djohangaon

A real-life legend who created a martial arts guild in Joseon Dynasty. His group that defends the King is fighting against a mysterious organization of assassins who plot to kill the King...

We got all wonderful friendships, bromance, brotherhood and painful rivalry. A lot of sword fights between enemies and comrades who has just silently sitting next to each other. The acting were so moving and beautiful! All the kid actors enchanted me in less than 4 episodes and I wanted to see their journeys. Also their teen actors, all of them portrayed their characters very well and distinct. It has a stunning choreography and epic OST. The politics are quite confusing and complicated, but I ignored it and focused on the characters and their bonds, it works!

Despite my strong praises, there are shortcomings which actually bothered me throughout, plot is quite messy with a lot of unrealistic twists, with long drags in the middle. (SPOILER!) At a point I lost interest when there’s a twist that really diminish the relevance of the leads, and this infuriated me, why they end up to be so unimportant to the story? So I wasn’t enjoying watching the last quarter episodes and finish it just for the goodwill for the characters, as I really loved them in the beginning of the drama.

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Reply 1988 is hilarious, heartfelt, and bittersweet

Five families, parents and kids, go about their dynamic lives within a neighbourhood set in late 80's Seoul. While navigating their lives and youth, a 'mysterious' romance is blooming among our female leads and her childhood friends. Despite not being glamorous or full of suspense, it's a coming-of-age story focusing on family and community with lots of memorable and emotional moments.

Well, it’s an amazing drama to experience; from mother's friendship, community power, youths finding identities, parents coping with their children leaving home, first love, unrequited love to all the trials and tribulations that we've all gone through. Each episode has a life lesson for everyone.

The production is top-notch! The camera is incredibly playful and shows lots of unique angle. The show is teaching me patience to get into the story. The quiet moments are actually storytelling at its’ finest; They're showing what I need to know and not telling, building up a strong foundation towards a climax. So when it reaches the climax, I really got sink in that emotional arc. The choice of retro OSTs were wisely done. I didn't understand the lyrics but they give me all the nostalgia.

That said, the show can also feel so long, some people might not finish because of the lengthy episodes. But if you get invested with the quirky & real characters, you're going to love this drama. It’s beautifully acted with gentle humour and a coming-of-age story with a big focus on family.

PS: If you’re watching this, avoid googling to avoid spoilers!^^


===== SPOILERY PART=====
Of all the characters, my favourite character was Bora. Some of her moments with her father, especially the ones in the final episodes were so damn relatable to me. I cried so much and cried again upon my rewatches of their heart-warming, at the same time heart-breaking scenes. Also, I like Deok Sun's character, she is incredibly happy and I want to have a friend like her. Now talking about the love triangle between her and Jung Hwan and Taek, I thought they were both really compelling in separate ways like they both are amazing and neither one is better than the other. That's how I appreciate this love triangle. Of course, as the viewer I try to figure out who she will end up marrying and I think it was quite predictable once we reach the obvious foreshadowing scene midway. I was just a bit conflicted because the character of her future husband is nothing like his character in his youth. I read that this choice was deliberate as the writer changed the stories while it was airing, but still, I wasn't completely satisfied because I feel they kind of wrecked his adult character.

My complaints were mostly in the late part of the series, the time jump when the group of friends grew up and were busy with their day-to-day job feels too mundane. The parents are really pushed to the wayside and their conversations are not that interesting to me, but the vast majority of the screen time is devoted to them. I got bored and had the urge to skip ahead a few times on this part. I also am kind of disappointed as the families left their neighborhood just like that. There is no urgency that forces them to leave and had moved out from that street and we didn't need to see the neighborhood gets abandoned.

Finally, the final scene didn't have an uplifting feeling. The final voiceover gave the impression to me that it was really idolizing youth and this makes me feel sad growing up, like oh, I'm old now. While I know that's not true as life goes on and I can experience wonderful moments as an adult, that feeling of never being able to experience youth again felt bitter. I don't like it when it's put on the finale, I prefer that they cut the show without showing all of these.

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Summer Strike highlight the importance of small daily happiness, beyond the hustle culture

"Summer Strike" follows a young woman who quits her office job and moves to the countryside after her mother's sudden death. Then, she meets a mysterious librarian and develop an interesting relationship.

I was interested on the premise set upon criticizing the hustle culture while highlighting the importance of various types of relationships and daily happiness. However, I would have prefer more discussion touching on the hustle culture and more conclusion on them.

From the production and acting, it was great. Visually, Summer Strike is beautiful, they used the environment they were filming in to its full potential. Kim Seol Hyun improved greatly since her debut, and Yim Si Wan is one of the best idol turned actors. I enjoyed was their romance from their hilarious firsts encounter and the natural and slow-burn development. There was no culminating intimate skinship, but they’re so peaceful to watch.

I wasn’t a fan when the plot became muddled with a mystery murder storyline, even though it did serve a purpose for our lead’s character arc. Who likes a healing show about a timid female lead who moves away from the toxic environment to end up in another toxic environment? Not me. So in the end, the show is not really relaxing and warm, and I can’t feel myself learning anything from it.

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Enjoyable, rewatchable and I love it for the daring social representations

The story of a wrongfully-accused young man’s journey in realizing his 17-year business plan to avenge his father's death. He recruits his trustworthy friends and acquaintances to run a pub in Itaewon.

Life lessons are learned right away, we got introduced to our protagonists and villains. A lot happened to our male lead Park Saeroyi. I got invested and rooted for his life in every aspect: from his dad to his first love, to his dreams. He doesn't give up although unfortunate events happened to him. I also respect these villains characters, they’re smart and driving the plot significantly, keeping us guessing how Saeroyi can win.

Park Seo Jun did so well portraying Park Saeroyi. His calmness has a certain charisma that brought his friends to trust him as their leader. I appreciate the uniquely written DamBam staffs. Each of them has their unique background and motivations, which is not often portrayed but needed. We need more positive highlights on social diversity. I love all their stories, especially Jang Geun So.

There’s also a character briefly shown on the 1st ep but appear again later in the 3rd ep, Jo Yi Seo. She is quite hard to describe and you need to just watch her. Her mannerism, face expressions, fashion, her abrasiveness fits perfectly together. She’s tired of the socially-expected life of studying hard, going to university, work as hard as possible until you die. She even wish for the world to end so she wouldn't have to live that routine. Kudos to Kim Da Mi for carrying Yi Seo as a very authentic female lead.

My quibbles are, the ending was overdramatic, the car fighting scene was too long. Also, I never believe the romance as they’re perfect as friends, why can’t man and woman be friends? Nevertheless, I very much enjoyed Itaewon Class, it’s a great underdog story, with uplifting and awesome OST!!

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A decent story that suffers in pacing, could've been better if told in 8 eps

There are a few things I like about Black Out; it nails the creepy and bleak vibes well, decent performance from protagonists and most characters constantly evokes my anger & sinister sides (Although imo these angry scenes are overdone and not always useful to the plot, it makes a good entertainment to laugh at ;P). Whenever we get new clues and revelations after long frustrations of waiting in the dark, it gets intriguing. The cliffhangers keep me coming back.

However, Black Out suffers with its’ pacing, not enough momentum to keep my anticipation high throughout the looong 14-episodes. Without momentum, I often forget what happened, who did what in previous episodes, etc... Some might find the slow-burn investigation to be appealing, but to me it felt sluggish. At some point, the case is not a mystery anymore in viewers pov, but the protagonists keep getting into too many hurdles to reach the truth. In my opinion, the reveals are also a bit dumb, they don’t give the WOW mind-blowing feeling. I still think this is a decent thriller, but would be more thrilling if told in 8 episodes.

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Unique and very twisty!

After being traumatized by her parents' death, Jian was raised by her uncle Jinman (Lee Dong Wook). Years later, Jian (Kim Hye Joon) receives a call from local police informing her that Jinman is dead, so she's left on her own. She's about to investigate who is responsible for his death but has to defend herself from an unknown enemy who's suddenly attacking her. Will she survive and discover the truth?

This drama has a very unique storytelling and the characters setup. The cool thing about Jian is that she has the ability to think and act in crisis, even though she was a normal girl who live with her uncle who isn't the most loving-parent figure. Jinman demanded her to be very independent on her own.

The first two episodes were purely shown through Jian’s perspective, focusing on a big mystery surrounding her uncle. At first, I was feeling a bit lukewarm to how they're playing with time, switching between present and past without knowing the full context of the story (and gunfight scenes are not really my taste, but they’re actually very cool to watch if you’re a fan), but I’m fully on board later in episode 3, when they showed twists and clues about Jinman and the other supporting characters. Some scenes were gory, mind you, but it doesn’t really detract me from watching. The suspense and the intrigue are compelling enough to feel connected to the story, that the journey to revealing what's going to happen is just as enjoyable as the final reveal.

-Jan 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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it's very engaging but overall not so great

Due to personal crisis, Joon Sung and Jae Hyo made a deal to kidnap their friend Min Woo, asking for ransom from his wealthy family. Right away I was excited for a suspenseful thriller experience. On the production side, it is almost perfectly executed! From camerawork, music, and the acting. I was impressed with the powerful acting of our leads and the mother! The use of classical music in few critical situations are strangely fun, it's the best treat for my sensory. The opening credit is very creative, it tickles my imagination and I never skip it.

It is dark and serious tone throughout and the first half kept me on the edge of my seat. I feel bad for Min Woo and what he's going through during the kidnapping is slightly psychologically unsettling, knowing your trusted friends suddenly tied you and pinned you down in their closet. While episode 1-5 provide great momentum, the storyline fell flat afterwards. It's getting weirder and weirder the more the trio try to execute "The Perfect Deal". I found them making illogical decisions for the sake of keeping the plot going. I don't get why don't just help one another if they're friends? The resolution was also unrealistic and left me unfulfilled. Overall, not so great but I enjoyed. For any thriller fan, it is still an engaging watch due to its' short and fast pacing, there's no boring or drag part.

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In his quest for promotion, dedicated police officer Joon Mo is tasked to infiltrate an illegal drug cartel led by Ki Chul. Little does he know, that his wife, Eui Jung, is investigating the same mission and she has known Ki Chul in the past. How will Moon Jo navigate this situation?

One of the most anticipated dramas this year, starring my first crush Ji Chang Wook. My first thought: the premise is one of my favourite setups! Hidden identity with action, so it's right down my alley!

Pacing is great, we get things going right away, but I am not hooked from the premise, and the story is nothing new. What's groundbreaking is the performances. The fight scenes are very gory, looks extremely dark and they’re done so well. More than the plot, I'm captivated by Ji Chang Wook, his performance is at its' finest, this man can be anyone! Directing-wise, I don’t like the parallel double-date set up and the strange flashbacks, but the acting by our leads is truly amazing! It shakes the JCW fandom worldwide, that you’re probably already spoiled by the scene by now.

The Worst of Evil could have been better presenting their leads. While watching it, I had discussions with a lovely friend and I totally agree with her insight, so I quote them: “There are great potentials that are set up but never utilized: either it’s Ki Chul’s gangster set up, or a believable marriage between Joon Mo and Eui Jung, or Joon Mo’s instability for the lack of a father figure. It would be interesting if Ki Chul has a stronger influence to Joon Mo and Joon Mo drawn to him as a father figure, more than money and power that he’s lacking in his low-rank police status, sucking him deeper into evil… It could have been a more heart-wrenching scenario for this noir.”

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The great mother vs. one-note villains

A story about the effort and sacrifices of Queen Im Hwa Ryeong to protect her royal family in the middle of palace intrigues

So, first of all, the good: I’m really happy to see a sageuk representing a strong female lead in the Joseon Dynasty. The acting is phenomenal. Kim Hye-soo portrays the Queen as a warm-hearted mother yet a strong woman who can stand up for herself and her loved ones well.

The story is so good up until episode 7. This drama is really compelling, and I’m already attached to the characters. Hwa Ryeong really takes action to protect her sons. She storms through the palace at a breakneck pace. The palace intrigue develops as fast-paced as her footsteps and I’m on the edge of my seat! I love how it highlights the claustrophobia of the royal court.

Afterward, I was severely disappointed with the very monotonous conflict resolution: all about survival in a cutthroat court. Although it makes an interesting premise, the plot is not satisfyingly executed. There's really not much to tell than the usual jealousy between Hwa Ryeong and the villain characters, it wasn't an equal match. They do not give threats to our heroes. Another thing, I don't understand what message they want to tell regarding the story of the prince who seems to be a transgender.

If you're not a fan of sageuk, this drama might catch your interest. For me, the conflict resolution is a bit lackluster, but the pacing is great. The side characters have their own unique stories. The political intrigue wasn't complicated; the writer does well showing what's going on.

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well, it's fun but also meh

Ban Hani (Choi Kang Hee) , a single 37-year-old lives her timid life day by day, until one day, she met her spunky 17-year-old self. This 17-year-old Hani is nothing like her now, she’s obnoxious and optimistic, while her current self is passive and worn-down with life. How come they're so different despite being the same person? Is there a guilt that Hani carries in her adult life?

It's always interesting to see opposite personalities interacting on-screen. I like the idea of the major contrast between Hani's past self and current self and they were a great match on-screen. I enjoyed the hijinks, comedy and the high energy cast performance a lot in the beginning, but started losing excitement when it starts fleshing out on the trauma. Somehow it didn't feel as emotional and deep, which maybe due to it stays trying to be silly and over the top. I've seen few dramas that handle this emotional / funny tone very well, but here it didn't feel fit together in my opinion. The male lead storyline was a mess although Kim Young Kwang acted very well. I think the banter between him and his dad was better than the romance. I don't think they need the romance in this story, it has enough plotline to focus on. Overall, it was just ok, I had fun at first, but got bored as it ends.

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It was a very good and consistently an engaging watch! ...until the end.

From the first episode, I enjoyed the story. The actions and sets are giving a Mission Impossible feel to it. The leads are doing such a great job, they're quickly established the characters and I got invested really fast. The acting is all just superb; Suzy did her best for her character, Go Hae Ri. Also, Moon Jung Hee was brilliant and intimidating, I love a good villainess. Of course, Lee Seung Gi was AMAZING as an Cha Dal Geun, he is an action hero! I was awed watching him running, jumping, chasing cars and did all those stunts. However, there was so much shaky-camera and it's so unfortunate because the camera was capturing really well-choreographed action sequence.

The twist and turns got a little bit too convoluted for me who is not a die hard fan of investigation and crime genres, but I never get bored as the plot is moving and stays high-stake all the way through the end. and yes, as most watchers have mentioned too, I don't like how it ended. Had that scene excluded, the drama would not leave such a frustrating after taste. Especially watching it after years it has aired and knowing there might never be a continuation to the story. That said, I don't regret watching it, one of the best in action genre.

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8 episodes of sexy, fun, healing story that I highly recommend

After 5 year-loveless relationship with his boyfriend, Hee Jae (Hee Yeon) seeks advice to her best friend Mi Na (Woo Hee) who is a serial one-night-stand girl. Although being an expert in achieving physical pleasure, she doesn't have any romance in her life. When they agreed to host a sex and romance advice podcast, the two get introspective and desperately want to change their lives.

It goes all the sexy way possible and really not for children. Don’t be too alarmed by first scene - it's not all sex and desire. The story is deep and it is so good! It is short and gets right to the point. Each episode tells so much about the characters. I love how the writers truly emphasize and understand female gaze. It carries the subject of healthy sex between couples and partners respectfully and showed that sex isn't anything to be ashamed of.

The friendship between Hee Jae and Mi Na hits me with all the feels. Their backstory were heartbreaking. It was lovely to see how the male leads become a part of their lives romantically but also sexually. The only thing I am feeling icky of is one tiny, annoying trope at the end that I'm so over with, but overall I am so impressed with this drama and wish that this drama has more acknowledgement, for how well it handles the topic.

Mind you, it had nudity, just like the title hit the spot because that's the way the story is set up. But these scenes are well placed and it felt like character-driven moments. They were done very beautifully. So, if you don't mind it, you should definitely check out this.

-Feb 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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Raunchy and spicy!

Defining the line between friendship and romance is frustrating. Through a series of hijinks, three pairs of youngsters each had tryst and left some yearning for more, while others simply want to have fun. What happen when different expectation and jealousy arise? Will they have their happy endings?

“Only Friends” is not the first Thai drama I started, but this is the first one completed and now it’s hard to find another one that is just as engaging. Watch this if you're looking for a raunchy and spicy BL! It hits the spot right from the get-go.

There was no boring moment and a lot happened in each episode. I'm impressed by how the plot is cohesive enough to keep me invested in all six leads. Beyond the excitement of watching BL relationships, I enjoyed the conflicts. Since everyone has flaws and complex feelings, it makes the angst feels so goooooood! Some twists and turns are soapy, messy and predictable, especially by the last few episodes when they introduced more supporting characters, but I am satisfied with how it concluded by the end.

Among the performances, Mark Pakin Kunaanuwit (Nick) stands-out from the start! He can ignite chemistry out of nothing, even without a partner he is hot. Also, Khaotung Thanawat Ratanakitpaisan's (Ray) showed a great acting nuance. What could've been better is the production value in some scenes the music is too loud, shaky cams and bad lightning, but it's acceptable and did not detract me from binging it!

-Jan 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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Emotional rollercoaster with phenomenal characters and brilliant storytelling

Yeon Shi Un is a smart student but he's physically frail, making him an easy target for the bullies who are jealous of his top grades. Based on a webtoon with the same title, it deals with an unlikely bonding heroes who stand up for themselves in their unique ways. The underdog become the alpha dog in this Pavlovian classic battle, fueled by rocking OST, amazing camera angles, unique film-editing and well-paced pen clicks!

It is short yet it covers a lot of deep values of youth fragility and found friendships. WHC1 seems to be grieving and questioning the youth fragility, showing how teenage life is like walking on thin ice, how the past leaves a trauma long after the incident. Trigger warning! There is much violence as it is a bullying story, all the blood, pain, violence, but... it is also very fun!

Sure, bullying drama is not new, but the storytelling is very unique. From the intro we see this cool blue-tone, it's quite mellow, I absolutely adore it, and adore seeing the intro even more as I get into the final. It doesn't look gory. It feels angsty. Loved the fighting scenes, the choreography for the fighting scenes are like dance, like I'm watching a musical.

the story wouldn't have the impact it has, if the characters didn't feel as real as they do. The journeys that they go on individually and then all together are just heartbreaking. I felt so much emotion watching them. I laughed, I cried, I felt angry, I have such a strong connection with the characters and I thought that's so rare nowadays... to feel so connected with characters. They're really easy to relate to and I think that's because they're teenagers and I was a teenager and I relate to a lot of the stuff they went through, not the like taking down a gambling gang, but the friendship troubles and the exams and part-time jobs, stuff like that... It had everything I might want from a show like this trio: cute fighter, psycho brain, cinnamon roll who just wants to help.

Absolutely award-winning levels of acting. Their facial expressions speak more than speeches and actions, the quiet gazes worth more than words. Even though they are all amazing, I'm not taking anything away from any of them… but Park Jihoon who played Shi Un really stood out for me and I watched this show months ago and the climax scene with Shin Un the last episode... that still sticks with me. That scene is so powerful and it is literally because of his acting.

The plot is tight without fillers, it has no romance, but there are tons of conflict and I love conflict. I really like the dialogue and I also the visual storytelling is just skillful. Well-written scripts are more than anything I really look up to the show and the writers who worked on it because it really is just phenomenal. It's literally flawless I don't have anything bad to say about it. Hands down the most heartbreaking drama I've ever seen and I genuinely mean that!

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This reminds me of Titanic but with a weaker storyline

Youth of May is a 12-ep melodrama that follows a romance between a nurse and a son of a dictator. They fell in love during the Gwangju Uprising conflict, and because of their parent's background, their relationship gets complicated. This show has 12 episodes.

What got me interested in Youth of May is the characters and their effort to overcome the conflict. Youth of May is absolutely what I would call a plot-driven show. There’s basically no breathing room to really feel comfortable, nor to get invested in a few of the relationships that were formed within the show.

The problem that stands out to me is the romance, yes even though I appreciate the actor's performance and their setup for this romance at first, the pair actually get together, and there's great tension, but no chemistry. As soon as they do get together, their relationship milestones and choices all seem mindless. I don't get why they act a certain way. Their story progression feels slow to me and I don't personally feel as connected with them.

The midpoint episodes were quite a drag for me to get through. I didn't find any character growth, nor did I enjoy watching them. Instead of dealing with the conflicts, the drama shows a lot of self-inflicted misery which contributes a little to the progressions of the story and makes me bored.

I found the ending so dissatisfying, I really felt nothing. In the last two episodes, I wasn't shocked by any of the climaxes, I wasn't sad, I was pretty emotionless because I could see that the show was ending and I just didn't care. It seems that Youth of May gains popularity due to the "based on real event“ cover, but the storyline is weak and unfocused so it doesn’t buy my sympathy. So my overall rating for Youth of May is 5.5/10

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