A beautifully anthology
Hometown Cha Cha Cha was one of last year’s best K-Dramas depicting the trials and tribulations of a small village and its inhabitants, and Our Blues does the similar kind of thing this year.Our Blues is a 20 episode K-drama that essentially works as an anthological slice of life series. The different episodes are broken up into different two or three parters, following residents on Jeju Island as they go about their day. There are a fair amount of people living on this island, and the 20 episodes certainly help to give this show enough time to introduce everyone and tell their stories.
Aesthetically, Our Blues is just as impressive and part of that comes down to the beauty of Jeju Island. From breathtaking sunsets to sweeping establishing shots, this K-Drama makes the most of its lavish, paradisiac setting, and the series is all the stronger for it.
Although some of the narratives didn't quite hit the emotional highs as others, the bright spots outshone the shades of grey. This is a beautifully written Slice of Life drama, with good storytelling and show-stopping visuals.
My Rating : 8/10
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Engrossing and captivating, finale faltered
Again My Life started on a strong center point, with justice as it's selling point. The first episode may feel like a fantasy, but it's not. Except that one point in the pilot episode, everything about here is a strategy of 10 years to bring a criminal down.There’s a slight disappointment in the development process. As the plot primarily centers around Hee Woo, the support characters are inconspicuous. After his amazing work in Flower Of Evil, Lee Joon Gi delivers himself with aan another great performance of a charismatic character set out to eradicate evil.
Everything was brilliantly written, but when it came to finale it faltered. The ending was rushed, there was sudden romance (which I didn't felt, the right couple) involved at the end of the episode and there were many plotholes which weren't filled in the last episode, which might leave many of the audiences half hearted about the finale.
To summarise, Again My Life had good elements and writing and was strongly held till the penultimate episode, while faltering at the end. Although the drama didn't end as expected, it was a very good show with some good acting and decently impressive execution.
My Rating : 8/10
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Creepy and intense
Strangers from hell started as a basic suspense story in the first 2 episodes, however things started taking a different turn when Lee Don Wook was introduced.Charming dentist and the strangers with their murderous intent in a residence, teams up to form a bunch of psychopath who kills for fun. The climax was a bit of twister, although it was a little predictable.
Nevertheless, Strangers from hell was an intensely suspense thriller, with lots of violence and craziness that sometimes maybe a bit difficult to consume.
My Rating : 8/10
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The devil lies in the society
The Devil Judge, is outrageously smart and witty with a charismatic lead character who will go lengths to deliver justice. Much like Vincenzo, The Devil Judge is a drama regarding legal matters of the country.The Devil Judge emphasizes the reality of our world today, particularly in politics. Shameless and evil politicians in movies or series are not new in movies and series. We often see them because it mirrors the truth of how prevalent their existence is. It has a lot of twists and turns which are unpredictable, as a viewer I couldn't trust how the revelation of everything was gonna get delivered.
The only missing point I felt was lack of strong backstory for the main antagonist of the show Jung Seon Ah, who was quite dazzling yet dangerous playing the main culprit. The soundtrack was amazing as well, sitting well with the dystopian environment and moulding itself easily with this genre.
Uniquely written and delivered, whether you’re into dystopian themes or action-packed series with the right emotions, The Devil Judge is something you wouldn’t want to miss.
My Rating : 9/10
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Courtroom Drama can't get better than this
Law School laid a strong foundation from the very beginning with twists and turns, and never once distracted itself from the intense court sessions in proving who's guilty and who's not.The performance of overall cast was terrific, especially of Myung Min as Prof. Yang along with Kim Mun as Han Joo Hwi and Hye Young Ryu as Kang Sol A. The screenplay was tight and the execution of the story was very effective. Adding a cherry on top of the cake, the OST was brilliant reaching straight to my heart.
Law School displayed a great execution of laws that prevail in South Korea and the way they are executed in a very effective manner, leaving the audience with nothing but awe for its entire premise altogether. This is definitely an addition to my Top 10 dramas of this year.
My Rating : 9.5/10
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A rollercoaster of emotions that’s not easy by any means, but that’s completely worthwhile. The leads were amazing and so were the supporting characters. I loved how they showcased different points of view; from the soldiers, police, college students as the protestors, nurses and doctors, and the commoners.
Youth Of May is both sweet and bright, and at times reminds of the traumatizing past in a subtle way. It probably might be the best underrated drama of 2021.
My Rating : 8/10
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To respect or to fear
Hellbound was tense, gripping and with 6 episodes in first season, leaves you with a suspense as to what will happen next. Although it's not the best work I have seen, but Hellbound has its moments of delivering itself without giving much clues of the whole premise whatsoever.Although it was a bit slow, Hellbound didn't loose it's hold over the storytelling of violent aspect of showcasing God's wish. Hellbound was dark, gripping and maybe turn unsettling to many viewers, but will keep you attached to it.
My Rating : 7.5/10
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The cast were good, especially Choi Soo Young who played here mischievous yet understanding character pretty well. While the character development of the lead pairing was palpable, it did not reach a point where you feel like the supporting cast was not part of the picture at all.
With a breath-taking mix of comedy, romance, friendship, bromance, jealousy, and a lot more, the journey of Geun-young and Hoo Joon in this drama was satisfactory
My Rating : 7.5/10
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An okay affair with simple execution
Doom At Your Service started well, with the interaction of two leads, and how things are deemed to happen. The characters were intriguing along with the supporting casts as well.The story was simple, yet with a little twist, I felt like it being dragged deliberately, just to complete in 16 episodes. I thought that it would have been better if finished within 12 episodes, since at certain moments, the scenes were stretched which were not required.
The last couple of episodes were meh as well, with everything sorted again and concluding towards a happy ending. The best part of this drama was it's OST, which I felt was pretty amazing and melancholic and the lead pair, which I felt were perfectly cast and did justice to the characters of Kim Human and Dong Kyung.
Although Doom At Your Service is neither great nor trash, it had it's highs and lows and is watchable enough for the first time.
My Rating : 6.5/10
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The title implies my opinion for the show
A new KDrama of 2023, Love To Hate You is a show which feels like it will make some valuable contributions to address misogyny in the society, restricts itself to a romcom show which is nothing new in a Kdrama world.Undeniably, the series got to a fair start with girl vs boy stereotype, but rather being an interesting turn of events in their romance, it was just a dull realisation of each other's feelings that made me disappointed towards the characters as well the story writing of the show. Well atleast it gave a happy ending within 10 episodes without dragging more unnecessarily than it already was starting to become.
My Rating : 5.5/10
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Mashup of historical drama with VFX and monsters
Unlike several big-budget Korean series that have appeared in the wake of Squid Game, Gyeongseong Creature is admirably restrained in its narrative ambitions and never uses it's full potential.A historical drama infused with monsters and sci-fi stuff is brought down to some extent by poor quality CGI and ineffective chemistry between the leads. The pacing could have been better. The drama has some noticeable issues but it is still effective to please us, atleast to some extent.
Director Dong-yoon makes sure that while all the characters have their own little arc, it is Gyeongseong- the region that becomes a very important character in the narrative. The K-drama isn’t without its flaws. Every now and then, there are a few gaps in logic or parts of the plot that could have been explained better along with s better chemistry. But these are little things in the face of a drama that has used its solid production value to offer something out of the box, although it doesn't stand out completely.
My Rating : 7.5/10
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A tale of memories and letting go
See You In My 19th Life is a beautiful tale about how one can freeze in time metaphorically and psychologically. There are times in our lives when we can be so deeply hurt by others that we choose to punish ourselves in a circular manner without realizing that we have become the source of our pain. The show’s message of ‘letting go and living on’, through the lives of the characters makes it a heartwarming tale of love, memories, trauma and healing.The show reverberates the message of healing your inner child, healing yourself from your past trauma’s in each of the characters’ stories. Coming to the characters, the chemistry was good between the leads while the supporting cast had their own hold. The first half of the drama was enticing, however the second half got a bit loose towards the climax/final episode.
Nevertheless, See You In My 19th Life is a mesmerizing kdrama that effortlessly blends romance, fantasy, and heartfelt emotions.
My Rating : 7.5/10
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3 cheat codes to attain fame
Celebrity chronicles the journey of Seo A-ri (played by Park Gyu-young), who was born rich but is left to do part-time jobs after the family hits rock bottom. From not being on Instagram to becoming the numero uno ‘e-celeb,’ Seo A-ri’s brush with success and the horrors of it is what makes 'Celebrity' such an intriguing watch.The drama exposes that it is no secret that artificial intelligence and the virtual world are quickly dominating our lives, and will soon become the absolute reality for many, and the consequences that comes with it. Celebrity’s' screenplay and writing are refreshing and honest. You can see that the writer is not taking a stand or lecturing you on how social media can become a horror story if you don't set boundaries. Instead, it tells you the very benefits of the platform which is not without its faults. The world can be condescending and conniving without any set rules. But your journey is a result of the choices you make. Right or wrong, is for you to choose.
Apart from standout performance by Park Gyu-young, the rest of the characters were perfectly blended as well. The climax of the show is very fast paced, with all the pieces suddenly solving the puzzle but it was thrilling nevertheless.
My Rating: 8/10
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Exposure of delinquent juveniles
Juvenile Justice showcases the reality of underage kids doing crimes and escaping harsher punishment. The drama emphasizes on the requirement of strict law when it comes to underage kids involved in heinous crimes.The drama uses the premise and it's characters very well. Each episode, or rather, each story was built amazingly and the ending for each of them had a very important message in today's society. This crime courtroom drama deserves an appreciation for not only bringing this case to the limelight, but also making the show intriguing with twists and turns, and entertaining as well as educating it's viewers.
My Rating : 8.5/10
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Be strong for your tomorrow
Tomorrow is a different K drama than the usual ones we see. Dealing with sensitive cases like bullying, rumours that leads individuals to end their life is something that has become a harsh reality of the society, that is showcased in Tomorrow, in an effective way.A Team of 3 people (2 Grim Reapers and 1 Half/half) are on a rescuing spree of those who wish to give up on their life due to the harsh treatment in the society. Although it's not as serious as it should have been, considering the seriousness of the issue. However Tomorrow, handles the theme effectively and every episode is an emotional ride in understanding each individual's life and purpose.
Tomorrow finale bowed out with a sweet last episode as best as it could. Although some of the episodes in the series have been quite problematic, the series had its moments and the episodes surrounding the main characters were splendid. The soundtrack was good, the acting of the characters could have been better.
It had moments where it shone and considering some of its weaker episodes, the end was rather satisfactory considering the finale felt a little bit rushed, without exploring more about Re yeoon and Jung Gil.
My Rating : 8/10
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