Hilarious from Start to Finish

I watched this show as it was airing and could not wait for the next episode. It is the funniest show I have watched in a long time, I mean lough-out-loud funny, totally hysterical, and if you like crude humor - which I don’t, actually - you’ll like it even more. It also features an unexpected and cute romance that was more convincing than some of the stuff you see in classic rom-coms.

I generally find the acting in Kdramas superior to a lot of Western shows, and this one in particular stood out to me with the perfect comedic timing of all the actors. Besides our two main leads, who were just so funny and adorable, the supporting cast was just great.

The script was outrageously hilarious, making fun of kdramas, tropes, cliches, “biases,” and everything else, yet managed at the same time to realistically portray a developing romantic relationship between the two main characters. (Did I mention how cute they were together?) By the way, a special Thank You to the translators who did a fabulous job in bringing the witty dialogue and jokes across.

Oh, and don’t blink or you’ll miss it: There are a few seconds of extra scene at the very end of each episode, after the preview. They were some of the funniest moments. (Her umbrella!!! I laugh every time I think about that scene.)

Read More

Allow me to rant....

I try to write reviews without spoilers but not this one, because I need to rant. Having thoroughly enjoyed Season 1 of Yumi's Cells, I was looking forward to watching Season 2. In many ways, it did not disappoint. The cells are still absolutely hilarious, the acting is excellent, the plot anything but boring, But! But! But what the… is it with the break-up? It made sense in Season 1 because the main characters don’t communicate properly. There’s a heartbreaking scene where Yumi asks about getting married and Woong wants to say yes but feels he can’t because he is broke. Had he explained his reasoning, or had she mentioned to him that she loves living with him instead of just telling her coworker, they probably would have stayed together. Alas… that’s not what happened and it’s acceptable because stuff like that happens in real life too.

Now Season 2. We have Mr. Perfect in Ba Bi. Personally, I’m on Team Woong, but he was fine and they certainly looked good together. There were some very cute scenes involving the cells exploring the other “planet.” But then Yumi decides to break up. Apparently, Ba Bi cheated on her. I must have missed that part because all I saw was some young girl from work, who happens to live in his neighborhood, having a crush on him. All I saw was Ba Bi trying to avoid any awkward situations by moving from that neighborhood. I never doubted for a second that he really loved Yumi. What the hell was she thinking? He has no control over what other people feel for him. How insecure is she? And how mean? Who the hell breaks up on Christmas Eve? With someone you supposedly care about? Let’s not even get into the fact that Ba Bi was extremely tolerant of her still being in contact with her ex-boyfriend. But when he thinks some random girl is cute, without ever planning on acting on that, he’s kicked to the curb. Unbelievable.

And that is my main point of criticism of this show. The plot just doesn’t make sense. Clearly, the plan was all along to have Yumi and Ba Bi break up. But the writer designed the character of Ba Bi too perfectly. Had he cheated, sure. But he didn’t. So the break-up here is not due to a lack of communicating but a lack of logic, and I just cannot stand that in a drama. I can handle fantasy elements and flying unicorns, but they need to act so it makes sense. (Side note: I thought Twenty-Five Twenty-One was the best drama ever, until that writer, too, decided to cling to her original plan of having the main characters break up, even though that made zero sense the way they were portrayed, zero, boy I am still so mad about that… ok end of side note.)

Should you watch Season 2? Definitely the first few episodes but then brace yourself for Yumi turning into a different person from Season 1, much less likeable and acting quite irrationally. Some people have commented that it’s great that she puts herself first as a writer, but she could have done that without breaking up with Ba Bi, who actually steered her on the path to becoming a writer. In fact, both of her boyfriends were nothing but supportive the entire time.

One can only hope that Season 3, should there be one, is more like the first season, which was excellent in every way.

Read More

Excellent Historical Drama - Don't Miss It!

While scrolling through the comments for another drama, I noticed that Bossam - Steal the Fate was mentioned several times as it has the same two leads. I had never heard of that show. But, having a soft spot for historical dramas, I decided to give it a try. And it was excellent! From the interesting storyline to the plot twists and the outstanding acting, it came pretty close to being perfect.

Let’s address the main criticism about the show first, the lack of physical scenes between the protagonists. I agree that it’s a valid point. Other than a few hugs, the rest is left to imagination. Which in itself is not a bad thing. It’s actually a strong point of K-dramas that they are not as explicit as American or European shows, where these kinds of scenes usually contribute nothing to the plot and are totally gratuitous. But the romance in Bossam is so beautiful and so well-acted, you just want more. In one scene, she calls out his name for the first time and the way he looks at her melts your heart. Incredible acting from both. I have no explanation as to why there were no kissing scenes because I’m pretty sure even in 16something, people did kiss each other.

Now to the highlights of this drama. Obviously, the acting. The entire cast did an outstanding job. Jung Il Woo is just a fantastic actor and he portrayed the main character so well. Kwon Yu Ri as the princess was full of quiet dignity. Shin Hyun Soo as the troubled second male lead was so touching it made me almost root for him. The supporting cast was great as well. I especially liked the maid, who was so fierce in defending the princess and was written as a really strong female character, which is rarely the case in historical dramas.

The plotline was interesting and despite having 20 episodes, this drama never felt draggy or boring. Something exciting happened in every episode, the fortunes of the main characters changed all the time and there were plenty of plot twists and fight scenes and romantic moments to keep me very well entertained. I didn’t expect much from this drama because the rating is on the low side, but it is truly excellent. Highly recommended.

Read More

Wonderful but with Some Unanswered Questions

I watched this drama as it was running and looked forward to each new episode, always a good sign. There are a few minor flaws but overall, this is a wonderful show. The premise of an autistic attorney working in her first job and dealing with the challenges this brings was really interesting and unique. The portrayal by Park Eun Bin was fantastic. (Not necessarily realistic in the sense that yes, autistic people are exactly like that, but consistent and believable as a character.) All the actors deserved high praise, with a special shout-out to Kang Tae Oh, who portrayed the sweet male lead to perfection.

Apart from the acting, I also liked that the court cases were not your typical serial killer stuff but more mundane and a bit odd even. Some commenters thought they were boring, but I appreciated the uniqueness. Many legal dramas have courtroom scenes that stretch from here to eternity but this one kept them reasonably short and mixed them with scenes in the law office, out in the field doing research (watch out for the truck of doom!), or after work, at home, in the bar etc. There is some romance, and a very, very beautiful first kiss scene, but romance is not the main point, so even people who don’t care for that kind of stuff should be able to enjoy this show.

Now to the flaws, which became more obvious towards the end of the show. This drama obviously focuses on the title character, but forgets to answer some basic questions about the other characters, especially about the male lead. Where does he come from and how is he so wonderful? Why does one of the attorneys turn from total jerk to Mr. Nice Guy? Why did one of the characters not go to the military? (I kept waiting for some dramatic reveal the entire show!) A little more background information about the supporting characters would have been nice, because they are really interesting characters and I would have liked to know more about them.

One more thing: I thought that the last episode was a bit of a let-down, mostly from the romance point of view. Sure, not the main point of the show, but still. Definitely a missed opportunity. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama and can definitely recommend it.

Read More

Actually Quite Good

I stumbled upon this drama while checking the “Coming Soon” info in Viki. The title was interesting and so was the synopsis mentioning Sherlock Holmes (I have read every Sherlock Holmes story several times), so I put it on my Watchlist. Slightly deterred by the low ranking, but determined to give it a try, I started this show expecting a charming tale about amateur sleuths, some light-hearted banter, perhaps a bloated corpse or two, but overall a pleasant experience.

Ha! What I got was a dark tale of murder, rape, sexual abuse, lies, blackmail and yes, there was a bloated corpse. And a corpse in a car on fire. And a corpse on the beach with only one set of footsteps (but we all know it’s not suicide!). So once I adjusted my mindset, I began to enjoy the drama. It reminded me of British mystery shows, with the setting not the dark underbelly of London but the – for me – exotic location of Taiwan. I had never watched a Taiwanese show before, so that part alone was interesting. Dark and gritty, with many ambiguous characters who hide secrets, and lie to their friends, and yet we can understand why they act the way they act. I enjoy shows where not everything is black and white, good vs evil, and this one certainly fit that bill.

The murder mystery plot itself was okay, nothing spectacular but certainly not boring. There are only 10 episodes of about 45 min each, so it was a relatively quick watch. If you’re a fan of the crime & mystery genre, and want to watch something a little different, give this one a try.

Read More

Criminally Underrated

With a 8.2 rating on MDL, I didn’t expect much but decided to watch Another Miss Oh anyway because it kept popping up on lists of good romcoms, which I quite enjoy if they are actually funny and not a collection of stupid jokes and embarrassing scenes. This show really took me by surprise with how good it was. While there is some potty humor (literally), it’s mostly a beautiful story of how two people fall in love even though the odds are very much against them.

The plot is very intricate, starting out with the male lead being responsible for ruining the female lead’s wedding because he confused her with another woman with the same name, who just happens to be his ex. Naturally, they fall in love, but there are many obstacles to overcome and it’s great to see how hard they fight for their relationship. Instead of feeling insecure after being dumped a day before her wedding, our heroine pursues love wholeheartedly and without holding back. Other reviewers thought she was clingy and desperate; I felt she was quite the opposite, hopeful and determined to find happiness with the right guy.

Many of the supporting characters are on the quirky side, the eccentric sister, the crazy brother and his even crazier girlfriend, the supportive parents (unusual in a K-drama, right?), the evil CEO… All very entertaining and there are many funny scenes. A slight supernatural element works well with the plot. The actors were absolutely perfect in their roles. And of course, the kisses… ooh lala. I often find these scenes a bit cringeworthy or worse, utterly unbelievable, but not here. Oh no.

If you are looking for a well-made romcom with a strong emphasis on love, family and friendship, this is a great show to watch. I have no idea why it’s not rated much higher.

Read More

Messy Script and Missed Opportunity

I really, really wanted to like this drama. The premise was pretty unique. Our heroine has magical abilities that might help our hero out of his misfortunes. That set-up should make for a cute story, right? Plus I absolutely loved Na In Woo in Mr Queen and was happy to see he was cast as the main lead.

The first few episodes were fine. The female lead annoyed me at first but then grew on me. She’s basically like Giselle in Enchanted. The market people were over the top but the entire show was a bit cartoonish so I could live with that. The villains were pretty well portrayed, again a bit over the top but ok. And then… it almost felt like someone took over the second half of the script who didn’t read the first part. Nothing made sense anymore. The light-hearted feeling of the first few episodes was just gone.

At times, I felt bad for the actors who had to deal with this messy script. I usually don’t pay much attention to the directing but in this case, it was just jarring, scenes jumbled or randomly cut together and apparently no instructions to the actors about varying their expressions. Several comments in particular criticized the second male lead for that, but I think he was just limited by the script to be this stoic character.

I thought about dropping this show but then kept going, and it did get better in the last few episodes. But I finished it with a strong feeling of watching a missed opportunity.

Read More

Unexpectedly Good

Boxing is about the last topic I would have picked to watch, but I noticed the overall favorable comments while this show was running and gave it a shot. It was unexpectedly good. The story was interesting and quite unique, the characters were well developed and I always appreciate a strong female lead. The fact that not all of the characters, including the male lead, were in strict good vs. evil categories was another plus. There was a lot of gray area.

The story is actually less about boxing and more about finding yourself and going forward on a path you chose for yourself, not a path someone else chose for you. There are some fight scenes (and I could not help wondering why on earth anybody would consider this fun), but it was not the main focus of the show. The final match was exciting and a perfect ending to the story.

Unexpectedly good was also the slowly developing romance between the two main characters. I usually find enemies-to-lovers plotlines quite entertaining anyway, and this one was very cute. It’s handled in a quiet way, like she tells him to go away, then looks for him when he doesn’t show up for their morning run... ah yes, it was rather adorable. The age gap, and I’m only mentioning it because of a few negative comments, was about 10 fictional years and did not matter one bit. She is an adult and makes her own decisions now. He helps her on the way. They both end up caring for each other vey much. The chemistry between them was great.

I would recommend this show to anyone who enjoys a unique story, appreciates strong female characters, and/or likes a slow burn romance.

Read More

A Pleasant One-Time Watch

I mostly picked this drama because I had just watched Park Eun Bin in Extraordinary Attorney Woo and was really impressed by her acting skills. She is just as outstanding in this drama. It’s amazing that the same person is playing the title character both shows.

The plot is quite intriguing. The twin sister replaces the crown prince and faces constant exposure and challenges, such as having to get married at some point. And produce an heir, good luck with that… Many gender-switching shows are very taxing on the viewer because the character is so very obviously NOT a boy or a girl. (Love in the Moonlight, I’m looking at you! Let’s pick the prettiest girl and everyone will believe she’s a boy… seriously…) Here, while we know the crown prince is played by a woman, it is not entirely unrealistic that people around her would believe her to be a young man.

The first few episodes are really good, there’s some fight scenes and the romance between our two protagonists develops nicely from when they were children. But then further into the show nothing really happens. It became extremely draggy. I kept watching because surely, at some point, it would pick up speed… and the last few episodes were definitely better, with lots of action and plot twists. But instead of 20 episodes, 12 episodes would have been sufficient to tell the story.

As others have mentioned, the cinematography in this drama is stunning. The setting for some of the romantic scenes at the home outside the palace was just gorgeous. Another high point was the acting. Though some of the characters were written a bit one-dimensional – like the bodyguard, very pleasing on the eyes for sure, but that seemed to be the main characteristic, and even our male hero lacked a bit of spark – the actors all did a fine job. A special mention goes to Bae Soo Bin, who was excellent as the ambiguous father of the male protagonist. The two supporting female characters were also quite well portrayed, which was a nice contrast to many other historical dramas where the female supporting cast is often forgettable.

Would I recommend this drama? Well, I did enjoy it overall due to the interesting storyline, the acting and the beautiful cinematography. But it’s not something I would watch again, unlike for example Mr Queen or Bossam, which I enjoyed much more.

Read More

An unexpected delight

I almost didn’t watch Happiness. The horror genre is not my thing and I don’t enjoy being scared silly. However, the rating was so high, and I really liked Park Hyung Shik in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, so I gave it a try.

Turns out that this is a fantastic show which just got better with each episode. If you are hesitating because like me, you don’t really like horror, as long as you can handle some gore and a few suspenseful moments, go for it. The main theme is the analysis of how people react when put into the extreme position of a lockdown. Do you help each other? Take advantage of each other? Steal from each other? Kill each other?

The show has so many unexpected twists and turns that it was highly entertaining throughout. I wish it had a few more episodes actually; the ending felt a bit short and left some open questions as to what happened to some of the characters. That’s really the only reason I didn’t rate it a 10.

All the actors did great, but the two main leads were just extraordinary and made Happiness truly special. Apart from everything else, this drama offers a great portrayal of a loving relationship. The main characters are both so supportive of each other, it is a joy to watch. Also, please let there be more shows with strong female leads like this. Many shows start out with a spunky girl who, after a few episodes, becomes weak and forgets she has a black belt in karate. Not in this case. Our heroine stays strong and committed and does kick butt until the last episode.

Read More

Outstanding

The Worst of Evil is an outstanding Kdrama, and not just in the noir genre. It is a fascinating story with captivating characters, stellar acting, great action sequences, THAT KISS, a touch of classic tragedy and a real departure from simplistic black-and-white storytelling. Very few of the characters in this drama are actually good, some are very very bad, and most of them fall somewhere in between.

The intriguing plot revolves around our policeman hero who goes undercover, partially to impress his wife’s family who think she married the wrong guy, and ends up working for his wife’s ex-boyfriend who is now a gangster and decidedly not a good person - though we forget that pretty quickly thanks to his charisma. The wife, anxious to help, gets involved with her ex, while our hero catches the fancy of a drug lord’s daughter, and is torn between real affection for the girl and loyalty to his wife. This is where the element of a classic tragedy comes into play. The wife only gets involved to help her husband, who only got involved in the first place to get her family off her back, and in a bitter case of irony, that is what destroys their marriage in the end.

The characters are so well written that I found myself rooting for the bad guys on numerous occasions. When their bag of drugs is stolen, my first thought was Oh No! before catching myself. These people make a living off the misery of others, but we don’t really care, do we, since many of the “bad” characters are really charming or have redeeming qualities. The drug lord’s daughter easily could have been a cliched figure, but she is ultimately just a girl unloved by her father, who’s a constant threat in the background, with her bodyguard / replacement father figure the only person she trusts until she meets our hero. And while not all if the gangsters are really bad, many of the “good guys" are not good at all. There is so much corruption and blind ambition displayed by some of the policemen that it is clear that the line between good and evil blurred a long time ago.

I can highly recommend this show to anyone who enjoys the crime & mystery genre, great storytelling, or just something very far removed from the bubbly secretary and chaebol heir type of stories (though I quite enjoy these stories too). My one and only point of criticism was actually the wife’s character. Not that she hooked up with her ex, because she had a good reason. No, I thought she is way too passive during the big fight, especially as a trained policewoman. Generally speaking, nothing riles me up more than the female character just standing by while her boyfriend gets beaten up, or falling over in a dead swoon as he comes to her rescue. This is a recurring theme in Kdramas, Hollywood movies, fairytales and just about everywhere else, and it’s bloody annoying. Other than that, this drama was a perfect 10.

Read More

Heartwarming, Sad, Hopeful and Amazing

Since I usually prefer dramas that are happy, happy, happy, I was a bit hesitant to watch Tomorrow because of the topic. Suicide is a tragedy and this show would clearly not be full of laughter and cheer. But the reviews were so good that I decided to watch it anyway. And I ended up giving it a 10, which rarely do.

From the unique concept – suicide prevention by grim reapers, of all people – to the touching backstory set in Joseon times, from the flawless acting to the captivating individual stories told in each episode, this drama is heartwarming, sad, hopeful and absolutely amazing. Each episode addresses the question why someone would not want to see tomorrow and take their own life today. Loneliness, bullying, guilt, heartbreak… whatever the reason, we as the viewer understand and feel the character’s pain. And yet, we also see that this is not the solution, that family and friends will be devastated, that there is in fact a tomorrow that is worth living for. Is it a bit too simplistic at times? Perhaps. But the overall message is powerful and uplifting.

I cannot say enough good things about how good the acting was. The four main characters in particular were portrayed sublimely well. I especially loved Kim Hee Sun as the female lead with her passionate approach to her job. And Rowoon was perfect as the accidental grim reaper, idealistic and with a strong sense for justice.

This show is so good that I would absolutely rewatch it and consider it time well spent. Highly recommended. Just be sure there is a box of tissues nearby.

Read More

An Enjoyable Watch

I watched this drama as it was airing and always looked forward to the next episode, a sure sign that a drama is pretty good. If watching feels like a chore, why bother? Yes, yes, of course I have slogged through a couple of shows I really didn’t enjoy – but this one I did. Here’s why:

1. Interesting premise. Our heroine opens a café with a legal aid office and deals with different issues such as bullying, child neglect and sexual harassment in a very refreshing and no-nonsense way. The cases were interesting and showed the human aspect, not court proceedings.
2. Strong female lead. I really liked the main character a lot. She is outspoken without being obnoxious, dedicated, with a strong sense for what is right and what is wrong. Excellently portrayed by Lee Se Young.
3. Surprisingly good romance. While the “fake dating turns into the real thing” is nothing new, it was still very well executed und even unexpectedly passionate.

There were a few things I didn’t like. Some of the supporting characters were annoying, like the ahjummas and the over-the-top crazy uncle. The café staff, on the other hand, was pretty good. One had an interesting backstory and the other was portrayed by Kim Do Hoon, who played a poor tortured soul in Today’s Webtoon. It was delightful to see him as a happy camper here.

The writing was rather uneven. The show wavered between interesting scenes and dull dialogues, total clichés like the murdered father (are there any fathers actually surviving in Korea?) and fresh scenarios like openly discussing birth control. A scene would be pretty boring and then suddenly a character would elevate it by uttering some profound wisdom. I was struck by this several times.

Would I watch it again? Hm, maybe some scenes. It is well worth a one-time watch though, if for nothing else than the memorable female lead.

Read More

Very Enjoyable and Very Funny

This highly enjoyable show has a fabulous female protagonist and a sweet love story, but also contains some unexpected deeper issues that elevate it from being just a fluffy romcom. It is also very, very funny. Some of the scenes made me laugh out loud. Kim Sun Ah, who plays the title character, is a comedic genius. I also really enjoyed Hyun Bin as the main lead. I had only seen him in Crash Landing on You before and it was neat to see him in his early 20s. Quite dashing in both shows, of course!

The plot, at first look, is the usual love triangle, but our male lead agonizes over who to pick and then does not go with the obvious choice. He’s torn between his old girlfriend, who re-appears after three years and is outwardly perfect for him, and his new love interest Sam Soon, who is unlike any woman he’s ever met before. “You’re very direct,” several people tell her, and indeed she does not mince words or avoid confrontations. We’ve all been in situations where we thought afterwards about the clever things we could have said, except for Sam Soon, who will chase down that other person right away and tell ‘em straight what’s on her mind. I absolutely loved her. She is outrageously funny and if I ever climb Mount Hallasan, I’ll think of her!

Watching this drama in 2022, I thought it had aged pretty well, except the characters keep hitting each other and that, I think (hope), would not be written in a script like that today. But it did not really distract me too much and nobody is beaten to a pulp, so I just rolled with it.

One of the topics this show addresses is age difference – she is a few years older than him, but they assure the parents that that’s a trend now, lol. Another main topic is body image. Unfortunately, basically nothing has changed since 2005. Sam Soon is constantly called chubby and overweight and sees herself like that, too. I thought she just looked totally normal. It’s very encouraging to see that the attractive male lead picks her over her super skinny rival. There is a sweet scene where she is being criticized for her weight and he just replies that she fits perfectly into his arms. Awww…

I enjoyed this show very much and seriously wonder why it’s not rated higher. Watch it if you want to laugh a quite a bit and/or want to see one of the best female protagonists in Kdramaland.

Read More

What on Earth Was That?

Having joined the Kdrama world in 2020, I like to watch some older shows in between the new ones, just to catch up a little. Kill Me, Heal Me has a 8.7 rating on this website, a very interesting premise and the main actor is Ji Seong, who I quite liked in The Devil Judge. Therefore, I was fully expecting to enjoy this show. Instead, I kept asking myself what the hell I was watching.

The plot made no sense, and I don’t mean the multiple personality part but the entire damn plot. Nobody acts logical in this drama, nobody communicates, nobody is just a normal person. All the characters are over the top but not in an entertaining way, just annoying and like caricatures. The female lead has been mentioned numerous times as being extremely loud and that is an understatement (though I will admit that some of the scenes with her brother were pretty funny). There is one stupid trope after another - from childhood trauma to evil corporate executives, it’s all there. I slogged through the episodes thinking there would be some exciting reveal or at least an explanation so it would all make sense in the end but no, not really. I could not wait to finish this drama just to be done with it.

The redeeming factor is of course Ji Seong’s amazing portrayal of the multiple personalities. Just stunning to watch. Every character looks different even without the visual aid of clothes or a tattoo that appears (which I thought was just how he saw himself, not what was actually there.) The portrayal of the teenage girl personality was absolutely hysterical. And the “bad guy” personality was just wow. I didn’t get any bad vibes there and the female lead certainly didn’t either...

Sadly, this outstanding piece of acting did not save the show from being a mess. I absolutely recommend to NOT watch it and pick something else instead. For an older show with mental health as a topic, It’s Okay, That’s Love, was much more realistic and very heart-warming as well.

Read More