The Hong Sisters Are Back…

The Hong Sisters have produced wide scope of dramas over the years with respectfully mixed results . Enter ‘Alchemy Of Souls’: The Hong Sisters’ latest fantasy creation and arguably one of their most ambitious works yet.

In the series, main heroine Naksu (Go Yoon-jung-‘ Sweet Home’, ‘ Law School’ and ‘ Moving’) is a fearless and sword-wielding assassin. She lives in Daeho; a magical land where sorcerers have extraordinary abilities and powers. Yet despite the beauty of different types of magic, there is still one major taboo in Daeho: soul transfiguration. ( The act of displacing one soul into another body.) Caught between a rock and a hard place, the ruthless and instinct-driven female lead is forced to partake in this soul shifting process in order to save her own skin. She finds herself in the body of peasant girl Mu-Deok (Jung So-min- Playful Kiss’, ‘ Because This Is My First Life’ and ‘ Monthly Magazine’).

Meanwhile unbeknownst to the female lead , her destiny is about to change even more when she winds up striking an unconventional alliance with Jang Uk ( Lee Jae Wok- ‘ Search: WWW’, ‘ Extraordinary You’ and ‘ Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’), the notorious son of the prestigious and magical Jang family. Jang Uk has his own personal reasons for striking an unusual contract with Naksu. However, thanks to their new relations, they will soon discover that their bond will greatly alter their own destinies for better or for worse.

As mentioned previously, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is arguably one of the Hong Sisters’ most ambitious works yet. While the series has admittedly received mixed-reception by some for its format, it is filled to the brim with the duo’s creative and imaginative world-building in a manner that will likely remind some of their previous hit-drama ‘ Hotel Del Luna’. However while ‘ Hotel Del Luna’ seemed to heavily lean into the genres of dark fantasy and melodrama, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is predominantly focused on its action fight scenes and the conflicts surrounding its setting and the lives of its characters. The series certainly does lean into heavier scenes ( especially with regards to the magical lore of Daeho ) but a lot of these more “morbid” or “disturbing” moments often came through the ambivalent moral choices and decisions of the drama’s characters. ( At the end of the day, the jarring decisions made by humans.)

However on a slightly lighter note, it is fair to say that ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is fuelled on pure fantasy. The world-building of the series is detailed at times and filled with a lot of fascinating beauty also. On the other hand despite the creativity evidently present in the Hong Sisters’ drama, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ does admittedly hit a few ruts when it came to execution.

Some of the forms of magic tackled in the Hong Sisters’ drama are certainly impressive. However while the presence of magic in ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ was often detailed, there were moments in the narrative where viewers were expected to “ just know” things without a lot of further clarification or information provided. In addition to this, there is also the prominent issue with the patchy lore of ‘ Alchemy of Souls’ in different parts of the narrative. ( Such as the hierarchies of magical families, the out-rankings of certain magical abilities and exactly why certain noble families are able to get away with literal murder while others accused of killing individuals are subjected to literal witch hunts.)

The Hong Sisters’ drama is what many would probably define as an eclectic mixing pot of genres. There are noticeable elements of action-fantasy but surprisingly romance and comedy at times also. This variety of genres will likely offer viewers with a wide range of different moods and tones in different episodes. However despite the continuous strain of creativity in ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’, it is hard to not bring up one of the drama’s more tiresome issues; the tropes. Of course, the induction of cliches into K-dramas isn’t always a bad thing per say.

However, it did seem slightly surprising that even for well-established writers such as the Hong Sisters, there wasn’t a lot of originality or creativity put into these tropes. Instead enforced cliches such as the love triangle, the strong and cold heroine, the snarky male lead, a troubled past lover and some questionable comic relief wormed its way noticeably into ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ with some varying and mixed results.

Lore and genres aside, there is also the crucial discussion surrounding the characters of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’. The Hong Sisters seemed to have attempted a ‘Game of Thrones’-style approach with introducing a consortium of different characters (often with dubious morality) in a short space of time. This approach is not always terrible from a writing perspective and certainly did allow viewers to be introduced to some intriguing players in the narrative such as Yoo Jun Sang ( Park Jin), head of the mysterious group Songnim, Go Won ( Shin Seung Ho), the crown prince and potential future king of Daeho and Jin Cho Yeon ( Arin) , the youngest daughter of the Jin Family. However while some of these characters were well-tackled and intriguing in their own right, the lack of opportunities to flesh-out some of these characters did become noticeable as the season progressed.

Main heroine Naksu ( alternatively known as Mu-Deok in the body of the peasant girl) is played by two different actresses; Go Yoon Jung and Jung So-Min. Both actresses delivered fairly consistent dual performances as the main female lead. Admittedly main actress Jung So Min could feel a little flat with her line deliverances at times but this wasn’t entirely the fault of the actress per say.

As a written character, Naksu is a bit of a tough nut for viewers to crack. The Hong Sisters establish early on to viewers that she is a strong, fearless and powerful female assassin. Even in her newfound predicament in the weakened body of Mu-Deok, she takes advantage of her situation by allowing others to underestimate her abilities and seek revenge on those who have wronged her. ( For reasons which are roughly outlined in later episodes.)However in terms of being a likeable heroine who viewers can actually root for, Naksu will likely either be loved or hated by viewers of equal measure .

Of course, the Hong Sisters have attempted to offer sympathy for Naksu to viewers. As the season progresses into later episodes, the writing duo present the fact that Naksu is motivated for particular reasons and motives as well as her unconventional relationship with Jang-Uk.However, writing a strong character(especially a heroine) can often lead to writers falling into the trap of making their characters feel somewhat overly “invincible” or “overpowered” rather than human with actual flaws and issues. Of course, the Hong Sisters have arguably attempted to show this by certain vulnerabilities for Naksu but often this was approached in a way of a “ challenge” for the female lead in order to overcome. Rarely was this shown as an actual problem or flaw that truly allowed her to flourish and grow as a main character.

Costarring alongside the main female leads, there is also the actor of main male lead Jang Uk, Lee Jae Wook. Jae Wook is likely familiar for most viewers for his stoic potential love interest roles in romance dramas. Similarly in ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’, the actor is typecast somewhat again in the series as Jang Uk ; a brooding and deadpan character that viewers will ( similar to Naksu) either love or hate. Of course it is wrong to make out that Jang Uk is a purely despicable character. Similar to the show’s heroine, Naksu, the male lead has his own motives, his own complex backstory and is shown to be an intellectual than allowed him to be fairly interesting in his own right.

In addition to this , there were certainly moments regarding the main male lead’s backstory that were given a dedicated amount of coverage by the drama’s writers also. However, it could sometimes feel as though that Jang Uk’s dominating traits of arrogance and haughtiness were often mistakingly justified by the Hong Sisters as a “result of his situation” rather than simply being explained and used as a stage of further character development. (Often this resulted in some of Jang Uk’s actions feeling frustratingly repetitive or justified even when there was a necessity for them to be called out otherwise.)

Naturally, it is hard not to discuss the main leads without bringing up their oddball relationship over the course of the season. The Hong Sisters play upon the old trope of the cohabitation drama with the “ master and servant” roles being unconventionally swapped throughout between Jang Uk and Naksu ( in the body of Mu-Deok). This unusual relationship dynamic was certainly compelling for viewers and did allow for the slow-burn romance to satisfyingly thrive in this written relationship setup.

Although often entertaining and certainly generating a few laughs with their comical antics, it could grow a little repetitive at times to see their relationship going from one or two extremes without a lot of middle ground between either being serious or overly jokey . This became especially noticeable when it was placed against the somewhat convoluted induction of the “ love triangle”; a trope that while not overly dominant in the major storyline events of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’, did play a role beyond its necessary requirements.

As for the narrative structure, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is approached in different layers by the Hong Sisters. In early episodes of the series, the writing duo used their time wisely to establish some of the main narrative events, while later episodes heavily dived into further execution and progression. On the other hand while this is certainly not an unusual writing decision in K-dramas, it did often make the series feel somewhat somewhat slow-paced in parts. As a result of this writing decision, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ often felt as though parts of the events surrounding subplot and even some moments of the major storyline weren’t as well-rounded as they should’ve been. However, the Hong Sisters did deliver a thrilling season finale that will likely surprise and intrigue viewers with its ending note .

The stylistic approach of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is admittedly where things become a little more rocky. Under director Park Joon Hwa ( ‘ Bring It On, Ghost’, ‘ What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?’ and ‘ Touch Your Heart’), the series did present a gorgeous array of sleek and gorgeous scenes and palette schemes. However, it is likely that the opinions of viewers will remain somewhat divided by the heavy reliance on CGI over the course of the series. ( Especially with regards to the quality of green screen scenes not always matching up with the desired intentions of the Hong Sisters’ vision.)

In addition to this, there is also the slight nuanced issue surrounding the more stark modern presentations of certain characters with dyed hair and modern-takes on historical outfit designs. Although this is a fictional work and can maybe be excused on some grounds with an artistic licence, it was sometimes hard as a viewer to really immerse yourself in a historical fantasy world when certain actors had their hair dyed in an obviously modern manner.

Nevertheless despite some liberties being taken with the outfit designs, they were certainly impressive outfit decisions taken by the costume department onscreen. The shades of silk and materials used were often vividly bright in the show’s lighting ; often seeming ethereal on the frames of the actors as they were adorned in bright shades of peacock blue, marigold and deep vermillion and certainly helping to embody the magical element of the show.

Aside from the stylistic approach of ‘ Alchemy of Souls’, the OST was mainly composed of schmaltzy ballads. Certainly some of these songs were more memorable than others such as “ Scars Leave Beautiful Trace” ( 상처는 아름다운 흔적이 되어) by Car, the Garden and "Breath" (숨결) by Kim Na Young.

‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is an ambitious fantasy epic by the Hong Sisters. It is imaginative and filled with some intriguing world-building, characters and a fairly enthralling plot objective that will keep viewers intrigued. In addition to the writing of the show, Director Hwa’s varied palette schemes and lighting choices help to truly bring the series to life in a magical manner. On the other hand, the writing duo’s project is not flawless. The CGI is varied from scene to scene while the characters of the series and the events of the narrative felt somewhat overly niche and rushed at times. Nevertheless with a potential sequel in the works and a certain possibility to fix some of these weaker writing moments, season one of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is certainly a satisfying appetiser for any fantasy lover.

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A Scam Artist, A Detective and An Ever-growing Train Wreck Walk Into ‘Café Minamdang’…

On reflection, ‘Café Minamdang’ had a lot of potential to be a good series . Its plot, setup and casting choices seemed to suggest that it was going to be somewhat avant-garde but enjoyable as well as creating potential for some likeable characters along the way for audiences also. However, there are times where reality can be very disappointing. Sadly the eighteen -episode KBS2- Netflix series rarely hit the mark and instead created a show with some very mixed results for the audience.

As suggested previously, this isn’t to say that the concept of the show was bad from the outset. It is important to acknowledge that the screenplay was adapted from “ Minamdang: Case Note”; a fairly successful novel by writer Jung Jae-ha. In charge of adapting Jung’s novel to the small screen were Screenwriter Park Hye Jin and Director Go Jae Hyun. ( Viewers will likely know these familiar names from productions such as ‘ The Emperor: Owner Of The Mask’ , ‘Smoking Gun’, as well as ‘ Black’ and ‘ Dinner Mate’ respectively.)

The narrative of the series predominantly focuses upon scam-artist and former-criminal profiler, Nam Han-joon (Seo In-Guk- ‘Reply 1997’, ‘ High School King Of Savvy’ and ‘ Doom At Your Service’). Pretending to be a shaman at his main base of operation, Café Minamdang, Han-Joon’s talents for decoding body language and micro -expressions has given him the ability to swindle people out of pocket easily and without causing suspicion. Especially thanks to the expertise of his little sister and hacker Nam Hye-joon (Kang Mi-Na- ‘ Dokgo Rewind’, ‘ Hotel del Luna’ and ‘ Moonshine’).

However after snooping around in a hit-and-run incident involving the husband of one of his clients, Han-Joon becomes acquainted with Detective Han Jae-Hee (Oh Yeon-Seo- ‘ My Husband Got A Family’, ‘ Love With Flaws’ and ‘ Mad For Each Other’). Developing a small crush on the investigator, Nam Han-Joon begins to play a cat-and-mouse game with Han-Jae-Hee, leading to many unforeseen consequences for both the detective and the scam -artist .

A lot of viewers have understandably remained divided with one major component of ‘ Café Minamdang’ among many others; its tone and mood. Of course, it isn’t unusual for a show to want to offer leverage between tense and melodramatic moments with more lighthearted or easygoing scenes. However what was noticeable for audiences with regards to Park Hye Jin’s writing, came through some of these underlying moods feelings overly inappropriate at times. To explain this in more depth, ‘ Café Minamdang’ did have its darker and tense moments which while exciting were often heavily overshadowed by strained attempts to offer " comic relief"; even when discussing serious or grave matters or when it didn’t always feel necessary to a moment of scene. However while while forms of comic relief can sometimes work well in this scenario, ‘ Café Minamdang’ often heavily relied on a physical and wacky form of comedy ; commonly found in Korean dramas and productions. Naturally, it isn’t necessarily that this comic relief was bad per say. However, it never seemed to truly flow well against some of the subject matters tackled.

As for the acting and casting choices of the series, Seo-In-Guk’s performance as the main lead is fairly solid here. Although it is fair to say that his onscreen character will either be loved or hated by viewers of equal measure .
Nam Han-Joon was an interesting male lead in his own right. scam artist with a particularly unconventional method of scamming people out of pocket, the male lead had a lot of intriguing elements to his character from the outset. However, where writing issues did become noticeable can often be said to be found through his overall character-arc.

Throughout the course of ‘ Café Minamdang’, there were few and far moments between where viewers truly got to see Nam Han Joon be held accountable for his self-absorbed personality or feel conflicted with his past and current actions. Later episodes admittedly did offer some justification for his current-self and vulnerabilities through his backstory but even then this often somewhat rough around the edges. Instead, a lot of the male lead’s personality traits were often played out for laughs and were rarely interspersed with opportunities for viewers to understand a lot more about Han-Joon.

Similarly, Oh Yeon Seo delivered a decent performance as Seo In Guk’s onscreen counterpart and female lead Han Jae-Hee. Oh Yeon Seo’s performance is admittedly a little wooden at times but this wasn’t entirely the fault of the actress per say. Instead a lot of the blame can probably be put on the writing decisions for the female lead.

Similar to male lead Nam Han-Joon, Han Jae-Hee had a lot of potential to be an intriguing character in her own right. ( Especially as someone involved in a particularly astute field of work such as crime investigation and the male lead’s initial advisory.) However, instead of the female lead having her own moments in the spotlight to be explored as a complex character with her own motivations and flaws, Jae-Hee was often subjugated to the role of being overly fractious, whiney and frivolous character; rarely changing, being explored beyond her surface level or being developed even into later episodes of the series.

In addition to the main characters of ‘ Café Minamdang’, it’s hard not to acknowledge some of the reoccurring side character also. In particular, there should be a special shout-out given to actress Kang Mi-Na. Although her onscreen persona was rarely given her moments to shine in later episodes, the actress delivered a surprisingly charming and lively edge to Nam Hye-Joon.

Acting aside, it is hard to forget one of the show’s most bizarre elements; the superhuman-like abilities of some of the main characters, especially in early episodes of the series. Admittedly, ‘ Café Minamdang’ was never truly aiming for hyper-realism with its setup and premise. However it still seemed inexplicable in a mystery-comedy series to see some of its main characters being able to suddenly run at breakneck speeds and scale buildings without any hassle. Perhaps the show was aiming to play this off for some parodical moments but instead, this often led to some slightly head scratching moments without enough context being given.

One of the major points of intrigue for ‘ Café Minamdang’ came through its crucial plot point of the “cat-and-mouse game” between detective and scam artist. Although there were moments which could be fairly entertaining, it still often seemed that the screenplay’s attempts to build up this “ hype” took a lot longer than expected. While the first few episodes of ‘ Café Minamdang’ did require for some necessary spoon-feeding for viewers towards establishing the identity of main characters as well as the main plot-arc, the tedious duration of episodes at times in addition to some unnecessary plot points could’ve been avoided with harsher writing decisions and editing. ( For example rather than attempting to pad out episodes with a surplus amount of comic relief or unnecessary subplots, the series could’ve used the time in-between to develop characters, intensify the mystery element of the storyline and heighten relationships between characters as well as using these writing points, as a tool for improving the continuity of the narrative in later episodes.) As a result, the final part of the series felt somewhat underdeveloped and lacked a satisfactory feeling of completion for many viewers.

Stylistically and under the directing leadership of Go Jae Hyun, ‘ Café Minamdang’ was fairly conventional for a Korean drama. The quality of filming was decent enough and while there were certainly a few nice moments of cinematography ( especially with contrasting palette schemes such as with natural and vivid hues ) , perhaps it is fair to say that there were was nothing particularly standout with regards to the stylistic approach either. (Perhaps it didn’t help that even for the slightly theatrical and fabricated worlds of K-dramas, the settings and set designs for ‘ Café Minamdang’ felt a bit counterfeit as they rarely felt "lived-in" by the characters.)

Certainly one of the few major and surprising highlights of the series came through its OST. ‘ Café Minamdang’ offered viewers with a surprising array of genres from the surprisingly catchy rap track “ Ghost Buster” by Jo Gwang-il and the beguiling alternative pop song “ Stay Awake” by Nam Young-joo though there were some tracks on the OST which were a little unremarkable also.

‘ Café Minamdang’ started off on a potential high note with an intriguing setup, an impressive cast and characters. Seo In Guk and Kang Mi Na delivered fairly consistent performances but even they couldn’t save the series from crashing and burning as it ran its course. Despite a talented cast and some entertaining moments here and there, ‘ Cafe Minamdang’ felt greatly overshadowed by its flaws ( especially narrative execution and character writing) rather than its strengths.

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The Beauty Of ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’…

“My name is Woo Young-woo, as in flower and luck. It means a lucky charm as pretty as flowers. But perhaps Young-woo as in clever and foolish would’ve been a better fit. Woo Young-woo, who remembers every single book she’s read since birth but can’t even go through a revolving door. Clever and foolish Woo Young-woo.” - Woo Young Woo ( Park Eun Bin).

Legal romance drama ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ attempted to make some big steps in the world of procedural dramas with a positive representation of autism and some complicated legal cases. However while the sixteen-episode series certainly soared far and high with its subject, plot and acting performances, it certainly had a few issues along the way also.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is mainly focused upon upcoming law attorney Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin- ‘ Operation Proposal’, ‘ Do You Like Brahms?’ and ‘ The King’s Affection’) at Hanbada Law Firm. An intelligent and top-achieving law graduate from Seoul National University, Young Woo finds it hard to navigate her way through social and emotional situations due to being on the autism spectrum. Struggling with earning respect from those in the law profession as well as clients, Young Woo’s journey to make it to the top is far from easy or straightforward. However, with the surprising support and camaraderie of fellow coworker and young lawyer Lee Joon Ho ( Kang Tae-oh- ‘ My First First Love’, ‘ Doom At Your Service’ and ‘ Run On), Young-Woo is determined to continue persevering and to overcome social prejudices.

Probably best known for ‘ Innocent Witness’, screenwriter Moon Ji Won is likely not a familiar name for many K-drama watchers. Nevertheless, there is a lot to talk about when it comes to Ji Won’s writing decisions as well as subject matters. At heart, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a fairly lighthearted watch. Of course, this isn’t to say the series isn’t afraid to delve into some deeper issues. (Screenwriter Ji Won was fairly open about addressing topics such as stigmatisation, assault and crime to name just a few.) However , it is important to acknowledge that ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ doesn’t expect or require viewers to have in-depth knowledge about everything addressed. Instead, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a procedural drama with a big heart and attempted to remain fairly accessible to a wide audience .

It is infectiously feel good ( if not a little tiresomely at times),comical as well as surprisingly touching with its open address of real-life issues.Nevertheless, the show does admittedly run into trouble in a few moments with accurate depiction and has divided some viewers over its “factual” representation. ( Especially with regards to the portrayal of autism throughout the course of the series.)

Delving into ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ would not be complete without talking about the title namesake and main female lead, Woo Young-Woo. Played brilliantly by actress Park Eun Bin, Woo Young-Woo is a character who could’ve easily gone of one of two ways. Young-Woo is shown to be a quirky individual. She has a complete obsession and fascination with aquatic mammals ( especially whales) and has a meticulous routine with the order of things in her bedroom, as well as partaking in eating her father Woo Gwang-ho (Jeon Bae-su)’s carefully prepared kimbap on a fairly daily basis. However as the plot premise would suggest with Young Woo’s new profession, one of the female lead’s major growth points comes through having to acknowledge that real-life can rarely be so structured.

The motif of whales in the opening and ending credits, their symbolism on objects as well as passing dialogue at times by Young-Woo can often be said to wonderfully coincide with Young Woo’s character growth and journey. ( Whales are symbols of extraordinariness, strength as well as change; traits that perfectly epitomised Young-Woo’s personal journey .)

Additionally, there were moments in ‘ Extraordinary Young Woo’ which could feel a little frustrating with little frustrating to see Young Woo having taken one step forwards and one step back at times. Although in retrospect, it did help to add a touch of realism to Young Woo’s personal struggles. ( One of the most heart-wrenching moments of the series occurred when Ji-Woo openly spoke out about social stigmas held against those with autism; “ Even now, hundreds of people click the like button on a comment that says, ‘It is a national loss if a medical student dies, and an autistic person lives.’ That is the weight of this disability that we bear.” ) As mentioned previously, her autism is admittedly a topic of debate for a lot of viewers with regards to its accuracy but regardless of opinion, it seemed as though Moon Ji Won’s depiction of an autistic and successful female lead was well-intentioned.

Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding her surprising ally and coworker Lee Joon Ho, played fairly consistently by actor Kang Tae Oh. Lee Joon Ho is what many viewers would define as the “ nice guy” archetype; sweet and a good person to have in the female lead’s corner as well as a potential love interest for the writing of the show but a little staid at times also.Of course, this is certainly not a bad writing decision per say. He was fairly supportive, kindhearted, had his own struggles at times as well as remaining non-judgemental when it came to first meeting Young Woo and learning of her autism, instead valuing personhood rather than her disability. ( “I want to be on the same side as you, Attorney Woo. I want an attorney like you to be on my side.”)

However considering Joon Ho’s relevance in the storyline as well as the focus on empathy throughout the series , it felt odd that the narrative didn’t delve slightly deeper into some of these writing traits. Aside from that, his potential romantic relationship with Young Woo was admittedly a subject of debate for a lot of viewers. Although some saw this as a positive and healthy relationship as well as a good message put across for autistic characters to have love interests, others have noted that the potential relationship seemed a little enforced and took away somewhat from the initial camaraderie between the main leads.

In addition to the main leads, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ boasts an eclectic group of side characters also. Woo Gwang-ho, played by Jeon Bae-su, was a surprisingly heartwarming side character as Young Woo’s single father, senior attorney at Hanbada, Jung Myung-seok ( Kang Ki Young) was Young Woo’s stern boss and mentor, Choi Su-yeon ( Ha Yoon-kyung), played the role as the female lead’s coworker and her former classmate at law school, Han Seon-young ( Baek Ji Won) was the CEO of Hanbada law firm and her father’s old friend from university, Kwon Min-soo ( Joo Jong-hyuk), Young Woo’s peer at work, and Dong Geu-ra-mi ( Joo Hyun-young), Woo Young’s close friend and associate.

The narrative of the series unsurprisingly takes an episodic format; a situation or dilemma case is presented to the characters and the audience, Young Woo’s approach or reaction to a situation is often seen as unconventional or comes under scrutiny by those around her, Young Woo is forced to work hard to prove her approach is okay, and then she is forced to confront or resolve the issue or dilemma of the episode, often resulting in a bittersweet outcome or a surprising turn of events.

Perhaps the one problem with the narrative structure came through feeling a little predictable and repetitive at times. Early episodes rarely fell into this trap but later episodes did noticeably begin to heavily rely on niche tropes which while having the possibility to be intriguing in the frame of ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’, were often slightly niche. ( Cliches such as the “ traumatic backstory”, an “ envious antagonist” and the “ enemies to lovers” being noticeable in particular.)

Stylistically under the directing reigns of Yoo In Shik, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ was a fairly slick and glossy production. The palette scheme was multifaceted; ranging and varying from scene to scene and heavily dependent on changing mood, tone and atmosphere. Although this was a fairly standard approach, it certainly did often help to animate scenes to life for viewers. (Standout examples include the ever-changing neutrals of the law firm feeling warm or harsh, the friendly and comforting tones of Young Woo’s family home and the use of rain, sunshine or nighttime background to reflect the feelings and emotions of the characters.)

The comprised OST for ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ was typically upbeat and lighthearted. A few of these tracks often bordered on being overly chirpy while others were bittersweet and serenading. Admittedly there were a few songs throughout the sounds track which did feel a little indistinguishable from one another but this was also dependent on personal taste. However, there were some songs such as Beyond My Dreams" (상상) by Sunwoojunga and “Tuning In To You" (기울이면) by Wonstein which did stand out.

‘ My Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a procedural series filled to the brim with heartfelt moments and empathy. Naturally the series did have its ups and downs ( especially in the latter part of the drama), but the main cast were fairly consistent throughout with their onscreen acting . (Especially actress Park Eun Bin). Overall, a fairly good watch though a little rough around the edges.

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Nanba MG5; A Surprisingly Heartwarming Drama…

Adapted from the eponymous manga and its sequel ‘ Nanba Deadend’ by mangaka Toshio Ozawa, the 10-episode Fuji TV series ( sans the specials) ‘ Nanba Mg5’ is a nostalgic love letter to the bygone eras of delinquent school mangas and action heroes.

Although the series could often possess an overinflated element of cheesiness with its one-liners, the inner-monologues of the Nanba family’s dog ( voiced by Tsuda Kenjiro) and its fight scenes at times, ‘ Nanba Mg5’ was surprisingly heartfelt and sincere at times with its tales camaraderie and family as well as the unlikely discoveries and challenges faced for main lead Nanba Tsuyoshi (Shotaro Mamiya).

For those unfamiliar with the setup of the series, the narrative of ‘ Nanba Mg5’ is mainly focused upon male lead Nanba Tsuyoshi. Nanba is lucky enough to be able to get into a fairly good educational institution with his exam grades , Shirayuri High School. However, there is a catch; Tsuyoshi’s family are loud, proud and brazen delinquents.

Determined for Tsuyoshi to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Takeshi ( Shinnosuke Mitsushima) by defeating and conquering different regions of Tokyo and Japan, Tsuyoshi is forced to hide his attendance at Shirayuri from his parents ( Ukaji Takeshi and Suzuki Sarina), his brother and his younger sister Ginko ( Nanoka Hara) by pretending to attend the delinquent school next door.

In addition to hiding his place at the school from his family, Tsuyoshi is forced to hide his delinquent background from his classmates and peers, especially from his crush Fujita Mayuki ( Morikawa Aoi). However as Tsuyoshi is caught between two worlds, he is soon faced with unlikely friendships and alliances such as with delinquents Daimaru Daisuke ( Morimoto Shintaro) and Godai Naoki ( Kamio Fuju) as well as new obstacles and dilemmas that may just threaten to expose his dual identity.

‘Nanba MG5’ was adapted to the small screen by director Katsuyuki Motohiro. Known for his involvement with the popular anime series ‘ Psycho Pass’, as well as ‘ Bayside Shakedown’ series and ‘ Stranger’, it is fair to say that Motohiro’s style of fast-paced action, angsty moments and heartfelt character growth was fairly well-suited for the adapted screenplay ‘ Nanba MG5’.

Noticeably in comparison to some of his previously mentioned titles, ‘ Nanba MG5’ was heavily interlaced with lighthearted comedy and comic relief. While this certainly helped to balance out some surprisingly violent fight scenes and darker moments of the series by offering moments of easygoing respite, it wasn’t without its problems at times either. The comedy was fairly tongue-in-cheek at times, with one of the show’s running gags being the inner-monologues of the Nanba’s family dog Matsu ( as previously mentioned voiced by Kenjiro), the coarse vernacular used by the delinquents of the show as well as Tsuyoshi’s “ Yankee” past and background occasionally being exposed or misunderstood by those around him.

Although for the most part the comical elements of the show were fairly funny, there were times in the series where comical one-liners and Matsu’s monologues could feel somewhat out of place or enforced after a particularly serious moment or exchange. This is not to say that these elements of the show shouldn’t have exited at all but there were certainly parts of the show which could’ve toned these elements down without making parts of the comic relief in ‘ Nanba MG5’ feel so constrained.

The next big part of the series to talk about is the acting. ‘ Nanba MG5’ was admittedly a slight mixed-bag when it came down to acting performances. Although the main cast really helped to animiate their onscreen personas to life with main actor Shotaro Mamiya and supporting actors Nanoka Hara, Shinnosuke Mitsushima and Morikawa Aoi offering consistent performances alongside others, there were moments in ‘ Nanba MG5’ where the acting could feel somewhat contrived by line deliverances.

Admittedly this is not entirely the fault of the cast. Although ‘ Nanba MG5’ was often purposefully hyperbolic and over-the-top with its written dialogue as well as surprisingly direct during sincere moments, the dialogue could sometimes suffer a little as a result of being a little wooden during key moments.

Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding the plot and the trajectory taken by director Katsuyuki Motohiro. Considering the time limit as well as the amount of source material that the writing team would have to get through in a short space of time, the series’ narrative was unsurprisingly cutthroat.

However aside from from evident updates of technology and expressions to prevent the series from feeling alienated amongst its current era, fans of the manga series will likely acknowledge that the narrative is surprisingly faithful to the original manga. ( Although some fans may be surprised to see that some key characters or moments from later chapters in both mangas were cut out in order to make way for the climax and changed somewhat in the drama.)

In terms of narrative build, ‘ Nanba MG5’ could feel somewhat approached in the style of narrative stages.This isn’t an entirely bad thing per say. It allowed the audience to see Nanba’s journey, his passions towards art, his family and peers grow as well as his later struggles and challenges along the way. On the other hand as a result of the series attempting to stage Nanba’s dilemma in the latter half with his identity, it often felt that a lot of key interactions and elements of character growth were quickly dismissed or not fully fleshed out. ( As seen with Nanba’s relationship with crush Fujita. Although Fujita certainly had some serious moments of character redemption in comparison to some of her past actions, the hinted feelings between both characters was a little rushed by the ending. Similarly, Nanba’s dreams to chase art, Godai’s relationship with his mother, Daisuke’s hinted feelings for his old classmate and Takeshi’s redemption arc which were hinted at during various moments of the series and were covered slightly more in the manga, often felt a little disregarded and underdeveloped by the ending.)

Although it is wrong to entirely pass condemnation on the series’ rushed parts with the potential special episode ‘ Nanba MG5: Zenkai Baribaride Arigato-hen’ helping to smooth out the aftermath of events for Nanba and his associates, it did feel somewhat noticeable at times that these characters and storyline events were sometimes put on the sidelines. ( Especially by the ending of the series.)

The stylistic approach to ‘ Nanba MG5’ was fairly simplistic with close-ups and long-distance shots for the most. Of course, the show occasionally dabbed with minimal bright and dreary palettes in order to express mood and tone but its main highlight undeniably came through it opening and closing credits. In order to encapsulate the crazy and unconventional world of Nanba and his situation, the opening and closing scenes would often burst to life with the main characters being caricatured into cartoon sketches in between footage moments of the series. It was a certainly a fun approach to the series although it did feel as though ‘ Nanba MG5’ could’ve benefited at times from having that bubbly and imaginative approach to filming and editing throughout some of its main episodes also.

The OST of the series is a fairly bright and upbeat mixture of vocals and instrumentals. Although certain tracks certainly remained more memorable than others, the main theme song alongside compositions such as ‘ KENKA JOUTOU-KAKATTEKOIYA’ and ‘ SUSPICION-GIWAKU’ were particularly catchy at times alongside others.

‘ Nanba MG5’ could sometimes struggle somewhat with its rushed writing and line deliverances but there was something surprisingly sincere and wildly fun about the series. Despite risking feeling out of place with its subject area and themes at times, ‘ Nanba MG5’ was surprisingly relatable with its themes of school pressure, identity, family and prejudice, as well as still being able to feel like a nostalgic love letter to the delinquent mangas and shows of the past. Although slightly rough around the edges, ‘ Nanba MG5’ is a fun, heartfelt and an entertaining series which is perfect for those looking for something easygoing and heartfelt to watch. Overall, a fairly fun watch.

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‘Tomorrow’; Death Meets Satire In Rowoon’s Latest Fantasy Series…

Mortality is never an easy subject to tackle in dramas.  Based upon the eponymous webcomic (‘ 내일’) by Llama, fantasy series ‘Tomorrow’ decided to bring forth the topic of death in a powerful smorgasbord of social issues and topics. Instead of reimbursing the old cliché of grim reapers being harbingers of doom and death, ‘Tomorrow’ rebrands its morbid psychopomps as fashionably suave members of the Crisis Management Team, attempting to save certain unfortunate souls from suicide.

The series focuses upon an alumnus from a prestigious university, Choi Jun-Woong (SF9’s Rowoon-‘Extraordinary You’, ‘She Would Never Know’ and ‘ The King’s Affection’).  Struggling to land himself on the job market, Jun-Woong’s life is changed forever when he ends up encountering angels of death Goo-Ryeon (Kim Hee-sun-‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Angry Mom’ and ‘ Alice’) and Lim Rung-Gu (Yoon Ji-on-‘Dear My Room’, ‘Be Melodramatic’ and ‘Jirisan’ ). 
 
Waking up outside of his corporal body after an accident, Jun-Woong discovers that he has been physically rendered in a comatose state. He  is given the choice by Director, Jade Hwang (Kim Hae-sook- ‘Precious Family’, ‘My Father Is Strange’ and ‘Inspector Koo’): he can choose to be trapped in his unresponsive body for three years, or he can work with them in a ‘’half- dead’’ state, reducing his comatose state to six months and then landing any job he wants after he wakes up.

Woong is assigned to the Crisis Management Team alongside Goo-Ryeon and(, by default of being her protégé,) Rung-Gu. As the unlikely trio attempt to work together as a team, Jun-woong soon discovers that his new position is far from being a walk in the park.

Adapted to the small screen by novice screenwriters Park Ran, Park Ja Kyung and Kim Yu Jin, ‘Tomorrow’ places heavy emphasis upon prominent social messages and themes.( Including sensitive issues such as suicide, the trauma of war, inequality,  bullying, the  generational trauma of South-Korean comfort women, depression, peer pressure and eating disorders.)

Without a doubt, ‘Tomorrow’ is a varied accumulation of satire, provocative angst and mirthful wit. Although the series was often tactful within its approach to various subject areas and themes (in particular helping to offer light-hearted respite in-between heavy-hearted points of the narrative), the screenplay could admittedly feel somewhat out of place at times with its attempts to balance between hard-hitting messages and comic relief.
 
Of course this is not necessarily to say that the comedy shouldn’t have existed at times. Certain issues tackled in ‘Tomorrow’ were certainly supposed to be heavy-hitting and the requirement for an interim of  slapstick  comedy or comical exchanges was certainly necessary. (In particular, this was shown at times by Park Ran, Park Ja-Kyung and Kim Yu Jin being  able to strike a surprisingly harmonious balance for most of the series through the kaleidoscopic array of themes and contrasting tones for their audience.)

However despite certain commendation certainly having to be given to the trio of screenwriters for their consistently provocative themes and tones, ‘Tomorrow’ could sometimes feel as though it disengaged between its plot and themes. To explain this further it is important to reiterate that comic relief was often quintessential within the screenplay in order to offer respite from darker themes and subject areas.

On the other hand, it did become noticeable at times that the series would often fall victim to divulging deeply into comic exchanges. This would often divert attention away from building-up the narrative events and characters, or alternatively struggling with the opposite problem by failing to allow a necessary brake or moment of light-hearted respite for audiences to grapple with events or characters. ( This seemed to flare at times later in the show in episodes such as ‘’Someday, Because Of You’’. Although the episode tackled a heartfelt subject area and was surprisingly bittersweet , it often felt as though the prominent meanings behind the messages in the episodes weren’t as reinforced as they could’ve been.)

Of course, this is not to make out that the entirety of the writing for ‘Tomorrow’ was inadequate or unwatchable in any way. Although perhaps certain issues ( in particular mental health and eating disorders) were perhaps
not fully explored by the screenplay or given speedy outcomes , ‘ Tomorrow’ often placed a certain level of open finesse with addressing issues and helping the audience and the characters coming to terms with them.( In one of the later episodes of the series entitled ‘’Spring’’,  the audience were supposed to be particularly hit home with an onslaught of emotions with the controversial and historical subject area of Comfort Women, focusing on a dark chapter in South-Korean history.)

Naturally this brings up the discussion surrounding character-writing within the adapted screenplay for ‘Tomorrow’, as well as the performances by the main cast.  Perhaps one of the most notable roles in the drama  is given to main male lead Choi Jun-Woong, played by idol-actor Rowoon.

Rowoon has often been the subject of intrigue and debate with his previous career trajectory as the ‘’ leading man’’. Nevertheless, Rowoon offered a fairly consistent onscreen performance as the main male lead and it is fair to say that for many viewers, this could easily be seen as one of Rowoon’s best performances yet. As the main character of the narrative and storyline, Jun-Woong embodies what many would probably classify as the ‘’everyman’’ trope.Of course, this wasn’t a bad approach per say. It is sometimes common in fiction to see a main character become a medium for the audience, especially with a character being uprooted from their mundane, everyday life and being placed in an unfamiliar world or setup.

For main lead Jun-Woong, this was evident through being caught between two worlds: the afterlife and then the everyday mortal world. ( This was also shown arguably through Woong being conflicted in initial problems with common problems of interview and job struggles and then again with attempting to navigate his new role as a member of the Crisis Management Team .)

However, this also brings up an intriguing debate with regards to Jun-Woong’s character-arc. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jun-Woong is purposefully supposed to be flawed at times. Naturally this did not always enforce Woong to be placed as ’ heroic’’  figure at all times within the series.

He had his evident flaws and ‘ Tomorrow’ placed heavy emphasis upon some of Woong’s values feeding into an evident critique of social conformity by South-Korean society vs developing subjective morality and beliefs. ( In particular the screenplay would sometimes bring this idea up in early episodes with Woong’s shared social views on issues such as bullying, before contrasting this in later episodes with the main lead developing his own values and standpoints.)

Although it certainly allowed Woong to act as an embodiment of social views, it is noticeable that this often forced Woong into playing “ certain roles” in order to propel the storyline. Again, this isn’t always a bad writing decision but it did often feel as though there were some poorly tied loose ends such as Woong’s own personal struggles with his situation, his backstory and personal goals were often disregarded until the ending of the series.
 
In addition to the casting choice of Rowoon, it is hard to ignore Kim Hee Sun’s performance as grim reaper Goo-Ryeon. Hee Sun’s acting career has been eclectic and while respectfully her acting performances have varied, the actress’ pink dye job certainly helped Kim Hee Sun to embrace her suavely mysterious onscreen persona as the female lead. Alongside fellow costar Yoon Ji-On who played her laidback mentee Rung-Gu, audiences will likely find themselves tearing up and laughing at the antics of the two characters’ interactions and appearances onscreen.

As an onscreen character, Goo-Ryeon is arguably one of the most enigmatic and intriguing characters in the series. She is often fairly detached from overtly emotional displays like Woong but she is impassioned by her cause to help others. Initially viewers are supposed to remain uncertain of Ryeon’s onscreen presence. In particular, her unconventional acts of tough love towards the main lead and those she is seemingly supposed to save will bring about topics of intriguing debate for viewers.

However as the series soon reveals, Ryeon’s root cause for her actions are sourced from genuine sincerity for her position as a member of the Crisis Management Team, especially as a result of her complicated backstory. Naturally as a consequence of this writing point, ‘ Tomorrow’ placed heavy emphasis upon her mysterious backstory in the latter half of the series, similarly echoed to a lesser extent with side character Rung-Gu also.

Despite both characters having their fair share of traumatic and difficult backstories, it often felt as though Ryeon’s character arc felt a little rushed in particular. . Of course while audiences certainly did see a few hints of foreshadowing at times earlier on in the series ( in particular with Ji-On’s trauma), it certainly felt as though some of these backstory revelations and plot twists could’ve been developed or built up. There was a lot for viewers to digest with regards to Ryeon’s past and her important connections to other characters but due to an anticlimactic buildup, the momentum of these events rarely felt as though that they had reached their entirety even by the finale.

Aside from the main characters, it is also important to mention about some of the reoccurring characters of ‘Tomorrow’ also. Model-actor Lee Soo-hyuk ( ‘ Vampire Idol’, ‘The Scholar Who Walks The Night’ and ‘ Doom At Your Service’) starred as Park Joong-Gil, the straight-laced head of the Humanitarian Management Team who shares a complicated past with Ji-On, as well as  Kim Hae-Sook playing the role of the Jade Hwang, the head director of the afterlife and the bureau of  grim reapers. The supporting characters certainly had their necessary roles to play in the events of the narrative. In particular during the later events of the series, viewers are given several surprising backstory revelations but admittedly these side characters felt as though they deserved more screen time or interactions with the main cast in order to build up their character arcs slightly more.

Then of course there is the discussion surrounding the execution of the series. Perhaps it is important that ‘Tomorrow’  decided to offer viewers with a fairly systematic approach; introducing viewers to main lead Woong’s predicament and his unlikely alliance with the main leads, the new dilemma or issued faced in the episode, the reactions and causes of debate for the characters and viewers, the dilemma reaching its climax and then helping to resolve or bring a conclusion to the events of the episode.

This approach by the trio of screenwriters certainly allowed the screenplay to tackle a wide array of issues and problems. However, it certainly did not come without its problems either. A lot of the storyline’s early plot objectives were rarely sketched out aside from the “ mission of the team”, leading seemingly important events or obstacles for the main leads being disregarded at times and then being given half-baked conclusions by the ending of the series. As a consequence, the ending of ‘ Tomorrow’ will likely leave viewers with mixed-feelings; bittersweet and certainly offering a denouement to the events of the storyline but rarely tying off all loose ends or bringing a complete feeling of satisfaction for viewers also.

 Stylistically under the leadership of directors Kim Tae Yoon (‘Another Family’, ‘New Trial’) and Sung Chi Wook ( ‘Special Labor Inspector Jo’,‘ Kairos’), ‘Tomorrow’ was often caught up in an impressive onslaught of aesthetic shots and glossy gradients, with mood lighting and tones helping to add emotional turbulence and significance for characters and viewers in certain scenes. Perhaps one slight nag with the cinematography came through a lack of consistency. Rather than attempting to stick to a particular consistent form of filming or shots and tying these scenes and moments with the worldbuilding and lore of ‘Tomorrow’, the extravaganza of surrealist scenes and panned shots heavily influenced by big-budget movies felt somewhat disengaging from the screenwriting and world building at times. Nevertheless it is fair to say that ‘ Tomorrow’ did boast an impressively stunning array of imagery and scenes.
 
The OST for ‘Tomorrow’ was comprised mainly of a collection of modern pop tracks, varying somewhat dependent on personal tastes. Perhaps there may be certain songs such as the surprisingly upbeat rap song ‘’Red Light’’ by J.don and the morosely lovelorn ballad ‘’My Loneliness Calls You’’ (‘’나의 외로움이 널 부를 때’’) by Suran which will appeal across the board for viewers.
 
The sixteen-episode webcomic adaptation will offer viewers with a surprisingly heart-wrenching mixture of social commentaries, traumatic character backstories and comic relief. At times, ‘Tomorrow’ often struggled slightly with maintaining a harmonious balance between its writing and messaging. ( This often lead to parts of the storyline feeling rushed or lacking a sense of completion such as the ending or certain character arcs.) However for those looking to indulge in a fantasy series beyond the surface level with some prominently current social and critical commentaries with a touch of traditional Korean folklore and mythological beliefs in the modern world , then ‘Tomorrow’ will certainly offer viewers with a good watch. 

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The Sound Of Magic; Be Careful What You Wish For…

While we have seen a lot of music-orientated themes in Korean dramas and productions, it is less frequent to see the genre of musicals being tackled. Therefore, when news was released that the six-part Korean miniseries ‘ The Sound of Magic’ would be marketed a “ musical fantasy drama” based upon the fantasy webcomic "Annarasumanara” (안나라수마나라), there was certainly intrigue and hype around its upcoming release.

The series focuses upon main female lead Yoon Ah Yi ( Choi Sung Eun- ‘ Start Up’, ‘ Beyond Evil’). Despite being a top student in her school, Ah Yi has had it rough after her parents walked out on her.

Ah Yi secretly yearns that all of her problems will be solved by magic. However as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. Ah Yi’s Life is turned upside down when she meets Lee Eul ( Ji Chang Wook- ‘ Healer’, ‘ K2’ and ‘ Backstreet Rookie’).

Lee Eul is practically perfect in every way. Helping to lift Ah Yi’s spirits up despite hard times, Lee Eul finds herself conflicted between fantasy and reality when she develops feelings for classmate and fellow hard-achiever Na Il Deung ( Hwang In Yeop- ‘ Freshman’, ‘18 Again’ and ‘ True Beauty’). However things become more complicated when Ah Yi discovers that Lee Eul is more than he seems.

Adapted to the small screen by Kim Min Jung ( ‘ Love In The Moonlight’, ‘ Imitation’), ‘ The Sound Of Magic’ is able to attain what many would probably define as “ lighthearted melodrama and fantasy ”. While the screenplay would occasionally dip into certain issues such as poverty, inequality and bullying, these topics were rarely discussed or brought forward prominently, instead used background themes to propel certain events of the series.

Admittedly this isn’t always necessarily a bad approach per say in a series. It certainly allowed ‘ The Sound Of Magic’ to maintain an easygoing charm. On the other hand, it is fair to admit that while the premise of the series was certainly engaging and the storyline boasted an intriguing array of characters, the production wasn’t without its more noticeable loose ends either.

Choi Sung Eun is an upcoming actress in the South-Korean film and TV industry. While some viewers may have seen her before in productions such as ‘ Beyond Evil’, it is likely most will be unfamiliar with her name. Nevertheless despite a few awkward line deliverances at times, Sung Eun delivered a fairly decent performance at main female lead Yoon Ah Hi; a downcast and hardworking girl who finds herself encountering a mysterious magician.

As an onscreen character, Ah Yi is admittedly a mixed-bag of writing tropes and strengths. The “ hardworking” female lead is a cliche that has often been overdone in Korean productions and dramas. Admittedly it would be wrong to suggest that Ah Yi was an entirely “ bad character” per say.

Her genuine doting and sincerity for her sister, her disillusioned beliefs surrounding her mother and yearning to get her back, and certain levels of her personal struggles such as being bullied and financial struggles, did add a touch of relatability and engagement for the audience with Ah Yi’s character.

On the other hand despite the unlimited potential for Ah Yi to become a fully likeable character, it was hard to ignore that Ah Yi’s character-arc felt somewhat poorly put together at times, especially with regards to her ineffable muteness as well as delving further into her feelings towards her parents . ( To explain this further, it is important to acknowledge that being reserved and struggling with anxiety or trauma are certainly separate and complicated issues. However rather than connecting this succinctly with her own emotional struggles as well as in reality, Ah Yi’s personal problems could often feel shoehorned rather than explained in detail. In addition to this nuanced issues such as her living or financial situation not being noticed by others such as teachers or at least by social services seemed a little odd also.)

Then of course there’s the subject surrounding Ah Yi’s potential love interest and supporting male lead. Since his popular roles in ‘ True Beauty’ and ‘ 18 Again’, Hwang In Yeop had become a familiar face and name for viewers. However rather than playing his associated “ bad boy” roles, In Yeop took on his onscreen part as hardworking student Na II Deung, adding a fairly consistent performance to his onscreen role.

As a character, II Deung suffered a similar fate to the female lead when it came to screenwriting. The role as the “ potential love interest” for Ah Yi was surprisingly subverted at times when intriguing glimpses were provided into II Deung’s own personal life and struggles.

On the other hand while chemistry certainly was prominent between the leading actors and certainly easygoing , it was difficult at times to really see or allow this onscreen relationship to develop further outside of lighthearted banter or “ necessary plot moments”. Of course, later episodes certainly relished in exchanges between the two main characters but it was difficult to see this relationship having been developed particularly through evident common ground or growth.

However while Hwang In Yeop may certainly have attracted attention for certain viewers, it is likely most viewers will be intrigued by the starring role of Ji Chang Wook as the beguiling magician Lee Eul.

As an A-lister actor, Chang Wook has respectfully had his fair share of good and bad performances over the years. Nevertheless his performance as main lead Lee Eul was certainly decent enough, adding a surprising charm to his onscreen persona which admittedly could’ve been taken further by the writing .

To a certain extent, screenwriter Kim Min Jung captivated this well by Lee Eul offering an air of mystique for most of the series. Despite seemingly being introduced as a seeming “ heroic” figure for Ah Yi, it is soon proven that Lee Eul is certainly not a knight in shining armour as truths come to light.

On the other hand, it often felt as though while viewers did not entirely have to know the precise events of his backstory to work out his character-arc and role in the series, it often felt as though ‘ The Sound Of Magic’ rarely brought forwards Lee Eul’s seemingly “ unpredictable” edge and mystery. It often felt as though this could’ve easily have been done by at least foreshadowing or helping to boast his onscreen presence through different mood lighting or cinematography.

Then of course aside from the main characters, there is also the topic surrounding supporting characters. The majority of the supporting characters were often placed as merely background characters for storylines or events ( such as Ah Yi’s parents, her younger sister and II Deung’s parents). Admittedly the supporting cast’s performances varied somewhat dependent on ability. However it is hard not to talk about side characters without at least acknowledging “ Ah Yi’s bully” Baek Ha Na. Unsurprisingly, Ha Na’s role as Ah Yi’s tormentor is rarely explained or justified aside from Ha Na being “ shallow and mean” and helping to intensify angst and drama during “ necessary moments”.

The execution of ‘ The Sound Of Magic’ is a fair mixture of slow-paced angst and quick-paced storyline. Although this was necessary at times for helping to establish characters and storyline events, it could often lead to parts of the miniseries feeling somewhat slow and dragging in parts and rarely fleshed out at certain points of the narrative. ( Therefore often leading to certain events of the narrative feeling overly predictable or convenient.) In particular, this was evident through the formula of musical compositions being given in episodes. Although they were often lighthearted or melodramatic,certain compositions could sometimes feel arbitrarily placed in the trajectory of the series.

In addition to the main storyline surrounding the female lead, there were a few noticeable side storylines such as Ah Yi’s internal monologues addressing her mother, the male lead’s hone life and his relationship with his parents as well as the mysterious disappearances of students at the school. Although they were certainly intriguing subplots, they were rarely fleshed out. Of course while it is hard to create an entirely flawless adaptation of a work or webcomic, it often felt as though ‘ The Sound Of Magic’ could’ve flourished more by sticking to fewer storylines and developing them well.

The ending of the series will admittedly remain a subject of debate for a lot of viewers. While some viewers may enjoy an uplifting finale, others may feel let down by the sudden rush of plot events and failing to answer a lot of continuous questions and resolutions for the characters.

Naturally there is also the discussion surrounding the OST of the series. ‘ The Sound Of Magic’ was composed of a mixture of angst-ridden musical compositions and lighthearted pop tracks, ‘ The Sound Of Magic’ can be said to have an admittedly odd mix of genuinely memorable and generic songs. Tracks including “ 아저씨. 마술을 믿으세요? “(Annarasumanara), “회전목마” (Merry-Go-Round) and “잘자” Have A Good Night) remained particularly memorable.

Perhaps a certain virtue of ‘ The Sound Of Magic’ came through the cinematography approached by director Kim Seong Yoon ( ‘Who Are You:School 2015’, ‘ Lovers In The Moonlight’ and ‘ Itaewon Class’). High quality and stunning in parts through a blurring between reality and illusion, Seong Yoon’s lighting and mood certainly helped to captivate a lot of the characters’ emotions and struggles. Admittedly it felt as though the series could’ve benefited by delving deeper into a phantasmagoria of dreamlike or magical sequences in later episodes.

Overall ‘ The Sound Of Magic’ offered viewers with slightly “ darker” lighthearted angst and melodrama wrapped into a guise of magic and fantasy. Although the series certainly boasted an intriguing array of characters and skimmed-over issues and topics, the narrative often felt like a patchwork of narrative events and pacing rather than succinct. ( Especially by the ending of the series.) Nevertheless Ah Yi and II Deung’s potential onscreen chemistry remained entertaining and certainly offered viewers with an indulging and certainly magical binge-watch.

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All Aboard the ‘ Crazy’ Train Of ‘ Love’…

There’s a lot to discuss when it comes to KBS2 and Disney +’s trope-induced series ‘ Crazy Love’. It is intrepidly bold, brash and off-the-wall with its setup and premise and will likely appeal and displease viewers of equal measure. ( Especially dependent on expectations.)

The plot initially introduces viewers to Noh Go-jin (Kim Jae-wook); an elitist mathematics tutor, spearheading one of the most prestigious and private education hubs in the country. However despite his prodigal skills, Go-Jin has a foul temper and personality.

He absolutely terrifies his staff with his short fuse , yet he is still able to somehow earn their respect and admiration through his sheer talent in solving and teaching equations and mathematics problems.

Nobody knows this love-hate relationship with Go-Jin better than his unassuming personal assistant, Lee Shin-a (Krystal Jung). Often being the target of his ire, Shina-a’s reasons for not throwing in the towel are sourced from her own desires to become a personal tutor and help teach and educate others.

However, Shin-a finds her life going on a downwards spiral. Her constant migraines seemingly from stress and fatigue are diagnosed as acute symptoms of glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumour brought on by bouts of long-term stress from Go-Jin.

Enraged, Shin-a’s plans for revenge against Go-Jin are soon backfired as she finds herself in a sticky situation with her boss.

‘ Crazy Love’ was the brainchild of screenwriter Kim Bo-gyeom ( ‘Drama Stage Season 2: All About My Rival in Love’). Although the comic relief is variable at times, the series is surprisingly satirical in parts and self-aware of its own over-the-top setup. In particular, this was shown through the screenplay reimbursing old cliches and tropes ( including amnesia, misunderstandings and fake identities).

In addition to this approach, it was noticeable ‘ Crazy Love’ often approach its satire with a darker edge, often shown through sardonic irony or circumstances. ( This was particularly shown in the series through the gradual snowballing case of crimes that were shown throughout the narrative such as impersonation and attempted murder, often landing female lead Lee Shin-a- directly or indirectly- into hot water or complicated situations .)

However despite its satirical take upon old cliches and tropes, ‘ Crazy Love’ was often subject to the faults of its own shortcomings also. ( Sadly this was evident through the cataclysmic approach taken by the writing and direction of plot within early episodes. )

Before exposing the issue of these problems in the narrative, it is important to acknowledge that the main cast of ‘ Crazy Love’ delivered fairly solid performances as the main leads. Actor Kim Jae-Wook( ‘ Coffee Prince’, ‘ The Guest’ and ‘ Her Private Life’) has often been associated with taking on unconventional or unusual roles throughout his career, and his performance as Noh Go-Jin n certainly was no different. Admittedly, Jae-Wook’s performance could sometimes come across as somewhat overblown at times but this was not necessarily the fault of the actor per say.

As a character, Noh Go-Jin was purposefully presented as “unlikeable and grating” during his introduction. It was evident from his initial portrayal by Bo-gyeom that his ultimate drive as a character would be for viewers to see the undertaking of his “ redemption arc”; a process which can be overly convoluted dependent on the approaches taken by screenwriters.

Go-Jin’s character development was admittedly a mixed-bag to say the least. It was refreshing to see that the male lead was not given an excuse to become overly redeemed by his faults and flaws per say . ( In fact even into later episodes and during particular events of the series , it was shown that some of Go-Jin’s initial personality traits are still displayed.)

On the other hand, it still remains a divisive issue towards the approach taken for Go-Jin’s character arc and development. (This is mainly due to the fact that while there are elements of the main lead developing and becoming aware of his past mistakes, his main source of development and growth comes through his potential feelings and romance with main female lead Lee Shin-a. )

This is certainly not an unusual approach per say in dramas and the “ enemy to lovers” trope has remained a classic staple in storylines over the years. On the other hand, it can often remain a controversial and complex issue to approach a potentially romantic relationship, especially if the individuals in question have displayed abusive or threatening personality traits towards their significant other.

Of course, ‘ Crazy Love’ does attempt to subvert the issues of this setup through Go-Jin’s “softer side” coming to light as well as intensifying the potential romantic chemistry between the leads. However it is fair to say that while Jae-Wook and Krystal’s onscreen chemistry was fairly decent, it certainly raised a lot more issues and questions with regards to Jae-Wook rarely being held accountable for his actions or coming to terms at times with his own mistakes. ( In addition to this, the final part of ‘ Crazy Love’ showed Jae-Wook’s decisions and choices feeling fairly out of character at times without a lot of explanation aside from “ becoming a better person because of Lee Shin-a”.)

This isn’t to say that heroine and main female lead Lee- Shin-a didn’t suffer from writing issues either. Although the actress has respectfully received mixed-reception for her onscreen roles, Krystal’s (‘ My Lovely Girl’, ‘ The Heirs’ and ‘ Prison Playbook’) performance as the main female lead is certainly decent enough.

Lee Shin-a is purposefully presented to viewers as the “ likeable heroine”. Indeed despite some later writing issues, for the most part, Gyeom’s intentions were successful. ( Especially with consideration to her trials and tests over the course of the series with snowballing situations and Go-Jin.) On the other hand, this is naturally where we hit a rut with Shin-a as a written character; her personality and character-arc were often flatlined in order to make way for her romance with Jae-Wook.

Perhaps it is arguable that screenwriter Bo-gyeom wanted to explore Shin-a’s natural passion and empathy through her potential chemistry with the main male lead . However even in the series filled to the brim with sheer absurdity and comic relief , it still seemed an ineffably odd writing decision to allow Shin-a, a fairly level-headed individual despite her conflicted situation, to break into her boss’ home with dark eyeshadow and hand in her resignation aside from attempting to generate a few laughs.

In addition to this, it seemed even stranger that screenwriter dd that Bo-gyeom did not attempt to at least highlight a moment of vulnerability for Shin-a during her initial news in the first episode, or at least help to portray her own internal conflict between attempting to act on reason and emotion beforehand. ( As mentioned previously, specifically with consideration to her character.) Instead although the series sometimes discussed her family relations, the issues surrounding her cancer and personal conflict with her illness and work life, were nearly entirely brushed aside in order to make way for her romance with the main lead.

Again, this isn’t always necessarily a bad writing decision per say in dramas and it did arguably allow some opportunities for Shin-a to come to terms with her own situation as well as personal stigmas. On the other hand despite the drama’s attempts to “cushion ” the relationship between the main leads( especially with regards to their initially problematic setup ) , is still offered a less than resolute reason at times for Shin-a to become attracted to Go-Jin. ( Especially with regards to early episodes having placed heavy emphasis on the characters being complete opposites that completely despise one another with a burning passion. )

Of course, while it isn’t an unusual approach to see “ opposites attract” in dramas, ‘ Crazy Love’ rarely allowed this development to feel completely symbiotic or enthralling, instead often glossing over some more problematic issues of the series ( such as abuse, lies and crimes) without allowing either character truly being held equally accountable for their actions .

Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding the side characters. Actor Ha Jun ( ‘ Black Dog: Being A Teacher’) took on the role as supporting character Oh Se Gi, Go Jin's copartner & friend, as well as one of the few staff members shown in the series to be initially kind to female lead Shin-a. Se Gi had a lot of potential to be an intriguing character with regards to his character- growth but due to the result of attempting to enforce several predictable “ plot twists”, it often left his character arc feeling poorly developed by the latter-half .

In addition to Se Gi, there is also Go-Jin’s first love Baek Soo-young ( Yoo In- Young- ‘ A Man Called God’, ‘ Oh My Venus’ and ‘ Good Casting’) as well as other supporting characters such as Shin-a’s best friend Chu Ok-hee ( Park Han Sol- ‘ A Poem a Day’, ‘ Sell Your Haunted House’ and ‘ Hospital Playlist 2’), the main female lead’s brother Lee Su-ho ( Astro’s Yoon San-ha-‘ To Be Continued’) and the nosy cleaning lady ( Lee Mi-young- ‘ Time Between Dog and Wolf’, ‘ Mr.Back’ and ‘ Our Gap Soon’); all of whom played their necessary roles in the storyline and helping to pad out the narrative, but rarely being given further development as a consequence.

Naturally this brings up the issue of pacing and execution in the series. The first-half of ‘ Crazy Love’ was grating at times due to its overabundance of running gags and tropes and incoherent plot logic . ( As exemplified with the police during the initial few episodes.) Arguably the final-part of ‘ Crazy Love’ did give opportunities to finally get the ball rolling with the main plot but due to poor pacing issues, it often left to certain counterplots and character-arcs feeling somewhat neglected by the finale.

Director Kim Jung Hyun ( ‘ Sassy Go Go’, ‘ After the Rain’ and ‘ My Fellow Citizens!’) certainly took a fairly avant-garde approach during initial scenes of the series. ( Often leading to dream-like and surrealist sequences and moments such as when viewers were transported into the imagination of Shin-a, with the tutors of her workplace being imagined as towering and deity-like figures) . Although later episodes of the series were not as ambitious and could sometimes feel stark in parts, the cinematography was still fairly glossy and professional .

The OST of ‘ Crazy Love’ was mainly composed of upbeat and fast-paced pop tracks . While admittedly some of these songs blended into one another and were certainly dependent on personal tastes , there were still a couple of compositions such as “ Bite!” ( “ 물어 !”) by Baekho, “ Wide Open” by JUNIEL and “Maybe” by DAVII which did surprisingly stand out.

‘ Crazy Love’ is a series which can offer viewers with an off-the-wall setup and a star-studded cast. However despite the potential for ‘ Crazy Love’ to carry forwards a well-executed storyline and narrative, the series was often shaken in parts by inconsistent pacing issues, character-writing and execution. Overall ‘ Crazy Love’ will likely vary for viewers dependent on expectations. For those looking for a quick and disengaging binge-watch then ‘ Crazy Love’ is certainly worth watching. On the other hand for those looking to invest time within a well-executed series throughout, then ‘ Crazy Love’ may not appeal to all.

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Soundtrack #1; A Discordant Love Story…

The recent venture of juggernaut industry company Disney into the world of K-dramas has marked an onslaught of mixed reception from viewers and critics alike. Nevertheless with a recent investment by the international streaming service Disney+ into copartnership and copyright deals with South-Korean producers and companies, it is hard to ingore the recent presence of Disney within the world of K-dramas. Indeed, the latest series to come out in selected countries from the streaming service, ‘ Soundtrack #1’, is no exception. A stipulated love story between two friends, ‘ Soundtrack #1’ is a short and benign romance drama which while bittersweet in parts, could often feel contrived by its setup and characters.

The narrative of ‘ Soundtrack#1’ focuses upon two close friends. Lee Eun Soo ( Han So-Hee- ‘ The World Of The Married’, ‘ Nevertheless’ and ‘ My Name’, ) is an aspiring lyricist. Nevertheless despite having the ability to pursue her dream job, Eun Soo is struggling to find a source of inspiration and has hit a difficult period of writer’s block.

Thankfully Eun Soo has found comfort and support by relying upon her friend and photographer Han Sun Woo ( ZE:A’s Park Hyung Sik-‘ The Heirs’, ‘ Strong Girl Bong Soon’ and ‘ Happiness’). However as Eun Soo and Sun Woo attempt to navigate their current relationship, it becomes apparent that romantic feelings between friends aren’t always so easy to navigate.

‘ Soundtrack #1’ came together as the byproduct of screenwriter Chae Yoon (‘ She Would Never Know’) and director Kim Hee-Won ( ‘ Fiery Priest’, ‘ Vincenzo’ and upcoming series ‘Little Women’). While Hee-Won was certainly not treading upon unfamiliar ground with the romantic melodrama ‘ Soundtrack #1’, it certainly seemed an intriguing choice to pair up Hee-Won, a director known famously in recent years for her witty slapstick comedy-style and revenge dramas, with screenwriter Chae Yoon, who is associated with the lighthearted romance series ‘ She Would Never Know’ for ‘ Soundtrack #1’. Nevertheless despite the eccentric pairing choice, it is arguable that the contrasting idiosyncratic styles between screenwriter and director helped to bring a certain flair to the miniseries.

Perhaps it is important to establish that ‘ Soundtrack #1’ doesn’t push boundaries within its initial setups and plot premise. It is a basic and conventional romance story. In particular it was evident to see the influences of screenwriter Chae Yoon within ‘ Soundtrack #1’. The similar rhetoric of the male lead attempting to escape the friend-zone with his lifelong friend and crush, convoluted feelings developing between close friends and of course repressed feelings causing complications along the way were certainly similar to Yoon’s previous screenplay .

Nevertheless it is hard to deny that despite the lighthearted angst of ‘ Soundtrack #1’, there was a distinctive trait of interminable melancholiness and yearning within ‘ Soundtrack #1’. Director Hee Won’s classic touch of internal and external conflict have become reoccurring themes throughout several of her projects. Although ‘ Soundtrack #1’ may not possess a tale about a character with an eventful past or a personal vendetta, it certainly did highlight the complications that can arise within feelings, careers and between contrasting elites . ( For example Sun Woo’s internal disillusionment and fixation upon his work and coveted feelings for the female lead helped to perfectly contrast Han So-Hee’s external struggles and uncertainty as a songwriter.)

Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding casting choices. Han So-Hee has admittedly triggered mixed-responses amongst viewers and critics alike for her initial performance as main female lead Eun Soo. The actress’ previous career trajectory has seen her star in a mixture of different genres and styles with her recent performance( at the time of writing) in the revenge-thriller ‘ My Name’ being widely praised.

Nevertheless it is hard to deny that despite Han So-Hee’s talents within certain roles and genres , i her performance within ‘ Soundtrack #1’ could often feel somewhat lacklustre with line deliverances and emotional intonations initially. So Hee’s performance did admittedly improve somewhat in the latter-half of the miniseries with a level of heartache being conveyed within her onscreen persona but it is perhaps fair to say that Soo Hee’s performance could feel somewhat lacking at the best of times.

Costarring alongside actress Han So-Hee was ZE:A’s Park Hyung-Sik as main male lead Han Sun Woo. Hyung-Sik has certainly gained a lot of experience within the world of rom-coms and melodramas and this certainly did allow the actor to approach his onscreen role with an easygoing charm. However despite Hyung-Sik’s talents, it is difficult to deny that there were times where the actor could feel somewhat stilted by certain dialogue deliverances .

Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding Hyung-Sik and So-Hee’s potential onscreen chemistry. There was certainly nothing wrong per say with Hyung Sik and Soo Hee’s onscreen dynamic. Although there was an initially inconsistent start , the onscreen chemistry was decent enough. However it is still hard to ignore that while their potential was certainly not unwatchable it rarely felt coherently natural. Perhaps it can be said that these problem boiled down to the flaws of limited screen time . Throughout the duration of the series, an onslaught of variable acting performances by the main cast in addition to the limitations of a restricted time frame rarely helped to allow this onscreen dynamic flow naturally.

Under the directing leadership of Kim Hee-Won, it is clear to see that the four-episode formula and short episode lengths for ‘ Soundtrack #1’ was a double-edged sword.

Of course, it naturally enforced the narrative to be compact and concise within its restricted time frame and duration length. The series was rarely caught up in the trap of being lost down the rabbit hole of an abundance of unnecessary subplots and irrelevant characters. ( Instead these subplots were only briefly touched upon such as So Hee and Sun Woo’s work careers.)

Although there were supporting characters within the series such as Composer Kang Woo Il ( Kim Joo Heon-‘ It’s Okay Not To Be Okay’, ‘ Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ and ‘Juvenile Justice’), Sun Woo’s business partner Yoon Dong Hyun ( Yoon Byun Hee- ‘ Love In The Moonlight’, ‘Mr. Sunshine’ and ‘ Vincenzo’) and several surprise guest appearances ( including Yoon Seo Ah, Seo In Guk, Lee Jung Eun, Park Hoon and Park Min Jung), these secondary characters were rarely featured beyond their necessary face value in order to trigger or intensify certain plot events.

On the other hand while a restricted time space did allow the narrative to be more cutthroat with its themes and storyline, it did certainly highlight some specific drawbacks also as a consequence of this compact formula . A limited time frame rarely allowed viewers to see the onscreen relationship between characters being explored beyond their necessity to the plot, hardly allowing opportunities for ‘ Soundtrack #1’ to subvert all of its cliches or experiment with new formulas. Naturally,this could sometimes lead to certain narrative points such as the later development of Eun Soo and Sun Woo’s relationship feeling somewhat rushed.

When it came to filming and production it is certainly noteworthy to point out that Hee Won’s stylistic approach to the series helped to captivate the journey and feelings of characters throughout.

Slick editing and glossy gradients helped to animate scenes to life with specific palettes and tones popping out onscreen. Additionally this helped to differentiate between idealism such as through the eyes of Sun Woo as well as the stark reality presented by Eun Soo throughout the series. ( Perhaps one of the most memorable contrasts can be found in the first episode of ‘ Soundtrack #1’ during Sun Woo’s photo shoot of Eun Soo. Through the literal lens and vision of the male lead, Eun Soo is adorned in a flowing white shirt and smile, giving off an ethereal ambience and air of confidence. In a contrasted scene, viewers are shown reality from the perspective of Eun Soo, adorned in drab clothing and hunched over a computer screen.)

With the title name such as ‘ Soundtrack #1’ it should come as no surprise that the series is heavily invested within using imagery and the OST synchronically. For ‘Soundtrack #1’, this came through an onslaught of schmaltzy and sugary love ballads and solo tracks.

Of course for a series predominantly focused upon young love and relationships, this isn’t an entirely odd choice. However rather than selecting an impressive score for the series or at least choosing songs than could’ve heavily fomented emotional and tear jerking scenes, ‘ Soundtrack #1’ was caught in a slight rut with some of its chosen tracks being unimpressive. Perhaps the few exceptions to this can be found through lovelorn ballad “ Wanna be your lover”[ “이젠 친구에서 연인이 되고 싶어”] by Monday Kiz , LeeHi’s upbeat track “We'll Shine Brighter Than Any Other Stars” [ “우린 어떠한 별보다 빛날 거야”] and Prerettiest One’s acoustic guitar song “ Standing Egg” [“ 너만 예뻐”].

‘ Soundtrack #1’ is a series which does little to diverge away from the expected tropes and basic setups of romance dramas. Although there an were certainly some questionable acting moments at times and the limited time frame for the narrative often led to events feeling rushed, ‘ Soundtrack #1’ was surprisingly able to attain a balance between lighthearted fluff and bittersweet angst. Additionally, the collaborated efforts of Kim Hee-Won and Chae Yoon allowed the narrative to explore an idiosyncratic perspective by both director and screenwriter upon romance and repressed creativity. Although perhaps ‘ Soundtrack #1’ was let down at times by its OST and pacing at times , the four-episode miniseries certainly will offer viewers with a decent and quick binge-watch.

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‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’; The Adaptation That Could’ve Been So Much More…

When ‘ Meteor Garden’ first introduced a mainstream audience to the world of Kamio Yoko’s shoujo Cinderella story back in 2001, very few individuals would’ve been able to have predicted the ongoing legacy and impact of Yoko’s work. Indeed nearly two decades and multiple adaptations later, a new generation has been introduced to the world of ‘ Hana Yori Dango’ through the Thai adaptation of the mangaka’s work ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’. The sixteen-episode series has gained popular attention by fans and critics alike. However despite its praise, it is important to acknowledge that the series hasn’t escaped the realm of scrutiny and criticism either.

Similar to its predecessor adaptations , ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ introduces viewers to its main female leader and heroine "Gorya" Thitara Jundee ( Tontawan Tantivejaku). An ordinary girl coming from a humble background, Gorya has entered Kocher High School, a prestigious school for the heirs of Thailand’s wealthiest families, through a varsity scholarship.

Gorya’s parents are over the moon with her attendance at the illustrious institution. Despite not being able to afford new shoes for their daughter, they are determined to ensure Gorya will finish high school with a praiseworthy diploma from Kocher. Yet despite rubbing shoulders with some of Thailand’s wealthiest heirs, Gorya has become weary of drawing attention to herself, especially with regards to her family status.

Aside from befriending classmate Hana (Wanwimol Jaenasavamethee), Gorya is determined to keep her head down until graduation. Indeed instead of partying or enjoying a hedonistic lifestyle like some of her classmates , Gorya spends her time predominantly divided between her studies, home and her part-time job at florist shop ‘Maytee O Garden’ ( a word pun homage to ‘ Meteor Garden’) where she works alongside best friend Kaning ( Yongwaree Anilbol).

However, Gorya’s hopes for a quiet life at school are soon dashed when she ends up on the wrong side of notorious F4 leader "Thyme" Akira Paramaanantra ( Vachirawit Chivaaree). With fellow F4 members “ Ren” Renrawin Aira ( Jirawat Sutivanichsak), "Kavin" Taemiyaklin Kittiyangkul ( Metawin Opas-iamkajorn) and "M.J." Methas Jarustiwa ( Hirunkit Changkham), Thyme’s tyrannical reign of bullying and authority over the school are suddenly challenged by Gorya’s defiance to become a scapegoat.

Despite Thyme’s bombardment of bullying tactics to make her back down, Gorya finds the determination to carry on through her growing unrequited feelings for F4 member Ren. Suave, mysterious and yearning over his childhood friend Mira ( Yongwaree Anilbol), Gorya finds her heart torn between her crush and her convoluted feelings for Thyme.

Of course it is important to to acknowledge that while ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ is an adaptation from mangaka Kamio Yoko’s bestselling work, ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ is respectfully ( like nearly all of the adaptations) a standalone production in its own right. Therefore, this has allowed certain opportunities and limitations by screenwriters Waneepan Ounphoklang, Jarinee Thanomyat and Suwanun Pohgudsai in order to encapsulate their respectfully young target audience.

One of the most efficient ways of keeping the audience intrigued came through the evident prevalence of technology in the series. From smart phones to social media, ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ placed heavy emphasis upon the sphere of modern youth culture. ( Especially through issues such as online harassment and cyber bullying in the early first part of the narrative.)

Nevertheless despite the grandeur shown through the everyday lifestyle of Thyme and the F4 , it is hard to ignore that issues such as abuse and bullying being glossed over by the series have been the subject of mixed-reception also. ( Especially with regards to the divisive relationship shown onscreen between Thyme and Gorya, arguably more lighthearted in comparison to other adaptations though not without its more controversial moments either.)

Tontawan Tantivejaku took on the role as main female lead and heroine "Gorya" Thitara Jundee. Actively involved in the world of modelling, it may surprise some that ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ marked the model’s acting debut . Nevertheless despite Tontawan Tantivejaku offering a fresh face to the role of the “tough and defiant” female lead, it became apparent that Tontawan’s inexperience at times often led to several awkward line deliverances over the duration of the series.

Of course this isn’t to entirely blame Tontawan Tantivejaku for her acting. Considering that it was respectfully the model’s first acting role, Tontawan carried herself surprisingly well throughout most of the drama , adding a surprisingly sweet and dynamic edge to her onscreen persona.

As an onscreen character, Gorya is admittedly a mixed-bag of writing strengths and flaws for the female heroine. Where other adaptations have struggled to encapsulate the female lead’s wider interactions with her family as well as their economic struggles, ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ added a surprisingly sentimental touch by focusing upon simple and daily interactions with Gorya’s family during most of the series.

However for a female lead who could be surprisingly resilient and laidback in comparison to some of her predecessors, Gorya could often feel as though she had hit a writing rut by the halfway point of the drama. This was mainly due to the fact that despite her initial growth by warming up to the F4 and attempting to navigate her own ambivalent feelings for Ren and Thyme, the second-half of ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ attempted to enforce Gorya into the leading role of the “ fickle heroine”; showing open affection, before seemingly changing her opinions out of an inconvenient dilemma and then dragging out major misunderstandings between herself and Thyme.

Although this cannot be entirely faulted as a bad writing decision per say by helping to intensify the tension of the series, ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ could sometimes inhibit further opportunities to see Gorya fully explore her mixed feelings in depth, or at least being given opportunities to grow or be explored beyond her specified role. ( This often resulted within Gorya’s later role in the series feeling somewhat stunted and enforced; rarely allowing her actions such as bending to the will of Thyme’s mother, feeling well-matched against her disposition and character.) Nevertheless despite a rocky first performance for the young model, there is certainly potential to see Tontawan Tantivejaku taking on future projects.

Then of course costarring alongside Tontawan Tantivejaku was Vachirawit Chivaaree ( alternatively known as ‘ Bright’) playing main male lead of the series, “Thyme” Akira Paramaanantra. For those familiar with Bright’s acting career, specifically for his role in the ‘2gether; The Series’, then most will probably agree that the actor certainly seemed an unusual choice. Nevertheless, Bright could be surprisingly tactful at times within his performance as Thyme; adding a nuanced touch of uncertainty and mixed-emotions through intonations and even micro-expressions onscreen.

However despite a superfluous amount of effort put into the role by the actor, it is hard to ignore that Bright’s approach to his onscreen character could feel somewhat overacted . This is not entirely the actor’s fault per say. Thyme’s written dialogue could often overblown at times and in addition to an onset of niche setups, Bright’s performance as Thyme was often somewhat inconsistent as a result.

This of course brings us onto one of the biggest elephants of the room within ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’, main male lead Thyme. There are certainly some positive attributes to comment about Thyme. In comparison to some of his previous incarnations who were defined purely by their haughty exterior and sardonicism, Thyme could often be said to be a “ kinder” version of his predecessors. Indeed, Thyme was often defined by his petulance and fractiousness around the female lead ( such as his demands and desires) , but he certainly often wore his heart upon his sleeve also.

However although it could be said that Thyme offered a more open and empathic version of the main lead in comparison to other incarnations, there is still a divisive issue for critics and fans alike surrounding the relationship between Thyme and Gorya throughout the duration of the series.

Writers Waneepan Ounphoklang, Jarinee Thanomyat and Suwanun Pohgudsai arguably did present the notion that Thyme was hopelessly infatuated by Gorya. However it is hard to excuse that despite his seeming bursting affections for the female lead, his treatment towards Gorya’s could sometimes be unnerving.

To explain this further it is important to point out that Thyme isn’t the first incarnation to come under rapid fire for his treatment of the female lead. Surprisingly this is not to say that these actions and problems should not have existed in the series. (In fact it could be argued that they could’ve allowed an open platform to address these issues, especially with consideration to the target audience.)

On the other hand it is hard to ignore that Thyme’s frenetic actions were often a sticky subject in the series. Respectfully while Thyme was held accountable for some of his actions, it will still provoke debate and discussion surrounding the initial aftermath of his actions also. ( In particular having resorted to often “ blowing up” around Gorya; resorting to yelling, throwing things or becoming openly aggressive with his body language during arguments rarely being addressed with more script .)

Then of course there’s another big issue to discuss with regards to ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’; Thyme’s “complicated” relationship with his mother and major antagonist of the series, Roselyn Paramaanantra ( Cindy Bishop). In comparison to certain adaptations which rarely ventured into the realm of Thyme’s bond with his mother being on a knife’s edge, the narrative often did present some early indications towards Thyme’s relationship with his mother being a difficult subject.

However instead of offering potential room for growth, Thyme’s estranged relationship with Roselyn was often widely disregarded until it was necessary for specific plot points. This was mainly due to the fact that
Thyme’s mother was often shoehorned ( like many adaptations) into the specific role of the antagonist; expediting the plot and dilemmas as well as giving the necessary introduction for Gorya and viewers to his older sister Tia ( Maria Poonlertlarp) but rarely being explored further. ( This was particularly shown in the latter-half of the series, leading to a dissatisfying conclusion for many.)

Then of course there’s Jirawat Sutivanichsak ( know alternatively by his nickname ‘ Dew’) as second male lead Ren. Similar to his costar and fellow model Tontawan Tantivejaku, ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ marked Dew’s first acting debut. Dew’s performance was decent enough by channelling into the mystique charm of his character. However whilst the rookie actor certainly made a decent acting debut, his performance in ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ could admittedly feel a little lacklustre with certain line deliverances.

Admittedly Ren served as a good example of writing an intriguing love rival for the main lead and a potential love interest for the main heroine. While he did not arguably quite possess the same joie de vivre as some of his counterparts, it was hard to ignore the fact that Ren possessed an element of enticing mystique and suave charm as an onscreen character . Nevertheless similar to some of the writing issues of the series, Ren’s character arc and development could feel somewhat flat lined by shoehorned plot events. ( In particular his character-arc and ambivalent feelings for his sister-figure Mira suffering from an anticlimactic conclusion.)

Tontawan Tantivejaku’s chemistry with costars Bright and Dew is admittedly variable from scene to scene. Nevertheless there is a certain charm especially from Tantivejaku’s onscreen and potential chemistry with Bright ( despite some arguably more divisive issues surrounding their onscreen characters), that helped to bring scenes to life and keep viewers enticed.

In addition to our main leads it is important to acknowledge the subplot revolving around supporting characters, M.J. and Kavin . Kavin’s potential wavering onscreen relationship with Kaning was placed on the sidelines of the narrative as a filler-in subplot to the main narrative ( though somewhat rushed by later plot events) , while M.J.’s “side story” was forced into a brief sponsorship sketch with KFC at the end of episodes. ( Often resulting in a conspicuous placement of a KFC food or drink product onscreen.)

However this is naturally where a major rut did hit the writing team for ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’. Instead of having the opportunities to cram in myriads of chapter titles and arcs into a space of twenty, forty or fifty episodes, the series was limited with a short and compact time space of sixteen episodes. Naturally this enforced the writers to be cutthroat at times with certain plot lines and attempting to accommodate itself to fit its restricted format.

As a consequence of this time frame, ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ often seemed to fall into the honey trap of heavily relying upon several trope-induced storyline events of its predecessors in order to pad out the narrative. While the drama did make some executive decisions with plot revelations and decisions, it could often enforce certain plot events to feeling somewhat rushed. ( This was shown in particular with the delivered ending. Although helping to deliver a satisfying conclusion for viewers with regards to the delivered verdict of the main leads’ potential onscreen relationship, the heavy reliance upon endings from previous adaptations as well as failing to wrap up some counterplots were apparent.)

The production and filming for ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ has admittedly been through a bumpy ride under the leadership of directors Patha Thongpan and Aticha Tanthanawigrai through COVID-19. As a consequence of these issues, it was noticeable that ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ could sometimes be somewhat choppy with its editing approaches and style. Admittedly this was not entirely the fault of the production team per say. Yet rather than attempting to work around production problems and missing scenes, it could often lead to these sporadic editing cuts feeling starkly presented against some of the drama’s slicker production edits and glossy gradients. ( This was apparent in particular with episodes around the halfway point where at the ending of an important scene, the episode suddenly cut off into a less than smooth transition with little context or relevancy hinted at for viewers.)

The OST of ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ is predominantly composed of an array of gushing love ballads and pop songs, upbeat and lovelorn tempos gradually blending into one another as BGM during various scenes of the series. Nevertheless despite some respectfully less memorable songs throughout the duration of the series, there were still some surprising gems such as emotional solo track “ One Last Cry” by Violette Wautier and “ Who am I” by BRIGHT, WIN, DEW and NANI arguably remained particularly ear-catching throughout the drama.

‘The series offered an ambitious and intriguing direction to mangaka Kamio Yoko’s series with updated subject areas and topics attempting to resonate with a new generation. A young cast with many notable leads being played by acting rookies served as a good launching pad ( similar to many other previous adaptations) towards potential new projects and careers. Nevertheless whilst the series could often feel flawed by its inconsistent acting, storyline direction and production problems , ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ has offered a fresh and revamped adaptation for a new generation. Although perhaps ‘ F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ may not appeal to everyone, it is certainly a satisfactory binge-watch.

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‘ Business Proposal’; The Revamped Rom-Com Formula With A Few Tricks Up Its Sleeve…

It is likely that most K-drama viewers can agree that the late 2000s to early 2010s was an era in the world of K-dramas predominated by melodrama and angst . Indeed for better or for worse, ‘ Business Proposal’ attempted to capture that in its rom-com formula.

‘ Business Proposal’ focuses upon Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-Jeong- ‘ School 2017’, ‘ I Wanna Hear Your Song’ and ‘ Uncanny Counter’), a relatively new researcher at one of South-Korea’s top conglomerate enterprises, GO Food. Ha-Ri has always had an unrequited crush on Lee Min-Woo( Song Won-seok- ‘ Swan’, ‘ Switch’ and ‘ Never Twice’), a close friend since their university days. However after having her heart broken once again by Min-Woo, Ha-Ri soon begins to reevaluate her feelings.

Meanwhile Ha-Ri’s best friend and chaebol heiress Jin Young Seo ( Seol In Ah- ‘ Sunny Again Tomorrow’, ‘ Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life’ and ‘ Mr Queen’) discovers that she will soon be forced to go on a romantic date with a rich CEO’s son, much to her displeasure.Asking Ha-Ri to take her place, Ha-Ri agrees to do so in order to pay off a family debt.

When Ha-Ri shows up as Jin Young Seo, she soon discovers that her “date” is with the president of her company, Kang Tae Mu ( Ahn Hyo Seop- ‘ My Father Is Strange’, ‘ Thirty But Seventeen’ and ‘ Dr Romantic 2’).

Kang Tae-Mu is a straight-laced and career-orientated individual, even being labelled by his grandfather and founder of GO Food, Kang Da Goo( Lee Deok Hwa- ‘ Age Of Warriors’, ‘ Suspicious Partner’ and ‘ Hit The Top’), as a “workaholic”. ( Especially after the incident surrounding his inauguration ceremony.)

The “first date” is calamitous for Ha-Ri but unbeknownst to her, Tae-Mu has felt differently. Confiding in his chief of staff , Cha Sung-hoon (Kim Min-Gue-‘ Romance Special Law’, ‘ Perfume’ and ‘ Snowdrop’) that he will marry “ Jin Young Seo” ( aka Ha-Ri) in order to keep his grandfather off his back, Ha-Ri’s ordinary life is soon filled with an assortment of complicated and sticky misunderstandings.

‘ A Business Proposal’ is based on the lighthearted rom-com webtoon,  ‘The Office Blind Date’ ( ‘사내 맞선’) by Hae-Hwa. Adapted to the small screen by screenwriters Han Sul Hee ( ‘ Ugly Miss Ae’, ‘ A Love Story’) and Han Bo Hee ( ‘ High Kicked!: The Revenge Of The Short Legged’ and ‘ Standby’), “ will likely appease and dissatisfy viewers of equal measure.

Of course, it is important to specify that ‘ A Business Proposal’ is supposed to encapsulate a certain “easygoing nostalgia” from rom-coms. For the most part ‘ A Business Proposal’ did possess a lighthearted, easygoing and fluffy edge; occasionally tipping into angst-ridden melodrama in order to “spice up” certain events of the narrative and keep viewers intrigued . ( This was particularly apparent with the “clandestine ” events surrounding the main leads’ relationship as well as lingering questions throughout the narrative surrounding the traumatic past of main male lead Kang Tae Mu.)

It is important to point out that the main leads in the series played by Kim Se Jeong and Ahn Hyo Seop were fairly delightful. Indeed despite some strained initial interactions onscreen, Se Jeong and Hyo Seop possessed a surprisingly easygoing chemistry as the series progressed between their onscreen personas.

However their onscreen roles Shin Ha-Ri and Kang Tae-Mu were admittedly not without their writing flaws. As a female lead and the main heroine of the series , Ha-Ri was established to be the “ hardworking” archetype. On the other hand, it is hard to ignore that while Ha-Ri does continue to maintain her hardworking ethos alongside her complicated feelings for Tae-Mu, she could sometimes be passive with her reactions and actions in the events of the series. ( This became apparent at times by Ha-Ri being “ beckoned by the calling of plot dilemmas” rather than character growth.)

For example one of the most noticeable problems of the drama arose from Ha-Ri’s personal drive and motives. Although it is arguable that Ha-Ri may have done so as a consequence from direct and indirect influences by her parents ( although the same cannot be said particularly for her brother per say) , it was hard to truly define or highlight exact causes given by Ha-Ri for entering this profession as a food researcher with sincerity. (Although this may seem like a nuanced and minor background point, it could’ve easily allowed Ha-Ri’s character to possess more definitive edges.) Instead Ha-Ri was often subjugated to the role as the “ thinker”; a brilliant idealist with a multitude of possible projects and new ideas for the company . However even as viewers, we rarely saw some of these ideas being taken further by Ha-Ri chasing her own dreams , or at least attempts by the female lead to become more ambitious with her imagination. ( Of course this may seem like a nitpicked detail but it seemed odd that the narrative would often highlighted Ha-Ri’s dexterous talents as a food researcher and her possible ideas but rarely pushed forward for it to the synchronic with the female lead’s character growth and development.)

Of course, this naturally brings up the discussion surrounding Tae-Mu and Ha-Ri’s relationship throughout the drama. Although as mentioned previously the onscreen chemistry between Kim Se Jeong and Ahn Hyo Seop is surprisingly dynamic, there is admittedly a lot to discuss surrounding their onscreen personas’ relationship.

Perhaps the most evident point of discussion and initial debate around Ha-Ri and Tae-Mu’s relationship can be sourced from one of the trope-induced setups of the series; “the contractural relationship”.

Admittedly Ha-Ri and Tae-Mu have both consented to the relationship and for different reasons. ( Ha-Ri’s motives being sourced for money to help pay off a debt while Tae-Mu’s causes can be found in order to appease his grandfather.) On the other hand it is hard to ignore that the initial treatment by Tae-Mu towards Ha-Ri as merely being a “ cause to an end” for his troubles ( and vice versa to an extent with Ha-Ri) as well as even offering money to Ha-Ri as an incentive to keep his grandfather off his back, could feel as though it was problematic by the narrative rarely pointing this out as a serious issue of discussion.


Of course it would be wrong to suggest that Tae-Mu and Ha-Ri doesn’t grow beyond the roles of the contractor and the contractee. As the series progresses and impassioned feelings grow for one another, the narrative relished within opportunities to highlight the obvious feelings of the “ lovelorn” main leads for one another. In later episodes of the narrative , this would often trigger an onset of misunderstandings and attempts by the main leads to “ cover up” their situations from work colleagues and family alike. Although the series did gradually present their potential onscreen relationship with more overt honesty ( especially with regards to Tae-Mu telling Ha-Ri about his traumatic past), this did often gloss over earlier issues of the series as a consequence. ( This was mainly due to the fact that Tae-Mu and Ha-Ri’s initial problems even for the effect of “ tension” such as Tae-Mu’s attempts to convince Ha-Ri with money, Ha-Ri’s reaction and fake guises as well as later treatment by Tae-Mu, were rarely brought up openly by the characters in order to acknowledge their mistakes and accept all of their faults as a point of further character growth .)

Under the creative leadership of screenwriters Han Sul Hee and Han Bo Hee, ‘ A Business Proposal’ offered viewers with a pacy narrative filled with the events surrounding the main storyline as well as several subplots in order to pad out the drama’s screen time .

Of course, thus isn’t a particularly unusual tactic used by screenwriters. However while this did offer opportunities for viewers to be intrigued and captivated by the events of the narrative, it could often enforce the classic dilemma of juggling a lot of different storylines. This could often lead to some of the minor counterplots of the series feeling rushed or somewhat anticlimactic by the ending of the series.

Perhaps one of the major subplots to discuss within ‘ A Business Proposal’ surrounds the potential onscreen relationship between second male leads, Jin Young Seo ( Ha-Ri’s best friend) and Cha Sung-Hoon ( Tae-Mu’s chief of staff). Young Seo and Sung-Hoon were characters who possessed less definitive storylines than the main leads.

Of course this isn’t particularly unusual per say in a drama but it seemed as though the series often moved away from initial inferences given by Young-Seo and Sung-Hoon’s character arcs to be explored in more depth. ( This can be particularly applied to Young Seo’s family situation and naivety rarely being brought up as a point of character growth, as well as Sung-Hoon’s own familial situation.) Of course Young Seo and Sung Hoon were supposed to play the roles of the “ assets” to the narrative and screen time . ( Although admittedly Young Seo was shown to make an executive decision with regards to her own dreams by the ending of the series, it was rarely given a concise buildup.)

Although Young Seo and Sung Hoon’s onscreen relationship was surprisingly sweet and offered lighthearted respite at times from the angst taking place in the main storyline, it could often feel rushed as a consequence of inconsistent screen time given to the secondary couple. In addition to Young Seo and Seung Hoon’s potential relationship being used as a major subplot, there were also minor focuses to draw out the narrative upon Ha-Ri’s workplace colleagues ( especially in order to highlight the potential onscreen chemistry and jovial animosity between her superior manager Yeo Eui Ju [Kim Hyun Sook] and team member Kevin [Im Ki Hong]), Tae-Mu’s grandfather and his fixation upon soaps and makjangs, Ha-Ri’s parents, Ha-Ri’s old crush Lee Min Woo and his initial jealousy towards Tae-Mu as well as Young Seo’s “ love rival” offered as comic relief, flamboyant and the eccentric Marine Group Director Jo Yoo Jung( Seo Hye Won).

Nevertheless it’s wrong to entirely digress ‘ A Business Proposal’ without acknowledging some of its impressive feats, specifically the directing leadership of Park Seon Ho ( ‘ Birth Of A Beauty’, ‘ Suspicious Partner’ and ‘ My Strange Hero’). Throughout episodes, ‘ A Business Proposal’ displayed some impressively mesmeric and creative touches; differing from minimalist palettes to vivid and slick editing cuts. Although these imaginative touches dwindled in later episodes and instead highlighted minimalist approaches to filming and palettes, it certainly offered an onset of aesthetic shots throughout the first-half of the series. ( One of the most memorable scenes coming from the narrative bringing to life the cover story for Ha-Ri and Tae-Mu’s “ initial encounter”; Ha-Ri imagining a monochrome and drizzly day in New York, before her entire being-quite literally- is brightened up by the sudden appearance of Tae-Mu and a canary yellow umbrella onscreen.)

For those intrigued about the accompanied soundtrack, ‘ A Business Proposal’’s OST is mainly comprised of an array of saccharine, upbeat and lovelorn ballads; some of which were admittedly generic and quick to disappear from memory. However, fast-paced tempo song ‘ You Are Mine’ by VICTON (빅톤), sweet vocal track ‘Love, Maybe’ (‘사랑인가 봐’) by SECRET NUMBER and ballad-style composition ‘ Melting’ by BAMBAM were particularly noteworthy tracks.

‘ A Business Proposal’ offered its audience with a nostalgic sweet and lighthearted topping of angst, cliches and romantic relationships throughout the duration of the series. Although ‘ A Business Proposal’ boasted an unoriginal plot premise with several writing flaws and tropes, the narrative did surprisingly offer several unexpected takes upon the setup, with decent onscreen chemistry between the main leads as well as imaginative takes upon filming and editing. Overall while ‘ A Business Proposal’ may not appease everyone with its niche dilemmas and plot premise, the series will offer a sugary and sickly sweet ride for anyone looking for an updated and lighthearted take upon old-school rom-coms. Overall, a decent binge-watch.

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Twenty-Five, Twenty One’; A Bumpy Trip Down Memory Lane…

Anyone who is aware or familiar with the  modern-classic, the ‘Reply’ series, will appreciate that the concept of nostalgia, mysterious flashbacks and trying to piece together events between the past and future ( especially with regards to romantic relationships) are not ground-breaking writing setups.

Nevertheless while ‘ Twenty Five, Twenty One’ does not play around with a new or an original  idea, the narrative did offer viewers with a heartfelt coming-of-age story. In addition to this, ‘ Twenty-Five, Twenty-One’ presented an unravelling mystery. Although the drama could often be captivating, it is important to acknowledge that ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty One’ still suffered at times from inconsistent pacing and execution.

The main narrative and timeline of ‘Twenty Five, Twenty One’ is predominantly set in the late 1990s and focuses upon its two main leads; aspiring athletic fencer, 18 year-old Na Hee Do ( Kim Tae Ri- ‘ Mr .Sunshine’, ‘ The Handmaiden’ and ‘Space Sweepers’ ) and her hardworking ‘’sunbae’’ and potential love interest, college-student Baek Yi Jin ( Nam Joo Hyuk- ‘Who Are You: School 2015’, ‘ Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ and ‘ The Light in Your Eyes’).

The second timeline of the series is set in the near-present day. Instead of focusing solely on an adult Hee Do, the subplot instead focuses on Hee Do’s young daughter Kim Min Chae ( Choi Myung Bin- ‘ The King’s Affection’, ‘ Dramaworld2’). Within these future events of the main narrative, adult Hee-Do ( played by Kim So Hyun- ‘The King and I’) is revealed to have been shaped greatly by the unfolding  events of her past.  She is no longer an optimistic dreamer, and instead has turned into a prudent helicopter parent; attempting to mould Min Chae into becoming a prodigal ballerina through a regimented routine and regime, but without always acknowledging her daughter’s personal feelings and dreams.

Annoyed and fed up by her mother’s micromanaging, Min Chae is shocked when she stumbles upon her mother’s old diaries, photos and journals. Intrigued, she begins to digress through her mother’s personal coming-of-age accounts during the aftermath of the 1997 IMF crisis. Min Chae is astounded to follow her mother’s journey and slowly begins to understand more about her mother’s past  and circumstances, especially with regards to her complicated feelings for Baek Yi-Jin.

Screenwriter Kwon Do Eun is most likely known by viewers for her critically-successful screenplay ‘Search: WWW’. Similar to her previous work, Kwon Do Eun added a similar stylistic approach of heart-warming angst and multi-layered characters throughout the screenplay for ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty-One’.
 
However despite several tonal similarities between Do Eun’s screenplays, it is important to note that ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty-One’ takes a different approach with its storytelling, particularly by using a non-linear narrative.  Non-linear narratives can allow for some brilliant opportunities in order for screenwriters to explore character-depth, intensify climatic build-ups through flashbacks and flashforwards, as well as helping to entice the audience.
 
This was particularly apparent in ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty-One’ via the main storyline by focusing  upon the potential romantic relationship between Hee Do and Yi Jin, as well as the complicated  mother-daughter bond between Hee Do and Min Chae during certain scenes in the subplot surrounding events in the present-day.
 
With regards to the latter mentioned plot point, the potential onscreen chemistry between Hee Do and Yi-Jin was quintessential towards impacting events in the narrative. Admittedly and refreshingly rather than allowing the storyline to be entirely focused upon the romantic elements of Hee Do and Yi-Jin’s relationship, the series offered opportunities also for viewers to divulge deeper into the aspirations and sentience of the characters at times.
 
In particular, this was shown through the difficult journey taken at times by the female lead and male lead through different complicated situations and interactions. For the female lead, this was apparent throughher prickly relationship with her mother and news anchor Shin Jae Kyung ( Seo Jae Hee- ‘Run On’, ‘ Artificial City; and ‘The Youngest Son Of A Conglomerate’) as well as her rivalry with with Go Yoo-rim ( Bona ‘ Hit The Top’, ‘ Girls’ Generation 1979’ and ‘ Your House Helper’).
 
For male lead Yi-Jin, his personal conflicts came early on in the series. After his father’s affluent business went bankrupt nearly overnight during the economic crisis, Yi-Jin was forced to take on several part-time jobs in order to make ends meet. However, Yi-Jin feels as though he has struck gold after landing a position at a broadcasting company. Yet similar to the female lead’s personal struggles in order to attain her dreams, Yi-Jin soon acknowledges that his journey into the television industry isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
 
Nevertheless although the narrative helped to offer moments for characters to feel dynamic, it is hard to ignore that  Hee Do and Yi-Jin were still shoehorned  at times into specific roles and scenarios in order to drag-out misunderstandings and angst. In particular this was often prominent through Yi-Jin’s age difference and dating experience in comparison to Hee Do, who was sometimes subjugated during some of these moments as a victim of her own inexperience.
 
This wasn’t entirely a bad writing decision per say. Although age difference relationships can often be the subject of debate in narratives, when approached tactfully, they can allow for some intriguing explorations into setups, character archetypes and sociological barriers between love interests. Nevertheless although some praise should be given to Do Eun’s overtness with the setup and subject matter tackled, it is still notable that, Yi-Jin and Hee Do’s dilemmas could often feel somewhat cliché and enforced. Perhaps this was also due to the fact that of these misunderstandings and climatic scenarios ( particularly incidents where Hee Do would jump to conclusions or misconceptions about Yi-Jin) did become more repetitive as episodes progressed.
 
Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk starred as main leads and potential lovers. Kim Tae Ri added a likeable charm to her onscreen persona, Hee Do. It is a difficult feat at times for an actor playing the role of a younger character to adopt specific mannerisms or characteristics in order to make their performance feel authentic. Nevertheless although there were some moments of overblown dialogue, Kim Tae Ri brilliantly helped to bring young Hee Do to life through her bubbly character and personality. In addition to Tae Ri, A-lister actor Nam Joo Hyuk co-starred alongside the actress as main male lead Baek Yi-Jin. Although there were moments initially where Joo Hyuk’s performance could feel somewhat stilted by his limited screen time and interactions with the female lead, Joo Hyuk was gradually allowed more opportunities in order to add an emotive edge to his onscreen character.
 
It is important to point out that the main leads’ onscreen chemistry was decent enough. Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk’s initial chemistry felt somewhat stagnant in parts, but certainly did improve as episodes progressed.

In addition to the romantic relationship explored between the main leads in the series, there is also another important bond covered in the subplot; the relationship between Hee Do and her daughter. Kim So Hyun takes on the role as the adult-version of Hee Do. It seemed surprising considering the respectful age of Kim Tae Ri, that another actress was cast to play an older version of her character. Nevertheless, So Hyun helped to embody a certain believability with her onscreen performance. Alongside actress Kim So Hyun, co-star and child actress Choi Myung Bin delivered a brilliant performance as Hee Do’s daughter Kim Min Chae.
 
The maternal bond explored in ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty One’ between the main female lead’s adult-self and her daughter is arguably one of the most intriguing as well as shoehorned subplots in the drama’s narrative. Of course, screenwriter Kwon Do Eun added a certain level of depth to the onscreen relationship. Hee Do’s reasons for becoming a “controlling figure” within her daughter’s life are more complex than merely out of spite or jealousy. ( Her relationship with her own mother playing a big part with wanting to give opportunities to Min Chae.) Similarly while it would be easy to portray Min Chae as the “ fractious” daughter, Min Chae’s frustration seemed to reflect a lot of convoluted feelings.

Nevertheless despite Do Eun’s presentation of the relationship, it is hard to ignore that while this was still only a subplot, the storyline revolving around Min Chae and Hee Do was often shoehorned into a limited time frame, with inconsistent time-skips and flittering in between rarely helping to smooth out this counterplot by the ending of the series.

Sadly this was a slight problem with ‘ Twenty Five, Twenty One’. Although the narrative was heavily focused upon the events of the main leads and their complex potential onscreen chemistry, subplots and side characters could often be left out of the equation. This was mainly due to the fact that in a time space of sixteen episodes, the narrative had to be compact and focusing upon the main narrative rather than homing in on side plots did become necessary as episodes progressed.

On the other hand this is admittedly where ‘ Twenty Five, Twenty One’ could sometimes hit a slight rut; the side characters and subplots were often somewhat inconsistent and rushed. Even in a non-linear narrative, the series would often leave certain side characters’ intriguing backstories and character-arcs on the sideline, briefly explored in order to fill in screen time though rarely given a concise conclusion by the series finale. ( This was apparent for side characters such as Go Yoo-rim, Hee Do’s rival, played by idol-actress Bona [ Hit The Top’, ‘ Girls’ Generation 1979’ and ‘ Your House Helper’], Choi Hyun-Wook’s [ Real:Time:Love ’, ‘ Racket Boys] role as Hee Do’s popular classmate Moon Ji-woong, Lee-Joo Myung’s [ My Fellow Citizens!’, ‘Missing: The Other Side’ and ‘ Kairos’ ] role as Ji-woong’s childhood friend, Ji Seung-wan and of course Hee Do’s daughter played by Choi Myung Bin, Min Chae.)

Nevertheless it is hard to ignore that while there were some evident inconsistencies with pacing, ‘ Twenty Five, Twenty One’ was able to encapsulate a certain nostalgic and retro tone through the visionary eye of director Jung Ji Hyun ( ‘ You Are My Spring’, ‘ Search: WWW’). The opening of the series brings forth a stylistic approach of fuzzy gradients and vivid title sequences, akin to the opening credits of a TV show from a VHS tape.

There is also a subtle difference placed between the present day scenes and the past ; drab and mundane shots are suddenly animated to life in flashbacks through an explosion of vivid palettes and warm tones, helping to capture the buzzing warmth and joie de vivre of Hee Do’s youth. ( One of the most memorable and striking parallel scenes drawn between the past and present day being through the bubblegum blue diner that Min Chae is shown to visit with her mother in the present day. The bright blues are strikingly odd against the mundane attire of the characters. In the same episode, a parallel scene is shown through Yi-Jin’s visit to a similar diner; instead strikingly bright and warm through the bubbly and rose-tinted perspective of the past.)

As for the comprised soundtrack of the series, ‘ Twenty Five, Twenty One’ is admittedly less ambitious than it should’ve been. For a series set against the backdrop of the late 90s where music (especially in South-Korea ) was being explored and pushed beyond conventional tastes, it felt odd that ‘ Twenty Five, Twenty One’ was somewhat limited to an array of somewhat generic upbeat love ballads and schmaltzy pop singles. Nevertheless it is important to acknowledge that there are some catchy songs within the OST , in particular TAEIL’s “Starlight (스타라이트)" remaining one of the most memorable tracks throughout the series .

Overall ‘ Twenty Five, Twenty One’ is a coming of age tale which offered a nostalgic and poignant reflection for viewers upon youth and childhood. The issues of chasing dreams, the difficulties of being at the passing boundaries between childhood and adulthood as well as struggling with friendships and young love, were central and universal messages within the drama’s narrative. However despite the bubbling sweetness of ‘ Twenty Five, Twenty One’, the series wasn’t without its more apparent faults of inconsistent pacing either. Nevertheless viewers will likely be captivated by the narrative’s refreshing and lighthearted nostalgia ride, niche in parts, but surprisingly offering several shocking twists and turns by the finale. Overall a very good watch.

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How Song Kang and Park Min Young’s Latest Drama Failed To Break The Ice…

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Unsurprisingly from the suggestions given by its title-name, ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ is one of the few K-dramas in recent memory to cover this subject field  of meteorology. With the additional talents of rising star  Song Kang ( Navillera’, ‘ Sweet Home’ and ‘ Love Alarm’) as well as  A-lister actress Park Min Young (  -‘Healer’, ‘ Her Private Life’ and ‘ What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?’), the sixteen-episode JTBC and Netflix series has gained popular attention for its intriguing plot premise and subject area.

Nevertheless aside from an interesting premise and an impressive cast line-up, it is hard to ignore that ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ has gained an onslaught of mixed-criticism due to its execution, lukewarm chemistry between potential love interests as well as certain screenwriting inconsistencies also.

The narrative is focused upon two polar opposite main leads; Lee Si-Woo (Song Kang) and Jin Ha-Kyung( Park Min Young). Lee Si Woo is a laidback yet prodigal meteorologist obsessed with weather patterns such as the consistency of air flow and sea fog. However, despite Lee Si-Woo’s dedication to his career, the same cannot be said about his relationship with his disengaged girlfriend Chae Yoo-jin (Girl’s Day’s Yura- ‘Secret Angel’, ‘ To The Beautiful You’ and  ‘ Radio Romance’).

Meanwhile at Seoul’s headquarters for Korean Meteorological Association, prudent and uptight deputy manager Jin Ha-Kyung, finds herself being caught in a maelstrom of anxiety and stress. An oncoming weather front has proven to be just as unpredictable as her approaching wedding day.

After Ha-Kyung discovers that her fiancé Han Ki-jun (Yoon Park- ‘ Introverted Boss’, ‘ Search’ and ‘ You Are My Spring’) has been having an affair behind her back, she is forced to call off the wedding.
Similarly Si-Woo is heartbroken when Yoo-Jin finally breaks up with him after becoming disinterested with their dates.

Yet after the storm, there is always a glimpse of sunshine and hope. As Ha-Kyung and Si-Woo attempt to juggle between their newfound situations and their careers, they soon find themselves growing closer to one another along the way.

The screenwriting for ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ was arguably one of the most unexpected collaborations in recent years. Kang Eun-kyung  (probably best known for her screenplays for productions such as as ‘ Bread, Love and Dreams’, ‘ Dr. Romantic’  and ‘ Where Stars Land’) worked together alongside lesser-known screenwriter Sun Young(    ‘Drama Special Season 3: Like a Miracle’) in order to write the screenplay for  ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’; a work which for all intents and purposes felt heavily domineered in style and creativity by Eun-Kyung.

Of course, it isn’t out of the question that a collaborated work can often reflect the style and characteristics of screenwriters. In particular due to the fact that Sun Young’s screenplays are respectfully limited ( and as a consequence it becomes harder to notice specific patterns), it does arguably stand to reason that Eun-Kyung’s writing quirks and traits were more noticeable than Sun Young’s.

On the other hand for those fairly familiar with Eun-Kyung’s style , then it is likely that most will notice that ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ possessed similar flaws and strengths of the screenwriter’s previous projects; light-hearted angst filled with romantic bravado and bubbly setups, but heavily reliant upon screenwriting tropes and bombastic character archetypes. Similar to some of her aforementioned works, ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ felt as though it would often struggle to achieve a successfully consistent and lively tone, often disengaging viewers as a consequence.
 
This was particularly apparent with the narrative’s constantly changing focal points, especially during early episodes of the series. Rather than
focusing on a few concise points and keeping a level of consistency with the established tone and narrative, ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ often felt uncertain with its main topics.

For example, a drama seemingly established as a heartfelt romance between two mismatched individuals, would suddenly be subverted into a topic-heavy drama surrounding mapping and warning systems, before shifting again in a different scene in order to become a melodrama surrounding heartache, infidelity, breakups and heinous exes.
 
Despite some respectfully mixed responses surrounding the casting choices of Song Kang and Park Min-Young initially, both main leads offered fairly decent performances throughout.

On the other hand , it is hard to ignore that despite the talents of both main leads, Kang and Park’s onscreen chemistry was often lukewarm.

Admittedly this isn’t entirely the fault of the actors per say. As characters, Si-Woo and Ha-Kyung were often resorted to the equivalent of carte blanches; excuses by the screenwriters in order to be shoehorned into romantic setups, misunderstandings and seemingly allow the audience to root for them from beginning to end.


In particular, main female lead Ha-Kyung has often come under scrutiny by viewers for her impassivity. This is mainly due to the fact that despite being a character who is meticulous and flawed by her uptight nature, there were few opportunities to explore Ha-Kyung as an individual in her own right . Ha-Kyung had a lot of potential to grow or at least mature through her experiences. ( Such as her breakup or her tumultuous experiences with her ex-fiancé. )However rather than giving screen time for Ha-Kyung to be explored as a character and learning self-acceptance , Ha-Kyung was resorted to the equivalent of a plot asset; necessary for driving forwards the contrived love story at the heart of the show, but rarely being presented as a sentient heroine in between.

 Admittedly these writing problems were not just applicable to Ha-Kyung. Main male lead Si-Woo was often restricted into a similar role as the “ forlorn male lead”.

Despite Si-Woo being an intelligent individual who struggles to understand empathy at times, the narrative rarely offered opportunities for Si Woo to reflect upon his breakup or actions in the past, or at least attempt to reconciliate and display an element of maturity by trying to understand his ex-girlfriend’s perspectives. ( Even if Chae Yoo-Jin’s motives were often villainous, this would’ve easily presented and allowed opportunities for viewers to comprehend Si-Woo’s struggles and journey as a character.)

Instead although some of Si-Woo’s situations could arguably be justified as being “ caught in the moment”, it seemed out of character and unjustified in a lot of situations for Si Woo to behave in this way or become actively involved in these scenarios without a greater motive. ( Aside from the case of for the “ sake of plot”.)

However this problem was not just limited to our main characters.Park and Yura’s acting was respectfully credible but the same cannot be said about their screen personas.

Indeed one of the main areas of debate with Park and Yura’s onscreen characters came through their “ villainous” roles throughout the duration of the series.

Of course it isn’t always necessarily out of the question to create despicable villains, nor is it always necessary to allow moments of moral redemption either.

However where ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ often fell short was how the narrative truly wanted to portray these characters. At times, the series could often lean into presenting Ki-Jun and Yoo-Jin as intrinsically hollow individuals with egocentric goals and motives. ( In particular with Ki-Jun’s megalomaniacal tendencies and Yoo-Jin’s manipulative attempts to climb up the social ladder in the workplace.) However. , the series often seemed to lean into some moments of potential “ sentience ” for these characters which while having the potential to be dynamic and meticulously written, often felt conceited. ( For example Ki-Jun’s “ ambivalent” feelings as well as Yoo-Jin’s workplace drama.)

Of course this isn’t to say that as an audience we didn’t see some moments of error or weaknesses for the characters in this series, this was rarely given more reasoning. When Si-Woo or Ha-Kyung were at fault the series would often find excuses to justify this as “ morally right” without necessarily highlighting the faults or flaws at the heart of their issues. Similarly Ki-Jun and Yoo-Jin’s actions and misdeeds were often labelled as purely diabolical or a cause of disgust and shame, without always necessarily digging deeper into the causes or allowing viewers to see a full-side of the picture .

Nevertheless a shoutout must be given to supporting actor Kwon Hae-Hyo’s  ( ‘ Revenge and Passion’, ‘ Radiant Office’ and ‘ Undercover’) performance as head of the bureau, Ko Bong-Chan. Arguably one of the most underrated performances in the series, Kwon perfectly embodied an oddly authentic cynical charm to his cantankerous onscreen character.
 
 Due to the previously mentioned flaws of ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’, the knock-on effect of these problems evidently dragged down the narrative’s execution and pacing. Admittedly it is inaccurate to claim that the entire trajectory was calamitous. The series often attempted to create a balance between downplaying key events in order to build-up these obstacles for the main leads, as well as offering pacy climatic moments in order to keep viewers intrigued with forlorn hope.

However due to the extent of misunderstandings and conflicts presented with this method of execution, it could often make ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ feel as though it was tediously slow in parts and tiresomely repetitive as a consequence. This was mainly due also to the format of each episode following a similar pattern; a dilemma would become apparent to the audience (though evidently not to the characters at first), the problem would emerge and then a misunderstanding or conflict would occur before being dragged out, resolved and then repeat.
 
Perhaps this wouldn’t have been so bad if there had been variation or by the latter-half, viewers had seen opportunities for the characters to gradually overcome their misunderstandings from the first-half. Instead, the predominant focus upon dragging out tense conflicts and misunderstandings had a severe impact upon the seemingly main relationship between Ha-Kyung and Si-Woo; lacking screentime together in addition to ironically spending more time interacting with their exes onscreen, rarely allowing opportunities for viewers to see this relationship reach a concise or healthy resolution.
 
Under the directing reigns of Cha Young Hoon ( ‘ When The Camellia Blooms’, ‘ Uncontrollably Fond’ and ‘ Gaksital’), it is undeniable that despite some limited camera angles and pan shots at times,  ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ was filled with some sleek and aesthetic shots.

In particular due to the main subject area of the series being upon the field of meteorology and weather, Young Hoon captured some mesmeric moments of weather changes from the rolling tide, to descending fog, dew on the ground and rain.
 
However, this was also used as an effective narrative device also; pathetic fallacy. (For those unfamiliar with the term, pathetic fallacy refers to the usage of weather in order to display the mood, tone or feelings of a narrative and its characters. )

For ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ this became apparent with the brief yet effective usage of these scenes in order to highlight the emotional conflicts of the characters as well as the main leads’ relationship in different stages over the course of the narrative. (Enforced by particular episode titles helping to hint   such as “Signal” , “Localized Heavy Rain”, “Tropical Night” in order to hint at the literal and metaphorical problems of each episode.)
 
In addition to the filming stylistics of ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’, there is also the important discussion surrounding the drama’s comprised OST of schmaltzy pop songs and love ballads. There is no beating around the bush that some of these tracks weren’t particularly memorable. However renowned singer CHEEZE’s upbeat track  ‘Melting (사르르쿵)’, and earnest love ballad ‘ Promise You’ performed by  Kyuhyun were arguably some of the best songs found on the soundtrack which remained noteworthy .
 
Overall impressions of ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ are entirely dependent on expectations. There is a certain unusual attraction to the series’ topic area of meteorology and its visual aesthetics. On the other hand, ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ could often be caught up in a storm of its own making; inconsistent tonal shifts,  character-writing and questionable pacing did little to bring out the best sides of ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’.

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Mystery to Iunakare; The Engaging Japanese Mystery Series…

When news broke out that Yumi Tamura’s mystery-crime manga ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ ( ‘ ‘ ミステリと言う勿れ’) would be adapted into a twelve -episode Fuji TV drama, there was certainly trepidation and excitement towards the delivered result.

Adapting a Josei manga to a television production series can be a complex affair for the production team. The abundance of manga chapters and volumes that often have to be forced into a compact screenplay , racing against time deadlines, as well as budgets and casting choices can truly make or break an adaptation.

Indeed, Fuji TV’s ‘ Mystery to Iunkare’ ( alternatively known as ‘ Do Not Say Mystery’ or ‘ ミステリと言う勿れ’) is no exception. However despite the restricted duration length, ‘ Mystery to Iunkare’ offered viewers with a fairly intriguing mystery-crime plot.

21 year-old Totono Kunou ( Masaki Suda- ‘Kamen Rider W’, ‘ Assassination Classroom’ and ‘ Konto ga Hajimaru’) is a student at Todai University and seemingly preferred pupil of psychology professor Haruo Amatatsu ( Kosuke Suzuki- ‘ Liar Game’, ‘ Doctor X’ and ‘ Konto ga Hajimaru’).

However Kunou has landed himself in hot water when he becomes a key suspect in the murder case of his classmate. Brought into Otonari Police Station, any doubts surrounding Kunou’s involvement in the case are soon diminished when he demonstrates his meticulous observational skills and intelligence to the detectives .

Detectives Seiko Furomitsu ( Sairi Ito- ‘ In This Corner Of The World’, ‘ The Naked Director’ and ‘ Momoume’ ) and Yuto Ikemoto ( Matsuya Onoe- ‘ Onna Joshu Naotora’, ‘ Hanzawa Naoki 2’ and ‘ Kamakura dono no 13 nin’) are shown to be particularly won over by the student’s actions and words, later giving him a helping hand during key moments and dilemmas of the narrative.

To a lesser extent, Kunou also helps to change the ways of Inspector Mariaki Aoto ( Michitaka Tsutsui- ‘ Bataashi Kingyo’, ‘ Iron Grandma’ and ‘ Jashin no Tenbin Koan Bunseki Han’). An enigmatic man carrying a big burden, Aoto is given some surprisingly enlightening advice by Kunou as to where he went wrong in the past.

As Kunou becomes determined to help solve mysteries and cold cases, Kunou finds himself involved in a growing mystery tying together his past along the way…

Nevertheless despite an intriguing setup, it’s important to note that the concept of the “ eccentric genius” and the “ mysterious and dark major case from the past” have been seen and done countless times before. However despite its “seen and done before” setup, ‘ Mystery To Iunakare’ is still able to grip viewers thanks to screenwriter Aizawa Tomoko’s established tone and character building.

Screenwriter Aizawa Tomoko, probably best known for her screenplays such as ‘ Very Sweet’ , ‘ Kagi no Kakatta Heya’ , and ‘ Boku Dake ga 17-sai no Sekai de’, adapted the screenplay for ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ from Tamura’s manga. Similar to its predecessor, the series offered viewers with an element of dark suspense , tense mystery as well as moments of lighthearted respite in order for viewers to understand more about certain characters through interactions.

It’s hard to deny that the performances by the main cast of ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ were fairly brilliant. Although there were some overblown moments of dialogue and acting, Masaki Suda playing the main lead of the series, Totono Kuno, and Sairi Ito starring alongside Suda as Seiko Fukomitsu, particularly stood out with their dynamic onscreen performances.

Nevertheless important to note that ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ did feel somewhat limited at times by its pacing. Admittedly this did not engulf the full series. Tomoko’s narrative was fairly quick-paced at times, allowing several open opportunities in order to downplay key events and grip viewers through an array of intriguing characters also. ( Without definitive spoilers, these characters were gradually tied from counterplots into some events of the main narrative through various causes. )

On the other hand there were certainly several moments in ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ that could feel somewhat stretched-out or felt unresolved . ( One of the most notable examples of this problem included Kunou’s childhood ; briefly touched upon in order to tie-in major events of the narrative, but often lacking a resolved ending or explanation .)

Under the directing leadership of Aizawa Hideyuki ( ‘ 5-ji Kara 9-ji Made’, ‘ Good Doctor’ and ‘ Radiation House 2’) and Hiroaki Matsuyama ( ‘ Liar Game’, ‘ Nobunaga Concerto’ and ‘ Switched’), ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ was admittedly satisfactory with its editing and cinematography .

Of course this isn’t to downgrade the series completely. ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ did boast some stunning tour de force moments through closeups of characters, settings and some pragmatic editing decisions. On the other hand ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ could often feel slightly underwhelming at times by several sloppy cuts and limited camera angles.

Admittedly this isn’t entirely the drama’s fault per say. Fuji TV’s budgets are not extensive and limitations with filming should be expected. On the other hand it is hard to deny that it often felt as though that ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ was still somewhat underwhelming at times by its limited camera angles and filming gradients.

Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding the OST. ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ offered viewers with an eclectic range of comprised tracks; some of which were certainly more memorable than others. ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’’s main theme song and ethereal melody “ Chameleon” ( “ カメレオン”) by indie pop band King Gnu, alongside niche yet effective renditions of haunting classical music compositions such as Debussy’s ‘ Clair De Lune’ were particularly memorable.

Fuji TV’s twelve-episode series certainly offered an entertaining and enjoyable mystery-thriller. Of course, ‘ Mystery to Iunakare’ wasn’t without its more problematic issues such as execution and cliches. However with a potential sequel season alongside brilliant performances by the main leads, the drama series will like offer a satiable and indulgent viewing experience for any crime and drama fan.

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A Fleeting Tale Of Young Love Underneath The Cherry Blossoms…

There’s a particular Japanese idiom which comes to mind when talking about the concept of ‘ Yoshihiro Fukagawa’s ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ and that is simply “ Mono No Aware” (“物の哀れ”)- “ The pathos of things, the sensitivity of things which are transient”. At the root core of this idiomatic expression comes to mind with the imagery of fleeting beauty, and none so more than the blossoming and ephemeral period of the Sakura ( cherry blossom) during spring in Japan. Indeed, the symbolic imagery of the Sakura blossom in ‘Love like the Falling Petals ‘ is supposed to represent the beating heart of the narrative. Melancholic and bittersweet in parts, ‘ Love Like the Falling Petals’ is a film which while helping to capture the unpredictable transience of the seasons and young love, could often feel just as fleeting as the cherry blossom.

The film is based upon Uyama Keisuke’s novel "My Lover, Like Cherry Blossoms" (“桜のような僕の恋人”). Adapted to the silver screen by screenwriters Tomoko Yoshida (‘The Liar and His Lover’, ‘Blue Spring Ride’ and ‘Gakkou no Kaidan’) and Uyama Keisuke (‘Switch Girl!!’, ‘Nobunaga Concerto’ and ‘Tonight, At Romance Theater’), the narrative predominantly focuses upon main male lead Haruto Asakura ( Nakajima Kento- ‘Koishite Akuma’, ‘Bad Boys J’ and ‘Nisekoi’). An aspiring photographer with low self-esteem, Haruto falls head over heels in love during a fateful encounter with bubbly hair stylist Ariake Misaki(Honoka Matsumoto- ‘Mio On the Shore’, ‘My Name Is Yours’ and ‘Byoshitsu de Nembutsu o Tonaenaide Kudasai’).

However just as Haruto starts to gain confidence in order to pursue his lifelong ambitions in order to become a photographer, Misaki begins to develop a rare disease that causes her to age rapidly before the falling of next spring’s cherry blossom.
As mentioned previously, ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ attempted to offer its audience with a somewhat sombre reflection of the futility of contingency as well as young love. The initial tone set for the movie is established as somewhat bubbly and sprightly rom-com . ( As established with Haruto and Misaki’s unconventional ‘’meet cute’’ after Misaki accidentally cuts Haruto’s ear with a pair of scissors.)

However as the plot begins to be set in motion with Misaki’s evident dilemma, ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ turns into a sentimental sob story, occasionally dipping into a melodramatic tone also. In addition to our main leads there is also a subplot revolving around Misaki’s brother, Ariake Takashi (Nagayama Kento- ‘Puzzle’, ‘Crows Explode’ and ‘Toge: The Last Samurai’) and his fiancée Yoshino Ayano ( Sakurai Yuki-‘ Love Craft Girl’, ‘A Crimson Star’ and ‘The Night Beyond The Tricornered Window’) attempting to take on the financial burden of Misaki’s circumstances.

Nevertheless despite the attempts for the series to lament over the sorrows of time and existence, the narrative for ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ could often feel discombobulated with its messaging. Of course, while the movie did possess an intrinsic message and an arguable social critique surrounding the financial and emotional burdens of the elderly in Japanese society, these messages could often feel as though they were only approached on a surface-level. This was mainly due to the fact that ‘Love like the Falling Petals’ would often only brief skim over details in a bombastic manner (such as the limited screen time given to the subplot revolving around Misaki’s brother), rarely delving deeper in order to avoid offence.

Kento Nakajima starred as main lead Haruto by adding a reserved yet somewhat blatant charm to his onscreen persona. Co-starring alongside Nakajima was Honoka Matsumoto as Ariake Misaki. Despite Matsumoto’s brilliance as an actress, her performance as Misaki could feel somewhat overblown at times with overexaggerated line deliverances and reactions. Nevertheless, Matsumoto did help to add a tethered charm to Misaki in later scenes of the movie as she falls deeper into a cycle of senescence.

Nakajima and Matsumoto’s onscreen chemistry is decent enough. Matsumoto and Nakajima’s onscreen interactions could feel somewhat childish and stilted at times in the opening of the movie. However by the second-half of ‘Love Like the Falling Petals’, the main leads’ onscreen chemistry turns angst-ridden and woeful, adding a bittersweet as well as an overemotional tone by the ending of the film.

The trajectory of ‘Love Like the Falling Petals’ can arguably be divided into two parts. In the first-half of the film, the narrative takes a lively and pacy approach to Haruto and Misaki’s coup de foudre, while the second-half downplayed events in order to focus on a more serious matter of Haruto and Misaki’s attempting to overcome complicated relationship and problems.
Admittedly this did provide to be a double-edged sword for ‘Love Like the Falling Petals’; the first-half allowing opportunities for viewers to understand the liveliness of Haruto and Misaki’s early courtship, while helping to present the climatic problems of the final part. On the other hand rather than allowing opportunities to delve further into the emotional edge of the characters or their personal backgrounds, Misaki and Haruto’s depth as characters could feel somewhat limited. For example this was particularly shown through the problem of Haruto. His precise reasons for becoming a photographer were limited and unexplored, while the emotional toil for Misaki and her illness were often enforced rather than explored subtly.

In addition to the pacing of the film, it is important to acknowledge the talents of the directing under the leadership of Yoshihiro Fukagawa. Slick and glossy, Fukagawa’s filming encapsulated an onslaught of aesthetic symbols and scenery. In particular, Fukugawa placed heavy emphasis upon the changing of the seasons from the falling cherry blossoms of spring, to the first snowfall of winter in order to mark the literal and metaphorical cycle of the narrative. On the other hand despite some mesmeric moments of the film, the CGI displayed in the opening as well as long-distance shots at times could feel somewhat sloppy at times.

‘ Love Like the Falling Petals’ is a bittersweet love story about transience and young love. Nevertheless despite the movie’s impressive shots and cast line-up, the narrative could often become just as fleeting as the cherry blossom with limited writing cliches, pacing and execution.

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Kang Daniel And Chae Soo-Bin Are Reporting For Duty In ‘ Rookie Cops’…

‘ Rookie Cops’ is a sixteen-episode streaming series which has earned intrigue and controversy amongst watchers and drama enthusiasts alike; dispute as a consequence of its limited availability on streaming service Disney Plus, as well as fascination due to its casting choices, setups and characters.

Main female lead Eun-Gang( Chae Soo-bin- ‘ Love In The Moonlight’, ‘ I’m Not A Robot’ and ‘ Where Stars Land’) is a bubbly, optimistic and outspoken individual. Often having felt left out by her parents due to their seeming preferential treatment of her sister Go Mi Gang ( Son So Mang- ‘ Queen Of Mystery 2’, ‘ Mr. Queen’), Eun-Gang has often felt pressured to take up a career which will gain her parents’ respect.

Eun-Gang’s prayers are finally answered when she discovers that her first-love has enrolled in the academy in order to become a police officer. Determined to enter the academy in order to get close to him as well as earn the respect of her parents, Eun Gang seems to be living the dream. However, reality, as Eun-Gang soon discovers, can often be harsh.

Meanwhile the narrative introduces viewers to main male lead and Eun-Gang’s polar opposite, Wi Seung Hyun( Kang Daniel). The level-headed and reserved son of top-ranking officer Wi Ki Yong (Son Chang Min- ‘ My Fair Lady’, ‘ Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘ No Matter What’), Seung-Hyun has felt the need to uphold the reputation of his father, ex officio.

However Seung-Hyun and Eun-Gang’s worlds collide even prior to entering the academy. After an awkward first encounter, Seung-Hyun and Eun-Gang are shocked to bump into one another again at the Korean National Police University.

However as the polar opposite main leads become involved with one another on a gradually frequent basis at the cadet academy, Seung-Hyun, Eun-Gang and their peers soon find themselves facing dilemmas, chasing dreams, and struggling to comprehend feelings on the front line of duty…

‘ Rookie Cops’ is the creation of screenwriter Lee Ha Na. The same writer behind predominantly melodramatic productions such as ‘ Cunning Single Lady’ and ‘ The Time We Were Not In Love’, ‘ Rookie Cops’ attempted to offer viewers the best of both worlds; a lighthearted youth series through Ha Na’s signature vivid tone, as well as a moody cop drama revolving around crime and emotional dilemmas for the main characters.

Admittedly this was necessary to a certain extent for viewers. Despite a noir-style opening, ‘ Rookie Cops’ was heavily invested with giving an introduction to its main leads Eun-Gang and Seung-Hyun, as well as introduce the other key players to the scene.

In particular these reoccurring characters and fellow students of the academy included apathetic as well as studious Ki Ha Na ( Park Yoo Na- ‘ My ID Is Gangnam Beauty’, ‘ SKY Castle’ and ‘ True Beauty’), athletic judo prodigy Kim Tak ( Lee Shin Young- ‘ Crash Landing On You’, ‘ Bite Sisters’ and ‘ How To Buy A Friend’), eccentric yet passionate Woo Joo Young ( Min Do Hee- ‘ Reply 1994’, ‘ My ID Is Gangnam Beauty’ and ‘ Clean With Passion For Now’), sprightly social butterfly Yoo DaeIl ( Park Sung Joon- ‘ Sweet Munchies’ and ‘ Run-On’) as well as amiable student Shin Ah Ri ( Cheon Young Min- ‘ Foolish Mom’, ‘ What’s Up With These Kids!?’ ) and principled youth Seo Beom Joo ( ‘ Voice 2’, ‘ A Piece Of Your Mind’ and ‘ Military Prosecutor Doberman’).

In addition to the students, Professor Cha Yoo Gon ( Kim Sang Ho- ‘ City Hunter’, ‘ Kingdom’ and ‘ Sweet Home’), Professor Bang Hee Sun ( Choi Woo Ri- ‘ Queen In Hyun’s Man’, ‘ Matrimonial Chaos’ and ‘ The Bride Of Habaek’) as well as Dean Kim Soon Young( Seo Yi Sook- ‘ You’re All Surrounded’, ‘ Mother’ and ‘ Hotel Del Luna’) played active roles as the reoccurring members of staff at the University.

Nevertheless it was noticeable that the second-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’ shifted in tone in comparison to the first half ; angst-ridden and with a several surprising plot twists, though admittedly a little inconsistent at times due to quick-paced events.

As mentioned previously, Chae-Soo Bin and Kang Daniel star as the main leads of the series and deliver fairly consistent performances throughout. ( It is admittedly praiseworthy to point out that despite Kang Daniel’s good reputation as a celebrity talent host and soloist, ‘ Rookie Cops’ marked the idol’s first acting debut onscreen.)

As for the main leads’ onscreen romance , Daniel and Soo-Bin’s potential chemistry is admittedly stunted at different stages of the narrative. In the first-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’, shoehorned embarrassing scenarios and encounters were purposefully placed to enforce tension and awkwardness between the main leads onscreen. Yet it’s hard to deny that as plot progress, Daniel and Soo Bin’s onscreen chemistry is admittedly a lot more natural also.

Then there’s the supporting cast. Although there were admittedly several moments of overblown dialogue, the supporting cast delivered fairly solid performances. In particular, Lee Shin Young, Park Yoo Na and venerable actor Kim Sang Ho particularly stood out due to their charisma onscreen.

As mentioned previously, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is divided almost into two-halves by its tonal shift; a fairly easygoing introduction ( aside from its initial opening), gives ways to a darker second-half with several unexpected twists and revelations for viewers.

The first-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’ admittedly downplays a lot of initial tension from the opening, as well as future events to come. Instead, ‘ Rookie Cops’ fixated upon character introductions, early dilemmas for the characters and potential setups, before plunging into the deep-end with a pacy and angst-ridden second-half with varying results .

The tonal shift did help to keep viewers intrigued and intensify the climatic events of the second-half. However, this also caused some drawbacks for ‘ Rookie Cops’ also.

Although some of the intriguing counterplots of the series such as the rocky friendship between Kim Tak and Seung-Hyun, Eun-Gang’s gradual maturation as well as emotive themes such as anger, loss and love as well as focusing upon other subject areas such as corruption, peer pressure and corporal punishment, there were several subplots which were admittedly poorly fleshed-out. For example, Seung-Hyun’s estranged relationship with his father and the escapades of other side characters such as Shin Ah Ri were often disregarded during key moments.

Through the directing lens of ‘ Kim Byung Soo’ ( ‘ Queen In Hyun’s Man’, ‘ A Korean Odyssey’ and ‘ He Is Psychometric’), ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a fairly slick and glossy production.


Admittedly early episodes of the series seemed to place a heavy- budget emphasis upon frequent cut scenes of the academy; with little variance in tone or schemes. However as the second-half dawned upon the series, ‘ Rookie Cops’ took a different approach to filming by helping to captivate through Byung Soo’s leadership, the emotional tones through gradients and palettes of the characters at different times in the series . ( In particular off-whites, golden hues and blues were frequently shown onscreen during key scenes and interactions.)

The OST of ‘ Rookie Cops’ is predominantly composed of a compilation of schmaltzy ballads and pop tracks. Admittedly with some tracks more memorable than others, LUCY’s contemplative and guitar pop track ‘ Police Class’ from OST Part 2, ‘TIME’, an upbeat song performed by singer Kwon Eun Bi from OST Part 4, as well as Kang Daniel’s adrenal-infused tempo song ‘Hush Hush’ featured on the Special OST were surprisingly ear-catching tracks .

The finale of ‘ Rookie Cops’ was admittedly dependent on expectations. Although there was a shocking twist for the audience, the execution of the sudden plot-twist felt admittedly last minute; quickly thrown in to the storyline narrative in order to add edge and surprise , though failing to help impact the characters or the falling action.

Lighthearted, angst-ridden and surprisingly profound at times, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a series which offered viewers with a lighthearted and sugary coming of age tale, as well as moody crime-drama in parts also. Nevertheless despite some brilliant acting performances and an intriguing setup, ‘ Rookie Cops’ did admittedly suffer slightly under the weight of execution by underdeveloped subplots and several overindulgent tropes. However for those looking for the best of both worlds through both sweet and darker themes, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a fairly entertaining binge-watch also.

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