All_In
This review may contain spoilers
I found this to be a fun, generally easy watch even with the tone of murder, revenge and corruption. It has all those elements with a quirky, funky vibe as well as awesome (if totally unrealistic) action scenes and a dash of romance as well. I also am not generally a fan of legal dramas because I know too much about that area and the legal aspects are ridiculous and it is hard to suspend reality. Nonetheless, this show has the benefit of spending the absolute minimum amount of time in a courtroom.Are there flaws? Sure, here's what bugged me though I have to keep it vague to avoid spoilers:
- Love the uncle and the scenario he was involved in would have made more sense with one or two conversations to set up the situation better.
-Some noble idiocy that doesn't last long and seems unnecessary and contrived and, with a little better writing, could easily have been avoided.
-I can't believe I'm saying this because sometimes dramas give too much build up to the bad guys, but I actually wanted a bit more about how these baddies came together.
- A bit too much of people having the, " I will take you down" talk which I took as just wanting two certain actors together to show their stuff. Once is fine but around the 3rd time, it's a bit much.
- There are a few things that happened throughout the drama that needed that one conversation that tied things together a little better. It doesn't take away much from my enjoyment, but I did notice and others did as well. Probably a victim of the live shoot. It's odd how when a drama really works, I notice the small things yet when a drama is just okay, I forgive huge gaps in logic. I guess I'm a bit contrary.
The things I liked:
-Strong female lead and not cookie cutter. The writer of this drama also wrote the melo, Remember: Son's War and I recall there were complaints that Park Min Young's character got sidelined. I'm not a huge melo person so I can't speak to that drama, but any concerns in this regard can be disregarded. Again there was a story arc in the second half that was meh but it was shortlived. Otherwise, I found the female lead to have depth. She's not the over the top sassy that might be assumed from her punching person after person early on. We really get to know her here and she gets to show her stuff both in and out of the courtroom. Someone commented BSP saved her a lot; well she saved him as well. AND she got to drive the muscle car.
-To have a drama like this work well, you have to have a great antagonist. We get 3 from the judge to her minion to her thug. These three actors elevated this drama and a special shout out to Choi Min Soo who has more charisma than any other actor of his generation that I've seen in k-drama. I believe another actor had to back out so he came in late, had to immerse himself in this character and learn the dialect as well. If anyone gets an award from this drama, it will be him.
-The music is fantastic. The opening right away lets you know the quirky vibe of the drama and the background music and OST songs are all fantastic. Also the setting; it's nice to hear a dialect and get out of Seoul.
-Direction is great. Was there a bit of the shaky camera here and there, yes, but he didn't go crazy. This PD knows how to shoot action (yes, totally unrealistic one man against 15). He also sets mood well with the foggy, ominous vibe of the early episodes especially effective.
- Romance. I wasn't really expecting much but it surprised me how well this worked and it wasn't the normal route to romance that we see in k-dramaland. I liked that. The writer is a dude so we don't get all the sweet talk and, as much as I love all that stuff, I can get it from a romance drama. This relationship has a mature -we're-adults- here tone that worked quite well for me to the point I wanted more.
-Lee Joon Gi & Seo Ye Ji. Alone and together, they work. They are both solid actors with a lovely chemistry that shines through even though romance isn't the main focus of this drama.
-I've dinged the writer a bit for not always having all his ducks in a row, but it's a gentle chiding because this story has a lot of moving parts and many actors. I respect that this isn't always easy to do and the story does generally work with some nice twists and turns as well as fun and romance along the way but there is no doubt in my mind that the actors, director and music elevated it. Also, I give the writer credit for advancing a romance story in a different way instead of a dot to dot love storyline that seems thrown in just to satisfy the romantics but nothing that's really satisfying. (Full disclosure: I loved it, some were a bit doubtful.)
So overall if you can suspend reality and sit back for a fun ride in a solid though imperfectly written, well executed and acted drama this might be for you.
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Cons:
The story starts two years into the marriage and the pacing is off so that the flashbacks explaining the set up are too late in the drama.
The dysfunction between the couple is very repetitive and eventually annoying. When I see the same scenario 10 plus times, it gets old.
Once the relationship is more settled, it loses a lot of its sizzle in a common way seen in many Asian dramas.
This author writes complex books, and I think they try to do too much in the adaptation. They should narrow the focus more as it sounds like both the screenwriter and an actor or two weren't happy with how this turned out. I understand wanting to do the novel justice, but this was a very talky drama talk talk talk talk and at 50 episodes, if you can't get it done, the writer has to be brutal in the story being told and how to do that often means leaving things out.
Pros:
Actors are solid.
Initial story being told and laying the foundation of the characters was done well though took too long.
Production value as good as expected for this genre.
I just think they tried to do too much and I feel like it lost its emotional oooomph at a certain point with characters doing things for no rhyme or reason (again maybe an issue with the editing). So unless you love an actor or this genre, I'd give it a pass. I do want to say that I appreciate the production toning down some of the overbearing going into abusive behavior that this author has in her books regarding the lead romance. They come up to the line and try not to cross it compared to some of the other things I've seen from this writer.
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This review may contain spoilers
Old Boy is the first slice-of-life drama that I've seen come from China. This genre is done well in Japan and Korea, but for it to really work for Chinese dramas, they are going to have to cut the episode count. There is a lot to enjoy about Old Boy but the episode #, as well as a late (last 10 or so episodes) move toward the normal cliches/tropes seen in Asian dramas soured my enjoyment of this series. Honestly, before the last episodes this would have been an 8 but that is what happens when filler and cliches take over a script.What I liked:
Actors: All solid and really written well though I think the female lead was a bit of a princess but I love the actress so much, it was easy to overlook.
Story: You get it all: romance, bromance, father/son, girl friendship, student/teacher etc. With 45 episodes (not 47 listed on MDL), there is bound to be a storyline here and there that doesn't totally work or one finds boring and this did happen but the main friendships and such worked for me enough to overlook or judiciously fast forward.
Music: Love it.
Production Value: The best I've seen in a contemporary Chinese drama. Money was spent on this and I wanted to get on a plane and go to Shanghai.
What I liked the best: The relateability. For slice-of-life to work for an international viewer like myself, I have to be able to relate to it on some level and the drama does this well with relationship and job woes. Did they all work that way, no, but enough did and generally didn't go so over-the-top as to be silly. Also, none of the characters are perfect, they all have their flaws and we get frustrated with them but that's reality so it works here.
Special Shoutout: The father/son relationship was handled in a non-makjang (to borrow the Korean word) way. The young man who played the son was great, and I think it is my favorite relationship story out of all of them.
What didn't work:
As mentioned before, with so many stories going on, there were a few that didn't do much for me.
Job Scenarios: We see career woes that the main characters have happen, which is fair as they tend to happen to us all. I thought some of them, especially regarding the pilot were on the contrived side. Also the job situations that popped up with the lead female character could have been handled better as well as she sometimes seemed to not know her own mind on what she wanted to do which wasn't believable to how her character had been written in the beginning.
Last 10 episodes: So while the writer did a nice job on many relationshps like the bromance etc, after the romance gets going it goes into the normal cliches that one sees in so many Asian dramas. I was so disappointed. The writer also throws in a bunch of drama where there needn't have been any in this genre especially when there are real issues that any modern couple would face. I don't want to do spoilers but it shows how in a rut the writers are when it comes to romance storylines. I freely admit, I had to fast forward through a lot of the last 10 episodes because of my frustration.
What else you need to know:
Romance: it doesn't get started until halfway through so if you have to have that genre right away, this isn't for you.
Full Disclosure: Pacing: It is not a fast paced drama. I'm moody about this and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. At around episode 15, I turned this into a background drama and watched while doing other things and actually saved this drama for an evening of laundry or some organizational chore and still found it easy to keep up on the events of the drama. This works for me but might not be how others want to view dramas.
So overall this was a solid, but overlong, drama. It's relateable and I enjoyed getting to know all the characters. The modern vibe and flawed but likeable characters made it easy to get into but it easily could have dumped a few storylines, done a better job when the romance actually got going instead of relying on tired tropes and cut the episode count. Nonetheless, it's beautifully filmed, no dubbing, solid acting and if anyone ever told me I'd see Irish clogging in a Chinese drama, I would never have believed them but here we are. Hope this gives the reader some insight as to whether this is their cup of tea. I don't regret watching it but wish they could have stuck with the same tone of the first 35 episodes in the last 10 episodes.
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This review may contain spoilers
I really enjoyed this drama telling the tale of a woman and the three important men in her life. There are very mixed reactions to this drama so I will be upfront; this isn't a pure romance drama like the excellent 10 Mile Peach Orchard or the flawed but very romantic The General and I. So if you are in it for romance romance romance, this might not be for you. Also, Bin Bin isn't the lead.... Yes, let that sink in for a moment. Truthfully, 50% of the complaints are about this situation. I watched them together in The King's Woman and that is a romance centric drama and they have chemistry in spades. But it is what it is and truthfuly I ended up fast forwarding through almost every scene the leads weren't in in TKS.First the Cons:
1. Not so much about the drama but the synopsis. It's horrible wherever you see it. Someone on the page wrote a new better one if you want to take a look. This is unfortunate because the drama throws you right into the story and we are there figuring things out on our own. It took me three episodes to adjust; however, this isn't necessarily a negative to me. I actually kind of liked just figuring things out and checking out MDL if I needed some insight. I do miss Dramafever's episode pages because there is always someone who has read the book and this really has helped me with other dramas from Cheese in the Trap to 10 Mile Peach Orchard.
2. The drama sagged a bit in the middle. I do want to disagree with some who thought it was all filler. It wasn't. It was getting all the characters in place for the second half so because there is quite a cast of characters, this took a # of episodes. Basically stuff happened in these episodes, but the romance definitely wasn't front and center, and most viewers realistically are there for the romance.
3. I can't get into details because of spoiler territory and someone who read the book might have insight but it has to do with the birth secret (that's not a spoiler, we know going in), and someone looking like someone else. I'll leave it there.
Now to the Pros:
1. I just really liked the story. I liked that every character - Every Single One - is fully fleshed out. The characters aren't cookie cutter. Their motivations aren't as simple as good/evil. Rather there are shades of gray that seem more reality based in a non-reality type story. I liked this a lot. There is not some higher purpose to this drama; it's just a story about these peoples lives over a few years time. I like that the three men are more nuanced than we might believe; not a cookie cutter arrogant jerk in the bunch (not even Bin Bin).
2. Acting: No problems here. I've heard some had issues with Dilraba. I'm fine with her though I don't love love love her. There was no performance that hindered my enjoyment of this drama. I want to do a shout out to Vic Chou for taking on such a whimsical character the likes I've never seen before in an Asian drama. It took a bit to wrap my head around it but it ended up really working for me.
3. The best action scenes/choreography that I've seen in a Chinese drama...ever. Dilraba with the whip. Even if you choose not to watch. Check out some of her scenes (not the bloopers) on You Tube. All the actors had their chance to shine. Awesome.
4. Production Value: It is from the same team as 10 Mile Peach Orchard. Sets were amazing, costumes on point though whoever designed Vic Chou's hairstyle could have perhaps come up with something else. $$ was spent on this and it shows.
5. Writing: Okay this should probably be the first thing since it is the most imporant, for me anyway. Again, you will be thrown in not knowing what is going on. I just went in and figured things out when the audience did and I actually found it refreshing and just went with it but could be frustrating for new drama watchers. The first half of the drama is learning the lay of the land in all these relationships, the middle episodes get characters in place for culmination of drama which is well paced imo. It is my understanding that the writer of the novel didn't even know how she was going to end her book. I'm just going to say it given what I have learned about the book, I actually think the screenwriter improved on the original work.
6. Side Characters: I read somewhere that someone judged dramas on how the writer treats the non-lead characters. Let's face it, many times they are filler. Every character in this drama has a story thread and we know where they are all in the end. Some wanted more of some favorite characters, but you know the situation they are all in and how they are dealing with it but the focus is where I want it.
So as you can tell, I liked it quite a bit and it left me satisfied. Some complaints that others had that I didn't or just didn't think were a big deal: Where's the smexy? Okay, I get it but - again - not as romance centric in the sense of this girl is 100% ending up with this guy (because, hey, the writer of the book took a while to figure it out and then the screen writer switched things up.) Therefore, this drama is romantic but not sexy and, realistically, she's got a broken heart to start off with at episode 1. So the smexy is just not gonna happen here. Some indicated a lack of chemistry with everyone but Bin Bin, but I actually think a writer could have written a romance with each of the three guys and made it work. Some just found it blah.
One last thought about why this worked for me is that some of the same type characters we see in these dramas didn't pop up or, if they did, it was limited: the pyscho obsessed woman comes to mind. Nope not so much here. As much as I love 10 Mile Peach Orchard, 70% of the leads love story was moved forward because of one character. Not here. This drama has some similar character types but it's limited and not as narrowly portrayed (Exp: crown prince fighting for throne type stuff.)
So this is a 9 out of 10 for me. Maybe I'm in a generous mood because I just watched the last episode but here's the deal: I maybe fast forwarded through 30 minutes of 52 episodes at about 40 to 45 minutes each. I don't think I've ever skipped less than that because generally there is a storyline I don't care about. So if you jump in and you are not feeling it by 15ish , this might not be for you and my apologies. The point off is for the question/inconsistency I had but can't get into, and I do think things could have been explained along the way here and there a tad bit better....and okay, I'll admit it, a little more smexy would have been nice.
General Warning: Beginning and ending credit/songs show a mountain a spoilers so beware.
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This review may contain spoilers
I jumped into Jugglers after it had completed half its run and while it had some international fans, there wasn't a huge amount of buzz. This helped me to go in with limited expectations just wanting what was offered: a fun office romantic comedy. Happily, that's what I got but not all were pleased so I'll start there.I don't always address in detail why others don't like a drama but in looking at the comment section on MDL, it becomes very apparent that many found the drama boring so I'll just say that this is somewhat of a "no drama k-drama" in that there is not a lot of super dramatic cliffhanger moments or makjang. If you re in the mood for that, strap yourself in and find Money Flower for a fun ride. This isn't that. I find that my mood reflects what drama interests me, and if I'm stressed with stuff going on Jugglers might just be what I need. So if you enjoy something along the line of 20th Century Boy and Girl, another no drama k-drama, this might be for you.
Any issues I have with this production are relatively minor. It took me a little while to kind of "get" Baek Jin Hee's character but as the story went on I realized that was okay in that she at least wasn't totally cookie cutter. I think the office antagonist was a little over the top silly and with something we find out at the very end, I realized it would have been nice to have his character be a little more nuanced with a little more background. But this is something the writers know they have to be careful with because we're there for the romance generally, not the office politics with this genre.
There is one story point that is hard to address without spoilers. I'll just say that because of something that happens early on to Baek Jin Hee's character, I found it a little much that she would put herself into a scenario at work which would put her in possible professional harms way. I thought there would have been more concern and drama should have addressed it.
Pros:
Actors: They are all wonderful and a shout out to Choi Daniel who I was not familiar with before this drama. This could have been the normal arrogant boss scenario but the writer and actor give us a lovely portrayal that never went to the point of caricature. Baek Jin Hee has the warmest way of looking at him and while they didn't have sizzling chemistry, they had warm, fun, silly chemistry. A shout out to Kang Hye Jung and the smiling eyes of Lee Won Geun as well.
Little Things Done Right: Finally, a drama that has a lead as a divorced character and the world doesn't come to an end, a lovely ex-father-in-law & son-in-law relationship. Yes, there is a tragedy that someone is dealing with from the past but it gets dealt with and doesn't bog down the whole drama. A bossy mom getting told off was super satisfying. The slippers. The cactus. The petty done right. The repetitive and imaginative use of the middle finger diss.
Bromance: Absolutely loved it and how it ended up working out for both of the men involved.
Office Co-Workers: Absolutely fantastic.
Tropes or lack thereof: So this is a friend to lovers and also a cohabitation drama. There is NO love triangle. Thank you drama.
Secondary Story: I love love love the Kang Hye Jung/Lee Won Geun part of the drama as these two people find each other at the right time in their respective lives. How they help each other through their trials and tribulations was lovely to watch.
I also appreciated that Baek Jin Hee is someone who is interested in a fully mature relationship (which we see in the first 20 minutes of the drama). I like that they don't turn her into shy, retiring woman after that introduction. (Great cameo.)
So, as you see, I found this the rare romantic comedy that was both romantic and funny all the way through. While angst can be super dramatic, I tend to get tired of rom/coms that turn into melos or super angsty dramas for the last 5 episodes. Therefore, I am especially appreciative that I found something to amuse me even in the ending episodes. Having said that, I get it, it might not be for you if you are into k-dramas for Drama with a capital D. But - maybe someday - you might want to chill with a simple rom/com and here it is.
** side note - found out that two hair whorls mean you have 2 loves in life and also giving someone taffy is a diss. Who knew?!
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Cons:
Tone: I will just say it. The dad is abusive and beats on his son and subordinate. Not slap or hit as we see in so many dramas. Beat. And then we are supposed to see and accept that there is an upside to this guy at the same time. I believe this actor played the bad guy in The Time Between Dog and Wolf, and he was fantastic at portraying a tragic, flawed and yet sympathetic character all at the same time. Unfortunately, the script or direction didn't help him here. Many dropped at this point.
What Love?: If you expect romance to be a big part of this drama, stop right here and back away. I get it....love is in the title of the drama but this has a very mild love story and to a certain extent the writer doesn't seem to know what to do with it. It is because of this woman that he is changing; that's been true of many dramas but the writer doesn't commit to how she feels about him really. Writer also throws in a totally unbelievable love triangle
Pacing: There is bromance, but I don't think it flourished like it could have because something that needed to be revealed didn't happen until too late. I think this is unfortunate because this drama is at its best when the three friends are all for one and one for all like the 3 Musketeers so to speak.
Pros:
Change: Unlike many, I was happy that change of the main character didn't happen that quickly. There is something around episode 4 wherein many viewers got really frustrated at the continued immaturity of Siwon's character. I am in the minority that LIKED that he didn't change that quickly because, guess what, people don't. If this drama's theme is that caring about people can bring about positive change in others, fine but it is still going to take time and it does.
Actors: So Siwon is a bit OTT here but some of that we learn is a facade to deal with the brutality of his father and some of it is his personality and doing what is expected of him. It was a bit much and I think the writer/director should have dealt with that because I think it is more on them. They wanted a definite comedic vibe even if it didn't always suit the tone. (See Con) Kang Sora is fine and shows she can be dramatic and funny but I actually think this wasn't a hugely challenging role for her. Gong Myung is really good here as the woe is me salaryman. I just wish there had been some earlier evolution in his character because I think he doesn't crack a smile for 15 episodes.
Story: Okay, full disclosure, I'm a sucker for a friends helping friends story. I like the cleaning crew gang, I like the three helping each other out. I like the flight attendant/cop combo. I like people working to change because so often in the real world, people stay in their ruts. So, yes, this drama worked better for me than others. I freely admit by the last four or so episodes I was folding my laundry and wrapping Christmas gifts while watching but that's fine, it worked for me.
I would say that if you keep expectations in the middle and realize romance is very very limited, there is a solid k-drama here. Not anything fantastic or life changing but pleasant enough. For a better office/friends drama there is Radiant Office and, of course, the excellent Misaeng.
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The major flaws are a reliance on tired tropes, an odd but thankfully short lived love triangle, an unnecessary addition of a messed up ex, over the top medical scenario (the teacher...you'll know it when you see it) that makes me dislike the female lead for a bit. Also, and no small thing, the drama is definitely too long. In addition, the writer didn't seem able to set a tone. A little medical, a little romance, a little comedy, a little melo, a little slice of life and so on. I'm not saying that can't work but this writer does not have the skills to pull it off. (Watch Doc Martin for that.) There seemed to be an effort to make it a little bit like every other successful medical drama that had come before instead of just making it his/her own. That's unfortunate.
Also, if there is one thing I could tell drama writers who are doing a medical show, it is this: hospital politics are always boring. The writer stayed away until toward the end and it was just blah and I skipped as much as I could. I finally figured out that I liked the story more when they were on the ship, and it slowed down when they were in the local hospital. The ship is what makes this scenario unique.
I stuck with the drama because I did like a lot of the first half of the drama even with some of the tropes. Unlike many who couldn't buy into the relationship between the two leads, I actually appreciated that it was low-key and sweet. I like that she was the surgeon and he the internal medicine doc and was a good guy. Normally in k-drama, he would be a jerk or tsundere or a genius surgeon. The age difference didn't bother me, because it didn't bother the characters as relayed by the actors. I also was fine with all the actors. I am middle of the road about HJW, but I liked her here and Kang Min Hyuk matched her low key character. Again, I do understand that many couldn't buy into their relationship, but this is what kept me in the drama until the end.
Well, kind of until the end. I am doing the review but - full disclosure - I did fast forward through a lot of the last 5 hours of drama (though I did watch the last episode). So I would say that if you figure out early on that you can't buy into this relationship, drop because there is not enough other stuff to keep you going because the romance is somewhat secondary for a chunk of the drama.
Overall, I think this was a missed opportunity by the writer. I kept thinking that I wanted to know more about what it was like on the Hospital Ship. What about storms? What happens if you date and break up and are stuck together? What happens when you get sick to death of one another? I get that it is a medical drama, but I would have liked to learned more about life on the ship and had some character development that way versus everyone and their dog associated with these people having some family/medical issue. Nonetheless, I did stick it out and I would give the first half a 7 and the second half a 6 so around 6.5.
Problems others had: Medical scenarios aren't realistic. I love not being in the profession and not having to care but, yeah, I get it.
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I liked the initial episodes of this story and watched it all faithfully, but the drama rushes through some of the relationship between Li and her senior so that the audience can't totally buy into her strong romantic emotions toward him...at least I couldn't. I get what they were doing because drama does have King in the title after all. Unfortunately, because time wasn't spent on this early relationship, I never really bought that she passionately loved senior.
I could nitpick a lot of the drama, but my main issues were that I was totally uninterested in the secondary story and quickly started to fast forward through these parts. The three characters I cared most about were the king, Li and Han . Also, a lot of the drama is spent on the political shenanigans, and I was totally uninterested. To compare, I found The General and I flawed, but the political maneuvering was actually done quite well.
My other main complaint is that several times Li does things in what I would say was "for his own good" i.e. the king/a prince/senior. Sitting down and having an honest conversation might have actually worked better. They make her a bit of a too perfect martyr and in one case have her do something that makes no sense and puts people in danger. We are let to believe that's something she would care about but she doesn't give it a second thought.
The end is pretty much how I thought it would go and, though overly convoluted, I appreciated some late twists and turns. I also appreciate that the relationship between the leads was quite complex, and the drama writers did not sugarcoat the reality of the king being a tyrant. The mixture of the writing and the actor's talent really makes for a nuanced performance which I liked.
The first half of this drama, I would rate a solid 7.5 to 8 so it is the second half which brings me down to 6 or 6.5 range. I can't honestly say full steam ahead when I felt the need to fast forward through a lot of the drama; however, for the story about the king and Li and with some judicious fast forwarding I found it a compelling watch.
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I really enjoyed Jin as the writer managed to do a very good job of interweaving the emotional situations involving the characters with the medical scenarios and meshing it with the political world of Edo. One or two things that didn't quite come together are as follows:
Time Travel: I've said it in other reviews, and I'll say it again: it never makes sense. Just don't expect some serious explanation for that fetus tumor...yeah, I know. It sounds and is weird. Just go with it and perhaps part 2 will answer that question. But probably not.
Truly that is the only issue I have with the drama. Things I liked:
Actors: I truly thought they all did a good job. There are not many reviews here of Jin, and I took the time to read the "6" rating review because I was interested what the issue was. Drama watching is such an individual thing and what bothers one person another doesn't care about etc. It appears it was the acting style of some of the actors. I think perhaps if this had been my first Japanese drama, I would understand that because there is a certain earnestness sometimes in the way scripts are written and acted out that I have taken this to be a cultural difference especially coming from the K-dramas. All I can say is it's subjective, and I didn't have any issues here. With a few exceptions, it's pretty much what I see in most Japanese dramas.
Writing: This is the key as many genres are rolled into one and blended beautifully. This did not get bogged down in politics even though it's made clear that Japan is in a very tenuous time. I enjoyed how the medical scenarios were addressed and how we learn so much of the time simply by bringing forth what the people needed help addressing. (The time frame is in the 1860s.) Also, all the characters grew as the drama proceeded and the pacing of the story was good. The perk of 11 episodes is no filler.
History: I seem to have learned a lot about what was going on in Japan without even knowing it. That's the sign of a good drama; it is enjoyable while educating me at the same time. Now the choice a viewer will have to make is whether to look up who Ryoma is. Sometimes I do not want to know about history during a drama, but it was very apparent that this was a famous person in Japan, and I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much while our main character is very aware of who he is, what he does, and how he dies. So I did look him up, and I recommend it if you, like me, are unaware of Japanese history. I feel it helped my enjoyment of the drama.
Direction/Music etc: It is beautifully filmed and well done. Costumes are amazing. I liked the song well enough but thought it was a bit over the top sometimes for the times they were playing it. There were no behind the scene issues that hindered my enjoyment of the drama.
Bonus: No psycho women trying to do each other in and actually a bit of a friendship develops between two unlikely gals. Also bromance galore.
So, overall, if you want a quick drama (all episodes 45ish minutes except the first and last), I highly recommend Jin. I plan on starting the sequel shortly though this drama really stands alone. Both are currently on Viki.
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Having said that, I mentioned things that went sideways and here are the cons:
Tone: Probably this could have stayed a total comedy of Hyun Jae trying to figure out how he ended up in modern day Seoul and all the fun that entails if it had been a 12 or 13 hour k-drama (instead of 16 hours @ 32 episodes). The drama didn't stay true to it's comedy roots and went into too much romance and some angst though I have to admit that didn't last as long as I thought it would.
Filler: Around the mid-twenty episodes (again the new 30 minute format), it seemed obvious that there was quite a bit of filler going on and this is the only skipping around a bit that I did in this drama. This was especially frustrating because I thought that a lot could have been done regarding Kim Min Jae's story. It didn't really last that long but still...
Time Travel: Some might be critical of does this make sense or work....it never does. When I'm dealing with time travel, I don't question I just watch and enjoy whether it's Faith, Queen InHyun's Man, Splash Splash Love....and the list goes on. You kinda just have to go with it because they don't seem to be taking it too seriously in this drama especially given how it works.
Pros:
It's Funny: What people think is funny is an individual thing and this just worked for me. The music video, the teddy bear head that I kept seeing throughout the drama, the hair style etc. It worked for me and when watching a bunch of angsty dramas, it's nice to have a bit of relief.
Story: I was a bit tough on the move to romance, but I will admit that it was not instalove (my pet peeve) and I liked the characters together. I thought they were sweet, and I liked how the second male lead scenario played out over the course of the drama. I think the writers, especially over the first half, really gave us a fun filled drama, but they also put in the foundation of a solid story with quite a few characters. They also didn't let their characters stagnate. People evolved, grew, changed just like it is supposed to happen in life.
Actors: All the actors were great and love that Lee Se Young plays a pretty strong gal but this is really Yoon Si Yoon's chance to show his comedy talent and he does quite well. He's solid in both the funny, the romantic, the angst. While some people weren't happy with where the story went in the second half, I really didn't hear many complaints about acting.
Characters: So, yes, this is YSY's for sure, but I credit the writer that all the side characters from the little girl, to Bo Hee, to the music partner from back in the day, to MJ, to Drill etc all were well executed. The diva singer got a little short thrift but was a pretty minor character. At the end of the drama, I felt I knew who these people were and that's a win for a writer who could have put it all on the lead actor.
Final Thoughts: So if you can be a bit forgiving about a tonal shift, make judicious use of the fast forward on some later episodes (or spend the time folding laundry...whatever works), this really is a rare drama that had me laughing out loud repeated throughout its run. It's the perfect drama to turn to after the melo that just broke your heart.
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Queen of Mystery (Mystery Queen) is a mixed genre Korean drama with slice of life/mystery/thriller/comedic elements that overall I found to be a satisfying though sometimes uneven drama. If you want something a little different and romance isn't a must, give it a go.But first the Cons:
Pacing: After one of the most satisfying first episodes, I found the next two to be in okay territory. This ends up kind of being a cycle with some very enjoyable episodes followed by satisfactory episodes. I did do some skipping here and there but it was limited. Also, one particular mystery in the first half of the drama goes on too long.
Too Much: This drama has solid actors but too many of them and a solid story to tell but they glutted it with more more more. I actually wished the drama had focused less on Inspector Woo, the chaebol characters and really would have been ok never meeting Seol Ok's husband. This is nothing against any of the actors but, rather, the lead actors and the neighborhood crew were so good, it didn't need all those other characters and story lines.
Suspending Reality: Various times there are things left hanging or one particular instance in particular where the audience has to suspend all sense of reality. I will leave it there to avoid spoiler territory but it involves the sister-in-law. Also, like many k-dramas there are some coincidental connections that are just too much to believe but again, this is kind of standard.
The Pros:
Actors: They are all great and a shout out to the leads. I am not as familiar with the actor's dramas, but he has the charisma and timing to pull off comedy without a problem. It actually took me several episodes to realize that the actress was the same one from Heart to Heart. She is lovely. All the co-stars are great as well, and the drama has one of the best, most honest representations of a mother-in-law. I loved that the actress is the same that plays the opposite type in Secret Garden, Heirs and Mask.
Direction Etc: Directions was quite good and music was solid though no OST songs really stuck with me.
Story: Flawed but overall enjoyable and quite honestly something different than a thriller or rom/com. The idea is nothing knew (Scarecrow & Mrs. King - a US show from the 80s - was a housewife and a spy), but I like seeing Korean dramas expand out into other avenues and it gets a little extra love from me for that.
As you can tell I really liked but didn't love this drama. I took a point off for pacing issues and a point off for the uneven story, plot holes and problematic ending. It still gets an 8 from me because this drama made me care about these characters and they grew as the drama went on in honest, realistic ways.
Complaint Other Viewers Have:
Now overall I didn't have issues with the ending because I knew going in everything was not going to be tied up with a red bow. However, there are some unhappy viewers regarding the ending. I felt that I knew where the characters were going so, at the end of the day, I was happy enough with that. At the same time, I understand why others were not. It has now come out that the production team is hoping for a Season 2 so they did this on purpose. Shame on them. I hope they get a second season because they could totally do a fun drama and close up some story lines, but I think the fans deserved better because second seasons are hard to come by in k-dramaland.
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Ms. Perfect went under the radar for many people, but if you are a fan of a certain genre of show this might be one to pick up. If so, get ready for a roller coaster ride and a lack of sleep as you unexpectedly end up binge watching this suspenseful drama. The first 8 or so episodes set up one scenario after another with the second part more focused on the characters figuring out why what just happened, happened. It's a crazy puzzle they try to put together without all the pieces. Hollywood sometimes makes shows about the normal average guy or gal thrown into a lot of crazy and it's fun to see how they get out of it...think The Fugitive or North by Northwest...and no, I'm not really comparing this to the level of Hitchcock but you can get the vibe. It's the person wondering, "why is this happening to me" and then doing their utmost to figure it out. But first what didn't work for me:Cons:
Length: I was actually pretty happy with the length of the drama, but I think they could have successfully completed the drama at 18 episodes. Specifically I wasn't that taken with the romance involving Shin Jae Bok's friends. The problem with side stories is they often seem like filler, well, because they often are filler. This was a very minor issue for me however. I will say the first few episodes were a bit uneven as well.
Writer Cheats: I have a pet peeve in any drama wherein one conversation could clear up some misunderstanding/questions. There are a few in this drama and one in particular that a certain question would definitely, absolutely 100% positively have been asked and answered. However, the writer was not ready for the character to find out the reason something happened so that question was not asked or answered and it made no sense. This is cheating. I get it but it bugs me though it might not others.
Writer Cheat II: The writer does a good job giving all these characters layers, but I think he or she kind of tosses Jung Hee around a bit too much. The actor is fantastic, but I actually think we needed a bit more of his decision making process in the 2nd half for viewers to really see his point of view a bit more. Also, there is a decision late in the drama that JH makes about his children that no man in that situation would make knowing what JH knows. It kicked the level of angst up a notch but things done out of character bug me though most viewers wouldn't probably give him this benefit.
Dangling Threads: There are a few characters that needed at least a bit more of a resolution. I'm talking one who needed maybe 30 seconds to let us know what happened. Most things were tied up, but I'm gonna give the drama grief because they had time to tie up these loose ends.
Pros:
Actors: I saw someone saying people were complaining about the acting, but where I was watching this was not the case. Everyone was solid and both the lead actresses were absolutely fantastic. There seems to be a lot of interest in Sung Joon, and he is absolutely solid in this though his fans should know he is really not the main focus.
Characters: Even the intrepid Shin Jae Bok isn't perfect. I like that. I loved her but sometimes she drove me crazy. "Listen to your mom gut" was said by me more than once in this drama. All the characters in this drama have depth and layers.
Story: It's hard to get into it too much because everything is a spoiler, but if you like heavy romance walk away. This isn't your drama. Having said that the relationships that flourish are dealt with in a lovely way. I'll just leave it there. This drama successfully kept me guessing through the first 8 or so episodes with "oh my gosh, I didn't see that coming" multiple times through the first 10 episodes.
Makjang: Yep, I'm putting it on the pro side. There is some of this because it's kind of an over the top situation to begin with. However, there is fun OTT makjang and then there is the birth secrets makjang. None of the latter is here.
Ending: As mentioned previously, I feel a few threads didn't get tied up but all the big ones did. We know the ending. We understand what happened to all major characters. No "What the ...." "I don't understand what happened".... I actually really liked how they portrayed the relationships between the members of this family unit at the end of the drama. We get where everyone is at. Could there have been more between a few here and there, sure but I actually think this drama was true to what it set out to do.
Overall to me this is a gem of a drama given the strength of its leading ladies, a look at a marriage in crisis and how it evolves and an overall fun roller coaster ride. However, I do understand this is not for everyone. For some they will get frustrated by the imperfect characters. Others will find it on the makjang side. I think this writer does something really well and that is take flawed characters and make us care even about ones we don't think we will care about (the character of Na Mi comes to mind). It's hard to write about this drama and flesh it out more because of spoilers. Basically I think these type shows are fun because while I watch and sometimes get mad and frustrated, I'm also thinking: What would I do? I think that is the fun of this show... but again not for everyone. I'd give it 4 episodes and if you are not hooked by then, this one might not be for you.
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Radiant Office is an office drama involving three strangers who unexpectedly end up on the same rather depressing path in life, and shows how they evolve and grow due to the struggles they are thrown. It is a story of friendship, office shenanigans and romance. I enjoyed this drama quite a bit and looked forward to it every week. Is it perfect.... well, no, and we'll start there....Cons:
The First Episode: The first 40 minutes of episode 1 were tough going for me. I dump dramas early, and I don't know why I stuck with it but the minute the friends found each other, my level of enjoyment went way way up. So if you are like me, stick with it a bit longer because I was totally hooked by the end of episode 2.
Big Meanie: Either the writer or the director had Ha Suk Jin play his character a bit over-the-top verbally aggressive ( I really don't want to use the word abusive), in several scenes. I think it needed to be toned down a bit.
Left Hanging: There are a few misunderstanding/unexplained things that really needed a conclusion that I didn't get to my satisfaction, but this is relatively minor.
Dr. Seo: Not to be confused with the lead, but there is a character who is a doc with the same name (Seo), and I think the writer did twist and turn him around to suit the needs of the story a bit too much for my taste.
Terminal Illness: This drama is not really about terminal illness. I think the writer should have found a better way to get her characters where they needed to be without this trope, but I will stay away from spoiler territory.
Pros:
Story: Well isn't this the most important thing? Not everyone is into office dramas and this is NOT Misaeng, but for me this is a story of the people just set in an office. That is its strength. It could have been a law firm or hospital or wherever because where they work doesn't matter so much as the people involved.
Characters: Which brings us to how well all the characters are fleshed out....all of them. And sometimes they surprise you. Someone you think you will really dislike, you end up learning more about or seeing things from their perspective. This to me is a success of the writing (from a newbie writer no less) that there is no over the top villain or caricature going on here. Office politics, for sure but as anyone who has worked in one knows, that actually is often reality.
Actors: No weak links at all. They were all solid. I saw a lot of comments kind of getting onto Ha Suk Jin for taking another such "arrogant man" role, but way more so here than in 1% or Let's Drink, we get to see him outside the office and become a more realized character. Was this a huge challenging role for him; probably not but we see that he has some good comedic timing when need be in what has to be one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a drama recently. It has to do with a Swiffer mop and I'll leave it at that.
Eun Ho Won: I'm just gonna say it. Sometimes I didn't like her, and sometimes I was frustrated by her, and sometimes I was embarrassed about her. So why is this on the "Pro" side? Because all too often K-drama leads are either martyrs, candies, over-the-top sassy girls that are not always well rounded as characters. She is a 'glass half empty' type person as are her friends, and it can be tough to root for someone like that, but I liked her and her friends, and I was rooting and cheering them on flaws and all.
Problems Others Had But I Didn't:
- Many didn't share my acceptance of Eun Ho Won, yet I noticed many completed the drama due to their liking of the side characters.
-Romance is definitely on the back burner for a chunk of this drama, but I actually think this is realistic to most office romances. No instalove, but if you have to have a lot of romance, this is not for you.
-Some people didn't like the unrealistic office scenarios, but - well - isn't this the reality of medical/legal/cop dramas? They are not realistic, but I actually thought Radiant Office brought out the difficulty of contract workers, women getting ahead, expectations put on men to be super successful before starting a family, difficult job search etc in a pretty sane way.
Final Word:
I found this to be an enjoyable drama, but definitely people had different thoughts on it with some finding it on the boring side and others frustrated by EHW. I have a soft spot for these type dramas and grew to enjoy Eun Ho Won on her quest for acceptance and success in the business world and in life.
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Fantastic is a lovely slice of life drama that encompasses many genres: there is romance, comedy, melo, bromance and female friendship. Like many I was worried about the cancer story line but this is not Scent of a Woman (solid drama by the way). I noticed a few viewers seemed to see this as a watered down version but this is an entirely different style drama with a totally different vibe though the message is perhaps the same. Kim Hyun Joo plays a very successful writer having to deal with this diagnosis and the return of "foot" actor ex-boyfriend possibly playing the lead in her next drama. If you don't think that sounds like SOAW you'd be right. I consider Fantastic to be one of the overlooked dramas of 2016 so here goes:Cons: No cancer patient getting treatment ever looks this good and truthfully this is how it is in most tv shows regardless of origin. I know expecting reality in this regard is a bit much but it did bug me a little.
Wow, that's really it.
Pros:
All the actors are solid and a shout out to Joo Sang Wook for playing a bad actor so well. Some of the scenes with the acting coach are so funny. It's not easy to be that bad. Also Kim Tae Hoon as the doc was so good. He is one of those character actors that can do anything: bad guy in Angry Mom, discouraged husband in One More Happy Ending and great as the amazing friend and doc in Fantastic. Really the entire cast is excellent.
Pacing: There are a lot of different stories going on and this drama keeps the pace and flow very well. I especially appreciate this because Ji Soo had a serious surgery situation pop up so, if you watch, that is why he is kind of missing in action as the writers no doubt had to trim down the scope of his story.
Bromance: There's a lot of talk about the bromance in Goblin, but I have to say the story between the two main guys in Fantastic resonated with me so much and was truly amazing. It actually is one of my favorite aspects to this drama.
Story: It went in directions I didn't expect. I can't say too much without spoilers but I thought I'd be watching a bickering couple, k-drama style. Not so much. I thought it will go standard love triangle route...not so much. These characters are adults and they act that way (most of the time); they're not perfect and they make mistakes. I so much appreciated at a certain point when some serious issue happens, they sit down and talk about it. In so many dramas, it's five episodes of angst when a simple discussion could have dealt with it. I also felt this story really shows the power of female friendship, especially with the friend who had kind of fallen away. Who has this not happened to, but it is so true how you can pick those friendships back up again as if no time has passed. One other aspect I liked was the insight into the entertainment industry in regards to management companies and ways they keep their talent in line. I've heard stories out of Korea about this, and the show shines a light on that activity.
Besides the comparisons to Scent of A Woman, the only other issue that I saw some viewers had was with the main male lead....people seemed to think because of the tone of voice JSW uses and the way the character sometimes acts that the guy doesn't have emotional depth. I would just say the longer the drama goes on, the more we see what kind of man he is. I recommend this gem of a drama with one caveat and that is if you or a loved one is dealing with or has dealt with cancer, you might or might not be inclined to watch. This is not a standard melodrama with 16 episodes of angst but still....
Otherwise I'd give it a go.
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But first the cons:
Foundation of the breakup: To put Yun Jie (Mike He) in the situation about not knowing about his child, the writers basically throw the mom character under the bus and make her entirely unreasonable. It just makes no sense and the viewer will think he's a jerk and she's horrible... I think the viewer has to let it go or it colors your views from there after.
Makjang: This drama was so grounded in how it dealt with so many things that it really didn't need to rely on the cliches, even if it dealt with them better than most dramas. Unfortunately in the last four or so episodes, we see the writers put a few story arcs into the drama that were silly and unfortunate.
The Mom: The main focus of the story is on Yong Yong and Yun Jie as it should be. The drama did bring up issues of single parenting, but in the end I think they missed an opportunity to do better in this area and as already mentioned, used this character to heighten drama in contrived ways.
Secondary Stories: I think they could have done more with the mom and her guy. I have mixed feelings about the brother (Li Yi Feng). Part of the story is his resentment about his brother, his romance with another gal and a very, very late love triangle. As someone who is not a fan of triangles, I'm happy it was half over before going that way but could have done without it.
The Pros:
Tone: Anyone familiar with T-dramas knows how they can be over the top. I found this drama refreshing because even though you think after the first episodes it's going to be another one of those dramas, it really isn't. Every plot point is about these two people getting to know each other, like each other and eventually fall in love. My big issue with a lot of T-Dramas is how often the characters have conversations that mean nothing. In SH, almost every conversation has purpose.
Chemistry: I think Mike He and Janine Chang have a chemistry that works. This is not a steamy, intense romance. This is a get-to-know you romance. You might not think so because of something that happens in episode 1, but it is. I really do not like instalove romances so this really worked for me.
Acting: I was fine with all the actors. I think Mike He is generally a solid but not great actor, but here I think he's done his best work (of what I've seen thus far). His expression when finding out about his son was just spot on. Loved Janine as well.
Family: Early in the drama, her family does something silly, and I worried that the writers would have our gal in a Cinderella type situation....No, it is not like that at all. The family members of both leads are not perfect, but there is no over the top shenanigans. (Well, 2nd sister but who doesn't like her?)
Writing: I appreciate that the characters are not perfect. Yun Jie is one of the best written male characters I've seen in a T-Drama. He is not perfect, and he's not an over bearing jerk stock character. He is a decent guy with flaws who makes mistakes, often realizes it but stays true to himself. I often have trouble getting through T-dramas because they are too long with not enough story. Again the last four or so episodes had some contrived situations pop up, but I completed this drama in around 4 days. I think I appreciate that even when "big" things happen, the reaction is sometimes so grounded. (An example is how they handled her confronting him about the orphanage. You understand where she is coming from, but he is actually very reasonable in what he says as well. The viewer can understand both sides. ) Basically this is a no drama drama. Also, there is comedy but I would not necessarily call this a rom/com.
After all this, I don't really think I'm doing a great job describing it. I think if you are in the mood for a very character driven romance drama, this might fit the bill. (I found it subbed on You Tube). In the end I took a point off for throwing in a silly curveball late in the drama and some noble idiocy. I also took off half a point for the lazy writing in not coming up with a better set up to him not knowing about his child. Overall though, I found this to be one of the better T-Dramas I've seen thus far.
Edit: I almost forgot. I don't really remember an OST because I saw on You Tube so the beginning and ending credits are cut off; however, I actually usually hate the background music (horrible piano music quite often) in T-dramas. The music here was much more muted and was in the background where it needed to be though I did notice it a bit more toward the end of the drama. So my score on the music is about the use of background music not OST, if they even had one.
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