Self-aware drama

Story: Two rivals from high school met again on their lowest moment. The story is about how they will overcome their burnout and traumas from work. It’s nothing very deep but it will make you be aware of yourself, of what you are doing in life, if what you are now, is what you want to be.

Acting: I believe they did great in serving their roles however, the main couple just don’t have the chemistry despite acting really well. Their kissing scenes were great too but I just couldn’t feel the chemistry.

Music: most songs are appropriate for each scene, whether it’s emotional or happy moment.

Rewatch Value: I could rewatch most of Park Hyung Sik’s hysterics, although he had a few scenes that could be quite ‘too much / fake’, he was still cute & fun.

Overall: it’s been a long time since I finished this drama but I do remember that I recommended it to some friends ‘cos it’s a feel-good drama and perfect for binge-watching. It’s refreshing with some thought-provoking realizations as an adult.

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Perfect pacing that makes you want to catch up every weekend

Story: Basically about a fresh couple who were in a honeymoon stage and ended up estranged due to a major issue. Both loved each other very much until one forgot how much and the story revolved around how the male lead will realize what made him love the female lead in the first place. It also showed dynamics of different types of families and how they overcome their own issues.

Acting: All cast were amazing and did justice to their own roles. However, Ji Won’s acting felt quite short in some scenes with Soo Hon. I think she tried to keep the cool & collected Hae In characterization but ended up restrained. Other than that, everyone did a fantastic job.

Music: Some songs are quite catchy and got me LSS for a few days.

Rewatch Value: I might rewatch all the funny and romantic scenes of the main couple.

Overall: I think this drama is not something that you should binge watch but rather, a perfect drama that you look forward to every weekend. It’s quite fast-paced so if you watch it in one sitting, I feel like the mystery or anticipation of knowing what will happen next would be different.

Things I like:
A.)Hae In and her mom’s relationship. Having almost the same relationship with my mom, I believe they did great in interpreting how they are still awkward with each other after being estranged for so many years. That kind of relationship won’t be solved in one conversation and has to thread lightly, however, they still know that they love each other as family. Hae In’s mother crying scenes always make me cry.
B.) Hae In’s father internal conflict. I think it was quite nice to actually see his POV as a father.
C.) Soo Cheol and Da Hye’s love story. Although we’ll never know what actually made Soo Cheol fall in love with Da Hye, his love for her and her child is admirable and made me cry a lot times. I guess his lines are quite touching.
D.) Eun Song’s ending. I guess I didn’t expect that because most rom com villains just end up in prison so his ending was quite satisfying.

Ending: Honestly, I don’t know if I like the ending or not. It felt rushed yet beautiful at the same time. Maybe because I still want more interactions from the main couple. Or maybe how they concluded Seul Hee’s story was a bit lame. Because there were some surprising twists in the first few episodes & I expected the main couple to surprise us with their own tactics but finale just ended up having cameos from other actors which felt dull and lacking. Even so, it was still a good watch and the first kdrama that I actually looked forward to every weekend during their broadcast time. Like I literally waited for it to air on Netflix and didn’t miss even when I was on holiday. I was quite invested and I totally ship the main couple in real life, although their chemistry on screen wasn’t the best, they still have sparks.

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Great acting yet no chemistry

Plot: Typical political plot of dethroning Kings and backstabbing. Nothing much special with the plot as it quite reflected that the king will always have his hidden moves to win just as how he plays baduk. I was hoping for some twist and turns but nothing really happened.

Acting: Most of the characters did great in portraying their characters, however, despite the actress being able to cry, I just couldn’t sympathize with her. Her way of acting is not infectious enough to make feel her sufferings or even her happiness. I believe, the Main male lead did all the heavy acting and carrying for the drama but there’s still no chemistry between the leads. There were no ‘captivating’ parts, to be honest. It was nice to see Jo Jung Suk’s acting range though. I’m quite impressed.

Music: I think most songs are quite appropriate or nice but nothing memorable.

Rewatch Value: I personally wouldn’t rewatch.

Overall: It is a so-so drama that it can be forgettable to an extent.

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feel-good & funny

Story: A soccer player with bad image was invited to be a coach for homeless football team to compete for world cup to represent Korea. A predictable movie with lots of funny moments, some touching scenes and no love story between the two popular idols. If you are okay with that, then you'll enjoy the movie.

Acting: Everyone did great in the movie.

Music: Nothing memorable for me but i guess songs used were appropriate.

Rewatch Value: Not the type of movie i will rewatch but it's definitely recommendable to those who just want to past the time, or feel inspired.

Overall: It was a cute and comical watch, i had a lot of laugh out loud moments so i finished this movie in a good mood. Nothing to deep, just an inspiring movie about those who don't want to give up and that life is full of hope and we will have our own shining moments with our own hard work and faith with those who support and appreciate us. 7 stars. Just don't expect much and you'll have a good time watching the movie.

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Memorable ending

Story: A heartbroken woman in modern world suddenly time traveled to Goryeo Dynasty after drowning and woke up with Hae Soo's body. The plot is full of politics, love stories, family issues and tragedies.

Acting: Both leads did amazing in the series, as well as the other side characters and villains. However, there were few noticeable unconvincing acting or lacking of intensity emotions to some, especially in the last episodes of the drama.

Music: I love most of the sound effects used with catchy background music / osts.

Rewatch value: It's not rewatchable for me but i might wanna watch Jun Ki's scenes as he's really good looking in this drama.

Overall: What made this drama memorable for me is only the ending, some may hate it, some may love it but directing wise, it was an impactful one. It's one of those series that will make you feel sad whenever you remember it because of the ending. Kudos to IU and Lee Jun Ki for giving their best in creating their roles that will forever remain in our hearts and hopefully will remind everyone to not regret things and keep giving all our best in the face of challenges in life. Despite the traumatic ending, Scarlet Heart Ryeo isn't memorable as a whole. IU's character was all over the place and I couldn't understand what her goal was or what she values. Sometimes she values her life, sometimes she doesn't, so the things she did was a bit confusing and made me question her decisions in living in the palace, then staying away then back to living there again. The progress of Hae Soo and Wang So's (4th Prince)relationship was not as convincing like her and Wang Wook(8th Prince)'s initial love story, even so, they were still cute and believable because of their acting. The first few episodes were full of wisdom or quotable quotes but then faltered in the middle until the end because the focus was directed to the brothers fighting for the throne and giving us tragedy every step of the way. Even with the devastating events, i wasn't fully invested with each story as i felt detached or the flow of the story didn't make me feel connected with some of the princes' while IU's modern character had no explanation whatsoever as to what happened of her 'coma' like how she was saved and what happened to her best friend, boyfriend etc, where she's suddenly awake, back to working and with snippets of her 'time travel' experience via her dreams, which felt rushed and left me more confused. Quite a bit disappointed but still happy that I got to watch this drama, so my overall score would be 7-8 stars.

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Exceeded my expectation, acting-wise

Story: Set during Japanese invasion of some cities in China, around 1930's to 1940s. A Japanese head formed a group with Chinese men to discover and fight against the communists. The story was hard to follow at first as they showed different snippets from different times but they became clearer as the story progresses.

Acting: Wow. just wow. I am astonished at Wang Yibo's performance, especially his fighting scenes with the japanese soldiers and Tony Leung. I didn't expect to see him act so so good, as he filmed this first before 'Born to fly' and his acting their was okay. In this movie, i can totally feel his pain, anguish, sadness, and grief, which actually made me think that his character is bipolar. The small changes of his facial expressions was just amazing. This, by far, is the best acting that I have seen from him and it's now making me look forward to his next projects. The rest of the actors, of course, did amazingly well despite the short appearances. However, i felt quite awkward with Zhou Xun's and Tony Leung's hugging & kissing moment.

Music: Nothing special or memorable for me but the action scene sound effects were just perfect.

Rewatch Value: I don't think I will be rewatching this movie but i will definitely re-watch the action scenes, i love them so much.

Overall: 7.5-8 stars. Despite the convincing acting and good cinematography, the plot is quite predictable so it didn't leave a 'wow' impression on me but it was still a good watch.

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Saved by the female lead's acting

Story: Ji Eum(female lead) remembers most of her previous lives(17 except the first) and from her last life(18th), she fell in love with a boy and wanted to know what happen after she died. The story was easy to follow with some snippets of her first life to unravel the reason why she kept being born again and again. The plot was a bit boring as the twist felt predictable for me and some villains and characters was just like a side story to make the episodes longer but didn't really add value to the drama.

Acting: 10/10 for Shim Hye Sun. She's just hands down a brilliant actress but the rest was just flat, she carried the whole show, imo. I would like to praise Cha Chung Hwa(Ji Eum's niece) acting as well, a veteran and versatile actress.

Music: I scored high for music as they seemed appropriate most of the time and I liked most of them. I remember the songs from the last episode and the piano bgm.

Rewatch Value: I wouldn't be rewatching the drama but Shim Hye Sun has a lot of cool and memorable scenes here.

Overall: 7 - 7.5 for me. This one has a good start and cute ending but the acting from most of the actors are pretty flat that didn't provide deep impression and any exciting feelings while watching them . The chemistry of the main leads felt forced as well but i did have few butterfly moments in the middle of the drama. Ahn Bo Hyun still needs to polish his acting skills plus his wardrobe was really bad, so his charm was lackluster too and as a CEO, it wasn't believable at times. I felt like they just added some eye candies(the secretary, his brother and the first life guy) but nothing really special to each of their character.

*may contain spoilers*
Issues(apart from above): feel free to correct me as i could have missed the logic behind this, if the people from previous life is supposed to die, why was her niece(Ae Kyung) able to live until that moment? it took 8-9 years for her to live(although verbally mentioned that she's been having issues for a while) but in Ji Eum's previous lives people were taken away much earlier? Apart from that, her reborn life is much faster when there's foul play behind her death but she wasn't really the target so why would it affect her? Even so, why was this 'thing' brought up in the plot but had nothing to do with her previous lives? So, i felt like there are so many things that were not answered by the end of the series. However, i do love Ji Eum's character so i just brushed off these plot holes or maybe i was just thinking too much. Maybe, See you in my 19th life is just a simple story that doesn't need to analyze profoundly.

Side Note: I didn't read the Manhwa so my review is just for the drama itself.

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Social media is just as shallow

Story: A rich-turned-broke lady had a taste of her previous life but with a twist. She missed the comfortable life that money had brought her but life nowadays is just not the same, because of the existence of advanced technology aka social media. I do like her character though, self-aware, strong willed and confident.

Acting: Honestly, the acting is not the best but the flow of the story is binge-able and you just can’t help but play ‘next’. One of the things I loved is the subtle and slow burn romance of A-ri and Jeon Kyung(although I don’t remember him smiling that much)they have this sizzling chemistry on the first half of the series.

Music: Nothing memorable but catchy enough to move along with the music and the sound effects during the scenes with the main couple is appropriate and can give an exciting feeling to root for them.

Rewatch Value: I guess it’s not something that I would personally rewatch but I can totally recommend for people who wants to binge watch.

Overall: 8.5/10. Since I didn’t expect much on this series, I was quite surprised that I finished it in 2 days(of course I had to work and sleep). So, 2 days is quite fast for me. If I didn’t have work, I could finish this in one day, that’s how interesting it was. It’s not too deep but not too shallow as well. It just shows how the life of social media can turn you into an attention-seeking or social climber person. Of course, not everyone is like that, but even so, you would still question yourself, are you one of those people who will comment on random fights online like it would actually benefit you? Are you one of those who get easily convinced of the products endorsed by your idols? Are you one of those who want try or eat those popular food that’s been circulating around the web? It’s a thought-provoking series, however, it’s up to you to realize, if you are easily influenced by these type of advertisements or issues you see online. Just like social media, the series is just as shallow, but not in a bad way, it just represents how shallow the ‘life’ is online. Lastly, I think ‘influencer’ would be a better title.

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Frustratingly tolerable

Plot: An introverted CEO fell in love with his former secretary’s younger sister and the story revolves around her family intertwined with his. There’s a so-called ‘twist’ by the end but nothing surprising. I tried not to judge too much as every individual has his or her own reasons for what he or she can/can’t take in life. Sometimes, what we can tolerate is not the same to everyone. If you start with that thought, then maybe, you’ll feel lighter when finding out the real reason of his former secretary.

Acting: Honestly, I struggled very much with the initial 6 episodes because the messy misunderstanding and ridiculous hiding face were the moments you just couldn’t help but ‘facepalm’. Anyway, thanks to their acting and my curiosity on how they will end up made me continue to watch the rest of the episodes. Luckily, it got tolerable and watchable at times. Everyone’s acting were great and convincing.

Music: The osts are pretty cute and catchy.

Rewatch Value: I personally won’t be rewatching the whole drama but I definitely rewatched every kissing scene of Yeon Woo Jin and Park Hye Soo because their chemistry is just fire. They have this unexplainable yet intense chemistry when they are together.

Overall: 7 stars for the acting and chemistry. I love the friendship of the two male leads(YWJ & YP) , the wonderful sibling love of Hwan Gi(YWJ) and Yi Soo(GSY) and the girls(PYS & JHJ) love-hate relationship/banter with each other. Despite the frustrating first few episodes and dull ‘twist’, I still ended up enjoying the whole series. After thinking about my ‘introverted’ friends and by putting myself in their shoes, the way they portrayed or how misunderstanding can happen is actually believable, however, they dragged it on which can be pretty frustrating to viewers. Therefore, I think long patience is really needed for you to watch and enjoy this drama.

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Keep your regrets short but remember it for a long time.

Plot: A woman who dreams about future events and no matter what she does, she couldn’t change it, until someone did. Although the plot may seem weird or too favorable for the flow of the story, the cases were interesting enough to move forward.

Acting: The other main leads shone brightly than the couple, their chemistry was off as well. The female lead can cry but the emotion is not in place for me. Her line delivery is sometimes awkward, probably because of her mouth and it makes her acting awkward as well. While the male lead tried to be silly but had some unconvincing or unnatural facial expressions. Even so, Suzy Bae and Lee Jong Suk still did a decent job in most scenes.

Music: I love the Ost/bgm especially Henry Lau’s.

Rewatch Value: I might not rewatch but there could be some scenes people may find rewatchable.

Overall: 8 stars for the comforting message and goosebumps moments. Mr. Choi made me cry a lot and there were also some scenes that I found relatable. The series was frustrating initially because their decisions were kind of contradicting but fortunately, every episode ended up nicely. They keep having these dangerous dreams, and they try to change the flow and yet they still think about not sharing it or brainstorming about it. It’s like they haven’t learned anything from their experiences. Luckily, it ended up in a satisfying way or somehow acceptable. Jae Chan didn’t have to find the earring to prove that Hong Ju was lying about not visiting him in ICU because clearly, they had a conversation before about him punching her when they were younger, and she was the one who remembered it. There were some bothersome events like hiding stuff in a very obvious place or stealing phones and left it open all day that could make your eyes roll. The ending was not memorable as well. The inconsistencies of the plot could be a turn off to some but since I enjoyed the dialogues, it didn’t affect my overall rating and feeling for the drama.

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Mediocre

Plot: Two student policemen who went to find girlfriends in a bar accidentally witnessed a kidnapping incident of a woman they were about to hit on. Nothing too deep about the plot, it was rather flat and shallow.

Acting: Convincing acting of everyone. Just two silly students who suddenly found out about their passion and mission in life.

Music: Nothing memorable for me.

Rewatch Value: Not something I would rewatch even on boring days.

Overall: It has it’s funny moments but not exactly light but more on subpar plot and dull flow. 6 stars for the comical sense and acting but not recommendable. You won’t miss out on anything if you haven’t watched it yet.

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Emotional tangled mess

Plot: A runaway suspect changed his identity and discovered the truth behind his family when his case was re-opened. It was a tangled mess that you can’t help and find out more. It was fast-paced initially then it became messy.

Acting: Everyone did an amazing job in portraying their characters and creating emotional scenes, although I think Lee Jun Ki went overboard with his acting(I guess, instructed by the director to make his character a bit evil-convincing for the viewers).

Music: Since it’s a thriller/suspense drama, there’s not much catchy or worth-remembering OST for me. Although the sound effects/bgm were appropriate for most scenes.

Rewatch Value: Not the type that I can rewatch as it was a heavy drama in a way that watching it again won’t give you the same suspense feeling since you already know what’s gonna happen.

Overall: 7 stars for acting and visuals. It’s not for everyone, especially if you are a fan of fluffy romance. It can be frustrating or boring for some. It wasn’t gripping or something that would keep you on your toes but I liked the fast-paced unfolding of the story.

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Light, fluffy binge-able watch

Plot: 2 college frenemies discovered their mutual feelings for each other. One is a worldwide star and one is a PR manager. The story focuses more of what goes behind-the-scenes of the actors, such as how rumors spread, who suffers, why it happens and what are the pros and cons of being a star. It didn’t dive in deeply into the life of each character but it was enough to give us ideas or introduction to their lives. I just had a hard time memorizing their names so I got confused who’s who most of the time.

Acting: My favorite character is the ex-manager turned CEO of the rival company, he stole the limelight from the male lead for me. All of them made a convincing acting. Not exactly perfect but it was enough for me to enjoy their roles and appreciate their efforts to make their characters alive. Finally found a series where Lee Sung Kyung’s acting and character were acceptable and decent. Although her chemistry with Kim Young Dae wasn’t that intense(despite many steamy kissing scenes), it was still natural and comfortable.

Music: The songs and sound effects used were quite cute.

Rewatch Value: 100 percent rewatchable. It’s something that you can rewatch anytime when you’re feeling down or bored or in need of something fun. The first few episodes were not that enchanting but it was interesting enough to find out more about what will happen next. Luckily, it got better and funnier as I watch more. I also love how they interpreted mature romance despite the silliness and ridiculousness of it all.

Overall: 8-9 stars because it was enjoyable and an easy watch. There were some thought provoking scenes that were handled well, can be realistic or at least acceptable. I’m glad that the male lead‘s problems didn’t last long but it will also make you wonder, do the actors always have the need to explain themselves or bare out their souls for the fans or audience? And for what? Because they signify hopes and dreams of youth? Are human beings naturally gossip mongers and judgmental of others instead of focusing and living our own lives? Am I guilty? Am I also one of those people? This drama touched some sensitive issues from the actor’s point of views which penetrated my heart and mind for a bit. The dialogues, especially on the last few episodes, are quotable and it can also resonate with people. What may seem nothing to you, may be big for someone else, and I hope we never forget that.

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Good start, the rest of the episodes were dull

Plot: A girl has to hide her identity for unknown reason and grew up being a romantic story-teller/cupid to others. She was sold to become a eunuch in the palace and accidentally fell in love with the crown prince. Although there was nothing special to the plot, the first few episodes were actually endearing and fun to watch. Episodes 7 onwards, it became boring and repetitive. The princess and her letter lover were the ones who made me smile, without them on the screen, I was straight-faced or raising my left-eyebrow.

Acting: Park Bo Gum did a good job in acting, while Kim Yoo Jung was initially adorable in the first few episodes, her emotional scenes weren't very good or convincing for me. The rest of the cast were amazing, especially the villains, who kept me annoyed whenever I see their faces. Their acting were more exceptional compared to the main leads.

Music: I don't remember anything extraordinary or catchy music. Sound effects weren't memorable as well.

Rewatch Value: I don't think I'll be rewatching the main lead's scenes. Maybe the love story of Princess Myun Geun and Mr. Jeong Deok Ho, although their first meeting story was still unclear for me. The bromance of Crown Prince and his guard/childhood friend was touching and worth watching.

Overall: 6 stars because I was a bit disappointed after watching this series. I didn't expect much when I started this, but after binge-watching 6 episodes of the series, I got my hopes up, despite the cliché plot, they made the scenes interesting, however, they weren't able to keep the momentum.

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Throw away the logic, admire the stunning visual effects

Plot/Story: An unknown fairy accidentally ‘saved’ the most ruthless immortal moon supreme while helping her ‘crush’ not to die. The first few episodes were easy to follow and binge-able but the flow went downhill in the middle and became draggy and boring. Despite being sleepy from the middle part, I tried to move forward as it had subtle humor which made me chuckle a few times. The humor is not ‘in your face’ and I really like that. The plot got better after episode 22 or when they went to the mortal world. It’s full of cliches but they are tolerable.

Acting: This is my first drama of Dylan Wang and I have to say I’m impressed with him. He carried the whole show, honestly. His acting was not on the same level with Esther Yu. Unfortunately, while I liked her on ‘Moonlight’, I quite struggled with her acting in LBFAD. She has her own charms but the low quality of her acting was evident in this drama. Apart from the acting, the dub was also terrible. Most of the time, it didn’t match orchid’s facial expressions or mouth that it takes away the authenticity of the emotion. However, she made me sympathize and cry (just from her dub) on episodes 32 and 36. Esther Yu still needs to improve her facial expressions, especially the emotional scenes. Zhang Ling He also did great in acting, while Jiele, the Poison girl, Stupid Black Dragon and Fairy Danyin were so-so. The rest of the cast was convincing enough.

Music: High quality CGI with excellent background music. Literally gave me goosebumps whenever there’s an animation scene. I would say DFQC’s 500 years of marriage dream with Orchid is my most favorite. Felt like I was watching fantasy and anime at the same time. It would be nice if they removed all this weird accessories/gear they wore(moon supreme’s and god of war battle outfits)because it kinda ruined the visuals.

Rewatch Value: DFQC’s love to orchid deserves to be watched again and again.

Overall: Good start, boring middle, emotional last few episodes then rushed and questionable ending – this is the flow of the drama for me. As this is is my first Xianxia drama, I would give this a 7.5-8 stars for the graphics and acting of Dylan, which I totally loved. LBFAD has given me highs and lows, unfortunately, there are more lows than highs that I remember, even so, I still quite enjoyed this series. I just think that it could be better— in a lot of aspects.

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