Light hearted rom com

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 Japanese romantic comedy drama with 7, 24 minute episodes. It was adapted from a manga series “Shanai Marriage Honey” by Fujiwara Emi.

First I provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Since his mother is struggling with ill health, Mikuri Manatsu (Itagaki Manatsu) figures his marrige would cheer her up. While he is very popular with the ladies he does not currently have a girlfriend and decides a dating app is the quickest best way to choose a bride. Haruta Ami (Matsui Airi) is just out of a long term relationship and figures the best way to get over a cheater is a new relationship. They both like what they see in their profiles and quickly marry but know very little in terms of details of their new spouse. They are surprised to find they work in the same office and agree to keep it a secret so it doesn’t damage their careers. That becomes easier said than done when they find they are both very popular “singles” in the office. As their feelings grow, so does theor desire to seek each other out at work. How long can they keep their marriage a secret? Can love and a real marriage develop after such an unusual beginning?

Review
Overall this was a very light, feel good romantic comedy. The leads are very attractive and it was easy to envision them as a couple. I liked the premise and the story and characters were well developed. If you want a quick, not overly complex rom com this would fit the bill.

Spoilers
This could have been longer and would have provided the opportunity to give more background and slow build of their romance. I learned things from other synopsis that were not clearly revealed in the show. I liked at the end when they revealed their first meeting and what he thought when she first walked in. It got a bit too sexual for my preference at times. Their chemistry was off the charts so the bedroom scenes, which showed a lot, were a bit cringy for me. I loved how much his mom liked her and how much he loved that his mom liked her. It ended happy and things are wrapped up but it is a whirlwind to get there.

#InHouseMarriageHoney
#ItagiManatsu
#MatsuiAiri

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9/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 Japanese suspense mystery, romance drama with 8, 37-52 minute episodes. Also known under the Japanese title Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru which translates to We Are Not Ourselves.

First I provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
Fifteen years ago Hanaoka (Okura) Nao’s (Hamabe Minami) mother was a talented baker at a family owned sweets shop. The son and heir of the highly successful confection shop, Takatsuki Tsubaki (Yakohama Ryusei), was Nao’s playmate as she lived in the staff area with her mother. The two young children learned to make confections together and Tsubaki fondly nicknamed Nao “Sakura”. That all changed when Tsubaki accused Mao’s mother of killing his father. After 15 years Nao is no longer the child TsubakI remembered and the two encounter each other through a confection competition. Not realizing the mysterious girl is his childhood friend whose mother he believes killed his father, Tsubaki asks Nao to marry him to get out of an arranged marriage. Without missing a beat, Nao accepts the proposal to be close to the family and location where she feels her mother was falsely accused. She keeps her true identity hidden as it is clear Tsubaki would not be okay in proximity of the daughter of the woman he believes murdered his father. Can Nao determine what really happened in the past without suffering a similar fate? Can the fragile love between the former childhood friends endure when they both discover the truth?

Review
Thus was eye candy in the beautiful Komono they wore and bright imagery. The sweets they created were amazingly detailed and it would have been worth it to watch just to see the artistry of making the Japanese sweets. But there was more to it than that. The mystery of what happened in the past was woven through well and it kept you guessing as new details were slowly revealed. The leads had great chemistry and their romance was believable, The villainess was well cast as I felt foreboding whenever she was on scene. It is a bit dark but still has a nice romance. I recommend this and would rewatch in the future.

Spoilers*
There we’re times when it was like if you would just let them both run it or select them both it would solve so many problems. Lead girl let the mistress get away with a lot as she would do something violent or despicable and she would not tell anyone else.

#CursedInLove
#WatashitachiWaDoukaShiteiru
#MinamiHamabe
#RyuseiYokohama
#IkusaburoYamazaki

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Delightful romantic comedy and a must watch in the contact marriage genre

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 Japanese romantic comedy drama with 11 episodes in season 1 ranging 45-58 minutes run time and 1 spcial in season 2 running 121 minutes. It is based on a popular manga originally titled "Running away is shameful, but useful“ after a Hungarian proverb.

First I provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Moriyama Mikuri (Yui Aragaki) graduated and has only been able to secure part time work. Dreading being back out in the job market, her father secures her a house keeping position with a former work associate, Tsuzaki Hiramasa (Gen Hoshino). For the first time Mikuri feels supported and appreciated by her employer so when her father decides to retire to the country Mikuri comes up with a wild plan. Hiramasa at first rejects the idea but then runs all the scenarios and determines if Mikuri became a contract wife as she proposed, they could continue their mutually beneficial arrangement while keeping up social appearances. Knowing their friends and family would not approve of their arrangement, hilarity ensues as they struggle to make their marriage seem outwardly real. Soon they discover there may be more than just a contract drawing them together.

Review

I have not watched many Japanese dramas as I found they were either way too sexualized for me or didn’t make the manga to live action transition well. This one was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the marriage of convenience premise and that they fell in love very naturally. There were some breaks in the 4th wall moments but they were not obnoxious. It is overall a well paced and heart warming romance with many comedic moments. Highly recommend to anyone that is a fan of marriage contract and just heart warming rom coms with straight forward plots. The 2nd season special episode was actually a nice wrap up to the story. It was as well written as the main story and did not seem like an afterthought as some do.

Spoilers*
Hiramasa is very robotic in the beginning and it can be frustrating knowing how he really feels about something and watching him struggle to express it. These are big, complicated emotions for an engineer. It is enjoyable to observe his character development and they do a great job bringing the viewer in on that journey. Mikuri herself can be a little ridiculous about her emotions. I felt there were several times she misread a situation and got all spun up about it when she should have known he did not mean it the way she was taking it. But that is love which can cloud rationality. It took on some social issues like the traditional male and female roles. Japan is on a different path than the US and it is hard to watch them making some errors that US made that I think have caused problems. Mikuri wants to be equal with equal responsibilities and winds up putting a lot of pressure on Hiramasa. He learns and I think their relationship is better for it but it seems they are able to make it with one partner working and the next level is people not being able to make it and the state raises the child. They also tackle unequal treatment in the workplace, age gaps and homosexuality. To me it was interesting that the age gap was too large between the aunt and Hiramasa’s work colleague at 17 years but between the gay couple the age gap was not even mentioned. 17 years is a large gap but I don’t think, since they were both fully adults that is the only consideration. In their cases she was 50s but had a young bright personality that resulted in her fitting in with the younger crowd better than those her age. Her younger love interest, in his mud 30s, was so selective about partners that it seemed he would never select anyone his agenor close. The very things he did not like were attributes of his generation or younger. They were very compatible personality wise and it seemed if they weren’t together both would remain single. The special was also a reflection of early to mid COVID pandemic when we all though asymptomatic transmission was a thing, children were at high risk, and social distancing, masks and sanitizers were going to save us. It was heartbreaking their young family was apart but was an accurate reflection of the world at that time.

Deep Spoiler* Their chemistry in this is very real as the main couple married in real life. Gen Hishino is most famous as a singer and you can see a lot of his music videos.

#FullTimeWifeEscapist
#YuiAragaki
#GenHishino
#MarriageofConvenience

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Unique premise, great chemistry, female lead not whiny

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Chinese romantic comedy drama with a supernatural element. There are 24, 45 minute episodes.I read there were 22 regular episodes with two, 15 minute special episodes. The special episodes can be hard to find and the English subs were not very good.

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
After a tragic accident, Xu Nuo (Fan Shi Qi) is no longer able to feel any emotions. Having this disorder has made him ruthless and high successful in the business world but leaves a path if emotional destruction which resulted in many people wishing him harm. Ke Si Yi’s (Qu Yan Di) family has a mixed martial arts business that is in he cutthroat sites of Xu Nyo. When he seeks a body guard, Si Yi uses the opportunity to fill that role in order to get close to the cold executive and influence the decisions he makes around her family business. More than sparks fly between boss and bodyguard when they discover he physically feels her pain and she experiences all of his emotions. What in the Freaky Friday? The two must rely on each other to discover the mystery behind this strange transference. There are some deep ties in their past so fate has had a hand in their lives for awhile. Did fate have love in mind all long?

Review
A cute romantic comedy with a very compelling and unique premise. The cold executive gets humanized by the happy go lucky positive female lead trope. The slice of mixed martial arts was interesting. The second couple were super cute. The family relationships and friendships were heartwarming. The female lead was not overly whiney. She was kind with an inner strength. Some reviewer say she was stupid.I did not see her as stupid she was guileless so she did not play emotional games. People who are overly empathetic and not good deceivers can come off as simple and I think that is what some are responding to.

I recommend and would watch again.

Spoilers*.

Him experiencing her pain had me laughing out loud at times. When he is in a meeting taking invisible punches and others are looking at him like he has gone crazy it is funny. He would tell his lawyer friend to find Si Yi knowing she was up to something. They had great chemistry and the timing and pace of their love story was believable. When he was going through her menstrual pain it reminded me of a documentary where they hooked men up to electrical stimulation machines to stimulate menstrual cramps and they would tap out.

There we’re a few disappointing things in the end. When he worried his competitor might hurt her to extract revenge he publicly rejected her multiple times. The female lead did not believe him because she was so familiar with his feelings having experienced them on his behalf. When he made arrangements to have an actress as his girlfriend and cruelly announced to her that they were considering marriage it gave me Meteor Garden vibes. I understood what he was doing and he he thought it was necessary but thought he could have told her and she would not have been broken hearted. I wanted her to cooly walk away but instead she clung harder and I felt secondhand embarrassment.

it was a bit silly looking when the bad guy goes to run over him and she drives her scooter in the way them the two of them are like spinning in the road. I think they were trying to increase the drama and make you wonder who would get hit but it was ver unnatural looking. Then when she is unconscious and injured on the ground he screams “no” just like that famous scene with Darth Vader in Star Wars. It was similar in that her injury was the very thing he was trying to prevent but keeping her away ultimately caused it.

She wakes from the coma, he is in the room, and she does not pause for a second but embraces him in a hug. It is all over now the bad guy is on the way to jail so he can now go back to liking her. But she just forgave him with no explanation. Her friend gave her lawyer boyfriend a harder time and he was nowhere as cruel to her.

We got a lot of sad when she and he were dealing with broken hearts so their reunion being the last few minutes was not enough happy for me to make up for the sadness we were put through.

Not sure why, with Chinese dramas they have special episodes that are rarely available with the regular episodes and even harder to find with English subtitles. It is like they are providing the opportunity to stop with the regular episodes or, if you want more story, you watch the special episodes.

In the special episodes we see that she is willing to leave if he is being cold or unreasonable. We see an argument and them both struggling not to be the one to make up first. And we get the proposal. The very end is a triple wedding. I enjoyed it but would have liked it better with better translation.

#LoveUnexpected
#FanShiQi
#QuYanDi

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Promising beginning but then most of the characters devolved especially FL character

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean romantic drama with 16, 70 minute episodes

First I provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
Noh Ae-jung (Song Ji-hyo) dream was to produce films and she passionately studied film at University. Her capable and energetic nature toward all things film related caught the amaros attention of several of her fellow film students two of which went on to become famous. Ae-Jung’s dreams were derailed when she became pregnant and she did not tell the father and instead disappeared from the scene for 14 years while she raised her daughter. She worked a variety of jobs and tried to focus her work in the film industry. She finally gets a break when the CEO of the Production company she is working for promotes her and it looks like she will be able to realize her dream. But the CEO tricked her into signing a shady loan then disappears leaving her with the debt and the sinking company. When Ae-Jung discovers a novel, rights owned by the production company, which is ripe to be convertedd to script she sees a chance to turn the failing company around. The novel, that just happens to be the first work of a now famous author, could not only save the company but launch Ae-Jung’s production career. She just has to get a lot of people onboard and her efforts bring the men from her struggling student days back in her life. Oh Dae-oh (Son Ho-jun) is the famous writer who is seeking revenge on Ae-Jung for breaking his heart. Ryu Jin (Song Jong-ho) made it big as an actor but feels like Ae-Jung is the love who got away. Goo Pa-do (Kim Min-jun) owns the company where Ae-Jung’s CEO took the loan and winds up investing in her current endeavor to recoup his loan. Oh Yeon-woo (Koo Ja-sung) is a younger man who Ae-Jung saved at one point and he wanted to marry Ae-Jung and take on the role of father. Will Ae-Jung be able to make her dream come true with the help of these four very different men? Who is her daughter’s father? Which man will win, or reclaim, her heart?

Review

You may start this and wonder why there are so many negative reviews. The first episodes will pull you in and you may like all the characters and wonder how people could have disliked it so much, But it takes a turn when you find out what is really going on. To its credit this is one of the few with multiple romantic interests where I had no idea who she might end up with until well into the series. She had something special going on with each of the men, they all seemed interested and she treated them all like close friends that could be something more. I also was unsure which one was rhe father of her daughter. It made the first 3/4 of the series interesting as we tried to figure out who it might be. I liked the pre-teen daughter. But the Female Lead (FL) character became so unlivable to me at a point it was hard to continue watching. In the reviews I read some liked it but most that really liked it was more due to the actors than the story. I suppose if you feel the situation justified her actions then you could feel differently.

Spoilers*
I don’t know if it was Netflix influence trying to Americanize the series but I really disliked Ae-Jung’s “I don’t need a man” stance. She was very anti romance to the point of being mean to the men around her. When the misunderstanding that had kept them apart was cleared up she continued to treat him coldly and refused to help him form a relationship with his daughter. The only thing he was guilty of was he did make a bad choice in allowing a young girl that had a thing for him that close, but he apologized for that part, I was also disappointed in other characters I felt sympathy for Ryu having to be the sounding board for his friend when he liked the girl so much himself. But finding out that Ryu Jin deleted her text was a despicable action because it made seem like he would hurt others and cheat to get her. After that him being there for Dae-oh when he was so extremely heart broken took on a different feeling as he largely caused the situation or at least him having no clue why she left. Jo Ah-rin (Kim Da-som) did not care she was coming between a relationship with a child involved and thought it was very selfish and ridiculous to cling to someone who clearly rejected her romantically. Ae-Jung was just mean and the fact that Yoon-woo characterized her as sweet was confusing as I only saw her as very self serving and selfish. She did have her sweet moments with him but she also had other times when it felt like she led him on and other times when she was cold. I thought she was wrong to not tell her daughter the truth. She and the grandmother created an environment where the young girl did not feel she could ask about her dad. Even after Ae-Jung finds out her daughter wanted a father and was looking for him she still refused to let Dae-oh be involved in his daughter’s life. Even if he had cheated on her or ignored her text, he was still the girls father and she was wrong to cut him out of her life. Her daughter wanted to know who her father was but she did not clear up the misunderstanding he abandoned her. It made me not like Ae-Jung in the last few episodes. Keeping the child to herself and not telling her the truth of the situation led to a lot of unnecessary pain for father and daughter.

The ending was disappointing. it felt like he gave up his career, sacrificed it for her. After a completely unnecessary separation there is a short scene where they reunite then the end is her walking her daughter down the aisle at her wedding. That skip forward was awkward as it seemed not a lot changed between the couples or between father and daughter although many years had obviously passed. At least from what we could briefly see, All of the men were together sort of standing up for the young woman as a like a dad unit with Dae-oh leading that as a nod to being the biological father. It was weird. So it seems she never acknowledged her father and Ae-Jung was still playing the dual role of mom and dad. The fact that Dae-oh was there showed he was still in their lives but, given the FL wushu washy treatment of him I had no confidence they were together in a meaningful way. We finally get to see the gangster guy and the “bar” owner flirty and also the two actors but years have passed and they only made it that far which was also disappointing. It seemed to set things up for another season but I wouldn’t watch as it was such a train wreck with the dental relationship I have no trust any further stories would be any better..

Let me fix the ending how it should have went: Dae-oh cloisters himself off at his place but only for a few months. He and the FL hold a press conference addressing the rumors. He tells the public that the book he wrote was his truth at the time, but now that he has reunited with his first love he found out the truth.The production company will instead be working on the amended version of the book, and the movie will be released in tandem with the new novel. He goes into seclusion to finish writing the novel how it should be (and the screenplay) to finish as quickly as possible and they reunite when it’s time to film. When the film is released, they go to the opening night with Ha-nee and she learns the full story of her parents. She finally forgives her father and calls him Dad. The end. Had the ending went more like this it could have ended well. But it did not end well in my opinion.

Not one I would rewatch or recommend.

#WasItLove
#SongJiHyo
#SonHojun
#SongJongho
#KimMinjun
#KooJasung
#KimDasom

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So much action it buries the story

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a2021/2022 South Korean mystery, crime and thriller drama with comedy sprinkled in. There are 12, 65-75 minute episodes.

Fist I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Ryu Soo-yeol (Lee Dong-Wook) does not make friends with fellow police and ambitious politicians in his role as a detective charged with bringing up other officers who violate ethical or procedural rules. He has been known to look the other why for the right motivation. He has been promoted quickly for his willingness to accept play for pay. That is until his alternate personality “K” (Wi Ha-joon) makes himself known and forces Soo-yeol to do the right thing. It is a thrill ride of hijinks and hilarity as the two battle for control of the situations. K also has a thing for Soo-Yeol’s ex- girlfriend, Lee Hui-gyeom (Han Ji-Eun) and takes every opportunity to romance her when he is in control. This causes Hui-gyeom a lot of confusion as Soo-yeol’ blows hit then cold. Thus set along a serial killer who is mysteriously tied to Soo-reol’s past. What will become of this person who hosts two such conflicting personalities?

Review
If you are really into action dramas then you might enjoy this for that factor alone. There is a lot of action scenes. Almost too much for those looking for substance. The romance element is also very minimal and mainly used for comedic moments. If you are a fan of either of the two male leads this is a role you may not have seen them in so you may enjoy the novelty. It is good especially if considere among others in the action genre.

*Spoilers
My daughter said the absolute chaos and almost too much action was like a teen-anger wrote it. It’s like “I don’t know what to do here…more action.” The other thing was I don't think gas lighting lighting and Dissociative Identity Disorder mean what they thought it meant. There were times when the other personality took over and Soo-yeol was not aware of what happened thus the disassociate part of the title but there were other times he was fully aware and acted like it was another person which is more like an imaginary friend. It blurred the two so much it was hard to tell when the main guy was actually doing the thing or if he was just imagining it. But then he would be completely outnumbered in a fight and K would appear and suddenly they would win against impossible odds. Then there were things like the straight jacket, Houdini could get out of a straight jacket by himself but that is a very rare skill. So it would have made more sense if K was actually there. Then there was the over the top action that resulted in things happening that were out of bounds even giving artistic license. People got beat to the point you would think they would have lasting damage but then go right out and voluntarily get beat again. One of the characters made out like cops getting stabbed was a frequent occurrence and he must have been correct in their world as multiple of the characters were stabbed and seemed to recover in an unusually quick fashion because they are right back out there. It was so much action that I found I got bored. Never thought I could get bored from too much action but this accomplished it. In the end we were supposed to think of him as cured as he had a clean bill of health from a psychiatrist (or psychologist) and by the way officers are all a little crazy right? I mean PTSD. But the fact that he still saw K as a separate person showed his personality had not integrated and he was not “cured”. If it is more like an imaginary friend it would be the same - not cured. And the way the alternate personality developed is inconsistent with DID, it is usually slowly, over time during multiple instances of abuse and it did not show that. It was more like K saved him when the serial killer, killed his father. Appeared because of that and not because of the long term abuse from the father. Same with what they called gas lighting. That is usually something that does occur but where someone is then “gas lighted” to think it did not happen at all or what they saw was not what they thought they saw. There was some of that which would be consistent but then there was also they were not even there but convinced they were or this other event that never happened actually did and you are going to say or do this thing. Much of what they showed was more consistent with brain washing.

#BadandCrazy
#LeeDongWook
#WiHaJoon
#HanJiEun

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Practically Perfect in Every Way

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean Romantic Comedy Drama series. It has 10; 44-63 Minutes. It is also known as Love Battle.

First I will provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis
Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin) is an attorney who is an expert in martial arts and is not beyond rendering some street justice. Mi-ran vehemently dislikes men who take advantage of vulnerable young women and will seduce them in order to get close to expose their unethical and/or illegal activities. It has made her very jaded about men in general and she is convinced when she first sees Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo) that he is just another man looking down on and exploiting women. Mi-ran's long time friend and roommate, Shin Na-Eun (Go Won-hee) tries to moderate Mi-ran's thuggish behavior and is one of the reasons she is willing to stick with a new job that violates nearly all of her principles. The law firm Mi-ran works for, caters to celebrities, among them Kang-ho. Kang-ho's manager and friend Do Won-jun (Kim Ji-hoon) also has his hands full with his friend/client as Kang ho does not like manipulative women and has been on a mission to reform the spoiled actresses he encounters in his film roles. Both originally misunderstand each other and are thus on a mission to take each other down. However, the more time they spend together they come to realize each is not that thing they hate and are in fact among the few genuine people. As passionately as they hated each other in the beginning the two begin to love the other with the same intensity.

Review
The only very minor critique I have is it was a bit chaotic in the beginning of the first episode. I worried that the story would not come together and those confusing elements would continue. They do not. It quickly moves to a very engaging, entertaining, and comical story. The chemistry between the leads is very convincing. The reveal of the motivations of the main character is well paced. It is a heartwarming romance with a strong action and comedic element. 10 episodes felt perfect to tell the story and I am not one that normally likes series shorter than 16 episodes. This is one of the very few I could see myself watching again because I so thoroughly enjoyed it.

Spoilers*
The second couple, which was both of their best friends, was very cute and it was unfortunate that we did not get more time seeing their relationship further develop. However, they were a side couple so the amount of time spent on them was understandable.

I loved Mi-ran's relationship with her female client/aging actress who is divorcing her philandering chaebol husband. I liked how she won her over from being who she was and how they were such great advocates for each other.

I wish that Kang-Ho had told Mi-ran what exactly his ex-girlfriend had done to him but it was not critical to the story that he do so. It was actually part of of what was so wonderful about him that he did not totally out his former girlfriend. Mi-ran was so smart and good at investigating it is likely she would find that out on her own at some point anyway.

I liked how she gained respect and became friends with the male attorneys. I thought it was unfortunate how quickly the leadership of the law firm turned on her when the scandal occurred but that was necessary to maintain a plausible story line.

The "I don't need no man" fit with this story line. It was a bit more sexualized and risque than I am used to with Korean dramas. I worry some that the American influence could bring in elements of feminism and sexual promiscuity that has become extreme in American content and which I hope does not become strong in the content that is created or featured on American streaming services. I like Korean dramas because they are more wholesome and would not want to see them transform to a more American style.

#LovetoHateYou
#LoveBattle
#KimOkVin
#TeoYoo

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More of everything everyone loved about the 1st two seasons

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean Reality Dating/Game show. There are 15 regular and 1 special, 70-130 minute episodes.

This is a dating reality show where the participants live together for one month. They cannot reveal their age or occupation but can reveal interests and other aspects of their personality. Participants work during the day and go back to the house they are occupying together in the evenings/weekends and other times off work. There are originally six occupants but two more occupants are added through the course of the show. Each night the participants anonymously send a text to the person they found most interesting and the panel has to guess who texted whom. Panelists who guess right are given a token. They act as a 4th wall, commenting on what is going on, analyzing participants behavior and interests in each other, and competing to get the most correct guesses on who is contacting whom. Participants go on dates but are not allowed to directly confess their feelings.

Panelists.

Lee Sang-min is a South Korean singer, song writer, record producer and television personality. He is a former member of hip hop and dance group Roo'ra. He was born in 1973 so would have been 47 when the show aired in 2017.
Kim Eana is a South Korean song writer who wrote hit songs for some of the top singers in South Korea. She was born in 1979 so would have been 41 when the show aired in 2017.
Yang Jae-woong is a South Korean psychiatrist, motivational speaker, You Tuber and entertainer. He was born in 1982 so would have been 38 at the time this aired.
Han Hye-jin is a South Korean fashion model and television personality. She was born in 1983 so would have been 37 when the show aired.
Yoon Shi-yoon (also known as Yun Si Yun) is a South Korean actor and television personality. He was born in 1986 so he would have been 34 when the show aired.
Pyo Ji-hoon (also known as P.O.) is a South Korean rapper, singer and actor and is a member of the boy group Block B and sub-group Bastarz. He was born in 1993 so would have been 27 when the show aired.

Participants

Cheon In-woo Born in 1989. So he would have been 31 when the show aired. He is an engineering manager
Jung Eui-dong. Born in 1992. He would have been 28 when the show aired. He is an animal replica sculptor.
Im Han-gyeol. Born in 1989. He would have been 31 when the show aired. He is a branding consultant for resaurants.
Kim Kang-yeol. Born in 1994. Would have been 26 when the show aired. He is an online fashion boutique owner. Joined the show in episode 6.
Lee Ga-heun. Born in 1996. Would have been 24 when the show aired. She is a veterinary student.
Park Ji-hyun. Born in 1996 so she would have been 24 when the show aired. Medical Student.
Seo Min-jae. Born in 1993 so would have been 27 when the show aired. An auto mechanic.
Cheon An-na. Born in 1994 so would have been 26 when the show aired. Profession is secretary. Joined the show in episode 8.

This season had the most intrigue and participants changed thoughts and course more than in the previous seasons. Deeper friendships seemed to form between the participants both within the same sex and between the men and women. Eana had a lot of good insight and was right about interactions and significance a lot of times. PO and his teasing with his exposing his wrists became an inside joke between him, the panelists and the viewers. I loved it. Sang-min's emotional responses and distress when he would be wrong were highly engaging. Shi-yoon is a talented actor and was very compelling with his insights with the participants. I enjoyed hearing their thoughts and watching their deliberations. I never felt like they were on too long as I enjoyed their interactions as much as the participants. The only thing I wish they would do on the show is make it so that each participant went on a date with each participant of the opposite sex and did not go on more than 1 formal date with other participants. They could go on informal dates with the same but not formal dates. I think that would be a more genuine choice because they seem to fixate, like imprinting on whomever they date a lot and it doesn't feel like they get to know everyone on that same level.

*Spoilers
I found In-woo very frustrating because he had so much in common with Ga-heun, even mentioned he had fun on their dates but was hung up on Ji-hyun because of his first impression of her. The panel was complimentary of him for his honesty but I felt his honesty was, at times, a bit brutal with Ga-heun. When she asked him if he would have went with Ji-hyun had she accepted his request for a date and if that meant he would have cancelled with Ga-heun he said yes. I thought that would hurt anyone's feelings. In-woo's fixation with Ji-hyun became a bit tiresome. Ji-hyun could not make up her mind between In-woo and Kang-yeol and I think Kang-yeol knew that when he commented that it was not just her saying yes then no then yes right. I think he figured out for In-woo to continue as he had, with the way that In-woo was, he would only have done that if Ji-hyun continued to give him hope. An-na was the participant I felt the most annoyance with because her and Eui-dong hit it off really well but she became fixated on Kang-yeol when he made it clear he was not interested. Hang-gyeol had his moments where it was hard for him to settle his feelings between Ga-heun and Min-jae but I think he handled the best when he reassured Min-jae that she should not feel bad about Ga-heun but should focus on them. He made it clear he had made up his mind and never led Ga-heun on as he never indicated directly to her he felt anything more than a deep friendship. I admired him a lot for that. Eui-dong was just a genuinely nice person and I was actually glad An-na did not give him more of a chance because she really did not deserve him. I have to remind myself that this is a reality show and that the participants compete with each other in that regard rather than looking for genuine long term connections. It would be hard for them to do so anyway because they cannot be seen out together after the show finishes airing as the viewers have not seen the outcomes yet. Also, they are now "famous" and it is hard for any couples that form to go out without getting seen and mobbed by fans.

One of my favorite aspect of the show is the panel that tries to determine who will send a signal or who will pick whom. I like their insight and commentary and their personalities also shine through.

Deep spoilers**
Lee Ga-heun and Cheon-An-na were accused of being bullies to school classmates. The show investigated and the allegations were denied. Kim Kang-yeol was accused of assaulting a woman at a night club in 2017 and he issued an apology.

Leggi di Più

Not your typical Chinese drama - the female lead is strong

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese romantic drama with 35, 45 minute episodes. It is also known as “The Woman Who Cannot Fall In Love”.

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Shen Ruo Xin (Quin Lan) has climbed the ladder of success through much personal sacrifice. Her overbearing mother and even friends are pressuring her to get married and her current boyfriend is the number one candidate. At 33 she is at the upper end of what her culture considers acceptable for single life so she is reminded frequently she is breaking norms by remaining single. a man and marry. Ruoxin already defies the traditional role by navigating corrupt office politics and serving as both a counselor and a mentor to subordinates. Despite being so capable and providing a shield for those around her, no one looks out for her that is until she gives Qi Xiao (Dylan Wang), a newbie, a chance and he becomes her biggest support. He is younger than her, but really smart. mature and caring.

Review
I enjoyed this slice of the life of a businesswoman in Shanghai. As I understand it, Shanghai, in the upper class of people, it is a very specific slice of life in China. Still, I enjoyed getting a feel for it knowing it is very specific and would only be true for a very small percentage of people. Women have many of the same struggles with promotions, recognition, bias, that women all over the world experience but at a greater level because their society is still very patriarchal. Seeing Ruoxin operate where she took care of all the people around her, managed some very hostile and extreme workplace politics and managed through her skill and expertise to overcome many barriers was a lot of fun. Her relationship with the male lead was well paced and believable. Qi Xiao's unwavering admiration, love and support of her would be sure to wear down any woman's defenses.

*Spoilers
The 12 year age gap was a significant part of the story and I think brought up a lot of social issues not only within that culture but beyond as well. My daughter, in her 30s, who watched it with me felt as though that age gap was too large. She was of similar age and could not envision having a relationship with a man that much younger than her. Not all women feel that way. I thought about if there was a person who you were completely compatible with and attracted to and thought they were similar age but then found out they were that much younger would it change the way you felt about the person. I think it is highly dependent on the people and what ages each person is. In the younger years it may have more of an impact than someone in their 30s with someone in their 40s, or 40s with 50s, I think it is harder to envision that large of an age gap when the younger person is in their 20s. Life stages, interests, so many things are different in the 20s. So that, for me, was a little hard to accept, the large age gap.

The story itself was engaging and kept me interested through all 32 episodes. She really was phenomenal in her ability to bring everyone around her along in her goals and vision. From that perspective it was understandable how someone his age and as handsome as he was to have considered her unique and want to pursue her romantically. He was a very bright person who was able to think rationally under pressure and solve many problems. So he was her match in terms of his above average ability to accomplish things. I could see the point that was made about how younger men were no longer viewing women as simply someone to take care of the household but were respecting them as capable to do something as high powered and complex as Ruoxin was pursuing. That was a good justification for why the age gap between them worked. Part of the reason she never found anyone she felt compatible with was because men of her age still had a view of women as maybe dabbling in the workforce until they found a man to take care of them. Qi Xiao understood and appreciated Ruoxin's goals and capabilities and it was part of what he loved about her.

If you are looking for a relatively light hearted romance this fits the bill. If you are a fan of Dylan Wang as I am then you will like to see him in this role, he does a great job. This is also of course an age gap/noona romance. I became a fan of Dylan Wang after seeing him in Meteor Garden. I will be looking for other things Quin Lan has done after watching this drama as she is a very talented actress. I am not, in general, a fan of Chinese dramas as I find the female characters to be weak and sort of whiny. I watched this at the recommendation of it having a strong female character and it did not disappoint.

#RationalLife
#DylanWang
#QuinLan

Leggi di Più

Exciting and action packed military crime drama with a very light romance element

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean military action drama with 16, 60 minute episodes

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
A tragic "accident" takes the lives of Do Bae-man's (Ahn Bo-hyun) parents as a young child and he is raised by his aunt. Not wanting anything to do with the military because of its association and reminder of his parents, he drops out of school in middle school which makes him ineligible for mandatory military service. He becomes a lawyer though and applies to many law firms. No-one is interested because of his educational history. Despair sets in and an offer he cannot refuse comes along from Yong Moon-goo (Kim Young-min) who tells him if he serves as a military prosecutor for five years he will hire him in his private law firm once he finishes the military stint. What Doberman (nickname) does not know is Young-min is closely associated with Major General Noh Hwa-young (Oh Yeon-soo) who is evil and corrupt. She is the first female to rise to such ranks and got there through nefarious means. Additionally she owns a defense company she acquired through her criminal activity. As Doberman approaches the end of his enlistment and prepares to join the private law firm, Cha Woo-in (Jo Bo-ah), joins his command. Some of her actions immediately capture Doberman's interest and he knows there is more to her than the by the book outstanding military prosecutor she portrays. It is not long before he discovers she was the heir to a conglomerate and leads a double life as "red wig woman." In her other persona, Woo-in seeks justice against corruption where acting outside of the law is the only way to capture the bad guys. Over time, Doberman comes to realize she has very personal reasons for going after Noh Hwa-young and that they have connections and reasons to work together.
Review
It is very exciting when the "red wig" lady takes down the bad guys. Her martial arts prowess is super hero level. Doberman is also a formidable force but the red wig lady is a level above him. If you like action and exciting fight scenes then this would be an appeal. The central conflict is very heavy on the good versus evil. And the lines between good and evil get blurred frequently. The characters were all very well developed and there wee some redemption arcs. There was a love triangle and a hear warming bromance. The back story on what happened in their past was very interesting. I enjoyed this show from start to finish and would highly recommend it. I read before I watched it not to be off put by the title. And I have to agree it is not some overly serious series with some by the book military prosecutor where you watch case after case of them towing the military line. The nickname doberman has more to do with how the main character's name sounds than a central part of his personality. It is mentioned and he does compare himself to attributes but he is a way more complex character than that and he is one of the characters on a redemption arc.

Spoilers*
There were some minor things that I felt could have been improved that kept this from being perfect to me. For me, they danced around the romance between Woo-in and Bae-man the entire series. It made sense early on that wasn't a focus but I was expecting more to develop with it after they were on the winning end of their conflict. But they literally wait until the fade out scene for them to kiss and you cannot even fully see their kiss as it is behind a tree and the camera both fades and moves out of the scene. If you are not a romantic or do not like series where romance is a central aspect, that would be a plus. As someone who enjoys the romance, it was disappointing that they waited that lone to show that they would be together then gave us so little of them as a couple. I was disappointed that Doberman was such a money driven prosecutor in the beginning. And there was no really good reason for it. He wasn't aware of what happened with his parents so it wasn't like well the whole system is corrupt so I might as well be. That wasn't the reason. The only reason seemed to be he quit school early to avoid becoming a soldier because of what happened to his parents and then it impacted his ability o get a job as a lawyer under normal conditions. Even so I could have seen him talking that offer he couldn't refuse but he didn't seem to have any moral issues with it. They tried to show he had remorse over that after she "changed" him but there was no basis for him to be like that in the beginning. Because he had no believable reason for being a corrupt prosecutor it did not make sense when he changed because of her. A big deal was made out of him learning about how his parents died and who was responsible but then, in the end, he did not have the moment with his parents where it was like "see I got them" like they had with Woo-in. It was like it bothered him just not overly so. His Aunt's relationship with his superior was cute and unexpected but the redemption arc for his superior was missing. They implied that his aunt changed him, and had him acting more like a "military prosecutor" but it was very brief and not well developed in that regard and it was hard to believe his moral to a fault aunt would have accepted a man that had any level of corruption. CEO Kang had feelings for Woo-in and was part of a very obvious love triangle but they did not dive into that at all which is a factor of them just not focusing much at all on the romance. I liked CEO Kang and felt like making him have enough wrong doing that he gave up his company in the end and just went off to start over was disappointing. Winning would have been like his company was restored. No Tae-Nam (Kim Woo-seok) had a huge redemption arc going from an evil character to one of the heroes of the day by taking down even his own mother to root out the evil. There was the whole story with Tae-nam and the bullying and abuse that was going on, on the front line. One of the characters was set up to make his military life hell but that became such a minor scene that the build up was disappointing. There was also sexual abuse occurring and a point was made of focusing on that as part of the "hell" going on in those front lines but it was never brought up again. It would have helped to explain why the soldier snapped. It was also an opportunity to show how Doberman had fully changed in that he could have showed some empathy for the soldier that snapped by allowing his mother to give him the glasses but he didn't and it was Woo-in who showed that glimmer of mercy. They could also have had his sentenced reduced and not pursued the death penalty in acknowledgement of the horrible abuse that soldier suffered. Life in prison seemed a more fitting sentence than death and it would have been more in line with being a moral prosecutor. Tae-nam mentioned several times how his Doberman was like his only family so for him to give his dog up, when he actually could have used the support for his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was out of character for him and unfortunate they did not use that as part of Tae-nam's redemption arc - that he never gave up on "family." He even volunteered to work with dogs so it would have been more logical he got his dog back. I wanted to see them more in action as military prosecutors the show was so focused on central conflict that there were no interesting side stories that gave that "slice of life" of being a military prosecutor. I am going to circle back though and say despite all of this it was a very good and exciting series with an interesting and unique premise.

#MilitaryProsecutorDoberman
#AhnBoHyun
#JoBoAh
#KimWooSeok

Leggi di Più

A reality dating show with surprising depth

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean Reality Dating/Game show. There are 14, 54-102 minute episodes.
This is a dating reality show where the participants live together for one month. They cannot reveal their age or occupation but can reveal interests and other aspects of their personality. Participants work during the day and go back to the house they are occupying together in the evenings/weekends and other times off work. There are originally six occupants but two more occupants are added through the course of the show. Each night the participants anonymously send a text to the person they found most interesting and the panel has to guess who texted whom. Panelists who guess right are given a token. They act as a 4th wall, commenting on what is going on, analyzing participants behavior and interests in each other, and competing to get the most correct guesses on who is contacting whom. Participants go on dates but are not allowed to directly confess their feelings.
Panelists
Yoon Jong-shin is a South Korean singer and song writer. He is also a record produceer and is the CEO of Mystic Story. He was born in 1969 so would have been 48 when the show aired in 2017.
Lee Sang-min is a South Korean singer, song writer, record producer and television personality. He is a former member of hip hop and dance group Roo'ra. He was born in 1973 so would have been 44 when the show aired in 2017.
Kim Eana is a South Korean song writer who wrote hit songs for some of the top singers in South Korea. She was born in 1979 so would have been 38 when the show aired in 2017.
Yang Jae-woong is a South Korean psychiatrist, motivational speaker, You Tuber and entertainer. He was born in 1982 so would have been 35 at the time this aired.
Shim So-young is a South Korean stage, drama and film actor. He was born in 1970 so would have been 47 when the show aired.
Shin Dong-hee (Shindong; Super Junior) is a South Korean rapper, singer, dancer, host, radio personality and video director. He is most widely known as a member of Super Junior and its subgroups. He was born in 1985 so would have been 32 when Heart Signal aired.
Guest panelists
Jung Jin woon (Jinwoon) was a guest panelist in episode 7. He is a South Korean Singer and Actor. He is a member of the k-pop group 2 AM but has also been in television dramas. Born in 1991 he would have been 26 during his guest appearance.
Jang Do Yeon was a guest panelist in episode 9. She is a South Korean Comedian that has appeared on some variety shows. She was born in 1985 so would have been 32 at the time of her guest appearance.
Lee Yong jin was a guest panelist in episode 8. He is a South Korean comedian and singer. He is the owner of a famous sashimi restaurant "960." Yong jin was born in 1985 so would have been 32 when this aired in 2017.
Heo Kyung Hwan was a guest panelist in episodes 9 and 12. He is a South Korean comedian born in 1981 so he would have been 36 when he appeared on the show.
Participants
Jang Cheon (age 32) lawyer
Kang Sung-wook (age 32) Musical Actor
Seo Joon-won (age 23) Race car driver
Yoon Hyeon-chan (age 32) Chef and Restaurant Owner
Bae Yoon-kyung (age 24 ) Actress
Kim Se-rin (age 24) Marketer at Cirque du Soleil
Seo Ji-hye (age 21) Student at Ewha Woman's University
Shin A-ra (age 22) First runner-up at Miss Korea
Age is at the time the film was released in 2017. Depending on when filming occurred they could have been younger. Age is calculated from year of birth and is based on US aging standard (zero when born).
Review
It is a wild emotional ride and is fun to play along with the hosts as they try to determine the signals and who will express interest in whom. I have come to realize this is really a game and the participants view it mostly as such. I have looked on some other reality dating shows and even contestants that seemed to bond during the show did not stay together for any significant time or depth after leaving the show. If your realize that this is not something most are pursuing as an actual attempt to find that one person, a lot of their actions and behavior make more sense.
*Spoilers
A fan favorite couple and mine as well were Bae Yoon-kyung and Seo Joo-won. It was clear from the way he looked at her when she first entered Signal house and how impressed he was with her abilities to design shoes. They were very compatible on their dates and seemed to enjoy many of the same things despite the fact that Yoon-kyung was a little older than Joo-won. The cracks in the match started to appear in that Joo-won was not able to read Yoon-kyung's reactions to his teasing nature. He thought she was bored when she was actually enjoying herself and totally misread when she was showing jealousy. I thought he was "push pulling" her when, in reality, he was just teasing her and thus was not capitalizing when he brought out her emotional reaction to his interest in other women in the house. He made a huge error when he was talking to the other men and he expressed that he was not sure about Yoon-kyung's interest and that he thought she might even find their times together boring. Cheon, who found Yoon-kyung beautiful and charming originally thought Joo-won and Yoon-kyung were a solid match but Joo-won's comments illustrated that there were cracks in their relationship that could be exploited.
Joo-won also made a mistake with Yoon-kyung when they were out and others asked about their relationship and he relayed back to her that he responded she was just a female participant in the house. Later, when he misunderstood her saying she did not enjoy the day she went to see him race, he actually made some cruel comments about not being sure who he was interested in and showering attention on Ji-hye. What I concluded with the Yoon-kyung and Joo-won was there was a lot of chemistry between them, and they had some things in common but their absolute failure in communicating with each other would never have lasted in the long run. You have to be a fool for love sometimes and be willing to put yourself out there and chance being rejected and neither one of them would do that. Which told me that, while they were interested in each other it wasn't enough to take any risks. So, in the end, although I was a bit disappointed, they were better off not being together.
To me the race car driver who is young, very handsome, and obviously has some money and means to afford racing, would be the obvious romantic interest but another male in the house, Jang Cheon captures the women's interest because of the stability of his job and his calm and steady behavior. He catches Yoon-kyung for a spontaneous date when he picks her up from the bus stop. Problems arise when Yoon-kyung stays after the meal and comes back to signal house with Cheon making it very obvious they spent time alone together. She misleads Joo-won into thinking it wasn't like a date and missing timing when she could have told him so that he did not hear from Cheon in the men's private discussions. So Joo-won goes on an impromptu date with Seo Ji-hye presumably to make Yoon-kung jealous. When a relationship sinks to a one up type scenario that is never an indication of a healthy situation.
Seo Ji-hye is the house member all of the men were originally interested in. She is very good at being clumsy and feigning being cute and helpless which is apparently very attractive to Korean males. However, Cheon's interest in her fades after they have a date and he sees through her act. She loved drawing all of the attention and playing innocent and cute when she is not really, and will play all the men against each other intentionally. When her and Cheon went on their date, their age gap was significant however, when she found out he had a steady and prestigious job, as a lawyer her interest renewed in him. Ji-hye mentioned that her family was facing difficulty and she would have to look for a job immediately when she graduated, making Cheon's stability a Siren call for her. Having a fairly wealthy husband would be a balm to her chaotic life, and when she mentioned she wanted to rush marriage with a past boyfriend that was a huge turn off for Cheon. During their date, he mentioned later, she was on the phone a lot and then dozed off when they were watching a movie. Which clearly showed she was not all that interested or excited by him as a person. It was a pleasant surprise that the men in the house slowly discovered that her appeal was very superficial and most of them moved on.
What made me feel Ji-hye's behavior was not innocent and that it was manipulative and fake was how she acted toward Kang Sung-wook. She several times called him exhausting to the other women and would actually grimace if he came near her. A lot of her behavior was downright mean to him and she said and did things that seemed to hurt his feelings several times. But she would do just enough to keep him on the hook which made it very infuriating. She would pull him back in any time he seemed to be paying attention to one of the other women. When he would turn his attention from her she would pull out the cute helpless act or pay him compliment to get him back in the line for her.
Both Cheon and Ji-hye redeem themselves later when he acknowledges being a bit cold and cruel to her and not taking how young she was, as a source of her behavior, into consideration. I, as a viewer, was guilty of the same thing. She actually dropped the act and started showing more genuine reactions and thus having more genuine interactions with all the house members. She quit sabotaging the other female's efforts to get the attention of the men they were interested in and acted like a good friend to a lot of them. I think her earlier behavior was a result of her being really young and thinking that was a good way to attract the men. It worked originally but backfired and she quickly dropped it to her credit.
I could see why the women found Cheon appealing. I gained a lot of respect for him when he saw through Ji-hye's act because, on other reality shows, I have seen other men completely fall for that type of behavior and pursue women that were just stringing them along. I was disappointed that Cheon's interest seemed to be very appearance driven. His initial interest was in Ji-hye because of her cute and innocent look and he only turned his interest to Yoon-kyung when she showed up to a group outting looking drop dead gorgeous in a red dress and high heels. I also thought it was not fair for him to be a kind ear for his house mates at night and used Joon-won's comment to him about his doubt of Yoon-kyung's true feelings for him as an impetus to pursue her. But, if you look at it as the game/competition it really is and not genuine love matches, then his behavior makes sense. And, a relationship, even one that is just budding, that is built on a solid foundation would not have cracked so easily.
The immediate attraction between Kang Sung-wook and the relatively new house member A-ra was a surprise as he had been, to that point, not one of the men the female house members showed a lot of interest in. They made sense as she was a Miss Korea runner up and he was a musical actor so both were used to having that type of attention and running in those circles. She would shop with him and walk his dog with him which drew them closer than either were with other house members. Sung-wook though allowed Ji-hye to pull his strings in front of A-ra often derailing their burgeoning romance. When Sung-wook is competing with one of the other males he says he is not worried because if she is that easily swayed he doesn't want her anyway. I don't think that is something to say out loud Sung-wook was always right out there with his thoughts which is something I think A-ra liked about him. He was an open book. I agree with that, as long as you have laid all your cards on the table with the person and genuinely confessed your feelings. If you have a relationship going or started with someone then if they are drawn away it means they were not that committed in the first place. I think that was going on Joon-won but he wasn't as open of a book about it. I think he thought if Yoon-kyung was that easily swayed by Cheon, then they did not have as much between them as he thought they did. And I would normally agree but the two sent such mixed signals to each other I don't think you could say they fairly knew what their relationship was. So the two were the same but showed the two different aspects of a "he/she is just not that into you" assessment.
One of the other females, Kim Se-rin, wondered aloud why men often friend zoned her and you saw it play out with the men in the house. She is a lovely person and does a lot of special activities for her house mates. Her main romantic interest is Cheon and she doesn't waver from that interest at all even getting the other men to help her woo him. She is very capable and career driven and unintentionally sends the signal to the men that she does not need them which endears her as a friend but does not set her up well as a romantic partner. It is a very western way of being. I wondered if it was her time spent abroad that made her so different that way. The date she arranged for her and Cheon was so adorable I could not believe she did not change his interest at all.
Yoon Hyeon-chan is a very late addition to the house. He is a chef who captures everyone's attention with his amazing cooking skill. The women find his profession very sexy but most already have started on a path with the men who most caught their interest and whom they have already developed a relationship with. Like the rest of the men his first interest is in Ji-hye because she was sure to help him a lot settle in to the house and acting all cute and innocent which, as mentioned before, has immediate appeal. However, it may be a trait of men over 30 but he also quickly discovers her behavior is an act and quickly loses interest. A-ra's grace and beauty immediately catches his attention and he tries to capitalize on the cracks that exist in the relationship with Sung-wook.
It was interesting to me when they did that reunion that the panel realized some of the things they said in analyzing the participants were harsh and apologized for some of their comments. Unfortunately I think, the panel in the next season may temper their comments realizing that the participants will see it all. I liked their very honest, unfiltered, comments because it was often what I as thinking.
During the reunion show it was apparent, to me that Joon-won and Yoon-kyung still had feelings for each other based on their body language and comments. They were being careful because Koon-kyung was dating Cheon but the chemistry between them was still very apparent and their comments about different events made it clear they still cared about what the other thought. I think they had a very genuine connection that was torn apart by a lot of misunderstanding and others inserting themselves at inopportune times.
Deep Spoilers******
I was really interested in what they all did after and if any of them were still in contact with each other. Several are following each other on instagram but the main "couples" are really not. I was super surprised to find out that Sung-wook went to prison on a rape charge and that Cheon initially was his lawyer but dropped out for unknown reasons. His acting career was taking off as a result of participating in the show most likely but his conviction derailed anything he had going on (rightfully so). It seemed out of character for the person we got to know in Heart Signal so I was very disappointed. I actually learned that before finishing watching the show so it made me root for A'ra with Hyeon-chan more. Ji-hye is now gaining fame as an actress which was not surprising considering how much the men liked her overall. She had that star quality. Yoon-kyung's career in acting also seemed to take off after the show. Joon-won appears to still be racing and actually married a famous actress not long after the show. One of the Super Junior members asked his ideal type and he said it was this one influencer, Aori, who he had a crush on since high school. They knew her and actually introduced them. Joon-won married her and now there are rumors of divorce. Hard to say where that all has gone. Cheon I read is a major and he is still one of the people Yoon-kyung is following on her instagram but she knows and follows a lot of people so not much can be read into that. Se-rin also follows a lot of people and it just looks like she is leading a very busy and happy life. Cheon has Sung-wook's dog while he is incarcerated it seems. If you are missing the dog you can see a lot of pictures on Cheon's instagram. It was a complete surprise that the participants saw the contents of all texts sent along with who sent them at the end of the show. It was a surprise to them as well as the panel and the viewers. It was funny and surprising but unless they mix it up I am sure it will impact how participants text on future seasons.

Leggi di Più

One of my new favorites. Main character is nearly a super hero.

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean legal fantasy drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis

Kim Hui-u (Lee Joon-gi) is a naive but determined young prosecutor when he takes on a corrupt but powerful politician, Cho Tae-San (Lee Heun-young), and is killed for his effort. The Grim Reaper, Han Ji-Hyun (Cha Joo-young) gives Hee-woo a chance to go back 15 years to re-do the portions of his life that lead up to his showdown with the corrupt politician. She offers a second chance provided he does things different and makes it hell on earth for Cho Tae-seob. This is a justice and revenge drama with a thread of romance.

Review

The first portion of the drama shows where Hui-u dies then goes back and redoes school and helps people (utilizing his knowledge of future events) who he will later need as allies. That part drags a little and I got a bit bored. It picked up when he was back to being a prosecutor and taking down criminals at the lowest echelons of Tae-seob‘s criminal organization. I thought it was funny when he was okay with repeating everything except his time in the military. His horror that he had to repeat that portion was brought up several times. He was such a gentleman and so cool with the way he helped people that he had multiple girls vying for his attention.

Lee Joon-gi is one of my favorite male actors. The roles he picks are usually justice based on there is a lot of martial arts elements since he is such an amazing martial artist. He seems to like story lines where good overcomes evil in some way and justice prevails. As someone who hates bullies, loves to see the good guy win, and wants to see criminals brought to justice the roles he chooses checks all the boxes for me. So if I see he is in something that is the first thing that draws my interest. I like his acting and I know he chooses really good roles.

I so thoroughly enjoyed this series that I would highly recommend it, might even read the webtoon even knowing it may be a repeat of the story but just to get additional insight if there is any. I will definitely watch a second season because I am already missing Hui-u he was that compelling of a character. He had super hero status in my opinion. I loved the music, it was iconic and you knew something was going down whenever it started playing. A couple of the songs will be added to my playlist.

Spoilers*
I looked at the webtoon for this and reading the first few chapters it seems the story follows really closely. I really like dramas that are webtoon based because it is like they were already pre-screened for being really good, well developed and interesting story lines.

This show has it all, it has action scenes, good versus evil, supernatural elements, legal drama and a little bit of romance sprinkled in. Romance is definitely not a central theme and it felt a little abrupt the romance line that came in at nearly the end. But, it was also set up for a 2nd season with a whole new set of villains.

I found it a little disappointing that Tae-sob committed suicide and wasn't led away in handcuffs. It felt like he won in being able to pick how he exited. I liked that the grim reaper was saved by Hui-u and that he said, when she got out of jail, he would help her get her life on track. Her brother was irredeemable and I was glad they didn't try to make it so all his murders were forgotten. They never fully explained what happened with her and her brother and how her brother was so brain washed by Tae-sob but that was a minor element. Tae-sob said something that made it sound like he was aware Hui-u had a past life but they never further expanded on that which makes me curious to read the webtoon and see if that is expanded on more.

#AgainMyLife
#GrimReaper
#ChaJooYoung
#LeeJoongi
#LeeHoonYoung

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Refreshingly wholesome reality dating

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean reality dating show with 8, 57-68 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then a review

Synopsis

To start, 5 men and 4 women are brought to an island, called inferno, to live for 9 days while interacting with each other and potentially forming romantic attachments. The island they are on is primitive and they sleep in dorm like tents, the males in one tent and the females in another. Food is brought in but in limited variety and they have to transport water from a distance. Their restroom facilities are camping style. So they are basically glamping. Periodically there are competitions among the men or women where winners get to select a date. Those that select each other or are picked for dates get to go for the evening to another island called Paradise where they stay in luxury hotel suites, get to order off a gourmet menu and can spend time getting to know each other on a one on one basis. About five episodes in new participants are added with 2 more females and 1 more male which really mixes things up.

Review
I was not sure I would like this show format but find it very compelling and see why it is so popular.I should not be surprised as the relationships have the innocent and wholesome nature I have come to appreciate so much in South Korean culture. Similar American shows are trashy and over sexualized but this was true to the sweet, slower paced interactions I have observed from dramas where full sexual encounters are rare and mostly among those headed for marriage. In this, even though it is a dating show, skin ship is a big deal. Fans of survivor will get some of those vibes. Others say it also has Bachelor/Bachelorette aspects but I can't speak to that as I have not watched that show. They are well fed and have shelter and food so it is not equivalent to survivor but the deserted island and having to carry water has echoes of survivor. The rules for inferno are they cannot ask age or occupation but they can try to "charm" the others and reveal their personalities. It seems the show keeps them busy though as you don't see them spending much time with the opposite sex on Inferno outside of community dinners and brief meetings in the evening. On Paradise not only are they treated to luxury for food and lodging, they can ask each other age and occupation. I watched "Love is for Suckers" prior to this and notice, although I have never seen it explicitly stated, that series used this reality show as inspiration for the reality dating show in that romantic comedy series and even mirrored some of the participants' personalities and occupations. And the commentator/host for singles inferno plays the female lead in "Love is for Suckers." If you watch both you will see those parallels.

The commentators are a very engaging part of the show. I find what they comment on about what is going on with the singles on the island is often very similar to what I am thinking. It is like sharing the 4th wall and it is really a neat addition to the show to have a group of commentators.

*spoilers

I was disappointed Choi Si-hun could not see through Song Ji-a and was one of the three men vying for her attention in the end. To me Ji-a enjoyed the male attention and would string them along even if she had no intention of dating them. Kim Hyeon-joo said, when he returned from a date with Ji-a that there were good things and bad things about her but when Si-hun went ga ga over her suddenly Si-hun forgot those things he did not like and he was all in. Then, when Cha Hyun-swung shows up and us also into Ji-a it suddenly becomes a competition and she is the trophy. There were better options for him even he seemed very enamored when he spoke with Ahn Ye-Won and they had some cute chemistry but then he decided he would rather diss his friend and go for Ji-a. My daughter said Ji-a was just a “basic beotch” and I get that. Under her caked on makeup, her eyelashes would “stick” sometimes her makeup was so heavy, and false everything there was not much substance to her personality and she was cruel to string the men along and to the other women who may have been interested in the men she had no intention to pursue anything with. Still they all sort of made their own bed. I did not like that Ji-a demeaned Si-hun by calling him puppy but he was the one that said pick me and I will do whatever, I think it was scripted because I think given a completely free choi ce she would have chosen Hyun-seung because she was so obviously into him. I also think she was set up to be the villian and the show manipulated that. These shows are always a little bit reality and a lot of manipulation, careful editing and some scripting.

It seemed cruel when Si-hun acted like he was going to Kim Su-Min but merely thanked her then headed to join the other two professing their interest in Ji-a. That interaction also seemed scripted because he did not seem to be the type of person that would do something like that.

Moon Se-hoon and Shin Ji-yeon finally getting together was a highlight. His single focus on her was nearly a concerning obsession but tge fact that she did eventually reciprocate made me think there had been something there all along we simply did not see.

Oh Jin-taek and Kang So-yeon were a cute couple. It was a bit heart breaking in the beginning when he went to Paradise with Shin Ji-ye on rather than picking someone unlikely to pick him like So-Yeon did. Her strategy was not to get picked so she could stay back on inferno with Jin-taek. When he did not do the same she was hurt and jealous and eventually told him so. She did waver, after Jin-take went to Paradise with and seemed to lean toward Ji-yeon. So-yeon expressed feelings for Se-Hoon who many of the women found sweet and engaging. She even tried to convince him to consider someone other than Ji-yein and I was surprised that hurt his feelings. I think she was right. It is never good to be the one that loves someone more. Equal love is best. But Se-hoon’s laser focus on Ji-yeon had So-Yeon put aside any feelings she had for him and re-focus on clearing up the misunderstanding with Jin-taek. It was interesting to me that se-Hoon brought up So-yeon‘s confession on the last day as it made for an awkward moment. It was cute that So-yeon offered to have Jin-taek sleep in the same bed with her and he was beside himself with joy that she was going to let him sleep by her. He checked multiple times that it was okay. When he told the other guys they seemed surprised and envious. When he asked for the kiss on the cheek as a reward for winning their bowling match, it was so cute. Perfect examples of the wholesome innocence of South Korean dating.

As I see more and more South Korean shows produced and hosted on Western platforms I fervently hope they do not let Western “values” taint them. Many are turning their backs on Hollywood because it is way too sexualized, violent and vulgar. I hope the wholesomeness of South Korean shows does not change. I also like that they are not “woke“ and wish the social justice warriors never sink their tentacles in as it is literally ruining what little good remained in Western world shows. We love you all just the way you are.

Commentators/Hosts
Lee Da Hee- Model, singer, and actress
Cho Kyu-Hun - Actor and singer (idol). He is a member of Super Junior.
Hong Jin-Kyung - Model, comedian, singer and actress. She owns her own food company.
Jung Han-Hae - Rapper and singer.

Singles

Female participants
Shin Ji-yeon born March 26, 1997 (age 25) - she is a neuroscience major at the University of Toronto.
Kang So-yeon born May 23, 1988 (age 34) - she is a boxer and represents a brand of clothing. A former JYP/idol trainee.
Ahn Ye-won was born in 1995 (age 27–28) - she is a model and a fitness and Pilates instructor
Song Ji-a was born April 30, 1997 (age 25) - she is a YouTube beauty influencer/model
Kim Su-min was born December 10, 1998 (age 24) - she is a model for Advertisements
Seong Min-ji was born April 1, 1998 (age 24) - she models beauty products and apparel

Male participants

Kim Hyeon-joong was born November 26, 1994 (age 28) - he is a model and a fitness trainer
Moon Se-hun was born in 1995 (age 27–28) - he is a chef and owner of a Gangnam restaurant
Kim Jun-sik was born in 1994 (age 28–29) - Developed and represents a health food brand
Choi Si-hun was born October 27, 1992 (age 30) - Web series star and apparel brand representative
Oh Jin-taek was born in 1992 (age 30–31) - he is the CEO and founder of a tailor shop specializing in suits.
Cha Hyun-seung born May 2, 1991 (age 31) - he is a dancer who has danced with many singers/idols most notably a back up dancer for Sun-mi

#singlesinferno
#leedahee
#chokyuhun
#hongjinkyung
#junghanhae
#ahnyewon
#songjiya
#kimsumin
#seongminji
#kimhyeonjoong
#kangsoyeon
#shinjiyein
#moonsehun
#kimjunsik
#choisihun
#ohjintak
#chahyunseung

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Compelling premise, started strong, but then fell apart in the last episodes

8/10 is my rating. Is a 2022 South Korean Supernatural Romantic Comedy with 12, 60-75 minute episodes.

First I will provided a synopsis the review.

Synopsis

Hong Ye-sool (Seo Ji-hye) is a hard working unit lead in an advertising agency. She works so hard she gets nose bleeds and is accident prone but still her boss, Cha Min-hoo (Yoon Kye-sang) nit picks every project she works on. Others think he shows favoritism to her and gives her the best opportunities. Their situation is very confusing to Ye-sool who just wants to get ahead in her career in a very competitive industry. Her personal life is a mess as she has a sixth sense that allows her to see the future when her lips touch another person. Specifically, she can see the future surrounding herself and that person but not when the event will happen. When she accidentally kisses her boss, she is beyond confused when she sees a future where they are together romantically. With the way he treats her on a daily basis, that vision does not make any sense to Ye-sool. While she is reeling from confusion her ex-boyfriend, famous director Lee Pil-yo (Kim Ji-seok) shows up hoping for a second chance with the woman he still has feelings for. But she has seen her future with him and it was the reason she broke up in the first place. All of this leads her to wonder is she seeing the future that will inevitably happen or are the action she takes as a result of her visions the cause of that future?

Review
I really liked the premise of this. Kissing someone or having your lips touch someone and seeing the future - that pulled me in. And he has some kind of super sensory super-power? I though wow! what's that all about. And the first episodes where he was the overly mean boss, she had ended relationships based on things she was in the future, and they are in this high powered add agency, all of that was very interesting. And it was clear they would get together but, in those earliest episodes, it was hard to imagine how. He was over the top mean to her at times. It reminded me of that old idiom about the boy who picks on the girl liking her. I don't subscribe to that because anyone that acts like that to me is too immature to be worth anyone's time. I really liked her ex-boyfriend, Pil-yo, and could not understand why she seemed to be leaning toward her mean, demanding boss. Slice of life is always interesting to me and getting some insight into what it is like to be a lead on a big add project was something I had not seen before. So there were a lot of things to pull me in and reasons to recommend others watch it. The male lead could be very attractive at times and, when he was being nice it made him more attractive, I thought. But, of the two I thought Pil-yo was more attractive and it was likely due to the fact he seemed to be consistently nice.

Spoilers*

Early in the series, Ye-sool was this kind, competent woman who was friendly and liked by her co-workers it seemed. The set mishaps and all the accidents between the two leads that triggered her visions and his super sensory were interesting. The way he completely avoided her was amusing. When we got the back-story of her break-up I thought, even though, but how does she know she can't change that future? I also thought perhaps it wasn't what she thought it was. Maybe he is just around a woman with a child but it's not his. When it came out later that was indeed the case and that he had waited three years to prove to her that things weren't what she thought they were, it was heart breaking. I had serious second lead syndrome. But usually there is something that makes you think her choice was the better one, at least for her. But in this case, I never saw anything about him or their relationship that indicated she made the better choice. He was consistently sweet and awesome to her. I liked and could tell there was something developing between him and the actress. They had that playful flirty energy going on. And I actually found that story more heart-warming than the main story. I also liked her cousin and the doctor and found their relationship very believable and cute. I found myself wanting to know more about those side romances than the main romance. I liked their secret romance at work and all the signals they came up with that used his special abilities. That was cute and funny. But then they really drove her whole vision of Ye-sool and Min-hoo having a steamy sexual encounter into the dirt. It made no sense to me that, after all the build-up, they had already been together before that happened. Then, the fact they went to so much effort to create all the circumstances surrounding it, to effectively make her vision come true was weird. It became like a fetish between them. And added nothing to the story at that point.

I agree with others that said the whole killer angel was put in awkwardly. There were so many ways they could have had a tragic accident in the past that would have given them abilities that some super stalker just seemed unnecessary. If they had kept that as an element the whole time, all these creepy encounters or something it would have been different, but it felt like they basically threw elements of it in at random junctures. Logic did not follow that this man would have killed her husband and she would choose to hide the details from her daughter. She knew he was not only obsessed with her but also delusional in thinking Ye-sool was his daughter. So the fact that he was able to stay so close to Ye-sool as a friend/confidant did not make sense. There was also the instance where they moved into a new house and Ye-sool was lost and that is how she met Min-hoo and most would assume they made this sudden move to get away from the stalker but that was never stated. And they spent very little time showing him actually stalking them before he is just suddenly in the house and murders the dad. So then they go to the USA but there is nothing about how that was significant or why and when Ye-sool came back. Lots of disjointed elements around the whole stalker story.

There were also character inconsistencies. Ye-sool goes from this somewhat demure, kind person that gets along with everyone to some unreasonable harpy after they start dating. She picks fights with him and seems to enjoy serial break-ups. They were so sweet together when they were younger that relationship built on constant conflict did not make any sense. They both were so careful about how they presented themselves in the office that their very public fights and shows of affection made no sense. It was funny on one hand but very disturbing on the other. It would be completely inappropriate behavior for any workplace and their big boss seemed to have very strict standards for professional behavior. I felt embarrassed for them and uncomfortable for their co-workers. She also became this hyper critical, mean-spirited lead and that did not make sense with her earlier character. She hated when Min-hoo was that way with her so for her to "grow up" as a leader and act like that made all the build-up earlier non-sensical. The fact they are both so hard to work with they can hardly find a director, you wouldn't last long in their profession if that was the case.

It was the first time I felt like rooting for a couple to split. Their constant fighting, breaking up and getting back together made for such a toxic relationship I felt like just quit it already. It was funny but cringy because anyone that acts like that should not be with the other person. On the plus side it did help me get over the second lead syndrome because I felt happy for him he escaped the completely toxic harpy. I did not feel she was fair to him anyway, if she loved Pil-yo as she indicated earlier, you would not have let something like that break you up. You would have tried to change that future or at least talked to him about it. They also did not give us much build up with them as a couple. We only saw a few snippets of them together happy then some crazy break-up.

My daughter read the web toon and said they deviated quite a bit from that. It isn't always bad they do that but, in this case, the deviations made less sense and made the story less engaging. In the webtoon she was always nice she said. It was a traffic accident that brought them together. Just a lot of things she said that made the story less grating. So, I think it would be worth reading the webtoon for comparison.

I recommend this just not as a top recommendation. It is interesting and has its high points but don't expect the romance to be heart-warming. Like seriously, at minimum they need a couple's counselor.

#KissSixthSense
#SeoJiHye
#YoonKyeSang
#KimJiSeok

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A gem in the time travel genre with a few notable flaws

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean romantic fantasy comedy drama. It iis a historical medical drama with a time travel element. It has 16, approximately 70 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
In Josean times,, Heo Im (Kim Nam-gil) is a well respected and sought out doctor of traditional medicine. He makes an error when treating the king and the soldiers hunt him down and shoot him. He falls in the water but instead of dying he wakes up in modern day South Korea. As he wanders around trying to figure out this strange pace, he bumps into Yeon-kyung (Kim Ah-joong), an up an coming superstar in the cardiothoracic field. Destiny has plans for them as two lives become intertwined and they travel back and forth from Josean. Falling in love brings new meaning to a long distance relationship. Can they figure out what strange destiny brought him forward in time and what he is supposed to do?

Review

The romance between the leads was well paced and believable. Kim Nam-Gil did a masterful job of playing the slightly bumbling yet brilliant Josean doctor. The main supporting characters and side characters were well developed with just enough information on then pm to be compelling. Overall it was a good medical drama and another gem in the time travel genre.

Spoilers*. Two things I did not like about it was to me there was a character inconsistency. Where in the end he goes back to Josean, even though he had fulfilled one of his main goals back in that timeframe, and he had said earlier in the series that he preferred modern times. Nothing has significantly changed back in Josean, other than the fact that they were at war with Japan, which would’ve made it an even more unpleasant place to be, I didn’t like that tge way he had to travel was to kill himself and found it disturbing when he had to put a needle through his heart multiple times. I also thought the end where it didn’t seem like he would be able to time travel again but then suddenly dad was not logical. He is in Joseon amped that seemed to be that but then he saved his friends in a completely unexpected accident which sent him back to modern times. Instead of being shocked by the unexpected eventt and getting his bearings and deciding if he was ready and happy to be back, he shows up around her and he’s like hey I’m back I’m staying and let’s get together, To me that was a weird way for him to return to her it wasn’t like he had been trying to find ways back he seemed to have accepted he was staying in Josean and was settled in. She said how can I trust you as you said you weren't leaving before. I completely agreed with her. I would not have trusted him either. Then it sort of abruptly ends with the, bantering about his sudden return. It felt very rushed.

#Liveuptoyurname
#kimNamGiil
#KimAhJoong

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