If you can look past the slapstick comedy elements it is a hidden gem rom com

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 Thai Dystopian Romantic Comedy Series with 6, 63-7 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

The show is set in a dystopian parallel universe where a virus has resulted in males representing only 1% of the population. The rarity of males has lead to the government raising them from birth in a controlled, secure, and luxurious environment (a gilded cage) called The Farm. Every Four Years a contest is held in the form of an elimination dating game where ladies are able to choose to marry an individual from a group of the young bachelors. In previous games, the contestants were chosen from elite families only but, for the first time, they hold a lottery to choose an average femalecitizen to compete. Darika Chokwithee or “Day” (Belle Kemisara Paladesh) is a hardworking young lady whose life centers around making sure her sister, May (Neen Neennara Boonnithipaisit) who has cancer, gets the best care. Her sister May though has always fan girled over the boys on the farm particularly Son (Blue Pongtiwat Tangwancharoen) who she particularly admires. While Day is busy working a variety of jobs, May focuses on getting as many entries as possible to the lottery. When a miracle happens and May’s entry is chosen, she talks Day into going in her place. Day could care less aboit some frivilous show until she discovers if she wins, and marries one of the men from “The Farm”, she can secure the future for herself and her sister including top quality medical care. But, things are not as they are portrayed and the game has been rigged for the top elite to have their choice of the men. Day’s friend, Valentine (Jane Jaytiya Naiwattanakul) is working with a counter group, and goes to work for the show as the spy inside. Can true love overcome odds so heavily weighed against it?

Review

If ypu can see past some of the siily slapstick aspects around the game show, it is a hidden gem. It can be hard to find a truely feel good romantic comedy like this one. This is cute, not super complex, and ends happily with all major plot elememts neatly resolved. It is short but the number of episodes were enough to tell the story well. I would rewatch it in the future and recommend it as a heartwarming romantic comedy. I could habe done without the boy love and girl love elements but it was not hyper sexualized content in general so it was not a big deal.

Spoilers

The only very slight detractor for me was some of the three stooges level comedy. But it did make me giggle a couple of times as it was so incredibly silly.

Despite the relative light fluff of the main story, there are some deeper messages. What is health and safety without freedom? The men on the Farm are living in the highest level of safety with every luxury but they are not free.

If there was ever a situation like that we can all envision where the elite would likely control it. Natural selection and genetic diversity is what keeps a population strong and healthy. So their “selection” system would be horrible from that perspective. But if you think of inbreeding among royal lines in the past, and the genetic issues that caused, it is not surprising.

Almond’s (Man Trisanu Soranun) fear and decision to stay behind makes sense considering the psychology of a situation like that. It is like opening a cage and the bird or whatever either does not leave or uses it as a home base.

#ReadySetLove #BelleKemisaraPaladesh #NeenNeennaraBoonnithipaisit #BluePongtiwatTangwancharoen #JaneJaytiyaNaiwattanakul #ManTrisanuSoranun

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One of the better Josean era dramas, even pokes fun at some of the over used tropes

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean Romantic comedy drama with 16, 60 minute episodes

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Shim Jung-woo (Rowoon) is still salty about being “sold” into marriage into the royal family. To make things worse his new wife, the Princess, died from poison on the eve of their wedding. Which locks him into celibate bachelorhood and makes it so he has way too much time on his hands. He is known as the grouchy Prince (resentful man) as he uses his exceptional intellect to ensure no one else is having fun either (in the guise of upholding strict Josean law). Jung Soon-deok (Cho Yi-hyun) loved her husband but is a young widow locked in the role of little madam as the second daughter-in-law of the Left State Councilor. She prefers to use her skills as a matchmaker to playing lady of the house. Fate lands these two unlikely accomplices in league to get three old maidens married in order to manipulate the politics to allow the young crown prince to marry. Neither should be interested in anyone romantically as social tradition ties them to their deceased spouses. Will the two succeed in their unlikely task of getting all three old maids wed? Will their hearts abide by the dictates of society?

Review

One of the better Josean dramas I have seen. It even pokes fun at some of the tropes such as the “I love You So I am Going To Leave You” trope. Rowoon is always a joy to watch, he can play such a diversity of characters well. Multiple romances in this, as would be expected given the topic, and they all end well. It is entertaining throughout and ends happy. I recommend to fans of either of the main leads, Josean drama fans, those that like a little action, and a little mystery and not an overwhelming amount of politics. If it was on, I would watch it again and I recommend it as an excellent drama.

Spoilers

I liked the “resentful” man angle and was a little disappointed to find he was not coerced into the marriage. It was less appealing to me that he actually loved the Princess. I thought him being forced made his intractable nature more understandable.

The character growth in this was amazing. The King, for example, I did not think I would like him but he turned out to be one of the best characters. The way he saved both Jung-woo and Sein-dook in the end was heart warming. It was clear he grew to love and appreciate Jung-woo as not only a close trusted advisor but like another son. The queen was also an awesome character in the way she lived her son and how kind she was to others. The young Crown Prince was bright, wise and kind. The royal family in this series is one of few royal families, in Josean dramas, I have liked.

Soon-deok’s mother-in-law (MIL) was purely evil and I know it was supposed to be her punishment was being alone but I would have liked to have seen her seriously punished. Or for her to come around, accept her daughter’s choice, and allow her daughter-in-law to have a life. I was disappointed Soon-deok did not see her MIL’s tweet true character sooner. She admired her through most of the series even when many of the things she was doing were underhanded and evil. I got she was being filial but there were points when I wish she had stood up to her or turned away from her more.

It ending with Jung-woo and Soon-deok just having a magical romance, a courtship, prior to marriage was a little unsatisfying. After all they had gone through to be able to be together, ending in their marriage would have felt more “happily ever after” than we are just going to essentially date and marry later.

#KimSeokWoo

#Rowoon

#TheMatchmakers

#ChoYiHyun

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Heart warming, happy ending, contract like marriage, cool executive who melts, cinderellaesque

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Chinese Romantic drama with 30, 20 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Qi Si Le (Jade Cheng) feels very fortunate to be a mom even though she is single and has to suffer the brutal corporate world where women in general and single mothers in particular are not held in the highest regard. However, she is willing to do whatever it takes (except compromise her morality) to earn enough to get her beloved daughter, Xuan Xuan (Huang Bo Si), life saving surgery. That is why, when she needs to land an important account, she sets her sights on convincing company President Hao Yu to select her firm for his advertising need. Running into each other outside of the business setting, Hao Yu notices that both children, who are the same age, have a very distinctive broach from their mothers. Not only are they the same age but they also have the same birthday. All the connections make Hao Yu suspect that Si Le and Xuan Xuan have ties to his family. When a secret genetics test reveals that Xuan Xuan’s is indeed genetically related, Hao Yu proposes to Si Le. Although reluctant at first Hao Yu’s generous and gentle actions toward Si Le and Xuan Xuan lead her to think he is being sincere so she ultimately accepts. However not all is as it seems and as real feelings develop it is uncertain if the budding relationship can survive the initial deception.

Review

Overall a heart warming romantic drama. She and he are both single parents which, right there, puts a unique spin on things. There is mystery surrounding the kids and who the other parent is. She is pretty but not beautiful so it has that sort of single girl next door vibe. He is the cold executive who warms up and becomes the perfect, doting husband. Their relationship was founded on deception without true love, but they grow to love each other deeply, so it has similar aspects as a contract marriage. The side characters are interesting and their romances are also compelling. The kids are adorable. She is a jewelry designer so that is a bit of a slice of that profession. I highly recommend it for those that like happy ending romances with a female character who sticks up for herself when it counts. If you like the Cinderella like story of an impoverished single mother climbing out of poverty this is a good one on that front. Cool executive type that melts for main girl this has that. Love triangles of course. Great friendships. It hits a lot of the tried and true tropes that drama fans tend to like.

Spoilers
This had one of the most second hand embarrassment/cringy moments I have experienced in watching over 300 Asian dramas. Hao Yu is rich, handsome and well connected and has many women chasing him for relationships and marriage. Si Le is barely making it and has no power or influence. She is pretty but not beautiful still men are interested but she is not what would be considered a catch because of her status as a single mother and a relatively unstable professional history. When Hao Yui unexpectedly proposed to her she turned him down as she thought it was pity. That made sense and is what any woman with an ounce if pride would have done. Then, when Xuan Xuan takes a turn for the worse, and he is right there caring for and nursing the little girl and comforting Si Le, she suddenly decides he cares about them both a lot. What would have made sense would be to ask if the proposal still stood now that he knows the child had a serious health condition. But no. Si Le decides to do him a favor and agree to be his son’s mother (okay that is a big deal) but announces she will be Hao Yu’s wife as if she is doing something big for him being his wife. And that is not the worst, she makes this announcement with some weird wedding veil she made from something in the hospital and a bouquet that materialized. He had expressed his interest with a trunk full of beautiful roses (which it turns out she was horribly allergic to but there is no way he would know that) and she reciprocates with a table cloth on her head and an I will do YOU the honor. I am still cringing the next day. So that was an unecessary way for her to accept his proposal and detracted a bit for me. I had to get over it and was nervous it would not be good enough to make up for the cringe but it was.

Later, when she finds out he tricked her and did not care for her when he proposed she is naturally hurt and is on the brink of divorcing him. Ok I get it he was a jerk the way he did it back then and deserved her anger but I thought she took it way too far. And she wasn’t believing him but was believing the villainous second guy who she knew had lied and also deceived her. She would believe villian guy over the man she supposedly loved. But the worst of that was when she decided to leave Hao Yui to go to her parent’s house then lies to the children and leaves the little boy behind. He chases the car down the street hysterically and falls in the road. Not only could I not do something that selfish and heartless to a child I loved and was the mother for but I could not be that heartless with any child. It made me mad at her character.

It was crazy and cute how Si Le was able to turn all her romantic rivals into close friends. I have never seen it like that but it was one of the most heart warming and cute aspects of the series.

The show was good enough even with these detractors I highly recommend it.

#PleaseBeMyFamily
#BinbinXie
#JadeCheng

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Great Light Hearted Romance, Don't expect complexity, ex fiance annoying

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean romantic drama with 16, 60 minute episodes

At 34 years old, Oh Ha-na (Ha Ji-won) and Choi Won (Lee Jin-wook) have been best friends for 17 years. They have supported each other through a variety of failed relationships and are always there for each other through life's joys and sorrows. Choi Won has harbored a secret love for Ha-na for all this time, but every time he is on the verge of confessing his feelings, something happens. Ha-na was almost married to Cha Seo-hoo (Yoon Kyun-sang) but when he failed to show up to their engagement party, Choi wan was there to pick up the pieces. Years later Seo-hoo shows back up realizing he made a huge mistake and determined to win Ha-na back. Will Choi Won finally have the courage to tell Ha-na his true feelings and will Ha-na ever see him as more than a friend?

I enjoyed nearly everything about this drama. The Choi Won character was adorable. He was always there and generally nice to the lead character. The ending was happy and there were no long separations. Spoiler alert ** The only thing I did not like was when her ex fiance returned and she decided to get back with him after he had left her at the alter. He had no really good reason for leaving her and then not contacting her to tell her what had happened for three years. I did not even find him a compelling character despite having done that as he seemed to have anger issues and was very controlling of her. Her reigniting her romance with her ex fiance lasted through several episodes and that was my least favorite part of the series. I liked how spunky and capable Ha-na was and that was another reason I did not like it when she got back with her ex fiance because it did not fit her otherwise take no prisoners character. It did end with her 17 year friendship with Choi Won developing into the cutest romance and we even got to see not only their marriage but a little bit after. I loved her parents. They were always supportive even whens he was making lame brain decisions like getting back with her ex fiance. Her friends and family were not his fans, despite the fact that he was rich and attractive, and I thought she should have listened to them more. She did become a different type of person when she was with him and tended to shut out her friends. In real life that is a warning if someone does not get along with people you care about and tries to keep you all to themselves. That is one of the stereotypical signs of an abuser. All in all this was a very good, heartwarming story of two friends turned lovers. I could have just done without the whole ex fiance "romance" as he was a very unlikable character. I would have liked second guy to have been the younger guy from the beginning that, it turned out, was only leading her on to secure a permanent job in the company. I found it admirable though that she was able to separate that personal affront from his otherwise being a very capable employee. It showed her true character. I recommend this one to those that like the friend to lover trope and just romances in general. It does not have a lot of plot complexity but that is part of its appeal when I am looking for something more on the light side.

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Traditionalist/romantics may not like - those that like "woman power"/don't need a man might

7.5/10 is my rating. What has become apparent in the modern world is how information can be manipulated to suit the agenda of powerful businesses and political figures. Bae Ta Mi (Im Soo Jung) finds herself caught between the ethics of a free public domain and the pressures brought to bear on the companies that provide Internet search services. After dedicating her youth to a company she helped to build to the top search engine, she is chosen as the fall person in a high stakes political inroad. She ouththinks/outsmarts the political players only to lose her job.
Distraught over being stabbed in the back by someone she thought of as a friend and mentor she goes to play a video game to burn off some steam. She is very competitive and used to winning at everything so when she loses the game to Park Mo Gun/Park Morgan (Jang Ki Yong), she finds the younger man intersting enough that their encounter develops into a one night stand. Park Morgan sees things differently, he has for once encountered someone he find unforgettable and decides to pursue this elusive woman whose life focus is on her career.
Park Morgan is the CEO of a company that composes music for Video Games, a part of the industry Tae Mi is involved in, so they encounter each other frequently. Meanwhile, the top competitior knows that Bae Ta Mi has the skills they need to beat Bae Ta Mi's former copany in ranking, after all she is the one that has kept the edge over them all these years. Theyg recruit her to help their company surpass and finally come out on top. This is a slice of life in the high stakes world of internet search engines with three women determined to make their mark in the industry. Can modern women really have it all?

Spoilers* I liked this but did not love it. I learned a lof in the slice of life of internet search engine industry - things I had never thought of. I really enjoyed that aspect. What I was watching it for though was the romance and that fell a bit flat. I thought the Park Morgan character was literally the perfect boyfriend/romantic partner but Bae Ta Mi was somewhat flat and cold as a character. He showered her with love and affection and I felt like she spent more time closing herself off emotionally than returning the love he so freely gave her. Others have commented, and I have to agree, that her constant emotional distancing became tiresome and it made me feel sorry for Park Morgan and feel he might be better off without her. I might have felt more sympathy for her character if they had revealed what happened to make her emotionally distant but they never did - she just was. I found the side romances more interesting than the main romance. But even those would get irritating at times. Scarlet (Lee Da Hee) was so insistant she was only a fan of Sul Ji Hwan (Lee Jae Wook) who was a rising actor, but that luckily turned the corner before it became annoying. However, when they finally came together and it turned out he was up for mandatory military service her fatalistic attitude about their relationtship was excessive. Bae Ta Mi's former mentor and major rival, Song Ga Kyung (Jeon Hye Jin), was living a miserable life in an arranged marriage under the thumb of her "evil" mother-in-law. It was apparent though, that her husband, Oh Jin Woo (Ji Seung Hyun), was in love with her and that she was with him. They were actually well suited for each other. He took responsibility for all the heartbreak and bad treatment she suffered and was willing to do nearly anything for her. I really wanted to see the two of them figure it out and reconcile sooner. None of the relationships resolved in anything that was long term. The main leads basically agreed to disagree and just let's see what happens in the future. But they broke up over that before so there was no feeling that anything resolved. Scarlet's boyfriend was still in the military and there were no promises made that she would wait for him. And CEO Song divorced her husband and was traveling and had "disappeared" from public life. There was a Thelma and Louis type ending where all three ride off into the sunset together in a show of strong women/solidarity so I suppose if you were more for the strong business woman element you might find that ending satisfying. I am a more traditional romance/happily ever after ending so I did not find that rah rah go women moment rewarding.

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I like Legal Dramas - just did not find this one interesting

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean drama with 16, 70 minute episodes.

Jung Geum-ja (Kim Geun-ja) is a lawyer who, like a Hyena, has no issue with scavenging off other‘s weakness to win a case. She crosses paths with Yoon Hee-jae (Ju Ji-hoon) who works for a distinguished law firm that caters to the wealthiest of the wealthy. Yoon Hee-jae is confident in his ability and has risen through the ranks of his law firm at an accelerated rate due to his exceptional legal skill that is until he goes against Geum-ja. Their first encounter is on a divorce case and Geum-ja seduces Hee-Jae in order to get close enough to him to steal information that is critical to winning the case.

In general I did not find the cases they worked on very compelling. It was mostly corporate level cases or rich chaebol and that type of law was not very interesting to me. I did not feel a lot of chemistry between the leads. I also did not like Geum-ja's underhanded way of doing law. It was okay a lot of times for the criminals she was pursuing but tricking someone by pretending to love them then stealing information to win a case was cruel and it made it so I did not like her very much. She is supposed to be very attractive but her short hair did not make her look very attractive to me. I have been watching this for many weeks and I usually watch things quickly but I find it very slow.

It took me a long time to finish this drama. I did not hate it but I certainly did not love it. Spoiler Alert* I found the way Geum-ja treated Hee-Jae in the beginning reprehensible. She seduced him to steal information to win a case. Hee-jae was a nice guy so I could not excuse the way she treated him as just being competitive or breaking some rules for a good outcome. If he had been a jerk then maybe I could have gotten past that but he was nice and what she damaged his career. I also did not find the cases they were working on very interesting. Corporate intrigue is just not much my thing. Since I was not pulling for the romance between the leads, I was not super invested in them getting together. It was also very slow in some parts. If you are someone who really likes legal drama, particularly corporate law, or likes one of these actors a lot - you might find it worth the watch. In general I would say there are far better legal dramas to watch and I would pass this one over.

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Great slice of life of start up in the high tech world

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean Romantic Drama with 16, 72-85 minute episodes.


As young children, Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) and her sister became separated when their mother and father divorced. Seo-Dal-mi chose to stay with her father in South Korea and her sister went with their mother who remarried. Dal-mi's step-father is a wealthy businessman who was able to provide Dal-mi's mother and sister with wealth and status. Dal-mi's father died on the brink of receiving an investment to realize his dream of the next big thing in the tech industry. Wanting to fulfill her father's dream and show her mom and sister that she made the right choice in staying with her father, Dal-mi strives to make a big splash on the tech scene as the CEO to a start-up. Dreams for a successful start-up business start and sometimes finish with admittance to the start-up groomer, Sandbox, which is South Korea's version of Silicon Valley. Nam Do-san (Nam joo-hyuk) was a "math genius" as a young boy and grew up to be a genius coder. He founded a start-up, Samsan Tech, with two close friends. With his business struggling, Do-san agrees to play the role of stand-in as Dal-mi's first love who she "met" as a pen pal when she needs a date to an important event. The young dreamers apply to Sandbox and all are accepted. The situation becomes complicated when Dal-mi's actual pen pal also comes into her life and discovers he has feelings for her. Will these young dreamers realize their dreams and overcome nearly impossible odds to form a successful start-up. Who will Dal-mi end up with, the man who wrote her letters and supported her in her time of greatest need, or this "new" love that is the perfect partner for her aspirations?


Spoilers* At the start we are introduced to Dal-mi's father and it was a sad moment when he died after just realizing his dream of getting investors to start a business. Young Dal-mi had elected to stay with her father when her mother and father divorced. The relationship between the Dal-mi and her father was very heartwarming. Her father's mother, the grandmother, was also a very compelling character and it was understandable why so many people were drawn to her. I love how the grandmother adopted this orphaned young man in spirit and took care of him despite his bristly exterior. The grandmother also took such careful care of Dal-mi not just physically but emotionally after her father died. It was an interesting slice of life to see what a technology based start up might go through trying to get their idea(s) off the ground. The friendships, romances, and just the character development was all very well done and interesting. I really liked 2nd guy but I did not feel too bad for him to lose the girl as it had taken him too much time to realize he liked her and, even then, he was too slow to show her how he felt. I also liked him to the extent that I was glad she didn't wind up with him because she would never have loved him as much as he loved her. The 2nd guy could have been unkind and kept Do-san and Dal-mi apart by withholding information but he cared enough about both that he told them despite it being against his interest to do so. I liked Nam Joo-hyuk in "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo" and "The Bride of Haeback" he is a very diverse and talented actor. Suzy Bae is just incredible. I first saw her in "While You Were Sleeping" and loved the role she played as a very vulnerable person troubled by visions she could not control. There was so much chemistry between the two leads and they looked very good together. It definitely made me root for their relationship. It was interesting to observe how each team member brought talent to the table and how they moved so many concepts into developed ideas into reality. I highly recommend this and would readily watch it again in the future. One of my new favorites.

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Could have been good - but failed

6/10 is my rating. This is a 12 episode 2018 Korean drama that rates high on most sites and with time travel, romance, mystery and suspense would seem to be a good combination but it just didn't work for me. The male lead Joon-Woo played by Kim Hyung-Joong moves into the basement of a building where everyone sort of knows everyone and everyone's business. The landlady, Sun-A (An Ji-Hyun) is working herself to death to keep up with the interest to loan sharks from loans her deceased father took out on the building. She is desperately trying to keep the building in memory of her father.

Spoiler 🚨 There were several elements of this that did not work in my opinion. They sort of went from being indifferent to each other to being in a romance - I guess - although I really wasn't seeing the connection between the two. There were others in the movie who also had special abilities but they did not spend much time on those stories which was a bit disappointing. There were also grim reapers whose job it was to remove those with special powers before they caused damage by using their powers in the world. It had a lot of interesting elements that could have made for an interesting and exciting story but none of it held together very well for me. I was even bored in some parts and might have quit watching all together if it would have had more than 12 episodes.

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A Beautiful Story

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2009 South Korean television drama that ran for 16 episodes (~60 minutes/episode). The female lead, Ko Mi-Nyeo (Park Shin-Hye) is part of an orphaned nearly identical twin pair. Both grew up in an orphanage but then pursued very different paths, she studied to be a nun and the brother pursued a career in music. The brother, Ko Mi-Nam is about to realize his dream to be a Korean pop star after winning a vocal audition that gives him the right to join the Korean band, A.N.Jell. To prepare for his rise to fame he gets plastic surgery which is unfortunately botched to the point he has to have it re-done. Not wanting to miss his opportunity with A.N.Jell he works through his manager to convince his sister to stand in for him. She must pretend to be her brother for the month it will take for him to get new surgery and recover. Slowly "Min-Nam" starts to win over the band members and you get to see through her eyes the different aspect of each Kang Shin-Woo (Jung Yong-hwa) is very kind and gentle, Jeremy (Lee Hong-gi) is very happy and always looking to have fun and celebrate and Hwang Tae-kyung (Jang Keun-suk) is the arrogant lead singer who is the most difficult to win over.

Spoiler 🚨 If you have seen the drama "Bromance" there are moments in this that are reminiscent of that. Embarrassing and cringy as you see how uncomfortable the characters are being attracted to someone that they think is a guy when they are heterosexual. There are some laugh out loud funny moments and I think I laughed more in this one than in the others I have watched thus far. I loved all of the characters in this and was sad when it ended because I so thoroughly loved the story and being immersed in the world. I enjoyed the music and looking it up after found that many of the lead characters are actually very talented, award winning, musicians. I enjoyed it the entire way through and it also ended well. This is in my top all time list and I will likely watch it again at some point.

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A magical show with lots of exciting twists

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean tv drama with 16, 90 minute episodes. Hotel del Luna is a hotel located “in” Seoul. It is not visible to just anyone and undergoes a complete transformation when night falls. Kang Man-wol (Lee Ji-eun) became the “boss” of the hotel when she was transporting some souls of people she killed to the hotel in an effort to make up for her actions. She is unable to find it until she drinks a mysterious liquor which curses her to be the proprietor of this hotel for ghosts. She had run the hotel for over 1,000 years when a human wanders in which is normally a death sentence. However he strikes a deal with her to give her his son 20 years in the future in exchange for his life. Ku Chan-Seong (Yeo Jin-goo), was raised by his father to avoid Man-wol and her employees and even lives outside of South Korea until he deems it safe to return. Avoiding his fate may not be that simple and he soon finds being the hotel‘s new manager may be a job he cannot refuse.

Spoiler 🚨 This was written by the Hong Sisters who have written other good dramas like ”Master’s Sun” and ”You are Beautiful“. They definitely know how to tell a good story. It is somewhat reminiscent of ”Goblin“ In that it has a delightful blend of spiritual and magical. It also has magical and ghostly elements like ”Master’s Sun”. I liked all the main characters and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each one and their back story. It was like ”Beauty and the Beast” in the way their relationship was transformative. Both leads were really gorgeous and their chemistry was really amazing. I would have given an even higher score but I’m not one that likes sad endings. It will be sad for some but for others it will not be. A lot depends on your beliefs and your own personal philosophy. If you like paranormal with twists of magic then you will really enjoy this one. I think everyone would enjoy it most of the way through. If you do not expect happily ever after it is easier to understand.

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Good but if sad is not for you avoid this one. If you don't mind or like sad this is good

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 South Korean television drama series with 16; 60 minute, episodes. It is known by the alternate titles “The Spring Days of My Life”, “The Spring of My Life” and “Springtime of My Life”.

Lee Bom-yi (Choi Soo-young) was sickly most of her life until a miracle happens for her and she receives a heart transplant. Well aware that the gift she received was likely from someone else’s tragedy she vows to do whatever she can to honor her donor’s gift of life. Dr. Kand Dong-wook (Lee Joon-Hyuk) falls in love with the kind and brave Bom-yi and they are set to get married. He had a one sided love for his brother’s wife and was heartbroken when they announced their engagement. He never told his brother but it drove a wedge in their relationship. Dong-wook knows Bom-yi has his late sister-in-law’s heart but decides not to tell her for fear she would seek out his brother and become his brother’s wife out of a sense of duty. Fate and cellular memory (a phenomenon where a recipient takes on some mannerisms and feelings of their donor) seem to have other things in store for the trio. Bom-yi winds up meeting the widower Kang Dong-ha (Kam Woo-sung) and his two children when she travels to the island where her donor passed. Her mission was to honor her donor but, while there, she finds herself drawn to the widower and his children and he, for the first time in years, sees in her someone he may be able to love again. Neither know, at that time, their connection through Dong-wook nor do they know the connection through Bom-yi’s heart. Is it a strange twist of fate that Bom-yi and Dong-ha keep running into each other even when, after finding out they are soon to be family, they vow to stay apart. Or is something, on a cellular level, drawing Bom-yi to the man her heart once loved? Is Bom-yi and Dong-work’s love strong enough to withstand love that exists at a cellular level?

Spoiler 🚨 Let me start by saying this is sad. The premise is good and interesting. I really like Dr. Kang and the first part of this sad mess is when he loses her. I never stopped liking him nor feeling sorry for him. I really liked all the characters. I thought there was great character development and it was all very believable and real. The acting was outstanding by the actors of all ages. But it ended very sad. I kept hoping it would not end sad, there were so many other possibilities but it did. And it took every good feeling I had about the movie and crushed it. If you do not mind sad stories or even prefer them then you might disagree with me and rate this one higher. If you do not like dramas that end sad and are laced with sad moments then avoid this. There are too many feel good dramas out there to waste hours of your life in a story that ends tragically. I would not recommend this one.

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Great romance with lots of humorous moments

This is a 2017 South Korean fantasy romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

So-ahs’ (Shin Se-kyung) life isn't quite going to her plan. She is a struggling psychiatrist with a mountain of debt. Just when it seems things cannot get much worse her path crosses with the narcissistic water god Ha-baek (Nam Joo-hyuk). Ha-baek is visiting the mortal world to claim stones from other Gods that will secure his royal throne. So-ah is the descendant of a person who promised to serve the Gods in perpetuity and since Ha-baek has lost his power he intends to cash in on her ancestor’s promise. So-ah is a psychiatrist and has seen more than one patient with delusional beliefs and thinks Ha-baek is the same that is until events unfold that temporarily restore Ha-baek’s power and she is unable to deny the truth of who he is. Her destiny is to be Ha-baek’s bride and this sets her in the path of other gods who have come to Earth. The wind god Bi-ryeom (Gong Myung), the water goddess Mu-ra (Krystal), and the semi-god Hu-ye (Lim Ju-hwan) have no intention of simply giving the stones to Ha-baek and do not hesitate to put So-ah in the middle of their games.

Spoiler 🚨 I really liked how narcissistic and arrogant the water god was and how So-ah is not all that impressed and, in fact, thinks he might have some mental health issues (delusions of grandeur and all that). Seeing this God turned human struggle through the many issues humans must overcome (such as food and shelter) is very amusing. There is a loneliness to So-ah and, as her relationship develops with Have-Baek you can see how each compliments the other. He simply cares about her and while she has some other people that care about her he goes that extra step and takes care of her not in a monetary sense but in a feeling protected sort of way. I liked the Demi god too and actually felt really angry at the Gods at times for the way they treated him. The side romance between the other Gods was really cute too. This kept my interest the whole way through as I wanted to see all of the characters have good outcomes. There were a few scenes where the special effects were actually a bit horrible. In this one So-ah is thrown off a building and winds up passing a window but rather than flailing and twisting and turning she is sort of going straight down like an arrow. It makes it almost comical. In another scene, So-ah and Ha-baek are swimming underwater in what is supposed to be an emotional scene but it is so obvious the they are pretending to swim against a green screen because their clothing and hair is not swishing and swaying like it would be in water and the water is not throwing streams and bubbles like it is when you see people actually swimming. It turned what could have been a touching scene into a bit of a silly moment. I was a bit disappointed that So-ah got this wish and it seemed she could have wished for anything but her wish was really very minimal. I would have wished for something like being a Goddess so I could enter the God realm and be with him indefinitely. Or wish that you could be with him until he ceased to exist. To only wish to be together as long as you, the human, lived was a bit disappointing. And it made me feel sad for Ha-baek who would have to see her age and die and then live forever without her. But, they do end up together and I would have been really disappointed if they had not. Overall this is a good supernatural type romance with a lot of compelling elements.

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A little shy of all wrapped up

This is a 2O19 South Korean tv drama with 16, 60 minute; episodes.

Go Mi-ran (Won Jin-ah) Is a fearless “stunt“ woman working for a variety show. The very talented director of the show, Ma Dong-chan (Ji Chang-wook), is always coming up with fresh ideas that have won him acclaim and kept his projects at the top of the ratings. His next big venture is “the Frozen man” and, since it is risky, he plans to be one of the subjects but they need a 2nd and , specifically a female, to round the show out. While the Director does not. Know her at all, his assistant is aware of Mi-ran’s willingness to do almost anything to earn money to help support her family while attending college. However, this is even a bit too far for Mi-ran and she originally says no. She changes her mind when her long term boyfriend cheats on her and she finds out that if the experiment is successful it may help people with health conditions - people like her beloved younger brother. It is, after all, only for 24 hours and it is a good cause that pays well. Things go wrong during the experiment and those that were only to be frozen for 24 hours wind up frozen for 20 years. The world and everything in it has changed in 20 years and they both experience a side effect where they must keep their body temperature at 31.5 °C (max. 33 °C/88-91 °F) in order to survive. With so many bonding these two together will circumstances drive them apart?

*spoiler 🚨 I liked the beginning a lot as it was fun to watch Mi-ran doing various experiments and what the Director would come up with. About 3/4 of the way through it felt slow and I was having a hard time continuing to watch. The concept of being frozen and response of all around them was intriguing but there were not enough plot elements to keep it interesting throughout. I also was disappointed that they were not married or at least a strong commitment by the end. With talk throughout of bad marriages I do not know if one of the writers was jaded that way or if some are embracing the idea that marriage does not need to happen for Happily ever after and I do not agree. I was glad they found a way to stay together but more formalized would have been good. Enjoyable but not one of my tops.

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Not very interesting

This is a 2019 South Korean romance movie about a young couple who first meet when the young man takes a temporary job in the young woman’s bakery. Cha Hyun-woo (Jung Hae-in) shows up one day at Kim Mi-soo’s (Kim Go-eun) bakery which she has ran with her family friend turned family since her parent’s death. Just when Mi-soo and Hyun-woo grow close, Hyun-woo disappears. Mi-soo knows there is something mysterious about his past and is relieved when, several years later their paths cross again. Fate has them crossing paths and separating multiple times. Will Mi-soo discover the mystery from Hyun-woo’s past? Will fate eventually lead them back to each other?

Spoiler 🚨 This one could’ve been so much more. I did not feel like they were together enough initially for the two to form a deep connection. So as he went and they later got back together it just did not seem like there was a whole lot of depth in their relationship. It was boring in parts and I found myself struggling a bit to get through it. It’s not horrible just not really great.

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I got Bored. Little chemistry and a slow moving story.

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean supernatural mystery romance with 12, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then Review.

Synopsis

Taxi driver Seon Young min (Yoon Chan young) just wants to make a good living driving the taxi his mother bequeathed him. Last thing he wanted or needed was a ghost, Kang Ji hyun (Bang Min ah) attached to his taxi. Especially a ghost that drives off his paying customers. When he discovers a way the ghosts can be paying customers and he can grant thenpm some final wishes, a new business concept us born and who better to help him in his endeavors than the ghost who is attached to his taxi. Having lost her memory, Ji hyun cannot tell Young min how she came to have his deceased mother’s bracelet or why their are pictures of her on his mother’s phone. So they have mysteries to solve around Young min’s mother and Ji hyun’s deaths as well as mysteries around the last moments for their clients.

Review

I very rarely quit watching a series. I made it through episode 5 on this and just could not watch it any more. I was bored. I like the premise. But the focus was not as heavily in doing cool things for ghosts as it was on their mystery and their relationship. I did not puck up on much chemistry between the keads so I was not super interested in their interactions. I would not watch it again nor recommend it.

Spoilers

Ji hyun is way dressed down, possibly to give a more ghostly appearance, but it makes handsome Young min’s almost immediate attraction for her less believable. She is also a bit annoying and has no empathy for Young min’s plight and need to earn money to provide for himself and his grandmother. So with her being slightly annoying, devoid of understanding, and not very attractive, it is hard to understand what he would see in her from a romantic perspective. She also is mean to hm by not understanding him needing to make money and guilting him into helping herself and other ghosts instead. She also makes fun of him for never having dated, and ridicules his desire to hang a lock on the fence.

I found the case where the con artist was trying to scam the young widow out of a settlement interesting. But those interesting cases were too few to hold my interest.

#DeliveryMan #BangMinAh #YoonChanYoung

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