Paradise Ranch is the one of the more obscure dramas that I enjoyed watching. I had pretty low expectations when I started watching it, but it was surprisingly amusing and touching as well.

What you might like about it
• The theme - rekindling lost love
• The love triangle/polygon situation
• The attractive male leads

What might put you off
• The charmless female lead (who is actually supposed to be charming in the story even though she’s simple)
• The setting (the ranch) though different, may not be appealing

Though the story is highly formulaic and abundant with sappiness, this show does not fail to excite. And unlike some Korean series that get intolerably boring in the middle, this one doesn’t. While I didn’t exactly love every minute of it, I didn’t really feel the need to skip episodes. The plot can sometimes be unconvincing, but I’ve already trained myself to overlook absurdities in Korean and Japanese dramas, so I am able to find delight in absence of logic.

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Things to Love about You Who Came from Another Star

I've been watching Asian dramas for more than 15 years, but Man from Another Star is the best romantic comedy I have seen from the time it was released until now (2021). I'm not saying it's perfect, but here are the reasons why you should watch it:

1. The storyline is awesome. It's not your typical Korean drama about an ordinary girl and a chaebol guy who fall in love; this one has aliens, movie stars, Joseon people, and a whole lot more -- a perfect mixture of elements without being too preposterous. It's definitely fresh! (At least when it came out in 2014).
2. Our alien guy is one of the coolest in dramaland. He's smart, handsome, rich, has superpowers and has lived as a doctor, lawyer, professor, and whatnot. He can even sing!
3. The female lead is one of the most memorable characters I've watched in dramas. From being a dumb, arrogant, selfish diva, she becomes pathetic but charming and hilarious (though a little overacting at times).
4. The romance is delightful. Every episode makes your heart flutter -- it is abundant with "skinship" and kissing scenes while staying wholesome.
5. It's not just one of the most romantic but also the funniest dramas ever! There are many unexpectedly amusing situations. Even scenes that you think will be sad can manage to bring laughs.
6. A single episode is able to make you experience different emotions -- bliss, surprise, worry, sadness and relief. One moment you're rolling from laughter, the next, you're weeping.
7. Each episode gets better and better. Just when you thought the current one is the best, the next one beats it. I suppose it could have been shorter, but I never felt bored watching any episode.
8. Need I say that the cast is perfect? The powerhouse couple Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun, two of the most attractive and talented K stars, have amazing chemistry. The other actors, though less known, are also very well-suited for their roles.
9. The soundtrack is charming. Some of its songs made it to the top charts in Korea! It's also a plus that a couple of the songs were sung by the main lead. Although there were a few songs that I didn't exactly like, the music is generally appropriate.
10. The supporting characters are dynamic and lovable -- the female lead's adorable younger brother; her unlikely best friend; the devoted second male lead; and finally, the ever-faithful lawyer.
11. This is the first drama where the male lead's best friend is a 60-year-old man, and their friendship is a very touching one.
12. You'll learn Korean archaic expressions from it.
13. The parodies are a nice touch. It's refreshing to see it make fun of other dramas/movies.
14. The epilogues/end credits -- the first show I've seen that uses an epilogue for every episode to show something unexpected. They'll either make you laugh or break your heart. At the time this series came out, end credits were not common in Korean dramas. However, now they're not uncommon anymore.
15. The rewatch value is very high. Needless to say, it's so good that you can watch it over and over (especially the romantic scenes)!

Mild spoilers ahead
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16. The ending. You may not agree with me on this as you might be hoping for a happier one. However, given the circumstances of the characters, this ending was satisfying and poignant. It was not predictable which makes it special.

This series may not be perfect and there there were many questions that it left unanswered. However, there are so many things to love about it that its flaws can be overlooked.

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"Long Vacation" is the oldest Jdrama I've watched recently. Older dramas don't usually appeal to me anymore, but its premise seemed interesting so I gave it a try. I must say that despite its age, I quite liked it.

What you might like about it: If you're into stories about an unlikely couple who ends up living together and falling for each other, then you might enjoy this.
The story is rather light and easy to watch. Also, unlike other dramas, this one doesn't drag much.

What might put you off: The female lead is not very likable that it takes a while before you get used to her. The main lead, on the other hand, is quite charming. Frankly, they don’t have much chemistry; however, once you’ve accepted that they’ve actually gotten attracted to each other, you’ll enjoy the events that follow. Another thing that I was not impressed about this drama is the soundtrack. There’s this one song that they play over and over which sometimes does not even fit the scene; it gets irritating after a while.

Overall, this drama is fairly delightful and not quite inferior to romantic comedies that came out more recently. The ending is also sweet and satisfying.

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Personal Taste is one of the most romantic dramas I’ve ever seen; however, it’s far from being the best. This show had so much potential and could have been very good if only it were much shorter.

One strength its strengths lies in its characters. The main and the supporting characters are very likable, and the villain(ess) is truly hateful. At first, I really disliked the female lead as she is incredibly pathetic and has no self-respect; however, she grew on me after a while. The personalities of the hero and heroine are a stark contrast with each other, but because of the situations, you'll understand why they fall in love (unlike some dramas that will bewilder you how a very handsome guy suddenly falls in love with a plain girl).

Because it starts out rather slow, it will not completely engage you right away even though it has a promising story and some hilarious moments. As the story progresses, the thrill heightens. Then suddenly all that excitement grinds to a halt after episode 10. Then a series of wearisome, overly dramatic episodes follow.

The ending is ok but could have been better. It would also have been more delightful if it had stayed lighthearted all throughout, but Korean dramas usually follow a formula where after episode 12, the characters have a fight or a misunderstanding and have to separate no matter how contrived the conflict is. Despite all my complaints about this series, I’m giving it a high rewatch value for episodes 3-10; I really liked these episodes and have watched them a few times over the years. On the whole, it is still a good drama that is worth watching.

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I guess it’s still a little early to write a review for this series, but I’ll just give my impression of the first five episodes that I’ve watched. So far, it is charming enough to keep viewers engaged.

The story is mostly faithful to the manga/anime which is a good thing; however, some parts in the first few episodes are so contrived that the anime sometimes seems even more realistic than this live-action version. Also, each episode feels a little stretched. While it’s common in many dramas based on mangas to stretch the story slightly to include more character development, this one includes quite a lot of unnecessary antics that are sometimes painful to watch already.

If I hadn’t seen the anime or read the manga, I would’ve thought that the everyone in this drama was perfect for their roles. Still, I’m quite satisfied with the cast. Lee Dong Hae is great at portraying Sho; Choi Si Won is not exactly like Tsuruga Ren, but he’s okay, and Ivy Chen , though can be irritatingly loud-mouthed and quite different from Kyoko in the manga, is not at all unlikeable.

Overall this drama seems promising, and I can’t wait to see the rest. Even though it’s not exactly hilarious, it’s still pretty entertaining.

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