✒ GMO with the MOJO ⚗ The Birth of the 6 Bajillion Won Man °8.5° °innovative wows°
Okay, it's time to pick off another ep of BF. ⏱… ⏲… Where is it? What's wrong with my continue-watching…? Where's the beef? Hulu?WHAT!?!
That's all there is? Just 10 eps? A cliffhanger?
I'm usually bringing up the rear guard and watching the older shows, which are all completed, so I haven't had this happen to me in a long time. Now I have to wait for S2 and it hasn't even been announced yet, smh.
Don't let that scare you. Unless people watch it, they won't make another season, and we should get another season of BF. It's excellent and has the potential to be a 9+. I've held back because it ain't over yet. As is, it's quite a rush. Let's get into its DNA.
He's got what she needs.
Ju Ji Hoon (Hyena, Kingdom-8.3) is Woo Chae Woon. He's ex-mil and now high-level security. He's about more than babysitting CEOs, though. He's on a mission to uncover the truth about a terrorist bombing that took place under his watch where he was one of the base commanders overseas. He's one of those guys - Like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. He's lethal. Usually more like a statue in the corner, he doesn't show much emotion.
Han Hyo Joo (Moving, W) is Blood Free’s CEO, Yoon Ja Yoo. With her background in the sciences, she's quite stoic herself. Hints surface of past traumas. She started the company, which makes cultured meat, in order to provide human beings with a drug, parasite, and cruelty-free food supply. Things are going well. They've released their beef and are preparing to launch their seafood line. Just wait and see what they get into next.
Our ML's resume fits our FL’s job search parameters so perfectly that she's suspicious. She's not stupid, afterall. Yet Ji-hoon gradually gains her trust, then her admiration, then more. Plus he's a good cat-dad. Men that like cats are largely secure with themselves. It's a good sign.
BF is a 2024 release that is rated 88 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of a MERE 10 50-minute episodes. Screenwriter, Lee Soo Yeon, also wrote the popular Stranger. Instant stardom: This is director Park Chul Hwan's 1st effort. Wow. Other main players are Lee Hee Joon (Mouse) as PM Seon Woo Jae, and as aids to the powerful are Lee Moo Saeng (Cleaning Up, Maestra: Strings of Truth) playing On San, Jun Suk-ho (Kingdom-8.3, Call It Love-8.4) is Seo Hui, and Park Ji Yeon (A Model Family) as Jung Hae Deun. Jeon Gook Hwan (Crash Landing on You-9.1, Empress Ki, and nearly everything else) is perfect as the former Prime Minister/ grandfather to the current one. He actually loses it in one scene, which is something new. As one could imagine, it's frightening. He's everywhere because he's authentic.
BF's successes in the lab threaten the power structure in K-country. The plot centers around corporate espionage and other intrigues. It's a hot second before the government steps on the mess and makes everything worse.
BF touches on the cruelty of the meat industry, but only slightly. I've considered going vegetarian, but I'm not quite there yet. The changes I have made are 1. I eat little meat, and 2. I insist on organic and humane products. A healthy person doesn't “need” meat but 2 or 3 times a week, if at all. Our food supply is polluted with chemicals, and our meat is polluted with them as well. {All those ingredients most of us can't pronounce? I've learned the hard way they have a cumulative and deleterious effect on our health, particularly gut health. Maladies that barely existed in the mid-20th are rampant now - IBS, Crohns, and mental health, such as the anxiety and depression epidemics. Serotonin receptors are in the gut (? Yep!), so poor gut health absolutely affects mood. I probably never would have made changes if my condition hadn't become ultra-extreme. GIGO (garbage-in-garbage-out) applies to our physical health, not just computers. A good start is to wean off of GMO wheat, grains, corn, and all sugar, which only harms and has no nutritional benefits whatsoever. Same goes for pet food.} Animal cruelty is just absolutely wrong. It is inexcusable. By now, the cruelty involved in the meat industry is common knowledge, so to be willfully blind to it is to be party to it. There is no room for it in Hinduism, Buddhism, or Judeo-Christian belief (yes, traditional Hebrew worship involves animal sacrifice, but the whole point is that it is supposed to hurt. It is supposed to make humans reflect on the consequencesof their tresspasses and regret the hurt that we cause). Regardless of belief-system, it is patently obvious that it's wrong to be cruel to animals except to the most ardent subscribers of “survival of the fittest.” This isn't political. I am not political. Politicians-at-large let our food supply become polluted and it's keeping us down. Politics is the new racism, and we've never sorted out the old racism. People make a mess of everything, and it's all for nothing.
Moving on…
There's a rich and powerful family depicted in which the grandfather, father, and son all have their own agendas and work at odds against eachother. So sad. This is contrasted with our ML who is making sacrifices for his niece and working for the sake of his lost comrades. He lives to bring them justice. It would be lovely to not have to worry about money. Sadly, many rich people don't manage to be happy, either. They develop habits and appetites, based on greed and pride, that can never be satisfied.
The writing is just splendid. Only the most finicky left-brained types will object to the plot twists. I found viewing pleasure near frictionless - an easy glide. BF is slick as culture in a petri dish. It's weighty. The CEO has a tremendous burden on her and the viewer can feel it. They build tension steadily. Slick techno music accompanies the tense scenes. There's respectable action in ep3. As of ep7, BF develops into an excellent thriller. There's a Hollywood style gun battle in which our protagonists are quite fortunate in their ability to avoid being shot while being amazingly accurate with their own shooting skills. Still, it works. There's very cool VR search technology featured while the actor is using VR gloves (Like Minority Report). Save a life - A very cool medical device inhabits BF's basement (Like The Fifth Element-8.9 and Prometheus-8). “Good artists copy, great artists steal,” per Picasso (if he even came up with that. Whether that quote is his original words has been brought into question, in full-circle irony. It amuses me to think that he plfered that line). The camera work, acting, directing, writing all blend together to culture a quality product. One can't pilfer that. They constructed this excellent work one cell at a time.
✏〰 IMHO
Directing 7.5
Writing 8.3
Acting 8.5
Romance 6
Flutters 5
Art 8.2
Sound & music 7.8
Ending ?
LEVELS
Laughs 1
Warmth 3.3
Action 7.8
Tears 5
Fright 4.5
Tension T Anxiety 4
Gore 6
Thought provocation 5.5
Snores 0
📣8.5 📝8.3 🎭8.5 💓6,🦋5 🎨8.2 🎵/🔊7.8 🔚? ▪ 🌞3.3 ⚡7.8 😅1 😭5 😱4.5 😯4 🤢6 🤔5.5 💤0
Age 15+ for Violence. One stabbing scene is gritty. American style shootouts. I don't have any notes on language but it's likely some scattered PG-13 vocalization.
Rated TV-MA: Mature Audience Only.
Re-watch? This is a prime candidate to crank up for the family in my attempt to broaden their viewing horizons. When S2 comes out (nothing official is set yet) I will probably rewatch S1.
Adrenaline
Sisyphus 8 (give it 2 episodes, ep1 is confusing),
A Shop for Killers-8.7,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
The Devil Judge-8.2,
K2-8,
Moving-8.5
Revenge of Others-8.1,
Oldboy-9,
The Worst of Evil-7.7
Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;
⚖Spies, ©🅾🅿§ & Robbers (some w/ a fantasy✨️element)
Mad For Each Other-7.7 ~ silly fun,
Vincenzo-8.2,
Flex X Cop-8.5,
Man to Man-6.7,
Bad and Crazy,
The King: Eternal Monarch-8.3🔮,
Oh My Ghost-10🔮,
Big Mouth-7.4,
Han River Police-7.1,
Bad and Crazy-8.4,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Missing: The Other Side-8.3🔮,
A Beautiful Life-7.4,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,
Vagabond-8,
Prison Playbook-8.4,
Private Lives-8.1,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
K2-8,
Tunnel 8.5🔮,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Parasyte the Grey-6.9🔮,
Signal-8.6🔮,
The Worst of Evil-7.7
Revenge of Others-8.1,
The Good Detective-,
Sisyphus 8🔮 (give it 2 episodes, ep1 is confusing), The Defected-8.2,
Iris-8,
Awaken-8.7🔮,
D.P.-8.4,
The Man from Nowhere-8.9,
Moving-8.5🔮,
Beyond Evil-7.4,
The Defected-8.2,
Gangnam Bs-Side-7.2,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
Oldboy-9,
A Shop for Killers-8.7,
Black 9🔮,
The Cursed 8.3🔮,
The Wailing-8.8🔮,
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✒The Water God Saves a Drowning Woman ♥️ For Romance Lovers Only °VG°
Here's a show about how the anchor is pulled up from a generations-long curse & Nam Joo-hyuk is put in his proper place.BoH is one of my guilty pleasures. The term “guilty pleasure” is overused & misused. Most commonly it's thrown in b/c we're embarrassed about what we like or we're throwing cover over something we've enjoyed for fear of being mocked. For a GP to actually be a GP, there must be something to feel guilty about, meaning it has to be a show that is more than alittle flawed, but we just like it. Any fair assessment has to be a combo of technical competence & how it touches the♥️. Critics often focus more on the technical b/c that is measurable, while matters of the♥️ are subjective. How the receiver takes them matters as much as how the messenger sends them out. We have to be vulnerable to admit what our♥️ likes, & that makes it scary. BoH has lots of flaws - so many logical problems, so many missed opportunities, & if one steps back & really thinks about So-ah’s story, it's so So SO SAD! But I've already watched it twice & I'm sure I'll watch it again, b/c I'm a bit of a romance junkie, & BoH gotz goodz. I'll take a flawed show in which the director can give me the flutters merely by showing closeups of the actors’ hands, over Citizen Kane 6 days a week. I'll watch CK on the 7th. Technically excellent shows give me a thrill, but left-brain thrills are just trills compared to right-brain dopamine. Anyway, romance junkies! You'll love this one! Everyone else - probably not.
BoH is comfy & soothing while being surprisingly sensual at times. Based on the Kmanga, Bride of the Water God, it's a tale of the future king of the heavenly realms who must come to earth & complete tasks in order to ascend to the throne. Habaek (Nam Joo-hyuk from Start-Up-8) is that future king. So-ah (Shin Se-kyung Rookie Historian-7.5) is a psychiatrist who has no peace in her life. Nothing has ever gone right. She is drowning in debt and, well.... forget romance! She doesn't have the time or energy for that. Unbeknownst to So-ah, things are even worse: Her family is sworn to serve the heavenly realms whenever needed. Habaek somehow lost his powers when he descended, so he is going to need a lot of help… But So-ah is a mess! And, b/c she's from a line of divine servants, she's a god magnet.
House cleaning 1st. Besides the logical problems & missed opportunities, there was no follow-thru on many ideas. They dropped things here & there that initially made a splash, & then they let them sink to the bottom, forgotten. Habaek's powers, or lack of, are inconsistently handled. There are ill defined rules of the game, a thing too common in Kdramas. Not only does it get confusing, but it feels like they are cheating by making stuff up as they go. Before setting sail, they should clearly define the fantastical world depicted & stick to the parameters that they've set down. After 16+ hours of content, couldn't they have allowed a little more time for a thorough wrap up? We don't know what happened with most of the characters, & I would have liked a peek at what the coming days & years would look like. This is also too common and always yields discontent. It adds up to mandatory deductions. From a craft standpoint, BoH is at level 5~6 but as a romance it's a 7~8.
So-ah is in a submerged cage. She's drowning. Her altruistic father never had time for the family. Only child?!? Their house was always full of needy orphans! Ultimately, dad left on another goodwill mission & never returned. Her assistant recalls how evil she was as a child. From her perspective, she’s the victim. To dad, everyone else was more important than she. (It's a reminder that our perspectives often aren't the full story). Her dream is Vanuatu🇻🇺 - a beautiful sea ~ 🏖 ~ 🍍 ~🍌 & 🍾 ~ she wants the life of a god. Her reality, though, is prison. Her clinic is in a lower income area with bars on the windows. She literally lives behind bars. She's floundering in the dissonance between how she's compelled to live & how she wants to live ~ she's human.
Habaek begins as demanding & dismissive. It's amusing that he calls her his servant, but he always ends up helping her. As he acclimates to life on 🌏, it becomes clear that something dark is afoot. He & So-ah must wade through perils to right wrongs before all of creation goes under. In the background other gods are making trouble & complicating things; most have no respect for So-ah. One person that does respect So-ah is Shin Hoo-ye. He likes everything about So-ah, which makes Habaek gradually more irritated & determined to show his own worth, even w/o his powers. The oft overdone 💘⚠ makes a little more sense here given who So-ah is.
They ain't subtle. Like in The Terminator, clothes don't survive world-transference, so Nam Joo-hyuk is in the buff at the start. Rap music beats as he walks to So-ah like a model (though I can't say what he's modeling - The scene isn't a tad overdone, though; he's worthy of it). The director was able to make simple scenes sizzle with moments that practically steam up the lens with their sensuality. At times, just a touch is enough. Shots of hands moving slowly until the tips of their fingers separate are just beautiful. The soundtrack complements it all superbly. Glass Bridge, by Savina & Drones, made the romantic scenes flow deeper & stronger, like a wave washing over & the only way to escape the power is to drop under. I've got Glass Bridge & Savina & Drones on a variety of playlists. Ty, BoH.
One thing that is not lacking in BoH is the acting. Nam Joo-hyuk is fine, though I'm not sure if anyone cares about his acting. He plays Habaek who sits atop the world with no equals. He's never had to give anyone else a thought, so he has quite a bit of growing to do. Shin Sae Kyeong plays Yoon So-ah. I've seen her in Rookie Historian(7.5) & Run On(7- but the 2ndary couple’s ♥️ is a 9). She has an acerbic wit & authoritative air that lends to her playing a mother-lover in these shows. I like her, but I'm not partial to the mother-lover in a romance. Here she's gasping for air & she's fantastic. The superb actor, Im Joo Hwan, is Shin Hoo-ye. I'm a fan since Oh My Ghost(10). Just don't watch him in The Spies Who Loved Me(4) b/c it's awful. Krystal Jung is the petulant Mu-ra. She's got the best drop-dead stare - quite natural for a spoiled god. She's great in the hilarious Crazy Love(7.8) & even better in Sweet & Sour(7) and of course, she stars in the legendary Heirs(7.3). Gong Myung is Bi Ryum, another spoiled god. He's got a beautiful baby face. I'm currently watching him in Be Melodramatic, which is outstanding. I'd say skip Revolutionary Love(5.7) - not worth the ⏲ & his character is one of the worst things in RL.
Viki-9.2; MDL 7.4; Awiki 87; IMDB 6.9. BoH ‘s ratings are all over. Director Kim Byung-Soo doesn't have any duds. His low water mark, Bubble Gum @6.3, is his only feature rated under 7 on IMDB. Nine: 9 Times Time Travel is the high mark at 8.1. The very popular A Korean Odyssey(7) is the only other work of his that I've seen, & it's pretty much the same story. The “issues” made me crazy, yet I loved the show anyway. Both of these shows are too sloppy to appeal to anyone but a romant-i-phile. Mr. Kim's name in the credits is a draw for me, & to be honest, I would probably enjoy watching Nam Joo-hyuk in any show, good or bad.
Mr. Kim works in excellent shots & imagery. Hou-ye is also behind bars. His office is cave-dark & coldly industrial, with bar imagery on either end. It's a metaphor for his earlier life. Somebody goes through a window & the movement of the broken glass is beautiful, like it's water circling round them. Gorgeous. While there are not many action scenes, the stunts during the parking garage scene are excellent. In a scene or two, their clothes form ☯ as they embrace. There's reverses. In eps1&9 they kiss, & the scenes switch which one of them has closed eyes. In ep13 they both close their eyes.
There's laughter & warmth. Koreans & food - even when there's gods that don't get hungry they can't help having them go out to eat anyway. Why does Asian entertainment always feature eating while Hollywood starves us? The result is that their stuff has more warmth. Role reversal shopping is pretty funny. He has no clothes, so off to the fitting room scene they go. What's funnier is that tight-fisted So-ah buys him a suit that doesn't fit right. You get what you pay for, So-ah;))! The police want to know if there's anyone who might want to kill her? Her assistant immediately responds by giving names, Misters A-L, & blah blah blah, “I can't count them with my fingers…” She's utterly shocked. She had no idea.
They do go below the surface briefly. Instead of just one villain, everybody did wrong. Everyone has to live with regrets. Much of the angst in the show could be traced to a father's lack of love or attention. There's beautiful moments such as this poem about two people in love, as when you're in love even dandelions look beautiful & bright: ‘The dandelions beneath the telephone pole swayed brightly. I've come to believe that there is no such thing as coincidence in love. I've come to trust that the universe calculates even the littlest things, such as the winged stroke of a butterfly, in order to make two people fall in love.’
The name So-ah means: Beautiful waters. Drowning. Her whole life she's been drowning. The beautiful water god saves her. He turns her horror to honor & love.
〰️QUOTES〰️
The ones who smile during hardships are the winners. The ones who endure it are lesser. The ones who cry are losers.
It's in our language. We put action first in our sentences, while they put nouns first.
〰 ✏ IMHO
Directing 6.7
Writing 6
Acting 7.8
Romance 7.6
Flutters 7.8
Art 7.5
Action 5
Sound & music 9
Ending 6.5
LEVELS
Tears 7
Thought provocation 5
Snores 0
Age 15+ for mild sexual content
Re-📺watch? GP
🎬6.7 📝6 🎭7.8 💓7.6 🦋7.8 🎨7.5 ⚡5 🎵9 😭7 🤔5 💤0 🔚6.5
Originally 〰️🖋 8/2021
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The Long And The Short Of It ❣ Harmonious Romance °7.3° °VG°
This graceful little show is for fans of romance.This is my second foray into Chinese entertainment with a modern-day setting. This is my second time scratching my head. Why? Because, once again, I liked this show despite the many flaws.
For one, this show is relaxing to watch. Some would say it's slow, however, I kept choosing it over other shows because it was strangely soothing. The 24 episodes are just 40 minutes each, so they pass by quickly.
The premise is that a television producer, Mr. Yu, must find a last minute replacement couple for a show in which real-life couples compete. When things are desperate, and we need a big favor, whom do we call? Either best friends or family, right? So he calls his uncle, “Ye” Shuwei, who happens to be younger than him. Single, and very available Ye, is half of a couple. So Lizi, the co-producer, prevails upon her best friend, Erduo, to appear as the the other half.
Erduo. Played by the luminescent Lusi Zhao (The Romance of Tiger and Rose-9.8, Who Rules The World-7.5), she’s an aspiring voice actress with a goal to work in animation. Her dream is to study in Japan. As Erduo does not come from a wealthy family, she works several jobs as she tries to save up for school. That is precisely why she agrees to do the show: She'll make in 6 weeks what she would otherwise work 2 years to earn. Erduo is petite and as cute as the cartoon characters to which she lends voice. She doesn't come up to Ye's shoulder. She is smart and friendly, with a ready smile... while Ye seems like the very definition of a wet blanket.
Ye (Riley Wang from Back from the Brink), who crafts violins for a living, is a musical genius. Like many prodigies, he seems to be the brooding type. He isn't economical with words; he's downright stingy. Though handsome, he presents as condescending, bristly, and dismissive. As he comes from a wealthy family and is exceptionally talented, he hasn't had to look up to many people during his lifetime.
In part due to Ye's surprisingly convincing improvisation, Ye and Erduo are an instant hit with the audience. Unfortunately, they were not so much of a hit with eachother. In order to compete convincingly, and to dispel rumors that they aren't a real couple, they must scramble to get to know each other better.
Once Erduo meets Ye, she clearly never considers the possibility of a romance between them. /She don't like that /jerk/. It's very charming to see how Ye takes a liking to Erduo while she's oblivious to his feelings as well as her own shifting inclinations. As it turns out, Ye's a total playa. He really pulls some moves to close escrow. I was impressed. When Ye softened, he won Erduo over, and he won me over as well. While Erduo is admirable and adorable, Ye made me a fan of the show.
Erduo's friend, Lizi, wisely pivoted her life and then got to fiddle around with romance herself. As Lizi is a wonderful friend to Erduo, viewers will certainly be happy for her.
Here's some of the 'needs more practice' list:
The episodes don't appear to be split naturally. They seem to be chopped up at 40 minute intervals regardless. {I've since learned that many Cdramas are just one long movie, so this is no longer a criticism}
Wardrobe. Much of it is off. Some of Erduo's outfits are dreadful. Some are cute, though she tends to be overdressed. She asks her mom one time why she's dressed so formally- did she go to a wedding? Her mom was wearing a casual, businesslike suit. Awkward. To be fair, Lizi's outfits are classy. Ms Richbich, Lulu, always looks amazing. Mr. Yu's suits are over-the-top colorful. He's extremely handsome. There's always people that can get away with outlandish clothes. His confidence and looks put him in that category.
His apartment is awful, which brings us to....
Sets. Chinese entertainment can have odd modern day sets. Ye's house is impressive, but the decor could be so much better. (A trash can next to the coffee table? Really?) Erduo's mom's place has flea-marketish canvas paintings lined up about 7 feet high, straight across an entire wall. Kids, pictures should be put at eye level, with varied heights, or a limited structural layout. Long straight lines are for molding & borders. Lizi's place, and Ye's workshop are very sharp and the best put together sets.
Lastly, The Ending. The ending was not an ending. It sort of drifted off like all the other episodes. We can see that they are going to be fine, but they are still in the middle of so much, and things are largely left unresolved. They could have allowed for one more episode to wrap it up more smoothly. I was actually surprised to see the show had ended b/c I had lost track of the episodes.
Nevertheless, I can confidently recommend this to fans of romance. The pluses easily outplay any negatives.
QUOTE📢
(Ye, rejecting his childhood gf) "You will find your own happiness. You don't have to save it for me.
〰🖍 IMHO
Age 11+
Directing 7
Acting 7
Romance 8
Flutters 6
In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:
Period
C: Overlord 8.4,
The Sleepless Princess 9.1;
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9
Fantasy-
C:
Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10
Japanese lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5
Romance
K :
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;
Romance junkies only:
K:
My Secret Romance 7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks);
Boys Over Flowers 8 ~ melodrama to the max;
The Bride of Habaek 7;
Heirs 7.3;
That Winter, The Wind Blows7
Something in the Rain 9
C:
Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine, but ML pullsan outrageous stunt;
You are my destiny 6.8 cute, sweet & 1/2 padding;
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9;
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✒ ☘ Big Mouse >VS< Big Brother ☠ Rolling With It °7.4° °VG°
“When I woke up I was a different person: The most despicable louse in the world" He was already an attorney, how much worse could he be😜? Anyway, thus ep1 closes.B👄 opens, however, the night before. It was a dark & stormy night… We get a brief look at our leading couple as they celebrate their anniversary. Just as the ML, Park Chang-Ho (Cho), is getting into a car accident we jump 7 days back to see how things have been unraveling. "He's got an exceptional mind, he just doesn't get alot of work." He's the kind of guy who can never quite clear the bar. His pole will snap, or his laces will come untied. He has no connections. His win rate is less than 10%.
He was even scammed & lost their money. A week ago, they lost their court case against scammers that had taken their savings. Cho was representing the plaintiffs. Another loss. As the defense counsel & judge were changed at the last second, things look as kosher as marinated crabs.
The wife (Lim Yoon-A is Go Mi-Ho) is... displeased… The "D" word comes up. "Divorce". "I'd have to choose to live w/ Chang-Ho," dad explains. "You're strong. You'll be fine. But he can't survive without me." "But you're MY father!" Mi-Ho really can't comprehend the reasoning😆.
We're lurched back to now; his car is flipping & by the end of ep2 Cho's life has flipped completely. He was set-up to take the fall for the real Big Mouse. He's imprisoned. Everyone thinks he's B🐹. Some want to befriend him, more want revenge. He's been beaten several times & almost killed once. He wants to die. Living ain't easy. Sometimes, dying isn't either. The crazier he acts, the more the other inmates fear him & the safer he is. His fortune has always been to live a long & unlucky life. Very unlucky. He follows the crumbs & eventually decides the safest thing is to live in prison as B🐹.
"What!? The LAW!?! A vicious flower planted by those in power. That's what the law is… The moment you grab onto that flower, attempting to survive, you'll fall off the cliff to your death,” says B🐹. B👄's charm is in the everyday couple getting yanked to the world of crime & somehow going toe-to-toe w/ these nefarious masterminds. They've got the everyday problems: Debt, bills, hard jobs, losing cases, tough bosses, & they can't afford to have a child. But when pushed into the corner, they manage to outwit criminal syndicates. B👄 shows us how people fundamentally want to follow a strong leader. They prefer a #good strong leader, but people gravitate toward any strength. Power abides where perception resides. Power is basically the result of a group of individuals agreeing (consciously or not) on where & what it is. It's usually 80% illusion.
This show is not issue free; we'll get into it later. Detail oriented left-brainers may get fed up & jump off the wheel. In the balance, B👄 works. The acting is fine. Some of the performances are right on the line but I could 🥐 w/ it. The actor who plays B🐹 did a particularly nice job. Our FL, Lim Yoon-A, is in K2-8.1 - among my 1st Kdramas. I 💘 the show & was blown away by Song Yoon-A's performance as the congressman's wife. In K2, Ms Lim's part is one of the weak points. I thought she was mad & remember being stunned that the male lead is attracted to her. To be fair, her character had been through alot. It just didn't play well. She's fine here. In the snake pit, DA Choi Do-Ha, is very Michael Corleone to his Sonny counterpart, Kong Ji-Hoon. Oh Eui-Sik is our ML's aid. I'm a fan. I first saw him in Oh My Ghost-10, a superb show. He also plays the guitar & sings beautifully. With 18 credited works on IMDB, he must be made of pixie dust b/c they are all good shows. Familiar Wife-8.5 was a particular surprise. If you see his name in the credits, it's going to be a good show, pretty much. Who else could play the CAT, I mean, the elder, but Jeon Gook Hwan? He plays the-menace-under-the-controlled-exterior like few others. Ok Ja-Yeon, as hospital director, Joo-Hee, exudes calmness to the point where I settle down alittle just by looking at her, yet she's also a tad scary. She was quite different in Mine-8, to her credit.
Kraft-cheese-wise, um, craft-wise, B👄 is solid. There's just a few holes. Director: Oh Choong-Hwan brings us nothing but hits, like Hotel Del Luna-8.4. There's excellent filming of a person driving while drugged, & a nice shot reflecting off of a black statue. The final shot of ep7, in the dreaded white hall, is perfection. The current trajectory had slowed significantly by then, & things take a hairpin turn just in time. Ep9 is a blast. It Looks like they used the same abandoned pool in ep14 as the one in The Flower of EVIL-8.9. If they did, I love the call out. Midway thru ep15 there's another little tasty twist. The music augments an air of excitement.
The show is a maze. The creatures that are trapped in it scramble & thrash dramatically. Every movement reverberates through the whole system. The title is a play on words. To the Asian ear, "mouth" & "mouse" sound nearly identical. Cho's nickname is "Big Mouth", & the notorious crime syndicate ruler's moniker is "Big Mouse". Mouse? Who wants to be vermin? A quick goog of mice in Kculture lumps them in w/ rats. Adjectives used are: intelligent, agile, clever, hardworking, & w/ the abilities of foresight. 🔜 "They think they are predators as they run at me, but I'm going to chew them up & kill them." It is Cho's big mouth that enables him to pose as Big Mouse. There's a nice scene where they're underground & disturb a nest of rats that go scurrying. (Finally, actual rodents appear).
The backdrop for B👄 burrows into how Korea developed into a first world country. Though its terrain, independent spirit, & relationship w/ China has kept Korea mostly independent, Korea was colonized & generally pushed around in & around the 20th century, particularly by Japan (but the West has dirty hands also). Once the Republic of Korea was formally established (15 August 1948), it remained a military dictatorship from 1961 through 1987. During that time human rights were scarce, but prosperity prospered. Plenty of older voters in K long for the old days, because they were never victimized, while the younger voters, who didn't grow up in the abject poverty their elders did, don't fully appreciate the value of a good economy. (Thus is politics - a never ending cycle of imbalance. Both sides are right. Both sides are wrong). The elder made his money the old fashioned way - by trampling on the rights of the poor. By now, he's created a pile of toxic waste that's on the verge of poisoning not only his empire, but the entire country.
It doesn't work like a perfect mousetrap. The bad thing about B👄 is how it walks the line between taking itself seriously & not taking itself seriously. I can't accuse it of either one of those things. Therefore, I always felt slightly off balance while watching. Should I roll my eyes 🙄 or should I roll 🥐 w/ this? Do they realize they're being silly here, or are we called upon to take that seriously? Nibble. Nibble. Nibble. Thoughts like that kept nibbling at me. The gnawing continued through ep11. In ep12, the show started to be quite a bit of fun. Up until then it wasn't bad, but the nibbling was distracting.
The show does have a couple wandering moles leaving stinky droppings here & there, but it's all tame. For one example, there's a prison escape attempt that is too feeble (groan) (🥐◻🙄☑) The evil doctors are so evil it's cartoonish. People like that, just caught up to the point of being consumed w/ self-satisfaction & unhealthy appetites, exist. (🥐☑🙄◻)
In B🐹, they set up a human being who can't possibly exist, so I was waiting to be somewhere between amused & disgusted by the reveal, but they didn't do such a bad job. It's all implausible, ridiculously so, but for all that, I found it in the range of acceptability. (🥐☑🙄◻)
The granting-of-favors-thing is horrible. He made no attempt to do anything. He was toying w/ people's pain. (🥐◻🙄☑)
Prison politics run on contraband & outside influence (especially the ability to intimidate loved-ones on the outside) as much as muscle. This is not a small logical gap. (🥐◻🙄☑)
False choice. Are you/are you not B🐹? These highly intelligent characters never seem to consider other options, even when it's obvious that if he's not B🐹 they must be connected in some way, given what he knows. (🥐◻🙄☑
The shift mid ep12 is awesome!(🥐☑🙄◻)👍🏿👍🏻👍
Whom do you least suspect? One character came to mind & I dismissed the idea too soon w/ a laugh. In the balance... Another person actually did entirely escape my radar (I top out at average when it comes to figuring things out. I'm usually more focused on artistry. Still, good for them). (🥐☑🙄◻)
One person under B👄 has a perplexing life placement as it nets the organization 🅾. Plot-wise, his double life ties alot of bows, but that's a stale prison roll w/o enough beverage-of-explanation to get it down w/o choking. (🥐◻🙄☑)
If I make it to ep12 of 16, Ima finish it. Despite legitimate criticisms, B👄 closes strong & ep16 is great. It is not low IQ, & intelligent features don't hand-feed viewers. One must walk the maze for several eps to arrive at answers, & they do answer most ❔s (🥐☑🙄◻). B🐹 is cheesy but, in the balance, they are simply having fun. A review of the writer's & director's cache of credibility bolsters that assessment. The left & right brain fight for dominance B🐹 generates does lower its degree-of-difficulty, but if you can just (🥐☑🙄◻) w/ it, B👄 is a fun, albeit bumpy, trek through the Habitrail.
QUOTE📢
Wait until we see the torso. Don't get worked up about seeing the tail.
〰🖍 IMHO
📣8 📝7.3 🎭7.5 🎨7 🎵/🔊7 🔚8.5 ♦ 🌞5 ⚡6.5 😅3 😭6 😱5 😯4.5 😖4.5 🤔4
Originally 〰️🖋 7/2024
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✒ ❣ She Got the Chance ❣ To Live Like She Was Dying ❣ °7.8° °VG+°
Even if you aren't a country fan, the song, Live Like You Were Dying, contains universal human truths. The singer meets a stranger. It goes alittle something like this ▫▫>🎶▪ He said: I was in my early forties ▫ w/ a lot of life before me ▫ When a moment came that stopped me on a dime ▫ I spent most of the next days ▫ Looking at the x-rays ▫ & talkin' 'bout sweet time ▪ I asked him: How's it hit you ▫ When you get that kind of news? ▫ Man, what'd you do?" ▪ & he said: I went skydiving ▫ I went Rocky Mountain climbing ▫ I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu… ❣ & I loved deeper ❣ & I spoke sweeter ❣ & I gave forgiveness I'd been denying ▫ I was finally the husband ▫ That most of the time I wasn't ▫ & I became a friend a friend would like to have ▫ Well I, I finally read the Good Book, & I ▫ Took a good, long, hard look ▫ At what I'd do if I could do it all again. ❣ Someday I hope you get the chance ❣ To live like you were dying ❣ 🎶
CL goes alittle like that as well. Our FL Shin-a, is in a similar situation.
🎶 ▪ How'd it hit Shin-a ▪ When she got that kind of news? ▪ Man, what'd she do? ▪ She went social climbing ▫ She did some crazy driving ▫ She hole-punched the he!! Out his seven favorite suits ▫ (& she said: I'm not dying this way...) ▫ She chopped up his cacti & ▫ Force-fed him fish fry ▫ & pelted onions at his head to boot… ❣ But it only led to: ❣ She loved deeper ❣ & she spoke sweeter ❣ & she gave forgiveness she'd been denying...❣ 🎶
Lee Shin-a works for a horrible boss. Noh Go-Jin could be described as coldly cruel but he's actually highly intelligent & hopelessly left-brained. Feelings? Nonsense. It translates to his being intolerant of incompetence. But next to him, /everybody's/ incompetent. His genius has no equal & it's gone straight to his ego. (He's such a heartbreakerrrr - trill those R's!) Shin-a failed her teacher audition at Noh's academy. Those who don't make the cut get the "honor" of being Chairman Noh's personal secretary. It's the company's way of getting them to quit. Nobody has made it more than 3 mos. She has endured 12 months. Shin-a /needs/ this job. She'll endure b/c VP Oh Se-Gi gives her regular doses of positive re-endorphins. When she's at her lowest from Noh's worse, VP Oh always picks her back up. He's the best.
Ep1 sets up Shin-a's horrible situation. She gets particularly bad news from the doctor. Those headaches? That is a brain tumor. She's going to die. Yes, severe stress can open the gates for cancer to take hold. She's likely dying from stress. Noh, that rat-b@$+@rd, is killing her. Shin-a decides she ain't going out alone. Just like the (rightfully) disgruntled ex-employees of Noh, she will make sure he gets what he has coming. It's HAMMER TIME! Enacting her plan leads to a crazy ⛓ of events, & Shin-a is in the right frame of mind to step off a cliff to see if she can fly.
"Try harder to remember. You MUST remember!" Bedside at the 🏨, e'erbody thinks she's pleading out of 💘 for him, but in reality, she desperately wants Noh to remember how she stood up to him before his accident. "No way I'm dying like this." She won't be able to die in peace unless he remembers that she clobbered him & then quit. Good old amnesia is an overdone Kdrama trope. Here, they borrow from the excellent comedy, Overboard. Shin-a claims they were secretly engaged prior to the accident. The interesting thing about amnesia is that when people forget all of their past bad choices & the previous offenses they've suffered, they forget to be miserable. They totally forget to be @$$h0!e$. Ignorance truly is bliss. Shin-a remembers it all, though. She decides the best thing to do, as she waits for the cancer to take her, is to take him through He!!. Vengeance is HERS.
Noh, in the meantime, hasn't thought of being mean. He may not remember his "fiance", but he certainly grows used to having Shin-a around. She's going behind his back setting up expensive company dinners (you all deserve beef! Make sure to use all your vacation time before the end of the year... & start leaving on time!). It's not easy being mean, at least it's not easy being mean to someone who is always nice, & Noh is always nice, anymore. She knows the doctor expects a full recovery. When this genius (IQ 190) finds out what she's done, what will happen? In addition, Noh may be new & improved now, but his enemies don't know that. His enemies don't care; & he's made a lot of enemies.
Several characters have to show personality shifts & hidden sides. This isn't a serious show, but the acting is still quite good. Krystal (Heirs7.3, Bride of Habaek7) is excellent at putting on some antics, esp in one scene that would flop w/ most actor/writer/director combos, but they make it work. I cringed in anticipation of pain when she started ranting, but I ended up grinning & fairly relieved. They could have done alittle bit better w/ fleshing out her character, though. What is her passion? Why did she fail the audition? How smart & capable is she? How hard has she worked to get to where she is? Getting more personal w/ her would help the audience relate to her more. She remains a tad distant from us, emotionally. That is the writing & directing - Krystal is great.
Kim Jae-Wook (Her Private Life-8) is Noh. HPL was a big surprise for me. The premise sounds like a low IQ show, but it's actually wonderful fun. Now that I'm getting a 2nd look at Mr. Kim, it's obvious that he is quite talented. His comedic timing is excellent. He sells his character both as an insufferably toxic narcissist & as an innocent, confused amnesiac. He can dance! In ep8 he puts on a show! Ha-Joon plays VP Oh. He's completely different as a teacher in Black Dog-8. Ko Kyu-Pil (Crash Landing on You-9, The King's Affection-8) is a PI. He's clearly having a great time. He's funny.
CL is VG & it narrowly misses excellent marks. Given that this is a new director/Kim Jung-Hyun & writer/Kim Bo-Gyeom I am excited to see what they do next. I think we have some winners here. Overall, the romance is VG, but it could have been even better. This probably goes back to the fact that we don't know Shin-a as well as we should. They share a great first kiss. He lies to himself about what he does to keep her by his side. She's oblivious to what's going on in his head, as she's been keeping her head down & just moving forward.
They run into some small logical stutters. Nothing too 'crazy'. Some of the drama in the later eps is a bit ham-handed, but again, it's not too 'crazy'. The show isn't intended for anything but fun escapism, & it shouldn't be over-analyzed. The good by far overshines the substandard. They end up providing enough plausibility for ?s that arise. The director is skillful in handling the part of Baek Soo-Young, Noh's ex. In the beginning of the show she seems impossibly beautiful. As the show goes on she looks less so. Her clothes don't fit her right & the makeup & camera work are less complimentary. Woody Allen did the same thing w/ Scarlett Johansen in Match Point. Is it stretching to think their names are an English language pun? His name sounds like "No-go Shin". It's close. She's definitely decided to "go" & the doctor told her, unfortunately, that soon she'll be go-ing, but he's there, & his name says "No-Go". 'No-Go-Shin'.
CL is plenty funny, She hates him. She really hates him. She hates him so much. So why is she sad? She turns on the TV to forget him, & there's his commercial: "Make your decision NOW." He's pointing thru the screen at her! While everyone around her assumes the opposite of what is true, the overhead camera will look down at her face from a side angle & her eyes will tilt up sideways as she's lying. She often comments that way to the camera directly. Then he starts doing it in later eps. It's skillfully played for laughs. By mid show I became a fan of the director. The little things add up to something bigger.
CL features a horrible boss b/c that isn't exactly a rare thing. A horrible boss is almost always a person caught up in h/h own power. It's an offshoot of pride. Psychology teaches that people who get ahead tend to presume they deserve it, which leads to them assuming that those beneath them are truly °beneath° them & deserve to be so. These things aren't mysterious. Everyone knows that power is corrupting, yet nobody ever sees their own corruption. Pride is the worst liar & we are blind to our own stuff. Practice kindness: It takes determined effort.
Also featured is online gang mentality. Tech allows us each a voice. That is power. Virtual pitchforks are no different than horrible bosses. We should be slow to judge & be constructive when we criticize. CL's online lynching leads to a suicide attempt; a particular problem in 🇰🇷 (highest rate in the developed world). We have too much of it in 🇺🇸, too. People will take that pain & go the other way as well, becoming abusers themselves. If you want to live w/ a free conscience, then practice kindness. It costs you 🅾.
The wrap-up is excellent. They tied & trimmed all the 🎀. "Life can be shorter than we think it should be. If you're sorry, say you're sorry. If you're thankful, say you're thankful. Try something again. You never know." At one point Shin-a's anger abates. She reflects on life & what is most important as she is preparing for her final exit. She decides to forgive & release her rage. She realizes that all humans are merely flawed humans. In the end, crazy love made her sane again. 💘, afterall, is the answer.
QUOTE📢
I've been ignorant. I had no idea those in my life were precious, and so, I've never appreciated them at all.
〰🖍 IMHO
📣7.8 📝7.6 🎭7.9 💓6.7 🦋6 🌞6 🎨7.4 ⚡4 🎵/🔊7 😅7 😭3.5 😱3 😯2 😖3 🤔4.8 💤0 🔚8
Age 14+ PG-13 Language An unmarried couple is pressured to have a baby.
Re-📺? 👍🏽
Originally 〰️🖋 5/2024
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✒ Duet. Exit. °8.4° °Excellent°
"I beg to differ." Our ML only reached out his hand and said: "It's nice to meet you." Our FL isn't an easy dame. He needs a female lead for his play (Oh Eui-Sik looks dreadful in a dress) but she turns him down flat. When he acts like he doesn't care, she says she'll do it after all, but only if she can sing. BTW, she will QUIT if things appear dangerous.Dangerous? Tokyo isn't exactly safe for Koreans in 1921 - nor has it been in most of history. The police thugs barge in for an impromptu search. A group of students? That makes the police suspicious. Kim Woo-Jin will not cower and almost gets shot. "At first, I thought you were reckless. I thought it was foolish to rebel against something you can't win. But I don't think that way anymore. It's fine even if we can't change anything. The fact that we're trying something with hope is what matters... Thank you for changing the way I think." Now she begs to differ with herself. Her initial distaste has dissipated; FL, Yun Sim-Deok, seems to fall for Kim Woo-Jin rather quickly. He's rich. Really rich. She's poor. Really poor. Yet they have alot in common. Their family situations are more alike than different.
1926 starts the show, but we quickly go back to 1921, Tokyo, and the troupe will eventually return to Korea. The Joseon empire technically fell at the turn of the 20th century, but our protags still refer to home as Joseon. They've been thru war, occupation and loss. "Ten years ago, we had freedom. But today in this land, freedom no longer exists." Though the script had been censored and approved, as they tour through Korea, Kim Woo-Jin is locked up due to the play anyway - for that entirely accurate line. For reference sake, these events roughly take place between 10-20 years after the time period of the show Mr. Sunshine.
HoD is the real-life story of singer Yun Sim-Deok, who recorded Korea's first "pop-song", and playwright Kim Woo-Jin. Sim-Doek recorded her biggest hit, "In Praise of Death", in 1926. They were unable to create a life together in the tumultuous 20's. Japan had taken control of Korea and things were cooking up towards WWII. While every generation brings change, the changes going on in Korea at this time were dramatic - Out-of-hanboks-and-into-hose dramatic. Some women ditched the traditional robes and started wearing slim skirts and nylons. The show opens with the two having just committed suicide, so the viewer won't have to worry and guess about what's coming next or whether the couple will to work things out. HoD is a 2018 release that is rated 93 on AWiki. It is a short series consisting of either 6 35-minute episodes or 3 60-minute ones, depending. Either way, it's the length of a long movie.
Lee Jong-Suk of Romance is a Bonus Book (7.9) and While You Were Sleeping (7.3) fame plays ML Kim Woo-Jin. His mother died when he was 5 and his domineering father went on to marry 3 more times. He has some superb moments in HoD and hands in an overall excellent performance. He's completely different in WYWS and not so similar in RIABB, which is evidence of his range. The couple only has 1 or 2 deeply romantic moments in the show (they keep it chaste) but he is at his romantic best in these scenes. He is a playwright, but since he was raised in "privilege" he has responsibilities. His father never wants to see him pick up the pen again, except to sign documents pertaining to running the family business. His traditional family has exerted control over every inch of his existence. There's always a contrast between generations, but the contrast between old-fashioned and modern in HoD is striking. We see near-flappers next to hanboks. Our male lead prefers something more modern.
Yun Sim-Deok, the FL is played by Shin Hae-Sun who is completely different in everything, such as the lead in Mr. Queen (hilarious) and support in Legend of the Blue Sea (brooding) and Oh My Ghost (sweet and shy). Yun Sim-Deok comes from a poor family and is the sole breadwinner, due to her father's disability. Her younger siblings are relying on her for their education. Kim Won-Hae is Yoon Suk-Ho. He improves every production in which he appears. The compelling Lee Sang Yeob is reunited with Lee Jong-Suk after doing WYWS together. He plays Kim Hong-Ki, who is rejected by Yun Sim-Deok (like any woman would reject him! That's gotta be the only time). Oh Eui-Sik, who always does a great job, is another player in the troupe.
Does true love take unsparingly or give unsparingly? HoD explores that question. In terms of romance, we view it from a mile up in the air and only get intimate once or twice. Here are two people crushed by society. They were pushed and pushed and pushed. If they had never met, maybe they would have survived, but once they tasted true love, nothing else would ever be good again.
When there is life there is hope. Suicide is not the answer. In the show, My Liberation Notes-9, a character talks about those who unsuccessfully attempted jumping to their deaths. Every single survivor said they regretted their decision 3/4 of the way down. Before I went through emotional, physical and financial devastation all these topics were academic and easy for me. Those who easily judge another's pain have not felt excruciating pain. Only faith and my ironclad pre-determined ideal, that taking one's life is never the answer, kept me here. The show doesn't glorify suicide, but it doesn't comdemn it either. What the viewer should reflect on is the pressure and pain that we put on others. Kim Woo-Jin's father exercised complete control at all costs, and he never saw the bill for the ultimate cost coming. We cannot (accurately) judge another's pain, therefore, we should always be gentle with others and only work on controlling ourselves.
HOD has the feel of a BBC production- that's a compliment. It also feels like the recounting of a true story. They don't squeeze every tear from the viewer and they also don't spring anything on the viewer. The pain is tolerable. They are reciting facts even more than dramatizing. I looked it up to verify the truth of the story because of the real-feel. I suspect that they didn't exercise much dramatic license out of respect, as the show is quite respectful of the subject matter. To judge it as a drama alone isn't entirely fair, since the ghosts of the past do possess the atmosphere of the production. All-in-all, HoD is well worth the 3 hour investment for the walk back in time. At this time it is not available for streaming, but it is bound to pop up somewhere.
QUOTE📢
Passionately, I listen to the curses put on my fate. She was the only Safe Haven in my life besieged by the devil. ~11/26/21 Trace of Heart~
〰🖍 IMHO
📣8 📝8.2 🎭8.3 💓6.7 🦋7.3 🌞5 🎨8 ⚡4 🎵/🔊8 😅2 😭6.6 😱3.5 😯6.7 😖2 🤔6 💤0 🔚6
Age 12+ Language - b!+ch × 1
Re-📺? I wouldn't oppose one day down the line
Tie-in shows would be: Romance is a Bonus Book 7.9 (same male lead) ; Oh My Ghost 10 (superb romdramcom, and HoD's FL is a side character) ; Mr. Queen 8.5 (same FL and she's hilarious); Saimdang 8.5 (another true story with a fantasy tie-in to modern day and a similarly less-than-satisfying ending, but an excellent show nonetheless); The King's Affection 8.3 (another person forced into an impossible situation); and Mr. Sunshine 9 (a show about a love affair with one's country that further chronicles Japan's aggression toward Korea).
Originally 〰️🖊 11/2023
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✒No sustained objections ⚖ The Preponderance Of The Evidence Supports an "A" °Excellent°
The following is my brief with respect to this series. LS is, beyond a reasonable doubt, guilty of being a supreme legal drama.This could almost be labeled a law school "fantasy" series, as unviable as that sounds. Fantasy shows don't appeal to everybody; some prefer realistic dramas. There are many more that hate procedure, or predictability: They want to be surprised by a last-minute reluctant witness. This show should satisfy most people, including most everyone in these groups, but the web of lives, the condensed degrees of separation, and the tangle of grudges and motivations wouldn't be admissible in a true-to-life drama. It is a strain to think of professors at an ivy league level school being as caring as the profs in this drama are. Identifying the right suspect is not as predictable as it is slightly erroneous. Astute viewers may still be able to pinpoint the killer with ease and declare it too predictable... To which I say: "Quash all of that. Who cares?" LS is not guilty of contempt. They've put together a winning case.
⚖Suspend skepticism and examine all the evidence. The jury must watch the whole show prior to deliberations, so we are remanded to get on the 🎢 and roll along with LS. This show is written, directed, and edited with a habile hand (I just looked "habile" up and decided to use it… pretty cool word, right? I hope it impresses the judge and jury👍🏼).
LS follows the lives of law students along with some of the professors - their struggles and triumphs, families, friends and foes. We also track their growth as they navigate through the fraught chambers of their lauded institution. Prof Yang and Kang Sol A are fabulous characters. I could listen to Kim Myung-Min (Prof Yang) talk all day. His voice is divinely masculine and deep. It would have been tossed out if he couldn't act or take command of the courtroom, but he can, and very well at that. The director sustains the tension😯 throughout the series. It's high mystery in classic whodunit form. The taut editing and soundtrack sequester the audience in a state of suspense. If you reason that you know who the culprit is in ep3, you might waiver by ep8. The evidence keeps our minds in motion, turning like a bottle being spun on a table.
We should overrule some of their arguments, though. There are things that seem judiciously obvious to the court at large that elude their brilliant minds. That always weighs a case down. I strongly object to the last moments of the show which are remitted as way too brief. We get very little discovery pertaining to what the characters went on to do or what the relationship is of the three that are walking together at the end. It resounded like a cracked gavel. Is it hearsay? No! The prosecution argues that it's strict negligence to wrap up a 16+ hour series with a 10 second consultation. Would that we could depose the director about that decision. In the balance, we can easily dismiss any such torts committed as, indubitably, the director's curriculum vitae (resume) shows he's had a solid run, and enjoys a high likeability factor. The overall quality of the piece is a mitigating factor taken into account in the sentencing phase: LS gets all the credit for time served, and remains released for all of us to enjoy.
I originally postponed the hearing on LS as I wasn't convinced that it would sway me. The worth of its collateral was evident once its docket came up on the calendar (my Netflix queue), and I sat in judgment. While I wasn't confident of its appeal, now that all the exhibits have been examined, Res Ipsa Loquitor: The thing speaks for itself.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this drama has acquitted itself laudably. The ratings prove what broad appeal it has. The preponderance of the evidence is that this show has prevailed in its effort to convince us of its credibility. So don't waiver: Watch as an interested party. I'm sure you will agree to stipulate the worthiness of the production.
IMHO...
🎬8 🤔8 🎭8.
Suggested Age 12& up
Originally 📝 7/2021
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Two Maddies Catch Some Baddies And Pi$$ Off The Condo ☑ Association Too! °7.7° °VG°
He's a cop with anger management issues. She's a fearful, paranoid mess.They run into each other on the street. She feels threatened and pepper sprays him, so you could say they didn't hit it off. Next they see each other at the therapist's office. Apparently they've been complaining to the same therapist about each other. And next they see that they live next to eachother. WHOOPS!
From that point on, it's the mayhem one could anticipate from two unhinged (but good, underneath it all) persons who each try to bend the other to their will, and in doing so, give no space for peace. They drive each other truly crazy.
Before the end, they'll get the gangsters and drug dealers involved, another neighbor will help Nah Hwi-oh dress up as a woman so he can go undercover while on suspension, thus, the cops jump in for a round along with the convenience store clerk, a deliveryman, parents, the condo association, and the neighborhood watch. High drama it ain't. It's meant to be fun and to make us smile. It is. It does.
They include a K-drama trope in the last couple scenes that usually is awful, and it is the same here: MSS, or mandatory separation syndrome. MSS involves couples, who once they get together, must separate. 'I love you! Finally, we're together! Now I'll catch you later...' Huh? Sometimes, it's a good thing - a generous 15% of the time. On top of that, most of these people are pushing 40. They ain't getting any younger. All flights appear to be grounded as well, because, even if the separation is 4 years, they never seem to visit each other in that time period. In MFE it is brief, we can let it go with a warning.
MFE is 13 half-hour episodes, so it is less than half the usual length of other Kdramas. So get the popcorn, sit back, watch, and grin.
Directing 8
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 5
Warmth 6
Action 6
Thought provocation 5
Age 13+
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Kang-soo To The Rescue °6.6° °Good° +Family Positive+
Here's a fable for the underdogs.SDM follows the overlooked, everyday workers. They deliver when c☃ld in winter, and h♨t in summer, s⛈aked in spring, and through the lugubrious fall. They are sneered more than cheered. SDM finds them forming a supportive group that gives all of them a lift.
Kang-soo is the catalyst who turns friends and acquaintances into family. This is contrasted against several real families in the show that tear each other apart. The family we choose is often the best we get.
Kang-soo shows up in town and lands a job at Lively Handmade Noodles. From there, he deconstructs the whole delivery system and then rebuilds it, all while outsmarting the powerful corporate eateries.
The storyline is entertaining, though formulaic. I don't see formulaic as necessarily the worst criticism. Life, and our shared human experience can be formulaic. It's the journey that is most important. The journey you will take with this crowd is fun, like a Disney Channel show.
This would be a good show to watch with kids as soon as they can keep up with the subtitles. It reinforces hard work, honor, helping others and living right. Kang-soo is a perfect role model. He exemplifies all the above. He inspired Ji-yoon to follow suit. He makes loyal friends out of strangers by helping others.
The actual romance falls slightly flat. I'm not sure if the cause is the dialogue, the directing, or just a lack of chemistry. Perhaps it's a little of all the above. The secondary characters' relationship was a better story.
SDM is actually best suited for tweens and teens, and parents won't mind watching along. It is a simple story in the After School Special tradition, and solidly PG/PG-13.
IMHO...
Directing 7
Acting 8
Romance 5
Thought provocation 5
Suggested Age 10& up
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SASSY MEETS CLASSY Joo Won-nah See This! °8.5° °Excellent°
This show is adorable, with nearly every moment enjoyable. Like Bridgerton, they sometimes wink at historical seriousness and just go for a fun story.Visually, MSG is a treat. The sets, filming, and costumes are gorgeous. Its budget is clearly more than many historical dramas with its sophisticated fight scenes and costume after gorgeous silk costume.
The story features Princess Hyemyung (Hye) and scholar, Gyeon Woo (Gye). Back in time, we see Hye's mother, the queen, dethroned to open the show. Though assassins were sent to kill her, she was aided in escape and gave birth to Hye's brother, who was returned to the palace. The new queen is backed by the conspirators, and while Hye doesn't know /that/, she knows she hates the new queen. This explains why she grows up surly. Gye just returned from Qing (China) where he excelled. His moniker is: The Treasure of Joseon. Whatever. Hye couldn't care less.
Within days (hours?) of his return home, Gye runs into Hye. She's sauced. She burps in his face, leaving him gasping in her wake. He rounds a corner and there she is again! She's picked a fight with a horseback rider who almost hurt pedestrians. Gye helps diffuse that situation. Hye turns and pukes on him. He's horrified.
Gye has no idea who she is. Hye isn't allowed out of the palace, afterall. He is assigned to be the prince's (soon to be crowned prince) tutor. The prince and Hye are very close, so as soon as he shows up to work, he sees what he'll be dealing with. Of course, they can't stand each other.
It's good ol' plain fun to watch how Gye is thrown off by Hye. He declares her his enemy, but he can't shake her, & his pain is our gain. The device used to bring them together is her lost ring. She demands he help her find it, or he'll be in big trouble. That premise could be improved upon, but just roll with it. That enables her to introduce Gye to fermented skate, which everybody agrees, is some of the worst smelling stuff on the planet. She also feeds him chicken feet. While a somewhat weak premise got the two there, strong stomachs brought us these fun scenes.
Then it all starts. Look for the ring. Who is this wacky broad following Gye around? Gye complains to his friends that he can't shake a crazed stalker. One of them, a popular romance novelist, says they'll go from bring enemies to friends, and then to lovers. She meets his friends as Lady Hyemyung. They love her. They gamble and play a dare game at the lantern festival. She rocks all their worlds. Girls that are interested in Gye hate Hye, but Gye falls for Hye & she falls for him. Gye's parents want him away from that sassy princess! The king engages Hye to a prince from Qing. Gye has to stop that! And they finally tackle the mystery from the past.
It's tagged as a romance/comedy, but though it starts funny, this is no mere romcom. There's teary moments, intrigues and decent action as well. There's many Kdramas that start out like a romcom that go on to be very romdram. In order of importance, MSG is:
1. Romance
2. Drama (even though most of the drama comes later)
3. Comedy
~and to a lesser degree~>
4. Thriller
5. Action.
Do they have a name for a feature filled with all of that?
RomDramComThrAction?
Does simply everything have to fit in a mold? No, thank you.
The characters are well written and the acting is fantastic. Joo Won, as ML, Gye/Gyeon Woo, is astounding. He communicates with his eyes like few others. I loved him in this role. Go Na-eun, as Councillor King's daughter, Da-yeon, is fabulous at showing a calm (phony) demeanor while seething underneath. Yun Se-ah, as Queen Park, also gives a riveting performance. None of the performances detract from the whole. The directing is also top-notch. MSG has that lighthearted side, but it runs much deeper at times. The plot and dialogue are intelligent along with being amusing.
The court intrigues are done especially well. The king is weak, and he has deferred to his counselors for too long, his power mostly drained. The tension builds in the background and develops into full fledged drama in the second half of the show, when the past and present meet up. There have been forces at work against the present regime for decades.
Notes on historical context:
I watched MSG before I learned to not read any reviews prior to writing my own. Whenever I read before writing, my review would either reinforce one that I read, or I would rebut it in my review. I know now that I have to keep my head clear. In this case, I had read a review stating that the actors were too old for the parts. Per their bios, they were both born in '87, so that's fair, but they both did a great job, and I wouldn't trade out Joo Won periodt. Another complaint is that the court intrigues are nonsense in MSG. I decided to do a quick fact check on that claim (Wiki). Turns out, MSG is not inaccurate at all.
Per Wiki, "government officials were ranked in 18 levels. For much of the dynasty, a complex system of checks and balances prevented any one section of the government from gaining overwhelming power until the 19th century when political power became concentrated in a certain family or individual.
While the king commanded absolute loyalty from his officials and subjects, the officials were also expected to try to guide the king to the right path. Political struggles were common between different factions of the scholar-officials. Purges frequently resulted in leading political figures being sent into exile or condemned to death. The power of the bureaucrats often eclipsed that of the central authorities, including the monarch." Therefore, rather than a valid complaint, historical accuracy can be removed from MSG's liability column.
MSG was enormously popular in SK when it first aired. This led directly to making the much loved Rookie Historian (which also depicts fights within the bureaucracy) and 100 Days My Prince. Both of those dramas borrowed quite a bit from MSG. That's why the current rating confuses me, though less than 600 people have weighed in so far. Jun Suck Oh is a competent director whose works are all rated over "7" on IMDB except for this one. Two-for-two with me, he directed My First First Love(8), which is also lighthearted fun done right. I am confident the rating for MSG will climb when more people watch - as long as they give it a fair shake, meaning 2 episodes minimum. Ep1's in Kdramas are often set-up for the rest of the show, including introducing the characters as extremes of themselves. MSG is no exception. Princess Hyemyung is slop drunk when we meet her, and Gyeon Woo, though better than the sassy princess, seems 1 tick above a complete egghead. They get adorable with each other pretty quickly.
Gyeon Woo is, perhaps, the primary driver of the show's appeal. Not only is Joo Won enormously talented (MSG is worth watching for him alone) but once he decides what he wants, he works towards it, step by step, one challenge at a time, while being enormously brave and clever. So much for egghead, he can fight, too! With Hye around, that's a necessary skill. So, Don't be scared off by Ep1, and don't be afraid: Gyeon Wu is the only one suffering. Just avoid thinking about fermented skate and the rest should be a stroll through the garden.
Watch again? Did✅+would✅
IMHO
Directing 84
Writing 80
Acting 85
Romance 88
Flutters 76
Warmth 80
Art 80
Thought provocation 60
Ending 70 (due to MSS)
Age 12& up
MSS: Mandatory Separation Syndrome, an overused Kdrama trope in which couples, once get get together, must separate. 'I love you! Finally, we're together! Now I'll catch you later...' Huh? Sometimes, it's a good thing - a generous 15% of the time. On top of that, most of these people are pushing 40. They ain't getting any younger. All flights appear to be grounded as well, because, even if the separation is 4 years, they never seem to visit each other in that time period.
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✒ ✝ Oh HAIL No ✝ °4.5° °repugnant°
What the H£!!?The 3-sentence review: The door opened and the light blinded her as the sign warned in red fiery letters: “ALL WHO ENTER HERE ABANDON ALL HOPE.” That is the warning the potential viewer should be cautioned by. TJFH is not remotely good.
Kang Bitna died a while back.
Justitia. Goddess of Justice (she calls herself a demon) is played by Oh Na Ra from My Mister-9.5 & Racket Boys-8.3. She screwed up that day.
Even though Bitna wasn't on the docket, even though she insisted she never killed anyone, Justitia had seen and heard all of /that/ before. Only murderers make it to her courtroom, so she passed a sentence on this murderer. Then her boss, Bael, showed up and gave her a punishment for convicting an innocent woman! She must live on earth as Bitna and send 10 unrepentant murderers to Hell.
Bitna.2.0 (Park Shin Hye from Flower Boy Next Door-7, The Heirs-7.3, Memories of the Alhambra-7) is Justitia in Bitna's body. Bitna was a judge, so she will see some murderers, but finding 10 murderers to clear out in 12 mos won't be easy. Fortunately, there's a loophole: 1 murderer who has killed 10 people would count as 10, just as any other combo of murderers whose the victims add up to at least 10, would. She realizes it would be great to locate some double-dippers. She has 1 yr.
TJFH is a 2024 release that is 1 season consisting of 14 70-minute episodes. It is rated 92 on AWiki, 8.6 on MDL and 7.8 on IMDb. I simply find that hard to comprehend. Forget the fact that the plot is sloppy and the romance is utterly unconvincing (tbh, in ep11 they do have a cute date), TJFH is loaded with gore, blood, violence - extreme violence against women and children - and it makes light of all kinds of spiritual issues that should be taken more seriously. From a technical standpoint it's better than mediocre, but not great. From an EQ-POV it's rancid. I hated this show. Just loathed it. The more I see of the Hulu K-catalog the more they seem to line up with some of the crazy rumors about them. Hulu's Korean lineup is loaded with gore, violence, bad language, and more casual sex than usual. They're trying to turn Kcountry into Hollyweird, and my eyes expatriated to east Asia to get away from that rot. TJFH is not a good show. Oh HAIL no. Even the great Park Shin Hye can't resurrect this corpse.
Ms Park played the shy and tortured type early on in her career. She's amazing as an eye-rolling kick@$$ in Sisyphus-8 and this is yet a new look for her. She's confident, ruthless, decisive, and rather diabolical. (She's not great with kids. She does recycle, though 😅.) Her drinks come in macabre red and black cans; when she pops them open we can almost hear: “I'm evil,” instead of the scrape of metal and the popping release of CO2.
Kim Jae Young was in 2 shows that I love enough to have already rewatched: My Secret Romance-7 & Black-9. This actor always looks slightly sad even when he smiles. Here, he's Han “Da” On, a cop on trial for using excessive force. He's self-represented. Afterall, he's innocent, so why should he use a lawyer? Even with a /fool for a lawyer/ Bitna acquits him. He introduces himself to her outside and thanks her. She deflects. He hands his card to her and tells her to contact him If she ever needs assistance. She deflects that, too, telling him she'll remember his digits.
In TV style, she'll need to call him mere hours later. She's been arrested! The police believe she's delusional. The unfavorable psych evaluation that dropped out of her purse might have had something to do with it. “I don't know about demons, but I'm certain God doesn't exist,” Da says to her later on. She makes sure to inform him that humans are the ones that cause the current mess that we're in. Demon or not, Da thinks she's an impeccable judge. He doesn't want to see her step down. They realize they actually have a common case together and the trial starts tomorrow.
Her POA to accomplish her mission is short-sighted, but she doesn't need it to work longterm. There's merely a year: It's a mad dash to the finish line. Her strategy is to give these heinous criminals light (or no) sentences so that she can murder them when they're released. They torture people in this show. Sure, some have it coming. However, it's too much. The death penalty is one thing; torture is another. So it's no surprise that she shocks Da the next day. She lets a serial, deranged wife-beater off with a small fine. Da is incredulous. The victim is in serious danger of being murdered by this perp!
The other perpetrators of this debacle are Kim In Kwon as Valak, Bitna's assistant; Kim Ah Young as Gremory, Bitna's other assistant; and Lee Joong Ok & Ha Kyung Min on cleanup crew. Kim Jae Hwa (numerous credits dating back to 2010, including Cleaning Up & The Tale of Lady Ok) is the local Christian, Jung Myeong Suk. She's always inviting the judge to church regardless of the daggers the judge shoots from her eyes whenever Ms Jung is around. (The judge's assistant does opt to take a look at belief from the other end of the spectrum.) We learn that Ms Lee's son was murdered a couple decades back. She almost seems possessed at the funeral, which we attend in flashback.
Kim Young Ok (Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2, Dear My Friends) plays O Mi Ja, a Hwangcheon villa resident and busybody. This actress is so cute. Her earliest credited work is from 1957. She's almost 90 and she looks like she's in her 70s. She and Park Shin Hye square off and it's glorious. Toward the end of the show she seems like she's slightly uncomfortable with her hokey lines. Yang Kyung Won from Crash Landing on You-9.1 makes an appearance as a multiple personality (DID) sufferer in eps5&6. He's unbelievable. His performance is incredible. He plays so many different roles. In Big Mouth-7.4 he's the semi-psycho in a crime family that poses as a legit citizens, and I'm currently watching him in Vincenzo where he is a pawn shop owner who likes to act tough. I didn't recognize him in any of these parts until I looked him up. He presents that differently each time. Oh Eui Shik makes a guest appearance. I've been a fan since Oh My Ghost-10. Everything he's in is good. The director is Park Jin Pyo of Brave Citizen, and the screenwriter, Cho I Su, is just starting out.
“If you stay near that woman you'll both die,” old lady Mi Ja warns. In the meanwhile, another demon is killed for falling in love with a human (there's a demon law enforcement agency devoted to tracking down such criminals). Bitna's totally sus, so Da is investigating her while he acts like he's helping her, while he acts to himself like he's not falling for her. Falling for him never occurs to her… until it's too late. She's mystified by her rapid heartbeats and stray tears. Tensions are building.
“I realize now what it is that I have to do. To be exact, it's attaining success and wealth through marriage. I want to go into politics. I'm a great liar, shameless, selfish, hypocritical, and I like money. I think what I have what it takes to be a great politician.” So says one straightforward but ambitious character. Well, firstly, one can see how unimaginative the dialogue is, but hmmm… Maybe it's not a work of fiction🤔. I'm on board with 50% of the premise: Judges who give out light sentences to criminals who beyond any reasonable doubt deserve more, are doing Hell's bidding. The whole making light of demons, Hell, guts, and gore didn't bother me much when I was young, but it just does now. I'm not in that cool club anymore. The world is too messed up. The crime that's been documented to have been committed by devil worshippers is monstrous and the rumors of what's going on are ultra horrifying. The softening of public opinion is part of their playbook, allegedly. So are the makers of TJFH playing with us or playing us? I can't tell.
From the start, many things about this are uncomfortable. Supposedly, a demon is our protagonist. She's a “goddess” but definitely from the wrong side of the divide. I hate the moral confusion of elevating bad guys like mobsters, demons, and devils. That's just what they would want - for us to lower our resolve against evil. All of the imagery is off, too. The end of ep1 is disturbing. Bitna focuses on her goal and utilizes horrific means to get it. She's already said she has no empathy for the victims, and we’ll see where this strategy takes her: Gushing rivers of blood. There's long and protracted violent imagery. They juxtaposed it with lighthearted words and quirky elements, so the macabre is not given proper gravity. The show's tone is just off.
While the opening graphics are excellent (from the roses of blood to the inverted cross of light to the bronze statuary come screaming and squirming to life) Hell’s courtroom isn't really ominous (it looks like the haunted playhouse) and the demon, Bael, is overdone. TJFH wanders around without structure or rules while they make light of faith, but perhaps what's worse, is that it's a mess. It's directionless and incoherent. The disconnect between the show's quality and its score is so profound I wonder if Hulu is using bots. The filming is loaded up with upended crosses, Bael, Satan, Lucifer, walnuts, baby head sized melons getting chopped, demons, blood, gore, violence against women and children, underground passageways, subterranean lairs, and naturally, the wacko Christian (one of the worst offenders claimed to be a Christian but he gets sent to hell) while the theme song croons “Please don't pray anymore.“ Yet, Bitna says God gave them their authority and God is master of all in the end. Fascinating.
QUOTES🗣
We didn't know how happy our ordinary days were.
The heavens may fall but there will be justice on earth. (On the statue at the courthouse)
IMHO〰🖍
📣5 📝4 🎭7 💓4 🦋4 🎨7 🎵/🔊7 🔚6 🤗1 ▪ 🌞3⚡5 😅1 😭5 😱5 😯3 🤢7.3 🤔4 💤0
Shazams:Crossroad, by SUNMI
Age 18+ Language: b!+ch, $h!+; Violence and bloody crime victims. Brutal violence against a woman and children. Extended violent stabbing and torture scenes. It is alittle much. Rated TV-15
Re-📺? HAIL NAW
In no particular order, here's some recommendations
〰 Getting it on with the supernatural or Mythical 〰
Alchemy of Souls-7.9,
Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds-7.2,
Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days-6.7,
Black-9,
The Bride of Habaek-7,
The Cursed-8.3,
Death's Game-7.8,
Flex X Cop-8.5,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Hotel del Luna-8.4,
A Korean Odyssey-7.2,
The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2 (this show is marvelous except for taking a quality dip in eps 20-22)
Light Shop-8.6,
Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
My Roommate Is a Gumiho-7.9,
Mystic Pop-up Bar-8.2,
Oh My Ghost-10,
Uncanny counter S1 only °S1-8.4 S2-4,
The Wailing-8.8
〰 Crime 〰
Oldboy-9,
Tunnel-8.1;
Inspector Koo-8.4,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay-9,
K2-8,
Flower of Evil-8.9,
Awaken-8.7,
Beyond Evil-7.4,
Moving-8.5,
The Man from Nowhere-8.9,
Law School -8,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
The Worst of Evil-7.9
〰 Hulu Catalog 〰
Big Mouth-7.4,
Blood Free-8.5,
Call It Love-8.4,
Crazy Love-7.8,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
Flex X Cop-8.5,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Han River Police-7.1,
High School Return of a Gangster-7,
The Judge from Hell-4.5
The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2 (this show is marvelous except for taking a quality dip in eps 20-22)
Light Shop-8.6,
Link: Eat, Love, Kill-6.7,
Maestra: Strings of Truth-6.8,
Moving-8.5
Pandora: Beneath the Paradise-3.9,
Parasite-9,
Revenant-7.4,
Revenge of Others-8.1,
So I Married the Anti Fan-6.8,
Uncle Samsik-8.4,
What's Wrong With Secretary Kim-6.8,
Why Her?-8,
Wonderful World-7.8,
The Worst of Evil-7.7
Originally 〰️🖋 6/2025
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✒⭐Grasp Those Stars & Hold Tight⭐ °7.8° °VG°
Here's a romance that's a warm and sticky sweet bun with a nice cup of chamomile tea. We're talking very low drama. Romance fans will find it charming and relaxing. I certainly did. Others might be underwhelmed. We meet Sang Zhi (Zhizhi) in middle school and follow her through several years of her life. In ep1 big bro brings his friend, Jiaxu, home. Zhizhi is smitten. Jiaxu is thoughtful and kind towards her. He always has time for her, which only fans the flames as the years roll by.HL is a 2023 release that is rated a whopping 9 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 25 45-minute episodes. Zhao Lu Si (Who Rules the World-7.5, I Hear You-7, The Romance of Tiger and Rose-9.8, Love Like the Galaxy) is FL Sang Zhi. I've liked her in everything I've seen so far, but my respect for her abilities took a leap forward with this show. Feisty and full of life describes most of her characters. Here, she's shy and demure (though she's capable of pulling some bold moves, we'll see). Even her body language says she's not fully grown. While in HS, her gangly walk is the pièce de résistance of her act. She's extremely impressive, particularly when one factors in how different she is from her other performances. I am a fan.
Chen Zhe Yuan (Our Secret, Handsome Siblings-8.7) play ML Duan Jiaxu. He's a sparky, mischievous brat in HS, a show that I love. In HL he's calm and thoughtful. Victor Ma (Detective Chinatown, Moments We Shared) is big brother Sang Yan. He may be the big brother, but he's a bit of a brat, always calling Zhizhi “Little demon”. The director is Lee Ching Jung (Go Go Squid!, Everyone Loves Me). The screenwriter is Ou Si Jia of Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities, and the original creator is Zhu Yi of the show, When I Fly Towards You-7.8.
The day Zhizhi meets Jiaxu she has a dilemma. She's in trouble at school and her parents have been called in for a teacher conference. She somehow persuades Jiaxu to pose as her brother for the conference. He attends, explaining that the parents are out of town. Crisis deleveled. That favor creates a bond between them that will never be broken. Zhizhi ends up at college in Jiaxu's hometown, and he is the only person she knows there. Sang Yan asks friend, Jiaxu, to look out for his sister. Jiaxu does. Zhizhi was already looking at Jiaxu… and only him.
I watched HL back-to-back with When I Fly Towards You. They are similar - same author. They're relaxing, they really couldn't be sweeter, and they both lack depth. Other than a stalker connected to Jiaxu over a mistake his father made, the biggest problem the characters face in HL is Zhi's milk allergy. (The show presents the 5 year age difference as a big issue. It certainly is for teens, but once they are both in their 20's it isn't worth mentioning). That's okay; there's a nice big space with comfy couches for such wind-down watches. It does lower the degree of difficulty, though, and thus the maximum score. One the one hand, to do a slice-of-life feature in which not much happens, yet it is still a great watch, takes skill. On the other hand, for a feature to be in the high 8's and above, there should be complexity and these 2 shows have none. They can be every bit as enjoyable as, and the ones we rewatch before more highly rated shows. Entertainment that touches the heart is meritorious regardless of technical lapses. WIFTY gets a higher cuteness rating because the female lead’s character is ridiculously and relentlessly cute, while HL is more tranquil. It's almost plodding, but never boring. These shows are for romantiholics only, and look at the ratings - romance junkies are very satisfied. If you want to expose a friend, who is only a casual romance watcher, to a youthful Chinese romance, I suggest A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5 or Wait, My Youth-8.4.
HL may lack deeper shading but it has no flaws. Every element is done well. The music is quite nice, however Shazam only had titles in Mandarin. Some did pop up on Spotify. Modern-day Cdramas have gotten better. Before 2019 most are deeply flawed, though not without their charms. One of the best things about Cdramas is what I call their Prozac effect. They are designed to quiet the mind and calm the spirit. If anxiety is up, a Chinese modern-day romance like HL could very well help level the mood.
At one point Zhizhi pumps her fist in the air and gives Jiaxu the common Kdrama encouragement: “FIGHTING!” The most recent Cdramas have been acknowledging the popularity of Kdramas, and I suspect it's a call out to what has inspired their growth. I love it. I also loved HL. Will you? If you call yourself a romance fan, maybe. Probably. If you consider yourself a romance /junkie/ then there can be no doubt; check it out!
〰🖍 IMHO
📣7.5 📝7 🎭8.3 💓7 🦋6 🎨6.5 🎵/🔊8 🔚7.7 ▪ 🌞7 ⚡3 😅3 😭3 😱1 😯2 🤢0 🤔3 💤0
Age 12+ for mild sexual content; Rated TV-Y7: Directed to Older Children
Re-📺? It's not impossible, but there's a long list of other shows that would precede it in a rewatch.
In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:
💓 -
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
🌐 I Hear You ‘19 7.3, so cute but with many flaws
🌐 You are my destiny 6.8 ‘20 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K🇰🇷 :
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;
🎎 -
C🇨🇳: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K🇰🇷:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9
🔮🐉-
C🇨🇳: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10
Japanese🇯🇵 lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5
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?️ Matte & Flat °3.9° °poor° ep 1-18
Apparently when Netflix says that the 30th is the last day to watch a show, they really mean the 29th is the last day for viewing. I wouldn't have been able to finish HtH anyway, but I did intend to watch more than 18 eps. It doesn't matter, it was starting to feel like a chore, anyway.Our ML, Zhan Nan Xian, now CEO of a cosmetics company, and our FL, Wen Nuan, were in love in HS, but they broke up. We don't get the full story in the beginning. The show rolls it out in pieces. "You've been back for so many days. Do you want to keep hiding in your shell and stay there forever?" - Zhan Nan Xian queries his turtle. It's been 7 years. She's been in Europe and he's buried his head in work, but that doesn't stop the recurring nightmares. 7 years has not healed their hearts.
But ya gotta make a living, right? She's coming back to China, so when they offer her the job as his personal assistant, she takes it. This is typical of the emotional shortcuts one might see in a modern-day 🇨🇳Chinese drama. We'll get to talking about that in a bit. When Wen goes to work for CEO Zhan she gets a new office, new responsibilities, a new boss, and new enemies. One woman thinks Wen went and took HER job. Zhan Nan Xian's movie actress GF doesn't like it when she sees that wench, Wen, with her BF, either. Let the plots and underhanded schemes begin.
Zhan Nan Xian never stopped loving Wen, even when she broke up with him. He never understood what happened, but he's determined to win Wen back whenever he can. He keeps his GF, though... Wen is dating Zhu Lin Lu, who runs his own company. At least, they tell us they are dating, but this is a bizarre relationship. They don't see eachother much and they don't act the least bit romantic. Zhu Lin Lu's company is in direct competition with Zhan Nan Xian's, so Wen is put in awkward situations that are difficult to wend, and she is often caught in the middle. The greed and corporate espionage is ham-handed, but it's still fun, at times.
HTH is a 2018 release that is rated 91 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 48 45-minute eps. In the 18 eps I saw it has the distinction of being the 2nd-worst modern-day C🇨🇳 feature I've seen (Hot Girl-3.9 will be hard to beat for the worst) but it also has some exceptional romantic moments. The show creators waste all of the emotional currency. It feels like the show opens without a proper ep1 to lay the groundwork. We don't know these people, what motivates them, what led them to where they are, and why they are going where they're going. We don't know why it's a big deal that she's coming to work for him, we aren't invested in their love story, we don't know why she has another boyfriend who barely seems to be a boyfriend, and we don't know why she ran away to Europe. We get flashes of their past life but it's nothing that would lead us to cheer them on as a couple. It's fine to roll these things out gradually, but it is not okay to leave the viewer on the outside looking in. The viewer must be brought in, emotionally, to make the show enjoyable.
Speaking of enjoyable, HtH has its bright spots. Zhang Jian Jun Wei's song is very nice. There's a tasty kiss or two (after which it's strangely like nothing happened). Ep5 is beautiful. They sightsee in London. At one point they recite poetry to lovely background music, and it is magnificent. As they stroll around London, they stop to enjoy a street musician playing an acoustic cover of 'Free Falling'. It sounds pretty good, and it's obvious that the film crew stumbled onto the singer and incorporated the music into the show. It was a good move: The natural vibe is a jolting contrast to the rest of the show’s over-managed feel & under-developed characters, it's very like a ‘70s Mennen Skin Bracer slap-in-the-face ad. I loved ep5 so much I was going to rewatch it on the 30th. Thanks for the clarity, Netflix, sigh.
The C🇨🇳 excel at fantasy and period pieces and have put out some all-world, all-time stuff, save for some clunky special effects. (I'll take a well written, directed and acted low-budget piece over a big-budget bore every day of the week). Their modern-day stuff is as bad as their other stuff is good. HtH's stuffin’ is typical of C🇨🇳 modern-day features: ⚠In flashbacks they always have the same outfits on ⚠She's packing a small suitcase for a London trip. She holds up two trench coats, a tan one and a red one, and asks which one she should take. On the trip we see her in a grey trench coat and then a blue one, but not a tan nor red one. ⚠Is she wealthy? Does she have to work? There's conflicting evidence. ⚠Why does the ML keep his actress GF, and why does the FL keep her shallow, cheatin BF?
None of that makes sense except for this: Dream logic. Sometimes in a dream a person may look like someone else, but you know who it really is. Or it may look like one thing is happening, but you know what's /really/ going on; You just know. C🇨🇳 modern-day dramas use dream logic. You must accept certain things as so and skip forward. Otherwise - don't bother, they'll make you crazy - things will not add up. Even period and fantasy Cdramas will expect us to walk an invisible bridge from point A to F and not fuss about them filling in the gaps. Sometimes the simplicity seems to connect to the style of ancient plays, especially when the characters are excessively naive. Other times it seems lacking or lazy. The trade off is that the simplicity of these shows is relaxing. They are perfect for times when the anxiety is up. It's up to the individual to do the tally and decide if the trade balance is positive or not.
Zhang Han is ML Zhan Nan Xian & Janine Chang is FL Wen Nuan. Her hair is always messy in the early episodes which doesn't fit with her personality or her position. Are we supposed to like the FL's sister, who goes into work and acts like a b!+ch on wheels? I wanted to slap her. Zhu Lin Lu is the corporate & romantic competition, Jing Chao. He plays an attentive guard in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, but in HtH he is brash and irresponsible (and he looks like Tom Brady's leaner, meaner brother). {RRLITP is a perfect show thru 49 episodes. I almost never look ahead, but while reading up on whether it was a true story or not, I learned how heartbreaking it is in its second half, so I abandoned it at the point of a perfect ending. She (Ruyi) had already been through enough. Thru ep49, RRLITP is spectacular. The writing, directing, and acting are as good as it gets. None of that reaches the heights of its breathtaking visual beauty. It's not a true story, btw. It is inspired by a real monarch who suddenly put away his wife, never to see her again but there are no written records on the details - so the show is 90% artistic license.} Jenny Zhang plays a vapid actress and current GF of our ML. In Ancient Love Poetry(8.6) she's dynamite with a performance that is over-the-top, but appropriate for the role. The result is mesmerizing.
Anyway, C🇨🇳 modern-day features are designed for turning off one's brain. There's obvious political reasons for that, but we won't get into it. Reasons aside, there's always gonna be a need for such tranquilizers. One has to wonder if these actors can act as they appear so 2D in HtH, but Zhu Lin Lu and Jenny Zhang can ACT. Don't judge C🇨🇳 actors' capabilities based on a modern day show, as they aren't permitted to truly show what they are capable of.
The best modern-day C🇨🇳 shows that I've seen are: Meteor Garden-7.4 (it wanes next to Boys Over Flowers-8), I Hear You-7.3, & You Are My Destiny-6.8, which drags in the middle. The Oath Of Love was on track to be one of the best, but it left Prime before I could finish it. Love 020 series-6.8 and Accidentally In Love-6.5 get honorable mention; they pass the time acceptably. The very best one is King's Avatar-8, but it is about a RPG competition and contains no romance. That's all, folks.
QUOTES📢
If I should meet thee, After long years, How should I greet thee? With silence and tears. 'Tis nothing that I loved so well. Yet did I love thee to the last as fervently as thou. Who didst not change through all the past. And can't not alter now. The better days of life for ours; The worst can be but mine. And show that love, however vain, Nor thou nor I can feel again. The loveliest things that still remain. Through dark and dread eternity. Returns again to me. And more thy buried love endearing. That aught except its living years. ~Lord Byron~
Rated PG-13: P’s Cautioned
Originally 〰️🖊 11/2023
ps. 5/19/24> Having recently seen a couple excellent C🇨🇳modern-day shows, I have to amend the record. NF seems to have fixed their issue, too.
In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:
💓 -
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love 7.5 (Rom-porn/extra points for the dopamine);
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K🇰🇷 :
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;
🎎 -
C🇨🇳: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (ancient 🇨🇳 opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K🇰🇷:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl / Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9
🔮🐉-
C🇨🇳: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10
⚡/😱 -
C🇨🇳: Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;
K🇰🇷:
K2 8;
Private Lives 8.1;
Sisyphus 8;
Tunnel 8.1;
Signal 8.6;
The Man From Nowhere 8.9
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;
Kingdom 8.3;
Sweet Home 8.4
Japanese🇯🇵 lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5
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My Melancholia Diary. So far, a MASTERPIECE- Still watching.
I never do this, but I feel like screaming it: I am at ep6 and this is feeling like a MASTERPIECE. I will update/change this review when I've completed my watch. The space limit here is a challenge, btw. Here's where I am as of ep6 into 7:Has anyone ever gone on record as being for student-teacher love relationships? Can I get a show of hands? Nobody with a shred of decency believes that's a healthy thing, and this show is not advocating for that. In fact, there's only one adult in M who is desperately trying to do the right thing. Doing the right thing requires filling some big shoes.
M is screaming this at us through a virtual megaphone as it sets up a wild contrast to punch its point home. People enjoy screaming down wrongs and then walking away as if they've “fixed” the dreadful problem. It takes more than words. In the 80's they moved to ban the novel Huck Finn from school libraries because it contains the racist “N” word. The (truly embarrassing) irony is that Huck Finn may be the most profoundly anti-racist American novel ever written. What is more important? The fact that, as part of illustrating how wrong racism is, they first show us racism, or the technicality that they used the “N” word? Of course, the message is what's important. If the people behind the book burning were trying to keep racial tensions stoked it wouldn't look any differently when it comes to Huck Finn. Now we have Hyuk-Fin. Viewers were fin-ished as soon as they heard it was a teacher-student romance. Scream loudly & fix the problem: Activated. What these people missed was the real problem and this elegant show's true message.
Many of us may have to deal with inappropriate feelings of some sort. It is difficult to control feelings. People will fall in love. We are not responsible for the inappropriate feelings or dark thoughts that invade our psyche. We ARE responsible for what we do. The first mistake we make is lingering. If one went to Sunday school and remembers the story of Joseph, the right thing to do sometimes is get your Monty Python on and RUN AWAY!
Melancholia is a trick problem, though. On one plane it's dealing with how we deal with inappropriate feelings, but on another plane it's goosing us. There is only one adult in this show who is not f'g the kids, and that's our FL, the one who is in love inappropriately. She is not the problem. All the other adults are. I'm in ep6 and I'm beginning to think this is a masterpiece. The acting is comprehensive brilliance while the writer and director are legerdemainists of the highest order.
“During the Qjng Dynasty, there was a scholar who kept failing the Imperial examinations. So he decided to commit suicide... Before he did it, he complained to the Jade emperor. “I tried so hard… why couldn't I pass it? How come people who are lazier and less smart than me pass it?” The Jade Emperor summoned the god of effort and the god of fate to compete in a drinking contest… The god of Fate drank 7 glasses while the god of effort was only able to drink 3. From this fable came the saying “Unchil gisam” the success of a person depends on luck rather than talent or effort.” Ms Noh makes her point to the privileged parents of her privileged students. FATE put them there, these owners of manifest destiny. But she's interrupted by an upstart woman; little more than a girl, really. “It was the god of JUSTICE who was in the drinking game, not the god of effort. /Justice/ is society's underpinning,” she asserts. The police come and collect her. They want to know if she slept with her student. Then we go back 4 months.
Lim Soo Jung is the teacher, “Soo”. I haven't seen her before but her look in M is calculated. She's so pale. Crunching numbers has kept her out of the sun for years. She looks like she cut and dyed her own hair in the laziest, most unartistic, & cheapest fashion imaginable. She probably grabbed the dullest scissors from the school's art room. This actress is astounding in the way her facial expressions mark reserve. They show concrete walls behind her eyes when she interacts with her clod of a fiance, but when she's with her student Yoo, she's fulgent.
Imaginative but not imaginary: 👠Walk a mile in her shoes. Soo dresses in drab but her shoes do the talking. At the end of ep2 her feet are in bright green shoes: Green for go, youth, nativity, & growth. She's ready to get moving with this kid. Later, she meets her fiance and future mother-in-law to try on wedding dresses and on her feet are chunky black Oxfords with black socks. They look like combat boots. In ep4 they sit on a park bench and eat Popsicles as she wears pinkish-tan slip ons. They cover her entire foot except for the entry slots, like boat shoes. They are barely pink, but they seem like budding feelings. At Jeju it's utilitarian SNEAKers. It appears that they keep her full feet out of the frame unless there's a message for us.
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☠It's Odd⛩️ °5.5° °mixed bag°
What a mixed bag.We open to The Monkey King's thrashing. He's in trouble. He doesn't seem like the trustworthy sort. He's stolen Pandora's Box, afterall! Then we jump forward 500 years.
ACOPB is a 1995 97-minute release that is rated 7.4 on MAL. The more I learn about Journey to the West, the novel on which these movies are based, the more monstrous and peyote-induced it seems.
The next thing we see is an encampment of scallywags isolated in the desert. A woman visits them one day. They threaten her, but she ends up intimidating all of them. They failed to timely recognize that she's a demo!. She's beautiful and she has a beautiful cherry blossom tattoo on her shoulder. She won't leave until she meets the person she's looking for. They can't beat her. They don't realize it yet, but this woman can transform into a huge, extremely dangerous spider. They try to go after her when she's in the tub. She knocks one guy in, launches off of his head into an airborne pirouette and kicks them all in the face. She's looking for the guy with 3 birth marks on the soles of his feet. If they help her, maybe she'll leave sooner. (That's all only if they're not able to r@pe and kill her, their Plan-A 😨).
Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) is Chi Juen Bo, the Monkey King. He does a nice job. Ng Man Tat (Yangtze Town's Springtime, The Coming and Going) portrays "Piggy". Yammie Lam (Battle of the Heart) is Chun Sansiniang, the spider goblin. Karen Mok (The Road Less Traveled) plays Pak “Jing,” a zombie goblin and sister to the spider. The Monkey King broke her heart. She's looking for him. The Monkey King has three birthmarks on the sole of his foot. Chi Juen Bo does not. Yet.
The screenwriter & director is Jeff Lau (Love and the City, Mahjong Dragon), and the original creator is Wu Cheng En (c. 1500–1582). Per Wiki, he “was a Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty and is considered by many to be the author of "Journey to the West", one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.” He's movie-credited as the original creator for anything to do with any Journey to the West or Monkey King tales. That includes the strange but wonderful A Korean Odyssey-7.2.
The scallywags and worthless layouts don't know it, but demons are congregating in the area because they all want to get a bite out of the longevity monk, who's supposed to make an appearance soon. Jing suspects Chi is the Monkey King, which means he would know all about the monk's whereabouts, but Chi doesn't have the birthmarks, and he seems to genuinely know nothing about The Monkey King.
Things get more crazy than usuaal… strike that… the whole film is an acid trip… and Chi & Jing end up a pair (🤷 “It would be better if she wasn't a demon,” he muses to himself with a shrug). Tragedy strikes. He uses Pandora's box to go back through time and save her.
It sounds fun, right? Unfortunately, ACOPB is disjointed and sort of a mess. The characters are all like wild animals. There isn't much of a plot. It's just tantrums and fighting and tossing people around, for the most part. The 2nd half does improve and a bit of a plot takes shape.
What concerns me most about a production like this is that it might turn a person off from what's otherwise amazing Chinese fantasy. The first few Chinese fantasy features I saw absolutely blew me away. They are capable of doing the best in the world. I've also seen a few that aren't as good, liken his one, which is about 25% good and 75% nonsense. At least it has some good. Shows such as Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9; Douluo Continent 9.4; Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6; Love and Redemption 10, Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9(Kung-fu!) are exceptional, and historical pieces such as Overlord 8.4, Story of Yanxi Palace-10, Under the Power 8.6, The Rebel Princess 9.1, The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style), and The Rise of Phoenixes 9 are transcendent.
There's a steady stream of humor. It's frequently funny and the timing is snappy. Special effects are dated, but the spider is truly creepy. Sure, there's a romance, but it's more for the guys. Every woman wants the Monkey King, it seems🙄.
All I can say is that I didn't hate it enough to not watch the sequel (A Chinese Odyssey 2: Cinderella-5.5), which is just the conclusion. The two movies together are a 2-part single film with A Chinese Odyssey 2: Cinderella-5.5 picking up where this one stops. It's more of the same. My recommendation, unless one is a film student, is to skip this.
QUOTE🗣
See, this guy keeps talking all the time. We don't know what he's talking about. It's just like a fly hanging around. Sorry, not a fly! A swarm of flies flying near your ears. Flying into your brain!
IMHO〰🖍
📣6 📝5 🎭7.5 💓6 🦋3 🎨7 🎵/🔊5.5 🔚? 🤗4 ▪ 🌞2⚡6 😅3.5 😭2 😱4 😯1 🤢3.5 🤔3.5 💤0
Age 14+ - there's PG-13 language
Re-📺? Nope
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