K-lover61
UK
Disturbing
First off, great cast and very good acting. I'm a big Woo Do Hwan fan, but all the leads wete excellent, as were supporting cast.I found the first few episodes quite disturbing and not an easy watch. I really hate bullies and those that treat physical disabilities as though that makes a person less or stupid.
S.Korea is so often portrayed as a country where those with power, position and/or money, can get away with just about anything. This drama is no different in that respect.
The friendships that are tested and the struggles to "do the right thing" are well portrayed... blood is often thicker than water, as they say.
The story got a bit far fetched at times, but the tension and feelings of threat were well written, directed and acted.
It would need a long time before I'd watch this again, mainly because of now knowing what happens.
I kind of enjoyed it, but watching was also unpleasant at times. Means it's a well made programme though.
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The storyline at the start of the drama got completely lost. The plot suffered due to this as well, with Fighter & Tutor's episodes completely overshadowing Zon & Saifah's.
That aside, the stories were good, especially F&T's, which felt quite realistic.
Sometimes the actors didn't seem entirely comfortable in their roles (a little wooden), but that may have been due to the series' problems or lack of direction. The last ep felt very rushed. Such a shame, as would otherwise have been a 10 rating for everything!
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Park's Contract Marriage Story
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Enjoyable overall.
May, 2024.A time travel mystery rom-com, which has laughs, intrigue, threat, tragedy and romance.
Park Yun-woo (LSY), is not your typical Joseon woman and when she can no longer avoid getting married, her life takes an unimaginable turn. The emotions, characters and her life during this time, make for an entertaing watch, with the usual variety of characters from that period.
After finding herself in modern day Seoul, she becomes embroiled with a chaebol family, but holds her own. Faces are familiar, but out of time, and she has to adjust to modern life, whilst trying to find a way back to her past one.
This part of the story has the most intrigue and mystery, plus the most laughs. Her intelligence and tenacity help her adjust, but a big dollop of 'just accepting', is needed, in how well!
As the synopsis details, she meets a man who is the double of her deceased husband (BIH), with whom she enters into a marriage contract. There are times she feels like history is repeating and begins piecing things together, as so many links to her past begin to emerge. A strange but familiar character makes random appearances, guiding her, but rarely succinctly.
Her deceased husband was a lovely character, very different to his doppelganger; but they share a secret.
I really enjoyed this drama. It's classic romance, with many of the usual elements of the genre, plus some twists.
What I was disappointed with, and frankly didn't understand, was her attitude towards a key charscter, near the end of the story. It made no sense to me, given her feelings in the first part of the drama. I felt so bad and sorry for that person. It is possible to love 2 people, especially in this context.
Don't expect it to be logical throughout, and just embrace the fiction; then you might enjoy it, as I did.
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Gripping ~ needs S2 to continue monentum
May 2024Not a limited series, therefore a S2 expected, dependant on ratings I assume, so fingers crossed.
I loved the pace and the characters. At 6 episodes there is little room for depth, but to be honest, personally I don't think a series always needs it. If the aim is thrills and entertainment, that's not the point anyway.
There is enough background to understand main characters and the action starts fairly quickly.
Jung Soo-in (actress Jeon So-nee) is a somewhat tragic character; when her Parasyte, whom gets named Heidi, comes to the fore, Soo-in 'sleeps' and vice versa.
That's not a new concept and has been used in many dramas about multiple personality disorder (Hyde, Jeckyll, Me; Kill Me Heal Me). However, with an alien cohabiting Soo-in's brain that can't be psychoanalysed away, it gives things a totally different feel.
The SFX are pretty good and some scenes of confrontation are excellent.
There are sad aspects to the plot, but perhaps due to the lack of episodes, I didn't feel connected enough to characters to get emotional; I was more shocked on a couple of occasions.
I actually loved the character of Heidi (but I am sure we are supposed to) and Jeon So-nee effortlessly carries off switching between the two.
Seol Kang Woo (Koo Kyo Hwan) is a witty, cocky character on the wrong side of the law and self-serving. Circumstances bring him together with Soo-in and he slowly becomes more protective of her, although not always out of choice! KKH is perfect for this role (loved him in D.P.).
Choi Joon-kyung could be a pretty arrogant and annoying character, and whilst a part of me got why, her actions in relation to someone parasitised, I found unforgiveable, considering their identity. I found her very hard to like or empathise with.
A good supporting cast, with familiar faces and no obvious over acting.
I didn't find the look of the Aliens to be scary at all, in fact I found them pretty odd really. I'd love to know exactly where they came from. Their view of us humans is basically as food and a 'home'; fair enough ~ as the apex predator on our planet, we're actually no different in our behaviour towards pretty much all other species. I can only imagine what designs some would have on inferior life forms, if we ever found any from another world.
There are some twists in the story and it's pretty thrilling at times, but not strong on tension.
The close of S1 is actually pretty neat, so whilst it would be disappointing if no S2 was to follow, the story would still have been a decent viewing in itself.
Kept me glued and I wanted more; so, worth watching and I'm hoping for a S2, when hopefully more will be revealed.
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Riveting
April 2024The Worst of Evil, 18+, 2023, 12eps, Disney+
Synopsis and cast attached.
Very intense, violent and multi-layered drama with excellent pace, characters and acting. The script was intelligent and apart from 1 character's antics, very believable.
A stubborn, relentless, but 'good' police officer (Ji Chang-wook), with a no nonsense and short fused personality, goes deep undercover. Watching how his personality changes with almost every episode, is often an uncomfortable and anxious watch.
The rules by which organisations operate, whether they be gangsters or the establishment, are all basically for totally selfish reasons, although often disguised as being for the good of others, or a better life.
It comes across strongly in this, how just about everyone uses others, or gets used, purely to meet their own agendas. Characters are incredibly fickle, with making and holding on to money and power, plus kudos, being the nr.1 motivators.
There are lots of links between characters, with some being quite a surprise. There is a weird, but unstoppable, connection and bond between the main characters, as they are forced to cover the backs of their targets, yet also find themselves being protected and trusted by them. This impacts on outcomes, in so many ways.
I found that the most irritating, vile, and stuck-in-the-70s character, was Detective Hwang Min-gu, excellently played by Yoon Gyung-ho. I absolutely detested him! A real bullying sleaze ball! Why his character was allowed to constantly get in the way and jeopardise such an important international police investigation, was beyond me.
He was subtle as a brick and openly turned up at scenes already under surveillance. Yet at no point did any higher ups reign in him or transfer him out of the way, until the operation was concluded. I found that ridiculous.
The ending was conclusive and not surprising at all to me, but was confusing in one pretty major aspect. I did not understand JCW's behaviour at all and say why further on.
An exciting watch and whilst not something I'd see again, it certainly captivated and entertained me.
** SPOILER AHEAD **
The part that confused me, was Jun-mo shooting Gi-cheol, rather than letting him kill himself, as he was about to do. If Jun-mo had shot him in the arm, shoulder, or anywhere else, to incapacitate and prevent him from shooting himself in the head, I could have understood it; but not shooting to kill him. It seemed pointless and actually turned it into murder.
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Not happy with assumptions around suicide
March 2024. Watched Parts 1 & 2 together on PrimeI thought the casting for this was incredible. So many actors I love, in one drama, was frankly too good to be true and the acting was, predictably, great.
I really enjoyed the ways in which events began to expose a troubling connection. It wasn't obvious what that was to be, however, and even when revealed, was still far from final.
There are shocks, tragedies, grief, unfairness, manipulation and the old favourite, money and power.
The struggles are real and I don't think anyone could blame Choi Yi-jae. Having said that, there were numerous times his character didn't speak up, or did some truly stupid things; where his mother was concerned, especially. It numbed my mind.
There were also moments of brilliance in the plot though, but it did vere sharply between that and "What?!", at times.
Apart from Seo In-guk, I absolutely loved Kim Jae-wook, Lee Jae-wook, Lee Do-hyun and Kim Mi-kyung in this. None of them overacted and given LJW's part, he could have. His scenes were the most visceral for me.
Nice seeing LJW and Yoo In-soo acting together again, although in vastly different roles to Alchemy of Souls.
I do wish the story had focussed less on Yi-jae as being cruelly punished and more on his realisations, growing determination and self-worth, through the trials, as being healing. Those are positive lessons to drive home.
However, I found myself getting incredibly angry at times, because instead, to me, it really felt like they were saying suicide is a selfish choice, made with no regard for those left behind and should be a punishable act.
Selfish? Perhaps that is true, but only to a point. The reason being, it is a decision very, very rarely made by someone in a normal state of mind. Suicide isn't something a happy, mentally stable, rational person, would commit.
If life has become painful, terrifying, utterly hopeless, everything else becomes irrelevant in that person's mind. Death is, indeed, no longer frightening, but an escape.
So why portray it as though it was (is) done as a normal, conscious decision, with no care for loved ones? In that frame of mind, rationality has long departed, together with being concerned about the impact on others.
Were they trying to send a message, due to the frighteningly high number of suicide cases in S.Korea? I sincerely hope not, because it's cruel (especially to those left behind) and it's wrong.
The ending was totally perplexing, to me, for one huge reason... for time to have been reversed so Yi-jae is back on the ledge before jumping, means everything that happened originally, to that point, still happened.
Therefore, without his influence and knowledge as the soul in all those bodies, the crimes committed by Park Tae-woo and Jeong Gyu-cheol would go unsolved and continue happening.
Whilst I enjoyed the many actors, characters and their stories, the plot, therefore, fell a little short and I wasn't happy, at all, with the unkind assumptions made around suicide.
I haven't seen the webtoon of the same name that this is based on and, therefore, don't know how close to it this drama is.
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Unhappy about a couple of aspects
March 2024. Watched Parts 1 & 2 together on PrimeI thought the casting for this was incredible. So many actors I love, in one drama, was frankly too good to be true and the acting was, predictably, great.
I really enjoyed the ways in which events began to expose a troubling connection. It wasn't obvious what that was to be, however, and even when revealed, was still far from final.
There are shocks, tragedies, grief, unfairness, manipulation and the old favourite, money and power.
The struggles are real and I don't think anyone could blame Choi Yi-jae. Having said that, there were numerous times his character didn't speak up, or did some truly stupid things; where his mother was concerned, especially. It numbed my mind.
There were also moments of brilliance in the plot though, but it did vere sharply between that and "What?!", at times.
Apart from Seo In-guk, I absolutely loved Kim Jae-wook, Lee Jae-wook, Lee Do-hyun and Kim Mi-kyung in this. None of them overacted and given LJW's part, he could have. His scenes were the most visceral for me.
Nice seeing LJW and Yoo In-soo acting together again, although in vastly different roles to Alchemy of Souls.
I do wish the story had focussed less on Yi-jae as being cruelly punished and more on his realisations, growing determination and self-worth, through the trials, as being healing. Those are positive lessons to drive home.
However, I found myself getting incredibly angry at times, because instead, to me, it really felt like they were saying suicide is a selfish choice, made with no regard for those left behind and should be a punishable act.
Selfish? Perhaps that is true, but only to a point. The reason being, it is a decision very, very rarely made by someone in a normal state of mind. Suicide isn't something a happy, mentally stable, rational person, would commit.
If life has become painful, terrifying, utterly hopeless, everything else becomes irrelevant in that person's mind. Death is, indeed, no longer frightening, but an escape.
So why portray it as though it was (is) done as a normal, conscious decision, with no care for loved ones? In that frame of mind, rationality has long departed, together with being concerned about the impact on others.
Were they trying to send a message, due to the frighteningly high number of suicide cases in S.Korea? I sincerely hope not, because it's cruel (especially to those left behind) and it's wrong.
The ending was totally perplexing, to me, for one huge reason, which I can't actually say, because it would be a spoiler... unless all the things he went through were indeed part of an elaborate game and not 'real'... but then, he wouldn't have been standing on the ledge.
Whilst I enjoyed the many actors, characters and their stories, the plot fell a little short and I wasn't happy, at all, with the unkind assumptions made around suicide.
I haven't seen the webtoon of the same name that this is based on and, therefore, don't know how close to it this drama is.
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Shall I Have a Cup of Coffee?
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I need this shop, Seok and Go-bi, where I live!
Fenmb 2024A very gentle, easy going, slow paced drama, centering very much on the daily comings and goings of a small, independent, traditional café with no gimmicks.
The story focuses on the growing friendship between the café owner and a young man who, once he falls for the coffee, the shop, plus the skills and knowledge of the owner, decides he wants to work there and become a skilled Barista.
Then there are the cafe's regular and very loyal customers too.
Added to this, each episode introduces a different, new customer, together with their own story.
I think many might find this drama too slow, but I thought it charming and nicely written.
The less mature attitude and different outlook of the student Barista, coupled with the experienced and set in his ways owner; the two actually learn from each other.
I loved the character of Kang Go-bi (played just right by Ong Seong-wu), whose impatience and low-key temper often get the better of him. He is quick to learn, however, from the more experienced Park Seok.
When another approach to and possible explanation for, customers' sometimes annoying behaviours are pointed out to him, he has no problem seeing his mistake, or their side of things and apologising, or reaching out.
He also instinctively feels when he's handled something less than well.
This is a perfect drama to watch in stages, possibly between more gritty and/or emotional ones, for a little respite.
A lovely cast too, with several favourite support actors turning up.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.... as I do my coffee :~q
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Romantic
Feb 2024Not fast paced, but a gentle, quite emotional and different romance.
Sometimes saying what bothers us, when loved ones act selfishly, is the only way to prevent that happening again and again. On the other hand, that can be difficult if we are made to feel it will be perceived as controlling, or if we think it will drive the other away.
That doesn't imply a healthy relationship at all.
Such issues and more, are warmly faced up to in this rather lovely and very romantic drama.
Our 2 male leads are very attractive together and at times it felt like watching real life.
There are not many characters in this production, but those who are were so good.
I was kept engaged throughout, as the thoughtful yet simple plot slowly unfurled.
I would very happily watch this again.
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Quite stylish, very attractive, dreadful incidental music
Feb 2024Quite choppy at times, when scenes cut back too suddenly to Lee Jun's Idol days. I never got what happened back then; was just LJ sacked, was the group itself not good enough, or did he choose to stop?
Even though several scenes were a little stiff, overall I thought this was a sweet and yet often quite mature drama. Whilst LJ was very unassuming, lacked confidence and was naive/innocent, Choi Jun was accomplished, confident and assertive.
I thought the chemistry between them was very good and both actors came across as comfortable and relaxed in their roles. Their kisses as they became a couple, were lovely, affectionate and natural.
In fact, refreshingly, the weaker portrayal of characters came not from the gay roles, but straight ones.
I really liked that there were no vicious, delusional or overly jealous characters. Often in gay dramas, at least one female part is mean, nasty, clingy and a total bitch. There was a tiny inkling of that at one point, but it went in a different direction, thank goodness.
I loved both the supporting characters of Song Hyun-jae and Simeon, plus the actors who played them.
In fact the whole main cast were good.
It was a sweet watch, with one memorably funny scene that was also mature in its content.
I particularly liked that no big deal was made of being gay. It was a romance; 2 people, both eventually being deeply attracted to each other and going for it.
A really enjoyable watch with a very attractive cast. Keep this standard up, SK and start making them longer with more in-depth stories, please!
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Clever but became too much so at times
Feb 2024Corporate shenanigans, with a greedy, power crazy Director using accounting, company law and number crunching to realise a shocking dream.
Opposing him are characters out for revenge and others closer to home.
Loved the cast and the characters were a decent mix. No whiney, ineffective, needy females either. All are intelligent and their own women.
It was a gripping story, intelligently written and presented, although towards the end there were some, frankly, ridiculous scenarios.
There is some action, but most of it centres around trying to stay one step ahead using brains not brawn. There are times that focus becomes too heavy and tedious.
Not the most satisfying of endings at all, with the usual message that corruption and worst, can be buried by money and power, which should be totally unacceptable, not the other way around.
Whilst this story was concluded to a point, the ending has left a door ajar, should a S2 ever be considered.
It was OK overall and whilst I wouldn't watch it again, the excellent cast and the plot, did keep me engaged.
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Arthdal Chronicles : Season 2
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Gripping
Feb 2024Long awaited S2 picks up 8 years after the story of S1 closes. As well as cast changes, there are new characters and a shift in the dynamic of some main characters from S1.
I loved S1 and was really disappointed when it was revealed that Song Joong-ki and Kim Ji-won would not be reprising their roles in S2.
However, I have to say that Lee Joong-ki, who took on the dual roles of Eun-som/Sa-ya, was really good and easily filled SJK's sandals.
I like actress Shin Sae-kyong, but didn't think she portrayed Tan-ya quite as well as KJW did; the latter gave the role more depth and feeling, I thought.
The story is fast on action and there are some very emotional and violent scenes, just like in S1. A thirst for absolute power, built on a foundation of deceit, and madness fuelled by paranoia, make for a riveting watch.
I loved it almost as much as S1 and would happily sit through both, in one long binge, in the not too distant future!
I think the ending fits with the feudal times of the setting, but some might not agree.
My favourite race remained the Neanthals.
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Bit all over the place
Feb 2024Bit of a romp, with a pretty bloodthirsty side, a naive-romantic side and a slapstick-style comedic side too. That mix didn't always work together.
Really liked OK Taec-yeon and Kim Hye-yoon as a pair; very cute. Refreshing to have such a positive, practical, smart and opinionated LF role in a period drama, who often took the initiative.
In fact the majority of women in this were strong; no 'princesses'.
Lots of fun, annoying, wicked and some barking mad, characters, join them. I thought Ra Yi-eon's long suffering Grandma was pretty funny.
It did go all around the houses on occasion (and then some), with a few aspects of the story becoming a bit laboured. There aren't multiple crimes being investigated, but one overall mystery that once Yi-eon gets his teeth into it, becomes a huge can of worms.
Plenty of manipulation and there were also a couple of quite moving scenes, too, which were well done.
I liked that some just deserts were visited upon some of the worst characters, although what became of one, I wasn't sure.
Overall a pretty good watch, even though not perfect.
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Loved the cast; lots of favourites. Soundtrack fit. Nice sets. Some been-here-before characters. A few very unnecessary tropes.
Overall I really enjoyed this. I so like Song Kang's acting ~ his eyes convey a lot of emotion, more than his voice sometimes and I love that.
Kim You-jung was very good; I liked her character, which is strong, smart and she picks her battles.
There was definitely chemistry between these 2 and they came across as pretty natural together.
I love supernatural stuff and this drama didn't skimp too much on that side of it, but at the same time there's also a very human story with it.
A totally dysfunctional family, with some ridiculously horrible and irritating members. One, whilst thoroughly bat poop and psychotic, I couldn't help but feel sorry for ~ a product of his environment.
Loved Cha Chung-hwa's role, which gave her somewhat important character, a very different (and surprisingly philosophical) take (she's so good too).
Quite a few twists, turns and surprises; occasionally what's possible (even for a fantasy) is thrown to the wind, to move the story forward, but all pretty forgivable for me.
There are a number of tropes I balk at when they turn up out of context and, unfortunately, some of these were SO obviously dumped in the latter episodes of this. Infuriated me, as unnecessary and it undermined the drama, at that point, I felt.
I also dislike childish humour shoved into genres in which it doesn't fit. There are so many dramas with clever, dark and/or well-timed naturally funny scenes, that show it isn't needed. Yet so many of the dramas I've watched recently seem to feature it. This really irritates me.
But, I got through this pretty quick and enjoyed it far more than not.
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Bit too laboured
Jan 2024Overall a fairly enjoyable watch, although it took me quite a long time to complete. I couldn't binge-watch this.
I liked most of the cast and am a fan of Park Hae-jin, although I find he often carries the dramas he appears in. I like his action stuff more and this isn't the best thing he's done.
The pace, or just the writing perhaps, was pretty laboured for me, with certain scenes from the past being replayed too often.
I do really like the idea of this story, I just wish it had been better executed.
Unfortunately, the modern day lead female character, I found really irritating; the way she spoke (often too loudly), too brash at times and overly headstrong; Jin Ki-Joo also seemed to me to be kind of ungainly at times, in her portrayal. Weirdly, she suited and played the dual role much better, which therefore means it may well be the Director's fault. Her chemistry with PHJ, however, was just 'off' somehow, to me.
Some overly silly parts to this, but also a few genuinely funny, also gripping and quite sad scenes, too. However, I did find it ridiculous when characters known to their colleagues/friends, started behaving totally out of character and no one seemed to notice enough to do anything about it.
Not one I'd want to watch again, but I don't regret having given it a go; even if only to see PHJ on screen!
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