Diva of the Deserted Island (2023)

BEST OST

This drama was really good. I liked the story and the acting and I think the characters really fit into their roles. One thing though was that some parts were a bit unrealistic like her being on the island and all, I think they should have handled her story better but nevertheless it was still good. The main thing though was the songs here. Park Eun Bin’s vocals were amazing and this is honestly the best k drama when it comes to songs. I added all the songs her to my Spotify and even learned the lyrics. Her voice was just so addicting and I didn’t expect the songs to be that good. Usually when I watch a drama and they start singing, I just skip but for this one I had to replay the scenes that’s how good it was.

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Feelgood series, perfect for Christmas viewing!

December 2023
First off, I like that Netflix has started calling one-off dramas that won't have a S2 or more, 'Limited'. As they seem to be pushing the western style of multiple series onto many K-dramas they make, it helps distinguish those made in the traditional K-drama format of 1 series (although they often seem to have fewer eps per series; 12 or even less, not 16).
I do wish they wouldn't mess with stuff!

So, on with the review :~)

I loved this; the cast were great and Park Eun-bin has yet to disappoint. I also loved both young actors (Moon Woo-jin and Lee Re) who portrayed younger versions of older main characters. Chae Jong Hyeop and Cha Hak Yeon were both a pleasure to watch, too.

It is very funny at times, but there are also moments of true angst and some tears.

Seriously far fetched, but it somehow gets away with that and I am sure it's totally down to PEB's acting and how she (and her young counterpart) portray the character stranded on an island, plus the other MCs and supporting cast.

The episodes flew by and the story is neatly told in the less-than-usual number of them; I'd have happily let it be stretched out for one or two more... I rarely say that!

Definitely worth watching, especially over Christmas, as it's such a feel-good series about having faith, self-belief, never giving up and staying true to one's self.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Castaway Dive '' is a music melodrama about family, romance, friendship, and music, of course.

The drama is poor sunshine, even though it deals with sensitive and dark matters, like domestic abuse. Still, it oozes love, positivity, and warmth, as the characters heal each other and support each other through many difficult situations, as well as in chasing their dreams.

And even though the drama had a few boring moments towards the ending, and it did start focusing on the family rather than the main lead and her career, the drama overall was a roller coaster of emotions, intense, enjoyable, and with great songs to boot.

Finally, the performances were excellent, as expected, especially by the main female lead.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

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The epitome of there is a light at the end of a long dark tunnel

Dec. 3, 2023

Another Kdrama I have to say my good bye too.

Castaway diva has been my go to kdrama that I look forward to every saturday and sunday. I must say that I have never been disappointed by this drama. It is so good. I wish that it was a bit longer maybe like 13 or 14 episodes so that they could have had expanded certain plot points. But I guess 12 episodes will suffice.

The music of the show is chef's kiss. I love how well-produced the OSTs are. I wanna listen to them again and again.

I am just so happy at how things have concluded. That happy-ever after typa ending was just something all the characters needed amongst all the challenges and trauma they had to face.

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Very emotional story that will make you cry!

As soon as the show starts, you can tell this is going to be a pretty heavy show. It handles abuse and feeling alone and not having that parental validation you need. Overall, everyone in the show that you’ll meet, is somehow mistreated.

What I have to say though, is that the first few episodes with the child actors, were amazing!! They showed a lot of potential, and I hope I see them in new projects as well.

Even the casting was amazing, I truly think they outdid themselves with it.

I feel like the story did get a little boring at some point, but it was still nice enough to continue watching when you’re bored.

I liked the tropes in the story too, even if they were a little toxic…but they were done well. Like with Ranjoo and the PD, I mean I was rooting for them! Despite them going back and forth…I’m not sure if we should assume they ended up together in the end or not..but they were cute for sure.

Also with Mokha and Kiho, I loved their chemistry when they were kids! I was totally rooting for him until the older versions of them were introduced. I’m not going to lie…I preferred Chaeho …He was just so much more better (personality wise) than Kiho’s older version. But in the end I caved in, and I think Mokha and Kiho are absolutely adorable. I mean…who waits and stays loyal to one person even after 15 years of waiting? What a love story!

Really, this show will have you crying. It’s such an emotional rollercoaster. Keep in mind there’s child abuse as well as abuse in general, so when you’re watching this, be sure to understand what you’re getting yourself into. Even though the show starts off pretty dark, it soon turns beautiful and colorful. Cute story, cute characters! Watch it when you can!

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Well worth giving a try, with a few reservations

I watched this because I had just finished Extraordinary Attorney Woo and I wanted to see Park Eun Bin outside of that extreme autistic character. And she does not disappoint. If I had not known the characters Woo and Seo were played by the same actor I would not have realized it. It is a remarkable talent that can take the audience so deeply into the character as to not see the actor. There are too many famous actors that overwhelm the character they're playing so that the audience only sees the actor.

The music and performances are well worth the time. The story and plotting are at times fragile meaning that characters' twists and motivations were not always believable and relatable. However, the acting and music carry the flow and engage the viewer. I found the first few episodes not as engaging as the later ones. At times the plot twists seemed overly complicated and manipulative. For example early on I became aware the writer wants to play with the audience as to which brother is KiHo. Once aware of that manipulation, instead of the story flowing naturally the audience becomes too self conscious that the clues obviously dropped are likely meant to be misleading.

I found the positives more than made up for the few flaws and kept me engaged through to a satisfying conclusion.

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what are you waiting for !!!! it’s a banger

The casting for the characters in the drama "Castaway Diva" was exceptionally well-done. I have been an avid kdrama viewer for many years, but I have never been as impressed by the casting as I was with this drama. From the younger versions of the characters to the older ones, every actor brought their role to life and made the story even more captivating. It was also surprising to see how emotional and touching the story was, as it brought tears to my eyes. I didn't have high expectations going into the drama, but I was completely blown away by both the cast and the story. I highly recommend this drama to others.

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Naufragio hacia mí corazón

Historia
Son 12 capítulos en los que se mantiene la trama sin llegar a densa. Perfecta su duración, me gustaron las subtramas también. (Quizás le faltaba más romance) No me gusta que haya mucho ya que me gusta que esté bien distribuido en toda la historia, bueno en esta, es como: Están enamorados, eso es suficiente, confórmate con eso. (Pero igual aunque no sea su enfoque principal, es lindo)
Principalmente me gusto el misterio de quién era el chico que buscaba. Pensé que era uno, después otro, volví al mismo y así sucesivamente.
Cómo abordaron el naufragio quizás es lo que menos me gusto, porque sentí que la prota a pesar de todos esos años sin interacción social, se adapto muy rapidamente. Yo me maravillaria de otras cosas a su alrededor y me abrumaria, no creo que le tome mucha importancia de como sale agua de una canilla :/
Me faltó más de su integración a la sociedad nuevamente. Bueno me gusto mucho la historia y era algo muy probable porque no me decepcionan las historias de esta guionista.

Actuación/elenco
Los actores todos increíbles. Tuve problemas con la actriz principal, no es que me gustará pero tampoco me encantaba. Un poco porque creí que ella no cantaba. (Un placer saber que ella era la de la voz) así que si todos los actores increíbles, desde los que hicieron los actores jóvenes hasta los actuales, villanos, secundarios, todos.


Musica
Se trataba de una cantante, así que había muchas canciones las cuales te llegaban y agitaban tus fibras sensibles. Te emocionaban y te ponían la piel de gallina. Hermoso.

Valor de repetición
Recomendada. Si quieres mirarla de nuevo, adelante

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Strong Start but got weaker

I really liked the start of this show. The story of Mokha and Kiho as kids really got me so invested in their success after escaping such a terrible situation. I can't pinpoint when this show starting falling off... Maybe it was the way they revealed the whole name change thing (because if he had really been looking for her for 15 YEARS, how did he manage to treat her so coldly at the start. If we, as the audience, were let in that he was Kiho from the beginning and we saw him struggling to not tell her it would have been a bit more believable), maybe it was how they went about the side story of the dad looking for them, maybe it was how the dad unalived himself... I just feel like there were so many things that I was waiting on that ended up being anticlimactic when it came around. It wasn't bad but I feel like they could have given us one solid good ending and everything else that was lacking wouldn't have seemed as disappointing.

That being said, I still think the story was intriguing and the characters were lovable. The beginning of the show really does pull you into the story and it's still worth it to finish it if you've already started.

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