I wanted to like it but a miss for me

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 supernatural romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Mok Sol-jee (Kim So-hyun) hears people lying everywhere she goes. Born with a special way of depicting a lie, she has learned not to trust most people. Her mistrust of most people was reinforced when her fiancé, Lee Kang-min (Seo Ji-hoon), broke off their relationship with little rationale. She is immediately attracted to Kim Do-ha / Kim Seung-joo (Hwang Min-hyun) as he is one of the few people she encounters whi isn’t telling lies frequently. He is handsome and talented but extremely reclusive as he hides behind a alternate name as a suspect in his former girlfriend’s death. Sha On/Sa Ji (Lee Si-woo) fell in love with Kim Do-ha who believed in her and helped her rise in stardom by providing the music behind her successful career.

Review
I really wanted to like this more than I did. It had all the elements an interesting premise, cute romance, great leads, but despite all that I found myself slow walking through it. I even debated not watching but I was so far in at that point I just continued on. The mystery was about the best part of it and there was a surprise twist to that. I am picky because I have seen hundreds of series and this was not on par with any of the really good ones.

Spoilers

The chemistry between the leads was off. He was passionate enough in the kiss scenes but she seemed very stiff and unnatural. I am not a fan of long moments of just gazing into each other’s eyes but there was so little of that in this one it made their relationship seem equivalent to good friends.

The sound it made when there was a lie was confusing because they also made a sound when there was a dramatic statement. There was a lot of potential with that ability but the cases it showed were not that interesting.

I had zero interest to the point of annoyance with the side couples. Her mom and dad reuniting was not believable to me as her dad lived like a homeless person and her mom craved luxury. Plus she was such a con woman and never changed. I felt sorry for the dad and thought he should stay far away from his toxic ex.

I never had sympathy for 2nd guy. He elected not to tell here about having cancer then thought he could just get her back when he was ready. So I was never rooting for him.

The plot was chaotic in that they lacked good flow between the mystery, supernatural elements and romance. It would be focused on that romance then abruptly switch to the mystery. It just felt very disorganized and it dragged at some points.


#Kim So-hyun
#Hwang Min-hyun
#Seo Ji-hoon
#Lee Si-woo

Read More

A roller coaster ride for your emotions but ends well and happily

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean drama series with 52, ~65 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis
This is a drama about an average family living in Seoul. Things change when a struggling celebrity shows up claiming to be a son of the family. The series follows the family through many events from joyous to challenging. Through it all the strong family bond sustains them. Each child finds their way and pursues happiness in jobs and relationships.

Family members:
Byun Han-su/Lee Yoon-seok (Kim Yeon-cheol) He is the father and head of the household. He was a Judo athlete prior to being accused of a crime he was innocent of. Through a series of events he wound up swapping names with his friend and keeping it to mask his criminal record to avoid hardship for his family. When the son shows up it is because of this name swap and Yoon-seok takes him in out of respect for his friend. He soon sees the young man as a true son and member of the family.

Na Young-sil (Kim Hae-sook) Mother and wife of the family. She is a nurse who learned of Han su’s past when he was treated in the hospital. She knows he is innocent and helps him hide the past from the children and others.

Byeon Hye-yeong/Lee Hye-yeong (Lee Yu-ri) The eldest daughter of the family. She is a successful lawyer and has diligently worked to prove her father’s innocence.

Ahn Joong-hee (Lee Joon) is a former idol who is now struggling at acting. When he loses a role because he cannot understand the emotions between father and son he seeks out whom he believes is his missing father.

Byeon Mi-yeong/Lee Mi-yeong (Jung So-min)— A middle child of the family she has struggled to find a career path since quitting as a Judo athlete following an injury.

Byun Joon-young/Lee Joon-young (Min Jin-woong) The eldest child of the family, He has struggled for years to pass the civil service exam.

Byeon Ra-yeong/Lee Ra-yeong (Ryu Hwa-young) is the youngest child of the family. When she is not annoying her other siblings, particularly the eldest sister, she is either on social media or teaching yoga.

Review

This was a very compelling family drama that provides a roller coaster for your emotions but ends happy. The main plot point revolves around an, at first, mysterious event from the past involving the father. You are quickly let in on the secret and it is then a matter of when and how the rest will find out and if it will be resolved. There are some sad moments, but the story overall is uplifting. I would watch this again and highly recommend it. It is a relatively long drama with over 50 episodes that are over an hour but it allows time character development and believable romances.

Spoilers

Hye-young the lawyer daughter is my favorite character. She is no nonsense yet does everything with such dramatic flair it was enjoyable every time she was onscreen. Her boyfriend turned husband, Cha Jung Hwan (Ryu Soo Young), is a mama’s boy at first but watching as Hye young deals with the over bearing mother in law and the overly filial son is entertaining. He comes around and it is part of what makes him her perfect match.

Joong-hee, the idol turned actor, was also my favorite. His deep desire for a father was heart feels. It showed how famous people are still very much human beings. His romance with Mi-yeong was the highlight of the show and one of the best romances I have seen even compared to series where the romance is the key focus. Having them both drawn to each other even when they thought they were related illustrated the depth of their connection. He never gave up on himself and I loved that, I understood his anger when he found out he was deceived but I still thought the writers took it too far. He would have known the father did not know about his existence so was unaware that deception was hurting a child. He and the father had formed such a bond it was hard to believe he would not have understood the genuine nature of that connection. The father could have let Joong-hee contact him then let that fade as Joong-hee seemed ready to but he kept bringing him meals and showing up to develop a relationship. There was nothing for the father to gain from forging that tie. But people do act irrationally when they get hurt emotionally.

The kids acted so mean to Joong-hee when he was first in the house. The father kept saying my kids are kind they will accept this or that but they really were not completely kind especially in some of the situations. They acted spoiled and immature multiple times both individually and together as a group. The grandmother was so mean to him in the beginning. But that does reflect some previous generation‘s response to orphans and illegitimate children. My father was illegitimate in the US born in the 50s and he was treated poorly by the elders and society in general so it is a thing that unfortunately happens not just in South Korea but elsewhere too. It is an ugly streak in humanity to treat the innocent children poorly when the adults create the situations.

The sister-in-law, Kim Yoo Joo (Lee Mi Do) was truly horrible in the beginning. To go through sweet Mi-yeong’s memories of being bullied by her was heart wrenching. I loved the way they handled it. It was cute when Joong-hee bullied her back a bit. I did not think it would be possible for me to forgive that character because I absolutely detest bullying and have stepped in to stop bullies in the past. In my school days I was not bullied as I had a very strong personality and no-one bullied others in front of me or they had it turned on them. I even shielded multiple people as an adult subject to workplace bullies. But there was a situation where I was bullied in the workplace and have experienced how miserable those situations can be. But Yoo Joo did finally see the light and changed and offered apology in the right way so even I could understand Mi-yeoung forgiving her.

I was so conflicted about the mother, Young sil. On one hand she was a great wife and mother who was always there for her family. The way she took in Joong-hee and then all of the sons in law and the daughter in law was one of the sweetest components of the story. I felt both annoyed and understanding in the way she emotionally blackmailed Yoon-seok to take on his friend’s identity. It seriously would have felt like a sign from the Gods with the way the mix up originally happened. But it was definitely a character flaw that lying and hiding things seemed to be go to responses for her.

It was hard and I was torn about whether there was justification to deceive about his identity. On one hand he was unjustly accused, and there is such a strong, social stigma on people that commit those type of crimes that carries through to their children so it was understandable. Conversely lying is never good especially about something so monumental. The writers did a good job of laying that conflict out there and examining how the different characters thought about it, and how people in general might think about it. It was unfortunate that while we did get to learn there would be a retrial we did not know the outcome of the retrial. I felt beyond frustrated when you found out that his friend was the one that had originally betrayed him, and then he was so unwilling to talk about it even all those years later. I certainly never felt sympathetic towards that character as I thought what he had done was completely unforgivable. I loved when Hye-young lost it with him and was like look you will do the right thing or I will put it on blast what you did. The father told her to stop and was a bit apologetic about it but that dude more than had it coming. I do not think he would have been willing to testify without the threat of some personal consequences. Even if his mom had taken money he should’ve still told the truth and let the chips fall where they may. You don’t let an innocent man go down for a crime because your family member accepted a bribe. His unwillingness to help right the wrong showed he was just a completely unrecoverable character. The other piece I felt wasn’t well tied up was I would’ve liked to have seen his conviction overturned and then find out what happened to the people that had actually beaten that poor kid to death. A lot of times when that sort of thing happens, those type of people go on to commit other crimes. While Hye-young mentioned that if the conviction was overturned, they could reopen a case against the actual perpetrators we never got that level of satisfaction.


#MyFatherisStrange
#KimYeonCheol
#KimHaeSook
#LeeYuRi
#LeeJoon
#JungSoMin
#MinJinWoong
#RyuHwaYoung

Read More

Main couple cute but lots of lying and deceiving going on

8.5/10 os my rating. This is a 2011 Taiwanese romantic comedy drama with 84 approximately 45 minute episodes.

First I will provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Ke Wei Xiang (Chris Wang) and Song Yi Jie (Annie Chen) never envisioned themselves married to someone they had been promised to in the womb, I mean how old fashioned! But when Yi Jie gets to know and love Wei Xiang’s grandmother who professes to have a terminal illness, they decide to marry to fulfill the grandma’s wish. The young pair, who likely never would have selected each other on their own, marry but have a secret agreement to divorce in a year. Wei Xiang’s idea of his ideal match is very different and Yi Jie is avidly pursuing a legal degree. Will this “only to fulfill Grandma’s dying wish” arrangement become real?

Review

The romance between the main couple is believable and cute. The family dynamics are frustrating at times but also heart warming. There are a lot of really long scenes where it was a character reflecting on this or that, and I actually fast forwarded it through a lot of them because they felt really unnecessary. Eight four episodes is a lot and I think they could’ve easily reduced the length of the series if they had cut a lot of those things out or at least shortened them. Overall it was very good, definitely worth watching, but only invest when you’re ready to watch a really long series. I wouldn’t watch it again any time soon because it was just a lot, but it is good enough to rewatch at some point. I recommend it to people that like family dynamics, contract, marriages, growing through conflict and sweet love stories. The ending is happy although somewhat abrupt.

Spoilers*

I thought the level of filial behavior the elders expected was borderline abusive. On one hand I loved the granny (Tan Aizen) but at the same time, I thought what she expected her grandchildren to do to be filial and grant her wishes was ridiculous. She also was watching them to the extent that she invaded their privacy continually in many ways. She was cute and her behavior was cute but there were times when it wasn’t cute and she was just being nosy bossy and a bit of a bully.

We Xiang was wrong to let another woman so close to him, even though it was a fake marriage. Even in a fake marriage, it would be humiliating for people to think your spouse was getting it on with another woman. He used the excuse that he had to do business with her, and that may have been so, but he still could’ve kept a professional distance from her and he let her get in his romantic space way too much. Later in the series, when he fully fell in love, he was willing to burn every bridge so as not to be misunderstood. So it showed he should have known letting another woman that close was not appropriate. So when he set really clear parameters and definitively stated it was not going to happen, I was glad they turned it around that way.

Ko Wei Cheng’s (Kunda Hsieh) mob Princess girlfriend, Fang Hsueh Tu (Chen Mei Yang) was just straight up, mean to him most the time. Although he was a bit of a ladies’ man and not very responsible, that didn’t excuse her behavior. She both physically amd emottionally berated him. If she was angry, she let her thugs beat on him. I felt sorry for him at so many points. I wish he would’ve told his family what was really going on when they were first encouraging him To date her. I did not like that they met because he bullied her and that she then grew up to bully him. That couple and their relationship was built on violence,

We Xiang’s mother, Fang Xue Ru (Yang Chieh mei) liked a girl that was clearly a snobby person just as she was over someone her son and most of the family had chosen. It was heart breaking when Yu Jie would be trying so hard only for her mother-in-law to harshly criticize everything she did mostly because she liked another girl better. I liked that Yi Jie’s ex boyfriend told the being evil mother-in-law off. I wish the Ko family were told more of that back story about what was going on with him and exactly what he did to Yu Jie. I also liked when Yi Jie’s mother, SongLin Hao Yun (Yang Li Rin) told Xue Ru off.

There were so many lies and deceptions in this one. It made the Ko family seem bad. They clarified and resolved the lies and deceptions still it seemed that was their default solution to everything.

It ended so abruptly I actually ran it back to be sure I had not accidentally forwarded it. After all thet we do not get to know if she ever passes her bar? We got to see everyone else with their children but not the main couple? I felt cheated.

#InBornPair
#ChrisWang
#AnnieChang

Read More

Good not great but solid on the romantic elements

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2020; Chinese Romantic drama with 28, 35-48 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis
Xia Lin Xi (Xiang Han Zhi) and Jiang Zheng Han (Wang An Yu) were not fast friends when they first met in high school. In fact, top student and class President Lin Xi is charged, by their teacher, with reeling in Zheng Han to comply with some rules. She accomplishes her original missions then sees there is not only a deep intelligence but a hidden side to Zheng Han that reveals he is intelligent and kind. This makes Lin Xi determined to fully convert Zheng Han to help him realize his academic potential. Study dates become akin to real dates and the two draw close enough as more than friends that Li Xi's tiger mom notices. Nearly overnight and without many words Zheng Han is on a bus out of Lin Xi's life. Not one to go down without a fight, Lin Xi chases after Zheng Han only to have her pleas fall on deaf ears. Fast forward several years and the two former friends are now in the same college, the college they had promised each other they would attend together. But, having mended her broken heart, Lin Xi also barricaded it shut and is not ready to give Zheng Han the chance to explain. Being among the Gods and Goddesses of the campus neither lack for potential boyfriend or girlfriends and as their relationship has moved backwards it seems Lin Xi at least may make another choice. Through college and then early professional careers it becomes apparent that their love was not just a passing high school crush.

Review

This story begins "How I met Your Mother Style" with the start being the end of the story and the rest how they got there. I am not a fan of that style as part of the allure to me is not knowing, beyond that it ends happy, just how things will end up. So that was a slight detractor. It is a rather simple, predictable, yet heartwarming romance. Rich girl and down on his luck guy, good girl and bad boy, are the overall vibes. It is a good romance, not over the too great but good if you appreciate straight forward stories.

It ends happy. I recommend it if anyone is a fan of either actor or if they like coming of age, rich girl/poor guy tropes. I would not watch it again but am not sorry I watched it once.

Spoilers

I thought her cousin was mean to the lead girl"s best friend and it was a struggle determining how she would have fallen in love with him. They did really turn it around though and their romance wound up being very sweet.

It is one of the rare occasions when I did not feel sorry the 2nd lead did not get the girl. Not only did he not take no for an answer he tried to use the parents to get her tied into an arranged marriage. He went behind her back getting her in trouble with her already difficult mother. He threw his friendship with lead guy out the window and was willing to tarnish his former friend's future prospects to try to take him away as an option for the lead girl and to save his family's failing company. There is a tiny bit of redemption with him in the end but not nearly enough to overcome all the crappy things he had done. He even completely crushed the girl who had lovingly stood by his side by suggesting she become a secretary with benefits for a rival company. I was completely glad lead girl did not get with him and did not feel sorry when he was sad.

Lin Xi's mom was a tiger mom who projected all her failings and worries of future difficulties onto her daughter. She could not get along with Lin Xi's father because she was a harpy, so she projected that onto Lin Xi's relationship with Zheng Han. Yes Zheng Han did pretend to be a teacher but he delivered and Lin Xi's math skills improved. But her mom did not to hear why a high schooler might have done that, or that he was a good tutor, she simply wanted to hate on him because he was not who she wanted her daughter to marry. At the wedding she was still acting harsh to him when she should have apologized. Sending Lin Xi to study abroad served no purpose but for her to exert power over her daughter, She was an abusive person who was all criticism and no praise to the extent her family was emotionally terrified of her,

The father in law and son in law relationship that developed between Lin Xi's dad and Zheng Han was beyond cute. He was the only kind parent in Lin Xi's life. Her dad helped the couple as much as he could without incurring his wife's wrath. As her father was the one Lin Xi could go to for emotional support it was clear that Zheng Han would also support her. With a mother like she had she would need the two caring men as a buffer.

I do not like the leaving for your or my own good trope and it was particularly annoying in this because Lin Xi literally had no benefit.

It had so little intrigue and a very simple plot, so that it dragged a lot in the latter episodes. They could have easily told the story in 20 episodes so the fact that it was 28 is part of the reason it was so slow in parts.

#ForeverLove
#XiangHanZhi
#WangAnYu.

Read More

Very funny and cute romance

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Chinese romantic fantasy drama with 24, 35-47 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Nan Xing (Shen Yue) has talents at all ends of the spectrum and as a former athlete she has gained somewhat super heroin status in her ability to aid the police in stopping criminals. Another of her interests is writing fan pieces and other online literary posts so when one of her characters is criticized as lacking depth and not being villainous enough, she rewrites his character to be super bad. Little does she know that action will come back to haunt her. Because she has such a strong and unique character she scares off potential suitors who trend to the fragile femme fatale. Frustrated with her fails in the romance department she makes a spontaneous wish for unforgettable love in front of Fairy Zhen's water fountain. At first she does not realize that the appearance of the villain from her web novel, Xiao Wudi (Chen Zhe Yuan) is connected to her wish for love. Having a character come to life is startling enough and why would she think a villain is her heart’s desire? Xiao Wudi is not pleased to be summoned from his past world and by none other than Nan Xing, a woman he does not find suitable as a romantic partner. Threatening to expose his presence to her mother, Xiao Wudi gets Nan Xing to allow him to stay in her spare apartment next door. He is able to gain some wealth and independence in this new to him world by selling jewelry he was wearing. He also learns all about this time 500 years in his future by using his photographic memory to absorb reference materials. He plans to carve out his own life in this new realm until he discovers Nan Xing can summon him, from wherever he is, when she needs boyfriend like services. Since he was pulled from his world to satisfy Nan Xing's wish for an unforgettable love, Xiao Wudi determines if he plays fairy godfather/cupid and finds an unforgettable love for Nan Xing, he can return to his world. After all nothing in the wish fulfillment dictates that unforgettable love must be him. However the mire time Xiao Wudi spends around Nan Xing transforming her into an ideal romantic partner, the less villainous he feels toward her. He was after all summoned by magic as her unforgettable love and fate might have known its business.

Review

If you like heart warming romance that is not overly complicated and ends happy then I highly recommend this one. I laughed so often at Zhe Yuan’s antics. I thought the main couple were believable as I could see two people such as them fall for each other. The story was well paced and there was resoltion to all major plot points and a very happy, well developed, ending.

Spoilers

It was a little odd that Nan Xing makes a wish, this character from her story appears, and then that is not even a big part of the story. She seemed incredibly underwhelmed that this strange miracle just happened. Some people thought, in the end, when she was reading parts of her novel to her fans, that the whole thing had been a dream and never happened. She did say some things like that about time travel and all but I just took that as the “cover story” so no one would examine her relationship further. He did have her childhood love’s identity but the mother never acted like he was her actual son.

Xiao Wudi did not show any obvious magical ability in the beginning. She could summon him but that magic seemed external to him. He used what seemed like concrete physical abilities for most of the series. So I thought it was odd when he was suddenly able to fly around like when he wanted to prove the story to the mother. He was not a God or any other supernatural so they did not integrate nor explain that ability well.

I thought it was strange that he was not her made up character after all. They never explained how this character made up by two people independently would have the same name and so many similar characteristics. They were calling him a hero when he went back to the past but there was no details on what made him heroic.

The love she had for her childhood sweetheart was not at all compelling as, up until the fire, he was fairly cruel to her. It felt very much like “he pulls your pig tails because he likes you.” So I never found that unrequited love that was actually requited angle very engaging. To me it felt like he was meant to be the reincarnated son, but for some reason they never went that route, but they had everything set up for that to be the case. Instead, he just had some of his memories for some reason we never really fully got to understand.

When he was desperate to find her the unforgettable love and set her up with all the potential Mr. Rights he dressed her so over the top then set her up with the most ridiculous possibles but then acted confused when she was mad at him about it. He did not dress her well as an actual potential marriage partner but perhaps as an escort. It was unfortunate there was no friend or other outside character to point out to him that he had foiled his own attempt, perhaps deliberately, as he was already starting to like her.

The lead male character‘s animosity towards Nan Xing’s boss, never made a lot of sense, because he was never set up to be a romantic rival as he never showed any interest in her that way. It was like they were Frenemies for no real reason. I determined he acted that way towards him simply because he didn’t like anybody else having her attention but that was never made clear that that was his motivation.

I honestly was just never very interested in the second couple. They were sort of late in telling us their backstory, which helped in understanding why he was so into her. Without knowing their backstory, and the fact that they had a romantic thing going until she made the agreement with his dad, it made no sense why he was doggedly pursuing her, as there was no clear basis for his feelings. They were such opposites that understanding their tie was important to getting their romance.

It was weird that they made the female President of the company out to be a tragic character like she sacrificed so much taking on that role was a little hard to swallow. Being that high up in any company in any country in the world is a hard roll to get and a lot of people would dream to have that job even if it didn’t pay a lot. She did not seem picked on holding such a rare position, that she excelled at, if not for the wealth then just for the status and prestige that came with it. The fact that the company was successful indicated there must’ve been some cash flowing in or they wouldn’t have continued, she had to of been making some money. Ifshe really did not want to work in that job she had built her resume enough to work elsewhere. President Ye striking out on her own and working with her family in the restaurant was weird because it did not seem preferable to being some high-powered president of a company. Then she comes back but only as his assistant. I cannot see anybody being happy dropping rank and influence. I mean if you hate it that much, get an a vice president that can take on some of the responsibility when you’re gone. That also made their relationship a bit awkward because it made it like she sacrificed the whole time when it felt like she really only sacrificed in the beginning.

The wedding night to me was cringy. Their awkward physical advances was unnecessary. That is usually left to the imagination and I am fine with that. The may I this can I that made it weird. And seeing the kids and so forth felt like a little too much of their after the happily ever after.

Having the other office couple catch the boquet and confess at their wedding was not good timing for a third romance.

#MrBad .
#ChenZheYuan
#ShenYue

Read More

Cheesy romance with Romeo and Juliet ish vibes

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 16 ,~60 minute episodes. Also known as the hundred year bride.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Na Doo Rim (Yang Jin sung) agrees to impersonate a wealthy heiress for a hefty sum of money not knowing she is subjecting herself to a curse. It seems the Choi family, who own the Taeyang group, a major South Korean conglomerate, have been under a hundred year curse. As her luck would have it she looks exactly like rich heiress Jang Yi Kyung (Yang Jin sung) who was set to marry the eldest son of the Choi family which would have triggered the curse. The curse is the first bride if the eldest son always dies and now Na Doo Rim is in the role of that first bride. It is an arranged marriage for business reasons and the eldest son, Choi Kang Joo (Lee Hong ki) did not love Jang Yi Kyung his would be bride. When Jang Yi Kyung disappears, in their desperation to keep the wedding going forward, the Jang family finds doppelgänger Doo Rim. But the two women only physically look alike and are opposites in nearly every other way. Where the heiress is rich, Doo Rim is poor, where the heiress has a cold, indifferent personality, Doo Rim is warm and bubbly. Choi Kang Joo does not know his bride has been swapped but finds he is seeing a new aspect to his fiancee and he likes this new leaf he thinks Jang Yi Kyung turned over. He surprisingly falls in love with this woman when he thought it would be a marriage of convenience and he would keep a distance. Na Doo Rim realizes Choi Kang Joo is kind under his cold exterior and falls for him as well. But what will happen if Choi Kang Joo discovers he was deceived? What if the real Jang Yi Kyung returns? And will Na Doo Rim become the victim of the curse?

Review

If you consider in 2023 this is now about a decade old it is easier to overlook some but not all of the way the romance is portrayed. There are rare instances where people fall in love pretty much at first sight although I would argue that that’s not love at the beginning it’s more love the way the person looks but love can develop from that. In this series it’s not love at first sight but It is a bit of a quick transition from him being mostly indifferent, but perhaps a little intrigued with her to having some kind of undying love for her. For her to fall for him it was a little bit hard to understand because he was so arrogant and cold for so long that it also felt like she just suddenly decided she was deeply in love with him. It is a good example of romance during that time frame where you did not have a slow build up to love. If you want a point in time romance that has all the flavors and tropes of romances a decade ago you might
like it. If you are a fan of FT Island’s Lee Hong ki you might watch just to see him in this role. He also sings a lot of the songs for the series.

Spoilers

I depart from a lot of other reviewer‘s in that I thought a lot of the romantic scenes were over the top and cheesy in the things they said and gestures they made regarding their romantic feelings. Like I thought Na Doo Rim saying that she didn’t care if she died as long as she got to be his bride for a day, was not something anybody, but perhaps a teenage girl in their overly dramatic hormonally driven phase, would say or think about someone they knew such a short time. Her overly dramatic actions around being apart from him were out of her earlier character and not something a grown woman would typically say or think. Most mature women would realize that no love is truly worth just a single day unless you’re suicidal and then I would say you need mental health help. To add to the over the top love at all costs element when Kang joo is pushing her away because of fear of the curse she jumps in front of a car and uses emotional blackmail to get him to listen to her. To me that was completely an immature action, and it didn’t suit her earlier character where she is very responsible, and if anything, somewhat mature for her age. I also thought he changed a lot in terms of he just suddenly had this undying love for her which didn’t fit or makes sense. I am not a “giving your heart” fan. If you give your heart to someone they have absolute control of it and that is not a healthy dynamic. Having someone in your heart is a better way as that means they have a place in your heart but not absolute control. It is a healthier love.

The whole ghost angle, wound up being rather disappointing. It was not a curse but rather a trick. It was a twist, and I generally like twists, but in this case it detracted rather than added to the story. Since the ghost was not deadly, it was ironic that it wound up being the people around the First Bride, that were more of a danger to her than the “family curse.” I thought it was completely out of character for Doo rim to be willing to sacrifice her life and leave the grandmother she loved so much. I felt like in the latter half of the series a lot of what she did seemed selfish, and that she didn’t care if she hurt the people around her as long as she could be with Kang Joo. It had a very tragically fatalist vibe like Romeo and Juliet but those characters were much younger so their over the top made more sense for immature teenagers to respond that way.

There was way too much forgiveness of atrocious behavior for me. For example, I did not like that they tried to make the murderous grandmother a sympathetic character, and that somehow her guilt was enough to absolve her of murdering somebody. The fact that Kang joo’s mother was willing to make her son marry Yi kyung simply to cover her mother and to avoid some damage to the family business made me like her less. After being such a strong and formidable character through most of the series, it was ridiculous that she would allow herself to be black mailed. Yi kyung’s mother had nearly murdered her own step son and Doo rim, and Kang joo’s mother could’ve turned that into the police as a current crime where the grandmother’s crime occurred long ago. I get that Doo rim was supposed to be some super magnanimous person but she over forgave so many it made her seem a push over. She forgave Yi kyung who had no problem her dying as first bride and did not care her mother attempted to murder Doo rim. She forgave both Kang joo and Yi kyung’s mothers who were willing to have her die under the curse.

It was such a minor point that the grandmother was a runaway bride that it simply distracted from the main plot elements. And I had really liked the grandmother to that point but, after her confession, she was also a flawed character. I mean if she that adamantly did not want to marry why wait until the wedding night to make your break? I am assuming her family had already derived whatever benefit. I know part if it was to reveal the origins of the curse lore but it conficted, a bit, with what the ghost said. The grandmother’s husband said he spread it to discourage the well positioned brides from marrying him so he could marry her. The ghost said it was a true love test. I realize the meaning of such things can twist over time but she is this all seeing ghost so why didn’t she reveal the full story? And the reveal of why Doo rim and Yi kyung looked identical, that the ghost visited baby Yi kyung and changed her features was silly. How would a ghost have that power? And it never explained why she did that. It leads you to think she saw the future and set the whole thing up but again, how does a ghost have that power?

There was a reincarnation angle as it seemed the ghost, Yi kyung’s mother, and Doo rim were all tied together in the past. It was an important aspect but was not even hinted at until late in the series. The ghost changed Yi kyung’s features ensuring the ancestor she was protecting, Kang joo, would have a better suited bride. Or at least Ithink that is why it never really says.

#LeeHongKi
#YangJinSung
#BrideoftheCentury
#TheHundredYearBride

Read More

Could have been an exciting and compelling story about legal cases during the Josean era

8;10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean historical legal romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. It is based on a webtoon of the same name. Also known as Josean Attorney: A morality. It has 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Kang Han-soo (Woo Do-hwan) is an attorney with a strong sense of justice just as his father before him. It was that strong sense of justice that led to his father and mother’s early death as those that are powerful and corrupt wish to operate outside the law. Orphaned as a child and with his only sister married off just prior to the tragedy, Han-soo is now grown and determined to avenge his family. Along the way he encounters the Princess whi has disguised herself to avoid the same evil politicians. Josean Princess Lee Yeon-joo (Kim Ji-yeon or Bona) was wrapped up in the incident that occurred so many years before and feels responsible for the tragedy. In disguise she works with Han-soo enamored by his caring for the average Jisean people and united in their quest to bring down their common enemy. When Han-soo discovers her true identity nit inky is his devastated at her deception but also realizes how impossible their love is. Can the two overcome obstacles to pursue happiness and ontain revenge for themselves and others who were wronged by the corruption?

Review
It was good, worth watching but not great. I really expected the lawyer to be some super lawyer but that did not turn out to be the case. My hooe was that I would learn more aboit the laws in the Josean period through a bariety of interesting cases. There were a few, early in but then it quickly switched to the revenge arc and there was not a lot of interesting legal cases after that. If youlike either if these actors you would likely enjoy their performance as they did a great job acting their characters. The romance was okay but I am not a huge fan of romance where there isn‘t a slow build and clear events that draw the two together. Sice they were mostly at odds with a lot of the cases it is hard to see how that would have drawn them close.

Spoilers*

If you do not like sad shows there are some sad events in this one. Particularly when he finally finds his sister only for her to die as a result of the same corrupt elite that caused the death of his parents. Her death seemed unnecessary as there were so many ways she could have lived. She also had a side romance going on with 2nd guy that I thought would play out and would have been good.

I was disappointed he was not more successful as an attorney and that success did not lead to a position of position of power next to the king. He won some big cases but he also lost some important ones. And he was falsely accused and tortured. He did not get oit if that situatiin with his brilliant legal prowess , instead it was due to the pleas of the people he helped. I know they were trying to keep it real but I watch for good to win over evil so I did not like that part. He wound up just being the legal lackey.

I did not feel there was a believable romance between the Princess and the lawyer. Maybe their chemistry was just off for me. She spent so much time early on suspecting him of being unethical and disagreeing with his actions I did not see where there were enough events for her to have fallen for him.

I was very disappointed in the King. He started as a very likable character but then somehow changed so he had his finger poised on the kill switch. He basically killed lead guys sister (well drove her to suicide) because he was hurt Han-soo hadn’t recognized his power to stop her execution. He wanted him to come and implore him to save her. Because he did not do that he made Han-soo read the execution verdict. That was so psychologically cruel it was nit a redeemable action in my opinion. Then he simply says he will reflect in it for the rest of his life and Han soo seems to forgive him completely. That whole thing was just messed up and unnecessary. And where was the king’s bride? Where was the pressure on him to marry? That was a missed opportunity for the evil element to force a bride of their choosing on him. It was just odd that was missing because that is such a strong element in other Josean dramas.

So many flaws in and around the Princess character. As strict as the Regent Queen was with palace rules it never explained how the Princess was able to live as a commoner outside the palace. That is what allowed her to meet and fall in love with Han soo so it was odd not knowing why she was living outside. If the elites were able to get the rules changed so their sons could retain their positiin yet marry into the royal family how was it the only solution the Regent Queen could come up with was to fake her granddaughter’s death and exile her?

I like happy endings so I looked into this quite a bit and many say it was a happy, well wrapped up, ending. I do not agree as it was very sad and heavy in several episodes toward the end that it felt pretty sad, on balance, to me. thought it was silly and selfish for her to go off after being reported dead from poisoning and not let him know she was alive and well. He had horribly lost so many people and suffered so much yet she was okay with him suffering because if her. I thought, as much as he wanted kids, her being infertile was sad for him. He lost his entire immediate family and, being with her, he would not be able to build a family of his own. I mean I am sure they could adopt but they did not even discuss the issue or how they would resolve it.

#JoseanAttorney
#Bona
#KimJiYeon
#WooDoHwan

Read More

Heartwarming romance with a slice of high fashion life

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese romantic drama with 45, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then review

Synosis

Infatuation at first sight occurs when workaholic Ming Xuan (Hans Zhang)encounters talented design student Mo Fei (Xu Lu) At the design fair they both attend Ming Xuan overhears the feisty girl passionately telling her friend how the designs featured in the show could be improved. Like Cinderella dropping a shoe, Moi Fei drops a notebook in which she sketched many of the designs from the show, along with improvements and some of her own thoughts and designs. Ming Xuan finds the notebook and is slow to return it as he finds the girl, and her concepts fascinating. Ming Xuan’s family company, Yuan Fashion Group, has a traditional line they are trying to reimagine and globalize. Mo Fei’s designs often incorporate her passion for traditional embroidery which is an aspect that fits well with Ming Xuan’s concept for the future of the traditional fashion line of his business. With so much in common, the two quickly become a growing part of each other’s lives. But there is a top designer with a grudge against Ming Xuan, his former childhood friend, Fang Xiao Yu (Hing Yao) who also finds the beautiful young designer interesting both professionally and romantically. The stage is fully set for romance except Mo Fei wants to continue her studies in Europe and Ming Xuan is convinced bachelorhood is the best way to keep his aspirations for his business in focus. Not willing to alter their goals separation is inevitable and Mo Fei heads to Paris while Ming Xuan remains in China. This separation could have been the end to a budding romance until fate steps in and Ming Xuan has the opportunity to launch a European fashion line which intersects with Mo Fei in terms of a joint business opportunity.

Review

This was recommended by someone when I said I like happy endings and female leads that are not whiney. She recommended four Chinese drama series and this is the third one I have watched and the recommendations were perfect.

If you like love stories where the leads fall in love and stick with each other through everything this is one of the few where there isn‘t a huge break up. The slice of life in the Chinese and French fashion industries is really compelling. All of the characters were well developed. There were so many likable characters and the villains we’re motivated by jealousy and narcissism which made them suitable love to hate characters. The central love story follows a predictable pattern but there is enough intrigue around it that it makes it an enjoyable watch from start to finish. I would rewatch it and highly recommend it for those that
like slice of life, heart warming love stories and strong female leads.

#TheSunshineofMyLife
#ZhangHan
#XuLu
#HongYao
#WangRuiZi

Read More

Great martial arts action scenes, comedy throughout, well written with characters you will miss

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Comedy, Crime Action drama with either 20, 1 hour or 40 1/2 hour episodes.

I will first provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis

Many combat soldiers suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and when coupled with guilt resulting from innocents in the combat zone It can be severe. Kim Hae-il / Michael Kim (Kim Nam-Gil) has severe PTSD from things that happened when he was with the National Intelligence Service (NIS). Hae-il found solace in the church when his father figure and mentor, Priest Lee Young-joon (Jung Dong-hwan) encouraged him to heal through faith. Following the murder of Priest Lee, which corrupt officials proclaim a suicide, Hae il is determined to call on his skills and resources as a former NIS agent to solve the crime and obtain justice. Comedy surrounds the simple fact that there is a priest who is willing to use force to punish transgressors. Hae il must not only combat a group of gangsters but corrupt officials such as female prosecutor Park Kyung-sun (Lee Hanee). Kyung sun and others are surprised when this priest says you are not welcome in God's house if you think you can shed your sin and go out and sin again. His first requirement is don't come to confession until you genuinely apologize to those you sinned against. With near super hero like skills, the Fiery Father will take them all on, save a few souls and get those beyond redemption locked up.

Review

I waited a long time before watching this. Have seen nearly 300 Asian dramas before watching this one. I don't know why but with everything I read up to that point I thought it would be slap stick and it definitely is not. It definitely has a central comedic element but it is situationally funny. The priest himself is not simply a character that could use anger management, his character is deep and very compelling. Even the bad guys and gals in this have well developed characters and in depth stories. I love a good martial arts action scene and this has plentiful action scenes. The priest has super hero like status. He starts out very misunderstood by all but his mentor but those around him learn, as the viewer does, who he really is and he improves them through his own brand of caring and healing those around him. "When you say that you really sound like a priest," you get renditions of that throughout and will understand that he is definitely a human first. He is definitely one of God"s warriors. For me the timing of watching this was perfect as I feel like I am living through times when justice keeps getting the short stick. So seeing characters that deeply care about what is good and right and morale and not only seek justice but tow justice along sometimes kicking and screaming (you will get the pun if you watch it) is refreshing. I just recommend this one in general. This is another where you will grow to like the characters so much you will miss them when it is over. If you like comedy, crime dramas and/or action then this is definitely one that should be on all those watch lists. If you are looking for romance there are plenty of bromances and it skirts around some flirty scenes, but there is no direct romance. I am one that will rarely watch anything without a romantic element. This one is worth it regardless.

Spoilers

I really did not expect some characters would have a redemption arc and certainly not one I could buy into but the skilled writers for this series proved me wrong. Prosecutor Park or self proclaimed "Phoenix" was a wholely unlikable character in the beginning. She was rude, selfish and corrupt. She was unkind so many times to the main character that I was convinced I would never find her likable. But then their banter became amusing. And then her interactions with him, and I think God inserting some life changing events, started to turn her. But they did not try to jam down your throat that she was suddenly good or that her turn around excused her earlier actions. Same with some of the mobsters. They did not seem capable of redemption but slowly, and believably, you saw some redemption for them and yet they were not let off the hook for their past misdeeds. The priest's dark back story was heart breaking but it clearly exhibited how simply hearing "it wasn't your fault" at the right time, from the right people, can generate emotional healing. His friends and allies also came to understand him so much they knew the level of blame he would put on himself and how he would react when someone around him was hurt to get at him.

#fierypriest
#kimnamgil
#Leehanae
#KimSungkyun
#LeeHanee
#GoJun
#KeumSaerok
#JungDonghwa.

Read More

Great Actors, interesting premise but it can’t decide what it wants to be

9/10 is my rating. This iis a 2023 South Korean fantasy romance drama with x, 70 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Rembrary (Kim Min-kyu), is a high priest battling evil to keep the Devil from returning to power. Mid battle with the actual devil, he is transported from this alternate world to modern South Korea in the body of Woo Yoon-woo, a failed idol in the process of making a comeback. Yoon-woo aspired to be an actor but was debuted as the visual for boy band Wild Animals. Rembrary is completely confused by this sudden switch but quickly finds that the dark forces have also come to this world and are embedded in the music industry. Kim Dal (Go Bo-gyeol) was a former talent manager for a girl group and became extremely depressed and guilt ridden when one of the group members committed suicide. She feels beholden to Yoon-woo as he gave her hope during one of her darkest days. She follows the band closely and when she notices they are struggling she prizes the job of their manager determined to give them the professional and emotional support to avoid any more tragedy. At first she goes along with Yoon-woo’s “delusion” he is a high priest from another dimension and convinces him the best way to achieve his goals is to become a successful idol. And the thing is the real Yoon-woo has also been transported to Rembrary’s world but he doesn’t want to leave. Who wants to go back to being a failed idol with a non existent acting career? So the real Yoon-woo strikes a bargain. if Rembrary becomes a successful idol, and in a whisper voice, that Rembrary dldn’t hear, a successful actor, he will swap back with him. The situation makes for a very comedic setting, but also a slow build romance between the manager who is going crazy, trying to manage this delusional idol, and the high priest who doesn’t usually give in to worldly concerns.

Review
Overqll this is very good. The leads have a lot of chemistry and their relationship is believable. I love the idol genre because it is such a unique life choice so glimpses into it are always interesting. The relationship between the group members is compelling and getting to know a bit about each makes it interesting. Highly recommend to those that like romances and the idol genre. It ends happy.

Spoilers*
The god aspect was a bit chaotic and did not make complete sense. I felt as frustrated as he did when it turned out that after decades of fighting evil, Redlin was selfish and evil Herself. With that it would have made sense if he was a true god but her having made him from a part of herself made less sense. In the end there is just no God or devil in that world? If she wasn’t a true God then what? There just never was? How did she come into being if there was no divine in that realm? That seemed like a big, important part of that world. He goes to Redlin to confront her and she tries to kill hIm and steal his divine powers but is stopped at the last second when Kim Dal essentially offers up her soul to destroy Redlin’s power. But then he goes back for seconds? That made no sense. The he is back as an idol and is just going to hang out? I mean he got a mission of rounding up the remaining evil elements but it didn’t show him pursuing that. I was disappointed we didn’t get to see “Wild Animal“ perform. They achieved success but we really did not get to go along for the ride much. It seemed more focused on his divine goals but that was so ill defined that being the greater focus was disappointing. Kim Min Kyu really just carried it because his acting and visuals made even the most chaotic plot points watchable. The Grim Reaper was confusing as he was supposed to be there to keep him from interfering in human lifelines but he winds up doing very little of that. He mostly seems to take the road manager thing seriously like okay I am not a reaper I am just doing this now, But then he is but then he isn’t. And how, even when their fame was growing, were they able to just go out without being recognized? They are popular enough to win an award but where are the groups of screaming fans every time they emerge? How many times are Min-kyu and Kim Dal going to walk out on a balcony and get all affectionate knowing there could be scandal. Just have your emotional moments inside. He would say he wanted to be a successful idol or actor and put a bunch of effort into it for a minute then be like never mind I am doing the divine thing now. Then the end, the God says Kim Dal will be punished because she won’t remember those she loved but there she us right there doing the same thing and it only takes her a brief direct encounter to remember. That made it feel rushed like there could have been at least one episode with her not remembering but things triggering her memory. I liked the premise just wish it was written in a more logical manner.

#KimMinKyu
#GoBogyeol
#LeeJangWoo
#HeavenlyIdol

Read More

Some questions from the series answered, new interactions, and new friends

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean Reality Show with 12, 35 Minute Episodes.

Please I will provide a synopsis then a review

Synopsis
Viewers got to know and like so many participants from all seasons of heart signal and this provides an opportunity to get to know them a little more and see what has happened for them after they took part in the show. It also provides an opportunity for the participants to reacquaint with friends they met during the show as well as people from the other season. It follows participants from Heart Signal season 2 and 3 as they live their daily lives and they get to meet a "friend" from the seasons and provides a variable amount of funds to meet up with them in a get to know you "date".

Hosts

Lee Sang Min Born in 1973 he would have been 48 when this show aired. He is a South Korean songwriter, singer, television personality, and record producer. He is a former member of the dance and hip-hop group Roo'ra. He was the host/panel in all three seasons of Heart Signal.
Kim Hee Chul Born in Born in 1983 he would have been 38 when this show aired. He-Chul is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter, and actor. He is a member of Super Junior and subgroup Super Junior-T and the disbanded pop-rock duo of himself and Kim Jungmo.
Hung Seung Hee Born in 1996 she would have been 25 when the show aired. She is a South Korean presenter and main vocalist in the girl KPop group "Oh My Girl"
Shin Dong Hee (ShinDong) Born in 1985 he would have been 36 when the show aired. He is an actor, singer, presenter, and member of the very well known KPop Boy Band Super Junior (he dances, raps, sings and writes lyrics for the band). He is also a radio personality, presenter, comedian and actor.

Guests

Song Jia Born in 1997 she would have been 24 when the show aired. She is a South Korean Fashion Influencer/You Tuber and was a participant in the reality show "Single's Inferno." She appears as a guest in episodes 9 and 11.
Kim Eana Born in 1979 she would have been 42 years old when the show aired. She is a pop song lyricist and was a regular host in the three seasons of Heart Signal. She appears as a guest in episodes 5, 6 and 9.
Han Hye Jin Born in 1983. She is a model and a regular on variety show "Witch Hunt." She is a guest in episodes 10 and 11.


Friends Participants from Heart Signal 2
Oh Young Joo - Born in 1991 she would have been 30 when the show aired. She is a television personality and you tuber. She received her education in the United States.
Jung Jae Ho - Born in 1990 he would have been 29 when the show aired. He is Harvard educated and an entrepreneur who has been the CEO of several start ups including company Spendwallet but was working on another enterprise with photo frames when the show aired. He is a former idol trainee and is also an entertainer.
Kim Do Kyun He was born in 1988 and would have been 33 when the show aired. He is a doctor of Korean Medicine.
Kim Jang Mi She was born in 1989 and would have been 32 when the show aired. She is a social media influencer in fashion and sells high fashion clothing.
Kim Hyun Woo He was born in 1985 and would have been 36 when the show aired. He is a chef and restaurant owner.

Friends Participants from Heart Signal 3
Lee Ga Heun - Born in 1996 she would have been 25 when this show aired. She is a veterinary intern.
Park Ji Hyun - Born in 1996 she would have been 25 when this show aired. She is a YouTuber and has a social media following.
Seo Min Jae - Born in 1993 she would have been 28 when this show aired. She is a mechanical engineer who specializes in automotive mechanics.
Jung Eui Dong - Born in 1992 he would have been 29 when this show aired. He is an animal sculptor and social media presence.

New friend (not from either season): Lee Ki-hoon. He is a CEO of a Coffee business. He appears in friends but was not in the Heart Signal series.

Review

I liked getting to see some of the participants from the seasons in their daily lives beyond the regular show. After viewing them in the show over a months time, I had grown attached to some and wondered how they were doing in their lives after the show. Following them through their morning routine was a bit odd. Not sure that was a necessary element. Having them select a friend and a money for their meeting out of a gum ball type machine was unique and interesting. It was very satisfying for participants from the other season to get to meet participants outside of their season. introducing some new people that hadn't been in the heart signal shows was a unique twist. Having the hosts eat what the friends were eating was unique. I don't think it would ever be enough because we got such a glimpse into these people's lives they sort of feel like friends for all the viewers even though they don't know us at all.

We did get to see a lot of "what ifs" in terms of what if this person from this season met that person from that season - what would they think. And I think it was good for the participants to expand their circle of friends that way.

There was not a lot on what happened with the other half of some of the couples from the seasons that were not on this friends show. So you don't get a lot of resolution there. Like did they date for awhile? Are they friends now? If the person did not appear in this Friends show then you don't get to know any more about them which makes sense as they are real people going on about their actual lives. But, as a viewer it's hard not to be curious and just know that any curiosity you have like that, for participants from Heart Signal that are not on Friends - you are unlikely to get those questions answered.

I found their daily routines a little tiring and wanted to fast forward but was afraid I would miss something. It was like "The Truman Show" or maybe interacting with SIMS not to diminish the fact that these are real people but I am sure watching just about anyone make their breakfast and brush their teeth is not all that interesting.

Spoilers*
I watched "Singles Inferno" before "Heart Signal" so it was weird when Song Jia met with Jae Ho in a blind date situation. I think Jae Ho was very manipulative in Singles Inferno and that she led a lot of the male participants on and liked having the attention all focused on her. It causes others a lot of emotional pain from rejection and it kept them from having interactions with others when she was never fully interested in them. It made me worry about Jae Ho because I think he is very nice and sweet. But knowing that Jae Ho was on Singles Inferno after her appearance on Friends indicated that her and Jae Ho did not have a lasting relationship.

We got to see Young joo and Hyun woo spend some time together and make up. It is unclear if they started dating. But it was nice that they mended that relationship as even if they are just friends they seem to enjoy their time together.

#Friends
#OhYoungJoo
#JungJaeHo
#KimDoKyun
#KimJangM
#LeeGaHeun
#ParkJiHyun
#SeoMinJae
#JungEuiDong
#LeeSangMin
#KimHeeChul
#ShinDongHee
#ShinDong
#HungSeungHee
#SongJia
#KimEana
#HanHyeJin

Read More

Solid slice of life, interesting serial killer angel, cute romances but the chemistry was a bit off

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean comedy romance drama with 16, 70 Minute Episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis
Nam Haeng-seon's (Jeon Do-yeon) has been all about supporting the niece her sister abandoned and her autistic brother. After giving up a spot on the national handball team to raise her niece and take care of her disabled brother, she carries on with the recipes her deceased mother used and runs a banchan shop that became a favorite of food bloggers. Money is tight as a single wage earner and the last thing she needs is to deal with an eccentric spoiled celebrity who breaks her autistic brother's phone following an misunderstanding. Or so she thinks. Choi Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho) works at an elite academy where people line up quite literally to get their child a prized spot in one of his tutor classes. The two are destined to interact though as Haeng-seon's niece requests a slot in Chi-yeol's sessions so she can bring up her scores and Chi-yeol finds that, for some reason, Haeng-seon's food is the only food that does not trigger his eating disorder. It provides a slice of life of South Korea's competitive educational system which provides a backdrop for an unlikely romance.

Review

Overall a very light hearted romantic comedy with a slice of life into the competitive world of academics. I found that view on how much power and influence wealthy parents can have interesting and not all that different than what you might see with ivy league colleges in the United States. I recommend it for anyone that likes straight forward romances, slice of life and family dynamics.

Spoilers

The male and female lead had a 10 year age gap in the actual ages of the actors with the Jeon Do-Yeon being 10 years older than Jung Kung-ho. Do yeon is a beautiful and elegant lady but she looks her age. Kung-ho has a young face that looked even younger than his age and made the gap seem even larger. Both did an amazing job acting but the physical appearance of the age gap really disrupted the chemistry in my opinion. It was more sweet than passionate.

It was a little disappointing that the issue with Chi-yeol's assistant Ji-Dong Hee (Shin Jae-ha) ended with suicide. It felt like too little for everything he had done.

The chemistry between Haeng-seong's best friend, Kim Yong-joo (Lee Bong-ryun) and her brother, Nam Jae-woo (Oh Eui-shick) was also off. With the brother's autism it would have taken a slow build over the series with them slowly showing feelings for each other. Her abruptly expressing interest in him seemed like she was doing it only out of loneliness and his reciprocation wound up feeling like pity. There was no "ah finally" when they became a couple because it really wasn't that much of the series where she expressed interest in him, he initially rejected her, then they were together.

As a fan of the reality dating show "Heart Signal" I was fan girling when Bae Yoon-kyung had a role as Chi-yeol's blind date and 2nd romantic interest. I am excited her acting career has taken off and I thought she did a great job in this show.

I loved the relationship between the daughter/nice, Nam Hae-Yi (Roh Yoon-seo) and her aunt/mother Nan Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon). If you love and raise a child biology does not matter. And, an aunt, because of dominant and recessive genes can be more closely genetically related to their niece or nephew than the mother anyway.

I loved the relationship between the daughter/niece, Nam Hae-Yi (Roh Yoon-seo) and her aunt/mother Nan Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon). If you love and raise a child biology does not matter. And, an aunt, because of dominant and recessive genes can be more closely genetically related to their niece or nephew than the mother anyway. did I not want to see Hae-Yi try to fix him or feel like she owed anyone that, I felt like he wasn't there for her during some really key times when he withdrew and basically ghosted her. That is why I was more a fan of her dating the ice hockey player and fellow student Seo Geon-hu (Lee Min-jae) because he was more straight forward with his feelings, always there for her, and I thought he would have been very good for the often too serious and underconfident Hae-yi. Instead he wound up with selfish and spoiled and almost mean girl Bang Soo-ah (Kang Na-eon) who he claimed was nice but, aside from one time when she welcomed back Hae-yi when she returned from the hospital and gave her notes, never showed a kind side. I thought the ice hockey playing, lovable and handsome Geon-hu deserved better.

The friendship between Geon-hu and Seon-jae was cute as it developed out of their rivalry over Hae-ri. I felt like Geon-hu gave up Hae-ri as he could tell her hear was with Seon-jae but also he started to like Seon-jae as a friend and was willing to give up the girl for the friendship. Still I wish he hadn't settled for a character I did not find likeable. Hae-ri's loyal girl friend Jang Dan Ji (Ryu Da-In) would have been a better choice as she was consistently nice and loyal and he did seem to have a flirty friendship going on with her before he suddenly switched to Soo-ah.

#CrashCourseInRomance
#JeonDoYeon
#JungKyungHo
#RohYoonSeo
#LeeChaeMin
#ShinJaeHa
#OhEuiShick
#LeeMinJae

Read More

Great slice of trainee/idol life with a romantic element

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean romantic drama with 12, 60 minute episodes. It is based on a webtoon of the same title.

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
This is a slice of life drama about the music industry that follows struggling artists from their trainee time through finding success or struggling to get their big break. The lead female character, Ma-Ha (Jung Ji-So) is a hard working trainee who has relentlessly pursued her dream of going on stage with a group. She was on the verge of debuting when tragedy struck and her and her fellow group members were literally pulled off their debut stage. Trying make a break for herself she is doing side shows where she imitates her idol, Ri-Ma (Park Ji-Yeon) who doesn't take the imitation as a compliment. Ma-ha gets a sudden second chance at debuting with her original debut group. CEO Ji-Hak (Danny Ahn) has a reason for giving the the trio a second chance which is slowly revealed through the series. The new group, which they title Teaparty is being funded in a very unique way, they are salaried at first. The other two group members, Ri-A (Minseo) and Hyu n-Ji (Lim Na-Young), had been undergoing hardship as well since their failed debut but they all stayed together even being roommates. Ma-ha does a little of everything capitalizing on this unexpected chance and her presence in many aspects of the music and acting world brings her into frequent contact with Kwon Ryeok (Lee Jun Young) who, at first, has no respect for her as he sees her as an imposter who can only imitate others. Ma-Ra gets a lot of hate over imitating such a popular star. Her fellow band mates, and her friend from her trainee days, Lee Yoo-Jin (Yun Ho) keep Ma-Ra's spirits up as they know she has her own unique talent. Shax, whom Kwon Ryeok is center stage for, has found success but like all high profile boy bands has to be very careful of their image particularly to their fans. As Kwon Ryeok's feelings change from hostility to understanding to admiration to infatuation for Ma-ha they both find that life in the limelight does not look favorably on romance. Yoo-Jin sees Ma-Ra as more than just a friend and is a little earlier in his career and takes more risks to get close to Ma-Ra but she doesn't, at least at first, see him that way. Who will Ma-Ra be drawn to and can they all find a way to make their growing fame, romance and friendships all work out?

Review
I really like slice of life stories in general and those that focus on the acting or music industries in particular. The South Korean music industry has so many unique aspects it is very interesting to get a little bit of inside perspective. So few actually make it to debut and even those that debut may not become well known. This drama explored many issues specific to to being an Idol and the journey that trainees take. Professional jealousy, slave contracts, good companies versus bad companies, suicide, and relationships. I enjoyed it for the music and talent on that level alone. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys slice of life, likes watching about idols or the industry, or likes a fairly straight forward story line. There are not a lot of surprises or twists or turns. It is not light hearted, it deals with very heavy topics but it is entertaining just not deep or complex.

*Spoilers
Ryeok and Ma-ha's slow build romance was compelling. There was a definite loneliness for him and she was one of the few that could break through his rough bad boy persona. I found their relationship very heartwarming. I appreciated the irony of how much grief he gave his former group member, Lee Eun-jo (Kang Chan-hee) over his relationship with Girl group member Annie (Yeon Si-Woo) only to have a relationship like that himself. He felt very guilty over his role in Eun-jo's disappearance. The story between Eun-jo and Annie was very tragic. What was a little confusing is why they showed her collapsing from exhaustion and then never really explaining that but suddenly she is dead. I think they were trying to make that part of the mystery but it seemed disjointed for her to have had that issue and then suddenly suicide it made it seem the overwork was what was driving it and not larger issues. All of the relationships and even conflicts within and between the groups was interesting. I did not find it very believable that so many relationships would have developed where all of the Tea Party members were seeing one of the the Shax members. There were so many problems, early on, when Shax fans got wind that Ma-ha and Ryeok had even interacted, it was odd that later so many were actually seeing each other romantically but it was as if the fans no longer cared. And they never addressed that change. They indicated they were seeing each other in secret but we saw how, before, the secret could never stay hidden so it didn't make sense that all of a sudden they were all able to keep it a secret form the fans. They say Eun-jo's and Annie's song as a group but it seemed only Shax got the credit for it. With Tea Party it appeared they only had one or maybe two songs which made it hard to envision them as a super success.

Unlike other reviewers I did not find the fact that the male lead or female lead weren't idols a huge downfall. I thought they both acted very well and their role as idols was believable. In fact I thought Lee Jun-Young had this amazing super star aura especially when they had the shots where Shax was sort of lined up in a V formation walking toward the camera, it was breath taking. If Ma-Ha was a bit unpolished because the actress was not a K-pop idol in real life, the storyline really accounted for that. She was a struggling trainee then a newly minted idol so any awkwardness or lack of polish was fully understandable with that in mind. Plus there was this overall impression that Tea Party would have this sort of limited success. They constantly showed this contrast between sort of B string idol groups like Tea Party and super stars like Ri-Ma and Shax. I thought the story dealt with and showed how those two levels of success cause this stratification within the K-pop world where that limited success means those B String are often treated as lesser when those A listers are around.

For me personally the suicide aspect was very heavy. I have two work colleagues that committed suicide so it really brought it all back. In both cases I had spoken with the person the day before and now constantly replay that final conversation any time something like this reminds me. I liked the way this drama portrayed the way the pain of something like that never goes away and how, while the person may think their action will hurt at first but make things better later is not true. Annie's death did not save Eun-jo in fact it ended his career. So many people around her were impacted by that tragic event. I think that is ever present on trainees and members minds as they are under an undue amount of pressure for people so young and isolated from their normal friend and family network.

#Imitation
#JungJiSo
#ParkJiYeon
#ParkJiYeon
#MinSeo
#DannyAhn
#LimNaYoung
#YunHo
#LeeJunYoung
#TeaParty
#Shax
#Sparkling
#KangChanHee
#YeonSiWoo

Read More

Rare friends turned more trope that is good but not great

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic comedy series with 16, 60 minute, episodes.

I will provide a synopsis first then review.

Synopsis
Goo Yeo-reum (Lee Da-hee) is a struggling production director for the reality section of a production company. She is aware of her biological ticking away and is anxious for success in love and her career. Park Jae-Hoon (Cho Si-won) has been Yeo-ream’s close friend for many years and is the first person she thinks of when encountering life’s difficulties. Jae-Hoon once had a promising medical career but past tragedy has him now doing plastic surgery in a clinic. He is cynical about love and spends most of his time with Yeo-reum. When the two wind up working a reality show together will the feelings they long held for each other surface?

Review
Friends turned lovers is one of my favorite tropes. This was very good for that particular slice of romantic drama. Si-won is always a great male lead because he has that bon next door charm. I liked their friendship a lot particularly when, later in the show, you learn why he is so devoted to her. Their group of friends were all very kind to each other and to others as well so it made you want to see them succeed in love and life.

Spoilers* When the ex boyfriend comes back I did a lot of face palm to forehead reactions. So this guy does not tell you of his plans to leave the country and thinks you can just leave your job and join him but does not have the respect for your relationship to consult you first. then when you react as most people would when something messed up like that is sprung on you he leaves you at a rest stop. He did come back you find out later but still his first reaction was to leave her when she was crying. And this was after he asked her to marry him so this was her fiancé. He comes back a few years later, declares he is not over her and asks her again to marry him. And our foolish lead girl, biological clock ticking and parents eager to get her married, says yes. She was so lucky she found out he got another woman pregnant and called it off. It would have been a life time of misery with someone who has so little regard for your input.

Then our lead guy finally confesses his feelings to her albeit a little soon after the cancelled wedding and she cruelly turns him down. The way she did it was out of character for her and was not the way I think you would treat such a close friend. I was happy he gave her the cold shoulder she deserved it.

The 2nd girl was annoying in her pursuit of him. I have noticed in some South Korean dramas that there is this general expectation if someone likes you then you have some kind of romantic obligation toward them. I think people are responsible for their own feelings you cannot make someone love you. She was very pushy that way but not just that she played guilt trips on him. I thought he was as kind to her about her feelings for him as he could be. She knew she was stepping in the middle of a friendship verging on something more.

I did not like the way our lead girl let the other director push her around and I thought she was finally going to tell her off. But she never did. Not in any forceful or meaningful way anyway. I also wanted the head Director to tell the other program director that he had our lead girl work the project with her because she took things too far and the lead girl was there to balance her out. There was no acknowledgement of the many times our lead girl saved the show. In the end it does not show the lead girl returning to her job and having some of those discussions.

The ending was happy but, after she was abandoned prior to the wedding twic by the other guy it would have been so satisfying to have it end with their wedding.

#loveisforsuckers
#leeDaHee
#ChiSiWon

Read More

Surprisingly good

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Romantic Drama with 32 episodes of about 35 minutes. Also known as "How to Train My Blind Boss."

First I provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis

Do Min-ik (Kim Young-kwang) is not an easy boss to work for as he relies on his secretary for everything but does not employ beyond a year. Jung Gal-hee (Jin Ki-joo) is determined to be the one to change that, and get her contract renewed, and goes out of her way to meet her bosses' crazy demands. That all changes when Ki-joo's contract is up and Director Min-ik indicates he will not renew. Gal-hee vows to get revenge on her boss and, in an alcohol fueled foray sets out to find him only to discover he needs help as someone genuinely tried to hurt him. Upon recovery from the immediate injury Min-ik suffers from prosopagnosia and is only able to see the face of his secretary as his many hours with her imprinted her image in his mind. Now desperate beyond his only 1 year per secretary policy, he begs Gal-hee to help him navigate a world where everyone looks the same only, this time, she has some conditions. Min-iks adopted mother has designs to use her son to further the family business and wants him to go on blind dates with Veronica Park (Kim Jae-kyung) a former heiress who is notorious for going through men and being difficult to work with. It so happens that Gal-hee used to work for Veronica and used to pretend to be her for various crazy stunts Veronica would involve her secretary in. Due to a mix up in schedules Gal-hee winds up pretending to be Veronica for a blind date with Min-ik and he falls for Gal-hee's version of the heiress. To make things even more complicated the real Veronica, during the same mix-up, falls for Min-ik's friend and fellow company director Ki Dae-joo (Koo Ja-sung). Will Min-ik forgive Gal-hee for tricking him? Has the real Veronica finally met her match?

Review
I tried to think of things I did not like about this series but they were so minor I have to say this is rather perfect. It ends well. The couples romances are well placed, believable and heart warming. Veronica Park is such an iconic character if you watch it for no other reason - watching it for that role would be worth it. But it is really good in addition to that.

Spoiler alert* I did not like that she tricked him. But, in the series, that was not justified and she was not happy with herself about it either. So I felt like she redeemed herself and him forgiving her made sense. I liked that his cold adopted mother "came around" and it was obvious, in her way, that she loved her adopted son. I liked that there was no miracle cure for his facial blindness and that he had to go through a whole process to learn to accept himself with the disability. He found ways to work around it. I liked that they did not miraculously and unbelievably find a way to preserve the Chairman job for him but the way they worked it out was very satisfying. You knew that he would be chairman in the near future. His love and caring for her when she was protesting was so cute. He was willing to give up anything to make things right for her. His relationship with her siblings, the way he "spoiled" them set the tone for how great of a relationship he would have with them in the future. He gained a close knit family and they gained a provider/protector. It was not clear or closed up if Gal-hee discovered her sister had the earrings. Or if her sister got the role. It was implied but it felt like we followed that character so closely I would liked to have known how things went for her. I would watch this one again and highly recommend it to anyone that likes heartwarming romance. There is very little intrigue in this one, the villians are pretty run of the mill, but the relationships completely carry the story in a good way.

Read More