Dark humor about politics

Likes:
1. The interesting premise of a con artist and detective getting married without knowing each other's jobs.
2. Yang Jung Gook's growth from a sleazy con artist to an honest assemblyman. I guess politics is the same in every other country. Choi Siwon did a good job of portraying Yang Jung Gook. As usual he is OTT hilarious but when needed, he can bring in the tears.
3. I loved the campaigning episodes and all the smart ways that Jung Gook can think of to get himself out of sticky situations. He may not have graduated in SNU like all the smart and arrogant assemblyman but he sure is street smart! And by the end of the drama, it feels like it was really Siwon in the National Assembly fighting for the people's rights!
4. I loved the first part showing the romance between Miyoung and Jung Gook because it set out the whole reason why he wants to protect her at all cost. I just wished she had more scenes. But loved the second half where they teamed up to take down Park Hooja.
5. Park Hooja was great! She was funny and bad. And first to see Kim Ui Seong as a good character.

Dislikes:
The neverending cat and mouse game between Jung Gook and Hooja was a bit tiring. And didnt understand the ending. Was Hooja never caught? Did she go mad?
I wouldnt mind a season 2 with a different set of baddies!
To summarize Yang Jung Gook's words and the whole drama, to all government officials: "Dont abandon the people for your personal gains. That is the least you should do for the people." .

Rating: 8/10

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Fun action comedy!

Likes:
1. The perfect balance of drama, action and comedy. Serious enough to make you think but light enough not to take itself so seriously.
2. Each case took about 2-3 episodes to solve so it didnt feel rushed. They were not the usual cases and i loved figuring out whodunit.
3. Each case was somehow connected to one of the characters so you get to know them a little bit. I loved the team work and chemistry between the 5 and the supporting cast.
4. I missed Cha Tae Hyun so it was nice to see him back on tv, and in a genre and role that is new to him. i didnt realize he can do action! And the humor perfectly suits him.
5. I also liked Ji Seung Hyun's character here. He's my second favorite. Also first time to see him be funny. Yoon Kyung Ho was so cool too! And i love Jung Sang Hoon's dimples and charm!
6. I also liked the soundtrack/bgm, it fit the scenes perfectly.

Dislikes:
Sometimes Fact check and Lee Sun Bin character is too extreme and reckless that she favors getting good ratings rather than really solving crimes and helping people.

12 episodes were too short! Wished they did 16 episodes! Of not, hope there really is Season 2 where they all work together as a team! I felt like season 1 was just an introduction and i still need to know where Kangho's money comes from and what his dad did!

Rating: 9/10

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Nice office drama

Likes:
1. Mansic and Yeol Chan's slow journey from being enemies to respected colleagues.
2. Seeing Yeol Chan become more mature at work, and dealing with his team
3. I disliked Yeol Chan's team but slowly grew on me/tolerated as they also learned to be better people. I particularly ended up liking Taeri, Yoonseo and Ms Tak.
4. The 2 senior interns were so fun and smart! Esp Anastacia..wow she looks so elegant and pretty!
5. The funny laugh out loud scenes, esp the warehouse brawl with the gangsters!

Dislikes:
The first half was painful to watch because everyone was just so bad at their jobs and there was too much hatred and arrogance. I almost dropped the show. But im glad i kept on watching because i liked the ending!

Rating: 7.5/10

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They are good detectives indeed!

Likes:
1. Whew! The never ending twists and turns just made the ending satisfying. The first couple of episodes were confusing to me, because it felt like there were too many characters and too many people involved that i didnt know where the story was headed. But once you get past Lee Dae Chul's case, the story becomes clearer.
2. There were still some moments where it gets frustrating because i wanted the team to find enough evidence to catch Jong Tae and Guk Hyun and everyone so bad, i also felt like them, that i just want to manipulate the case to get this over with.
3. The team worked really hard to solve the cases (and there were a lot!!). I would say justice has been served to the bad guys (in some way or the other).
4. I appreciated how the stories and characters were written. Most of the characters were complex. As much as i would like to hate all the bad guys, the writers show us a different side to them, not to like or forgive them, but to understand their motivation. The same way that we also see that the good guys are not always so good. They also make bad decisions that can have great consequences. And then there are people who are neither good or bad, but goes with the flow in order to survive. I guess that's just how we are as human beings.
5. The show mostly was dark and gritty, but once in a while there's some humor that lightens the mood (mostly from the VC team 2), and a subtle romance between Jihyuk and Jin, which balances the story drama.
6. Also liked how the story delved with Dochang's and Eunhye's relationship. Although i didnt really like the sister and didnt care for her story, i loved how they built their own family in the end.

Dislikes:
I thought that Superintendent Moon and Yoon Sangmi werent punished enough. Just because they repented and moved to the good guys side do not give them a free pass from due punishment.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Heartwrenching family drama

Likes
1. Beautifully written, i felt like i was a silent friend of the family. Seeing them at their worst, and rooting for them to be a family again.
2. At the start i didnt like some of the characters like mom and Eunjoo but later on i grew to understand them and loved them. Everyone has their own faults and everyone needs to make an effort to be part of the family. There will always be misunderstandings and some grudges within family. And we may also have our own lives to live, but just like the ending said, "As complicated as it was, we have family."
3. Loved the relationship between Chanhyuk and Eunhee. It took a long time for them to realize their feelings and bravely tell them, but it was all worth it! (The amount of kisses they shared in the last episode made up for the 13 episodes of push and pull)
4. Mom and Dad's story was heartbreaking but im happy that they have rediscovered their love before it was too late. Now that they are free from their kids, they can do whatever they want together.
5. Eunjoo was one of the saddest characters in this drama, but life moves on. I know she will just be better than ever, esp now she has learned to be more empathetic to other people.
6. Jiwoo has always been the maknae but im sure he will find his own path once he matures.

Dislikes
Hm, i cant really think of any. The first few episodes you might hate the characters or their decisions but that's what makes watching this drama all the more meaningful because we see their growth and their happiness at the end. Probably what i didnt like was all the fake outs during the last part of the episodes that will shock you, then it will be reversed in the next episode (but in a good way).

Rating: 9.5/10

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Viva La Vida!

Likes
1. One of the most satisfying ending i've watched in recent years. I was crying and smiling in the last two episodes.
2. The strongest part of the drama is the close relationship between the father Yi Chan and son Eun Gyeol in whatever timeline they were in. Pre time slip, during time slip and post time slip.
3. High school love story of Han Yi Chan and Yoon Chung Ah was so cute.
4. The Watermelon Sugar band and the band mates. Plus the cameos as adult versions. And their songs.
5. Eun Gyeol and Chung Ah didnt have a lot of scenes because Eu Gyeol was always with Yichan or Eunyu but he did best thing to his mom, which is to get rid of the evil stepmom and let her be free to live her life.

Dislikes
1. I didnt like Seol Inah's character. I dont know if it was the actress or the character itself. But she kinda grew on me in the end. Im curious to find out what happened when she wentback to the present. Is her family still together? Did Segyeong become happier?
2. I think we needed an extended 15-20 mins to see what other changes happened to the present or maybe i just couldnt believe it was all over.

Rating: 9/10

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Doctor Cha is free!

Doctor Cha (2023)

Likes
1. Loved Doctor Cha! She seemed like an amazing mom, daughter in law, daughter, and doctor. I love the ending where she finally had the freedom to be herself and do what she wants.
2. Seo Inho was a deplorable character and i'm amazed how Kim Byung Chul and the writer was able to somehow redeem his character in the end. That scene where he sat on his new desk after being promoted and fully realizing that he lost his perfect family was a beautiful scene. And i love all of his funny scenes!
3. I didnt like Sunghee at all, i think if she had a great friend like Mihee or the support of her family she wouldn't have all these things. I also feel bad for Eunseo but her mom's bitterness affected her life too.
4. I love Roy Kim!! A part of me wants Jeongsuk to like him back but she never seemed to think of him as more than a friend and doctor. JS was right to reject him as he can find someone better but i wish she could have just rejected him directly and not the way she did.

Dislikes
1. The story would prolly have been tighter at 12 eps. It took Doctor Cha too long to find out the truth and she kept going back and forth if she will divorce or not.
2. I also didnt like Jungmin and Sora realtionship.
3. I was hoping for a better ending for Irang and Eunseo.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Is Revenge Really Justified?

Taxi Driver Season 1 (2021)

Likes
1. Yay i love the Rainbow Taxi Squad!! Their teamwork, their disguises and cases were so cool. Esp love the invincible Kim Dogi.
2. My favorite cases were the voice phishing with Madame and the hs bully with #Choihyunwook and #Leeminjae. All the other cases were almost connected with the main storyline of the female villain. I also loved and cried at Go Eun's sister's story.
3. Most shocking cliffhanger ending was ep 12 because i didnt expect Minho to die. Hana just had a debate with Dogi that the she doesnt understand how the victims feel until she experienced it first hand. And even went to Dogi for help.
4. More than the cases, the story was about justice through the system or justice at the hands of a few people. Sometimes courts take too long and the law doesnt appropriately punish the perpretrators. Who will defend the victim and family? But i also liked what one of the bad guys said to Dogi, why is your revenge justified but mine isnt?

Im ready for season 2!! Hoping for Dogi x Goeun romance please!!

Dislikes
1. Kang Hana could have been smarter and faster when investigating. Most of the time she needed clues from the Rainbow Taxi.
2. The Udata episode and the twins went a bit too long, this could have been done in 14 episodes or less. They even added a last minute twist in the last 2 eps about Kim Dogi's mom's real killer.

Rating: 8.75/10

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Math + Food = Love

Crash Course in Romance (2023)

Likes
1. Choi Chi Yeol as best math teacher and boyfriend of 2023! Love Jung Kyung Ho's comedic timing too.
2. I havent really watched a lot of Jeon Do Yeon's works but i hope she stars in more romantic and lighter dramas and movies because i love her smile!! Although her character has many problems she was wonderful as Haeng Seon.
3. I also love Haeyi and her friends. I was rooting for Geonho but Sunjae is not bad too.
4. Best character growth is Sunjae's mom. I was crying when she went on a trip with Hui jae.
5. Chiyeol having his own bestie in Jong Ryeol!
6. The final episode was so warm and happy i really hope everyone will live brighter and less stressed.

Dislikes
1. This drama could have been even better if there were no serial killer storylines. And even how they resolved it was bad and felt rushed.
2. Didnt like the pairing of Jae Woo and Yeong Joo, or even Su A and Geun Ho. Almost everyone had to pair off with one another for a "happy ending".
3. I'm so done with Kdrama mommies being too toxic to fellow mommies and their kids.
4. Haeyi's mom didnt need to come back and create unnecessary drama in the last eps.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Not for the Weak

I was interested to watch this because of Choi Hyun Wook but I didn’t like the topic, which is about school bullying. However, since i read so many good reviews about this drama, I decided it to watch it also!

Wow! This drama is so brutal! Why does Korea have so many bullies in school? Is it just exaggerated in kdramas or is this norm in every school? I think in my country, there are some bullies of course, but generally not a lot. I asked my nephews and nieces as well as my friends’ children, they do not have bullies in their school (thank God!)

I think what’s striking in all the bullying cases (kdrama or in real life) is that these children had a sad childhood. Whether they were directly unloved, neglected, abused, or indirectly affected by family events like death, divorce, etc, it really impacts the children’s lives and their outlook. So I think parents should really be careful in raising their children. Not just raising, but actually decided if they want to have a children or not. Like in Si Eun’s case, both parents are working and had no time to care for their one and only child. Or Bum Seok who didn’t want to be adopted, but ended abused by his adoptive father. Or how about Young Bin, whose mother always let him get away with his misdeeds through money. And interestingly, it is Soo Ho, who didn’t have parents, but was lovingly brought up by his grandma, who had more integrity than the rest. So I guess, LOVE makes a whole lot of difference.

Si Eun was a loner but ended up having a really good friend in Soo Ho. He was willing to fight and die for his friends. Soo Ho, who always knows his boundaries, but always get into fights trying to save his friends from jealous people. Ugh! I didn’t know if I should hate Bum Seok or feel bad for him. Logic would think that he would be nicer since he knows what it’s like to be bullied, but usually anger and hatred makes you do things you don’t want to do.

This drama also showed how adults fail these children all the time. The parents who starts the neglect and abuse. The teachers who do not do anything, even turn a blind eye to the bullying. The bad men who put these children to labor or to crime. The police / government officials who also not able to arrest these bad guys.

Rating: 9/10

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First Love to Forever

Fanletter, Please (2022)

Likes
1. I expected this to be a romcom but this turned out to be a melodrama. First 2 episodes were light, and sweet, second half was more serious. The story is simple, nothing new, but it worked because of the 2 leads and the cute kids.
2. Being a celebrity is really tough. You just get too many haters and people can easily ruin your reputation with a lie. But it's worse if the lies are coming from classmates and friends. I like Kanghee, i wish she had more friends who can defend her.
3. I also like Jungseok. Hope there's a way he can go back to being a lawyer although i understand his kid's welfare is more important to him.
4. I liked the first love trope and the leads meeting again still liking each other after all these years. And how they support each other.

Dislikes
Some might feel that the overall mood of the drama is gloomy and might find this boring, but I didn't because it was tightly written and was only for 4 episodes.

Rating: 8.5

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Loved Hawaii Pistol

Assassination (2015)

It was Jun Jihyun's birthday a few days ago so I thought of watching this old movie of hers.

The story is about a secret mission to assassinate 2 important people who favored the Japanese. And several factions try to outmaneuver each other to either prevent or succeed in the mission.

The movie is quite long at more than 2 hours but I wasn't bored!! The story is a little complicated because there were too many characters so I had to slowly watch to understand what was going on. It had lots of action, and double crossing, and deaths, and even managed to put in a little romance. The meet-cute at Hotel Mirabeau between Okyun and Hawaii Pistol is 😍

The main lead is Jun Jihyun and the men were great support, esp Ha Jung Woo who sometimes stole the scenes. And I finally watched JJ's famous court scene that is always reenacted in shows.

Rating: 9/10

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Just like the classic Kmovies

20th Century Girl (2022)

This movie reminds me of classic Korean movies in the early 2000s like Ditto, The Classic, Lover's Concerto etc about friends, youth, falling in love, and sad endings. I kinda guessed that Bora got mixed up with who Hyunjin was, since she didnt have a picture and it was hard when there were no cellphone cameras back then. Watching the movie I thought Hyunjin dodnt look THAT handsome for Yeondoo to fall in love that quick and turns out I was right 🤣

I love the girls' friendship, they were willing to sacrifice or let go of love for the other person. My only comment is I wished they showed a little more of what really happened to Woonho, not just one scene with the younger brother. I thought if we were still in the 2000s we will get a full heartbreaking scene where he was supposed to fly to Seoul but had a car accident and they couldn't meet in the airport or a terminal illness he hid from Bora or any other tragic ending that will make people cry.

Rating: 8.5

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Slow Burn Romance at its Finest

You Are My Glory (CDrama) (2021)

"You are the rabbit that has seen the most stars."

Likes
1. I always love stories where one is a celebrity and the other is an average person. Yu Tu is serious and an aerospace engineer while JingJing is a popular actress who is fun and cheerful. Somehow their relationship works despite looking like they dont have much in common on the outside. And i think it's because they connect with each other. They support each other in their career goals and comfort each other when they're down. They also love teasing each other. Lots of hugs and kisses too. Despite their long distance relationship, they made it work by being honest and open.
2. First 10 eps were about gaming and how they grew closer. The middle 10 eps were about Yu Tu's aerospace stuff and how they end up together. The last 10 eps were all about their relationship after becoming official - 2 months after, 2 years later, getting married, and 5 years after getting married. We see their love never stopped and continuous to grow stronger.
3. Whoever casted Dilraba and Yang Yang should be rewarded because they look so great together!
4. I also love the soundtrack been looking for it and havent found them. I'm also tempted to buy the cute stuff they were showing like the rabbit earrings, rabbit doll, rocket toy, the mini astronaut figurine. Even purjoy haha which they drank in almost every scene 🤣

Dislikes
The aerospace parts were a little boring because i couldn't understand the technical details. I'm also not a gamer so I struggled to understand how the game works.

Rating: 9/10

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