What a wasted opportunity for bromance and female friendship and a crazy, amnesiatic murderer.

Everything the writers promised, they ended up letting us down on. The romance was infuriating/incredibly boring. Instead of exploring the idea of friendship and betrayal and forgiveness, we just walked in a circle for 20 episodes. (I REFUSE TO SAY IT WAS 40 BECAUSE THIS NEW NUMBERING SYSTEM IS STUPID!!!!) And the one and only time I've actually been Excited to see amnesia in a drama (wait. it's not one of our leads who gets amnesia? it's...the murderer?! what a fascinating idea. yes please!)...it turned out to be basically a non plot-point. Why'd they even try to market the story around it if it was going to be that insignificant???

I hate this drama. I hate it with every fiber of my being. My actual rating is negative 100.

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I binge-watched this in one sitting and....I kind of regret it. It had a great start, really fun opening on our main characters, who they are and their contract relationship. Things happen a little too quickly in ep 1, but the first 5 eps overall are solidly enjoyable. But then....choices are made in the story, and not all of them are the greatest.

First, there's the fact that the male lead has an unrequited love for his brother's wife. The backstory of how this happened is very believable and realistic, and I certainly feel for him, but...that's your brother's wife, man. The second the two of them became serious, you should have dealt with those feelings and moved past them. Not hid them in your heart so you could 'love her in secret'. That is not appropriate. There are a couple of moments that are particularly uncomfortable and concerning, because they lean dangerously close to him trying to turn his 'secret love' into not so much of a secret. Thankfully, that does not happen, and by the end of the series, he has made the decision to move on. But he should have made that decision much sooner.

The story also has no consistent message on marriage, whether it's for it or against it, and that makes the latter half of the drama completely confusing. I personally am for marriage and commitment, and I would have been very happy if the story had ended pro-marriage and commitment. But even if the story had ended up saying 'Marriage is not for everyone', at least it would have said something. As is, I couldn't figure out what message they were trying to convey.

Lastly, the male lead is a confusing character. He starts off very brooding and serious, which works well, but halfway through he becomes this inexperienced shy guy, and it feels like a 180. It's not that I have a problem with him being inexperienced and shy, but it doesn't feel natural to his character. They definitely could have done a better job of revealing this side of him.

I think some dramas are great at creating forward motion in their stories, keeping you watching even when you start to question the writing choices. This is one of those dramas. I was invested almost the entire time, but I was also increasingly more confused by the story in the second half. So while I'm sure some people would enjoy this drama, it wasn't for me.

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I've watched enough dramas in my life at this point to know that they have a habit of falling apart, and the longer they are, the more chance there is of that happening. It's part of why I've always avoided longer dramas. I can't handle that level of investment if it's all just going to end in disappointment. I was wary going into Legally Romance, as 33 eps is way longer than what I typically am willing to watch. (16 or less is what I tend to stick with.) And at various points while watching, I was unsure how well the writers would be able to handle the story they had created. There are a lot of moving parts to this drama and a lot of elements that have to be done just right for the story to succeed.

And I'm happy to say that not only does Legally Romance succeed, it's also a damn good drama. Consistent from start to finish with absolutely wonderful characters, a use of law that actually makes sense (I mean, I understood the things they said, so that's already a plus), a very moving plotline involving family and loss and grief, two SWOONworthy romances, literally laugh-out-loud comedy, and so much cute I feel like the little girl and her stuffed animal from Despicable Me, I really can't offer up any complaints. I was unsure how they were going to make the transition from Qian Wei's dream world back to her real-life, as we spent a really long time in her dream-world, and if the story were going to fall apart somewhere that would definitely be the place for it to happen. Thankfully, they handled the transition very well, and you don't feel like you're suddenly watching a different drama.

I will admit that once we were brought back into the modern day, non-dream world, I had to make more of a conscious effort to stay invested in the story. The dream-world and the real world have very intentionally different tones, and I LOVED the tone of her dream-world. Qian Wei's dream-world is very colorful and fun and almost straight comedy. There's a lot of cute bickering and romantic development and character development and situational comedy, and it's all just so deliciously pleasant to watch. Her modern-day life, however, is a lot heavier with a lot of focus on law/business machinations, Qian Wei having to reckon with the fact that her dream world was only a dream world and her real-life could use some TLC, and some genuinely emotionally wrought situations. I do prefer Qian Wei's dream-world, but only because it was just so much fun. Both parts of the story are equally compelling and tightly plotted/written, and my preference is just that, a preference.

Speaking of law, it really felt like the laws they referenced and discussed were real laws in China. Whether they are actually followed or enforced is another matter, but they were realistic enough for me think the writers might have consulted with actual Chinese lawyers. I also couldn't help but wonder if the writers were subtly trying to raise Chinese citizens awareness to Chinese law, something I really appreciate if it's true.

And one last note, but I'm very surprised this drama got by the Chinese censors. There were so many references to foreign pop cultures, even a Japanese pop culture reference! I don't know how the writers got away with it, but they were really fun little asides, and I'm glad they put them in.

This is definitely a 10 out of 10 drama, and if you're curious to check it out, I would highly recommend.

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What a moving movie this was, a story about the impact a mother has on the people around her, from her daughter to her estranged husband to a lost child to all the other people the mother meets on her journey. There are multiple different characters in this film, but for all intents and purposes, the three women of the family, Futaba, Azumi, and Ayuko, are the main characters and the ones whose stories the film is really trying to tell.

I found Futaba herself to be the sort of woman I wish I could be. Tough, resilient, refuses to quit or back down. And she could quit. She could give up, and you would completely understand why. As you discover over the course of the story, life has not been easy for her. But Futaba never quits. She has a determination that pushes her and pushes her and pushes her and that pushes the people around her as well. It's ultimately her perseverance that moves this movie along and makes you want to invest in the characters lives and well-being.

I appreciated all of the little ways Futaba worked to teach Azumi how to be brave and bold and courageous. First, she lead by example with the way she lived her own life. Second, she pushed Azumi when she needed to, sometimes thrusting her into the deep end where she had no choice but to swim. When Azumi stripped down to her underwear in the middle of class to reveal the new underwear Futaba had given her 'for that special moment when you need it', I was proud of her courage. I was also kind of uncomfortable. I certainly understand Why she did it, and I can admit that it was ultimately very affective at getting her point across, but I will never be totally comfortable with very young actors/actresses stripping down for the camera. There's just a feeling of exploitation that I cannot shake.

Regardless, the lessons Futaba had been teaching Azumi up to that point were clearly sinking in. I think the only thing Futaba did that I found disappointing and somewhat upsetting in her effort to teach Azumi to be more resilient was the way she revealed to Azumi that she was adopted. I was initially confused and somewhat turned off by the plot twist as it seemed like not only overkill for the story but a rather cruel approach. But it was handled in an interesting and ultimately positive way, and it was clearly set up to happen from the beginning of the story, so I can't say that it was poorly written or planned out. Now that I'm a few days away from having watched this film, I'm not as bothered by the twist as I was, and I think I've almost come around to it, but it might take another viewing for me to feel truly comfortable with it.

Futaba's easy acceptance of Ayuko is another particularly impactful part of the film. The way she embraces Ayuko into the fold of their family so naturally, not making a big deal out of it or making a point of it, but treating it like it's just a normal thing, 'Ayuko was an orphan, and now she's not. Could you please pass the ketchup?,' this could feel a bit insulting to us westerners, because we like to acknowledge the unfairness of the abandoned child's situation and openly discuss it so as to give the child the space to express their own feelings. And I won't lie and say that I Like Japan's non-response way of dealing with difficult situations like this one. But in a culture like Japan where so many things are often left unsaid and left unaddressed and just flat out ignored, I do think it was the most thoughtful and appropriate way of dealing with the situation if you're Not going to bring it all out into the open and talk it through.

Now, throughout the movie, you think Futaba cares so much for Azumi and Ayuko because she's just a deeply giving and loving person (and I think that is still part of the reason), but you discover towards the end that there's another more secret reason, something that connects her to these two girls in a deeply emotional way and makes her all the more determined to give them the best chance in life they can get.

And that is that Futaba was an orphan herself.

What's particularly impactful about this reveal is that you can see how easy it would have been for Futaba to say 'these kids are not my problem.' We see in many other Japanese films and dramas, etc. that being an orphan in Japanese culture is not exactly accepted or understood by broader society, and those who are orphans or from deeply broken homes typically hide this fact about themselves from others once they get older. But another, equally unfortunate, aspect of this is that those who are/were orphaned, etc. often refuse to associate with anyone else who was/is orphaned as well. The shame associated with being an orphan, and the reminder it can give you of your own shame, can be particularly potent in many societies like Japans.

This is where Futaba's unwavering commitment to her own principles shines the most. Not only does Futaba refuse to do this to Azumi and Ayuko, refuses to abandon them like she was abandoned, like they have both already Been abandoned, she instead goes above and beyond to provide them with all of the love and encouragement and instruction she can. Those kids are going to have a decent chance in life if she has anything to say about it.

Of course, Futaba has her own struggles, her own inner demons, and we eventually get a glimpse of them towards the end of the film. Her desire to be loved and accepted by her birth mother, her deep-seated anger with Azumi's birth mother for abandoning her, her own fear of being alone/abandoned by those she loves, all tied into her experience of being abandoned, orphaned, unwanted much of her life and all pushing her to work twice as hard to make sure those around her don't go through the same thing.

I will be honest here and say that I do wish that the reason characters in Japanese films or dramas are so sacrificial and willing to just accept others with difficult backgrounds wasn't always because they themselves come from the same or similar backgrounds. I would like to see more of these stories show regular people who maybe haven't experienced the level of heartache the three leads in Bathwater have doing the right thing simply because...it's the right thing to do. But when a story is as compelling as our three female leads, I can accept that maybe this just wasn't the right movie for that to happen in.

Now, before I end this review, I want to address the elephant in the room of this movie, that being Futaba's husband, Kazuhiro.

Kazuhiro is a big, fat coward.

While I'm glad she tracked him down and brought him back, because he's ultimately the one who should be responsible for Azumi (and later Ayuko's) upbringing, boiiiiiiiiiii does he piss you off. His reason for leaving the family has got to be about the dumbest thing ever, and I want to smack him upside the head a few times just to release my frustration. A woman shows up at his house and says 'this is your daughter because we had sex together once,' he just assumes she's telling the truth, and instead of sitting down with his wife and talking the situation out with her....he just up and leaves to go live with this woman and her daughter whom she has not proved is his in the first place. On the one hand, I'm extremely glad he did it, because Ayuko probably would have never found a family of her own and possibly could have ended up in a much worse situation. I'm glad that through his dumbass idiocy, Kazuhiro and Futaba and Azumi were able to become her family. But boy if he didn't have to take the dumbest route to that outcome. Credit where credit is due, he does come back to the family once she tracks him down, he does make an effort to be involved once he gets back, and by the end of the movie, I felt pretty reassured that he wouldn't run off and abandon his family again. But oh my GAD, was he stupid.

There are a couple of other characters who play a valuable role in this film, namely the hitchhiking kid and Azumi's birth mom, but Bathwater isn't their story. It isn't Kazuhiro's story. Futaba, Azumi, and Ayuko are the heart and soul of Bathwater, and it's story was theirs and theirs alone.

And for that, I'm grateful that this film exists.

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I've struggled when it comes to Japanese dramas. I have frequently found myself starting a Jdrama and quickly noping out because it's not anything like what I wanted/expected. First and foremost, I don't trust any Jdrama genre tags. Just because it says romance or rom-com (totally unrelated example; not the bane of my Jdrama existence or anything) doesn't mean there will be the kind of romance or romantic comedy you're looking for. Second, there appears to be a much wider variety of subject matter when it comes to Jdramas compared to Kdramas (my personal drama country go to), which makes it that much harder to find that specific type of drama you're looking for. Third, it kind of feels like Jdrama production teams are just experimenting by throwing things at the wall and seeing what works and then sometimes not even really caring if it doesn't work. And fourth, everything about Jdrama production is just Different. Different acting styles, different camerawork, different forms of story-telling, etc. etc. etc. I've had to come to the conclusion in recent months that in order to find, watch, and enjoy Jdramas, I have to leave All my expectations at the door, because they most likely won't be met except in the exact moments when I'm not looking.

I tell you all of this to say that when I find a Jdrama that works for me, it's kind of a big deal. And this Jdrama worked for me. Very, very, deeply worked for me.

There's honestly not a single thing about this drama I could complain about. We're presented with an unusual, but still very real and relatable and easy to connect with family who may fuss and fight but will always love each other at the end of the day; multiple life situations grounded in reality and tackled by our characters in satisfying ways; and a female lead who may be spoiled, but who is easily one of the kindest, most determined, easiest to root for female leads in all of Asian drama history. Kahoko is just likable, and you want to see her succeed.

I highly recommend this drama to anyone who watches Asian dramas.

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This is a cute little movie that will make you smile and laugh and maybe squeal a little at the adorableness. I liked the past-day couple more than the present-day couple, mainly because we spend so little time with our present-day couple getting to know them and I have a soft-spot for innocent teen romance stories, but both couples are pretty easy to root for. I also didn’t find the dramatic bits of the story, the secondary female leads illness/the subsequent break up of the past-couple’s relationship/the eventual reunion of the past-couple as adults, all that compelling or interesting, because I honestly just wanted to see them together when they were young, but this isn’t a movie requiring a lot of investment/commitment to that part of the plot, so it’s not too hard to overlook. At the end of the day, this movie is meant to be fluffy and fun and easy to watch, and it succeeds in every respect.

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I'm giving this web drama a 7.5 purely based on my own personal enjoyment of it, not because of quality. In terms of quality, it's very well-done and definitely deserves an overall rating of 10. It just didn't quite hit me where I like stories to hit me.

As far as what the story is like, it's slice of life told in a series of vignettes with food playing an important role. The story isn't About food. It's about the female lead's life and where it takes her. But food is a prevalent theme as the female lead enjoys cooking, and every episode involves an important meal which you are later given a full recipe on how to make. It's not a unique setup at this point in dramaland, but this is definitely an example of the setup done right.

If you enjoy food dramas, and you enjoy web dramas, you will enjoy this drama.

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Updated Review 2022:

I finished my first rewatch of Shopping King Louis this past weekend, and I'm so happy I decided to watch it again. First of all, I loved it my first watch through. The story and the characters were effortlessly charming, and the story was great fun to watch. It was a feel-good drama from beginning to end. Upon rewatching, however, I've realized that this drama is so much better than I remembered it being, and now I love it even more. Truthfully, I'm surprised at how incredibly well-crafted this drama is and how well it still holds up. Kdramas from its time tended to have problems with plot consistency, particularly towards the end, but this drama kept itself in check the entire time. There's not a single dropped or unsatisfactorily wrapped up plot point to be found here. And the story itself isn't just fluffy entertainment (although it is certainly entertaining in a delightfully fluffy way). Shopping King Louis has some real meat on its bones, something I don't think I particularly appreciated the first time I watched it.

For example, the writers never rely (not even once) on drawn out conflict or misunderstandings (like most dramas of its time) to keep the plot moving and the audience interested/watching. When issues are introduced, they are summarily addressed in an appropriate manner at an appropriate time. There are no nonsensical misunderstandings or randomly added conflicts that serve to do nothing more than frustrate the viewer. Everything is there for a purpose, and everything ties together in realistic and valuable ways. What's better, the drama has a consistent habit of bringing back small moments from early in the drama to give them greater meaning in the overall story. Nothing is superfluous or wasted.

And the one part of the story that would have been the easiest to mishandle, the leads separation after learning what happened to the Bok Shil's brother and how that connects Bok Shil and Louis to each other, is done to superb affect. I initially went into the break-up and separation kicking and screaming, because like most drama lovers who've been watching dramas for a long time, we've been down this road many times before and have the trauma to prove it. But they utilized the cliche/trope So. Well. in Shopping King that I had to change my mind. I do wish Bok Shil and Louis could have come to the conclusion on their own that they wanted to stay together, because they ultimately love each other and there's clearly no anger or hurt towards each other over what happened so what are they separating for anyway, but I have to give the drama the credit it is so obviously due and admit that the break-up/separation was used really well and furthered the story in a meaningful way.

In closing, this is a total comfort drama, perfect for when you when you want a story that will make you feel good. I absolutely stand by everything I said in my original MDL review and then some, so I'll just add it here:

The romance is bubblegum sweet, the story is gentle and heartwarming, the twists smart and unexpected. The characters make you smile and laugh and cry and smile some more. It's basically like one big, exhilarating, endorphin releasing shopping trip, but without any regret. Everything you bought is exactly what you wanted for exactly the right price. This is going in my list of favorite drama's, Pronto!

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While I don't know that this drama will leave a lasting impression on me, I enjoyed watching it. It's sweet and funny and tender hearted with a wonderful set of characters, and I even ended up enjoying the setting.

But while I think the leads were well suited for each other, and I don't have a problem with the pairing at all, my second lead feels were very, very strong. I don't know if that's because I wanted him and the lead together, or I just wanted to see him find someone too, but that boy was just too cute for his own good, and I honestly could watch an entire drama just about him finding a girl of his own.

My only complaint is that the romance is not fully resolved at the end, and I hate unresolved romance. Like a lot. Still, I think it's worth watching.

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With dramas like this, I don't know how useful it is to critique them based on any sort of serious metric. True Beauty was never going to be deep-thinking or artistically minded or particularly focused on it's writing, and you're setting yourself up for disappointment by taking it too seriously. So while it ultimately doesn't have very much depth, I'm not upset about it. I just wish I'd been able to finish the drama with the same level of enjoyment as when I started.

Unfortunately, the reality of dramaland is that for some dramas, the first half feels one way and the second half feels another, and you don't know how to feel about the drama as a whole, and that's definitely what True Beauty was like for me.

The first half was my jam. It wasn't stellarly written, by any means, but it did all of the things I wanted it to with a cast of likable characters, and that was enough. But the second half was equal parts plodding, occasionally frustrating, and sometimes even boring. The theme of confidence and self-acceptance and what beauty really means really takes a backseat. There are a number of genuinely moving moments, but the drama ultimately doesn't do a very deep, or consistent, exploration of these issues. And then the last two episodes not only have very little to do with any of this but they also focus on secondary issues that don't make sense being so far in the forefront of the story.

If you want a drama that broaches it's topics with thoughtfulness and some level of depth and consistency, you're better off watching a drama like My ID is Gangnam Beauty. While not perfect, ID understands it's subject matter and commits to it while True Beauty mainly uses it as a means of getting it's leads together. If you're not concerned with any of that and just want something fluffy and teen-angsty and cute and pretty, then by all means, watch this drama. You'll probably like it well enough.

Ultimately, True Beauty is a surface-level teen drama, and it knows it and does it well.

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I was so hype for this drama. I'd just finished Age of Youth and was on a Hye Soo high. I loved, loved, loved the story idea. Shy, insecure characters are super relatable to me, and I love Love stories where the love interest builds up the shy, insecure character and helps them gain newfound confidence.

I wanted this to be good.

I was very disappointed by what it turned out to be.

Like most everyone else who watched this drama, Hye Soo's character went a bridge too far for me. The first two episodes were fun and light hearted, and while the female lead was very over the top, I still enjoyed her as a character. Her antics were a little ham but still understandable and relatable. In eps 3 and 4, her character took a real nosedive, and her personality went from initially over the top but fun to downright exacerbating. Her behavior resembled an Elementary school playground fight. It wasn't cute or funny anymore.

The writers realized, after eps 3 and 4, that the audience was Very disgruntled with the character, and they did what they could to tone her down and make her less annoying. And I think the changes worked. But I never regained the enthusiasm for the drama I had initially and ended up dropping it not far from the end.

I won't recommend this drama, but I won't tell you not to watch it either, because the missteps might not keep you from enjoying it like they did me. But go in aware.

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It's really, really short, and honestly could have used another episode or two to really flesh out the story, but it's sweet and light and the leads are quite likable, so I ignored the stories imperfections.

Kai's acting alternates between Really Terrible and eh, he's not too bad, but honestly, none of us are really here for his acting anyway. He's a cutie patootie, and I wanted him and our female lead together.

I'm not ever going to rewatch this, but it was an enjoyable watch, and you'll probably enjoy it too.

(Music is 1 because I don't remember what the music was like.)

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Oooooh Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. The promise you held, the promise you made, the promise you did not keep.

This drama is crazy popular, and I admit it. I understand why. It's filled with fun and interesting characters, an infinitely fascinating premise, superb acting, and some Very attractive male leads. I fully accept that I am in the minority with my opinion, and that's ok. I'm glad everyone else was able to enjoy this drama. But as interesting and fun and superbly acted as it is...

A terrible script it was. Great acting and interesting characters and story premises often lift many a terrible script, and I unashamedly admit to loving stories that are terrible simply because everything else was so well done. I think that has a lot to do with why so many people love this drama so much.

But those things just didn't do enough to compensate for this dramas writing for me.

First things first:

The rules of her superpowers were never clear. The first episode portrays her mother losing her powers because she was abusing them to make money off of people. I expected that to serve as a clear indicator of what was acceptable and what was not. That was apparently not so. I spent the rest of the drama (as far as I watched) trying to figure out just what the rules were. What exactly counted as using her abilities for ill and using them for good? Surely beating up bad guys and defending the weak would be considered using your powers for good, right? Wrong. Or maybe not wrong? Bong Soon frequently held herself back in situations where she Clearly would have been in the right to act and intervene, but then at other times, she just let herself go, wailed on bad guys left and right...and still didn't end up losing her powers. So what was the barometer? Helping this defenseless person is ok but helping that defenseless person is not?

As for the romance, Park Hyung Shik is endlessly charming and witty and charismatic and has looks that go on for daaaaaays. He's almost immediately smitten with Park Bo Young's character, and you're always gonna get a happy viewer out of me when a male lead falls first. But damn it if he wasn't super manipulative and uncomfortably controlling! It didn't help that Bong Soon gave him into his demands Far more often than I liked. I wasn't against her having maybe a more mild, and maybe even shy, personality in comparison to her abilities, but she gave in in situations where there was no reasonable justification for her doing so, and it INFURIATED MEEEEEEE. She didn't have to fight back with her powers. I was fully on board with that being considered using them for ill. But she sure as heck could have used her words sometimes and said NO.

I dropped this before the last two eps, so I cannot comment on them, but I heard a few things went a little off the rails at that point, and I'm glad I bowed out when I did. This drama did not follow through on the things it promised me in the beginning, and I just want my trust back.

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