One word - Incredible

This show isn’t for the faint hearted. It deals with mental health issues head on and if that’s not your cup of tea, then you should stay far away. In fact, some scenes were outright disturbing and scary but it somehow keeps you coming back for more.

Man what can I say about Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji, they were stellar. BUT Oh Jung Se, good gracious that man acted circles around them. He was SO freaking amazing as Sangtae that I was in awe of his acting.

Plot wise I think they did a great job with surprising the heck out of you. You think you know where the story is headed and then WHAM a truck hits out of nowhere. That’s what the final twist felt like.

Also, kudos to whoever designed Moonyoung’s wardrobe! Wow, just wow. Although I believe the woman can wear a gunnysack and still look beautiful!

All in all, It’s really okay to not be okay. And I love that message of the show.

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Han Jipeyong - The start-up SUPERHERO

Have you ever been cheated out of hard earned money? Or scammed out of something you held precious in life? Or been deceived by people who you trusted? Start-Up feels exactly like that.

For me to actually create an account to leave a review has to mean something. When I finished Ep1 of Start-Up I thought it would be the BEST show I have ever watched (and I’ve watched a lot, albeit never as intently to bother leaving reviews.)

But ALAS the spectacular beginning, ended up being a complete and utter deception. 1280 minutes of my life, that I will never get back. I feel cheated and deceived by PHR and OCH, who I hailed as master craftsmen in the KDrama industry. I believe they took perverse pleasure in torturing the viewers just to get higher ratings. Watching this show live gave me anxiety, stress and emotional trauma that has me vowing never to watch another show of theirs again.

The only thing that kept me coming back is
Han Jipeyong. I have never been more invested in a character, attached to his backstory or rooted for his personal success as hard as HJP. Kim Seon Ho stole every frame he was in. He’s an actor par excellence and his chemistry with Kim Hae Sook is undeniably the HIGHLIGHT of this show.

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Tragically beautiful

I was thoroughly confused when I watched the first episode. I had no idea what was going on, who was who and ofcourse I had to do some digging to make some sense of it. This show did a good job with narrating faction - fact+fiction. Blended well, it’s hard to differentiate between good and evil. Especially Bangwon. He’s grey through and through. Having said that Namjeon is black through and through(God I hated him).

What was wonderful was the ping pong that Hwi and SeonHo played between good and evil. Seonho is such a tragic character, who suffers
endlessly with his father and his choices and his fate that I just wanted him and Hwi to sort it out and be BFF’s again.

This show keeps you wondering which way it’s going to go, and then ends in a heartbreaking manner, but the journey to that is completely worth it.

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I’ll go to YOU when the weather is bad.

This is the show to watch when you’re in desperate need of emotional healing. It’s so utterly breathtaking and beautifully paced that you land up enjoying the quiet and peaceful life in the village of Bookhyun, drinking coffee and discussing books.

Im Eun Seob and Mok Hae Won are such stellar characters brought to life by the extraordinary Park Min Young and talented Seo Kang Joon. I have to say SKJ and his diverse choice in roles continuously amazes me. From an AI robot to a hot tempered cop to the coffee addict insomniac, he inhabits each character so perfectly, you can’t see any trace of the previous one.

The supporting cast is stellar as well. Notable performance are by the crotchety Shim Myeong Yeo, the spitfire Im Hwi and fast talking Lee Jang-Woo.

When the weather is nice is like a good book. It takes it’s time to unveil the story at a pace that is best enjoyed with a piping hot cup of coffee.

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WATCH it!

This show brings together three incredible actors who keep you on tender hooks with their personal stories and their joint mission that when it ends you desperately wish there was another season.

If you thought Seo KangJoon was a flower boy only capable of stereotypical roles, watch this. He’s something else here. Yeong goon is tough as nails and gets beaten up, while doing some crazy beating of his own in his role as a police officer. He holds his own against veteran actors like Han Seok Kyu and Kim Hyun Joo and all three of them together make this edge of seat psychological crime thriller one of the BEST I have watched to date.

I just have to give a shoutout to the music score. It’s perfect for this show and enhances the nervous excitement one feels while watching tense moments on the show.

Season 2, JEBAL!

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The Lee brothers stole my heart?

This show was a bit confusing for me since I’m not well versed with Korean mythology, but it propelled me to do some reading of my own and I found it quite fascinating. Initially some scenes were too creepy for me to watch at night, but they eased out on the creep factor and indulged us with cute. The villain himself was so cute, I was never really scared of him. I feel the story would have benefitted if they found a scarier looking Imoogi. In fact Jo Boah in her double role played a kick ass Imoogi in my opinion.
What really hit home with this show was the relationship and growth between the two brothers Lee Yeon and Lee Rang. They were the heart and soul of the show and I loved every single interaction between them. While I knew the end would not be a happy one for both of them, I understood why they took the route they did and as heartbroken as I was I feel they tied it up decently.
Kim Bum my gosh, you’re Damon Salvatore and I heart you!

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I didn’t watch the show when it aired live, or when the BTS drama broke the internet. In fact when I watched it, I knew everything about it. I debated watching it many a time, and finally succumbed.

I liked what I saw. I love the colour palette of the show. It’s a soothing tone, and everything right from the styling to the sets to the music, seemed to reflect it. Can I say the same about the characters though? Not so much. Juxtaposing the calm and serene tone of the show are characters so LOUD (In Ha) and crazy (Yoo Jung) that some of it rubs the wrong way. I honestly disliked Yoo Jung (no, I haven’t read the webtoon) and thought Hong Seol was bananas to want to be with him, knowing there’s a darkness to the chap. In contrast In-Ho was so downright adorable putting up with his horrendous sister and overall bad luck that I couldn’t help but root for him.

I had a mean case of SLS with this show and I’m glad they had an open ending. If you haven’t read the webtoon like me, buckle up for the crazy ride, but if you’ve read the webtoon, you’ll probably be like the scores of others, disappointed with CITT.

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SO SO different.

Lovestruck in the city breaks SO many stereotypes I think it well and truly creates a record of some kind. Right from the kind of non-linear storytelling, to breaking the fourth wall, to the candid nature of discussions held and topics spoken about, to the honest truth about relationships (not the same fluff we're used to seeing on screen), to the camping and surfing and unique interests and personalities of characters. This show is a breath of fresh air.

Not saying that the show is perfect. But the pitfalls are made up for by the relationship that Park Jaewon and Yoon Seonha have in two months and it's the most relatable, wholesome, adorable, natural, quirky, real thing I have seen in any KDrama. Wook and Won are seriously #kdramacouplegoals.

PS: Choi Minho in a guest role was the icing on the cake for this Shawol!

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Song JoongKi rocks as a baby faced soldier

I enjoyed the show. I liked the high risk military hijinks combined with not as intense medical procedures. I loved the fight scenes and the bromance, more so the shirtless running soldiers. I thought the locales they shot at were exquisite and the music score powerful. I enjoyed listening to the actors speak in English. But both couples gave me whiplash from the constant are they together, are they not together drama. That was way overdone.
If you need a reason to watch this show, it should be Song Joong-ki! He’s beautiful and tough, deadly and cute, and for all the shows plot holes and inconsistencies, Big Boss is the one thing that will definitely steal your heart!

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More than meets the eye!

When you watch a show where an actor essays a double role you are more critical because you want to see how well they pull off each character without confusing the audience.

Kim So Hyun, at 16 no less, nails both Eun Bi and Eun Byul with such finesse that I was left amazed through and through. This story highlights how tough school is for kids in SK, parental expectations and peer pressure, not to mention harsh bullying. It’s a tough competitive world and the reality of the stress and pressure students must feel everyday is depicted really well. There’s also a whole lot of mystery, that keeps you wanting more and more. Nicely done in my opinion.

Now what wasn’t well done was the love triangle. There were two girls for two guys, so why couldn’t each have a happy ending??? I‘ll never understand it, and I’ll never forgive them for not giving Gong Tae-Kwang a better ending.

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Beauty is only skin deep!

Beauty standards around the world put so much pressure on women to conform, that not doing so makes you feel like a failure.

I reckon it’s a lot worse on SK if this story (And the many other’s I’ve watched) is anything to go by. You are not only harshly judged and belittled, you’re bullied and harassed If you’re not beautiful. It’s a sad state of affairs that the show depicts wonderfully in its narration.

The story is also acted with a lot of depth and I think every character did great justice to the role they were given. Mirae’s story is really heartbreaking. She nails the inner conflict she feels even after PS. My only grouse with the show is that Kyungseok has the face of a child in comparison to her mature face. Other than that CEW does great at playing broody and stoic and Sunbae Woo-young, was also really adorable in his role.

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The cutest OTP

Fair warning. This show can go from cute (make you feel every tiny heart flutter) to crass (Get you annoyed at the Bad taste in jokes and even worse imagery) to creepy (scoot back in your seat in fear) in T-minus ten seconds. The swift change can give you whiplash, and more so turn you off from continuing the show, but stay. Press on. You’ll see one of the most rewarding love stories ever.

Min min and Bong Bong are anything but a stereotypical couple. In fact everything this couple does is a role reversal and that in itself is pleasantly surprising. Who wouldn’t want to see a pint sized firecracker carry a sassy six footer?

Some people did suffer from SLS, but fortunately for me Guk Du’s brash personality didn’t tamper with Min Hyuk’s quirk. Park Hyung Sik owns Ahn Min Hyuk in a way that seems like his character is second skin. Do Bong Soon is everything you want to see in a woman, with her superhuman strength, her cutesy personality and sharp wit.

All in all a wonderful show, if only for the lead couple. You might use the FF button like me for the not so pleasant parts.

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The webtoon times 10

The show and drama are both ongoing. So how is it possible to come to the conclusion that the drama is ten times better than the webtoon?
Is it because I dislike the webtoon. No, infact i love it.
Is it because I'm Team Suho in the drama? No, infact I'm team Jugyeong and whoever makes her happy. [ In the webtoon I was completely in love with her wholesome beautiful relationship with Seojoon, and I was SO happy she got to be experience true love with him. But in the drama Suho is clearly the one for her, what with the the length he will go to protect Jugyeongs secret, to make her happy, to help her study, to defend her honour, to encourage her while she’s down. ]
Is it because of the change in plot? Partly. I like not knowing which direction this show is going to take. I like drama Sujin. I have a girlcrush on Heegyung who was wallpaper in the webtoon. I like seeing glimpses of my favourite moments and costumes in the webtoon brought to life. I like all the other show parodies and cameos by actors.
Is it because of the stellar cast? YES! EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER has been cast to perfection in this drama. It's like they were made for these roles.
Is it also because of the depth of characters and intersecting storylines?? YES. YES. YES. I cannot tell you how rich and well fleshed out the drama characters are. They pale in comparison to the ones in the webtoon.
It's also also because this show is light, fluffy, embarrassingly funny, totally over the top and exactly the kind of crack i needed to end 2020 on a high and begin 2021 with a bang!!

PS: To those who are disappointed because it's different from the webtoon. This is how I see it. They’re distant cousins. Like your mother’s-fathers-brothers-sons-daughter. They have the same roots and foundation but are intrinsically different. It doesn’t make one better than the other. They’re both special in their own way. Comparing them is pointless because they were never meant to have the same personality. You realise this from the get go. Right from the way Suho and Jugyeong meet, to the harsh bullying Jugyeong was treated to, or the early introduction of Seojoon. They are both unique. The more you compare the more disappointed you’re likely to get. Enjoy the two for who they are. Individually. I mean who likes to be compared to their cousins am I right??

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A beautiful failure

This show had such a strong cast that could have acted the heck out of the poor storyline, but alas, even they could not save this train wreck. I don’t know if covid is to blame or just poor writing. How can a show start off great and then nosedive not even midway through the show? It felt so repetitive and boring that I’m honestly shocked I managed to finish it and didn’t give up midway.

Park So Dam is So Dam talented and yet she is treated as a mere side character. I feel like the mother’s had more screen time than she did. Forget the fact that the relationship between the main two characters just lost its spark after they first got together. There was absolutely no physical affection. Was it because they were afraid to shoot them due to covid? I guess we’ll never know.

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