Not for binge watching, maybe a little outdated

I started this when I was sick with flu and watched some 20 episodes in 2 days. The first 10 episodes were really good with constant twists and turns. The middle part from 20-40 felt very repetitive with war after war and neverending palace plots. I skipped all fight scenes and Tanashili scenes. They were just too predictable and devoid of meaning. (=Outdated in terms of current expectations). The last 10 episodes were again a rollercoaster. I think it's best to watch this drama as it originally was meant to be watched, 1-2 episodes per week. Probably only then is it possible to appreciate the big scale of the production and the effort that went into making it visually outstanding.

Regardless of this perhaps being a classic and must-watch, I felt the characters were rather one-dimensional and there could have been more shades to the culprits. Now they are just mainly hatable monsters. I have to say I didn't feel much empathy for the main leads. There were some scenes that stood out for both Ji Chang Wook and Ha Ji Won, but the space they were given to portray character depth was rather limited (in comparison to action scenes). Therefore Tal Tal emerged as one of the most interesting characters, as there was slow progression in his coming to the fore. All in all, with the ending (not an actual victory) and the permanent wars and power struggles and last speeches of the Empress Dowager and Head of Eagle House, I felt the message was one of there being always shadow forces and continuity in power politics regardless of people in charge changing.

Read More

Serious drama about early onset Alzheimer's

I liked the topic of this drama. The drama is for someone who prefers more serious topics. It also portrays individuals' ethical struggles, which is also interesting. The drama portrays very well the experiences and behavior of someone getting Alzheimer's in their 40s. The subplot about the mystery around the male lead son's death and the changes in his attitudes toward his law cases are also interesting.

ML is a great actor, and it's good to see him even in a bigger role than in Misaeng. The problem in this drama is that there are just too many flashbacks and scenes centered around the painful moments of confusion and distress caused by the disease. We would have got it with much less time spent in those moments and the endless repetition of them. Also the family theme gets too much space. It's more central even than the law cases, understandable, but not something that could well carry a drama and keep it interesting. Yes, discovering the importance of family is basically a nice theme but I just ended up skipping almost half of the scenes in the latter half of the drama.

Junho in the role of the junior lawyer doesn't get much screen time and slowly advancing relationship between the secretary and Junho also gets very little screen time. Junho is just in a balancing support role as the ML's wingman, he brings some fun and relief into the drama within its overall darker theme. There's not much there for him to show his talents (although he's very good in the drama nevertheless), since we get no background story about Junho or the secretary. That's an opportunity lost, as they were basically the most interesting characters and knowing more about them would have been nice. The two female leads, the ML's current and ex-wife, get a lot of individual time, but also nothing much to work on, so the time spent on them is too much compared to the law cases.

Overall, I'm still glad I watched the drama. Because of the poignancy of the topic I give it an 8, although the drama obviously has severe flaws - the worst is that there is too much empty time, just background music playing and nothing happening or advancing plotwise.

Read More

Junho in a double role

This is a small and lighthearted indie (?) film. It's an easy and nice watch. I've always preferred this type of smaller films to big productions.

Junho is great in the double role as the world weary disillusioned artist Nero and the boyish naive student. There's criticism, even satire, of the artworld. The characters all face major challenges which makes this work well as a drama but luckily the way the stories are told is not too depressing and the ending is optimistic. The female characters are left rather shallow but since this is not primarily about romance, that's fitting.

Read More

Psychological thriller from the writer of Just Between Lovers

This is a psychological thriller with hitchcockian undertones. I'm stunned by how original and interesting this is. Capturing. The writer and director have achieved an amazing series. I guess pychological dramas are not everyone's piece of cake (comparing to likewise low ratings of Cheese In the Trap) but this is definitely amongst all time top serious k-dramas for me. It's offering a lot of food for thought. I don't think the descriptions the drama or its themes do any justice to it - jealousy and vengeance are too superficial ideas/drivers and this drama is much more deep and layered to be described in those terms. If something, it tells that some people just don't seem to have the gift for happiness. Looking for another person to deliver all the goods things in life is a doomed mission. Happiness is a choice as much as anything else. The writer would deserve the award this year, that much is already clear. All the actors are great in their roles. There is no overacting . I was always wondering why didn't we hear more of the Leo in "Black". Here he is now, maybe still starting but starting good. Poor Kim Bo Yun always has these roles as the obnoxious mother - she's good but I'd like to see her in the "good mother" role for a change :)

Read More

Feels like a classic sci fi series

Search is a rare gem of a drama. It's intense but not stressful. No boring moments, not a single weakness. There's action but the relationships between characters (including human-animal) are much more important. There are zombies but they have little screentime, there is a mystery to be solved. Zombie attacks are kept to a minimum so the suspense is more psychological than relying on shock effects. That makes it all the more interesting.

Altogether this has more a feel of a classic sci fi series (like the original Star Trek) than anything else. The characters are on a limited space, they have to fulfill missions, they are tested.

The crew of actors couldn't be better. An all-stars cast such as this is a rare and wonderful thing. They complement each other so well. Jand Dong Yoon is a great natural talent and it's great to see how much effort he has made to learn the dog handling. Krystal, Park Yoon, Lee Hyun Hook and Moon Young Hee - we gradually learn about their characters and backgrounds in a very satisfying way.

I didn't want to pause watching the series, it had me hooked for the full 10 hours. That was the perfect lenght too. The slowly revealed plot was well written. The romance is present as a possibility, it's not really essential to the drama. This is a decision that leaves a lot of room for viewers' anticipation and imagination which is more satisfactory often than showing explicit romance and using breakups as the sole plot moving devices. (The last sentence is a reminder to myself to look for similar OCN dramas).

Read More

Sweet and lovely romance and suspense drama

This is really a sweet slow burn romance drama. But not too slow since we get to enjoy some of the couple's good times as well from early on which I really liked.

This is a rare drama in that it doesn't get boring or repetitive at any point. The main couple's romance is quite lovely despite not much actual chemistry being there.

Plot: The good thing is that there aren't many plotholes, the bad thing is episode 15 where there's a 2-year time flip. Would have been much better without that, bc it made me loose faith the in the couple.

Acting: The FL was good at start, but somehow resorted to "cute" childishness toward the end - when she should have been matured by all her experiences and difficulties. Kim Dong Wook is very sympathetic here like always, even if dryish :) But sympathetic-dryish is better than overdramatic or overacting :)

Overall: The (memory/no memory) plot sounds pretty crazy and is perhaps the reason I didn't choose to watch this earlier on. But it's not as central as the suspense plot, which is really good - not too suspenseful but good at keeping up the interest and well embedded in the overall story arch. The social message about the cruelty of the public towards celebrities and excessive interest in their private lives is very much on point. As we have recently witnesses similar things occurring, scandals based on mere lies and rumours and/or impossible moral demands and standards.

Read More

A nice drama to watch when you're just looking for a feel good but not silly drama

A heartwarming and feel good drama for us who don't dig much suspense or zombies. There are huge plot holes in this drama but it is still very likeable.

The best things are the intelligent dialogue, discussions about psychology, movies and books. The main leads are very likeable, and slowly overcoming their painful experiences as their relationship develops.

The murder plot is in key place in the beginning, but somehow mysteriously drops to the background in the second half. We are introduced to new characters in the latter half constantly, and their stories don't add anything to the drama. So many unnecessary characters that only have about 15 mins of screen time. And they key character played by Yoon Park doesn't get enough time so we're left guessing what he really was made of. Villains are brought to the picture, who have not been introduced to the viewer at all.

So, very lacking in plot development but you'll be won over by the MLs beautiful smile! So sympathetic. FL is a good actress without much chemistry (in this or other dramas).

Read More

Interesting premise ruined by sloppy writing

Frankly, I'm glad this is over and it definitely will not linger in my mind unlike more substantial dramas.

The dual personality problem promised psychological depth which in the end didn't get explored deeply enough. I was expecting a lot of character growth to take place but it didn't happen.

I enjoyed the first episodes but somewhere around ep 6 the plot went haywire, sidetracked from the main characters and got rather nonsensical tbh. What I liked most is PJH's acting (of course). Also liked the very strong FL lead: more of this type pls! Hwang Hee's acting in the last ep showed an amazing range of emotions. Hopefully his next role is not a villain role. The queen character was unlikeable all the way. The more a drama has purely unlikeable characters the less I tend to enjoy it. It would have been more interesting if Yeon Wol's warrior protectors (Wind Knife) had had a bigger role in the drama. Almost nothing was portrayed about their aims. What was shown came too late, in the last episodes.

The court scheming and politicking was boring. In a purely fictional drama, why give it such a big role. All in all, the psychology of Sajo Hyun / Ak Hee got only a superficial treatment. The damn shaman was a main character when a small support role would have sufficed. No offense to the actress who did great like she always does. 7/10

Read More

Breakfast at Tiffanys's inspired k-drama

Doona is a slice of life drama with a very carefully built slightly melancholic ambience. Fantastic acting from Suzy and Yang Se Jong. This reminded me of Age of Youth, which I like a lot. Especially the second couple. Maybe it was somewhat difficult to relax bc from the beginning it was kinda clear there would be no happy ending. But all the time I when I was watching I was getting Breakfast at Tiffanys vibes. There were definitely similarities, but that just made me appreciate this drama more. Especially Yang Se Jong's character was very similar to Breakfast at Tiffany's male lead, outsider-ish, ordinary and rooted. Suzy's character was unconventional and slighly unbalanced like Audrey Hepburn in BaT. Also, both were tied to a man from their pasts. I really enjoyed this a lot and I think the writer and director created a very good, unconventional k-drama. I'd give a Daesang for Suzy for her role. I know more trashy and popular dramas will get the awards make the headlines, but I guess that's okay, since this was just right for me.

Read More

Interesting drama special about crime psychology

The drama revolves a lot around the question of how to tell whether someone is lying or telling the truth. This makes it interesting and fresh. There's also a murder plot as the female leads mother has gone missing in her childhood and her father has been suspected of murder. The family theme is well intertwined with the crime psychology thread.

The father actor is particularly great. All in all this is a good and worthwhile drama to watch. It's not a gamechanging drama, but if like me you are tired of the whodunnit murder mysteries, the focus on psychology makes it different. It offers some food for thought, as the message is that not all lies and lying are necessarily bad. Sometimes lies are meant to avoid hurting other people unnecessarily. The drama has a very satisfactory ending leaving watchers with good feelings.

Read More

Quiet and slow drama which is perfect for book lovers

This drama is really different. The main character is the small town, in a sense.

There's a quietness and slowness and an overall ambience in this one, it's very controlled in an artistic sense. The drama uses a lot of season metaphors, and as a season it's definitely November with November feelings. Cinematography is beautiful. The drama is slow so I felt it was better to also watch slowly, some 15-20 mins a day. That way I could enjoy the townspeople interactions, and the range of characters. Lee Jae Wook's acting and character were particularly delighful.

What also was really likeable and fun, was the book club, with the old and young members mixing. And the bookshop as a setting, cosy and warm. In contrast FL's house and family were cold and icy.

The two main characters past and traumas were less interesting to me than the townspeople scenes. The drama wasn't really that romantic - I had expected more and the romance was kind of empty (purposefully and in line with the psychology and past of ML & FL characters but still something of a letdown). I didn't fully understand the main characters, especially the ML remained a mystery. This is because we get to learn about the main characters and the two families' past very slowly. The past comes to light mostly in the latter half.

So this takes a lot of patience and it's not for moments when we need entertainment or quick rewards. It's a perfect drama for book lovers and I definitely didn't waste my time putting an effort to watch such a different drama.

Read More

Lighthearted & entertaining ensemble drama for binge-watching

I wanted to watch this bc I love both Taecyeon and Hye Joon. But it was somehow very difficult to get going with this drama.- There's a lot of overacting, the pace is off in the first episodes, it felt rushed. Director does not hold the reins tightly enough. As for the first episodes, I felt I'm watching a "bush comedy" - something delivered by amateurs.

However, the drama gets better after some 6 episodes. We begin to see that's its basically an ensemble drama and not just leads with a supporting cast. The plot gets more streamlined and there's less of the cringeworthy humour. There are some interesting twists and turns. Bae Jong Ok as Joy's mother adds weight to the cast and the approach, she's such a great actress.

The ending is very satisfactory and we see this as much about Joy and her insistence on independence as the (mildish) romance. What I particularly enjoyed was how this was filmed mostly outdoors, it gave a welcome airiness (after-Covid) to the whole thing. Also liked the way the ensemble was ordinary folks respectfully portrayed, the palace people incl. king having smaller roles and not so respectfully treated. But I skipped a lot, this is basically for binge-watching.

Read More

A real pleasure to watch

Mr. Queen is ticklish-funny and a real pleasure to watch. I am debating myself whether it deserves a 9 or 8.5. (As if that mattered hahaha). The first 8 episodes were the best for me. After that, it turns into a more typical sageuk where palace politics takes over and it all becomes a bit of a snoozefest. I've watched too many sageuks to have any patience for palace politicking.

Shin Hye Sun is my absolutely fave actress, her ability to portray feelings is superb. She has a gracefulness and intelligence that shines through even when she's portraying a badass clumsy-ish guy. Unfortunately I watched the Red Sleeve before this, so I couldn't appreciate Kim Jung Hyun in the king role at all. Most of the time he looked like he was about to fall asleep. He was good in CLOY, but this went far above his acting abilities. But critics tend to praise non-acting aka having a straight emotionless face all through the drama. Bae Jong Ok: I just love her voice. She and Kim Tae Woo had quite boring roles though. Na In Woo was great as the second lead, his character was so well written. Some of the other characters like court lady Choi were absolutely delicious and/or the butter on the bread (the King's friends). Some of the comic characters were just fillers, not very funny or interesting.

This would have benefited from being shorter. Although I do appreciate the humour, there are so many kdramas deserving a higher rating, therefore, 8.5.

One thing that was sheer torture here was the music. Why they chose to pick this style instead of a more contemporary one, I don't understand. Had to be muting the volume all the time.

Read More

The first episodes with Go Jun were quite electric, thanks to Go Jun's next level chararisma. Also from the start, the scenes where Hye Ran was endlessly being hit in the head with the glass ceiling were painfully realistic (am fond of painfully realistic).

The series went downhill and got quite boring with the crime and court and political corruption storylines taking foreground in the middle part. It took me ages to finish this. But the last 3 episodes were again quite good.

Hye Ran was an ambivalent character, she never got treated justly, and still fought and concentrated on her values as a journalist. I was left thinking, that the series overall seemed to see it right for her to be punished for her career focus and ambition in a men ruled world. Anyway, the husband was quite a lame character in comparison.

How Kevin Lee and his wife both played disastrous mind games with people, out of their own petty grudges, could have been foregrounded more in comparison to the politics and media themes. But all in way, I'm glad I didn't drop this although my rating went from 8.5 during the first episodes to finish with 7.5.

Read More