nori
This review may contain spoilers
Jack of all trades, master of none.
While it occasionally deals a lot of fun with a large and stellar cast, Strong Girl Nam Soon suffers from trying a bit too hard to be many things: romantic-comedy, thriller/action, social commentary, and superhero fiction. It’s all of these things but also not really.The thing is, one can see the story the show wants to tell: Strong Girl Nam Soon is about three generations of powerful women, each with an arc of their own. The grandmother, Gil Joong-gan (played by legend Kim Hae-sook) finds love, K-Drama-esque style, subverting the idea that cutesy rom-coms are only for the young. The mother, Hwang Geum-ju (played by the beautiful Kim Jung-eun) is a self-made woman who climbed to the top without getting her hands dirty, and now uses her wealth and power to save the country from drugs. The daughter, the titular Gang Nam-soon (played by the effervescent Lee Yoo-mi) is a combination of both: the hero and the lover, who wants to be the light in the dark for the people, and also to marry a Korean man. The premise is interesting! And it could have been powerful had it been executed well: a message that women, of all types and ages, can do anything.
The main storyline seems to drive towards Geum-ju and Nam-soon reuniting, and then taking down a mafia-backed company responsible for selling deadly drugs across South Korea. Helping them in this quest is the handsome cop Kang Hee-sik (played by the versatile Ong Seong-woo), who develops a bond with Nam-soon.
And it’s fine at first. But then the show kept adding subplots and elements: the homecoming of Joon-gil’s estranged husband to break her engagement bliss, the conflict between Nam-soon’s formerly homeless friends, and everything about the chronically fatigued uncle, to name some. And the way these subplots are placed in the episodes, it feels like they hinder the main story more than help it, so there are times when there’s a lot happening but nothing seems to be moving forward. You just have to deal with the shifts from action to fluffy romance to comedy. To use a line from an episode, Strong Girl Nam Soon, much like Nam-soon’s family’s conversations, ‘tend[s] to bounce around topics without warning’. This abrupt bouncing around actually lessens the impact of moments that are supposedly emotional or romantic, because before the audience can sit with the feelings and immerse in the mood projected by a particular scene, it cuts to a completely different scene with a different mood.
One redeeming quality of this drama is its villain, Doogo CEO and mobster Ryu Si-o. But when the villain is stealing the show, you know there’s something being done wrong. And it’s not just because Ryu Si-o is played by the ridiculously handsome Byeon Woo-seok, who has the acting chops AND carries himself so well any scene where he walks looks like a fashion runway. It’s because the writers made Ryu Si-o a complex character, instead of a straightforward villain who is evil for evil's sake. He was given a backstory: an orphan who grew up literally fighting for his life. His motives are revealed: he wants to be his own man, to be Ryu Si-o and not Pavel’s Anton. And he’s not just a cold, dangerous guy either. He’s open to love, and easily trusts people he likes. Some of the best, most emotional beats in the show actually come from him: a personal favorite is his confrontation with his childhood friend Binbin, telling him “I was abandoned three times. Once by my birth parents. Once by the woman I had trusted. And once more by the only friend I’ve missed. I wish to go out only having been betrayed twice.” This particular moment shows Si-o at his most vulnerable, the human behind the villain, and there is so much potential for his character that the writers are apparently aware of (judging from Nam-soon and Hee-sik’s commentary in the final episode) and chose to ignore because well, the story needs its villain.
And it’s true for this drama. Ryu Si-o is also a compelling character because he’s quite literally the only one dangerous enough for Hwang Geum-ju to see him as a real threat and challenge. Geum-ju, who can basically accomplish anything with her insane wealth and power. But even with Si-o’s best attempts, the whole investigation seems to fall almost perfectly into place for Geum-ju’s team, because they’re the epitome of good, and good always wins. Which is nice, except it seemed too easy and predictable. After Si-o’s death (which was 20 minutes into the final episode), everything was wrapped up pretty quickly, which left me wondering what other interesting things does the story have left to offer?
The romance between Nam-soon and Hee-sik is cute, but it’s really not anything to talk about because it wasn’t the center of the story (I’m not even going to talk about the chemistry between Nam-soon and Si-o, because I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop. But yes, I saw the vision but it was also a delusion).
As for the Strong Woman/Strong Girl lore, I think they shouldn’t have tried to expand on it only to force a romance at Nam-soon’s age or for a character to be overpowered. There are things that are much more interesting when they remain mysterious.
The women get their happy endings, which they deserve, but it doesn’t feel as satisfactory as I would have liked because again, it was expected and not really that hard-won.
Since Strong Girl Nam-soon is a spin-off, one cannot help but make a quick comparison to the show's predecessor, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is a quirky rom-com. It has its subplots and twists, but essentially, it's clear that it's a love story. In the series, Do Bong-soon and Ahn Min-hyuk develop a strong connection to each other, and along the way, they also grow individually as characters. It's memorable because of them.
For Strong Girl Nam Soon, it’s just a lot at once, and there’s no balance to the plotlines and emotions it offers. It does send home its message that women are awesome and can accomplish anything, but it loses impact because of messy writing choices and poor execution.
Also, they’re already losing me in the teaser for Season 3, because what do you mean a man now has the super-strength ability that should have been passed down the matrilineal line? Strong Woman/Strong Girl worked because they shattered the stereotype that women are weaker than men, so what will Season 3 try to prove?
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The drama's plot is kind of like characters doing side quests that contribute to the main quest, which makes it easy to digest, and solid enough that when you skip, you're bound to miss something important. It's not unnecessarily [too] tragic, and the problems are resolved gradually, so the ending does not feel so rushed. The effects, choreography, and set/costume designs are wonderful as well. The only problem is the quality suffers a bit from the editing, showing some inconsistencies with scene continuity, and there are times the transitions between shots feel awkward. Other than that, it's a series with a lot of unique strengths to bring to the genre, definitely up to par with its parent story.
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A very comfortable movie
Started this movie because of an FMV on YouTube set to a Taylor Swift song. So happy that it was worth the time. It's soft, it's heart-fluttering, it's 100% rewatchable. Sometimes one does not need a complicated, dramatic and entirely unique plot to make a good love story; sometimes the simpler, the better, as long as it's sincere. The actors did so well to portray the awkwardness, angst, but also joy of youth, especially Sakurada Hiyori (she's so cute omg). And as always, fascinating to watch Takahashi Fumiya disappear into his roles, proving how dynamic of an actor he is.Was this review helpful to you?
Don't be blinded by beauty
My Journey to You had the potential to be one of the Great dramas, because it had the technical aspects in the bag. It's amazing production. The cinematography is beautiful. The martial arts choreography is absolutely mesmerizing, arguably the best I've seen in a while. The camerawork and editing are almost flawless. The styling greatly enhanced the actors' visuals. Not only that, the performances from the cast were terrific, most notably Tian Jiarui as Gong Yuanzhi and Jolin Jin as Gong Zishang, who gave off different energies in the series, but both made the show very entertaining to watch.The biggest downside of My Journey to You is the writing. It starts off fast-paced and exciting, pulling the audience into the dark and dangerous world of martial arts. But then the story becomes too convoluted, and significantly slows down in the middle, maybe because they're really trying to establish the romance subplots. But this causes the story to lose hold of some of the built-up tension and intrigue, and it's difficult to pick back up. The series belatedly ups the ante again only in the last couple of episodes.
Also, the way Gong Ziyu's character is written is off-putting. It's not consistent: he is someone who is kind and sympathetic even to suspected assassins, but somehow could not extend the same kindness and understanding to his (admittedly shady) brothers; he is a character who knows he is undeserving of the power given to him yet is strangely very protective of it and becomes self-important about it. This makes it difficult to follow any proper character development. I could have enjoyed watching Gong Ziyu rise to power if it was clearly shown what flaws he was working on to be more deserving of the Sword Wielder title. Rather, it's framed like he could do no wrong; it seems his character is hastily scrapped together based on the formula of the male lead most likely to gain the audience's sympathy and awe. It works, mostly because of Zhang Linghe's acting ability, and also because the other characters have unique personalities to make up for GZY's rather generic one.
Yu Shuxin as Yun Weishan could have been given the opportunity to shine more, to show more of her ferocity as a fighter, so I'm actually hoping for a second season to this series so it could happen. Her fighting scenes here are nothing short of art.
Special shout-out to Young Master Hua, whose character arc, even though brief, made me cry a lot, which does not happen often.
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An enjoyable watch, but not primarily because of the story
This series does offer a lot of romantic plotlines one can gush to, but the writing is one of its weaker points, often feeling like it's being written as the story plays out, trying to revise and connect certain points with some success. While it's nice to see how Chu Kong and Xiangyun's fates echo across every lifetime through details such as crabapple flowers, the Xun musical instrument, red threads and marriage temples, the whole thing doesn't feel as solid as I would have liked, with some arcs and details feeling like afterthoughts (*cough* Zihui, Ming Yue *cough*), but it's better than most dramas I've watched in terms of pacing. It didn't drag on too much, and so heightens its rewatchability. The balance of tragedy, romance, and lighthearted fun is also done well. I would like to highlight the animal arc: it had me laughing so much, but it's also really sweet that the tiger and the boar became one of their motifs throughout the series.The acting, production, and music definitely carried the drama to a new height. For acting: Ding Yuxi in particular is all kinds of excellent in every role-- mischievous being, cold immortal, tragic hero, further magnified by his breathtaking costuming and styling (convinced that the stylists love him a lot). He's meticulous in his body language and expressions, especially as the cat demon. Props also to Yang Chaoye (Xiangyun/Cang Hai etc.); she looks so cute but she's also able to act out 'powerful empress'/'demonic-aura princess', as well as capture the mannerisms of Chu Kong in the body-swap arc. She's a dynamic actress who manages to match and complement Ding Yuxi. In general, the main cast are actually so good in playing different roles in a single drama, they worked hard! (Shout-out to the Qianren and Qian Mou brotherhood in the Shengling Sect arc.)
For production: I have so much love for the costume designers and hair and make-up artists, and I hope they got paid really, really well for this series, because they have made a work of art in every outfit and look. I'm pretty sure they asked themselves, "How do I make this character the prettiest character ever" and just went absolutely wild. My absolute favorites are: Chu Kong and Xiangyun's demon looks (this is a given, iconic really), Chu Kong's General outfits in the body-swap/Princess and General arc as well as his God of War outfits (the pieces of armor fused with flowing fabric, the color layering, the gold qilin details, wow), Jin Luo's witch-doctor outfit (she's so pretty....), and every version of Xiangyun's eye make-up throughout the series. As for the special effects and set designs, while some of it are a bit awkward, grade A for setting the right ambiance and providing a feast for the eyes.
The soundtrack is absolutely lovely as well. In particular, Faye's "Love Only" must have been played more than 40 times (in the title credits and in the drama itself), but it gives me goosebumps every single time.
Overall, Love You Seven Times is a decadent work, a story that's a bit weak in the knees but helped up by a good cast and amazing production. It's able to give laughter and heartache, and so much beauty.
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This review may contain spoilers
The story is almost as tight and lovely as Yeon-woo's embroidery
The heroine's adventure threads into the future, loops back to the past, to hold together and set right both history and the present. Lee Se-young shines in her role as the bold and talented Park Yeon-woo. My only qualm is that the writers could have given her more qualities/abilities that could have translated better or assisted her in her travel to "New Joseon", so she does not always seem so helpless and always have to be saved by Kang Tae-ha (she was glorious when she went back to her own timeline in ep. 11 and 12, standing up for herself, her husband, her family, and for all women in the country).Bae In-hyuk plays two characters of the same name but manages to emulate first male lead vibes for present-day Tae-ha and lovelorn second male lead vibes for past Tae-ha, which is an impressive feat in itself.
The shift in the tone of the story is not that abrupt for me-- because the darker, more serious aspects of the plot have always been there (Tae-ha's illness, the whole Kang family conspiracy), just highlighted in the latter part of the series because they needed to be addressed. I also love the fantasy and Chun Myung's lore, and how they kept it a little mysterious without digging plot holes.
Multifaceted characters with different motives (from the seemingly benevolent grandfather, the "evil" step-mother, the "shifty" half-brother, to the seemingly dependable co-workers and most certainly loyal and badass friends), along with beautiful cinematography, and good chemistry between the two leads make "The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" a generally pleasant drama to watch.
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Wtf. What is this drama. It's stunning.
Lost You Forever is a different breed of xianxia drama. It explores love in its many forms, whether it be possessive, destructive, enduring, or honest, in a way that pays equal attention to all characters, so you can never really know where their relationships with each other are headed (if you haven't read the source material). There are a lot of dramas boasting insane production and interesting premises only to fall into cliches at the last half of the series, but the first season of Lost You Forever kept me hooked until the end with its unpredictability and impeccable chemistry among ALL members of the main cast. The plot does get draggy a bit in the third quarter, but by then you're probably in too deep and rooting for at least one favorite character to get a nice ending.The characters, particularly Xiaoyao, Cang Xuan, Tushan Jing, Xiang Liu, and Chishui Fenglong have their unique charms that draw the audience in and drive the story forward. The characterization is complex, but so far consistent. For example, Xiang Liu undergoes some character development, but he doesn't completely change; his cruelty and coldness remain present. Tushan Jing is smart in business but too naive and kind for his own good, even though he tries to be more forceful. Xiaoyao shifts into the role of a princess but still retains some manly habits. Personally, I like Chishui Fenglong the best (as a character, not as Xiaoyao's love interest)-- he's introduced late in the series but he brought a bright, rejuvenating energy that helped prevent the story from being too heavy or too cutesy, and he seems to be the character that pulls everyone and everything together. Also, fashion king (the colors, embroidery/patterns, and silhouettes of his costumes are so pretty).
Of the cast, Yang Zi is phenomenal as always, and I want to praise Zhang Wan Yi as Cang Xuan, because boy, can he match the Yang Zi's energy especially when acting out the lowest points and most tragic moments of their characters (the screaming, the way they clutch at each other, the shaking and crying). Another standout is Tan Jian Ci, whose looks are arguably the softest out of the main leads, but magnificently brings the deadly and intoxicating Xiang Liu/Fangfeng Bei to life (his range!!) Also bless his sweet vocals in the official soundtracks.
The first season of Lost You Forever has it all with compelling storytelling, an impressive cast, gorgeous production, and lovely music (I've read some translations of the lyrics of a couple of songs in the drama, and I'm in love with the intricate lyricism.) I caught a couple of errors in the special effects, but they're only memorable because the effects are normally so beautifully done. I've seen glimpses of Season 2 from the official trailer, and we're gearing up for heartbreak, but here's to hoping the quality is up to par with, if not better than Season 1.
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