Snack Sized Reviews

If I could make everyone watch this drama I would. Such a powerful story about the relationships between the generations and how sometimes that gap isn't as wide as we think. Stellar writing and acting rich with sincere, relatable moments that hits those moments in life that everyone shares, but that doesn't mean you ache any less for it. I laughed, I cried, I did both at the same time.  This show is in my top five favorite dramas and if you really want to kick up the feels, watch this with a parent, preferably your mother. 

The main point that I like about this drama is rather spoilery so I have to tiptoe around it, lol. What I can say is that while on the surface it seems to be a standard, light hearted romance, it isn't. It's about psychology, what really drives people. How much can a relationship change who you are? Should it? Park Hae Jin who played the male lead was fantastic and kept me guessing at every turn. I cried buckets with this show. Like, ugly crying that scared my dog.   

I LOVE this drama so much. It's a dark psychological thriller involving a group of elite students left at school during Christmas break. It has so much atmosphere that even the school they're staying  in feels like a silent character. The show is rife with symbolism and has this lovely unsettling undercurrent in which even during lighter moments you feel something is off kilter. Are monsters born or are they made?

I love the character development throughout the series shown by the female lead (cause let's face it, she was annoying in the beginning). And how the general is often torn between his promise to protect her and to perform his duty as a soldier. The love story built on subtly changing feelings and expressions of those feelings which was better than insta love and sweeping gestures. True, this wasn't a high budget show and we aren't going to talk about the superpowers. Nope. But it was my first drama and the only show I've ever rewatched immediately after finishing it.

It has the full combo pack: drama, action, romance, mystery, comedy, and angst to round it all out, but it mixes all of those quite well for a highly entertaining show. Ji Chang Wook did a fantastic job proving that being a badass AND a sweetheart can actually be a thing. I was very impressed by his acting like a person who's acting. Kind of like a Russian nesting doll, lol. 

Essentially a high school musical which really isn't my thing. Like, at all. But Taecyeon was in it so...that happened. :) But anyone that is into high school dramas might like it so check it out.

Police story featuring cyber crime which I found innovative for the time it was made anyway. So Ji Sub's acting was solid as always. The major negative was they played the Phantom of the Opera theme so often in the first half of the series I wanted to dig out my eardrums. 

Deep down what do you desire? The old saying of "be careful what you wish for it might come true" holds in this rather episodic narrative. This drama reminded me of old Twilight Zone episodes that were more character study than horror. Creepy with some minor twists, it's not a gore fest which may not reach as wide an audience but those that appreciate a more cerebral type of horror will enjoy it. Be sure to watch the scene after the credits on the final show to add yet another dimension to the plot.

High production value and a lot of hype for a story that ended up falling a little flat. For me it was enjoyable in the moment but not overly memorable or relatable. However Kim Woo Bin stole the show and was what kept me watching until the end. 

Relationships are hard. Past regrets make them harder. Beautiful, realistic, and at times unapologetically raw. This show is golden. As has been said by many, this show is one of the most realistic portrayals of the beginnings, middles, and endings of relationships out there. 

I'm not usually a rom com girl but this story of a former starlet and a hot shot actor had me laughing out loud. Chemistry, hilarious inside jokes about the Korean entertainment industry, and great acting adds up to one of the few male-lead-is-a-jerk-until-he-loves-her stories I love, because it's just so well done and so damn funny. 

A decent prosecutorial story that I started watching for Choi Ji Hyuk, but got sucked into the adorable puppy crush the 2nd lead, Lee Tae Hwan, had on the female lead. Though I liked the drama as a whole that subplot is basically all I remember and I feel rather shallow after admitting that lol. 

DNF Watched 5/20 episodes. This breaks my heart because I LOVE Chansung but not enough to continue watching this. It was so campy I felt like I should be roasting marshmallows.

Well there's some angst. And then more angst with a bit of angst thrown in. Not a light story but superbly acted. I felt every high and low of emotion that they did. Some people might be put off by the premise of a con man pretending to be a blind girl's brother and then *ahem* feelings start developing but it was handled tastefully and it just added to the angst. Oh yeah, did I mention there was angst?

Basically a two for one genre ghost/crime drama about a cop who wakes from a coma and sees ghosts. Not bad but not overly memorable. Taecyeon was a sweetheart and  the show was more touching than I expected.

A dark, angsty time travel story. Is going back in time to save your family worth wrecking the present? Twisty, suspenseful, and well written with emotional depth though I didn't care for the male lead character much. His motivations were noble but he was an ass and I kept wondering what the female lead saw in him. 

DNF watched 5/24 episodes. Despite Ji Chang Wook and Lee Kwang Soo being in the show I just couldn't go on with the over the top-ness of the whole thing. You know it's bad if I start making up words. Granted, I did try this at the beginning of my drama watching life, so maybe I'd feel differently about it today, but looking back I remember all the cringing I did and just have to let it go. 

One could say there isn't anything original about this story of a woman who sees ghosts. In fact it has the typical drama tropes: misunderstandings, amnesia, a hapless but sincere female lead, and a tsundere male. But this cast and superb writing make it WORK. This show pulled out a whole range of emotions.

A realistic and heartbreaking depiction of how people get sucked into cults. It's heavy stuff and there was not a single funny or lighthearted moment so beware. The cinematography and color palette of the show reflected the oppressive atmosphere as well. While it's something I'll never watch again, it was captivating, well acted, and had those moments that you share with the main character when you feel like the ground is going to open up under your feet.

A genius pianist is attracted to his mentor's wife, with whom there is a significant age difference. The first two thirds is nothing short of art and everything feels so real it doesn't even seem like acting. In nearly every glance there's richly layered subtext about the reasons, both good and bad, that one would enter into such a relationship. The whole show is elegantly brutal. Perhaps not as fast paced as some like, but that's only to showcase everything left unspoken.

Bear with me here--yes, it's an odd premise, bound to raise an eyebrow: A woman keeps a human pet. But it's really about showing your true self to others. About learning to become vulnerable to someone. Sumire is bound up so tight the only way she can open up is to make a person "safe" and she does that by deeming him a "pet". At first glance you might pass over it, but this show is quirky, funny, and heartbreaking.

DNF watched 8/16. This guy was such an irredeemable asshat. Sure he's a renegade genius so that makes him exempt from normal human courtesy...wait no. No, it doesn't. I've heard the latter half of the show is what shines but I just couldn't care about him enough to push through to the end. Nor did I think they'd have any way of making a plausible loveline with the woman he'd been treating horribly. Props to Jang Na Ra though for having the best fight scene for a female that I've seen in a drama to date. Good job showing women can throw punches too.

Admittedly the production value wasn't stellar and there were some silly moments but I think the audience needed those breathers. Overall this was a profoundly moving , well acted story about abuse and mental illness. I was impressed by the lead actor's bravery to let go of his image and embody each of those characters to the fullest. Shin Se Gi will be on my fictional boyfriend list forever. 

W stands for Wow. Wonderful. Wicked cool. Ok, I'll stop I know it's lame. Someone recommended to go into this show cold, don't read up on it just watch and I'm so thankful they did. It hit the ground running and didn't stop until the end. A clever, impressive plot with great romance and action that forces you to pay attention. And it also wins the prize for the most misleading promotional poster to date. 

DNF watched 11/16. I tried, I really did. It was a great concept and I enjoyed some parts. But for me the acting fell flat, the silly moments outweighed the drama and for the life of me I couldn't understand why he was attracted to her in the first place. Opposites attract is a huge trope in dramas but they usually give you a reason why they click at least. I just didn't see it in this one. 

For once I agree with the masses: this show lived up to the hype. Great acting, cinematography, and plot. I enjoyed watching his cranky alien ass fall in love. It's just not something I'm dying to rewatch a hundred times. Also I remember the tree that's growing in the middle of his apartment. I seriously need that in my life. 

The highlight was the military aspect and watching them be the best in their respective fields, especially when that intersected. What took the shine off for me was the last four episodes. They totally derailed. It was like they had planned for twelve but ended up needing sixteen and let the interns write them. Also the romance of the main leads had chemistry but nothing really happened. The second leads' love had much more of a story arc and was honestly more interesting. But I am so down for more military dramas, I hope they'll make more shows in that vein. 

DNF watched 4/16. It seems as if they're trying to stretch out one serving of suspense for sixteen episodes. The cinematography has an oddly bright feeling for the creepy atmosphere they're going for. The mystery seemed very obvious and I couldn't emotionally attach to any of it. Reminded me a lot of Twin Peaks, which I didn't get either.

A cute show that serves as a role model to girls for being what they want to be, and one to guys on how to be an awesome supportive boyfriend. Kudos to dramaland for opening the door to tackle some issues otherwise avoided in dramas i.e. appearance, weight, etc. I just don't think they walked through it. Perhaps they didn't reinforce those standards but they didn't shatter them either.

When a building collapsed fifteen years ago forty eight people died but so many more lost their lives. I can't say enough positive things about this drama. It felt so real, no goofy sound effects, no over the top drama. Just a progressive story about loss, recovery, and falling in love. The character development felt organic and not forced. Lee Junho impressed the hell out of me in this role.

It had a lot of cute, romantic moments and an interesting crime story. But the main plot device just didn't work for me and while Suzy's acting is improving she was outshone by her costars. So in the end, for me, the show wasn't horrible but not special. Kind of like meatloaf. Although I was drooling over the second lead's superhero memorabilia and kind of wanted to live with him in geeky harmony forever, lol. 

DNF watched 7/20. Let me just say, this is actually a very good show, just not to my taste. It's an excellent crime noir and deserves its high rating. It was just too gritty a story for me to enjoy as escapism. I kind of sat through the episodes like this O_O 

A water god comes to earth, finds love, and takes baths. This has plenty of romance and a few laughs at the idea of an immortal being adapting to our world. Nam Joo Hyuk surprised me at how well he played a cold, haughty character perhaps because I'd seen him two other roles that were completely opposite. I'd have preferred a different lead actress and a more textured depiction of life as a god but other than that I enjoyed the drama. Also, full disclosure, I'm probably biased in my rating because I love stories about gods so...

This is not a romance. It's a stunningly cinematic, action-packed crime drama. Seriously it was gorgeous to watch and some angles of the shots were amazing. The lead actress nailed her role as a newbie profiler learning the ropes. The "love story" aspect was minimal and felt shoehorned in at the end. It'd been better to have just left it out. So yeah, don't know why they're talking about love in the title but ok. 

The good: The leads were so cute together, very supportive and had a lot of respect between them. The bad: It looked like the show's budget was about $25, it's WILDLY inaccurate of medical care (no, you can NOT go eat udon noodles immediately after a complete gastroectomy OMFG), sometimes the music sounded like it's from a porno, and I didn't give a fig about any of the supporting characters. This was the first drama I skimmed through. Oh! One other good thing: they saved a kitten, so there's that.

DNF 8/16--I hated the male lead with the fire of a thousand burning suns. He's a Narcissist (I mean that in the clinical diagnosis way, not as an adjective) and Borderline Personality Disorder. Even if he finds love, it's not a magical cure all for mental illness/personality flaws and he will always be a manipulative son of a bitch. I know it's a show. I know it's entertainment. But I HATE seeing female leads pick assholes like this when there is a perfectly decent and caring guy (2nd lead) who loves her. Ridiculous.

TL;DR  don't EVER date someone who belittles you, ESPECIALLY when they should know better.

DNF watched 14/18. Anyone who was the painfully awkward kid can relate to this show. And despite ultra hot kisses I couldn't give a damn about any of these indecisive characters (including the female lead who had no self respect). The one thing I enjoyed was wondering how meta it must have been for the foley artists doing the sound. 

Trauma often has a ripple effect, affecting many people and aspects of their lives for years to come. Perhaps not an entirely realistic portrayal of mental health issues but touching nonetheless. For this show the direction really stood out to me as well as stellar acting from the whole cast especially Jo In Sung. 

This was a show of contrasts for me. Good fight scenes shot with bad camera work. Je Ha's intriguing dynamic with Yoo Jin versus his lackluster one with Anna. Big budget but plot holes plenty big enough to drive a truck through. And I'd say that Anna has to be my least liked female lead of all time. She was a paper cut out character that passed innocent naivete two exits ago and took a hard right into vapid. Sometimes I'm down for a damsel in distress but you could make a drinking game out of how many times this girl was held hostage. Just...disappointing.

However I did love this line, "He isn't a hunting dog. He's a wolf."

DNF watched 3/16. So I really like Jongshin from CNBLUE which is why I started this drama. Unfortunately it's riddled with cliches (not the good kind), and filled with more light fluffy cheese than a can of cheese whiz. It's the poor man's knock off of Heirs, and I didn't even care for the original.  

A promotional vehicle for the band KARA (and quite possibly the tourist board of Jeju island) featuring five different stories broken up into two episodes each. Nothing stellar but a quick watch mostly for the male guest stars. Personally I liked the first and last stories (eps 1 & 2 and 9 & 10 respectively) the best but neither were outstanding.

It's hard for me not to be biased since this was a favorite manhwa of mine in my angsty teen years. It definitely has its fair share negative points and WTF issues (seriously Dad, you're going to hang a painting of your half naked son in your office? I'm raising my eyebrow at you, sir), but all the intense moments between the two leads...soooooo many intense moments, help to balance it out. If you're a fan of the original content this show follows it pretty closely so give it a try.

This premise had so much potential but watching just felt awkward and klunky. I didn't understand some of the decisions the writer made and spent the time being distracted by that instead of getting into the show. I REALLY wish this would get a reboot because I hate to see the idea go to waste. The animation of the two dogs was pretty awesome though.

Fast paced and interesting with suspense and tons of sweet moments (love me a devoted guy), but the female lead character didn't click with me enough to be completely pulled in.  Entertaining watch though.

This show perfectly captures those first giddy feelings of falling head over heels in love. I liked that the couple didn't fall for the usual drama tropes and actually talked to one another when difficult times arose. Mostly, lol. For me the show dipped a little bit in quality at the end, the pacing was off and the characters made choices contrary to what they had been doing previously. But overall it was a solid show with good chemistry from the mains. 

This drama is part crime driven, part slice of life. Every aspect dovetails nicely to express how an illness not only affects the afflicted but those around them. The writer did a nice job of portraying every person's point of view and really makes you feel for each of them. Well, except for one guy. That guy can pretty much go to hell. You'll know who when you watch, lol. 

This was waaaaay too makjang for my taste. The twists were flopping around like a fish out of water and not in a good way.  Unfortunately (and frustratingly) the three main leads were the only ones to have even minimally defined personalities and the rest of the cast were merely props.

This show was well polished from the acting to the OST and everything in between. It even poked fun at itself which I loved interspersed with all the drama. It kept it from feeling too melo. I also liked the callbacks to previous conversations or situations without being as ham fisted as other dramas can be. But most of all, even minor characters had an emotional resonance. My eyes welled just as much for those in the tea house and for Kim Shin's lieutenant as it did the leads. It made the story more full and textured.   

I've been blessed to witness the phenomenal acting of Jo Jin Woong. Bravo, sir. I believed every word that came out of his mouth and every emotion he portrayed. He WAS Lee Jae Han and I triumphed or despaired with him. This drama dripped with suspense and emotion, even while keeping the plot straight despite the difficult nature of a time loop story.

There was nothing innovative about the plot, but it was a fun ride. The biggest surprise for me was how much I enjoyed the humor. A lot of it was pointed at aging, some funny because it was over the top, and some because it hit close to home.

And call me an idiot but I was a little surprised how it wrapped up.  

The male lead was magnetic and kept me interested enough to finish this show. The actor's subtle expressions were fantastic and the character intrigued me. However the rest of the show was so illogical I laughed out loud a few times. The police procedures and serial killer mentality was all wrong. But fine, even if you chalk that up to creative license there were still things like the bizarre English/Chinese conversations and poor decision making. For example the male lead promising to keep the female lead safe, stay by my side yada yada, and then leaves her alone immediately afterward. It was a hot mess, but worth it for the male lead.

"Sometimes the things you can't change keep you from changing the things you can." That was the best line and summed the show up perfectly. There was this overwhelming sense of futility and hope that blended together to make some really good moments. It was especially moving watching the male lead struggle with leaving his gangster life behind and hitting roadblocks at every turn. I really felt for the guy.

Sure, there were a few campy, silly moments but overall the emotional aspect of this show was solid. I felt for these people and their pain that kept them from finding happiness. The male lead did a good job of having this cold expression that still emoted to the audience his guilt and turmoil. A cold character that is readable to the viewer is much more interesting to me so I know how much they're twisting on the inside.

Despite being pretty fluffy in the beginning, the show got more serious in the middle which was actually a bonus for me. It brought up some tough things like moving on from the past and obligations that may or may not be owed. Everyone's positions were understandable and I felt for them. Old emotions can hit you as hard as new ones. 

One  great thing was that a lot of the flashbacks set in the timeline of the show were pretty much all new material and actually added more to the story than just rehashing it.

You ever have a crush on a celebrity and then see them act and realize they aren't the best at it? Uhm, so that happened (and hurts me to say). Besides that, it just felt like not much effort was put into this story. Kind of generic, put slot A into slot B sort of thing.  

It has every book nerd's dream: falling in love while discussing books. Happy sigh. The show went places I wasn't expecting though it wasn't necessarily groundbreaking. Decent, quick angsty love drama.

This show could have been a whole series in my opinion. There were so many layers to peel back I wasn't sure what the truth was the entire time I was watching. While I did guess the ending it didn't diminish my overall satisfaction one bit. 

A simple premise on paper but all the parts added up to be more than the whole. It has the perfect ratio of action, psychology, and moral quagmires that make for excellent viewing. All that and phenomenal acting is the cherry on top. These four men excelled in their roles and had great chemistry together, I can't imagine their characters being played by anyone else.     

Started with potential but the despite the build up the revenge aspect left me unsatisfied, there was too much filler, and the flashbacks...wow. I usually have no problem with them but this was extreme. In some episodes there were more flashbacks than original content.  

Well wasn't that a lovely mix of achingly sweet romance and dark psychological drama. I felt for these characters who were all trying to find themselves amidst the ruins of what had happened twelve years prior. The development of the secondary characters was phenomenal as well. This show had some genuinely creepy moments and nicely explored the question of where true evil originates: nature, nurture, or something in between.

The way this show started off I really thought I was going to have another favorite on my hands. There was such suspense I was yelling during every episode and just couldn't predict what was going to happen next. Not to mention the moral complications it inspired me to contemplate regarding the show within the show. Given those circumstances in real life could a show like that air? SHOULD it air? What would the impact on our society as a whole be, what would it say about us to watch it? And more importantly could we ever step back from the edge once those boundaries had been pushed? 

But after about 9 or so episodes the problems started cropping up. The antagonist tipped his hand way too early. Not to point fingers but I think the actor telegraphed it too much. Some of the red herrings were too over the top. And while I like a complex plot it became too clogged with not only a ton of characters to keep track of, but some of them were only names with no faces with which to associate them.  

While the beginning was emotionally driven and makes you ask some hard questions, the latter half fizzled out to the point it almost felt like a different writer had taken over. I'd still recommend that first half to anybody though. ;)