Not so bad but not great.

Fresh from seeing Episode 16 which I skipped a lot of scenes, I am still glad that I managed to finish this show. So let me get straight to my thoughts:

STORY
Nothing extraordinary. It is ok but the storyline is not something memorable or could be classified as classic that would tickle my memory in the coming years. The story is straightforward, light, and comical, sometimes raunchy due to the romantic scenes of the leads.

CHARACTERS
I have to say that my fave couple is the the second pair. They are really cute and funny together, especially their banters, misunderstandings, and the idioms!

I like the male lead gumiho in the first few episodes but his stalking tendency threw me off. It was a red flag. I am probably one of the viewers who do not feel comfortable or approve them dating secretly at the same time as they are student-professor. He should’ve not done that. After he became a professor, I lost interest. And even got away without any repercussions. He just quitted and she dropped out to date openly.

Lee Dam, there are times that I felt like watching Reply 1988 Deok Sun in this show. Nothing really new impressed me with her acting since I’ve seen Hyeri do these antics in her Reply role. Sometimes I even think she doesn’t act her age. I get confused if she’s really a university student or a high schooler by her behavior. Sometimes I don’t find it cute anymore. Her younger brother (the real high schooler in the show) is even more responsible and mature than her (academics, house work).

I like the friendship dynamics in this show. It was really funny and entertaining. One rant I’d say is how they cheapened the marble in the latter part of the show that could be tossed here and there. It was well presented in the earlier part, how it’s fragile and couldn’t be passed on easily. But it went meh later on that I lost interest.

OST
“Door (Your Moon)” by Jeong Sewoon should land in your playlist. It’s the best song of this show.

Overall, if you are looking for a light romantic comedy, sure watch this but don’t expect too much with the plot since it’s nothing that interesting. I enjoyed and stayed till the end because of the second lead couple, if it weren’t for them, I’d probably have dropped this. To be honest, I got roped in watching this after seeing Kang Ha Na and Kim Do Hwan’s chemistry in Start-up, and not really for JKY and Hyeri.

REWATCH VALUE
Will I rewatch this? Not even a hottie nine-tailed fox like Jang Ki Yong would make me. Moving on to other shows quickly. Or should I just wait on his possible next project with Song Hye Kyo?

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A Funny and Entertaining Watch

If you are looking for a light rom-com after a long tiring day, this is for you. It is filled with funny, feel-good yet full of the usual K-drama trope and cheesy lines but I am not complaining.

The chemistry of the ML and FL are amazing, but I found myself loving the scenes of the SML and SFL Sunghoon and Young-seo. There are still areas to improve on the main leads acting, most esp their lovemaking scene in EP11, which I find a bit cringey and awkward. I felt that the actors were really holding back or shy, at least the viewers like me felt it. It felt forced and unnatural. How did Tae Moo miraculously carried Hari to make love after breaking his arm when he couldn’t even put on a cardigan back at the hospital? The second lead couple did their lovey scenes better in my opinion.

The ending I must say is flat and underwhelming. The grandpa’s sickness came in late and was wrapped up hastily through a year time jump. I wish a wedding or even a double wedding was shown. Even the chef friend seemed like a forgotten part of the story.

The OST was also good. I like Victon’s “You Are Mine”. It was upbeat and perfect for the drama.

Overall, I give this show 8/10. It is a nice watch but not worthy of more than that since it didn’t bring anything new to the Kdrama world, or be called classic. It is entertaining enough though to see.

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Of Nostalgia and Regrets

“Nothing lasts forever. Everything is momentary. They all flow away. And that’s not always a bad thing.”
—Na Hee Do (Twenty-five, Twenty-one)

The ending may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I like that it is meaningful, realistic and bittersweet but with proper closure. I encountered so many emotions watching this drama and I’m not complaining. I enjoyed the ride from beginning to end. I can make a good reaction paper on the ending, trust me. :p

I think Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do help inspire each other’s dreams and become better persons, and the way that that unfolds means that they can’t end up together but that their love isn’t any less important or real.

And even if she and Yijin didn’t end up together, Heedo married someone else and has a child (Kim Min Chae) as revealed, 2125 celebrates those loves that came in our youth (friendship and passion) and that they’re just as important as the love you have now. Heedo and Yijin share a memory that is only theirs that is pure and special that no one can take away.

At the end of it all, it’s about how important each person is in your journey, friends or lovers, in wherever you’re going in life.

“My diary from those days is filled with just love & friendship. A time when friendship & love were all that mattered in life. A time like that lasts only a moment. I hope Min Chae experiences such passion as well. A rowdy friendship and passionate love. Because those brief moments are what make your long life shine.” -Na Hee Do, 2021

Will I recommend this? Yes! In fact I am rewatching it a second time, now with a relaxed heart and mind.

P.S. This is so far my favorite Nam Joo Hyuk performance in a drama. He has definitely broke away from the previous role he played in Start-up that many fans didn’t like. He’s back on the game! Kim Tae-ri, as always flawless performance. I have no major complaints with the acting, soundtrack, technicals, all on point.

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Doom is served

The first few episodes showed great potential, I got hooked in. And who are we to say no to Park Bo Young and Seo In-guk? But the excitement was only good while it lasts.

The leads, Seo In-guk and Park Bo-young’s, onscreen chemistry was undeniably blazing on this show. The OST also didn’t disappoint. It has landed several spots on my Kdrama playlist on Spotify.

However, it really pains me to say that I dragged myself to reach this far to see this show’s ending. I’ve postponed watching after seeing EP10, and I just came back last Monday to see EP11-15. My point of view hasn’t changed. It should have been a 12-episode drama and could possibly nail it, not 16.

This show is really boring and just keeps on repeating the same old plot, push and pull and lots of crying, whining, leave me-leave-me-not, that even the leads’ amazing chemistry and acting prowess didn’t manage to salvage. The finale was ok, predictable and acceptable (more of a fan service episode finale) but more so, I’m glad it is over. Still not a fan of the ending since you won’t miss anything important about the show, just rainbows and unicorns. Logically acceptable considering the overall narrative.

Na Ji Na and Mr. Cha also had chemistry but I kind of want it was fleshed out more. I love their OST, Sondia’s “This is Love.”

One thing’s for sure, DAYS is NOT one of the best shows of 2021. Find something else to watch and don’t waste your time, you will get bored. Unless you want to kill time or a super fan of SIG or PBY, or into cliches or wanting to zone out figuring what your life or love purpose in existing is, this could be your cup of tea.

Sorry SIG and PBY, I love you both but it’s a no for me. I hope you reunite for a better project, maybe a light romcom someday.

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Nevertheless, it sucks…

Top-of-mind: I feel bad for the webtoon writer. If you’ve followed the webtoon, this show totally deviated from it. The webtoon is famous for a reason because that one totally makes sense.

I have a lot to say but I don’t think it’ll be worth the trouble typing all the things I didn’t like about its small screen adaptation. If there’s one thing I know is I’d never support a drama that normalizes (worst, glorifies!) and romanticizes abusive/toxic relationship. Yes, it happens in real life, but it will never be right no matter what you say. The last few minutes of Episode 9 severed all the ties I have with Park Ja Eon’s character. Na-bi is unstable and should seek psychiatric help.

This is the first Kdrama that I did not like the main leads. Blame the plot. Total waste of time and it just left a bitter taste inthe mouth. It’s like sprinkling sugar to a rotting meat.

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What a headache!

Sisyphus the Myth started off strong and it was one of the shows I look forward to seeing on Netflix each week until the mid-part where it became boring and repetitive. The plot is ok but not extraordinary enough worthy of standing out and calling it a favorite.

A CGI major complaint: when Seo Hae and Tae Seul were escaping and needed to slide down on a rope from the building roof. Super poor and looked really fake. The others I can give a pass.

The actor who played Sigma both as a kid and adult is the reason I am giving it a high mark on acting. Outstanding!

I also wish more of Tae Sul and older brother in the end but they focused more on the loveline that they threw the bromance away.

I like watching sci-fi shows but this one along with Alice and LUCA both disappointed me. I think the execution failed as it did not clearly connect with most of the audience in one sitting. I think this show has too many plotholes and there's so much happening to the point that is became too noisy to watch and process.

I won't watch this a second time unless I want to inflict myself with major headache. Involving time as a plot element, Signal is still the best for me.

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Could Be Better Without Romance

Going in to this drama, I thought it was fresh and entertaining. It was a good opportunity for viewers to realize what athletes are experiencing as they navigate into their career—their struggles, pain, dreams, problems and hopes. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this drama, esp. when they introduced the No Medal Club.

I also like listening and watching the mentoring scenes and advices given between the counselors-counselee. It would greatly benefit even the viewers since it tackles our mental health and how to deal with our own pains and traumas.

However, when the dynamics began to shift and the female lead expressed her romantic interest and kissed her mental coach, I cannot lie to myself. I am not comfortable with it, esp. when all throughout the show Coach Jegal kept saying that Ga Eul was never a girl as far as he can see, and just a “kid.” I trusted those words, only to get betrayed in the end. There was a sense of betrayal for the viewers since boundaries were always laid, only to break them down on the last five minutes of the finale.

Not only it was unethical for the profession, I was hoping the writers had something on their sleeves and tackled transference/countertransference in a mature, professional way. This was a missed opportunity.

The male and female lead have more chemistry as friends (older brother) /father figure than lovers. It surely left a bad taste in the mouth as they met together at the end wanting to try “love”. That was the deal breaker for me in giving this show a good rating. It was successful for giving me discomfort than healing as it ends. The drama can stand on its own without the romance.

I hoped they’d just ended it a deep platonic friendship, which could be done beautifully. It is entirely possible as it was done in “My Mister” by IU and Lee Sun Kyun.

Overall, I won’t recommend it to my friends. Neither this drama is even worthy of a rewatch.

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Park-Park Bromance: The Best!

I throrougly enjoyed this series from beginning to end. It was heartwarming, funny, made me cry at times, and thrilling to follow through each cases. One saddening thing about this show is its almost three-week halt and the need to change Park Sam Soo’s actor in the last four episodes of the show. Despite this, I waited and managed to finish the show.

Jung Woo-sung did an amazing job on taking over Bae Seong-woo’s role after his departure from the show. But I think Bae Seong-woo still is the perfect fit for the role. I really enjoyed his acting from Episodes 1-16. He’s really a good actor if not only for the controversy he faced while filming the show. I regret that he didn’t get to finish this series.

Although the finale was satisfying, Episode 20 definitely felt really rushed and I wanted to see more of how the last case was resolved and the hear the specific verdict. I felt the build-up was lacking and the closure weak. The two cameos at the end were a nice touch, too. I didn’t see that coming. The finale is good but it could be better. Maybe there’s a Season 2 coming out? I don’t know but the ending is really open-ended. Overall, I really liked it and if there’s a Season 2, I might watch it if Bae Seong-woo will be back. I loved the bromance of this show!

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Support. Consolation. Love

It’s been a while since I felt butterflies in my stomach from a Kdrama. This is slow burn romance done right.

The pacing might intimidate you at first but if you hang on the first few episodes, you will begin to appreciate the calmness and beauty of this drama. I love the ML and FL’s performance. Their chemistry is on point.

I really enjoyed watching this. It made me want to fall in love. Not to mention how I love how mature their love is. Their breakup at one point is the healthiest I’ve seen in any Kdrama. It may not be always the case in real life since humans tend to have messy partings, but at least theirs was an example to strive for.

I also love the cinematography, lightning, soundtrack.

Is it worth a rewatch? Definitely for me because I feel like there’s still a life or love lesson to pick up that I can savor and digest which I might have missed on my first watch.

Congratulations to Team Call It Love! It was an amazing ride!

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The Bad Outweighs The Good

I was drawn to watch this being a Kim Rae Won fan, I was looking forward to seeing him again after Doctors and Black Knight. I also like Lee Da Hee’s previous work in WWW and The Beauty Inside. I think they had really good romantic chemistry here in LUCA. The cast did an amazing job at acting. The soundtrack/scoring is also great, I enjoyed them. However, the acting and the scoring are the only praises I can give to LUCA.

I was hooked on all episodes until the barn. That’s when it started to become ridiculous that you just couldn’t give it a fan pass. Everything became a hot mess, a big one at Gu Reum’s character regression. Zio’s character gave me an Anakin Skywalker turned Darth Vader aura and plot.

I don’t think I’ll be able to recommend this show. I enjoy sci-fi themed-dramas but this one. LUCA, along with Alice, is one I won’t look back. The ending is open-ended, too. If they are gearing on coming up with a second season, I am no longer interested to watch. There are a lot of good dramas coming out this year that will be worth my while.

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Chased My Blues Away

Wow, what can I say? Our Blues is one of the best dramas I’ve seen this year. I am laughing and crying at the same time. It brought me all sorts of emotions and flavors: romance, comedy, friendship, family. I believe that its current rating here on MDL doesn’t give justice to how each characters portrayed their roles. The screenwriting and cinematography are beautiful. Despite dealing with different storylines, it wasn’t confusing and the transition is smooth. I looked forward to every weekends because of this show and it saddens me to say bye to the Pureung Family of Jeju.

I have no major issues or complaints. I absolutely enjoyed and loved each and every story presented. It was wrapped up warmly and perfectly. The soundtrack is also very good. My favorite is “With You” by Jimin and Ha Sung Woon. Not to mention “Quando, Quando”. Everytime I hear it, it will remind me of them.

I won’t have any second thought seeing this again in case I missed the gang or want to relieve their memories. This one is a classic that I will always remember. The powerhouse cast did not disappoint. All the actors did an excellent job. The ending was satisfying and heartwarming.

Why not a perfect 10 if I loved this show a lot? The 0.5 is for the show to leave an empty spot in my memory. This is one of the best slice of life genre in my Kdrama archives.

Congratulations to all the staff, crew and actors behind “Our Blues”. I wish you all happiness from this day on.

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Interesting Political Movie

Being a foreigner who has very little to none knowledge of Korean politics, it made me read a lot of this movie’s real-life backstories after seeing the film. It was very interesting and moving. As a viewer, it will make you think and reflect whether Kim Jae-gyu is a patriot or a traitor.

The car scene at last few minutes of the movie was very powerful, compelling, and thought-provoking. Lee Byung-hun did an excellent portrayal of the role; the entire cast was amazing.

If you have no idea of this piece of history like me and you dove in watching the movie, I highly recommend supplementing your knowledge by reading the real-life narratives and facts presented the soonest after seeing the movie so you won’t get lost, balance thing out, and you can form your own informed judgement of the characters and events. I did that and I learned a lot.

History buffs would enjoy this.

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Is it only me who enjoyed the subplot brain problems than the main plot (Shin Ha Ru’s)?

I find it super ridiculous to shut the gate of a suspicious house. Why would Captain Seul do that? I feel like they reduced her into someone dumb towards the end when we all know how badass and smart she was. Can’t she just leave it open as a clue for the subsection chief to see?

The mind games with that pyscho old man, I cannot! Shin Ha Ru walking back to the house for the 2nd time to confront him was way too much! All the more leaving that morphine shot. He could have just called the cops and surround that house and arrest him. Dying was way too nice for him.

I gotta be honest, I am not a fan of the ending. It made me feel dumb. How ironic!

One of the things I liked though is I learned new mental/brain problems and conditions that I wasn’t familiar with.

Overall, not worth a rewatch but if you need a filler drama while waiting for the ones you like, it’s a decent watch if you’re up for a good laugh.

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Disappointing Ending

I really enjoyed Episodes 1-16, it was so funny and entertaining so I didn’t take this show seriously. Yeah I agreed not to be one of those who take ‘Sports Day’ seriously. However, when the show changed to a more serious tone after learning that the queen was pregnant, I couldn’t help but also follow the show’s direction and tone. As much as I enjoyed its first 16 episodes, the last four kind of ruined it for me.

My rants:

1. I totally hate it when a drama drags on a potential ‘death’ of a major character and milk on having it for cliffhangers. My goodness, we all know that the king won’t die as early, and won’t ever since he has a plot armor. I feel so annoyed when they did it.

2. I know this is a drama but I hope they didn’t insult the science of pregnancy. The queen walked on her foot for days, slept on the cold forest, get tossed, hanged on a cliff, and chased by guards. Got stabbed and whatnot, I was really shocked that the baby in her womb survived all of these. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t celebrate miscarriages but having the queen miscarrying the baby at the end should be the most logical thing that could’ve happened. For the life of me, the queen and the baby fought for their lives overnight, but the next day, she was walking around bossing people around as if nothing happened! Jeez, unacceptable. I feel very insulted as a viewer. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. It would make sense scientifically and romantically to miscarry the baby because it was Bong Hwan in So Yong’s body when the baby was made. Now that So Yong is back, they could always bed and make a new baby that is really out of love and truth.

3. Why did they trash Kim Byung In’s characters like that? All the main cast (king, queen, Jo Hwa jin, had a happy ending but him? They wasted his character. Seriously, they left his body in the forest like that?? I feel so angry for him. I am very disappointed in So Yong. Girl, you don’t have a right to weep and call her Orabeoni!

It wasn’t also explained why those two swap bodies. What connection do they have that of all the millions of people in world, why him? Why her? I could’ve missed it? If not, what a waste.

I strongly feel Mr. Queen should have ended in Episode 16. The last four episodes turned it into trash.

I’d probably order something from McDunaldu to console my disappointed heart.

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