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kdramajudge
Yohan Gaon fandom
drag drag dragg
Sajo Hyun (Park Jihoon) suffers from his father's tyranny and due to this upbringing, he develops another personality, who goes by the name Ak Hee. Yeon Wol (Hong Ye Ji) comes from a supportive family and she’s trained to be a fighter since young. Sajo and Yeon Wol shortly-met when Sajo's father did something evil to Yeon Wol's family, which led Yeon Wol to run for her life. 10 years later, Yeon Wol returns and ready to take a revenge.The leads were introduced well, their childhood backstories set up the tension and stake. But once they grow up, I don't feel connection to them anymore and didn't feel any chemistry between Sajo Hyun and Yeon Wol, so sad :(. The palace intrigue are boring and I didn't get the comedy although I can see them trying. I was bored out of my mind seeing the king being drunk. When his arc was eventually resolved, plot moves along with another villain, whose storyline was annoying and dragggss.. dang!
The whole thing with Sajo and Ak Hee fighting in another dimension is weird and felt detached to the historical setting world. What kept me watching was solely to support Park Ji Hoon. Him as the fierce Ak Hee was exciting to watch and his actions kept me rooting for both him and Sajo Hyun's redemption. His duality acting was great, and he did the best he can despite my disappointment with the script and story execution. With one more episode to watch, I hope we get a satisfying finale and good ending for him.
-Feb 2024, Yovita
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Personally, I enjoyed watching the movie version much better than the series for the pacing reason. In the series it keeps going on and on for quite some time before I understand Kiyoi's inner thoughts. Also, the ending of season 1 opens a great potential for a more progressive relationships in season 2, but story of season 2 turns out to be just okay.
What I think it does excellently well is the unique power play between the two, which I don't see often. The one who is dominant in the relationship is actually not the dominant one sexually and that makes it very interesting to watch. My favorite scene is (no surprise here,) definitely the bathtub scene. If you know, you know (≧ヮ≦) /. They were together in a bathtub and one of them was getting shy so he turn his back on the other one and facing a mirror. As we see his expression in a mirror, the other one approaches him and grab kiss him. How fantastic, the whole thing is just hot!
-Jan 2024, Yovita
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Yoh and Mizuki are each other's home
When an aspiring manga artist Tanada Yoh (Mashiko Atsuki) was in a tight spot in his job, he agreed on an unusual contract with a weather forecaster Segasaki Mizuki (Higuchi Kouhei) to live together. In exchange, he cooks and cleans for him. What comes from such a contract is a codependent relationship that makes them both happy and anxious.At first, Yoh was basically a slave of Mizuki, who later implements a way to earn Mizuki's sympathy and possessiveness so that he can indulged in Mizuki’s gentle yet "rude" behavior. Since the two never communicate well, they often misunderstand day-to-day situations. Most often I find this frustrating, but here it allows for Mizuki's character to be fully fleshed out as story goes. It was so heartwarming when I saw the kind of person he really is.
Of course, this won't be as satisfying if it wasn't for the engaging dynamic between the timid Yoh with his dark quirkiness and a drunk clingy Mizuki. The fact that each of them has a peculiar personality makes it an engaging watch. From them provoking each other so casually, the sunny day lovemaking, to the ASMR scene of them doing finger in mouth thing... Their sweet and romantic moment was a delight every time! Even when they are just eating dinner together, clearly crazy in love, like how newlyweds are. Yoh and Mizuki are each other's home. This is just the beginning of their relationship. If season 2 is coming, I hope to see more on Yoh and Segasaki improving their communication with each other.
-Jan 2024, Yovita
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Bloody horrendous hell! It can't be more disappointing and disgusting
A taxi driver expecting good luck picks up a mysterious passenger who offers him a an extra fare to drive him to the port. Eventually the taxi driver learns the man is a psycho on the run after committing murder.!!! Trigger warning: it's very very disturbing and gruesome! Not for faint hearted!
I was intrigued by the cast but it is really underwhelming once I've seen the first few episodes. Plot progression is super slow, i think around 6 episodes are spent for backstories, with the present day timeline was just going through one night full of incidents. The fight scenes are annoying, felt like they're just showing off psychopacy.
Towards the middle it took a dark turn and every episode makes me feel sick. I just finished it because I was hoping for any satisfying redemption by the finale (+ so that I'm entitled to write my rant!), but it turns out to be a waste of time. The main conflict was resolved poorly and anticlimactic. Hands down one of the worst dramas I've ever seen!
PS: Sorry Yeo Yoon Seok, your acting is always top-notch, I want to remember you only as Gu Dong Mae, not Hyuk Soo. Wish to see you in better dramas next year!
Dec 2023, Yovita
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Another thing I really loved about is the chemistry between the leads and their romance story. It was a beautiful slow burn, where two people grow individually and together. Acting is outstanding, the way the two portrayed their characters was so sincere and natural that it touched my heart. I think Junho as Gang Doo really carried the show. I liked the female lead, Moon Soo, a lot more in the beginning and as it went on I kind of lost a little bit of interest in her and really invested myself in Gang Doo. His story is also a little bit more interesting as he's definitely far more traumatized by the whole event. He's given so much character development. I also adored the other characters, especially the spunky grandmother, played by Na Moon Hee. She was such a wonderful and welcomed surprise. One thing I don’t like is the plot twist that happened around the finale, but the ending is fine.
Dec 2023, Yovita
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Almost paradise but not perfect!
19-year-old girl Eun Tak does her best to survive her monotonous life with her aunt and cousins. One day, she blows out her birthday candle and accidentally summons a goblin. Not just any goblin, but a world-weary 900-year-old immortal Goblin named Kim Shin, for whom she is fated to remove the magical sword from his chest and finally let him rest in peace, or else death will come to her instead. Kim Shin wanted to end his immortal life but in order to do that, he had to give up his only love and then he had to end his life to save her. Now, how can this end happily?At it’s core, Goblin is a high-stake romance with unsolved past conflicts that centers around death, reincarnation, grief, and forgiveness. Not only it's hilariously charming, it’s also painfully soul-crushing. Watching each scene feels truly magical and for me it is thanks to the God-tier OSTs that are played in the scenes so flawlessly, it amplifies all the emotional beats. Other aspects are also top-notch: acting, characterizations, camera work and cinematography. My favorite part is, of course, all the bromance moments between Kim Shin and Grim Reaper, their funnies and their long-lasting bond. They gave fresh comedies that I love to rewatch and laugh again.
That said, I'll always be a little bitter that they wrote Ji Eun Tak as a high-schooler who wears her school uniform with her freaking bowtie most of the time! I never understand and I feel really bad about it. Plus, Kim Shin is just a very immature rude jerk at first. I see Goblin and Eun Tak as friends more than lovers. This is why romance is not my main enjoyment watching this drama, and while the chemistry between Sunny and Grim Reaper is unmatched, they deserve more couple moments! It’s a bit waste of potential and frustrating to watch them meet and part ways repetitively just for exchanging biodata and unrevealing a tiny bit of mystery. Regardless, I recommend Goblin to anyone as plot is uncomplicated and you’ll be amazed by the beauty of it.
Dec 2023, Yovita
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The artistic visuals just comforted me so much.
Ban Ji Eum remembers all her previous lives when she reach the age of 11. She never looks back to her past each time she reincarnates. In her untimely passing in her 18th life due to a car accident, she left her childhood love, Moon Seo Ha, who lives solitarily with a PTSD from the accident afterwards. When Ji Eum is reborn in her 19th life, she wants to reconnect with him and her family she left behind.This show looks very artistic throughout. Cinematography, costumes, and the color grading are all delightful. It’s very well-shot and edited, that the emotional scenes hit me perfectly. Shin Hae Sun's portrayal of Ban Ji Eum is exceptional! She really shows a sense of wisdom and maturity in her speech that I feel she’s an ancient soul. I loved the acting of other cast too, especially the child actors in their characters. They really create a lasting impression and good foundation for me to invest the characters relationships, which is difficult to achieve if there’re many faces and lives involved. My favorite bonds are: the reunion between Ji Eum and her younger niece from her 17th life, to whom she was an uncle… and her reconnection with her 18th life sister, Yoon Cho Won. It really shows how familial bonds retain regardless of gender and time. The romance is okay, I don't think the chemistry is super strong, but they have sweet and emotional moments that adds to the pacing.
Each episode in the first-half was very interesting, but unfortunately, I didn’t feel that way on the second half because the mystery behind the car crash was handled in an uninteresting way and resolved too simply, that it feels a bit anticlimactic. The ending was really cute and acceptable, to say the least. Despite any plot holes and weak subplots, I really enjoy watching it.
Dec 2023, Yovita
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A fun and heartwarming show but forgettable
A talented ssirreum (Korean wrestling) athlete, Kim Baek Du (Jang Dong Yoon), is about to give up on his dreams when he can't rise out of his slump, but then Oh Yoo Kyung (Lee Joo Myung) is assigned as a new manager to his ssireum team. Baek Du was surprised and convinced that she is her childhood bestfriend, Oh Du Sik. Can he relive his dreams and is Yoo Kyung really Du Sik?Baek Du and Yoo Kyung is like a sunshine meets a grumpy. Jang Dong Yoon as the adorable Baek Du is a fun pair for the secretive Yoo Kyung. From the first encounter, these two's accent and mannerisms are hilarious, as well as most villagers. They're loud but not annoying. I also like the beautiful countryside shots and the OSTs.
Although this is fun and enjoyable, I do have few cons; First, the story is not memorable. Except for Baek Du, all the characters are forgettable, which is a bummer because the best watching experience for me are the ones that I can't leave or excited about after watching, but I don't. Yes, the couple is cute but I'm not so emotionally invested.
Second, I wish they develop the unique premise about the coming-of-age and ssirreum aspect, instead of including the mainstream "mystery in a small town" story, which execution feels wishy-washy. It's a pity because these are the aspects that would make it stand out amongst other shows. Nevertheless, we do get a good final, so thank you!
-Jan 2024, Yovita
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I like the over-the-top energy level in the music, as well as our four main leads for their own complexities. Love Park Jin Young's character as Lee Ahn, obviously. I came over this show from The Devil Judge because I'm impressed by him and would never miss the chance to watch him act. Not only does he portray that very light-hearted, very youthful energy very well but he also has a couple hard-hitting moments. There is one where he finds a puppy and brings the puppy home and I legitimately teared up. Another thing, since he needs to make skin-to-skin contact to pick up a psychometry, he always wears long baggy sweater sleeves that passes his hands. I just think it’s a nice detail that explains his personality that he's not picking up psychometry randomly while he's living his day-to-day life.
The story was interesting and also heartbreaking. I caught myself questioning so many things throughout... Although I enjoyed the conflicts, a few dark and gruesome scenes were hard to watch. I got a bit bored by the ending because the suspense felt rather flat and dull. I'm glad that we somewhat got a hopeful ending, though. To sum up, the drama is worth watching for the original plot as well the skilled actors, but could have been much better plot-wise.
-Dec 2023, Yovita
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It scratched the surface of juvenile justice without taking risks.
This drama handles criminal cases protected by the Juvenile Act. At the center of every ruling is a judge who is vehemently biased against juvenile criminals, Shim Eun Seok. Her colleagues who believe in remorse and rehabilitation constantly demands for her tolerance as he thinks her rulings are too cruel.Juvenile Justice was dark, thrilling and suspenseful — dedicating approximately an episode and a half to cover each case from murders, domestic abuse, to sexual harassments, etc. The episodic nature hinders the narrative from delving deeply into many of the societal issues that lead to criminal acts. Personally, I was disappointed for it to be that way, that it didn't focus on Juvenile Act. Rather, it was more about the judges' struggles and trauma. I found that the victims, the perpetrators and the parents were more like some plot devices for the judge's stories, which I never was really touched by, the judges were the ones who need rehabilitation, in my opinion.
The actors were great, no doubt about this. The most admirable was Judge Shim Eun Seok, very well-portrayed by Kim Hye Soo. Her screen presence brought a unique shock and awe. Whoever is on screen with her, good luck being seen. Finally, I have no clue about the ending, honestly. Why is it that weird?! Nevertheless, if you like a serious law drama with a lot of thrills, you might find this one enjoyable.
-Dec 2023, Yovita
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TL;DR: Doom at my verdict, but completed out of goodwill towards the actors.
What captivated me was the unique concept of personifying life and death. Seo In Guk's portrayal of the attractive and mysterious Doom, and Park Bo Young who (starts off) as the unexpected Dong Kyung, she appears brave and considerate and clever. The world-building is visually stunning, and what I like most is the way it is illustrating the beauty of everyday scenes like leaves falling or flowers blooming. One of the OST is a stand-out "Breaking Down."I also appreciate the lead’s character development, seeing Doom realizes the purpose of life through love, and seeing Dong Kyung starts to express emotions and talking to someone about them, realizing that problems can be solved together. Sadly, their chemistry seemed to suffer by the end, along with the overall storyline. While they could've done amazing things with all kinds of exciting plot twists and such, the climatic reveal occurred too early, and then it lost momentum till the end, and the show never recovers from this slump. The couple was being too emotional on ruminating in the name of love and it just bored me so much. I also don't think the love triangle brings anything useful to the story. I have more things I don’t enjoy about it but I don’t need to talk bad about it further… I think there's enough negative reviews for this one.
-Dec 2023, Yovita
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Does not deliver its promising premise and instead digresses into the utmost bonkerness...
When a PD makes a variety show about a cryogenics experiments, Ma Dong Chan and Go Mi Ran, a part-timer struggling with family debts, participates in the "24-Hour Frozen Human Project.", but they are accidentally frozen for 20 years. To survive, they must maintain a body temperature below 33°C, while seeing all of their loved ones aged 20 years!The premise about two people being the sole survivors of a truly unique traumatic incident, is a creative premise, but I can’t enjoy my drama if I can’t get on board with the story and the characters. To me, Melting Me Softly does not deliver its’ potential and instead digresses into the utmost bonkerness... I got really bored when the show becomes more of an office romcom with a jarring murder mystery in the latter part. Of course, it can make an interesting subplot, but shouldn’t they focuses mainly on the characters and their love developing firsthand?
Ji Chang Wook, being our male lead Dong Chan. Honestly, his character doesn't leave very much of an impression, and my liking for his character is truly driven by the actor. Even though he is so cute, act so well and have good chemistry with Won Jin Ah, their romance feels forced since they both have no relationship outside of colleagues, I am not seeing any buildup towards them as a couple. I feel the true love story would be between Dong Chan and his previous love Na Yeong, rekindling a true love story that transcends age differences and experiences. I would love to see them finding each other again after time apart and forgiving each other. To not end this on a negative note, I got to give a shout-out to one kiss scene, which is pure brilliance–in order to keep their temperatures and heart rates at a safe level–Dong Chan turns on the shower and kisses Mi Ran, with both fully-clothed. Talk about one of the most steamiest kdrama kisses out there.
-Dec 2023, Yovita
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The best part for me: the comedy and the chemistry
Set in the small village in 1989, Byung Tae, who was formerly bullied, transfers to a new school. He is somehow mistaken as the school's best fighter, White Tiger. He happily takes on this identity, as he is determined not to be bullied again. However, when the real White Tiger moves to this school, can he handles his daily life with him, bullies, all while he start developing crushes?It's a unique premise regarding mistaken identity. The retro set was very well designed as it looks charming and vibrant. The first half of the series is just full of ridiculous goodness, slap-sticky comical action scenes that reminds me of watching those old Jackie Chan classics. It’s a coming of age story, with many day-to-day schoolboys activities at school and after school. There is a romance subplot with a sparkling chemistry and it’s the most memorable part for me. However, it gets heavy on the bullying main story towards the ending and the twist towards that turn felt jarring and kind of nasty, personally. Although I get that it gives a decent arc for Byung Tae.
I enjoyed the fun cast interacting together. Obviously, I love Im Si Wan as Byung Tae. Not only he's excellent at being dorky, when he falls in love, his expressions are priceless. He has played a lot of different roles and always nails it.
-Dec 2023, Yovita
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Love the storyline, not so much the romance storytelling
This is a-3-hour-miniseries of a tragic romance between a genius stage drama writer and an opera singer. "Hymn of Death" a remake of the 1991 film "Death Song," based on real-life events. For those who are going in not knowing the story, trigger warning of suicide! So if you know that suicide is a trigger for you, you need to prioritize your mental health and just not watch this show. Even though it's done implicitly, characters' emotions and the vibe gave me much anxiety. There's a part of it that I wished I hadn't seen it. Thus, rewatch value is low, once is enough.The visual is very artistic: from the luscious costumes, to the very well done cinematography. Maybe it's just me, but I feel the music feels a bit overpowering, it could have benefited from a lot more quieter moments especially for this genre. The show does well in showing their family dynamics, though I think the romance is far too rushed. The first two hours go by way so quickly, and I'm left with snapshots of their lives. I wanted to dig deeper and explore the relationships and how they develop, but it's just not shown.
Overall, this drama is a beautiful tragic void that left me feeling empty... and that is a good point. I want to feel devastated because I appreciate the characters even more that way. I just think I would like it much more if we were given a little bit more time with the characters, to tackle both a powerful romance and the powerful dynamics between the families.
-Dec 2023, Yovita
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It’s a mature and melancholic love story so worth the watch!
I adored the calming vibes, soft music, the poetic dialogues, the wonderful aesthetics and most importantly, our heartwarming main couple; Jin Woo and Mo Eun are both flawed and have their own struggles, so empathizing with them requires zero effort. Although the pacing is quite slow, it's never boring as their relationship develops in a very natural way.Of course, they have doubts and anxiety of not understanding each other, especially when they start seeing how different they are. Miscommunications in personal feelings, family matters... are unavoidable, but it never feels long-winded and frustrating. Watching them interact is just beautiful. Jin Woo conveys his emotions through impactful sign language and his thoughtfulness are shown through his care towards Mo Eun. Then, Mo Eun, even when she cannot exchange dialogues with Jin Woo due to her shortcomings in sign language, she makes efforts to comfort him. Their story gives me all the feels and that's all I could ask for. The drama overall left me feeling hopeful.
-Jan 2024, Yovita
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