[FanFanX has a review here]

A brilliant cheating husband comedy methinks.

It’s a drama about “her”, but my favourite character is the cheating husband. Whew! I never thought I’d love that type of character, and it’s not that he’s a good character, it’s because Kim Byung-Chul’s hysterical acting with the straightest expressions. Also, I could care less about the potential romance with the young man. His best scenes are with the cheating husband anyway.

If you have strong feelings about a cheating husband getting his comeuppance, then this might not be for you.

Partners for Justice S2

Jung Jae-Young / Jung Yoo-Mi / Oh Man-Seok / No Min-Woo

Rating: ♥

Deserves every accolade. It melds riveting cases and stellar acting from an ensemble cast. I also appreciated the generous dose of comedy throughout the serious, serious drama.

Unfortunately, it’s been three years and there’s no sign of S3. Boo. However, I still think S2 is worth a shot. I only have a tiny affinity for forensic dramas, but this one had me engaged from beginning to end.

Taxi Driver 2

Lee Je-Hoon / Kim Eui-Sung / Pyo Ye-Jin / Shin Jae-Ha

Rating: ✖

I already felt nostalgic after hearing the soundtrack. S2 is still entertaining. I love the crew, their comedy, and the thrill of punishing evildoers (when our legal system fails).

But it is not better than S1 and actually highlights the flaw that was always there. How are they getting away with everything? S1 had the shock factor – I could ignore the flaws for the exhilaration.

S2 got ridiculous with the ML’s plot armour. There's no stake if Kim Do-Ki is invincible and if he’s not invincible, he has deus ex machina. As if dramagods weren’t already on his side, everyone blocking his way are doofuses. The Show being meta about a nurse failing to recognize Kim Do-Ki lost its humour after the fourth time.

P.S. If there is a S3 and "she's" in it, there's no way I'm not watching. I complain, and I still watch. That's how it is.

Call It Love

Kim Young-Kwang / Lee Sung-Kyung / Sung Joon / Kim Ye-Won / Anh Hee-Yeon

Rating: ♥♥

A revenge served tenderly with love.

She could never hurt him and he could never hate her. Sim Woo-Joo and Han Dong-Jin are two of the purest souls to exist in a vengeful drama. She’s too soft to ruin him, and he’s too pitiful to suffer more. She may have lost her home and house, but he never had a proper home, or house, or family.

Show is slow and quiet, but I think it’s evocatively slow, and tastefully quiet. I giggle when they have dinner. They don’t talk, but that’s how these two are, silently comfortable in each other's company. I also love the composition of light and shadow to accentuate the contrast of two pure souls in a “dark” drama.

My lovable shy, shy ML, Han Dong-Jin, can I pocket you in my pouch? I promise, it’s comfy even for a towering giant like you. He’s so tall (taller than doors), but so weathered down. He’s like an abandoned cat who never felt warmth. So vulnerable, so hollow, and yet also so wholesomely pure. With the smallest happiness, he’s in bliss. He’ll look at her, then his eyes flicker away and the corner of his lips curls ever so slightly and that happiness from that brief gaze is already brimming his heart.

Every time I see Kim Young-Kwang’s microexpressions though, I see Lee Sung-Kyung’s limits. Her sadness doesn’t have the same varied depth. It looks the same throughout like she’s walking in a trance. Not terrible, but not a memorable performance. Fortunately, she had such a natural and warm chemistry with Kim Young-Kwang that their romance will be a tender memory for me.

As I’m waiting for the doom to engulf our couple, the secondary characters as the mood-lifters, phew (e.g. ML’s buddy, FL’s sister & guy-friend). Kim Ye-Won was surprisingly impressive. She’s more versatile than I thought. Jun Suk-Ho’s happiness is contagious as well.

P.S. Show, you can't discriminate against the short-leggeds so blatantly like this.

Missing: The Other Side 2

Ko Soo / Heo Jun-Ho / Ahn So-Hee / Lee Jung-Eun / Kim Dong-Hwi / Ha-Joon
Rating: ♥

A continuation of heartwarming and poignant stories. Drama might appear sad, but since we start with ghosts (and their missing bodies), their stories can only go up from there. It’s cathartic when they’re found, like heaving a euphoric sigh + some moisture in your eyes.

As far as my memory can remember, it’s as strong as S1, except for the underutilization of Jang ahjussi and Shin Joon-Ho (police officer). Boo! And I miss Mr. Goldilocks. Hey, but I got Oh Il-Yong! I grew to adore his pouty face. Also, I just want to say that I knew it! His cliffhanger was one of the best and one of the worst.

Cleverly comedic moments to unravel the tension. For example, I love the fight scene where Il-Yong helped Wook “fight”. Drama played well within its rules too because I was freaking out that there’s no way for Il-Yong to help Wook. But they did it! xD

Thrilling with its well-timed cliffhangers. Personally, I hate the way some Kdramas do their cliffhangers. Loathe it. It’s inserted when it doesn’t even connect to the scene before. The worse ones are when there's a runtime of 30 minutes until we reach the cliffhanger in the next episode. That's such a cheap way of keeping viewers engaged. Like how dare you rewind and fastforward so annoyingly without my permission. I digress. This drama’s cliffhangers though, I approve.

Calling all romance lovers! You have no luck. Still no romance, and I’m glad they kept it that way because there’s no chemistry between Ko Soo and Ahn So-Hee even though her character likes his.

A S3? Yes! With its solid world-building, I wouldn’t say no. But does Wook stay?

Love to Hate You

Kim Ok-Vin / Yoo Teo / Kim Ji-Hoon / Go Won-Hee

Rating: ♥♥

It’s the same old formula but hey, it's an addictive formula. ML literally “trips” in love, and falls hard. Romcoms ought to be like this: zippy, funny, and romantic. There’s no time to think and only space to rejoice the sweetness and the shortness.

Kim Ok-Vin’s new fan right here. She rocked this. Oh, and that actress playing the ex, I swear, is every ML’s ex.

Netflix is on a roll. Last year it was A Business Proposal (Recap). This year, it's Love to Hate You. What’s their next February romcom? (And hurrah to no season twos!)

May I Help You

Hyeri / Lee Jun-Young

Rating: ♥

Don’t you all think ghosts and love stories are the perfect match? I hear a yes! Our FL helps ghosts – that’s not why I heard a yes – rest in peace. Our ML, Kim Tae-Hee (hee-hee), exists for the romantic plot and he’s burdened with a – O’ surprise – trauma. Unfortunately, drama follows the K-pattern: solid start with romcom cuteness, but tapers with a psychopathic murderer. Still a solid romcom for the most part!

Lee Jun-Young. I’m mesmerized by his love-eyes. His comedic timing is natural too. Partnered with Hye-ri, who has a knack for romcoms, these two have chemistry down pat. They were just walking by each other on the sidewalk at the end of Ep1 and I felt the potential already ~

Finale is as happy as happy endings are, but the beginning of the last episode had me in shock and in tears. WHYYYYY.

May It Please the Court

Jung Ryeo-Won / Lee Kyu-Hyung

Rating: ♥

Buried by the droves of prosecutor dramas – buried! I would have never come across this underrated piece if not for my girl crush Jung Ryeo-Won. Now I have a newfound appreciation for Lee Kyu-Hyung. I love his dead-pan humour and his emotional scenes punch me in the heart, oof.

At 12 episodes, this is concise and compact. Once the main leads work in the same office, the pacing never drops. There’s enough mystery in the story without the need to rely on pointless red herrings. No beating around the bush. Piece by piece reveal. Surprise after surprise. Love that.

There’s a bit of everything: humour, romance, mystery, suspense, emotional highs, etc. Romance isn’t full-blown but enough that I’m cheering for them.

The First Responders S1

Kim Rae-Won / Son Ho-Jun / Gong Seung-Yeon

Rating: ♥♥

The amount of car wreckage in this totally explains the car shortage we have. Worth. This is exhilarating! Jam-packed with action. An adrenaline rush. It’s not just flashy action, it’s effective action, making every scene matter. I’m at the edge of my seat seriously worried if my main characters will be okay every single time. (And yelling for Jin Ho-Gae to get up.)

Critical errors are in masses, action scenes are reality-defying, but OMG THIS IS TV. When I’m having this much fun despite screaming at the glaring flaws, the drama has executed to its potential. It’s everything a gripping action mystery thriller should be.

The cases are layered. I’m mystified and stumped at how all the cases relate to our “hound” ML and his father. The criminals are horrifying at times. The mothers! The daughters! The psychopaths! You call these people human?!

For those who need a bit of romance in any of their dramas, it’s here! And I do mean “a bit”. But I loved every bit of it. Rooting for Jin Ho-Gae and Seol <3 Most of you don’t know the prowess of this man (Kim Rae-Won) in romances. When he gets his subtle scenes where he’s falling for her, hearts are melting.

The ending episodes prep us for S2. Boo. But I’m on board. Looks like Bong Do-Jin, our Bulldozer, will get more time to shine. I thought he was criminally underused in S1.

Gaus Electronics

Kwak Dong-Yeon / Ko Sung-Hee / Bae Hyun-Sun / Kang Min-Ah

Rating: ♥

I started with skepticism, thinking there’s no way I’ll like this. It’s too silly. Ep1 confirmed it. Also, the brutal comedy on the ML was not funny. But then my romcom antenna tingled when FL moved into her new place and her neighbour knocked on the other side, telling her she’s a little loud. Aha! They're neighbours, that’s basically cohabitation with a wall in between, right? (My competent brain is not very competent actually.)

Everything after Ep1 sparked instant guffaws. My favourite is the fart in Ep4. There has never been a man to win my heart with a fart. I was dying of laughter and swooning for his charisma.

The story flowed better than I thought for a sitcom and the comedy is balanced with slapstick humour and witticism. Fun! Great for de-stressing.

Other points:

→ I really liked how 2ML’s hair had feelings, pft.

→ I’m not the biggest fan of the FL (character and acting), and she’s the reason I don’t like the romance more but she was serviceable for my overall entertainment.
→ I feel so bad for Go Woo-Ri (Sung Hyung-Mi)!

→ When will Kwak Dong-Yeon have a proper ML drama?

Love in Contract

Park Min-Young / Ko Kyoung-Pyo / Kim Jae-Young
Rating:

Is my romcom taste that crappy? (Don’t answer.) I’ve accustomed myself to strong-first-half-weak-second-half type of romcoms, and this is no outlier. Actually, I’m not sure the first-half was that strong anyway. I was more disappointed that the story wasn’t as wild as the synopsis sounded.

Nonetheless, this is fun with fast-forward at my liberty whenever it is Madam Yoo and/or FL’s background story, which I guesstimate is 66% of the drama. I’m just happy I didn’t miss Ko Kyoung-Pyo’s hilarious and endearing performance as Jung Ji-Ho. Half the time, he is dazed, the other half, he’s cute in a dumb way. I laugh every time I recall him saying in a very serious tone that he’s laughing – with the blankest stare. Pictures do not do him justice.

Verdict: Not that great, but ML is lovable.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Park Eun-Bin / Kang Tae-Oh / Kang Ki-Young / Ha Yoon-Kyung / Joo Jong-Hyuk

Rating: ♥♥

Check out the Recap and Review by FanFanX

Best character of 2022: Woo Young-Woo
Best actress of 2022: Park Eun-Bin

How do I compliment Park Eun-Bin without diminishing her extraordinary performance? So hard! Just a margin off, she would be offensive and overacting and yet she went above and beyond the mold of what autism “looks” like and breathed life into her role. How did the director spot her potential?! As for the Kang Tae-Oh, I felt that his character lacked believability (too flawless!!) but when it all ended, forget it. I’m happy Woo Young-Woo has a partner to waltz through whatever obstacle spins her way. She has a whole team behind her too! There’s our sweet Sunshine and our dependable Jung Myeong-Seok. (I’m so happy for the actor Kang Ki-Young, rise!).

The cases: I much prefer the ones from the first half; they were quirky and creative.

Yumi’s Cells 2

Kim Go-Eun / Jin Young / Ahn Bo-Hyun / Lee Yoo-Bi

Rating:

Click here for Recap and Review

Kiss Sixth Sense

Yoon Kye-Sang / Seo Ji-Hye / Kim Ji-Suk / Lee Joo-Yeon

Rating: ♥

If I’m not being picky, this romcom was fun and hot with supernatural kisses. That being said I’m also a Seo Ji-Hye fan✋. That also being said, I don’t think the role suits her but she tried, and the effort is convincing. I’m new to Yoon Kye-Sang. Not sure how I dodged his dramas, but now I am looking forward to more comedic roles from him.

By the end of the drama, I think everyone, including the actor himself, forgot the ML was supposed to be a cold boss. Whatever. Lol.

And poor 2ML!! He did NOTHING wrong.

Un/related: I think Let’s Eat started the trend of inserting creepers/stalkers/psychopaths into romcoms to make it “exhilarating”.

Our Blues

Lee Byung-Hun / Shim Min-A / Han Ji-Min / Kim Woo-Bin / Ko Du-Shim / Kim Hye-Ja / Lee Jung-Eun / Park Ji-Hwan / Choi Young-Joon / Roh Yoon-Sei / Bae Hyun-Sung / Uhm Jung-Hwa / Cha Seung-Won

Rating:

The most A-list actors you’ll ever see in one drama. When I started this, I was wondering how Shim Min-A and Kim Woo-Bin were going to co-exist without being the couple. Turns out that is the least of my concern. They don’t quite meet. Her story has nothing to do with his story.

This is a drama with assorted tear-jerking tales. I’m grateful this isn’t too heartbreaking. The tears I cry, and there’s a lot of tears I cried, are for the characters who are conquering their blues.

→ The teenagers. I think the dads are so precious (after they become supporters)! And let’s not forget the“third dad”. So sweet.

→ Han Ji-Min’s story was surprising. I didn’t get her until the reveal of her mysterious texter. Endearing.

→ The grandma and granddaughter. Oh man, the grandmas kill me in this drama. I’m drowning in my tears. I’m relieved that at the end there's hope. Even typing this is evocative for my heart.

→ The grandma and her son. The last story and Lee Byung-hun’s and his mother. I’m saying…the grandmas… 😭. Absolutely heartwarming (with some hilarity).

Sh**ting Stars

Lee Sung-Kyung / Kim Young-Dae / Yoon Jong-Hoon / Kim Yoon-Hye / Sojin / Lee Jung-Shin / Jin Ho-Eun

Rating:

Check out the Recap and Review by FanFanX

I find the manager (Byeon Jung-Yeol) the cutest! No one can tell me otherwise. He should be Bangs Jung-Yeol. The spotlight, of course, belongs to Oh Han-Byeol and Gong Tae-Sung. The way he flirtatiously and menacingly and menacingly flirtatiously leans in to whisper in her ear both intrigued and bothered me. He belongs in that class of pettish MLs.

A flaw for me is the decentralized story. I prefer it when the main characters get their uncontested spotlight. There were far too many characters with way too many stories! I still ended up caring about them, though (I’m too nice, you see.) The actor for Kang Yoo-Sung surprised me. I’m one of the unluckies that Penthouse has scarred. He’s actually capable of having a cute and healthy relationship! At the end, I was also cheering for a new budding couple. Kang Si-Duk and his girl. And I love his voice.

My Liberation Notes

Kim Ji-Won / Lee Min-Ki / Son Suk-Ku / Lee El

Rating: ♥♥♥

Click here for Recap and Review

Twenty Five Twenty One

Kim Tae-Ri / Nam Joo-Hyuk / Bona / Choi Hyun-Wook / Lee Joo-Myung

Rating: ♡♡♡

I make happy sighs whenever I remember the highlights of this drama (listening to the pay phone messages, finding each other in the crowd at Ep6; carrying her in a room full of glass-shards, her head-walling confession and his head-walling reaction, a sign that he cannot suppress his feelings anymore; the beautiful confession at the bridge)

I still laugh out loud at the hilarity of this drama (Ji-woong “parking” the car, Yi-jin avoiding the kiss with bread, the whole penpal scenario and Yi-jin being involved, Hee-do’s bold declaration of wanting to possess Ye-jin).

The growth of the romance and friendship was so warm, fulfilling and inviting. This was excellent, except for two things. Why is a grown man hanging out with high school kids? Anyway. I generally loved the drama a lot so I ignored that part. The second thing. The ending.

[Ending Spoilers] Because I love the drama, I’m forced to accept the ending as realistic. It’s not that I can’t handle realistic endings, it’s just where was the buildup?! For fourteen episodes, they were so in love, so understanding and supportive of each other. Then it all fell apart. I can’t help but feel cheated for believing in them. Show had hints of their breakup, but while they were dating, there was no indication of incompatibility. Then in Ep15, they suddenly can’t communicate anymore. It makes me so sad that they couldn’t work out. I can only tell myself that like the rainbow, their relationship was beautiful but short-lived. I might just not like rainbows anymore. [/Spoilers]

I really want to recommend this. Kim Tae-ri’s acting is phenomenal. An actress by instinct. I’m her new fan. Nam Joo-hyuk could have been easily overshadowed by her but he wasn’t. Not only was he strikingly handsome, but he was irresistibly charming in a regular guy role who’s been beaten down by reality. But that ending. How do I recommend this?

A Business Proposal

Ahn Hyo-Seop / Kim Se-Jeong / Kim Min-Kyu/ Seol In-A

Rating: ♥♥

Check out the Recap and Review by FanFanX

This feels like a Cdrama story with Kdrama quality. It’s got the cliche charms and the zesty special effects. So fun ~ There’s chemistry everywhere! Sismance, bromance, and of course, the swoony couples. Kim Se-jeong is the highlight for me (with ML being the weakest, ahem lol).

The Archaeopteryx ringtone gets me. Every. Single. Time.

Racket Boys

Tang Joon-Sang / Son Sang-Yeon / Choi Hyun-Wook / Kim Kang-Hoon / Kim Min-Ki / Kim Sang-Kyung / Oh Na-Ra / Lee Jae-In / Lee Ji-Won / Shin Jung-Keun / Baek Ji-Won / Jung Min-Sung / Park Hyo-Joo

Rating: ♥♥♥

This cleansed my superficiality. No pretty boys. AND SO GOOD. Am I sports comedy fan? No. But I love this sports comedy. It’s about friendship and it’s about family. It's about youth and it's about seniors. There’s teamwork and there’s romance. I laughed a lot and I cried way more than I thought I would. Sometimes it feels like a sitcom, sometimes it feels like a sports anime, sometimes it feels like an emotional slice of life. This village was alive.

No pretty boys, but I still swoon. Na Woo-Chan was so cool playing defence with Yoon Hae-Kang.

Dali and Cocky Prince

Kim Min-Jae / Park Gyu-Young

Rating: ♥

Easy and fun romcom to binge~

Park Gyu-Young’s versatility is impressive. I’m a fan ~

Happiness

Park Hyun-Shik / Han Hyo-Joo

Rating: ♥♥♥

A short review here.

Yumi’s Cell

Kim Go-Eun / Ahn Bo-Hyun / Jin Young

Rating: ♥

First episode is adorable with the introduction of “cells” as little cartoon characters, each in charge of an emotion (e.g. love) or state of being (e.g. hunger). Then it wasn’t so cute when it takes over half the episode, half the drama. Simple sentences like, “I need to use the toilet” take 15 minutes to happen because the different cells need to organize themselves and pan out the embarrassment. Then after her cells are done thinking, it’s ML’s turn! Ah!

Mid-drama, there was a gnawing feeling this wasn’t going to be a happy ending, which for some reason, intrigued me. It’s like watching a relationship unfold very typically and not ideally. It’s nothing dramatic, nothing exciting, just one couple getting to know each other and be comfortable with each other. It was soothing of sorts.

I had expected the ending, but I hadn’t expected it to end immediately after that! I get that it’s season one, but season one needs a satisfying closure too! Perhaps it’s the hook for season 2 and well, fine, I’m hooked >.> Not excited about that, though.

For season 2 (because I’m hooked -.-), I really want more of Yoo Ba-bi.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

Shin Min-A / Kim Sun-Ho

Rating: ♥♥♥

Review and Commentary

Squid Game

Lee Jung-Jae / Park Hae-Soo / Oh Young-Soo / Jung Ho-Yeon / Heo Sung-Tae / Kim Joo-Ryung / Tripathi Anupam / Lee Yoo-Mi

Rating:

I've never felt so compelled to watch something that I felt so disgusted with. It was disturbing and engrossing and disturbingly engrossing.

Spoilers! Ahead!

1) I cried a lot for the two girls' marble game especially when Ji Yeong just dropped the marble like that.

2) I don't like the MC - Seong Gi-Hun. I made that decision to dislike him during the marble game. Grandpa had multiple lapses of "amnesia" and I felt like those were all chances for Seong Gi-Hun to return Grandpa's "kindness". Not once did Gi-Hun lie in favour of the Grandpa which contradicts the "righteousness" that his character has developed to that point. From then on, he was superficial and fake to me. I could not pity the guy. I prefer Cho Sang-Woo who at least was true to himself, accepted that his morality was rotting .

3) I had an odd satisfaction of watching the trash taking out the trash. The scene where Han Mi-Nyeo took out Jang Deok-Soo was fitting....

4) I saw 001 coming from the very beginning. I swear!! It was particularly in plain sight when Oh Il-Nam was in pristine condition during Lights Out and how he wouldn't disclose his name. He founded this game and the foundation of it is reducing people to numbers and to rudimentary shapes, stripping them of their identity. He'd be the last person who would want to share his name.

Move to Heaven

Lee Je-Hoon / Tang Joon-Sang

Rating: ♥

Did I cry every other episode? Yes
Did I feel good crying after each episode? Yes. There’s something healing about this.

I don’t actively seek out sentimental dramas like this but I jumped into this one because I’m stuck on Lee Je Hoon after Taxi Driver. It’s about death but the messages are uplifting (for the living). I wasn't into the romance. It's minimal for both men. I had more fun watching Han Geu-ru comment on Cho Sang-gu's red ears than the actual romance.

The ending is happy but it leaves me a little confused. I think the butterfly girl is a leeway for a possible second season, if not, I find it meaningless to this drama.

Btw, Han Geu-ru has autism or he's on the spectrum. Asperger's syndrome is no longer a diagnosis.

Taxi Driver

Lee Je-Hoon / Esom / Kim Eiu-Sung / Pyo Ye-Jin

Rating: ♥♥

This drama serves up some sumptuous revenge I can only ever dream of: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, gloriously trespassing all legal boundaries. It’s unrealistic but oh my, it’s fun watching Kim Do Ki grab at any hard metal to hammer down 100 people in less than a minute. Ep13 Night Vision fight scene was hilariously fun and exhilarating to watch. Lee Je Hoon should continue to star in dramas where he's free to sport eye-wear of all types. He looks good in frames.

There’s no romance in this but the rare scenes of Esom and Lee Je Hoon standing face to face have a lot of chemistry whether they're in confrontation or in accordance. Perhaps it is simply their matching height or that clashing charisma they both naturally emit. I would love to see them in another collaboration.

Sunbae, Don’t Put on That Lipstick

Won Jin-Ah / Ro Woon / Lee Hyun-Wook / Lee Joo-Bin / Lee Gyu-Han / Wang Bit-Na / Ha Yoon-Kyung / Lee Dong-Ha

Rating:

Our towering Ro Woon gets to be swoon-y as he pursues the girl he loves. As much as I found the first few episodes of Chae Hyun Seung romantic, I also found him equally nosy. It was none of his business how Yoon Song Ah was going to deal with her boyfriend but he kept forcing her to make a decision. On one hand, I believe she needed someone to get her out of that hole but that person shouldn’t have been him and it shouldn’t have been that aggressive. Also, I would have preferred to see Chae Hyun Seung fall-ing in love with Yoon Song Ah instead of being shown a short scene of him being in love at first sight to explain his devotion.

Those were the bits that prevented me from truly loving the couple. Overall, for the rest of the drama, their interactions made me smile. I’m on the side that supports actively pursuing love (but there is a fine line!). One thing I really appreciate is the drama acknowledging Chae Hyun Seung’s selfish pursuit with the introduction of his ex. His ex-girlfriend barged into his life even with his repeated rejections. It takes this incident for Chae Hyun Seung to realize his initial actions towards Yoon Song Ah were just as invasive.

The other Chae siblings also had very compelling storylines that I wished the drama ventured deeper into. I don’t think our OTP needed that much screen-time. I wanted to see more of the actor Lee Gyu Han (and many others but there would be too many to list). Then there was the story between second sister and her husband that I wanted to know more of.

I rarely complain about this one thing but it was so distracting I have to bring it up: wardrobe – Won Jin Ah’s wardrobe. First of all, I like her (seen her in Just Between Lovers) I know she’s supposed to look like a career woman and I know she’s barely half Ro Woon’s height or size but those over-sized clothes don’t make anyone look bigger or smarter. Her clothes simply ate her up.

Run On

Im Shi-Wan / Shin Se-Kyung / Kang Tae-Oh / Choi Soo-Young

Rating: ♥

A romcom that’s more romantic than comedic. Is it just me or are these dramas a rarity in Kdramaland these days? When Korea does these dramas right, I really love them. Run On is a drama that brings out the beauty in simplicity. There’s no need for a murder, a stalker or anything to make this interesting. It’s just two people in love. The simple interactions between the OTP had me grinning from ear to ear.

Our ML is suffocating to talk to. Thankfully, our FL is a translator! Their dialogue is the best thing in this drama. But why a pervert? I am? No, me... You’re a pervert?

Cheat On Me, If You Can

Cho Yeo-Jung / Go Joon / Kim Young-Dae / Yeon-Woo / Song Ok-Sook

Rating: ♥

Read my short review here! It's more of an ending discussion so be prepared for spoilers. The mood and the dark humour won me over. The mystery grappled me that I had to stick to the end.

The Uncanny Counter

Jo Byun-Gyu / Yoo Jun-Sang / Kim Se-Jeong / Chu Mae-Ok / Choi Jang-Mool

Rating: ♥♥

An underdog superhero drama! Gotta love these. The scene that truly sold me the drama, though, was when So Mun’s hair gained life and curled up strand by strand. :D That's still a golden scene for me.

Ep11 is my favourite. There was an unexpected mother and son reunion (so touching!). And then the reunion that could not happen. What an episode.

At the very end, So Mun also asked a question I've been dying to get an answer from the very beginning (why those red hoodies!). Well, it still wasn't answered.

Memorials (Into the Ring)

Nana / Park Sung-Hoon

Rating: ♥♥

So fun. Park Sung-Hoon and Nana are currently my favourite 2020 kdrama couple. Nana went all out to act a crazy and righteous Goo Se-Ra. Only a strait-laced weirdo like Seo Gong-Myung can love a girl this crazy. The kisses and skinship and laughter were all so natural. This couple even made politics fun.

The Penthouse: War in Life

Lee Ji-Ah / Kim So-Yeon / Eugene / Uhm Ki-Joon / Bong Tae-Gyu / Park Eun-Seok

Rating:

Is anyone really watching this because they think this will be good? I'm watching it for the insanity. There’s always a sadistic entertainment watching rich sociopaths disintegrate.

Kim So-Yeon is spectacular, especially in Episode 16. She was downright treacherous but I was in complete awe of her acting. On the other hand, I keep seeing Eugene's weakness. No charisma. Can't do evil.

The motive that drives this story: Mothers for their daughters.

Perhaps it's because they planned for two more season, the ending is not an ending. Ba. One season should at least finish most of what it started. Not only did the rich arses not fall to disgrace, they're still rich and happy!! The poor is still poor and is worse than being just poor. What kind of bs ending is that.

365: Repeat the Year

Lee Joon-Hyuk / Nam Ji-Hyun / Kim Jee-Soo / Kim Se-Rin

Rating: ♥

Story. Ten individuals decide to reset their lives. However, are they starting anew or speeding to their death?

I love that this is a short fantasy-thriller. There's enough twists to keep me shocked for the entire drama. However, I think the villains are weak characters. [Spoilers!] There's no reason why they're bad. They either a) enjoy killing or b) have too much money and time. [/Sp]

The ending. My love for romance is satisfied in the last two minutes of this drama. The small conversation was everything I needed to believe that they'll be happy. As for that yellow car down that road... is a new parallel world born each time?

18 Again

Kim Ha-Neul / Yoon Sang-Hyun / Lee Do-Hyun / Wi Ha-Joon / Kim Kang-Hyun / Lee Mi-Do / Roh Jeong-Eui / Ryeoun / Choi Bo-Min / Hwang In-Yeop / Hwang In-Yeop / Han So-Eun / Kim Yoo-Ri / Lee Ki-Woo / Jang Hyuk-Jin

Rating: ♥♥♥

I love Lee Do Hyun! He’s such a cutie. I first saw him in Thirty but Seventeen and he was pretty cute there too but nowhere compared to now. I then saw him in Running Man and I think that’s when he got his first burst of popularity for his personality and his club dancing, heh.

Lee Do Hyun cannot be more perfect for this role. He’s got an ahjussi living inside him! But I don’t love this drama simply because of Lee Do Hyun. All (all!) the characters have more depth than I ever thought they could.

Once Again

Chun Ho-Jin / Cha Hwa-Yun / Lee Jung-Eun / Oh Dae-Hwan / Lee Ming-Jung / Lee Sang-Yeob / Oh Yoon-Ah Lee Cho-Hee / Lee Sang-Yi / Lee Ga-Yeon / Ki Do-Hoon

Rating: ♥

I really want to praise the director for filling 100 episodes without any makjang elements and kept it entertaining. This isn't my favourite family drama but it is endearing. It made me cry; it made me laugh; it made me smile. The story is this: Song family has four children, all of them are married or will be married but each of them come home divorced or un-married. The Song house which only had the parents living in soon finds itself gaining ten extra mouths to feed. Poor mom. Poor, poor mom. The amount of plates and utensils she has to wash is a pure nightmare. But that's not the issue. All her children come back home single with three having no career. And that is the introduction to our story.

My favourite couple is Song Na Hee (Lee Min Jung) and Yoo Gyu Jin (Lee Sang Yeob). Song Na Hee is the third child, and the most loved child so when mom gets news of her divorce, she's utterly heartbroken. Song Na Hee and Yoo Gyu Jin are the only couple I truly loved in this drama. I found Song Da Hee's a little too silly and Song Ga Hee's a little too unrealistic. Song Ga Hee has a younger boyfriend in this and the boy can pass as 19. Let's say age doesn't matter. Okay, sure. But Song Ga Hee has a son who looks like he can pass as 15.

My favourite scene will have to be when Song Seo Jin (Song Joon Sun's daughter) gets her voice back. That was absolutely touching. Her older sister, Song Seo Young, is a scene stealer. She acts so well. She's always bratty but when she needs to be emotional, I just cry with her.

My Unfamiliar Family

Han Ye-Ri / Choo Ja-Hyun / Kim Ji-Suk / Jung Jin-Young / Won Mi-Kyung / Shin Jae-Ha / Shin Dong-Wook / Shin Hye-Jung

Rating:

If you've ever watched those long 100+ Korean family dramas and sometimes like them (I loved Ugly Alert and Five Enough), you might enjoy "My Unfamiliar Family" which is a condensed version of them in 16 episodes. Parents who are married for over half a century are experiencing a dead marriage. It's not a divorce, it's just dead. The eldest daughter has marriage problems too. The second daughter is single and 40. She's happily single and 40 until she reunites with her best-boy-friend. The youngest brother is a cutie who's quite the sensitive soul.

Not only is the content similar to family dramas, the way the series is edited is annoyingly similar. There will be cliffhangers with everyone's shocked expressions to end off the episode and when the next episode starts, it doesn't start where it left off! I have to wait until the middle of the episode to connect to the ending of the previous episode. I think the drama was successful in using that type of editing but I was seriously annoyed.

The parents had a surprisingly sweet love story. Kim Eun Joo (eldest sister) is the one I pitied the most. Her life is so sad yet she remains cool and calm. When she does breakdown, it’s heartbreaking. Kim Eun Joo so admirable. So strong. She internalizes everything and keeps the family rooted.

Kim Eun Hee is the vitamin of the family. She also has adorkable cute-best-friend-turns-to-lover romance with Park Chan Hyul.

Flower of Evil

Lee Jun-Ki / Moon Chae-Won

Rating: ✖

First few episodes were dark and intricate. I really loved the scene when he was barely hanging onto the balcony to hide from his wife. That was tense. Then the rest of the episodes kept spiraling down to darkness that made me wonder what was the point. The scary music was scarier than the actual content. The last episode wasn't necessary. I'm not too forgiving to Korean dramas that start off amazing and end off bland. I still appreciate Lee Jun Ki and Moon Chae Won though.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay

Kim Soo-Hyun / Seo Ye-Ji / Oh Jung-Se / Park Gyu-Young / Kim Mi-Kyung / Park Young-Nam

Rating: ♥♥

I have fallen in love with Seo Ye Ji and her deep voice. Kim Soo Hyun on a bus will always remind me of the last scene of Dream High. Read more about It's Okay to Not Be Okay here.

Oh My Baby

Jang Na-Ra / Go Joon / Park Byung-Eun / Jung Gun-Joo / Kim Hye-Ok

Rating:

Fun romcom that tapers.

I watch 90% of Jang Nara dramas. She's the same character in every drama, but she's good at it.

This drama started off strong. It’s about a woman who is one year short of 40 and is desperate for a baby. She doesn’t even need to marry, she just wants a baby of her own. Three men enter her life at this point. Who has the most perfect sperm? From being desperately single, all of a sudden she’s in a harem. She had wanted to be a mom but she becomes a woman in love instead. I much preferred her when she was focused on finding her suitable sperm. Unfortunately, after she becomes a woman in love, it starts to drag in the last quarter. That’s just the thing with most Korean rom-coms for me. They make me so invested in the beginning but, come the ending, I'm burned out.

Dinner Mate

Seo Ji-Hye / Song Seung-Hoon / Lee Ji-Hoon / Son Na-Eun / Lee Hyun-Jin / Ye Ji-Won / Park Ho-San / Kim Seo-Kyung

Rating: ♥

Romantic. Easy watch.

I love Seo Ji Hye. She's the only actress I have ever girl crushed on. I first took notice of her in "Jealousy Incarnate" where she was the classy reporter. Then she appeared on Running Man and I fell in love with her. She was so competitive. I remember her force feeding Yu Jae Suk and forcing herself to hide her pain from the electric shock. The desire to win was burning in her eyes. Yu Jae Suk loved her so much, he asked her to come back. I'm still waiting for this to happen. Then I followed her through "Black Night: The Man Who Guards Me" where she was dark and also classy. She got her first main role in "Heart Surgeons" with Go Soo. I watched through that despite romance being non-existent. She then landed a semi-main role in "Crash Landing on You" where her role finally had a sweet taste of romance. Now she gets this drama where it's a full blown rom-com. She makes a flawless transformation from her usual classy, cold roles to this crazy and hilarious one. She is the highlight of this drama for me. It's unbelievable how funny she can be.

The King: Eternal Monarch

Lee Min-Ho / Kim Go-Eun / Woo Do-Hwan / Jung Eun-Chae / Lee Jun-Jin / Kim Kyung-Nam

Rating: ✖

I watched episodes 1-8 with my family fairly consistently. Then I joined in for the last three episodes (14-16). My gosh, I was so confused. I had asked my family what was happening every second for the last three episode but no one could answer me. They were telling me to just watch and stop asking. But nothing was making sense. Who the heck was Luna? I was just told that this person is not this person and that person is not that person. There's two of them. Uh huh. O-kay. Alright. What is the purpose of all this? Why make this person take over that person? Was there no simpler way of taking over the monarchy? And if Lee Min Ho saves himself then why did he even fall in love with Kim Go Eun's character? It wasn't even her who saved him. Is Kim Go Eun of any use anyways? So many questions. My mom's answer to everything was: Just watch for Lee Min Ho. Me: Ah, okay.

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