Sweet

Short, sweet, nice story.
Quite a low budget feel though and not great sound quality. Small, young cast, who worked well together and seemed to enjoy themselves.
I actually think this would make a decent full length drama.
It is difficult, to my mind, for any decent story to be conveyed in such short and so few, episodes. The cast don't really get a chance to build on their characters either.
I thought they did well, considering that.
I still feel it's a shame that S.Korea only partially commits to the BL genre. I haven't seen anything yet, which gives us full length episodes. A real shame.

Leggi di Più

Aimed at a younger audience, I feel, but enjoyable for more mature viewers too.
Nice cast, with Nam Da-reum and Kim Sae-ron working so well together in their lead roles. Their chemistry was just right for these characters.
Supporting cast were very watchable too and the show is a great platform for its young actors to shine, as they have the majority of roles and screen time.
Should carry a trigger warning for references to suicide really, I feel though.
The stresses of high school exams and grades are taken to a whole new level in this.
I found some of the adults scarier than any ghosts or demons!
Nicely done and an enjoyable watch.

Leggi di Più

Thought provoking

A very unsettling drama, as one can imagine that if something like this ever became possible, there would be power crazy dictatorships and wealthy countries happy to abuse and use engineered humans as weapons.
After all, with cloning, growing a human ear on a mouse and even working on growing human organs in pigs, this drama is not total fiction.
There are many very unlikable characters and the usual abuse of and arrogance towards, ordinary people, by those with power and money, is a key part of the story.
Ji Oh reminds me of Frankenstein's monster; lonely, naive and innocent. Sadly that also makes him vulnerable and easy to manipulate by those he mistakenly thinks know best. It's people's abuse and cruelty that leads to the monster emerging. Kim Rae-won was so good in portraying the role.
The character of Gu Reum was really well acted by Lee Da-hee; tough, principled, but ultimately, I found her to be fickle. Ji Oh never hurt her, but loved her and only ever wanted to protect her; yet, at crucial times she listens to those very people that cause all their problems and no end of pain.
To think that she could protect something precious alone and that Ji Oh would be OK with that, was crazy. There were so many things she could have said to him to compromise his mistaken beliefs, but she didn't even attempt it. There are ways around memory loss.
I found every episode gripping and the story well thought out, but the final one was bizarre. That Gu Reum would rather leave something hidden, risking it not surviving, than to tell Ji Oh where it was, I found unbelievable.
L.U.C.A. is the beginning of something altogether quite horrifying ~ not the super humans themselves, but what most likely would happen to them and ultimately, us.
Well worth watching and very thought provoking.

Leggi di Più

Who watches the watchers?

Seo Kang-joon and Kim Hyun-joo back together (they were boyh in 'What Happens to my Family'), with Han Seok-kyu, making a really good team fighting corruption within the police and prosecution service.
It's not a light watch, so concentration is needed to follow a story that twists and turns. Never have so many characters looked guilty!
Well written and acted with a decent soundtrack too.
There were several occasions though, when I felt that, given the circumstances, characters blindly entered into dangerous situations far too naively.
I wonder if we'll get a season 2? I shall definitely watch if we do.

Leggi di Più

It's all about the girls

This is such a good series and I love the characters. It's a great message for women of any age, in that the different views, levels of experience and personalities, of the 3 main female characters, are so different, but respected within the story.
No judgement is passed on a chosen lifestyle, but via the series, the assumptions and rumours of others about them, are explored.
I loved how supportive each woman became of their friendships and that no pressure was put on, or fun made, the more naive and inexperienced character.
There are also very valid points made about the importance of sex and sexual health education, plus the need for easily obtainable routes to qualified, empathic and sensitive advice.
A really nice watch.

Leggi di Più

On the plus side, it's funny at times, emotional and moving. Lovely cast and well acted with only a couple of characters being portrayed a little OTT at times.
What does happen when a father raises his 3 kids after the loss of their mother, allowing them to do what they like and then at a turning point in his own life, rebels against them?
The problem for me at times was the ridiculous dialogue between characters, seemingly written just to move the story into evermore convoluted realms.
It veered sharply between farcical sitcom and melodrama.
I loathed the middle son; a cold, ungrateful, arrogant, self pitying, snob. The actor (Yoon Park) did well to make me dislike him to much. I couldn't warm to him even when the story tried to redeem his character later on. Just unforgiveable.
The massive slice of Korean large family life portrayed in this series, would have me running away. Never before have I seen such nosy, intrusive, manipulative, selfish, immature and thoughtless characters wrapped up in 3 main families, in one drama!
It just went on too long, for me, as well.
Not one I would watch again.
Was lovely seeing a young Seo Kang-joon and Park Hyung-sik though.

Leggi di Più

Money, manipulation and murder

I was gripped almost immediately. Powerful figures are top of the food chain and the mistreatment of those below cascades down, very painfully. Those bullied from above, take it out, often with relish, on those below.
Even when it began to dawn on me who the main culprit was, I found myself doubting whether I was right. That's great character writing.
Jun is excellent on his portrayal and acting, as are all the cast. Top marks though, to the younger cast members, who all gave credible performances.
The family dynamics of the powerful were as often seen before, with parents using their money, position and contacts to further their children's futures. The green light this gives them, in terms of feeling a right to mistreat and manipulate their fellow students though, is a lesson this drama, I feel, attempts to teach its viewers.
The pace was good, although each episode covered too much ground from the end of the previous one, so I found myself FF each one.
The outcome for several characters was too clipped at the end and I wish they'd made more of the final court room scene, for realism.
I still thought it was a decent finish though and would happily sit through it again. Recommended.

Leggi di Più

A lovely, complicated but not impossible, film

I loved this film. It needs watching a couple of times to really get the plot, as the subs are not great and, as the film is a little complicated already, that doesn't help!
Hye-Joong has no memories before the age of 4 because they've been suppressed. She consequently suffers nightmares that are beginning to affect her actual life and at times (when she has the urge to harm herself) is actually possessed by the spirit of a character that's introduced later.
Soo-ryun was hired as a nanny, because Hye-joong's mother was sick and when she arrives, has with her, her own baby, Hwan. There's no incest as the lead characters are not related (it would have been impossible for her Dad to have fathered Soo-ryun's baby and it be born, in such a short space of time!)
The tragedy, I felt, happened because a character had misunderstood something they witnessed and what they were told about it, in an earlier kitchen scene.
Attention needs to be paid to the scene towards the end of the film, directly after Hye-joong is separated from Hwan, because the things that are shown at the site at which she ends up (baby Hwan's grave), explain how its possible for the film to end the way it does.
The fairytale like qualities of this film and the lead actors, Hong Jong-hyun and Jung So-min, portraying their characters so well, made this a magical, if at times very sad, film. I found the character of her Aunt pretty irritating; she asks a Shaman for help (in fact forces her), but then proceeds to completely ignore her advice at the most crucial times! I liked the Shaman character and thought Lee Seung-yeon portrayed her well.
There is blood and ghosts (I didn't find them scary), but everything fits and doesn't feel like it's been plonked in purely for shock/effect.
This is only my take on the film and I've left a lot out so as not to spoil it completely with this review, but as so many posts have indicated that the film is impossible to follow, the few semi-spoilers I've written will hopefully be enough to help explain the story.
I recommend watching!

Leggi di Più

Near perfect drama

It's quite hard to put into words just how excellent in every way, this drama is.
Screen writer Jo Yong and director Park Shin Woo really nailed it, together with a cast who so eloquently brought their characters to life.
Gang-tae, who becomes a care giver at the OK Psychiatric Hospital, seems completely balanced and together, but has closed off the life he shares with his autistic older brother, Sang-tae. Moon-young, a children's author, is totally self absorbed, feisty and used to getting what she wants.
The meeting of these characters and the journey they embark on, played out in the drama, to understanding themselves and others, feels like a dark fairy tale at times, however it is very real. Their emotional stories and those of the hospital patients, are both very funny and moving.
I especially liked a guest appearance by Kwak Dong Yeon as patient Kwon Gi Do, who had me reaching for tissues.
A favourite actress, Kim Mi Kyung, plays Kang Soon Deok (Joo-ri's mother) so well; she was actually a linchpin, to me.
There were no clichés that  I can think of at all and no overly sentimental scenes either. It was actually adult in its presentation and very honest.
A scene in the final episode, shows how grown ups should be portrayed in a relationship... it can be done.
Every actor was great, but for me, Oh Jung-se deserves an award for his perfect portrayal of Sang-tae. He made the character very central, important and one that evolved possibly more than any other.
This is one of those rare dramas that I cannot imagine anyone saying they did not like it at all.
I am going to miss this so much and will definitely watch again.

Leggi di Più

Personally, I felt this drama started well, as it portrayed the ways in which a person's self esteem can be destroyed; verbal abuse is mental cruelty.
What I loved: the cast were all excellent and I so enjoyed Shin Sung Rok's portrayal of the churlish, phobia and allergy ridden lead male! He played it really well and shone at the times when he was acting shy, awkward and at odds with himself. He comes across as younger than his actual years.
The message I took from this drama was a positive one; that one doesn't need to be slim or beautiful to be loved. Self belief, self respect, self love all need to come first, as this provides self confidence. It's also how we make others feel about themselves that can affect their feelings toward us.
There was comedy and sadness, with some touching moments.
What I didn't like: the story became too drawn out and I felt like the writer lost their direction. Too many scenes were repeated and some scenarios were ridiculous, even for a fantasy.
Whilst a lot of it was good, the music was all over the place and veered too quickly from moment to moment. (One song that stood out for me though, was Queen's 'Lily of the Valley', a 1974 B-side single that I never expected to hear in a K-drama!)
I loved watching Sung Rok, but this isn't a drama I'd revisit.

Leggi di Più

Gripping

Very apt, relevant and thought provoking.
The mysteries surrounding what happened in the research station on the moon, who was responsible and more, are shockingly brought to light.
It really is gripping stuff and in the slightly claustrophobic, creepy environment, everyone is on edge. The different personalities of the crew and their strengths/weaknesses become apparent.
It is very rarely light hearted, can be shocking and gory, and the ending might disappoint some, but I thought it was fitting and so good.
I felt it was as much about portraying a warning of sorts, as telling a neatly packaged story.
Great cast; I loved Gong Yoo's cool, level-headed and accomplished Capitan figure. Typical military achiever who unquestioningly follows orders. Events see his character grow, however, and his view of Bae Doona's Scientist, changes too.
She is great ~ as always, and created a believable, detached (but for a reason), yet compassionate, strong and stubborn personality, who is brave and not afraid to ask questions.
I was so happy to see Lee Joon back in drama. He can play a range of characters and I feel is a little underrated. Very much enjoyed his acting and character in this. He had me!
The mission was riddled with problems from the start and I could not help but make guesses about characters, almost from the beginning.
It was a solid story, but some aspects raised questions about 'how'.
Also, if there was an abandoned research station on another planet, that might carry the answer to saving our earth, one would think it would be guarded by those that set it up. Satellites would surely pick up any other space craft heading its way.
If an operation were so hush-hush, crew would surely be searched (regardless of reputation etc) before setting off.
Strangely, I can't really place the music now. Maybe that is a good thing, as it means it never 'got in the way' or spoiled my viewing.
Sci-Fi aside, the catastrophe of earth drying up could one day be a reality. I'm relieved I won't see it.

Leggi di Più

Scoring for the acting, characters and feels

I am still completely perplexed as to why they split this drama in 2. Guess we'll never know.
S2 really enhanced S1 and so much became clearer.
I really loved the characters throughout this series and found Mi-ho (Lee Da-hee) far less irritating than I did in S1!
Considering there is actually very little romance per se, the story is still romantic and I found that aspect to be very poignant.
Van and Goong Tan were created against their will, but while one became full of rage and vengeful, the other ends up clinging on to their humanity and living in penance. In many ways, the character of the granny (Baek-joo) was doing the same.
Plenty of action, as in S1, with a number of flashbacks. Some were revisited, which I'm not sure was really necessary, but it didn't bother me.
Loved the SFX and thought the entire series was very well made. Missed Johan speaking Italian in S2 though ?
One of my few niggles lies, as is often the case, with the ending. Also, a weird and powerful sect was suddenly introduced in S2, but no indication or explanation of what their aim is, where they came from and exactly who they are, was ever given.
Instead of leaving things with the culmination of Mi-ho carrying out her destiny, there is a FFWD... the sect makes an appearance and we're left, as happens with too many K-dramas, feeling like there should be more to clarify, or that another season will follow, which is rarely the case. That actually spoilt it for me.
Still a good watch and a great cast. I would actually watch it again ~ plus there'd be no stupid break now!

Leggi di Più

Blues in various shades

A stonkingly good, multi layered story about life in a close community where many characters were childhood friends.
Ups, downs, successes, failures, secrets, love, heartbreak, family, friends, regrets, dreams, forgiveness ~ it is all here.
I never got bored and loved how, whilst there were multiple stories connected to characters, there was a focus in each episode.
The tribulations of life that this series covered, were vast and highlighted issues rarely found in other dramas.
Depression, grudges, a husband beater, aging and pregnancy, to what really impressed me hugely, the challenges of living with and caring for someone with a disability.
The first actress / character I have ever seen in a K-drama, with Downs Syndrome. The prejudices and ignorance faced, in this day and age, which really exist, was shocking and heartbreaking to me. It both hurt me and made me so angry.
I sincerely hope that anyone with a warped attitude and stupidity towards this and other conditions, that watch it, will see how disgusting their behaviour is and educate themselves.
I laughed throughout and in the final episodes, cried. So moving.
Fabulous acting from the whole (GREAT) cast (the kids on it were SO good) and a soundtrack that fitted the style of the characters, their community and lives.
One I would highly recommend and would happily watch again.

Leggi di Più

Simply beautiful story

Such a believable story, understated acting, superb characters. Moving, emotional and funny at times. All aspects of relationships and human frailties and strengths are explored. Just perfect.
Jung Hae-in is a wonderful, natural actor.
The entire cast were perfect and give the viewer wonderfully varied, 'real' characters. A joy.
With 12 episodes, this is shorter than most dramas, but the story never felt rushed or packed in and neither was it dragged out. I felt the pace was perfect.
The locations were unusual too and it made me want to visit the coffee shop, buy a eucalyptus plant and a ticket to Oslo!

Leggi di Più

Slow start

July 2024
I found the first episode chaotic in terms of setting the story. I had no idea where it was going and didn't feel engaged at all.

I always give a show at least 3eps before I decide whether to continue or not, and overall, am pleased I carried on. The more episodes that play out, the better it gets.

There's a little of everything here; showbizz setting of a successful acting agency, frienemies, work colleagues, friendships, relationships, love and some family stuff too.

The work environment is often hectic and seems most devoted to dealing with negative press and rumours/scandals, before they create too much damage. Lip service is paid to other aspects of the business. There is a fair bit around actors shooting their dramas, plus recruiting rookies in that profession and training new agency staff.

There was a definite message often projected, I felt, that famous people are also human. It gave examples of partially overheard conversations being misinterpreted and spread across social media, causing the inevitable 'scandals'. The Agency is then shown issuing warnings of legal action etc, etc. There's even an unlikely sasaeng type character.

Unfortunately what they don't do, is show those types getting punished.

There are some genuinely funny moments in this, where I had a good laugh; there are also some touching bits too. A lot of really daft stuff as well, which did make me cringe on a few occasions.

The romance is pretty immature at times, but then with little to no romantic relationship experience of the characters, it's not surprising and age isn't then relevant.

I like the cast a lot and thought Kim Young-dae portrayed the often dual personas of his mega star character, well. He's dedicated to his work and fans and professionally mature, but immature in other ways. It's interesting.

Have to drop in that on Gong Tae-sung's photo shoots, he looks ?

I like Lee Sung-kyung, too, and have seen her in a number of dramas. In this, she has a definite RBF (resting b***h face) and her character only just managed to stay on the right side of being too irritating for me, especially in earlier eps.

I rarely mention looks, but I can't not say that whenever she wore short skirts, I could not overlook how skinny she is, in this role. Not slim, but very thin, especially her legs. This really stood out to me and I found myself being distracted by that.

Also, one major aspect of the drama's story that suddenly popped up, was dealt with too lightly for me. For such a serious issue to be dropped in and then concluded so lightly, left me very unimpressed. A subject that has far too big a foot in reality, should have had a larger chunk of the plot's time, instead of repeated silly moments of bickering and running around. I think it would have added to the story and given it some gravity.

Even so, I did enjoy this, even if it lacked that depth to some of the characters. It's not a bad, or difficult, watch and often quite sweet. I wouldn't watch it again, but neither would I say don't bother.

Leggi di Più