kim Ro-woon), she give him a name. As time goes on, more of the characters discover that they are in a Manhwa and join Dan-oh in changing this up.

I started this one in October of 2019 not realizing it was still on air. I normally do not watch those that are on air as I prefer to be able to watch them all at once. 12 episodes in and I cannot wait for more episodes to post. If it continues as it is now it is going to the top of my list as one of my favorites.

Spoiler 🚨 This was good the whole way through. I love the chemistry between the leads. I like the way Baek Kung realized that she would be happiest with Ha-Ru and yet is still always there for her. It had a sort of reincarnation angle to it without really meaning to. Some may not like the ending but I got it because they aren’t real. If it were a comic book series I could see myself reading all the comics even if it just re-told the same story. I highly recommend it - it’s very unique.

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