RomCom done right

Simply, it's romantic comedy done right. There are many shows categorised as "RomCom" over the years and very few deserving of this label. "Please Don't Date Him" is one of the few exception as it brings out genuine laughter in every episode while building on the romantic relationship of the characters.

The literary device used for the plot was properly used and was not just a literary device later forgotten after setting up the story. When this was revealed, I was expecting this show to turn serious and deviate from being a romcom and turn into a serious drama, but the writer(s) stayed true and kept it in the sidelines yet still an important part of the show.

Song Ha Yoon, who played "Seo Ji Sung" did very well in portraying an A.I. programmer yet still "just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her" (to borrow from "Notting Hill"). I also love how they chose a woman as a programmer in this show debunking the stereotypes [1] programming is for men; and [2] girl programmers does not have a love life.

I recommend this show if you are looking for a series which will make you laugh, fall in love all over again, and appreciate the people around you, even strangers like our brave firefighters. Don't forget to check my review of episode 9: https://mydramalist.com/62539-please-don-t-meet-the-man/episode/9 -- a must-watch episode.

It's sad that they only planned a total of ten (10) episodes, they could have extended it to thirteen or a full series (sixteen episodes).

Read More

May I Help You?

At first, one would think it is just another comedy, 'feel good', “very fictional”, TV series. It was easy to drop it just because. But, a fair warning, doing so would be to your detriment. This series is about life, the value of relationships, and yes, what death means for you and me.

The story transcends faith and religion. This was beautifully depicted with the Catholic priest and the Catholic confessional box; as well as, by the Buddhism beliefs of the other characters. Life, relationships, and death, are universal, and commonly have the same depth of meaning regardless of one's faith and religion.

It isn't about ghosts. In fact, there is nothing paranormal in the story, rather, it is more supernatural. A higher being supernaturally allowed the female lead character to have a spiritual “Stella's touch”. One last opportunity to for the dead to make their wishes known; and for the living to have peace.

The ending is a must-watch, but only if one watched the series from the beginning without skipping anything. It is rare to see an ending that blows the audience, and leaves a long-lasting impression. An ending deserving of the beautifully woven story of the male and female lead characters, and their relationships with their loved ones, their regrets, and their hopes.

This TV drama is a story about you and me. It is a story about the living and our dearly departed. It is a story of healing and moving on. A story of regrets and hopes. It is painful, sad, and you will definitely cry no matter how strong you may be. But in the end, it reminds us how good it is to live, and that all the pain and hardship of life we may have gone through and will go through, are nothing compared to having been loved.

May I Help You?

---

Originally posted on my blog: Snoworld | YourOnly.One (https://im.youronly.one/snoworld/may-i-help-you-일당백집사-2022-review-2022357/)

Read More

You are the sum of all your experiences, learn from it and be a better person.

The ultimate question: Did they live happily ever after, as a couple? Or, did they live happily ever after, as friends?

Answer: it can go either way, 50-50.

Here's why.

As I mentioned in the previous weeks, this show is a story about love, relationships, break-ups, forgiveness, and moving on. This is not a fantasy romance where we would feel we are in heaven, and dream of Mr. Right and Ms. Perfect. No, none of that.

My first romantic relationship lasted for three (3) years. She was my first, and I was her first. We broke up, we talked, we closed things properly. But, guess what? We both failed to moved on.

In our case, she got married a few years later. It took us 11 more years to have a real closure. We failed to move on because we were not honest with ourselves, and we did not learn to forgive ourselves.

Before we can truly move on, we need to forgive the other party. But, we can not forgive other people if we do not forgive our own self first. To be able to forgive our own self, we need to face the reality and embrace it.

Yes, it is a process. It can take years, or it can take as short as a minute. It does not matter if you understand the process, there are people who can truly move on fast without being aware of the process.

Personally, I have proven that process to myself, when in late 2020, my 15-year relationship ended. When I learned to face reality, when I learned to embrace it. It was only then I was able to forgive myself.

It felt good. The heavy burden in my mind, and on my shoulders, were lifted. I was able to finally breathe. Then, I was able to forgive and thank her, even though I was only talking to the air.

It took me three (3) months, and I also had to put a deadline for myself. What do I mean? I told myself, “after this date, all is over, period”. After that date passed, I moved on. I started to smile.

Once we have truly moved on, that is only the time that healing begins. There is no healing if you can not smile. There is no healing if you can stomach hearing your ex's (or enemy's) name. You are not healing at all if you are still reacting emotionally when you see that other person's shadows, or hear them breath.

All these things are what “The Interest of Love” was telling us.

We all know that love and relationships are complicated, but do we truly understand it?

The 1FL was mostly pessimistic in the entire show. Rightly so, because there are people who are pessimistic. They do exist, and if you have not met at least one pessimistic person, you have not truly lived. The 1FL represents people who are pessimistic.

While the 1ML is a type of person who have a positive outlook in life, who was later crashed because of love. He was that type of person you have probably met once who never had time about love and relationships. But, when their heart was stolen by someone, they had no idea how to act and handle things.

Our pessimist 1FL eventually grew and started to have a positive outlook in life. All because of the 1ML.

At the same time, our 1ML, who had no idea about love and relationships, learned to listen and understand other people. All because of the 1FL.

Are you seeing how these two characters are helping each other grow? That is love and relationship. In episode 16, they even asked, “Were we really in love?” Because their relationship as two individuals was closer than they care to admit.

Let's take a detour.

There is also an important contrast between the 1ML and the 2ML. The 2ML acted badly when he heard the news that the 1FL slept with another man (note: there was no concrete proof if she did or not). The last word he told the 1FL was, “b**ch”.

However, what struck me was the 2ML also grew. Instead of sulking, or trying to find the 1FL and, maybe, force her back into a relationship after apologising, he decided to just call it.

Like what I mentioned earlier, the 2ML faced his reality and embraced it. He was not able to ask for forgiveness in person, but he knew he was forgiven because he learned to forgive himself.

He turned his bad experiences as a source of strength. He focused on his studies, and eventually achieved his dream to become a police officer.

Meanwhile, the 1ML was not giving up. He tried to find the 1FL, and he did, only to lose her again. And for the next four years, he tried to survive, hoping to see her one more time. (We are assuming he chose the branch himself.)

Another detour. The 2FL! Let's not forget her.

What type of character was she? She is that person who will do anything to get what they want. Not necessarily rich and wealthy people, mind you, there are ordinary people who get what they want just because. The 2FL represents those type of persons.

However, when it comes to love and relationships, it's either shallow or one-sided. First, she accepted the fact that the 1ML has eyes for the 1FL, but when he needed a shoulder to cry on, she freely offered herself. This is what we call “rebound relationship”.

For the 2FL, as long as she gets what she wanted, it is fine for her to be the rebound. The bad effect of this is that, the other person (the 1ML in this case) will never be fully into that relationship. They are either still thinking of the other person (the 1FL in this case), or they are only using the rebound relationship to heal (and once they healed, they will more likely leave).

The 1ML, who was growing because of the 1FL, realised this and broke up with her. Three years later, the 2FL returned to Korea, healed. In episode 16, she mentioned that she is fine talking about the 1ML because she (truly) moved on.

They even showed a scene how the 2FL saw the 1ML during the wedding, and it did not bother her. Was it because she found a new boyfriend? No, it wasn't about faithfulness and loyalty to her new boyfriend. In the first place, if she has not truly moved on, she would not be able to have a new boyfriend, that is not her character. Not to mention, she would not show up in the wedding knowing that they may cross paths.

The 2FL grew and learned what it means to love and have a relationship. Not just a romantic relationship, but also a relationship with her father.

Which brings us back to the 1FL and her relationship with her father. Like the 2FL, the 1FL also have a strained relationship with her father, although different, they are both not close to them.

See the contrast and 'relationships'?

And now, we are in episode 16. We have gone full circle when the 1ML and the 1FL started to talk about their “what-ifs”. This is a different kind of “what-ifs”.

Usually, “what-ifs” are regrets. However, in the case of the 1ML and 1FL, it was an intellectual discourse. Would things between them have ended up differently… if…?

There were no regrets when they looked back at their memories. Why? How? Simple. They learned to face and embrace their reality, and have forgiven themselves, and each other.

They moved on from the pain they caused each other. And they used those experiences to grow for the next four years of their lives.

Thus, when they met again, they were simply two ___healed___ individuals reminiscing their time together.

Think of it this way, tabula rasa. Clean slate.

They can choose to become a couple. Or, they can decide to remain as “special” friends.

I personally know married couples who broke up and later met again 4+ years later. They rekindled their love and relationship.

I, myself, went through the latter. Remember the first relationship I shared earlier, which took 11 years before we finally were able to moved on? Whenever our paths cross, after the true closure, there are no more lingering emotions and feelings between us. We can talk about the past normally, as in, just the past.

Some would probably say, “well, she's married and have children”. Sure, that's valid. However, even if she is still single, that part of our lives is long gone. We have reached the point wherein we will never cross our unwritten and undiscussed boundaries. We are just nothing but “special” friends.

I can see it in her eyes, and I am sure she can see it in my eyes, too. The past is the past. It's over between us, permanently. There is nothing to rekindle. We can reminisce, but that's it, nothing to rekindle. Our love for each other changed to something akin to brother and sister.

This is why the ending of “The Interest of Love” was like that.

Here are two individuals, whose lives were entwined when they were younger and innocent. Four years later, having learned from their experiences, and have forgiven themselves in the process, their paths crossed again.

They are representing two types of “couples”.

The first is: those couples who rekindled their love and gotten married later.

The second is: those couples, like me and my first, who will never have a romantic relationship ever again, but remain good friends.

It is up to the audience to decide which path the 1ML and the 2FL will choose. They can remain as friends, having grown and learned from each other. Or, they can rekindle their love and see where it goes this time around.

After all, they did ask and realised, “were we in love then?”

These are what the 1ML, 1FL, 2FL, and the 2ML, all learned in their lives:
You are the sum of your experiences. Learn from it and become a better person. Never harbour hatred and bitterness, rather, listen and understand each other.

All of our relationships are important. Be it romantic, as friends, or with our families. In these personal relationships, let love encompassed it all.

Read More

Life, love, relationships, and how we handle it.

Again, warning, spoilers.

There are spoilers because it is what this show is about.

…

Final warning. Spoilers.

…

…

As the title says, “Strangers Again”, so you shouldn't be surprised what the story is about: break-up.

This is a very rare topic in TV series, after all, who wants to be reminded of their painful memories? Thus, I applaud the entire team for taking on this project even though there is risk it may, or may not, become a success, maybe forgotten after a few months.

However, it is important to note that there are lessons in this story, and here are some of it:

1. Love is not as simple as we assume it to be.

2. People are unique.

3. Relationships are not easy to handle.

4. Yes, break-ups are painful, but how you handle it defines if you are a mature adult.

5. Moving on is not about hating each other, not wanting to see each other's shadows, rather it is about if you can become “Strangers Again”.

Another winning aspect of this show. It is rare to see the Second Leads end up happy and the Main Leads go on their separate ways. In many stories, not only K-dramas but in other countries as well, the title points to one thing then still end up with “they happily live ever after”.

This show? The title is what it is about, “Strangers Again”. Huge plus for me.

If you want to learn something about life, love, relationships, breaking-up, and moving on, then put this show in your list. However, if you are looking for a fantasy, this is not it.

Read More

A story about two souls the universe wants to separate

Episodes 23 and 24 are superb. From what I've read from those who have read the original novel "Time Machine" that this was based on, the ending was changed in the TV adaptation, based on that information I could say that the director and writer did an amazing job in giving us a different ending--it was heart wrenching, lovely, and touching.

As with most adaptations with a different ending than its original source, it is rare that the new ending leaves an impact to the audience, most often than not the original ending is still better. Not in the case of First Love Again (2021) TV adaptation, their ending deserves to be an official ending too, especially since we are talking about parallel universes and time travel.

The male and female leads were a perfect match. They portrayed perfectly what many of us experienced back in High School and whenever we fall in love. The anger, the sweetness, being playful with each other, even the little things they captured it all awesomely. The same with the side stories with their friends, like the pain of being rejected or the unexpected surprise classmates no one expected will be together ended up getting married.

It is also worth mentioning that they effectively used all 24 episodes to tell us different interconnected stories. It was not rushed nor was it lacking. They also kept the physics of spacetime travel (yes, one word "spacetime") simple and to a minimum. If we are going to talk about how logical it was, at this point it is hard to say. In the latter episodes, there appears to be some leaps when it comes to spacetime travel, but since I have not taken the time yet to fully review and gather my thoughts about it, I can not say anything about it … yet. Regardless, the spacetime travel is overall good and easy to follow for the majority of the episodes. Those who are not keen with parallel worlds and time travel stories would find it easy to watch this.

And hey, the overall story, the romance between our lead characters, are more than enough reason to watch First Love Again (2021) even if the Science does not make sense. This is a story of two High School friends that not even the universe can ever separate. A story about two souls who will always find each other and fall in love again and again and again and again …

Read More

A must watch if you want to learn about life and relationships

If you are looking for a show about life and relationships, "Forecasting Love and Weather" is it. However, if you are looking for a feel-good, very romantic touchy-feely, "I want this show to fit my biased imaginary romantic fantasy", then skip it.

"Forecasting Love and Weather" is about life and relationships. It is about the decisions we make, why we make them, and the repercussions of those decisions. This is not about your favourite actors having a blissful romantic butterfly-in-the-stomach story, this is about relationships between parents and children, supervisor and subordinate, a person's relationship with their work and officemates, between married couples, ex-couples who became friends (yes, it does happen in real-life far more frequently than society wants you to believe), how people change, how people regret things and what they learn from it.

In short, LIFE.

And they did well in portraying and tell the story of the different scenarios people do experience in real-life, out there in the real-world. The pain, the joy, reality itself. Every single scenario, every single decision, were true-to-life, scenarios that many people actually experienced.

The poetic monologues in the beginning and ending of each episode were also deep and very appropriate. It pierces through our hearts and souls. More than that, they tied weather patterns into various relationships. Who would've thought that we reframe weather forecasting in such a way? After having watched this series, it does make perfect sense … relationships, no matter what type it is, is like weather and forecasting. We may get it right, we may get it wrong. It may turn out correct but not exactly what we expected it to be, or it may be a very bad forecast but we push and find a way to learn and fix it.

Kudos as well to using the meteorological setting. Let's be honest, in every country in the world, the public always see meteorological agencies as "wrong", "not doing their job right", "should be defunded", we are forgetting that forecasting is forecasting and there are people working overtime, even to the point of unknowingly sacrificing their families and personal lives, just to give an accurate forecast.

Hopefully, this show would have had opened the eyes of the public to the kind of work and sacrifices meteorologists go through. Yes, they should not have prioritized their work over their families and personal lives, but we can not blame them when the public expects 100% accuracy, and if they their forecast turned out inaccurate, nations are in an uproar and wants to investigate and terminate them.

Which simply brings back to … this show is about LIFE and RELATIONSHIPS. If this is not your cup of tea, if you are looking for an escape from reality and live in a fantasy world, this is not the show for you.

But if you are looking for learn, then this is a perfect show.

Lastly, even though they chose the "and they ALL lived happily ever after", the road to that was well-written. They did not just jump into that conclusion, they still went through and highlighted the trials and tribulations of each relationship (romantic, family, parent-children, work). They avoided the common pitfall in the "they lived happily ever after" ending.

Well done. Touching. Memorable.

Best of all

Full of LIFE LESSONS!

Read More

The reality of life. True-to-life stories in 50 episodes. Dynamic relationships. Extended families.

From 9 stars to 10 stars. The best so far of all the life drama / true-to-life stories I've watched - from any region/country.

They portrayed the different dynamics of each family member. How each person thinks. How their decisions and emotions play with the other members of the family.

I guess this is why the Filipinos and Koreans are close, our family-structure and connections are similar, if not exactly the same. Extended families are a thing and the closeness (or lack thereof in some cases) between members and extended families are something many other nations/cultures doesn't have and will never understand.

This drama, the various different stories they portrayed, the relationships, the dynamics, the REALITY of it all, LIFE itself, well done. WELL DONE!

Read More

Perfectly paced and focused

This is officially the best break-up, moving-on, and recovering/healing drama ever. Not just in K-drama land, but in the entire world and in history.

Maybe it's too early to claim that, but 6 episodes in, and it's very evident already.

They let us see up close and personal what a person who loves someone so much, have given them everything, feels like and goes through after a nasty break-up, (specially because of cheating).

They did not rush the story. It was paced well, to bring out the emotions, the pain, the hurt. The psychological impact, and ultimately, how a person can get back on their feet.

The monologues were awesome as well. Every single one of it were felt. They showed us the process.

And as someone who have been in such a situation, Yoo In Na captured everything so well. Did she experience it herself? Because gawd, that was me. Desperate. Shaking. Hopeful. End-of-the-world. Will take all the blame, will even take the blame for killing Abel, or Julius Caesar. Will turn a blind-eye. Will even accept sharing your partner! Because at that moment, you're thinking you can not live without them.

You can not accept the new reality in front of you. You want to move on, but the new reality is unrealistic. You are not in denial anymore (otherwise you wouldn't even beg), you just do not want to embrace your new reality. You want to run away from it.

“No, that's not a reality I will accept, I can make this work, I can choose which reality I want, I can manifest it.”

It will be for a long while before this show is dethroned in my list as the #1 break-up, moving-on, recovering/healing relationship story.

Read More

The Four Seasons of Relationships

It's a story about the four seasons of relationships. From Spring to Summer to Fall to Winter, and back to Spring signifying new beginnings, new hope, and a brighter future.

I talked about the Four Seasons of Relationships here: https://mydramalist.com/discussions/the-season-of-kokdoo/91869-the-four-seasons-of-relationships

But, to add to that, I love how in Episode 15 and 16, they revealed additional layers into the meaning of the Seasons.

For example, their Korean names have a meaning if you know the Hanja equivalent.

1. FL in the past: Seol Hui
- Hangul: 설희
- Hanja: 雪希 which means snow.

2. FL in 2023: Han Gye Jeol
- Hangul: 한계절
- 계절 in Hanja is: 季節 which means ‘season’
- According to Kokdu, her name means Spring. Or, something that was in Winter (her past self) that reached Spring, the changing of Seasons (her 2023 name).

The FL's past and 2023 names are tied to each other. They were never meant to be together in the past, because that past was the beginning of their winter fate.

However, when she was reborn in the present time, she was given the name Gye Jeol. A sign that the winter __season__ is about to end, and the a new __season__ is going to begin. New beginnings. New hope.

And as Kokdu realised, her names mean exactly that. Winter to Spring seasons. From dark and cold, to bright/light and warm.

3. ML in the past: Oh Hyun
- Hangul: 오현 - means "five strings". -- He came back after 5 years.
- Hanja: 傲泫

There are many possible Hanja to his name, but the Hangul itself already has a meaning.

I tried to find other references to five, but found none. The strings can mean fate.

Other Hanja variations of 오 are "to meet", or "bright"; "crow", "black".

Other Hanja variations of 현 are "wepp", or "swift", or "bow string", or "black".

If we consider the possible Hanja characters and meanings, a picture starts to form why he was named Oh Hyun in the past, and why everything ended up the way it all did.

And let's be reminded, Kokdu is Oh Hyun stuck as a god of the afterlife. It still is his name, so, he's living true as Oh Hyun.

4. ML as a god: Kokdu
- Hangul: 꼭두의
- Hanja: n/a

I think there's no need to speculate on Kokdu.


Another good thing. The ending was not something expected. There were similar supernatural romance before, and usually they have similar endings. This TV series chose a path less shown in K-dramas.

Read More

Bittersweet

Bittersweet endings hold a quiet, yet powerful beauty. They’re different from pure sadness, which settles in your heart like a weight. In stories like Uncontrollably Fond and Mr. Plankton, we know early on that joy and pain will entwine, but still, we cling to a fragile hope—that somehow love will rewrite destiny.

Mr. Plankton doesn’t just remind us of love’s power, but of life’s fragility. It nudges us to forgive, not just others but ourselves, and to embrace every moment. It teaches us to live meaningfully, without regrets, and to leave behind memories that will inspire others to live fully too. There’s a humbling reminder in these stories: at the end of our journey, the legacy we leave is a reflection of the love and peace we nurtured within ourselves.

Highly recommended.

Read More

What was it about? It's all over the place.

Do you know what made this hard for many? The story was all over the place. This was made obvious when the finale episode itself tried to settle the different arcs in one episode.

If one will ask what this show is about, we will probably get one of the following answers:

* About grandma
* About the South Korean family
* About the long-lost grandson
* About the actors and their “Curtain Call”
* About the hotel
* About the marriage

They even forgot to address the dying wife of the real grandson, the operation she needed, and those gangs after him. Having an open-ended ending for this arc is one thing, but not even mentioning it at least once is another.

Granted, the second grandson having promised the youngest grandson to just ask him if he requires anything, may be a hint that they'll help each other. Maybe he did after grandma passed away, since they jumped forward in time, probably by a month.

And if you think deeply about it, even during the theatrical performance, it was about the fake grandson. I was surprised the real grandson applaud after the curtain call when he was sidelined yet again.

Is he not the main plot? Grandma finding her real grandson?

Oh wait, it was just about “grandson”, it doesn't matter if he was fake or real. Then why bother bringing in the real grandson into the picture, if it was about grandma finding her long-lost grandson and make her happy?

Did you see what I did?

The story is good, don't get me wrong. It's just that they focused on too many arcs, and then they tried to close those arcs in one episode. In the end, it is not clear what the entire TV series is all about.

I've said it before, the last two episodes of a TV series is as important as the first two episodes, be it Korean or Western or Japanese or even Martian (if those even exist). The first two episodes set the tone and expectation, the overreaching arc. The last two episodes concludes the main arc, not side arcs, and refocuses the audience that hey, this is what the series is all about. The first two episodes should start strong, and the last two episodes must be stronger than the first two.

To quote Mr. I-Want-To-Marry-You in episode 16:

“Was there a reason why you wanted to sell the hotel? You had a reason when you started, but as you kept chasing after it, you started focusing on the chase regardless of the reason.”

It is a common pitfall for many writers. Not just screenwriters, but novel authors. A writer had a great idea for a story. They started with that idea at the core of their story, but as they kept writing, they started to focus on their writing regardless of the story.

My rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Read More

More laughter before we finally say our farewells

A great way to bid farewell to an amazing cast and drama is by giving the fans more laughters and a personal look into the experiences of the actors and actresses. They talked about their funny and memorably moments; and they also showed some popular scenes and gave their reactions, and shared behind-the-scenes stories.

All things eventually ends and this was not simply the cast's final bow but for us fans to reflect on what the show "gave us".

Following the ending of this special "interview": For you, Mr. Queen is ________. (Leave it in the comments section!)

Read More

Fun, Relatable, Full of Lessons

From the title and synopsis, the impression was this is a part comedy, part cheesy, part romantic, series. It was so easy to dismiss but I am glad I did not. Each episode are around 30 minutes long and they did well in telling the stories of the characters and their relationships while staying to a particular topic or subject in each episode.

I like the OST, at least what was used so far in the first 8 episodes. Good acting, the chemistry between the actors were great. Relatable story, romantic and yet light--not cheesy, not teenage drama, no serious political and family drama.

If you're looking for a TV show to break your existing serious line-ups, definitely pickup "Lovestruck in the City".

Read More

A great watch … worth it!

I. Story
a. Episode stories: The stories per episode were mostly good. Out of 16 episodes, I like the story of 9 episodes.

b. Series story: From the title, "Start-Up" (or "Sandbox"), it gives the impression that it is primarily about starting up a business or about joining a, well, sandbox program. However, overarching story is more about [1] a love triangle and [2] sibling rivalry. The impression from the series title only takes tertiary importance. It would have been better if the importance was as follows: [1] sibling rivalry; [2] start-up/sandbox/business; and [3] love triangle.

Regardless… the way the overarching stories were delivered and the choice of story per episode were enough to pull up the score for this rating.

However, avoid introducing important facts and then never mentioning it again. For example, Ji Pyung and the sisters have met when they were kids. It was also weird that a bloodied person can pitch his company, that does not happen in real life.

II. Acting
Acting! This is where I had to give a low rating. There were too many crying scenes where the facial expression was neutral. It was obvious they were only "acting" instead of actually feeling and letting their emotions out.

I'm a fan of Suzy but I have to mention this: relax more during kissing scenes, make us feel it, and it doesn't need to be "wild". The kissing scenes can still be romantic even if there wasn't too much lip action. A room for improvement. I love her acting and the way she brings life to the characters she plays but the kissing scenes needs improvement. Relax, take it slow, don't make it wild -- rather make it romantic. Don't act, imagine he's your boyfriend or some secret desire. You want to enjoy the moment, to just let him feel your desire.

As for Joo Hyuk, great job in portraying what appears to be an eccentric, possibly even an autistic, character. It is never easy if an actor is not in the autism spectrum--in particular asperger syndrome. Very geeky, logical, all about facts, and clueless about everything else, especially fashion and social skills. Those scenes where Dal Mi was sending signals and Do San missed it all--those were all great. Sometimes annoying but all of it were relatable. Neutral face, going back to the discussion he was focused on, definitely a character with aspergers syndrome. Well done there.

For Han Na, excellent job in keeping the character mysterious. It was not easy when the character In Jae had a change of heart, especially when it comes to her sister. There were clues but the next moment it's the total opposite. This happens in real life and so it's great to see it on screen.

III. Music
This one is hard. I can not remember any memorable music other than the theme songs. It was probably because the acting and dialogues were great that any music playing were not reaching me, or it simply does not fit. Listening to the tracks directly, many are very good to listen to.

IV. Rewatch Value
Definitely in my list of series that I'll choose to re=watch.

V. Summary
Overall, the production, story, and acting were awesome. The inclusion of business terminologies and explaining each, that was a very good idea. Explaining the processes, the whys and the hows, definitely a plus. It would have been better if they toned down the "young adult" giggles because that very rarely happens in-real-life. They should've used sandbox and showed the idea behind it and what's happening in it more as well, instead of just providing a free office and free funding.

The "revolutionary" ideas were well thought out especially the app helping those with vision challenges. I do hope such an app exists but we haven't achieved that speed of AI recognition still something to look forward to. Great choices on scenes and I wish they added more, like a team building session where they could feature the beauty of Korea instead of the exact same office.

From a dramatic episode 1 and funny episodes later, to the building up of the trials and tribulations, to the eventually resolution in the latter episodes. it was enough to pull up the overall rating to 9 out of 10 stars.

Read More

Family relationships, healing, and forgiveness

In the end, the show is about family relationships, with a focus on broken families and the possible ways to achieve healing.

The world is not perfect. Parents argue, fight, get separated, and sadly get divorced; or a parent abandons their child. Whatever the reasons were of the adults, the most that is affected are their children. The world that turns into darkness are the world of the people adults brought into this harsh reality.

Suji and Uri showed us that this shouldn't be the case, and that we can achieve healing in one way or another. We may hate someone for what they did, but we shouldn't let that turn into bitterness. Suji and Uri taught us that forgiveness is a path that all of us can take, because the people who benefits the most from having a forgiving heart is no other than the person who learned to forgive. And that's where healing begins and we start seeing the light.

Which then leads to having a heart of gold to take care of other people going through hardships in life, like we did, and potentially adopt children who deserves to have beautiful world.

Yes, adopting will not change the world, but it will indeed change the person's world. You see, we were not born to change the entire world, rather we were born to change the world closest to us.

Read More