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Great story a must watch for kdrama fans
This is a 2017 South Korean drama with 16, 70 minute episodesHan Se-joo / Seo Hwi-young (Yoo Ah-In) is a famous author who hits a slump shortly after he meets one of his top fans, Jeon Seol / Ryu Soo-hyun / Anastacia (Im Soo Jung) Jin Seol was an Olympic level shooter who lost her desire to pursue the sport when holding the gun would bring on flashes of disturbing memories. Jin Seol is thrilled when her delivery service leads her to drop off a package at none other than Se-joo’s house. However, Se-Joo is not a fan of people in general and particularly this fan who finds excuses to seek him out. The package contains a typewriter that Se-Joo admired in an antique shop but was told it was not for sale. Seems the owner had a change of heart. The typewriter is not just any typewriter but holds a secret that ties Se-joo, Jin-Seol and a third character associated with the typewriter, Jin-oh / Shin Yool (Go Kyung-pyo) together. Collaborating on a novel about their past may break Se-joo out of his slump, allow Jin Seol an excuse to be around Se-Joo and reveal how and why the three are drawn to each other.
Spoiler ?. I liked everything about this. The reincarnation angle was interesting and the back story with the ghost was compelling. It was clear that their past story would be sad so it did not fall too heavy when the sad part occurred because it was expected. It kept you guessing just enough to make you want to keep watching. The love stories were believable and relatable. The friendships were heart warming. Getting a slice of life of that era in Korea was interesting.. The only thing that detracted and kept the ending from feeling thoroughly happy was not knowing what the future held for the ghost. It is a thoroughly engaging story with great character development, an intriguing premise and interesting plot. I highly recommend this for a wide audience but those interested in modern history, that like mystery, action, supernatural elements and romance will particularly enjoy this one.
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Disappointing the story that could have been
This is a 2018 South Korean television mystery, horror romantic drama with 32, 30 minute, episodes.Lee Da-il (Choi Daniel) has a detective agency where he helps to solve cases that the police are not thoroughly investigating. Private detectives are neither respected nor recognized by law enforcement which is why Da-il has to approach situations solo. After observing his success with a kidnap case, Jung Yeo-wool (Park Eun-bin) decides to get close to Da-il by serving as his assistant in the hopes he will help solve her younger sibling's bizarre death. A mysterious woman in red, Sunwoo Hye (Lee Ji-ah) appears at the crime scenes and seems to be involved in the victim’s deaths.
Spoiler ? I literally thought the male lead would be a detective who went after ghosts. As it turns out he is a detective who is a ghost and winds up needing Yeo-wool as he does not have physical ability to even open a door knob. The lady in red trashes him every time he comes around her. Yeo-wool develops feelings for the ghostly detective early and it is hard to understand as although he is nice not a lot is going on that would make her have loving feelings for him so that seemed too early and too much.
If you can get past the first quarter of the show it actually gets really interesting. The lady in red makes Damien from the Omen movies look fairly nice. You quickly start to wonder how anyone is going to be able to stop her. As you watch her creepy smile and hear the way she gets inside people’s heads to unlock their deepest fears about themselves the fear all of the characters have for her is completely legitimized. The relationship between the leads makes more sense and Da-Il becomes more of a force to reckon with.
So the middle was great but the ending was not. It is one of those where the leads can never fully be together. He was a ghost through the majority of the movie and then they found out that he was actually alive and a living spirit but you wondered if the serial killer was going to kill his body. They got through all of that found him, got him in the hospital in
and you’re thinking yeah he’s not doing so good sort of in a coma has some brain bleed but something miraculous will happen they’ll find a way to get rid of the ghost and he will return to his body. That is not what happens. In order to get rid of the ghost, or rather evil spirit, they had to trap it in someone’s body and then that person had to die. So guess who that was. So after doing the final heroic deed and getting unplugged from life support, Da-il is spotted by Yeo-wool and you think maybe he came to after he was off life support and none of his frienspds knew. Nope. He makes an appearance again as a ghost and she’s just like well just stay around until I feel like I can be without you. Then they all start doing this Ghostbusters thing and that just seems like the way it’s going to be. But then you’re like wait a minute the only way they could get rid of the one evil spirit was for someone to trap it in their body and then die. So are they just gonna find people that are on the verge of death who will invite the ghost Or evil spirit in so they can trap it and die? Or did they suddenly find a way to get rid of them other than that? So it was a weird ending that was really unsatisfying. I might forgive the slow beginning because the middle was so good but the ending of it brought the rank right back down for me. It’s worth watching if you like Supernatural just because she’s a really, really evil spirit. So it’s a good supernatural for the genre. But in terms of romance it lags because it really isn’t a happily ever after.
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Lacks development and substance
Ban Ha-na (Kim So-eu) is doing what she can to prevent the closure of her club “One Plus One” she also dreams of one day opening her own food truck. Na Do-jeon (Xiu Min) works as a Pierrot as he enjoys making others laugh. The two happen across each other one day and Ha-na invites him to join the club. Not only does he join but he teaches Ha-na and the others how to be Perriots which helps them save the club. Ha-na and Do-neon fall in love.If the story seems simple and the plot predictable It is. There simply is not enough time for deep plot or character development. I liked it for what it was but still felt it was missing an element of intrigue or surprise. If you want quick fluff or are a fan of EXO then it is worth it for those purposes.
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Living the dream
This is a 2019 South Korean comedy drama with 12, 1 hour episodes.Sri Bo-ah (Kim So-the) is a 25 year old owner of a bath house. She was a promising webtoon artist but after having her work stolen by a Sunbae who becomes famous from it, she becomes jaded and hides behind her failing business. When Park Choi-go (Park Sun-go) quits his promising job in the cubicle jungle to pursue his dream of owning a chicken restaurant, he finds the bathhouse a great location and arranges to lease it from Bo-ah’s grandfather, Seo Myung-dong (Myung Kye-nam), who owns the building. Myung-dong says he will discount the lease costs if Choi-go will hire Bo-ah. Myung-dong hopes that losing the bath house and gaining a job will be a recipe for renewed success for his granddaughter who has put her life on hold after her negative experience as a webtoon artist. But Bo-ah has other ideas and thinks Choi-go is just a bored rich guy playing business she vows to do all she can to drive Choi-go out of business so she can resume her “safe” life. Hilarity ensues when every plot she attempts to harm the business winds up helping. Things get complicated when the two start to develop feelings for each other and Bo-ah starts to regret her early transgressions. Some things have been set in place that are hard to stop. Choi-go is as nice and optimistic as Bi-ah is surly and pessimistic. Can these two opposites find love and realize their dreams?
Spoiler alert. This was unique in that the female lead was the one who was not very nice in the beginning. Usually it is the male lead in dramas that starts out mean to the girl and she slowly wins him over. It was opposite in this and it made it unique. The male lead was so nice to her from the start and through all the hardships the female lead created that I would find myself angry at the female lead on his behalf. It was one of the funniest dramas I have seen though. It was extremely amusing to see her plots backfire. I liked all of the plot twists and how the characters grew and developed. It made me very hungry for fried chicken. The romance was very cute. And it ended well with all but one minor plot point wrapped up.
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Very funny a good cheer you up series
This is a 2014 South Korean comedic tv series with 20, 60 minute, episodes.After their rock career suffers a set back, members of the band Excellent Souls (ExSo): Kang Hyeok (Park Min-woo), Yoo Han-cheo (Lee Si-eon), and Han Ki-Joon (Dong Yeon) are persuaded by their lead singer Lee Min-ki (Lee Hong-gi) to give up their life in Seoul and take on farming to raise money to finally debut. Lee Min-ki’s grandmother left him a plot of farmland that had little value in real estate but could yield valuable crops such as cabbage. The village where the farm is located is comprised of villagers who are not very welcoming of outsiders especially city boys. The boys fight an uphill battle to win favor and much needed help from the villagers. Min-ki grew up for a time in the village and has fond memories of his first love, Kang Yoon-hee (Lee Ha-nuI). Yoon-hee is now a single mother and the village leader and Min-ki’s one connection to his past in the village. Can the boys gain the villagers acceptance and produce a crop that will give them a fresh start?
Spoiler ? This is one of the most comedic dramas I have seen. It is very well cast and the young actors do a great job of conveying the struggle of being out of your element. They make so many hilarious mistakes and have you rooting for them the whole way. I fell in live with all the characters in the village. I loved the way everyone had each other’s backs no matter what. I was so interested in the music I looked it up and PT Island is on my playlist. Min-ki’s character was so dynamic it was easy to understand why people would follow him easily.
I had mixed feelings about the ending. On one hand it made perfect sense but, on the other, I wanted to see the full success as I knew they would get there. Walt Disney applied for a loan some 200 times before he succeeded and those types of dreamers that never give up, almost always eventually do. Min-ki is that type of dreamer and it made it so enjoyable to watch.
I highly recommend this fun, feel good, movie. When it ends, you will miss all the characters like they are your good friends. You will want to spend time in the village with all the crazy, but lovable, characters.
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One of my favorite Action Romance
Kim Je-ha (Ji Chang-Wook) was a top special forces soyldier turned mercenary in the Iraq war. He falls in love with a local and is instrumental in getting her a job as an interpreter. His plan to marry his love and get them both out of the war theater goes terribly awry when she witnesses something she shouldn't and is killed in front of Je-ha's eyes. Worse he is framed for her murder. He is determined to seek revenge and escapes, for a time to Barcelona where he runs across a beautiful young woman who seems to be running from someone and pleads for his help. The girl is Go A-na (Im Yoon-ah) who has been kept as a veritable prisoner her whole life to protect her father's political aspirations.Unsure if the young woman is crazy or indeed in danger Je-ha only half heartedly helps her and she is re-captured by her step mother's guards. As the result of an illegitimate relationship, Go A-na is kept under tight guard.
Fast forward back to South Korea and a series of events results in Je-ha, who is in hiding in his home country, catching the attention of Presidential candidate's wife, Choi Yoo-Jin (Song Yoon-ah) Realizing his skill as a great asset to her security team, she offers to provide an alias for him and ultimately an avenue to clear his name. Je-ha is assigned the code name K2 and is surprised to discover his first assignment is to guard the girl he ran across in Barcelona. Yoo-Jin and Je-ha find they have a common enemy, Park Kwan-soo (Kim Kap-so) who is political rival to one and fiancé murderer of the other. Meanwhile Jang Se-Joon (Jo Sung-ha) has allowed his wife to imprison A-na with the promise to not cause her physical harm.
While guarding her, K2 gets to know A-na and understands that past tragedy has led to her current fragile psychological state which is not completely unlike his own. The two find love but must navigate the danger of a political world full of lies, murder and corruption. Some will stop at nothing to gain the ultimate seat of power. A-na is not the only one who finds K2 attractive A-na's stepmom has been in a loveless marriage as a rich heiress able to fund her husband's political ambitions but having lost his heart to A-na's mother. She has possibly done the unthinkable once to remove a romantic rival and A-na is already a constant reminder of her husband's infidelity so Yoo-jin needs no excuse to eliminate her. K2 must play a dangerous game to free and protect the woman he loves while maintaining the alliance he needs to exact his revenge.
This has everything I love in a good action movie. It was sort of James Bond meets Bruce Lee. I was not sure Ji Chang-Wook could play another character I liked as well as Healer but I have to say he did. He plays this almost super hero level character with a vulnerable streak that has you rooting for him the whole way. The A-na character led such a sad life that it was a happy moment when K 2 entered the picture as you knew he would make things right. The plot was complex and every other character was such a twisted blend of good and evil it kept you guessing to the end. I loved this movie and thoroughly enjoyed it. Chemistry between the leads was perfect and believable. It had a nice romantic element. The only slight flaw was the overly obvious product placement it broke the fourth wall several times. Highly recommend yet another excellent Ji Chang-Wook action movie.
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Very dark with surprising twists
8.5/10 is my rating. This is South ean thriller thriller drama that runs 132 minutes.Two worlds collide when members of a poor family struggling to make end meet go to work for the wealthy Park family. In the same genre of dark twisted tales as “Basic Instinct”, “Gone Girl”, “Pacific Heights”, “Momento” and “The Game.”
Kim Ki-taek, Mr Kim; (Song Kang-ho)
Head of the down on their luck but looking for their next mark Kim family. He poses as an experienced chauffeur to gain employment with the Parks.
Park Dong-ik, Nathan (Lee Sun-kyun)
ERned his wealth as a successful business man and mostly allows his wife to manage household affairs including hiring household staff.
Choi Yeon-gyo, Madame (Cho Yeo-jeong)
The easily manipulated wife and mother of the Park family.
Kim Ki-woo, Kevin (Choi Woo-shik). Ki-woo’s friend approached him as he was leaving to study abroad and wanted him to fill in his tutoring job and keep other boys away from the girl he is tutoring and likes (he is waiting for her to get older). While Ki-woo does not have credentials he has studied for and taken entrance exams enough that he has gained expertise. He is the first member of the Kim family to be employed by the Parks.
Kim Ki-jung , Jessica (Park So-dam) Upon mention the Park family is looking for an art teacher, Kevin says he might know someone who can appreciate the Park son’s unique art style and introduces Jessica (secretly his sister who also has phony credentials).
Chung-sook (Jang Hye-Jin). Matriarch of the Kim family her other family members work behind the scenes to get her hired as the head housekeeper (all the while pretending not to know each other)
Park Da-hye (Jung Ji-so) High school daughter of the Park family who is being tutored to prepare for entrance exams.
Park Da-song (Jung Hyeon-jun) youngest member of the Park family. He receives art lessons from Jessica.
Son of the Park family, who is obsessed with Native Americans.
Park Seo-joon as Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon) Ki-woo’s friend who gets the entire Kim family in the door (unintentionally) by recommending his friend, Ki-woo to replace him as
Da-Hye’s tutor.
This was a very dark story in that the wealthy family was conned into giving the entire Kim family positions which they were not qualified for. Through careful manipulation and deceit they were able to eliminate existing staff and obtain high paying jobs with the Parks. At one point the Kim’s collected information on all relevant personal and financial details leading to the conclusion rather had something even darker in mind. Things took some very unexpected twists at the end. I liked this movie and it reminded me of some very dark American dramas I have seen over the years. i felt like the change from one up man ship to murder happened more quickly than the situation warranted and felt it would have added suspense if things had built to that point a bit more slowly. It is a very good movie in this genre and I understand why it gained recognition.
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Revenge of the Chaebols
9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic drama series with 16 episodes approximately 65 minutes run time each.First I provide a synopsis then I will review
Synopsis
Choi Sang-Eun/Jamie (Park Min-young) becomes the spouse for single men in need of a partner for events or so their family will quit forcing relationships on them. She has been divorced many times as a result but never had a serious relationship. As a chaebol she was raised to be the perfect bride and feels she is using her skills to help others who are trapped by societal rules as she was. Her goal is complete emotional detachment but she find that hard with one long term client, Jung Ji-ho (Go Kyung-pho), a painfully introverted man who is drawn to the spunky and vivacious Sang-Eun. Kang Hae-jin (Kim Jae-young), fell in love with the girl he knew as Jamie when he observed her reject the chaebol lifestyle in a very visible manner. He also hated being a chaebol and used her as inspiration to break away and become a very successful actor and businessman in the entertainment sector. But she disappeared so he never got over his first love. He was so enamored that he even named his beloved cat after her and he talks to the cat like a girlfriend sparking all kinds of fan rumors of a live in girlfriend. Scandal follows the chaebol turned hallyu star as when he is not accused of having a live in girlfriend, he is categorized as gay since he never dates. He moves into a building where Ji-ho lives and does not realize at first that the girl he could never forget, Jamie, has a long standing contract with Ji-ho and he thinks she is now married and living right next to him. He ultimately figures out what she is actually doing. When his family grows tired of the scandal they bring up an arranged marriage, Hae-jin implores Sang-eun to accept him as a client. Sam-eun thinks she has love and life all figured out and is perfectly positioned to counsel and help others but the mirror is double sided and she finds, through these close interactions, she has a lot to learn. As she draws closer to the two men on a much more personal level, will she discover that love is possible for her as well?
Review
I found her job very interesting because it seemed to run so counter to what I know of South Korean culture. Love and marriage are taken very seriously so her being a "single helper" seemed like a very bizarre thing for a cultured young lady to do. I also wondered how she thought, in such small social circles, she could take pictures and leave other traces and not have future friends and relatives recognize her from those past relationships. In the USA the only job similar to that would be an escort but that has cross over with prostitution and is very marginalized. There were a couple of times when the stigma associated with what she was doing was brought up, typically from questions from those closest to her and she acted very offended that people viewed what she did as something less than helping and a service to society. I thought she was a bit unreasonable to think others might not view her activity in a favorable light. But it was interesting, and definitely different, and added a unique spin to the story. Overall it was a well paced, interesting and heart warming story. I liked the characters, there was great character development, and it ended well.
Spoilers* I had serious second lead syndrome in this one. Hae-jin sacrificed so much for Sang-eun, to protect her and because he was completely loyal in his love. I thought they were a very good match as they understood, all too well, each other's motivations in the way they currently lived. He was so kind to everyone around him. There was such a deep sadness in him I wanted to see him fully happy. Ji-ho's ex-wife ultimately becomes Hae-jin's close legal counsel and it is suggested they may develop a romantic relationship but I never found her character very redeeming. Ji-ho apologized to her but I found, in what they showed of their relationship, she was emotionally cruel to him. I wanted Hae-jin to find someone who would shower him with the kind of love he never had and she was not the type of person that would ever be able to offer that. So I was disappointed they implied a romantic connection developing there. There was another relationship between Ji-ho's gay roommate and Hae-jin's manager where a relationship implied but never explored. I thought they would have been a good couple and they indicated they would team up as talent and manager but not much beyond that. I liked those character so much I would have loved to have seen that fully developed. I felt rather than have Sang-eun go through this "I don't know if I am worth it period" they could have spent that time giving us more to those stories.
In general Park Min-young rarely disappoints. Her character was cute, pretty and compelling. The wardrobe they put her in was very pretty and she has such a perfect form pretty much everything looks good on her. I was not a fan of Hae-jin's sloppy looking shirts that were high fashion. But it did fit with what is considered fashionable. I am just not a huge fan of that over sized look. I would have liked for them to officially claim her as a daughter of the conglomerate because it felt like she had more than paid her dues in terms of the training she went through for the "Jamie project." I loved the double proposal at the end. I affectionately called Ji-ho little robot because he struggled with the emotional aspects of having relationships but he was so pure and cute about it. So, his proposal was surprising but very heart warming. Sang-euns proposal was just like her and I think was a great way to show her deep love for Ji-ho. I would recommend this series for those that like Romantic dramas and would say this does have a unique twist that makes it a bit more compelling than the ho-hum.
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The Uncanny Counter Season 1
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One of my new favorites
10/10 is my rating. This is a 2020/2021 South Korean fantasy, mystery, thriller series with 16, 70 minute, episodes.Set in the fictional city of Jungin in South Korea, a group of Counters are charged with ridding the world of evil spirits. The evil spirits posses human hosts who have either committed murder or are evil to the extent they would be willing to. Being possessed by the evil spirit compels the human host to kill and “consume” the spirit of the victim making the evil spirit grow increasingly strong and more difficult to extricate and send on to the spirit realm. The Yung, God like inhabitants in a realm that exists between Earth and afterlife, team with people who are in the half living state of medical coma and allow them to live if they agree to fight the demons. The Counters are not only restored to health but also are given supernatural powers and superhuman strength. Ga Mo-tak (Yoo Jun-sang) is an older male Counter who is much stronger and more forceful than the other counters. As a former detective he is also able to use his investigative skills to hunt down the murdering spirits. Do Ha-na (Kim Se-jeong) has the ability to sense when a human hosting an evil spirit enters the Counter’s territory. Choo Mae-ok (Yeom Hye-ran) is able to heal others and as an older woman is motherly and nurturing. To cover their real purpose, the counters run a noodle shop around their busy demon hunting schedule.
In the beginning of the series, there was a fourth Counter Jang Cheol-joong (Sung Ji-ru) but a super powerful Level 3 (Level one being weakest) evil spirit kills him and consumes his spirit. His Yung companion spirit, Wi-gen (Moon Sook) has to quickly find another partner spirit and winds up drawn to and pairing with a young, non comatose, teenager, So Mun (Jo Byung-gyu). This unique pairing leads Wi-gen to believe this young person, who is slightly crippled on one side, has something unique to offer. To convince the young man, the team offers to heal his crippling injury and allow him to talk to his parents who were killed in the car accident that injured him when he was only 11. Soon the team finds that they desperately need the help of this young man who proves to be the most powerful and diverse Counter of them all. As the team fights many battles together, their bound grows into that of a close knit family. They find that tragic events in their past also tie them together and compel them to risk everything to send perhaps one of the most powerful and evil spirits they have ever encountered to the afterlife.
Spoilers*. I am a huge fan of supernatural and action dramas. I like strong male and female characters a complex yet easy to follow plot and lots of character development. This series had it all. The main character was such a cute and likable young person it was easy to understand why the group would so quickly and deeply take to him. The action scenes left me wondering if the actors were doing their own stunts because they were amazing and very fluid. There was a little romance sprinkled in although that was in no way a central focus. The central character’s growing skill was fun to watch. We were immediately drawn in and hooked to the last scene. It ended well (not sad) and plot points were wrapped up. There will be a second season but do not think that means this one did not wrap up. It stood lone well yet has some elements that would nicely carry to the next season. Highly recommend this series.
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Perfect for my inner science fiction nerd that also likes a little romance
10/10 is my rating. I really liked both the male (Seo Kang-jun) and female (Gong Seung-yeon) leads in this drama. This 2018 South Korean drama spans 36 episodes (although most places you watch it the episodes are combined with 18 episodes with a "split" in the middle and they wind up being about an hour so equivalent to most that would just run 18 episodes). It explores the very complex issue of when robots become so complex that they are virtually indistinguishable from humans can humans develop feelings and relationships with them. Dr. Oh (Oh Laura) is a mother and a robot scientist well ahead of her time. When her husband dies/commits suicide/is murdered (that is part of the mystery) the grandfather takes her young son who will be heir to the family business and fortune. He puts mother and son (Nam Shim) in a position where neither feel they can subvert the grandfather's wishes without harm coming to the other. Still grieving over the loss of her husband and her separation from her young son, Dr. Oh develops robots to mirror the image of her son as he grows. When tragedy strikes she has the robot stand in for the real Nam Shim to hold his place in the line of succession.spoiler ? Nam Shim's female body guard (Kang So-bong) and many of Nam Shim's co-workers try to figure out why the son seems to undergo a dramatic change in character (for the better). Slowly the body guard begins to develop feelings for the robot thinking, at first, he is human. When she discovers his secret you wonder if her feelings will change. The male lead plays both the human and the robot so masterfully they really seem like two distinct characters. There is not so much a chemistry between the male and female leads (that would be a bit weird) as there is just this sense of two that perfectly complement each other. There is a villain, of course, who tried to kill Nam Shim once (which is the reason he is in a coma) and threatens to kill and/or remove anyone who gets in his way. I really liked this one because it is like a window to the future and questions what it means to be human. It was not hard to understand So-bong's feelings as many of us develop some emotional attachment to objects in our life such as our car or maybe our electronic vacuum. And those are simple and cannot respond back to us. I liked this drama the entire way through and was sorry when it ended as I so enjoyed my time with these characters. I thought it ended nicely and all of the major plot points were wrapped up. This is up with my all time favorites and I highly recommend it.
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Very comedic yet maintains a serious and engaging plot
9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020/2021 South Korean Historical Romantic Comedy with paranormal elements. There are 20, 70-90 minute episodes. It is also known under the web comic name "Go Princess Go".
In the modern age Jang Bong-hwan (Choi Jin-hyuk) was a star chef at the Blue House until one of the dishes he made was dangerously sabotaged and he was nearly arrested. While escaping arrest he falls into a swimming pool and wakes up to find himself not only in the Josean era but in the body of a woman. And not just any woman but a woman who, in days, will become Queen. Queen Cheorin (Shin Hye-sun) somehow wound up in the lake and part of Bong-hwan's goal is to get back to the lake and get his former self and life back. Only one problem - the lake was drained after the incident under the Dowager Queen's order and she is not immediately willing to refill it. Luckily Bong-hwan/Queen Cheorin is able to use her cooking skill to win favor with the dowager to get the lake refilled. Bong-hwan had not heard good things about King Cheoljong (Kim Jung-hyun) from the history books and figures he will be easy to manipulate. However, it seems there are reasons why history recorded him as a weak king and a prolific womanizer. Things are not all they seemed from history and Bong-hwan/Queen Cheorin have their work cut out for them to sort through the mess and make it back to the future. There is more to King Cheoljong than meet the eye and keeping your friends close and your enemies closer seem to be the rule of the day for Bong-hwan. Will Bong-hwan be successful in returning to his own time/body and will the sparks that fly between King Cheolijong and his curious and spirited wife become something more?
I laughed so hard in the beginning of this. His horror at being in a female body coupled with him trying to submerge his head in every bit of water to “get back” was funny. spoilers***
At first I really liked her cousin as second guy as he seemed sweet and caring but his character got darker as time went on to the point I no longer wanted to see her with him. The historical information the chef knew about the king was interesting. According to the modern time history books he was not a very good king and was only interested in women. Queen Cheorin originally found that she was supposed to be only there as a convenient marriage to keep a power structure in place and the king was not at all inerested in her because she was associated with a very corrupt and powerful family. The king’s love interest in the beginning was his concubine and since the queen was now actually a man in a woman’s body she was perfectly fine with him directing his attention elsewhere. Ironically the fact that she was so disinterested in him was something that piqued the king‘s interest. The queens somewhat bizarre behavior and interesting antics wound up endearing her not only to the king but to a lot of the palace servants as well. I liked how the relationship between the king and the queen evolved over time and each character had a lot of character growth and development throughout. There were some truly villainess and evil people in the palace and they were constantly after the king and also the queen to take as much power for themselves as possible. In fact when they discovered the king was not the convenient figurehead they thought he was it became their goal to get rid of both the Royals. The queen discovered why the king was the way he was and that in reality he was very capable and working behind the scenes to try to take down the evil and corrupt family behind the royal structure. The entire series held my interest from beginning to end. The only thing I did not like was the chef left the queen‘s to return to modern times and it felt like the queen was not fully the person the king had fallen in love with. Also now the chef is back in modern times and you assume he returned to his previous lifestyle which did not seem all that good. It felt like you spent a long time getting to know the queen who was a combination of the girl and the modern day chef and even though they tried to illustrate that she still remembered a lot of how he was it still did not fully seem like the same person. To me it felt like both the king and the chef were cheated out of a relationship they developed. Since the he was in a she body then it wasn’t like a male to male relationship it was like a female to male relationship with a female that just happened to be a little more masculine in her thinking. It seemed to me that they returned him to modern times leaving the body fully to the queen just to avoid any to male to male overtones. Love is love so I did not see any gain from having the queen changed at the last minute to being only partially what she had been when the queen king fell in love with her. The chef’s return to modern times also meant he could look at history and see it changed but that would have been obvious even if he stayed in the past. Overall it is still very good and I would highly recommend it as one of the funniest and most engaging Korean dramas.
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I looked forward to every episode as it aired. Great chemistry. Well acted. Enjoyable.
9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy series with 12, 60 minute episodes. Other titles are “Spice Up Our Love” and “No Loss in Love.”First, I provide a Unique Synopsis then review.
Synopsis
Son Hae-young (Shin Min-A) was an only child but grew up with her parents continually taking in foster kids and, as such not paying a lot of attention to their only child. In the balance of life, she felt like she was constantly having what should have been hers taken away by others that may have just been passing through. That early experience, and the resentment she still bears as an adult, has shaped her so she wants equity in every interaction. At work promotions and many other opportunities are restricted to those that are married. This unfair policy reminds her of her childhood which she felt was completely unfair. When a competition opens at work that is only available to married employees, Hae-young makes a decision which would allow her to participate. A fake marriage she determines is the only way to gain all the benefits she can at work.
Hae-young has been in an ongoing battle with convenience clerk Kim Ji-wook (Kim Young-dae) who has gained the reputation of being an angel for his kind nature and selfless volunteer work. So, it is out of character for him to be mean or petty but Hae-young’s over the top antics, which he observes as she frequents his store, have made him her anti-fan. He pettily deprives her of her favorite snack insuring there is limited, or no stock, and she does stuff like mess up his store shelves. But Hae-young is desperate for a fake groom and her rival in her mind is the perfect candidate because he dresses bum sheik and their conflict ensures no feelings will develop. Ji-wook originally refuses Hae-young’s outrageous offer until he realizes Hae-young will choose anybody, including this con man he knows, to fulfill her plan. Even with their cold war Ji-wook cannot stand to see Hae-young get hurt so he agrees to her crazy plan, pretending he is in it for the compensation and assurance of a quick divorce. But things start to change when Ji-wook cleans up to above average handsome. As the two work in partnership on the fake marriage, they learn things about each other that change their opinion. Maybe Hae-young’s heart may not be as safe as she thought it was.
Review
This was a super heart warming romantic comedy which I waited eagerly every week to air. I like both of the actors a lot and have enjoyed many things they have been in so was excited to see them in this one and I wasn’t disappointed. They had great chemistry and their romance was very believable. It was really fun in the beginning when they had this bit of a rival going, it made it very interesting. She was really unique and you could tell it was gonna take a lot to win her over and convince her that there were more important things in life than keeping a tally. I would watch it if somebody had it on I might even seek it out to watch it again. I highly recommend it to anybody that likes romance or any of the actors.
Spoilers
It definitely takes you an emotional roller coaster as I felt for him every time she pushed him away emotionally. It was so clear she really liked him and was just getting in her own way. I wish we had more of reunion in the end. It was really just the very last few minutes. We actually saw more of the second couple together.
Her friend/sister was in some polyamarous relationship and I just think that’s odd. I’ve never known anybody other than swingers in that kind of relationship. I don’t know why they felt the need to include that and I didn’t really like it, but it wasn’t a big enough part of the story to ruin it for me. I liked her long time boyfriend and liked it when he wanted to be exclusive and was willing to accept the baby even if it wasn’t his. Their relationship actually wound up being pretty cute. I just didn’t think they needed that part where they each had another partner and that she wasn’t sure who the babies’ father was. Again just seemed completely unnecessary and actually a departure from why I usually like Korean shows where they’re much more wholesome typically. So I think that was a Prime effect rather than anything. Korean writers would’ve typically done.
I wanted to reconcile with her mom and understand more why she did what she did with the foster kids, but they never really took it there.
It was good that the brothers were starting to come together. I would’ve liked to see more of their relationship develop because they were both lonely in a way and needed each other. I also wanted to see him get to know his dad a little bit.
While it was cool that she started her own business and took the secretary with her. It would’ve been a step cooler if it had been highly successful and she wouldn’t have had to go back to her previous boss for a loan. I mean the interaction where he sort of tease them and then end up giving it to them anyway and called them. Traders was cute, but I still would’ve liked to have seen her being really successful on her own.
#NoGainNoLove #SpiceUpOurLove #NoLossInLove #KimYoungDae #ShinMinA
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Love Grows Out of an Experiment of sorts
9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Japanese drama with 10, 45-70 minute episodes.First I provide a unique synopsis then review
Synopsis
Kisara Hanae (Kiyohara Kaya) did not let being abandoned to an orphanage hold her back for long, she began self-teaching karate, until a local dojo saw her passion and took on her training. Her career was just taking off when tragedy struck and irreparably damaged her career as an athlete. After a long period of mourning the loss of her former self, she goes to work as a cleaner for a fellow orphan and childhood friend, Shingo Natsukawa (Fuma Kikuchi), who started a cleaning business. As she re-emerges and begins living life again, she encounters Ashida Haruki (Shotaro Mamiya) who is known as a one hit wonder who so happened to write the song that Hanae credits with getting her through her difficult childhood and motivating her in her athletic career. Haruki is about to lose it all, his management firm, his apartment and his career if he doesn’t produce a hit song. Desperately trying to think of how to salvage his career, his manager suggests if he experienced love it might give him inspiration to write new songs. Hanae caught his interest when she was shadow boxing in the courtyard and winds up at his house cleaning. He asks Hanae if she will be his girlfriend to inspire him and she agrees as long as the relationship is over by a set date. What she does not tell him is something life changing is going to occur for her on that date. Will their fake arrangement result in real feelings? Will their love experiment result in musical inspiration and also change Hanae’s life.
Review
This was a predictable, but sufficiently complex romantic drama with a few comedic elements. It was on balance happy and had a happy ending. I would watch it again and would highly recommend it to those that like romance, sports dramas, idol drama, and shows where a main character has to overcome a major health challenge.
Spoilers
I really liked Hanae but was really frustrated with her when he leaned in to kiss her and she basically told him he needed to ask. To me someone asks in the slow approach. You don’t want the kiss? You just dodge it. I mean naturally if someone grabs you unexpectedly and mauls you that is unacceptable but the slow lean has been the signal forever. This “ask me” is such a modern thing and is likely why so few long term couples form these days. So, I was disappointed when that ideology was incorporated in the script. It’s not romantic to me to have to ask“may I kiss you.” So, that disappointed me in that character. She made him feel bad, like he had done something wrong, and there wasn’t a thing wrong with him leaning in for a kiss.
I got incredibly frustrated with her not telling anyone about her upcoming surgery. I mean, you might be deaf afterward, that is going to be a little hard to hide. When she did finally tell her family and they did the “punishments” I totally understood why they were like you did wrong, because it was wrong of her to keep that from the people that loved and cared about her. And she only told them when they literally had her backed into a corner. Only after they essentially already knew. For her not to tell Haruki why she wanted to end it with him was not being very kind toward him. She made the decision for both of themthat he should not go through it with her. I mean tell him and give him that option. I was upset she broke his heart a little and he was just such a nice guy. I don’t like lies or selfishness and I felt like she was lying to him and being selfish in what parts of her life she shared.
I was a bit surprised that none of the deaf characters used sign language. It was all lip reading, voice to text or writing the message down. They seemed to get along fine with a combination of methods which makes me wonder if that is a true depiction of modern hearing impaired.
#FightSong #KayaKikyohara #ShotaroMamiya #FumaKikuchi
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Heartwarming romantic sports drama with coming of age , mystery and small town elements
9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean coming of age, romantic, sports drama with 12, ~60 minute episodes.First I provide a unique synopsis then review.
Synopsis
Coming from a family of decorated ssireum players, Kim Baek doo (Jang Dong yoon) becomes disillusioned when he is unable to excel as was expected of him. Feeling the pressure of being viewed as a prodigy, and not living up to his name, Baek doo goes through the motions of retiring. When his “soul mate”/childhood friend, Oh Yoo kyung/Oh Doo sik (Lee Ju myoung) returns after dropping out of contact for years, Baek doo feels re-energized to try again to rise to the top in his sport. Problem is this woman who looks exactly like his childhood friend in form and manner insists she is not Oh Doo sik. She says she is Oh Yoo kyung and appears to be married. Still she will be managing the ssireum team which puts the two in the same circle and gives Naek doo more opportunities to determine if she is actually his friend in disguise. With the team on the verge of collapse, it will take the two of them, the team and supporters to keep the team together. But why is Oh Doo sik really back and why is she pretending to be married?
Note: Ssireum is Korean wrestling sport that began in the Goryeo and Joseon period. Each opponent wears a cloth called a satba (belt) that loops around the waste and thigh. The opponets grab each other’s satba and make whatever moves it takes to get the other’s body, above the knee, to touch the ground.
Review
I really like sports dramas. This one is enjoyable on just the slice of life level and having the opportunity to learn more about ssireum. But it has mystery, romance, family and ftiendships all wrapped into one lovely drama series. I will likely watch it again and highly recommend it to others. It ends well and happy.
Spoilers
The way Baek doo mumbles to himself about all manner of things is cute and makes the character incredibly likable.
Part of the charm of Doo sik was her boyish ruff and tumble nature but I would have liked to see her soften more particularly with Baek doo. The way she smacked him in the head bordered on abusive and I did not enjoy that aspect of her character. She could be a bit cold to him and I thought her reasons for missing both of his matches were ridiculous. When you really care about someone you find a way to show up. Still after all,of that they admitted their feelings and got together at the very end. We got so little time seeing them as a couple, I would have liked a little more.
The big reveal on who the killer was fell flat because we did not get to know him much. I watched with my daughter and we were both like “rice cake who?” So it was not a shocking plot twist like I think they were trying for.
While it ended well it would have been even better to know what they were going to do about her living in Seoul and him living in their hometown. Other than her coming back for a visit, there was no mention of how they planned to manage the distance factor. It was also unclear if Baek doo would continue wrestling.
#LikeFlowersinSand. #Ssireum #JangDongYoon #LeeJuMyoung
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Too emotionally brutal for me, I do not like seeing people suffer
7/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean dating reality series with 15, 61-164 minute episodes.First I will Provide a Unique Synopsis then Review
Synopsis
This show brings together 10 singles (5 women and 5 men) for a chance to rekindle old love or find someone new. Eight of the singles were formerly in a relationship with one of the other house members but broke up for a variety of reasons. During the show they live together and go on dates and do activities to get to know each other. They send texts to a person they are interested in at the end of each round. With each batch if texts the singles receive a separate message indicating whether or not their ex chose them
House Rules
You cannot reveal who your ex is or mention it directly.
Any expression of feelings or skinship, except confession, is permitted.
On the first day, your age and occupation are not revealed.
You cannot share each other's SNS or contact information.
Cleaning and meal duties are handled in a rotation of 2 people (1 male, 1 female).
Residents eat together every evening.
Celebrity Panelists
Jung ki suck (known as Simon Dominic) Hip hop artist and co-ceo of a record label. He has also been on many variety, shows and done cameo appearances on television series. Born in 1984.
Lee Yong jin Comedian and singer. Born in 1985.
Kim ye won is an actress and singer. Born in 1987
Kim Ah Young (known as Yura) Actress and idol singer with the girl group “Girl’s Day”. Born in 1992
Kunpimook Bhuwakul (known as Bam Bam) is a thai born idol rapper and singer with the boy group “Got7”. He was born in 1997.
Singles
MALES
Yoon Jeong gwon. Cafe staff. Instagram influencer. Born in 2001. So about 20 years old during the show.
Seon Ho min. Semiconductor technology sales representative. Majored in technological engineering. Born in 1992. So about 29 at the time.
Lee Joo Hwey Game company employee. Project manager who worked on games such as Battleground. Prepares launches for new games, and analyzes competitor games to make improvements to company games. Born 1994. He would have been about 27.
Kwak Min jae. Restaurant manager. Plans to open his own Mexican restaurant. Born in 1991. Would have been about 28 at the time.
Lee Sang woo Eyewear brand Ceo. Born in 1995. Would have been about 26 at the time of the series. Joined in episode 10.
FEMALES
Lee Hye seon Graphic Designer. Designs for web and mobile platforms. Edits youtube vidos and provides one on one tutoring.. Is a freelancer who works from home. Born 1995. Would have been about 26 during the series.
Kim Bo hyun Model and Youtuber. Majored in computer engineering. Liked coding from a young age and was designing an app. Born in 1995. About 26 during the series.
Go Min Yeong. English instructor for university admissions. Born 1997. She would have been 24 at the time.
Coco Lee. Singer and reporter. Hosted a part on Entertainment Weekly with the Hollywood actors from “The Avengers”. Ex Bladee and Cocosori. Born in 1991. About 30 at the time.
Jeong Hye im Model and Youtuber. Born in 1993. Would have been 28 at the time of the series. Joined from Ep. 8 (Round 8)
Review
In the most general sense it reminds me a lot of “Heart Signal.” The singles enter the house one at a time, there is all the awkwardness at first, they all live there and they send texts to those they are interested in. They also go on dates sometimes they pick and other times are more coordinated. All of that reminds me of “Heart Signal.” The entire central component, of there being exes is where it is dramatically different as the jealousy is ramped up when it pertains to someone an individual used to think of as their exclusive partner. I think it is a mistake to put people who have only been apart for months in a situation where their ex is flirting with other people. It caused a lot of drama (which may be the point?) but it was hard to watch the pain and heartbreak various individuals experienced. I also thought they should clearly screen out those that are only coming on the show to get their ex back. It should be someone that is open to considering a new love.
i thought this show had particularly harsh elements and I was not comfortable watching the emotional pain a lot of the individuals were going through. It also felt like it biased who they might choose based on such a heavy presence from their ex.
This is not one I would watch again nor recommend to others just because there are so many better options available. But, someone who really enjoys reality shows and wants to see the wide variety might want to watch it as the ex aspect is a very unique angle.
Spoilers
What was clear to me is people who have only been split up a short time are not ready to objectively consider if someone else may be a better choice for them as a romantic partner. Some of them indicated they broke up because of some very real problems with their relationship such as cheating and fighting a lot. If you break up because you are fighting all the time it is very unlikely a short break is going to resolve all your issues. As viewers I am sure we had our opinions of who was best for this or that person but that was rarely who they picked. Judging whether a relationship is good or not based on how happy the people seem when they are together does not seem to be a successful predictor of who the people will select.
South Korean’s are very private about their romantic lives in general so it is hard to look up if any of them continue to date after the show or if new couples form. There is a lot of interest on the part of those that follow the show on what happens with the singles after. I was in the Coco and Min Jae should get back together camp. I thought that had such healthy, mature, interactions and seem to have so much fun naturally when they were together. The rest I thought made a good original choice to break up as watching their interactions in the show I did not feel they were particularly good for each other.
i think it is a bit more challenging watching from an American culture lens as women in the US pride themselves on independence so the “taking care of” me expectation that some of females have has a very different interpretation for American women. Some American women would view that as having a “Princess” mentality or being needy. That definitely had influence on who I thought was good for this one or that.
There were times when an ex would sort of make their ex off limits and I didn’t think that was in line with the spirit of the show. Making someone feel guilty for dating an ex, I don’t think that would have happened if the exes had been split up for a longer period of time.
Each episode was long and there was a lot of emotion displayed. I had a hard time getting through a lot of it as so much of it felt unnecessary. Struggling couples and ex couples need to deal with their issues in a healthier environment. Simply seeing your ex with someone else can spark competition and make you forget what was wrong with your relationship in the first place.
I thought telling the exes whether or not their ex chose them and then, later, who their ex chose was particularly harsh. That type of emotional damage could last beyond the show.
#EXchange1
#EXchangeSeason1
#Jungkisuck
#SimonDominic
#LeeYongjin
#KimYewon
#KimAhyoung
#Yura
#KunpimookBhuwakul
#BamBam
#YoonJeongwon
#SeonHomin
#LeeJooHwey
#KwakMinjae
#LeeSangwoo
#LeeHyeseon
#KimBohyun
#GoMinYeong
#CocoLee
#JeongHyeim
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