Bite Sized Slice of Life Series for Peace.

Following the tradition of those adequately paced, capsule sized, fluffy BLs, Love Tractor is not groundbreaking by any means. However, its charm lies within the characterisation and aesthetics, which were beautifully planned.

Within the first two episodes, it's evident that Yun Sul, an excellent law student, has absolutely zero interest in pursuing law. He rebels against his father's wishes and escapes to his grandfather's village. There he meets the humble and honest Ye Chan, who despite leading a simple life of farming, is happier than most people.

The story has romance as one of its main elements, but what caught my attention was how every character, including the cameo-like In Seong, had a personality and aura of their own. They have a life outside of the bubble, which also plays an important part in shaping who they are.
Yun Seol, perhaps was the most calm, struggling and composed character out of everyone. We see the half of the show from his perspective, while the other half is from Ye Chan's point of view, which was plain hilarious.
Open as a book and innocent as a child, he was smart, but an emotional and confused mess of a kid half the time. An easily likable character.
The comedic timing of everyone in the village was awesome; the village head, Ye Chan and his mom specifically.

In terms of acting, everyone seemed faultless to me. In a manhwa like manner of course! I know there were complaints against the village head, but even he seemed okay to me. The Soundtrack was beautiful - particularly 'Rainbow' by Coldin. (He sang the OST of Semantic Error, last year's breakthrough KBL.)

Mind you, it's kind of a long drama; every episode increases in duration and the final ones were almost half an hour long. I appreciate the team responsible for this as the runtime was sufficient enough to at least attempt to convincingly portray Ye Chan's budding romance. (Ham was more mature and closed off, so I am not sure where and when he fell for Ye Chan.)
The last one I saw, Starstruck, had everything tightly packed into 'exactly' 15 minutes and it was deeply disappointing to see all that potential wasted. Sigh..

All in all, Love Tractor is a beautiful and peaceful watch to cool off your mind.

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The High School for Villains.

This is a 10 episode ride of total insanity, where I witnessed some of the most innocent and meanest students choose the worst decisions in the world in an attempt to overturn their immediate future.
What I liked about this? The characters. I admit, I hated almost every single one during the first three episodes, but slowly began to get accustomed to their ways. Every single one of the students at the school are abhorrent in their own unique manner and I would love to meet their parents.

Oh Ji Soo aka Oji, a paradigm outstanding student has a secret: he is abandoned by both his parents. And to make ends meet, he designs a service... which provides "compensated dating" with a catch -- the clients receive exclusive security if things take a dark turn. However, his secret is discovered by his classmate, Baek Gyuri, destroying his careful routine.

Now, let me start off by telling that I had absolutely no idea what was happening in the first two episodes. I just knew that some really shady business had to be going on based on the users' comments that I had read a long time ago.
But, this might be where the drama's strength lies: it's ambiguity.
Ji Soo might either be the worst or the best character based on how you view him. How is he good?
** He accepts clients who sign up and give them protection along with a blacklist of people who are potentially dangerous. He never forces anything upon them if they are hesitant.
How is he bad?
** He is a pimp. Plain and simple. But, he was also, one of the most careless characters I have seen to date. Dude, if you are doing underworld activities, at least be good at it!
I understood his desperation and urgency. Viewing the world through his eyes, he is doing what he could to survive. Except that resorting to crime is not exactly what I would call the best avenue.
Kim Ji Hoon delivered an absolutely strong performance. I couldn't help feeling bad for him at times.

Baek Gyuri... the infamous female lead as someone mentioned in the comments. She has to be one of the most entitled "brats" I have seen onscreen. Why do I say so? Because purposefully messing up with someone's personal life is heinous. I hear the word being "human" and "real" being mentioned. I accept that statement to an extent, but there is a stark difference between being plain bad and committing something bad in a spur of the moment.
She is one of the well written characters. Out of every single one of them, it was she who was the most calculative and manipulative. But, the little cracks that we see through her brave girl façade couldn't convince me 'why' she had to seek out to be a part of this dangerous job. In the end, I felt that she was deceiving herself to maintain her sanity. The manner in which she handled issues was almost flawless and I liked the strange relationship between her and Oji.

The supporting characters, including Minhee and Kitae, were plain horrible. I grew to like Minhee by the end, once she had actually stopped snapping all the time. I adored her friendship with Mr. Lee Wang Chul (He was my favorite character.) It was one of those moments in this series where I felt that genuine care and affection existed. All the remaining relationships portrayed where plain unhealthy or ambiguous.

I couldn't find a single student in the school who was likeable. At least, whoever had screentime anyway. Is it possible that the whole school was full of bullies and gossip mongers? Why were there no genuine friendships? In the end, it was the home-room teacher, the police woman and the dean who has to deal with all this mess.
The soundtrack was awesome. I loved the main theme "Speak for Yourself".

I do not know how much of the events depicted in this is possible in real life. But, an elder sister I knew did tell me about a thing like this in college where students solicited for money-- often leading to awkward and unpleasant encounters when they encounter their own kind.

I would suggest this to anyone looking for some thrill -- it was slightly dragging and slow upto episode 5, then managed to hold my interest during the last few episodes. Unfortunately, I had high hopes for this one, but I found it a tad bit predictable, considering that the characters kept digging holes the size of Mariana Trench every other episode. The ending was quite fitting, personally. A second season might ruin the effect of the first, which I felt, wrapped up quite nicely.

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If you need to know, this is a 14 minute short story about a boy who has just moved into a new city, Chongqing, and feels out of place. He, by a turn of events, gets to know the "gangster type" dude in his same class. Though, they begin on a not so friendly note thanks to their prejudices, they slowly develop a bond that is hinted to be a strong one.
This was directed to promote members of TNT - Teens in Times, and they did a fairly convincing job. (To me at least.) It was cute, though I don't know what's up with the English title when the native one is a simple "Let's Wait for the Rain to Stop".

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Too Much Sweet With No Salt.

Aah... the age gap returns. Or did it really?

After inheriting his Grandfather's local coin laundry, Minato Akira leads a simple and happy life. His life takes a turn when he encounters Katsuyaki Shin, a 17 year old high school student, who happens to have an intense crush on him. His straightforward advances and innocence enamors Akira, but also digs up unpleasant memories.

Honestly, I really liked the first two episodes, but it sort of descended into boring land very soon. Both the characters of Shin and Akira were beautifully written - everyone had their own fears and setbacks. I loved how straightforward Shin-chan was in particular and it was hilarious to see Akira-san's scandalized reactions. All the actors played their roles well.

Setting that apart, it did have other aspects of friendship, study life and even a sprinkle of Shin-Chan's sister and a few passerby's. Hanabusa Akusa was my favorite, unfortunately. He had a vibe and story that seemed more intriguing to me.

This drama is not a complete waste of time. But, for some reason all that sweetness and tug of war exhausted me and I found myself skipping through the episodes to make it to the end.

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Disgustingly Cute.

That's what I felt about this mini drama. Everything was just so cute.
During his highschool graduation, Lee Wan surprisingly confesses to his bestfriend Kim Shi Tae. Only to run away and disappear without hearing Shi Tae's response. Seven years later, Wan is forced to face Shi Tae at work.

I loved Lee Wan's character a lot, but Eddie (Shi Tae) sort of stole the show in the last two episodes. Lee Wan's justified awkwardness combined with Eddie's witty comebacks was satisfying to watch, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for Wan several times.
Office settings are not my thing unfortunately, and about 90% of this drama is set in the office, which weirdly reminded me of Strangers From Hell.

Another thing? I thought Lee Wan was still in school at the beginning, and Eddie seemed to have been styled in reverse. He looked more like a highschooler in his adult life than in his school days. The actors were definitely convincing in their performance. Even the supporting boss and Sunny.

This is a bit of entertainment I would recommed for anyone who just wants to smile for sometime. Nothing new. Nothing deep.

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Candy with a hint of spice.

That's all I can think while trying to describe this drama because this is the first time I've not felt any connection to the characters.
It could be described as 'meh'. But, they did attempt to show some realistic cases and setting. The extent that reporters go and their dedication towards their duty were portrayed well.
Satoshi was understandable at first, but what exactly was Kaburagi's deal is never mentioned. His character needed time and narrative space for me to understand him. Which the 20 minutes could not provide.
The entire drama is told from Onoe Satoshi's point of view. It was a good attempt, but it totally missed me. Acting was... okay if they had to make do with such a limited time. Their chemistry seemed hot and cold all the time.
I personally wouldn't recommend this to serious drama watchers. Maybe as a quick candy, but not as a major bingeworthy watch.

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Over In The Blink of an Eye.

I wonder how such "tailored for online platform" dramas are shot, because, oh boy... the way the scenes keep shifting from one scenario to another makes my head ache. Each episode is roughly one or two minutes long, so if you are looking for a distraction, this drama might be perfect for you. I suggest watching this part by part, too.

The leading actress impressed me with her expressions, though the Guard Gu barely had any. I don't blame the actor as not enough time was spent on his side of the story. The plot was succinctly conveyed within a very short span of time.
All in all, it's good for a one time experience.

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"Age is Just A Number."

I watched his solely to complete my 52 Week Challenge, but it turned out to be a real fun experience. Although the syopsis seemed plain ridiculous, the story, characters and their inner conflicts were genuinely portrayed.

Nozue-san, an almost 40 year old boss, has always been most cautious with his life. His younger subordinate, Togawa, seeing his internal turmoil, decides to help him overcome his preconceived notions about himself and life in general.

You are never too old to try out new things. This drama depicts this in a careful manner. I loved how Nozae-san was a genuinely nice person, who, despite being seemingly perfect, was hindered by himself. Togowa, at times, appeared much more mature than Nozae-san, yet childlike.
His dialogues at the end of epsiode 4 and 5 are some of the highlights of this show.
It's optimistic overtone was another one.

Overall, it gives you a feeling of really warm and hopeful fuzzies. A solid 8/10 for that.

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"Revenge Is Starting A Fire That You Can't Control." ~ Marty Rubin.

And this drama is a fitting example for this quote.

'My Name' marks my unexpected return to the Crime Organizations/Mafia genre. I should have checked the tags because I was not expecting this to be so violent.

Yoon Jiwoo, a high school student always held a grudge against her father for constantly being absent in her life. Moreover, he was a wanted criminal for selling drugs. But, when he is shot to death and nobody bothers to find the culprit, she seeks out Choi Mu Jin, a crime lord and her father's best friend. Mu Jin takes her in under Dongcheon, his organisation, gives her a new identity and trains her to become a highly skilled fighter inorder for her to prepare her revenge. She joins the Police force with a hidden identity with the only clue she has of her father's killer: a gun that belongs to a cop.

Hats off to Han So Hee for her role as Yoon Ji Woo because she kicked the ball out of the park with her absolutely mind blowing portrayal of a revenge driven girl. This drama would've been beyond boring had it not been for her presence. Her action sequences and training scenes where some of the most intense ones I've seen to date in KDramaland.

Choi Mu Jin, the crime lord, was the star of the show for me. He had such a mysterious charisma that I couldn't help but hope for him to escape everytime. (I should be in jail for saying this.) His relationship with Jiwoo was almost a father-daughter like. He was shady and never a good man, but I loved how we are given glimpses of his life.

The plot… as everyone complained, was predictable. Or atleast the culprit. For some reason, it lost steam after the end of episode 5. I continued watching for the sake of completion or else I would've skipped right to the ending.

Nobody in the Police force made enough significant impact on me to feel for them. (Tae Ju, Mu Jin's second in command had a better impact on me.)
This part of the plot has multiple unanswered questions and I felt that certain points required the suspension of disbelief.

The soundtrack was a treat —- I loved every single song right to the BGMs. The strong soundtrack definitely played a role in several scenes.

The conclusion is fitting the bleak tone of the show as a whole, considering that it deals with a crime organisation. Nobody escapes those unscathed.
It's a pretty solid revenge drama. But, I personally felt that it had a really sombre tone that sucked away my enthusiam somewhere along the latter half, which is why I'm settling for an 8/10.

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A Highly Enjoyable Fantasy.

I am surprised by how this drama turned out to be one of my guilty pleasure favorites. As usual, I had begun it as a 'palate cleanser' following my disastrous experience with 'Hello Monster'. However, I ended up binging the entire thing within two days.

The major advantage that My Roommate is a Gumiho has is it's compact nature of storytelling and a pacing that is 'passable' enough to keep viewers who are inquisitive glued to their screens.

Starting right off the bat with the introduction of the history of a male Gumiho, Shin Woo Yeong, we are taken to present day Seoul with him. Having given up all hopes of becoming a human and now living in an apathetic state of mind following the demise of a person whom he hoped would help him become one, he plods his way around… until an accidental encounter with a college student, Lee Dam, ends up with him losing his beloved marble to her.
Dam, a history student, is beyond terrified of her newfound supernatural being. The gumiho offers her an agreement: cohabit with him until he figures out a way to get the marble out of her… Unbeknownst to her, he has plans of his own.

I loved the performance of the whole cast. Personally, I like Lee Hye Ri in comedic roles as it comes off as more natural. Lee Dam is a character I madly respect. Never seen Jang Ki Young before, but I will surely check out his prior works. He portrayed the 'alive and empathetic, but I'm dead inside' feature of the fox convincingly. Aside from the leads, supporting characters like Hye-sun and Jae-jin stole my attention several times.

I loved the process of how the gumiho and the human slowly began falling for each other. The drama focussed enough on the two of them within the first eight episodes, taking ample time for their relationship to slowly develop into something real. They had a valid reason to fall in love, as Lee Dam herself mentioned. Yes, there were times I wanted to beat up certain characters for their decisions, but I admire the effort that the cast and crew put in to invoke such emotions.
Also the distinction between the 'fox' and 'human' along with their power imbalance was interesting to watch.

Another admirable aspect of this drama is it's beauty. Every scene, particularly some of the ones shot at night were breathtaking, coupled with the scenery and lighting. I was not particularly impressed by the soundtrack, though I do like a couple of tracks.

One negative aspect of this drama was the pacing during the final episodes. The 'supposed' second lead took up a lot of screentime. I did not like this due to another factor that may be a bit of a spoiler. Considering that, a lot of his scenes could've been fast forwarded without much focus.
Another hiccup was the mythical background. I had seen 'My Girlfriend is a Gumiho' right before this, and despite having Disney heavy characters and a much lighter atmosphere, the background was solid enough to make the plot threads and outcomes plausible.

This did not seem to be the case for MRIAG. Although, I can see that some effort was put forth, the story was focussed more on character development and their decisions.
One character in particular supported the entire fictional aspect of the storyline and manipulated it to an unbelievable extent. No proper explanation was given for it's actions.

Despite these issues, this drama is certainly intensely enjoyable. I will certainly be going back to it sometime in the future.

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One Big Wacky Drama.

I've been avoiding A Korean Odyssey after hearing caveats about it's quality, but chose to pick it up this year. (Lee Seungi's performance in Mouse was beyond impressive and I wanted to check out his previous works.)

I know nothing about the original Chinese story this was based upon. The only time I've heard about Sun Wu Kong was in 'An Epic Crush of Genie Lou' and in 'Seizing Dreams' by Chicken Gege. This was a positive point as I had nothing to compare the plot and characters too.

☆ The Plot:

… is incomplete, and I can see why, considering how expansive the original characters and work has to be. I'm considering this as an original work by the Hong sisters that is loosely based on 'Journey Across the West'. It doesn't follow the main characters constantly and branches out often to explore the supporting ones.


A young girl, Jin Seon Mi, is born with the power of seeing spirits, leading her to get ostracized by everyone due to her strange reactions.
When a chance encounter with a mysterious man named Ma Wang gives her a hope to protect herself, she snatches it without a second thought. Going into a secluded mansion to retrieve a prized fan as a part of the deal, she stumbles across an 'oppa', Son Oh Gong, its eccentric prisoner. He convinces her to set him free in exchange of a contract, and she does as he wishes, despite being told by Ma Wang to never listen to anything and anyone in the mansion. Now free, Seon Mi asks for his protection as a contract -- Son Oh Gong agrees to come whenever his name is called, but cons her by taking away the memory of his name. He vanishes, breaking his promise.

The first episode is hands down one of the most intriguing and interesting ones I've seen to date. I can rewatch it mutliple times and nevet get bored. The drama, inspite of it's flaws, is definitely a highly entertaining treat for fantasy lovers. Yes, there are questions that still need answers (the story is pulled from all sides and plots, and it might make it difficult for someone to enjoy, particularly if you are not much intrigued by the characters), but I was completely satisfied by the characters, cast, and the story.

☆ The Characters:

… are the best part of the drama. And Hwayugi needs a better poster than the one we have now. I can count four more characters who play very important parts and have significant screentime.
And they were absolute wackos. I'm not kidding. Except for Seon Mi, the Summer and Winter Fairies along with Bu Ja, not a single character was 100% in their right mind for one complete episode. It was weird, seeing a completely same human among the bunch of animals… that they clearly are.

Ma Wang was an unexpected scene stealer for me. I will forever remember him screaming 'ttorai!' when I think of Hwayugi. I loved his bromance with the naughty Son Oh Gong and his Secretary. This series should have alternate names such as 'The Errors of Ma Wang'.

Strange, but there was an ominous atmosphere throughout the whole drama. Seon Mi and her co-worker were the only real humans and the 'demons and deities' where depicted in a a rather grey manner. Even Ma Wang and Son Oh Gong make decisions that makes us doubt them.
Son Oh Gong in particular, was immature. I was confused as to why Seon Mi was holding a grudge against him even after 25 years, but later realized that she must have been in a state of constant distress due to her special condition.
His 'betrayal' comes back at him, though. I loved his interactions with every single character. He was quite witty too, unexpectedly, and I began to wish for his happiness.

The supporting characters are vital to the plot as a whole. Without their schemes and the intricate web that connects them to the main characters, the story would never take off. And the cast was amazing in portraying every role to a tee. (I loved the relation between Bu Ja and PK in particular.)

☆ The Music:

Hwayugi has a stunning soundtrack. I am quite shocked by how beautiful and memorable the tracks were. Someone commented on Youtube how the drama is never complete without certain songs and I agree with them.
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All in all, I immensely enjoyed the journey that I went through with every single character by the end. The finale is definitely rushed with a few last minute additions seemingly added, but I was satisfied with how things wrapped. Atleast, the ending is hopeful instead of bleak.
I wish that every single character grew up, overcame their struggles, and finally found what they sought for.

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A Good Attempt.

I had seen Psychopath Diary trending in 2019 while it was airing, but never got around to actually watching it until this year. In addition, the fairly comical poster and a confusing synopsis threw me off track.

Yook Dong Shik, a business analyst who is constantly looked down upon for being overly nice and a "pushover", teeters on the edge of his life after he is fired from his job due to the error of his co-worker. His suicide attempt ends ---because he was too scared--- and instead he gets a first hand encounter with a live murder. Attempting to flee the scene after snatching a piece of evidence, he is struck by a police car and soon loses his memories. A diary that had been found at the scene is returned to him by Officer Shim Bo Kyung, who is guilty of having caused his accident.
Unfortunately, the diary, which Dong Shik relies on to remember his past has secret: it is the 'evidence' he had retrieved from the crime scene.

Yook Dong Shik and Seo In Woo are undoubtably the stars of the show. Dong Shik (Yoon Shi Yoon) in particular was stunningly portrayed with the apt amount of comedy, madness and intensity. Several scenes of his, even the serious ones where tinged with a pinch of humour, but I was able to understand how hurt and pitifull he felt. Worse, it was absolutely hilarious when some of the missing pieces of the diary coincidentally convince Dong Shik that he was the real serial killer. But, I adored the guts and character growth that In Woo unintentionally planted in him. By the end of the drama, I was pretty proud of Dong Shik.
Seo In Woo... well, I'll choose that guy over Edward Cullen any day.
Officer Shim Bo Kyung was personally, one character whose sole purpose seemed to be to complicate incidents. She started off with a strong background, but resorts back to a regular female lead who doesn't use her instincts much, particularly during the latter half of the drama.
Jang Si Chul and Dong Shik's bromance was beyond adorable. I loved every scene of theirs.

The drama is much longer than necessary, although it's highly entertaining. I'll suggest this for anyone looking for a quick palate cleanser with excellent and interesting characters.

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Stranger Things.

Mouse is one giant science experiment gone humongously wrong. There is no other way I can describe it. The only factor that kept me going was the powerful performance of the leading cast. The story, after the first six to ten episodes, was a mess. Introducing Sci-Fi is a good idea, if you know what you are talking about. What the heck was the purpose of this drama?
Psychopaths are demonized in this. This is so not the case in reality. I'm sorry, but I fail to see any signs of the writers actually doing any research on the topic prior to sketching it into a story. I would've let it pass, but the "psychopath = killer" was purposefully shoved on my face more times than necessary.

This is also my very first time coming across a drama with so many dumb adults. It's as if nobody had an ounce of intellect or humanity in them.
I'm even more enraged how the very wrong message of "a killer's son is a killer" is the built in idea of this plot.

"Flower of Evil" is one drama that dealt with this topic. Do Hyun Soo is far from a perfect character and he does several questionable acts that makes the viewer's hearts stop - particularly at the end of episode one, where we truly begin to question his identity. He is not a fluffy bunny and he is definitely not 100% in his right mind, faking his entire identity.

Jung Ba Reum is a filthy character. But, he and Sung Yo Han were just plot devices at the end of the day. If there is anyone I would love to imprison, it would be Daniel Lee. Dude preached all about psychopathic genes and then turned into a hypocrite -- he used Jung Ba Reum as a murder machine, knowing well that he was the actual killer. Every single (adult and not from police station) person in this drama needs to have their heads examined. And Miss Choi Hong Ju?! Don't even get me started, yes, she was scared and traumatized, but literally egging someone else into killing others for her own personal reasons? She could've gone to Detective Ko Moo Chi and tipped him off. Instead, she played behind the scenes.
The Head-Hunter doesn't have brains to begin with, I would've smashed his head with a hammer the moment I met him, had it been me.

And his wife… oh boy. I feel not an ounce of sympathy for her. She destroyed Sung Yo Han's life. She literally exchanged her own son with someone. It's as if nobody knew what to do with children who are seemingly troubled. The teacher suggested having him taken for therapy, yet his father hit him. (He deserved a good beating, yes, but his adoptive mother knew his condition. She should've tried different methods to coax his self isolation or taken him to a psychiatrist.)
They are labelled as monsters from the very beginning. They know that there are eyes on them. (I sniff a few plot holes, but seeing where the actual purpose of the plot lay, I'll let it go.)

Jae Hoon/Ba Reum, desperately needed to get taken away from his environment, to someone who knew how to be with him. Instead, he was taken away and awaited upon as a sacrificial lamb for someone's political gain. I hated seeing the moments where his "aunt" just sat back and watched as he killed animals. His entire life was built around a lie. Yes, he was undoubtedly a psychopath. But, he would've definitely turned into someone better had he been properly taken care of. Instead, his killer instincts were purposefully awoken. And every single person involved watched the whole thing happen.
This was never addressed in the drama, particularly during the final episodes where every storyline was hastily getting wrapped up.

And Sung Yo Han… why the heck did they film the entire 6 episodes with him in plain sight? He knew that Ba Reum was the killer, knew of the organization, and never once attempted to contact the cops "directly". I knew that he definitely wasn't the killer right from EP1, when Chi Kook's body appeared in the box. But, he kept tailing Ba Reum, if what was shown in the drama had any form of truth. And Nepo dude should've just taken him in for questioning -- that would've made the drama about 8 episodes long and the case closed much faster.

Operation OZ. Damn. This is not Area 51 or Hawkins. It was lame. The Chief Secretary of the President was as horrible as Han Seo Joon and his wife. And the people with her? And the Bill? I don't even know what to say.

The drama dragged on longer than necessary. But, I guess the Sci-Fi aspect was the very main focus rather than the actual characters. Detective Moo Chi, Ba Reum and the police gang were my favorites.

My History teacher had recently mentioned her experience while working as a trainee in a school and it kept floating on my mind whenever I watched Jae Hoon. The boy in her experience, too was someone whom everyone were terrified of.

Jae Hoon was showing all signs of becoming a highly anti-social individual, but everyone easily assumed him to be a monster right from the get go. His adoptive mom apologized for not believing him, too late though.

All I could remember was how everyone in this drama were wronged. It was supposed to have the Sci-Fi tag as the very main one, since the 'killer' part was very easy to crack. I could not believe why nobody suspected Ba Reum in the Chi Kook case, however convincing he was. Or maybe I'm too spoiled after watching Saiai -- Dai-chan, the detective, literally kept his own first love and his friends as the suspects.

They should've removed all the scientific aspects and spent more time on developing the characters, the psychopath's past and the story. All in all, it was a wild ride. But, it's too frustrating.

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Superpriest!

I feel absolutely terrible now that I've completed watching this drama. First and foremost --- DO NOT LET THE ABSENCE OF ROMANCE TAG DETER YOU FROM WATCHING THIS GEM!

Whew! Now that I've got that out of my system, I'll try to write a review that atleast appears to be legible. Personally, according to me, good dramas are the ones that need to be truly experienced first hand instead of leaving the viewer in a dilemma as to whether to watch or not by reading the synopsis and reviews.

The very first episode introduces us to a rather eccentric and hot tempered priest, Father Kim Hae Il, who is sent back to his church in Gudam after beating up a bunch of thugs in another town. I kid you not, the priest is the very reason I began this drama. And he along with his Tsunami gang is what made me stick till the very end.
I digress, so let me return to the plot... well. Within a matter of days, his mentor and the Head Father of the Church, Father Lee, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. When the Prosecutor Seong Ok decides to close the case without futher investigation despite Father Kim's frequent pleas, he decides to take matters into his own hands.
A drastic decision offers him complete authority to personally oversee the case... which is handed over to Dae Seok, an incompetant detective, by the perpetrators who instigated the crime. Now with multiple people attempting to hinder the truth from coming to light, Father Kim takes drastic measures while grappling with his own guilt.

This is one of the most genuinely funny and witty dramas I've ever seen. The basic storyline is pretty overused: a group of people with the ultimate power utilizes and compromises the safety and security of the people. The characters aren't really gem worthy -- they are real, raw humans who have made mistakes or "are" making mistakes.

There is also plenty of action! I have actually hyped for every single one of them! This might sound pretty un-Godly, but Father Kim need not change who he was to become a messenger of God. Sometimes, it is the power of fists that delineate our boundaries.

There is Bromance and comradeship that keeps the whole drama afloat. I loved and adored the friendship between Song Sac and Yoo Oh Han. They were secondary characters, but were one of the hearts of the show. Jang Ryung, the bob hair guy and villain was someone I couldn't hate. He was so stupid and funny. Hwang Cheol Bum, a thug turned owner of a trading store, was another interesting character. Both of them were people whom I believe turned out to be who they were due their circumstances. Not because they were genuinely evil individuals.

And the OST?! AWESOME!! I feel to laugh just by listening to them. (Extreme Gootham City is one of my absolute favorites.)

The drama does have intense emotional scenes. The underlying theme is uncovering the truth behind Father Lee's death, so there are times that we must take deep breaths. Nobody gets away unscathed. Not even our Tsunami Priest and his friends.

By the last episode, I was upset that the drama was ending. I wanted to see more punches and fights and Team Tsunami in action. It was completely fulfilling, funny, heartwarming, witty and absolutely lovable!

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