Cliched but its magic works!

Hello Me! is a predictable story filled with clichés like a struggling FL, a immature ML, the random job offering, the truck of doom, unwanted misunderstandings, childhood connections, etc.

Yet there are many enjoyable elements in this show. One, the comedy. The scenes between the ML & SML and ML & his co-worker ladies are such a laugh riot. Some of the antics of the Younger Ban Han Ni are hilarious.
Two, the character growth of both Ban Han Nis. Younger BHN is very audacious, outspoken and confident teen. Her actions lead to innumerable troubles. She can come off as an incorrigible person nearly the entire show. But, in odd turn of events, she turns a new leaf and becomes more mature. Older BHN is a broke and ill-fated person. Interactions with younger self, makes her take better charge at life.
Three, the character interactions. Be it interaction of both BHNs with her school friends, and her family, or ML with his "assistant", brother, dad and aunt. Everything is very cordial and warm.
Four, the message "You're doing well. You're the most magnificent star in your life. That is, if you refuse to give up and get back on your feet once again."
Five, the altruistic take on unfortunate events especially forgiving bad people, and supporting family members.

There are hardly any downsides to this show. It keeps you entertained, makes you laugh, makes you feel warm and strive at life.
I had an expectation that younger BHN will mature and change older BHN's life. The story doesn't flow that way which was new take on these past and present self interactions stories.
ML calling FL "Ahjumma" felt comical but it made their relationship more like sister-brother and not romantic. Even romance is barely there.
Anthony's closure felt good but it could have been different. Society requires to "evolve" to be more forgiving. Given the recent events, the social commentary felt coincidental.

The show is well produced. Acting of younger BHN felt a bit dramatic and artificial sometimes. Other actors are really good. Eum Moon Suk's acting style reminds me of his The Fiery Priest character. Music is really good given that the younger BHN is idol aspirant especially the 3!4! song. Rewatch is good for comical scenes.

Hello Me!: Invoke the child in oneself to heal oneself.

Read More

Balancing Everything

Development has been long delayed in Munju located in the western part of the Gyeonggi Province due to blood-curdling incidents of the past; it is here the story of Beyond Evil has been set and the inhabitants have been close-knit community. Lee Dong Shik, once a victim to these incidents now works as sergeant at Manyang police substation of Munju police station. Despite his "crazy" work style, he is one of the well trusted persons of the community. Enters Han Joo Won, an elite officer, transferred as inspector who is diametrically opposite to LDS in character and work style. Upon his arrival, multiple events occur, people go missing, bodies are found, reminiscent of the past and reopening the scars of Munju.

HJW struggles with fitting in the community and workplace; some are hostile, some allege him to stop "acting up" and some make him accept their ways of doing things. This is a well-thought-out imagery as the viewer is also similarly taken through multitude of events and fitting into this drama feels a bit struggling. The reason for this being one might wonder what events to be taken seriously and what not; In retrospection, every minor event contributes to the big picture. It is truly mind-blowing to note how some random events tell something about the character and their way of thoughts, actions and reactions.

It is just fascinating that Beyond Evil has the perfect balance of smartly crafted characters and wittingly woven story which keeps the viewer on the edge of "What Next?" It is even more fascinating that "theme of two" contrasting and sometimes similar elements are constantly shown throughout the show, two contrasting characters -LDS and HJW- and their principles, their work styles, their past and present, their parental figures, their best friends, and much more; and how all these aspects contrive the story more complex and enticing to watch.

HJW X LDS: One is an elite who studied at the police academy and another is recruited by the local police station. One is stickler for following rules, principles and another gets work done by any means. One is calm externally but internally in chaos and one seems emotionally hyper but perfectly rational in mind. One makes elaborate plans and one makes plans on the go. One is affected by the scars inflicted by his parents and one has ill-fatedly affected and without intent, inflicted wounds on others.

At outset, these two bicker, banter, hector and coerce suspecting one another. This might induce either the viewer to laugh at the over-the-top actions of both or to pick a side. Honestly, both are sometimes right and wrong, they too realize their fallacies. Consequently, they finally come together for the common goal to know the real truth. This partnership takes a while to happen unlike mentioned in the summary but totally worth the wait. Their tongue-in-cheek work chemistry is hilarious to watch.

Not everything comes easy. At the cusp of rebooting of the development projects, the recent proceedings unleash the protective nature of the biggies. Do Hae Won, a congresswoman and aspiring mayor, and Lee Chang Jin, a hitman turned businessman, of the Munju who would go to any ends. Is it simply about money or genuine care for social development, one wonders? Along with them, is Han Ki Hwan, next police commissioner general of the country and father of HJW, who has "perfected" his life for this position of power and least afford to err. These characters stealthily direct the happenings to their advantage and hinder the police investigations. Aside from them, are many minor and well-defined characters, who pull and push the events of the Munju city.

Beyond Evil is well-paced story starts with a shower of events and slows down to give viewers half-time. This interval both serves as point to reorganize the thoughts and gives more team-bonding moments for the characters. Similar to how inhabitants warm up to HJW, metaphorically the viewers too warm up to the drama. Followed by, its pace quickens. In turn, BE gives a perfect and unpredictable closure to the story and characters provided that viewers too proactively catch up with its pace by observing and interpolating the events. At this juncture, the temptation to rewatch is high.

Shin Ha Kyun X Yeo Jin Goo: SHK's portrayal of LDS is on point and his countenance defines the idiosyncrasies of the character and deepens the character's appeal. Sometimes, it is hypnotizing to drown into fathomless depths of the character. Meanwhile, YJG's portrayal of HJW conceives the character's rigidity, and exudes cold-nature outlook. His expressions look like he is the naivest person but in reality, he is quite the opposite.

Other actors have made the characters stand out. Kang Min Ah's Kang Min Jung comes as the carefree hip person and parallelly manages to draw out our empathy. Chun Ho Jin's Nam Sang Bae treads the fine line making one wonder, if he is good or bad. Choi Dae Hoon's Park Jung Je makes us believe in his dreams, drawings and delusions. Every actor and their character have made fabulous job. Individually appreciating them would spoil the moment for future viewers.

The music is really good. It heightens the viewer's thrill, draws out empathy, and makes the experience more real and sometimes, surreal. Songs like Timeless, The Road, Empty makes the viewers feel virtually the inhabitants of Munju and invest ourselves in its predicaments. We too want the justice to serve in best possible way and closure to be given to the victims. The music makes final message resonate louder; the message being "any clue or info regarding missing person should be reported to police how so ever infinitesimal." The message creates awareness, feels affirmative and assuring.

Undeniably, Beyond Evil has best of everything.

Read More

Cake topped with cream!

Horimiya is an usual high school jdrama adapted from shoujo manga. It depicts coming-of-age theme with first love. The only thing new is that the main lead is a loner who has an alternate personality. Everything else is predictable and precedent. Sometimes, quite silly too.

Romance is cute, intimate and personal.
Acting is good.
Both Suzuka Ouji and Kubota Sayu look cute.
Music is okay.
Like school dramas, it will take you back to your school days.
Production is of good quality.

We never see more of either leads' parents and their backstory. School jdramas normally don't focus on parents, so it was okay.

Horimiya neither disappoints nor exceeds expectations like a convenience store's cream cake. (A comfort treat indeed!)

Read More

Adrenaline Rush!

The drama begins with a glimpse into the normal life of Alice, homebody and gamer, from a rich family but regarded as "parasite" by his family, who finds solace with his good-for-nothing friends. (Everybody is kinda trashy and loser, I thought) Troubled by their life, they escape the reality, by running wildly in the busy streets of Tokyo. That's the only moment to see so much liveliness and happiness in Tokyo. Because one thing leads to another, they land in this new Tokyo, completely empty. (Man, hats off to the production team for the amazing visuals of empty Tokyo!), where 'play or die' is the only rule to survive.

The survival games are very interesting and logical too. Pro-tip, you could pause and think for the answer, if you like. With games, comes new characters and things get bloody and gore. (Boy, I was so wrong for thinking the original trio to be trashy but almost every character we meet is a lot more trashy.) Cynicism, betrayal, and mind games become the new norm.

Soon, Alice seems like the most decent person besides Rabbit (giving an unthinkable reunion of Naho and Kakeru) but of course, not without undergoing a 'do or die' situation himself, which was quite an emotional ride. Another pro-tip, don't get attached to any character, or pay for the consequences. As the story moves, new games and new friends, so many die but got to keep going. That's just the first half of the episodes. Now the big question is, "If there is a game, then there must be a gamemaster right?" which leads to another killer thriller ride for the second half of episodes.

Once again, new games and new characters. If there is a dystopian world, there must be a utopia and if there is no authority, then someone assumes authority. With authority, comes the division of two groups "US" &"THEM" and their own power struggle. This all infused with the madness to survive, back-stabbing pushes everyone to the edge. More blood, bodies and betrayals. The ending, like with usual Netflix shows, it was only a teaser for a much, much bigger thing.

What was Good? And Bad?
The entire series was so well produced. Everything top-notch. The games were superb and mind-blowing. The story was tightly packed. It felt like a blend of game movies like Jumanji, Zathura and English drama, Black Mirror. It starts out as an adventure fantasy developing into a dystopian thriller.
Themes: This drama touches so many themes like how the idea of death can bring out a new side of people, a new faith, manipulating others, seduction, and worst of all, fake hope. It also shows the narrow gap between sanity and insanity, friendship and enmity. Sometimes, the drama tries to give humanity messages like altruism but which soon fades away as the story moves forward. Oh, on the sexual content and violence: for starters, there is too much blood splattering and bodies. There is definitely sexual content. (I'm not going to word it but I almost thought I was watching an American show, they don't substantially add much to the plot so skip it if you don't like, there are only placed to understand the intensity of their newfound freedom and reality)
Although almost all characters have some sort of backstory to understand them better, only a few make it to the end, of which, Alice undergoes the best character growth and Rabbit is such a powerful and admirable character capable of rescuing herself.
Acting: Like always Yamazaki Kento excels in portraying as Alice. The agony, the anger, the happiness, every emotion was so perfect. Tsuchiya Tao, as Rabbit, no doubt she must have undergone rigorous training for her role, exudes the strength of her character. It was surprising to find Machida Keita in a new role and thug-like look. But the biggest surprise was Sakurada Dori. He was almost unrecognizable in his character. (It was the most unlikely Orange squad mini-reunion) Asahina Aya's character had such an amazing fight scene.
Music was apt and lifted the suspense to a higher level.
It is definitely worth the rewatch for its plot but would be a hassle to undergo the same emotional turmoil once again.

Final note, adrenaline rush inducing drama which can sometimes make you think and sometimes anxious and disturbed, all the while keeping you entertained.

Read More

Four 10-minute fillers

Firstly, I was really anticipating this drama for no particular reason. And all I had expected from its description was some comical scenes between Kang Chan and Dae Yeon and some flashbacks of Min Joo and Kang Chan.

What did it turn out to be?

Noise issues
Opening into a drinking scene with Dae Yeon narration overlapping with drunken live streaming of Bang Hee, this series has many noise issues. Sometimes, it's the OST and sometimes, it's the narration.

Story/screenplay
It did make me laugh and sometimes it made me cringe. Much of the screentime was wasted in the live streaming and product promotions of Bang Hee which could have used for an additional scene of Kang Chan and Dae Yeon or Dae Yeon and Min Joo. Even the amateurish editing can be a pain for the eyes.

Acting
It was doable for a 10-minute series.

Closure
The ending was rushed. Proper closure could have been given for Dae Yeon's moment.

Final Verdict
Watch it for its duration. Watch it as a filler. Maybe between binging or when you have a few minutes to spare. Neither you would remember it nor you would be disappointed.

Read More

An understated entertainer!

Times starts out as story of a daughter desperately trying to save her father from assassinations with the help of time altering. Just when one expects it to drag out, it quickly resolves the issue and switches focus on other things like elections, journalism issues etc.

As it switches from one theme to another, it luckily avoids monotony. Unfortunately, in a way, it betrays the audience as well. For instance, someone who started watching for time altering might drop the show as it exhausts the theme somewhere in middle of the show. Or someone who doesn't like time altering might misjudge the show and miss out a good political thriller. (On a side note, why do people find politics boring?!)

Times episodes could be split into two parts- one where FL plays major role and other half where ML plays major role. Times works if you focus on these parts individually. Writer could have even made two different dramas by splitting the story.

This style of letting one lead be the focus for half of the show gives more insight into the character and also gives better scope of performance for the actors. Negatively, this makes in-person interaction between ML and FL minimal.

Despite the leads' interaction is mostly over the phone, the actors managed to portray it well. Too bad, that the story didn't convert this good work "chemistry" between the leads into maybe potential romance. In another perspective, glad that they didn't force any romance and kept things professional.

Ending was well done. One couldn't expect more. It did make me wish there were more episodes because I kept asking "That's it? What?!" Although you can predict the minor twists, main twist was unforeseen. Glad that the writer kept the best parts for the finale.

Times has its flaws. One, convoluted narration, if I were to start out to tell this story to someone, I might confuse myself. Two, sometimes the story progression and characters' actions simply feel random. Writer makes it seem effortless to write any implausible twist into the story and we are bound to believe.

Despite its flaws, Times is an understated time altering entertainer with heavy political thrills, journalism overtones, and subtle social commentary.
~~
I am going to vote in a week and I learned some new things about politics from this show.

Read More

A realistic age-gap couple story which doesn't stay away from unnecessary drama!

Contrary to the popular speculation of being a sugar daddy sort of plot, which it didn't turn out to be, my interest was piqued due to very straightforward and rational female lead, 24 years old, who doesn't hesitate to speak her mind and to make the first move when her dad sets her up with 44-year-old divorcee from his business circle. I was baffled at her dad; for no dad in his sanest mind would do such a thing, and what for? That was one of the two questions which I expected this drama to answer. Another one being why FL falls for the ML. But the answers come in a roundabout way, with going down the predictable-plot way, adding unnecessary characters, who do certain actions, and the reasons for those actions aren't revealed or are bland. Other than that, a slice of life age-gap story, with normal conversational type romance. The only thing I liked was their generational gap of pop culture references and their honest conversations.
Toshi no Sakon (Marriage with a Large Age Gap) manages with parental support, a nice male lead and spunky female lead but fails to impress.

Read More

Light hearted drama

Mairuvonich is a story of simple and light-hearted girl who is less confident about her appearances. With the help of Tenyu, she transforms both her personality and her appearances and finds true love of her life.

This is a very simple drama adapted from shoujo manga. On that note, it is targeted towards younger audiences suiting their tastes. Mairu has about 3 to 4 romantic pursuits which slowly helps her grow as a person.

I totally agree that it is a personal choice to have a makeover. Although in life, beautiful looks aren't everything and beauty is subjective as well. Here, Mairu's makeover gives her psychological boost to her confidence. This in turn, gives her new experiences at high school.

Sometimes, the views expressed are *cough, cough* critical. This can come off as condescending but that's alright.

Above all, this drama is really comical and has a very imaginative take on youth.

Read More

Disclaimer: This is not a review.
Dear The Fiery Priest,
If there was an ideal type for dramas, then you would be mine. You got everything which I want in drama.
1 You got the cool male lead, aside from saying he is so cool innumerable times, he is an angry young man too. He
2 has a secret identity and that too my favourite one with a
3 tragic past. I got so empathic and almost tear jerked despite me being a cold person.
4 He can fight. Real action scenes, I couldn't say no to that.
5 He fights for social justice. Bonus, he has soft spot for kids.
6 He can ride a bike. A bikkeeeeeeee. If the male lead is this awesome then often female leads are weakly designed. That wasn't the case here.
7 Female lead, doesn't hesitate to fight dirty, has
8 good character growth
9 brings her own value to the plot
10 can do comedy. Even cringe comedy nonchalantly. Although, she can't do action well. But there's another
11 strong female character who can do fight scenes. Not just her, there are
12 other characters who can fight. How can I forget about the
13 comedy? Comedy was top-notch. There were comical fight scenes, cringe comedy and everything in between. For action genre,
14 Music was really good. Then there are
15 powerful villains or
16 more like good side takes time to score goals.

Nothing is completely ideal. Even ideal types have flaws. What is yours?
Hardly was there an element of surprise. For me,
1 every plot twist was foreseen. Without the comedy, I might have had a hard time finishing the final 2 or 3 episodes. There are
2 all sorts of cliched mass action tropes.
3 There were some plot logic misses. I get it; it was often for comedy and that's why I couldn't
4 take the whole social justice part seriously.

From a fan.

There are certain roles which can change the life of an actor once and for all. This drama offers that once-in-a-lifetime role for the male lead for which any actor could fight for. The very fact that this role ended up to an actor who was definitely a dark horse, for which I'm glad and glad I got to know about this actor. He undeniably succeeded in carrying the charisma of the MC and additionally that of the drama on his broad shoulders.

The fiery priest is the checklist to search future dramas as my type. Despite being a mystery drama, I didn't have to use my brain for this one. I only had to use my mouth to laugh heartily.

Read More

Heart warming Love Story of a man and his cat!

Reasons to watch this show
1. About cats- If you are a cat lover, or planning to adopt a cat or already have a cat, then this show is definitely for you. From buying the cat essentials to first vet visit, this show depicts those tiny moments of joy and sorrow of having a cat as pet.
2. Healing effect- Pets have always been the best healers. After losing his wife, the protagonist, a renowned pianist, goes into a slump. This story is about how he heals himself, with aid of his cat, his friends and moves on with his life.
3.The interaction of Fukumaru (cat) and Kanda (man) is a love story in itself. The first sight, the first meal, the first day at work, the "missing you" thoughts and so on. Every scene is so cute.
4. Good music and top-notch acting- A show about pianist means music is expected to be good. This show exceeds expectations. I really liked the end track and concert songs. Also, the acting was really good; expressions of characters when an unfortunate event happens was so realistic. Even the voiceover of Kamiki for the cat was so lovely, nyaa!
5. Secondary couple- I mean, another man and his cat. Their story is also heartwarming. To be honest, I liked their story more.
6. Moriyama- His presence itself lights up the scene. He is such a lovely character. He gets the best closure too.

Why not A 10?
1. Gone are days of cats getting pleased by a plate of fish, it seems. The amount of cat consumerism makes me feel glad that both the men were rich. I know pets are high maintenance, but sometimes it felt way too much.
2. Somewhere in the middle, the story felt a little boring for me, it felt too long with 12 episodes.
3. About the cat, Is it a plushy? Is it a puppet? Is it a robot? Is it a CGI? I don't know. I didn't watch BTS. But sometimes it felt convincing and sometimes it didn't seem like a cat at all.

Read More

A Reverse Harem packed with study tips!

There are two ways to look at this show, one, it is a reverse harem story, with a female protagonist who is so dumb at relationships that you might feel the need to break the fourth wall and flick her head and two, it is such a motivating show filled with study tips and quotes, that you might wanna drop everything and start studying or working towards your dream. And I was very much fascinated by the latter part that I graciously ignored the former aspect, howsoever, the cliched and outlandish romance of a teacher and student. Although she waits till he joins Todai, it was just too unrealistic for me. I might wanna rewatch this again for the numerous motivating quotes.
I really loved the "Happy Birthday" by Back Number which depicts the sadness and yearning of the Male lead.
Overall, it is a very enjoyable show given that I haven't found the substitute jdrama which gives so much motivation to excel in life.

~~~

List of Favourite quotes
1. What are you going to do if you can focus only when you’re comfortable? A human brain can’t understand the word “no”.
2. Life being hard is not the same as being unhappy. You both worked hard in your own way. There’s no point in comparing like that.
3. People who’ve worked hard in sports, people who’ve studied hard, people who worked hard finding their purpose in life, people who’ve worked hard to make their parents proud, and people who’ve worked hard to overcome loneliness. Everyone takes the same exam and your result determines your path. That’s what makes it an exam. There are no excuses.
4. Raising your score is like going on a diet. You don’t just raise it a little bit at a time. If you reinforce your foundations and keep practising, you’ll see a drastic change one day. It’ll come even more drastically if you haven’t studied much before so look forward to it!
5. This world isn’t always filled with good people, but if you keep trying, I promise you’ll always find people who will become your allies.
6. But regardless of work or something else, as long as you’re striving to reach the top, you’ll always have to make tough decisions.
7. Your dream will come true if you work hard. That’s not something I want to lie about. Everyone is working just as hard but only a fixed number of students can pass.

Read More

Running on towards quirky dialogues and characters!

2 episodes into the drama, you realize the story isn't that special. Heck, it is reminiscent of older Rich Man/Poor Woman dramas. ML, a silver spoon, can't stand injustice, expects equality (duh!) and has a life dictated by his father. FL, orphan, unhesitant to take white envelopes, trying to survive against all odds. Sounds nothing special right. But something in it makes you keep watching. To decode its charms, I kept watching.

Charm #1 Dialogues.
There is something very different about the dialogues. Kudos, to the dialogue writer and to the translator. (Was that intentional given the context of FL's profession?!) Normally, any drama would offer dialogues which help the plot in some way or create the mood. Here, the dialogues are so in the moment. If you don't see the context, you might lose its meaning. Sometimes, I had to replay to understand what they were actually conveying. Sometimes, I had to look at what was happening in the background to understand the meaning. This would have more enjoyable if you are a native speaker not having to concentrate on subtitles and screen at the same time. Even the confession was a bit unconventional. I definitely want to rewatch just for the dialogues. But sometimes, this can feel very tiring too; having to think and observe a lot for this genre was unexpected.

Charm #2 Characters.
Initially, the four main characters almost seem familiar. But their actions are a bit unpredictable. When was the last time second FL wink teasingly at FL?! And the reaction of FL?! I don't remember.
Both ML and Second ML are probably the most gentlemanly, softest and cutest characters kdrama has ever given to us. I'm referring to their personality and not appearance but I agree that they look cute as well. Heck, these men are setting goals for ideal type BF!
Understanding ML is another piece of work. If you ever had a friend who pretty much lived under the rock, you could find it relatable. Or if you ever lived under the rock, then you might know the communication gap.
About Seo Dan Ah, I don't know where to begin. The moment I saw her I fell in love with her. She looks pretty and empowering at the same time. She can flirt and she means business too. She can pull off both business suit and tracksuit. This review is escalating into Seo Dan Ah stanning.
There are other cute characters as well like Seo Tae Woong, and Kim Woo Shik.
The casting was apt. SSK had good English. And ISW looked convincing like an athlete.

Okay, Charm #3 Healing Effect.
This drama is so light and heartwarming that even being an insomniac, I could fall asleep. Not in a negative sense, but there are some dramas for some moods and this is one to see after a tiresome day and feel relaxed. There are motivating moments and dialogues. I'm surprised with the healing theme it does not have that cinematography of snow feel or spring feel. It has a very summery feel to it. There are good comedy scenes and interactions especially SDA and OMJ's sismance. There are these imaginative scenes where OMJ imagines herself in the movie she is subbing which was interesting.

Bonus #1, agreed that the main couple is adorable. This was the first time I was more curious about the second couple. They had more butterfly moments than the main couple.

Bonus #2, As for music, Run to you and Sorry sounded interesting.

Bonus #3, Given the professions of ML and FL, I learnt one or two things about sports and film industry.

Run on, an unconventionally written, nice and warm feel-good drama to fall asleep to. It can sometimes be like an art piece at a gallery. If you understand its meaning, you'd keep staring at it (like Seo Dan Ah staring at Young Hwa's works). If you don't, then this might not be for you.

Read More

A Soothing Pat on Back for the Grieving Soul

5-Point Short Review

+ Points
1. Story and Characters keeps you curious
2. Truly healing drama
3. gets huge support from music and cinematography

- Points
4. Takes time to pick up pace initially
5. I wish it was longer...( not a - Point, really )

Detailed Review

Story & Characters
The first episode might give you many questions about what is happening and why is it so slow and make you lose interest as it did for me. But the curiosity of knowing the answers is what makes you come back and that is also the premise of the entire drama. As they say, Curiosity killed the cat, here, curiosity saves them all. Additionally, the drama focuses on giving closure to different life events and moving on. The base story may seem very usual and ordinary but the way of narration and how it unravels makes it worth watching. The main characters have interesting life going on and their perspectives on everything will teach many life lessons. The side characters too are very inspiring in their own way and life of their own. The romance aspect of the drama is very minimal; I swear I'll surely make my unborn kids watch this one day. The Tech/Scientific part gives off "Black Mirror" in a positive tone and can be a bit unconvincing. Glide over it and you'll find the ride enjoyable.

Healing Aspect
This drama gives various ways to heal from different past events like the death of parents, child, partner; unrequited love, breakup, betrayal, etc. Along the way, it also teaches what love is in a very realistic way without romanticism, where to draw line between holding on to unrequited love and letting go. This makes you question the purpose of life and how to deal with it.

Music & Cinematography
The music plays a huge role in adding depth to each character and intertwines them all. From, a sound engineer, a major portion of the drama unfolding in a music studio, mother comforting her child with her music, a doctor who loves to go Karaoke bar, a person who finds purpose in bringing musicians out of the slump, the drama keeps moving in and out of its musical notes seamlessly. The OSTs doesn't seem quite memorable but it suits the drama and is well placed and has apt lyrics. Moving on to the cinematography, if music is rhapsodizing then cinematography is scintillating. The drama differentiates past events and present with winter/snow and Spring/Sun themes. It helps in making nature as one of its main characters. Even death is portrayed in a visually pleasing way that you might wonder the person didn't actually die but have ascended. The constant light glares, and streaks add a dreamy and fantastical feel to the drama.

Slow Start
Often, dramas tend to have a good start and end in an unsatisfying way but here opposite happens. Overcoming the initial doubts can make this ride rewarding. The screenplay of initial episodes could have been made more concise. Alternatively, After a point, you just get adjusted to the pacing.

Shortening the run of Drama
It is quite a binge-able drama that the next morning after, it makes you yearn for it to be a longer dream. Anything from adding little backstories, and delving a little bit more into the technical aspect of that device would have worked. But alas, it had a perfect ending giving closure to every character.

Read More