Joseon-Seoul Drift ~‍⚕️~ Doctors Without⏳Borders °VG° °7.6°

This one had me on pins and needles😁. {Oh, dear. Many apologies. I had to excise that from my system. Okie dokie, moving on...}

I wasn't enthusiastic about LUTYN a couple episodes deep. It didn't spike my interest. It almost seemed too ridiculous and I wasn't getting the point. It's a house rule that the whole series must be watched prior to weighing in (intolerable, stabbing pain being the exception). Some shows are perfected or impaled in the final episodes, therefore, prodding - um, plodding on was the only choice.

It paid off like hidden treasure.

The show's premise is that Dr. Heo Im, the most famous and gifted physician/acupuncturist from the Joseon era, suddenly time slips to the 21st century. While a 400 year jump would put a strain on anybody, he penetrates 21st century society uncommonly well. The primary reason is that his skills are still relevant and on📍point for modern-day.

Dr. Heo Im undergoes a remarkable transition (healing) in the course of the show. His touching relationship with Ha-ra (it's precious) is enough reason to stick with this series. The interactions with Bong-sik and Mom are almost as sweet. Watching Dr. Choi Yearn-keyong (played by Kim A-Joong, who makes 200 Pounds Beauty-6.5 worth watching) and Dr. Im circling round eachother, while the circles become a tightening loop that stitches one to the other, is pure pleasure.

One coincidence after another keeps him and Dr. Choi poking into eachother. She, understandably, thinks he's screwy. Eventually, she is forced to believe him as they are thrust into, and stuck in, many harrowing situations while they try to understand what in the wide world is going on. It's not a new concept, but LUTYN tells a great story in a skillful way that punctured my bubble of resistance. One scene that was particularly cute was when they played some carnival style games. She's better at throwing darts and popping 🎈🎈🎈 than Mr. Needle is.

LUTYN has a light-hearted feel, but it also managed to sting my eyes on a couple occasions. They also address some piercing questions that prickle beyond mere medical ethics. It's shot (filmed) well, and while LUTYN is not a high budget feature, the battle scene is impressive. Dr. Im's patients aren't the only ones that get skewered.

The biggest head-scratcher, from my perspective, is how they failed to prepare and equip Dr. Im with the best tools for the final penetration, er - mission. It's difficult to elaborate without spoilers, so we'll leave it there, lest I pierce your eyes. The ending is better than the average. Too many Kdramas have rushed, or tacked-on endings. The cadence on LUTYN is perfect. They 🔨nail it.

The soundtrack is solid. The action song, which is the title track, nicks beats from the 80's. It's similar to the ROCKY theme, but perhaps, even better. "Troubleshooter" is a get-ready-to-go that's jazzy, and has a pinch of a 70's/80's cop show sound. "Not gonna wait," and "Fate" also snagged my interest and are inserted into my playlists.

My recommendation: Have a little trust, stick around, and give 4 or 5 episodes a 💉 before you seek a second opinion.


QUOTE📢

You get angry at others for your own mistakes.


〰🖍 IMHO

⚡6 🎬7.5 🤔5 🎭8 💓7 🦋5

Age 12+

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:
Modern Day -
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love to Hate You 8.9;
Her Private Life 8;
Touch your heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9;
Love Struck in the City 7.3;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9;


Historical/Period -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl / Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo 8.5;
Saimdang 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

Action/Sci-fi/fantasy -
K2 8;
Private Lives 8.1;
Sisyphus 8;
Tunnel 8.1;
Signal 8.6;
The Cursed 8.3;
Flower of Evil 8.9;
The Man from Nowhere 8.9;
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;
Kingdom 8.3;
Sweet Home 8.4

Romance junkies only -
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 Blows 7;
Something in the Rain 9;
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
You are my destiny 6.8 cute, sweet & 1/2 padding;
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9


Consider a Chinese historical fantasy romcom: The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8, Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9, Love and Redemption 10 or Japanese lite romcoms: Maid Sama 10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo 7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4, or Toradora 8.5

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⏳BONG BONG ⚙ Sing A Song ... Say What!?! ..... Drop It Down.... ⏱H, yeah.....⌛ °8.7°

This show is seriously funny, especially the first half, so... Drop in!

I had just watched Live Up To Your Name-7.6 which involves time travel to/from the Joseon period, so redundancy was a concern. Turns out, there was no need to worry, tee-hee.

There's nothing novel about entertainment features that portray time travel to a romanticized past era, anyway. Not only is the contrast between different cultures fascinating, but the fact that people are the same, no matter the circumstances, resonates.

Did I say fascinating? Not on this show. This show displays that the differences are HILARI🤣US.

What's so funny, you ask? Driving a big van through a cramped Joseon shopping district- after beheading the "monster" (the van) didn't work. Pulling out a 99cent lighter and causing panic. Teaching the Joseans "2 thumbs up👍🏽," drinking games, or slang. Fine, it's all been done before, but this show reaches into the backseat and pulls out the laughs. It's all giggles until a misplaced history book almost wipes out Korea entirely. Oh my. What should we do?

The van, Bong-Bong, is the most intelligent of the characters. Bong-Bong clearly has an agenda, and drives the plot, ahem.

Speaking of characters, we have the petulant actress, the greedy flimflam artist, the Mute Ninja who communicates with his mind, the escaped princess, the villain (a narcissist in full bloom), and more.

I loved this corny little show. The episodes are all just 30 minutes, so each one is its own brief escape. Bong-Bong may take me anywhere. Let him (yes, Bong-Bong is a male, even though On-dal calls him 'my lady' throughout) anyway, let him take you through 20 fun filled episodes. You won't want to return!

You have reached your destination.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣9 📝7 🎭8 💓8 🦋8 🌞6 🎨7 ⚡6 🎵/🔊8 😅7 😭3 😱3 😯3 😖3 🤔5 💤0 🔚10

Age13+
R language F💣 X 4 which is later played back

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Out Of The Chrysalis ➰️ Into Self Awareness ➰️ An Art School Fable About Taking Wing VG 7.6

Right from the start I'm thinking:
"Yo! Oh NO! Women and girls don't need to be watching this!"

This story follows the lives of art students, particularly Nabi's group of friends. Though the focus is on their love lives, the stresses of classes, projects, competitions, and future plans factor heavily in the story. The protagonist is Yu Nabi, a beautiful and talented but resigned, student.

The show starts with her painful break-up. She is then quickly seduced by the powerfully sexual Park Jae-eon (Song Kang from Sweet Home-8.5 & Navillera), who is a notorious womanizer. They couldn't be more different, except for the "road closure" signs on the way to their hearts. She starts a physical relationship with him but continually doubts him. He never asked for more anyway. This type of dude is not good in real life. Users like this tend to be on the sociopathic scale. Naive girls will think the can change him, that they'll succeed where other women have failed. It won't work, girls. You will get your heart shredded.

"It's making me so uncomfortable," was my thought, from EP 2 through midway when there was a plot shift. At the same time, I was also thinking that the director & actors handled the seduction scenes well. They are as steamy as the kitchen in a noodle restaurant. Nabi moves on to other guys. She has no shortage of admirers herself. These relationships may make her more at ease, but there are clearly no sparks, such as the ones Jae-eon ejects when he's performing his craft.

My method is: No reviews without watching the entire show, intolerable pain being the exception. If I had broken it off with Nevertheless in the early episodes, which I was not enjoying, I would've had a much different opinion than I now do after watching every frame. A solid 25% (it seems) of the early episodes consists of Nabi staring with an emptiness that showcases how a hammer shattered her fragile shell. Her emotional core is pulverized. She's struggling with school. Nothing is going right. She's shut down.

Nabi brightens up in the very last scene, when she settles on the next step in the direction of her future. She smiles radiantly, her voice lifts an octave or so, her words suddenly flow with ease: She's confident. There was so much transformation in that last smiling sentence that it was breathtaking.

The director, Kim Ga Ram (Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency -7.4), created her own piece of art in this series. This is Kim Ga-ram's third effort. All three are rated solidly with an increase in the IMDB rating for each one. We should be looking forward to more excellent offerings from Ms Kim. Screenwriter, Jung Won, is just getting started.

Not only was Nabi's transformation handled aptly, but there are many scenes that are excellent, with imagery and metaphors noticeable in the first watch. (Another go-through would only reveal more.) In Ep9, for example, Do-hyeuk gives Nabi an umbrella. He told her it will rain. He has an extra umbrella. Cut to Jae-eon who looks out at the deluge, umbrellaless. Do-hyeuk was prepared for heartache. He had braced himself. He was ready for rain. Heartache snuck up on Jae-eon. He never saw it coming. Several others in the extended group, who had been longstanding friends, also pair up. Their romances were all done well.

Adorned with a butterfly tattoo on the back of his neck, Jae-eon claims it means: The ugliness & pain of happiness & a lack of freedom. While Jae-eon has looks, money, talent, and popularity, which are all things that people believe will make them happy, he's not happy. He's lived free with many women, which left him not free to pursue a meaningful relationship. It's obvious that Jae-eon's dingy apartment -it's almost grayscale- is emblematic of his closed off heart. "Nabi" means butterfly. Nabi emerges from her chrysalis at the end of the show. That emergence had nothing to do with a man. The criticism of Nevertheless promoting toxic relationships is not fair. Nabi's confidence, in the end, was from, by, and through HER, not anyone else. This show is a cocoon that yields it's beauty right on time.

The sculpture on which Nabi labours for the entire semester appears lackluster, just as Nabi does. She takes a step toward joining society by finally taking on assistants. The reveal for finished works will be the end of semester art show. What's on display is Nabi herself. Nabi's piece has taken up wings to fly. The process and the show are the stages of a butterfly. The matured Nabi powers through her entrapments in full stained glass splendor. She might as well fuse with her sun-catcher and bracelet.

This is a well-crafted show. I would give it a rating of around 7.6, but it doesn't rise to the level of a solid 8. The director will likely be there with her next effort. Nevertheless, this series is well worth watching. It's not like the 3' deep cutesy romances. The director has crafted something more complex. In fact, I would classify this as a drama about self-awareness and self-liberation first, and a romance second.


QUOTE📢

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne~


〰🖍 IMHO

🎬8 🤔6 🎭8 💓6 🦋8 ⚡1

Age 15+

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day:
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love to Hate You 8.9;
Oh My Ghost 10;
Our Blues 8.7 - ensemble piece;
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9;
Love Struck in the City 7.3;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9;


Action/Sci-fi/fantasy:
Signal 8.6;
The Cursed 8.3;
Flower of Evil 8.9;
The Man from Nowhere 8.9;
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;


Romance junkies only:
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

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☂ Drunk Dialing 4 Dummies ⛈ Dysfunction Under Inspection ☂ °7.8° °Excellent°

Spoilers are clearly marked and at the bottom.

Witches brew: These 3 friends are cursed!

Wu-Yeon(Wu) the 'ex-collector', says she's cursed to be forever trapped in a 1sided ♥️ w/ Su, despite days, mos, years~> Despite the /decade/ that's elapsed. She seems composed, but when alcohol pours in, emotions pour out into Su's vm. Wu has a most-of-life crush on Su, who has declared them to be in friendzone⛔️… more than twice, or thrice (or double on ice) for a full decade. Su drops into town & mixes her up, only to exit without leaving a gratuity. That forever leaves Wu forlorn & in need of liquid relief, which leads to slurpee vms on Su's phone. She's a serial drunk-dialer, & her friends are so hungover it. Su might be their friend, but he drags the party down.

Yeong-Hui(Hu) grew up poor, w/ no advantages behind, & only struggles ahead. She's been cursed to a life of toil, poverty, & unworthiness. Hu is 1/2 of the couple mixed within the group. She and her BF struggle to face life's hardships and muddled family pressures, while trying to stay strong together. The only true struggle is that Hu refuses to accept that the man she loves can truly accept her: She's too poor and her family is always in trouble: She will only drag him down, she'scertain.

Jin-Ju(Ju) is cursed as well: Never to know ♥️. Ju struggles with loneliness. Her life, without love, is a drag.

MTF pulls up a chair alongside a band of boozers & toast the twenties. Wu, Hu & Ju were fused 🔗by combat in the HS arena. Now it's 10 years post graduation, when everybody thinks they have it figured out, but virtually no one does. They're learning to navigate adult jobs, situations and relationships. The 3 girls have a lifetime bond from their early HS years, so when Yeong-Hui pairs up with her BF, his friends come along as chasers to round out a 6-pack: 1 couple + 4 drinking buddies.

This brings us to now. Su is back in town, and once again sends signals to Wu that appear encouraging (is it finally happy hour?), only to flip the table on her once more. Again. As soon as Wu moves on to someone else, Su suddenly declares feelings for.... Guess who.

Their stories dial-in to several themes, including:

☂ Scars from thoughtlessness

☂ Pain's effects on emotional health, incl toxic Parent-child relationships & self-inflicted wounds

☂ Surviving 1sided♥️ - They all go through it

☂ Faulty suppositions - recheck yours every 5 years or so. They can't all be right.

☂ The sinking loneliness of selfishness vs the buoyancy of generous & committed ♥️

MTF also offers paths to resolution: L♥️ve is opening, giving & accepting. Maturity is learning to be unselfish, even when it hurts. Especially then.

For a few episodes, it was difficult to tell if it was worth the wait for last call. There were a generous pours of quality exchanges, metaphors, quotes, ironies, basically the usual for the better Kdramas - The ones they do well are outstanding, if not superbly divine. 75% into the show, I had only been looking at it through narrowed eyes in low light, waiting for the moment a glass would shatter and MTF would be easily swept away & forgotten. However, by ep15, I felt like a regular with the gang at the pour-it-all-out-house. Unexpectedly, real tears started flowing. Inner conflict overflowed next over the proper rating: 7? Am I looking at this thru the bottom of the glass? An absolutely stunning conversation put the answer into focus - MTF has buoyancy. It is refreshing, and it dazzles when it catches the light.

There's a spill of latent (submerged) emotions in MTF's examination of the 3 women and the challenges they stare down from across the table in their quest for: Love, financial independence, and the most elusive honesty-to-self. MTF opens their circle and invites the viewer in. Like with any relationship, the show leaves room to allow the viewers to drop in and raise a glass, even though we must hold back the urge to smash a soju bottle over some noggins.

This is more of a drama than a romance, and it is a worthy one. The cast is smooth and fluid; not a sour in the bunch. Ong Seong-Wu exhibits a truly great performance as Su. Be prepared for the slower cadence with anything that helps bring relaxation, and watch them blend, stir, and shake their lives.

〰QUOTES〰

Words are like boomerangs. The come back at you. (Aigoo. HEAR, youngins!)

Emotions are determined by the person on the receiving end. (Isn't perspective & timing everything?)

I'm afraid you will use the wounds you received as a shield & grow up a warped adult.

Back views are the saddest


〰IMHO〰

🎬7.5 🎭7.5 🖋〰 8 (This is the writer's 1st credited work, so we've been promised future brilliance) 💓7 🦋5 🤔8 🌞5 🎨7 🔚8

Age 15+



⚠️SPOILER SECTION⚠️

Before the next round, let's sweep away the broken bottles: MTF deliberately matures at a slow, near frustrating pace. It's relaxing if you can - Just un-tense↪ now breathe〰 What will likely frustrate every viewer is that Su, Wu, & Hu are as irritating as a botched drink order. Perhaps it's not what you're expecting, but the director & writer have placed tasty fusion on the table.

In defense of the house specials, 1st we'll look at:

Su. Most people dislike him. For most of MTF he's emotionless. He's cold & self-isolated. Su was alone his entire childhood. Now he's alone, even amongst friends. From his view, human interaction means bitterly spatting parents. Affection denied is intimacy died. ‘Relationships are distasteful’, is what he learned at home. No wonder he's a photographer. He studies but never participates. At the same time, he desperately tries to let ☀ inside. Obnoxious, cold, or odd behaviors are childhood painkillers. Kids cope in any way they can. Entrenched behaviors turn into bad habits that are difficult to delete, like a voicemail once it's already been delivered. "Kron-ih-'kah," while it's appropriate (helpful, even) to call out bad behavior, we shouldn't tell a person that s/he isn't handling pain "right". Be patient & generous w/ others.

Though Su won't imbibe his own feelings, it's obvious that he's always been intoxicated with Wu~

⏱ Per his overseas friend, when Su's in the USA, his comment card mentions Wu ·only· by name. No one else from Kcountry

⏱ Su picked on, cheered up &/or defended no girls, other than than Wu

⏱ No doubts, he enjoys spending ⏱ w/ Wu

⏱ He enjoys it so much that he fills her ☕️ & ⏱ whenever he's back, despite her deflections. "I want to see Wu as much as I can before I leave," he says, etc

⏱ His narcissistic jokes are on the tab, but he never leaves tips about the the good things he's done for Wu

Su's a world away from understanding how his actions leave Wu as frozen as a daiquiri. He lied to himself 1st, being blinded by fear & blunting to his underexposed emotions. Feelings for Wu gush out after she leaves the table to sit in the corner w/ another guy. Then (THEN!) he declares himself. Its effect is 100% contrary to his hopes.

{Bunny⚫> IRL, ya'll RUN AWAY! A romantic relationship won't, nor is it supposed to, fix such problems. People like this often don't want to be part of a project that will hire them. The very moment their desired 'object' stirs, they'll dump ice water all over. MTF is fiction. Don't mix up your life that way}

Enough w/ the ♥️🔺s! Not realizing, as a newbie, what a departure MTF is from Kdrama tropes (the CEO is not the best match), the kind CEO seems the better choice. Su is a different person by the end. He exits w/ his glass ½ full. He loves. He's open to friendship. He is now able to point the lens Wu's way: It's HE that's been in a 1-sided♥️ w/ HER, he declares. I was stunned, and so was Wu. She stops, reviews, & realizes ALL her relationships had been 1sided~> b/c of HER. That's top-shelf writing. It was this scene + crying real tears that took my rating from 7 to 8.

Wu: Though shy, she seems adjusted in HS, but her life's blood is leaking. Sensing she's helpless, sharks attack. Even w/ her friends' support, her emotions are still stunted. HS is when she begins to take Su's cues as clues of his interest. Sadly, Su ain't got a clue ·yet· Wu musters the courage to offer her 💝 to Su at the airport as he's escaping M&D by going to the USA. He visibly stiffens to rebuff her w/ blank eyes & rigid face, as a resolute chill falls like a dropped napkin. It's the 1st in a decade of misalignments between them. She cries for a long ⏱. Eventually, she just cries when she's sozzled. This ♻ repeats in bursts. Su reappears & appears interested, so Wu is frozen in hope. Her loved ones are hungover from it all. They don't like Su.

Wu is her most frustrating when she breaks up w/ Su. She's wrong. She agrees to go abroad w/ him, goes back on her promise, & then blames him for not being there - he doesn't ♥️ her enough, she blames. She wasn't honest about ·what· she needed from ·whom· preferring a draught of resentment when her needs sat empty. Just as she always flits from ex-to-the-next, never once opening up, then floating away, she pivots and does the same to Su.

1-sided♥️ is a symptom, as is her projec/deflec·tion. Neither she nor Su is able to heal the other. They must self-heal to self-liberate or they'll self-isolate & self-medicate.

Hu is suffering from what's referenced in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower: "We accept the 💘 we think we deserve." Always railing against poverty, her mother's complaints drip continuously until their tiny apt was overflowing. Mom's resentment became a bitterness that long ago blotted out affection. Hu has been plied with inferiority. She was dunked into the whirlpool w/ no way to emerge, so she truly believes she's dragging down Hun-Jae, her BF since HS. After all, he shouldn't suffer the way she has! Once again, as is the case w/ Su, the branding from childhood cannot be brushed away. She's also extremely stubborn, like mom, so it takes her a long ⏱ to come around.

It's frustrating how nobody has a faster epiphany, but isn't that true life? People don't pivot like Michael Jordan. These characters, blinded by pain, aren't contrived. I'm reminded of Kafka's Metamorphosis & how fed up I was w/ Gregor: "Someone should smash this bug!" Lol〰 Kafka's manipulations: He tricks the reader into being just as fed up as Gregor's family. Gregor didn't do anything wrong↪ Except↪he frustrated us↪so "bring out the Raid!"

The series is to the rim w/ metaphors:

☂ Absent Su, the dummies are drinking. Wu keeps looking at the empty Su-less chair next to her

☂ Jurassic Park's "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear" is cleverly placed (Su's apt in rearview)

☂ Wu & Su's clothes will start matching as they see each other more often

☂ Pinocchio's nose teaches us that lying distances us from others. We always lie to ourselves 1st. What sensible profundity

〰☂〰 ⛈Rain⛈ 〰☂〰

In MTF, rain represents the rough stuff of life that hammers all. Similar to armor, the ☂☂s are protective Shields. When Su decides to ♥️ Wu, he abandons his ☂ (He ✨ when wet. Ahem). Unprotected, Su hazards the elements & gets drenched. (Song-Wu Ong should do more scenes in the rain, all wet ☺).

People don't share ☂s often in the show. They're all alone in trying to protect themselves from the ⛈ of life. Instead of a lightweight ☂, they're wrapped up & weighted down in armor. We stand strong, walk shielded, & party-on better TOGETHER. It's not a coincidence that Hu compares turtle shells to armor over scars. Eventually, one will die from the weight or learn to take some off. (Of all the hypocrisy! - As if she's going to walk in the rain & not get wet! She will finally pull her chair all the way up to the table.)

About hypocrisy... When Ju tells the other girls how she sees ♥️, fate, & commitment, she might have been staggering around the room from the looks Hu&Wu shot her. The viewer's expectation is that the 2 will choose a personal-life application from the menu. Instead, they comment on how /Ju/ has matured! We're all blind to our own stuff. That scene drops a case of stuff.

Along w/the ♥️🔺, MTF serves up another trope: MSS (Mandatory-Separation-Syndrome). Usually painful as cirrhosis, for Su & Wu it's a good thing. The power balance between them should be 1:1 parts, which is necessary for them to grow together. It's also appropriate that Su's devotion be proof-tested.

The men in this show are saint-level good: Loving, patient, supportive... These girls tapped-the-majic-keg! Even though Wu didn't choose Saint CEO, she did catalyze Su into becoming her prince. Ding-dong! The curse is lifted. Each girl gets her prince! Ju, the girl w/ the loveless curse, gets married 1st. (It looks that way - they'll make it. Right? ;)) She had been looking & lamenting that she would never find him, but he had always been spilled out in front of her. The other two come to realize they weren't cursed in the first place. None of them were.

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Swoosh Flick & Flare °6.5° °has its moments°

They're messing with his mind. He arrives at his new school. A pretty girl greets him. He's happy… until he's carried off to the underground fights by buff boys in boxers. BTS is a 2017 release that is rated 89 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 8 30-minute groaners, I mean episodes. And boy are they idiotic. They're also pretty funny.

It is simple, childish, and arguably stooopid, but that's its charm. These transfer students each has special abilities. After the fight is sorted, they learn it was part of an evaluation. Their new school is a force for good! They've been selected to clean up schools in trouble. Almost immediately, they are placed on assignment as transfer students at schools in need of reform. They don't know how to use their abilities, however, so they generally get beat up in the field and luck into any successes.

The first mission is at an academy that has been feeding their charges a brain food supplement. The supplement has the unfortunate side effect of turning people into zombies. Another school is all girls; they've taken to kidnapping boys. Our heroes are so distracted by the girls during that one that they forget to rescue the kidnap victim. He had to escape on his own.

Shigeoka Daiki (Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen!, Higuma) is Kakeru Shigeoka. He falls in love with Hikari at first sight. He is cute, but infinitely average. Kiriyama Akito (Asa ga Kita, Gekikaradou) is Kiriyama Kakeru. He is an old soul. Nakama Junta Ninjani (Calling on! Fight Towards the Future, Gokusen 3) is Kakeru Nakama. His glasses are smarter than he is. Kamiyama Tomohiro (Daibinbo, Switched) portrays Kakeru Kamiyama. He has a thing for moms. Fujii Ryusei (Yokoso Wagaya e, Rokuhodo Yotsuiro Biyori) is Kakeru Fujii. His flowing blonde hair is glorious. He knows that. Hamada Takahiro (Kazama Kimichika: Kyojo Zero, Shotai) plays Kakeru Hamada. He's a brawler. Kotaki Nozomu (Momikeshite Fuyu, Rokuhodo Yotsuiro Biyori) plays Kakeru Kotaki. He's also a brawler - right out of the 1950's. He would NEVER make a woman cry.

Yep, they're all named Kakeru. They're all weird in their own way. One likes mature women, though he dresses like a little boy. One has special glasses that can help him figure out anything. One dresses like a sushi chef at an Edo period themed restaurant. Two are brawlers, one of which has to doowap hairdo. And the last one does seem like a pretty average guy, and he's definitely NOT Hikari's brother.

Kawashima Idaten (Umika Ie, Tsuite Itte ii Desuka) is Hikari, the cutie that's also an aid to the principal. The director is Lee Toshio of When I Get Home, My Wife Always Pretends to Be Dead & Dad's Backdrop. The screenwriter is Kawabe Yuko, who brought us Koi no Yamai to Yarougumi, Koi no Yamai to Yarougumi, Toyama Erika Grandma no Yuutsu & BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen.

The acting is actually quite good in that things seemed effortless. The directing is crisp, something necessary given that the show is just over 3hrs. Comedy is the least respected genre, yet it's also the most challenging. BTS passed the test in that it did make me laugh a few times. It's based on a manga. Manga and anime are all about a child-like sense of wonder and silliness. Viewers that have a silly side are likely to enjoy this. If you aren't the type to roll your eyes and grin at the same time, then enroll elsewhere.


QUOTES📢

Narcissists are invincible.

Luck is a skill.


〰🖍 IMHO
RATINGS
Directing 7
Writing 6
Acting 7,5
Art 6
Sound & music 6
Ending 6.5

LEVELS
Warmth 4
Action 6
Laughs 4
Tears 2
Fright 3
Tension / Anxiety 2
Gore 2
Thought provocation 2
Snores 1
📣7 📝6 🎭7.5 🎨6🎵/🔊6 🔚6.5 ▪ 🌞4⚡6 😅5 😭2 😱3 😯2 🤢2 🤔2 💤1

Age 15+
Language: R-rated F💣s, sex & boob jokes, but not much

Rated TV-MA: Mature Audience Only.

Re-📺?
This one's in the good-to-pass-the-time category, but I may never pass this way again….

You may also like:

After the Rain 7.3,
Ao-chan Can't Study 7.8,
Beyond the Boundary 7.8,
Chaika The Coffin Princess 8.4,
Chihayafuru 8.5,
The Eminence in Shadow 8.8,
Flowers of Evil 7.7 (not dubbed),
Food Wars 8.2,
Girls Und Panzer 8,
Kokoro Connect 7.4,
Land Of The Lustrous 8.1,
Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4,
Made in Abyss 9,
Maid Sama 10,
Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun 7.7,
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU 8,
Parasyte the Maxim 8.9,
Pet Girl of Sakura Hall 7.3,
Real Girl 7.5,
Senryu Girl 7.5,
Special A Class 8.2,
You're Under Arrest 7.8

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Every Sunflower Needs Its Sun °7.8° °cuteness overload°

Adapted from the novel, "She’s a Little Crazy”, WIFTY is as cute as cute gets. Zhang Miao Yi (Exclusive Fairytale) plays FL Su Zai Zai. She might be alittle crazy, but she's also like sunshine. Crazy, in this case, means an uninhibited, hyper-focused go-getter. She's gonna go get herself Zhang Lu Rang (Zhou Yi Ran from The Legend of Zhuohua, Falling into Your Smile-5.7). He's gloomy and more like the moon, but he likes sunflowers. Lu Rang is good at every subject but English. Languages are a snap for Zai Zai, but she struggles with everything else. They end up tutoring eachother. After you meet Lu Rang's mother, it makes sense that he likes Su Zai Zai.

WIFTY is a 2023 release that is rated a high-flying 9 on MDL. (Romance fans love it, yo). It is 1 season consisting of 24 cuddly 35-minute episodes. They fly by quickly. Jiang Zhi Nan (The Best Day of My Life) as Jiang Jia & Bian Tian Yang (Bright Time, Song of Youth-7.2) as Gu Ran round out the 2ndary couple. They are fun. (“As dumb@$$ he is, he actually didn't fall for my trick. This is so odd. What's more, how does he manage to be so obnoxious?”). Actor, Bian Tian Yang, and his part, are adorable. The director is Mao De Shu (Lovely Us) and the screenwriters are Yue An & Tao Kai Xin who also collaborated on Let's Meet Now.

The original creator is Zhu Yi of the wildly popular show, Hidden Love-7.8. Consequently, WIFTY and HL are very similar. They are both low drama ride-alongs. The viewer hangs out with these simple characters throughout several years of their simple lives, but not much happens. That isn't to say that WIFTY isn't lovely. It is absolutely darling. WIFTY and HL are low on complexity, shade and tension, but they are high on romantic charm and the Prozac effect. They both include likable characters with some growing up to do. They both feature a FL who suffers from an instant crush that lasts for (presumably) a lifetime. Both cover from middle school to first post-grad positions. And both promote relaxation and tranquility. The viewer is unlikely to cry, will probably smile but not laugh, won't experience much angst or frustration, and will feel at peace. There will always be a place for such entertainment. To be fair, I will rewatch a feature that is of sub-standard quality yet it touches the heart before a piece that is intelligent and technically perfect but emotionally flat; but when it comes to rating a show, technical skill and the way it moves the heart are both important. A low degree of difficulty does lower the maximum potential score.

What they do in WIFTY they do well. The music is solid. They play a snippet from Brit rockers, Queen, for a hot 5 seconds. It was amusing and quite unexpected. Before, by Zeyué is Shazam-worthy. The acting is excellent. The protagonists are engaging and there's some great dialogue. Long before they become a couple, our couple works on English prepositions and contrapositions together.

“If I exist, my love for you exists.”

“If I don't like you anymore, that I would no longer be me.”

It's a sweet scene.

“You don't necessarily have to become the sun. If you're willing to, you could be a star, a street light, or a firefly. They're all capable of shining when they want to shine. When they don't feel like shining they can slack off,” we hear in a challenge to shine as brightly as possible,

WIFTY shines as brightly as possible. Su Zai Zai is as unforgettable as she is adorable. While it's unlikely to appeal to anyone who isn't a serious romance fan, the show is simply delightful from one end to the other. If romance is your thing, make sure to exult in its warmth.


〰IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 7.8
Writing 7.7
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 6
Art 5.5
Sound & music
Ending

LEVELS
Warmth 7
Action 3
Laughs 4
Tears 2
Fright 1
Tension / Anxiety 1
Gore 1
Thought provocation 3
Snores 0

📣7.8 📝7.7 🎭8 💓7 🦋6 🎨5.5 🎵/🔊7 🔚8 ▪ 🌞7 ⚡3 😅4 😭2 😱1 😯1 🤢1 🤔3 💤0

Age 13+
It's very clean. They do cohabitate prior to marriage

Rated
TV-PG: Parental Guidance Suggested

Re-📺? Very Possible

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;

Period -
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

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

Action/horror -
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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Sin City, China °7.3° °weird & D.A.R.K. but good°

Female assassins! A whole city of them! And, boy, are they terrifying. Don't Let the word “Romance” misguide you. Sure, there's a love story in there, amongst the blood, guts, and cannibalism. The secondary romance is between the torture chamber master and the savage, megalomanical City Master. It ain't no feel good love story. It isn't the romance that's going to stick with you later, anyway; it's the horror. This show is every bit as macabre as Sin City. Judge whether you want to watch it through that lens. If romance is your thing, and you don't like frightening situations or gore, skip this one. BR is mostly a drama about power.

For those of you continuing on, the show is worth watching. While it is quite painful at times, it had the effect of making me feel better about the horrible circumstances I was in at the time I was watching. BR is gruesome, sad, ROUGH and, well, bloody. It isn't for the faint of heart, and it isn't for most romance fans, unless you're one like me, who also loves action and lots of killin, every now and then. If you've been wanting to get a dude in your life to watch a Cdrama, maybe this is the one. (I would recommend Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber-9 or Douluo continent-9.1 for that, btw).

BR has its slow moments, but somewhere around episodes 8/9/10 BR becomes captivating. The characters inhabit a secret world within our real world. It gets deeper and more layered as the episodes roll by. The best thing is that there are some road trips, or quests, rather. They never get old. There are consistent quality elements incorporated by the director. There's lovely segues, connections, and ironies tossed into the hotpot. One small example is in ep33, when Prince Ning comes to the Palace knowing that around 90% of his goals have been reached. He's in a resplendent green robe instead of the shadowy pale greys that he had been wearing. The Chinese know how to film flowing silk. The soundtrack is exceptionally good and Spotifiable. The musical theme for the primary duo is sad, but it's also downright sultry. Another of the songs for the romantic scenes is by Tia Ray. It's beautiful. Gary Chaw has a couple of excellent songs on the soundtrack as well. The fight scenes are clever with exciting acrobatics. The animation during the opening credits is gorgeous. Recollections, flashbacks, and dreams are done in the same style throughout the show. It's edgy, it's dark, and it's utterly beautiful. BR is almost mesmerizing at times.

Chinese villains are fun. One has to remind oneself that these are assassins. Several times it is noted that nobody cares if their targets deserve it or not. It's just their job. They're also under threat of death if they don't carry out their missions. Worse, before their death sentence is carried out it is preceded by horrendous torture. Prolonged, horrendous torture. Once people are desperate enough to take the vow and become assassins, they don't look back. Even among assassins, there's the regular bad guys and then the /really/ bad guys. Of course we want the really bad guys to be defeated, but we should feel conflicted about rooting for cold blooded killers… shouldn't we? Some of the bad guys are more complex than what seems at first glance. We learned that some of them have justifiable hate; their actions and attitudes aren't entirely unrelatable. One of the tragedies of human existence is that it's so rare for someone to break the cycle of evil. One character definitely is not a cold blooded assassin. This character has been trapped.

If the show is about nothing else, it's about our duty to get unpleasant jobs done, so let's get the bad news about BR out of the way. This isn't a cult classic like Sin City. Scenes are often a little too drawn out. There's plot holes, plot flops, and dead-ends in which forecasted actions were halted prior to completion - they didn't finish everything they started, just like a couple characters in the show. BR feels a little bit hollow. The ending accentuates that emptiness, so we are left with that sense. The torture chamber master is inconsistent. He sympathizes with others, at times, and he tries to stop the senseless killing and torture, yet he continues to perform torture and perpetuate cruelty. The ending is forecasted and the viewer should be cognizant of that. It reinforces the bleakness. Most weirdly, they set up some awesome possibilities and then just left them out there hanging. They opted for another direction that compares poorly to what was possible.

Forget the above, the biggest issue with this show is that it's dark. It's different from the dark things that Hollywood puts out, which appears to be an effort to titillate with violence and cruelty. There's a clear line between acts that are right and wrong in this show. Every character has legitimate motivations. They just act on them wrongly. The dark elements are meant to shock and horrify us, but not to come through the back door and titillate us. Kudos to the writer, who authentically shows bad guys with complex motivations. In fact, the bad guys themselves weren't born that way, but they were tortured into being that way. Conversely, the writer displays good people that do dark things. The complexity is admirable. BR flies around 10,000 feet in the air. It focuses on broad strokes issues as much or more than the individual characters and their arcs. The creators allow only limited emotional investment in these people. That's a positive: Otherwise, the plot turns would HURT. At least the cat gets a happy ending!

The FL is irritating. The suffering saint(ess). She suffers. She doesn't want to kill, which means she wants her shadow (aid) dead. Even for the dire circumstances, it's overly dramatic. Fine, it's understandable that she doesn't want to kill. Was it okay, in the show's beginning, for that assassin to kill the man that was about to kill her? If not, the world would be missing one person with a good conscience and keeping someone destructive. Wait. I should check myself for a moment. Maybe I have too much bloodlust. Her struggle with taking lives is appropriate, but the way she's willing to risk her Shadow’s life is not. Overall, they failed to sell all of their wares, when it comes to her character, so she's only partially completed. In a way, once again, that made watching the show a little easier. I didn't get emotionally invested to the point where their pain hurt me as much as some other shows have. It's nice to get a break from kind of upheaval, or it would be too much. For one example, Love and Redemption, which I consider a 10 among the 10's despite its clunky special effects, caused me sufficient emotional distress that I popped a Xanax (yet I still kept watching). I couldn't handle a constant stream of that wreckage.

Speaking of the characters, Li Yi Tong is FL, Wan Mei. She becomes more relatable as the episodes go on, but they fail to fully form her into a protagonist that the audience will connect with deeply. This is no fault of the actress - it's the writing and directing. It's obvious that she, the actor and the character, has done what they required her to. Tragically, her part is the least interesting one of the show. Qu Chu Xiao is ML Chang An. His voice is soothing. So many Asian actors barely look Asian to me. His looks aren't far removed from that of Eastern Europeans. It seems like the burden to make a romance work is always on the ML in a heterosexual love story. Perhaps that's because our perception is that men don't love as easily as women, so it's a greater change if a man falls in love? This particularly applies in a world of tough guys… powerful guys… dare I say /masculine/ guys? More likely, it's in my eye, the eye of the viewer, that the male lead is pulling extra weight in selling the love story, because I'm attracted to men(?). I'm honestly not sure… Attraction is an ephemeral mystery inside a conundrum, indeed. All I know is that my favorite romances are usually favs because of the performances of the male leads. Anyway, Mr. Li is particularly good. Wang Duo plays Gong Zi / Prince Ning. He is the most memorable character of the show, and perhaps the best reason to watch it. His story is riveting. He is as sincere as he had the ability to be. As with many characters, he's been pushed hard in many directions.

Everyone has their own agenda. Usually, it's revenge, and it's always futile. All these wants and appetites… The Pride, the revenge, the hostility, the cruelty & the striving - it's all futile in the end. Revenge is explored apart from society, laws, and justice. Otherwise decent people in BR kill wantonly for revenge. It isn't about the person that they're avenging. It's about oneself and satisfying one's own anger and bloodlust. To kill an innocent person for revenge is to be a murderer. To do it a second time, is to be a serial killer. To give in to anger and its outflow of unforgiveness, vengeance and bitterness, is always most hurtful to oneself more than anyone else. Is best to not let such dark indulgences and appetites, that can never be satisfied, consume us.

BR’s final words:
One glance decides your life. One stroke breaks the wine vessel. One man, one god. A broken scar. A dream intoxicating Heaven and Earth. To respect and pour. When you awake, there are 3 months of spring.

Spring brings baby mice, and our kitty will have to survive on something…


〰️QUOTES〰️

Sometimes, fathoming our own heart is more difficult than understanding another person's heart.

The only logic in this world is that there is no logic.

When we experience more things in life, our horizons will widen more.


✏〰 IMHO

Directing 7.4
Writing 6.8
Acting 7
Romance 6.5
Flutters 7
Art 7
Action 7.3
Sound & music 8.8
Ending 4

LEVELS
Laughs 1
Warmth 3
Tears 6
Fright 6
Gore 5.8
Thought provocation 5
Snores 3

🎬 7.4🖊〰 6.8 🎭 7 💓6.5 🦋7 🌞3 🎨7 ⚡7.3 🎵/🔊8.8 😅1 😭 6 😱6 🤢5.8 🤔5 💤3 🔚4


Age 16+ Scary images not suitable for kids under 13;Ep1 a father sells his daughter to a brothel. Violence against women depicted & worse is referred to. Cannibalism; Torture; Rape; Sex slaves; Stealing blood from virgins


Re-📺watch? I don't think so, but if I'm in a dark, nihilistic and masochistic mood, mehbee?


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 but many won'tlike the unforgivablestunt the ML pulls;
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;

Period -
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

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

Action -
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

Read More

Tae-yo's Bunkhouse For Stowaways ¤ How They Rock The Boat Until They Float. °Excellent°

This breezy series is like riding a skiff, whisking along the ebb & flo. We all know it wouldn't be a Kdrama without some stormy moments, as well as a sad sense of loss for a 'sailor', or two. For all that, MFFL, like a summer shandy&soju, is lite and full of good cheer.

Tae-yo is from a (pause) comfortable family. As such, he gets to live alone at one of the family docks (a spare house) while bobbling through college.

In the span of a dozen bells or so, several of his mates suffer a boarding crisis and show up at Tae-yo's 'gangway.' This mishmash of stowaways all know Tae-yo, but none of them know each other. Aigoo, why did he answer the door? His one friend, Cho-hun, (Hun) played by the charming Kang Tae-oh, boards wearing a dress(⁉). The captain, his $father$, you see, had ordered him to jumpship and leave anything Hun hadn't bought with his own money. Iin other words, leave with nothing. Pushed out to sea on an iceberg, he has no lifeboat... or pants. Dangerously exposed to arrest, said dress, swiped from a clothesline, is what bare-ly spares him from the MP's and the brig.

All aboard! Tae-yo fails to take any prisoners or to make anyone walk the plank. He accepts that they'll be bunking with him for weeks out to sea. He must keep their enlistment at the quarters hidden from his father, The Logistic CDR, or lose his own cabin. Bon Voyage! Wave❕ MFFL pulls up anchor and begins merrily drifting with the tide.

In our spy glasses, we view Tae-yo's Crew adjusting to close quarters, while unavoidably forming a band-of-brothers and making allies with the broader circle of Tae-yo's friends, while at the same time keeping each other's secrets (mostly). These shipmates are like warm currents. It's cozy and cheery sailing with them. There's Song-i, Tae-yo's best friend, who's mom went awol, there's Gar-in, who ran away from her suffocating mother, (Gar-in's cuter than a Pekingese Dog Fish) and you've already met Hun. Hun's an out of work/never worked actor & singer (but not much of a dancer). He and Gar-in are the live entertainment. Hun also astutely marks the 5 stages of Tae-yo's breakup, in real time live feed. He's wrong about it all, and yet he's so right. Wrong or right, he's adorable.

In MFFL there's another of those ubiquitous Bermuda-love-triangles, but with its own twist. Predictable? Given that they meticulously forecast the weather, it's clear to see where things are headed. (Predictable is generally a tedious criticism of romances & feel-good jaunts. For a thriller or mystery - or an M. Night Shyamalan film - predictability is a shipwreck; but for works like MFFL, it's an empty net). The love triangle is integral to the plot in MFFL, so we shouldn't blame them that so many other productions forcibly wedge it into their scripts. Nevertheless, Kdramas are flooded over with unnecessary formulaic love triangles. While we're swabbing the deck, we can address one more overused device - MoMPs: Missing-or-Misplaced-Parent(s) show up too often as well. In MFFL this is not well used and is a plot weakness.

But MFFL doesn't take on water just because, in a house of 20 year olds, romantic pairs form and reform. Close quarters, particularly on this "Love Boat" lead to such. They're all looking for the perfect oar to go with their rigging, afterall. It's the journey, the swelling attraction, imbibing truth about one's feelings, and the GoPro filming keeping things afloat, along with the smiles and the warmth.

MFFL also dives into growing pains, especially adjusting from kiddie pool friendships to the wide open seas of adulthood. Tae-yo and Song-i have been inseparable since age 3. We watch them each drop anchor into a relationship. There's a big adjustment for all parties, given how close those two are.

When Song-i is first dating, she keeps the identity of her boyfriend classified, because he's Tae-yo's friend, and they aren't ready to go public. Tae-yo is thoroughly agitated over everything happening with this phantom bf of Song-i's. He says: 'This jerk let you walk home in the rain' (he had to work). Then Tae-yo comes out with: 'A decent guy would never let the woman he loves doubt herself'. Of course, right then he's causing her, his best friend, to doubt herself. 'She's got to break it off with that dude', He complains to his friend. Said friend and Song-i are each getting dating advice from Tae-yo, who doesn't connect that they are the two dating, even when he comments that their stories are similar. He loves to complain about the jerk Song-i is dating to that "jerk," who can only listen and take it. Cute.

Director Oh Jin-suk is 2-for-2 with me, as I love "My Sassy Girl," (2017). That show is also weatherproofed with straight feelgood joy, despite the usual impossible outlook in ep1.

Cruisin on this 'houseboat,' and with this blended crew, following them on their excursions to school, work, dates (why is that jerk keeping Song-i out so late! Grrr) and back home again, is what makes it skip like stones on a brook. MFFL is not trying to be a tempest. It gently flows, so these friends can coast near the shoreline and stargaze from the top deck. It's a swimmy recess, a winsome escape, and plain old smooth sailing.

In short, slipping away briefly with MFFL is just happy hangout time whilst catching the high tide with buoyant allies. If you hate smiling, just take the next charter.

Now pass that Soju shot!

IMHO...

Age 12+.

Directing 8
Writing 7
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 6
Warmth 9
Art 7
Sound & music 8
Laughs 6
Ending 8

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Mars & Venus Go To Court °8.2° °Excellent°

TYK follows a TV personality who is out of work after a scandal. She would call herself an actress, but she's known for her good looks, not her good acting. She begs for a part in a new legal drama. She's told (with great reluctance) to research her role at a real law firm. Under that one condition she'll be offered the part. "On it!" Her manager calls his law-firm-owning cousin, whose immediate reply is: "There's no way - he won't do *this* favor - he will not have any actress come into his sacred company - it's WHO?!? (all without taking a breath) Turns out he's a BIG fan. She must be assigned to the most competent attorney in The Firm. He is all-business-no-warmth, and gives up on Prossy Missy the first day ("Just do what you want until quitting time"), because she can't work the copy machine. Heck, she can't even answer the phone.

If nothing else, watch it for the pickup skills. Exhibit A: "Ms Oh, this letter is for you. I, Kwon Jung-roc, saw you for the very first time on February 6th, 2019 at the secretary's office of Always Law Firm located in Seocho - gu, Seoul.

"As we interacted with each other many times through work, and had about six meals together, I realized that your feelings weren't fake. I realize that they were actually sincere. Therefore, I, Kwon Jung-roc, request you, Oh Jin-sim, to officially go out with me. And I hope you give me your approval."

How do you think our Glamours actress will respond to this plea deal?

Summary Judgment: TYK is the perfect holiday for Kromcom devotees. It frames itself as a descendant of the film Roman Holiday, in which a princess (Audrey Hepburn) trades her carriage for a motorcycle after Escaping The Palace. In heavy contrast to the starched isolation of court, she is propelled by a rumbling hot motor to experience life, citizen-style: Fun. Adventure, + a dear & sincere romance inside a brief run. TYK could be referred to as Legal Holiday… or Office Holiday? A Brief Holiday In Motion? Contempt Overturned In 3 Months?

Exhibit Z: The soundtrack is downright Spotifiable.

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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

RATINGS
Directing 7.5
Writing 7
Acting 8.3
Romance 7
Flutters 6
Art 6.5
Sound & music 8
Ending 7.7

LEVELS
Warmth 7
Action 3
Laughs 3
Tears 3
Fright 1
Tension/Anxiety 2
Gore 0
Thought provocation 3
Snores 0

📣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-watch? 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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A Delectable Mash Up Of Tim Burton Wes Anderson & Rainman °Flutters Superior°

Bring your own smores.

I won't try to describe this. Just get in the camper and journey with these characters.

This review, and the show itself is not about splitting hairs over the level of accuracy vis-a-vie certain mental ailments or whether the plot is plausible. Trust me, I understand the pain mental illness brings home. The show creators are giving us a little therapy and laughter in the hurt. It's entertaining enough to mute outside interference and provide a safe space for a little escape.

Every element is a win: Acting, costumes, characters, character arcs, sets, plot, dialogue, writing, directing, and soundtrack. (I want to jump in and have my own nice, long, cathartic, airing-out-my-lungs argument with this gang. What an emotional high-colonic that would be.)

It all comes together to make something that is truly stylish, sad, sagacious, sanguine, and... SUBLIME. It is way better than just okay.

IMHO〰

Directing 9
Acting 9
Romance 8
Flutters 6
Warmth 7
Art 9
Action 6
Thought provocation 7

Age 14+

Re-watch? Absolutely

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⌨ 2D Love °5.9° °good° ?%?

Gamers don't need a dating website because they can make good matches while gaming. Our protags are fans of the RPG (role playing game) Chinese Ghost Story/CGS. FL, Wei Wei even has an in-game spouse - until she gets dumped. She won't be in the dumps for long, though: Her white knight is in the wings. Computers don't just facilitate hook-ups; they make identity theft pretty easy, too. While Er Xi may not have stolen Wei Wei's ID, she did borrow Wei Wei's CGS game character, which leads Wei Wei's crush to pursue Er Xi in the game, thinking he's hanging out virtually with Wei Wei. It also leads men at Er Xi's summer internship to believe that she's the top female CGS player. Er Xi, unawares, is getting all kinds of attention in the name of Bei Wei Wei, and Bei Wei Wei wouldn't have it any other way-way-way.

That's the same paragraph I used for the show review because, in curious fashion, 2016 saw a show and a film released that were based on the same story. I watched the show first and find myself unable to assess this film without comparing. It feels like a completely different story in many ways, thankfully. But the core programming is identical:

Xiao Nai is the school ‘s supreme catch. Not only is he finishing up school, but he's designing a new game with his buddies. They are marketing it to companies and will run into all kinds of sleaze in the business world. He's also a serious gamer and CGS is his 2nd home. He witnesses the top female player being divorced and decides it might be nice to pick her up as a game wife. He's also glimpsed Wei Wei playing CGS at an internet cafe 😍. He's making 2D and 3D moves on her. Wei Wei is “The Belle of the Computer department,“ but her paths haven't crossed much with Xiao Nai ~ she /thinks/. She's been hanging with him on the CGS servers, she just doesn't know who her game spouse is IRL. In the meantime, Er Xi uses Wei Wei's alternate ID to play the game and ends up being mistaken for the top female player in CGS. This brings her into virtual contact with a guy chasing Wei Wei IRL. He thinks he's flirting with his crush and Er Xi believes she's developing a new virtual relationship that could become a real world fling. One of them is more wrong than he would guess and the other is so wrong, but so right.

That's the setup. They are meeting in the game and building impressions in their imagination. Next, they will face and deal with the IRL/in-real-life implications.

Both the show and movie are watchable and enjoyable for romance fans. I don't think either feature does anything but toss lite snacks to the romance fan base. They aren't going to please any other watching group. So, you romantics out there, this is worth watching for the first kiss; it's swoony. The romance is mutual. Xiao Nai is The Man. He only plays for keeps.

I know my rating makes it seem like I didn't like the film. I did - it's definitely over the line of demarcation. It has some great moments along with its corresponding problems. Until recently, China consistently put out (arguably) watchable, relaxation-inducing, but mindless drivel under the guise of modern-day features, while at the same time they cranked out all-world fantasy and historical pieces. I have my theories about this… China's modern day features have been cluttered up with wooden acting, inane dialogue, and lazy plotlines. Things started changing noticeably around 2018. Now, there's many modern-day Chinese features I have been able to watch and not just enjoy, but LOVE - without wincing in pain at all. Coincidentally, many characters in these new-and-improved contemporary Chinese works will mention watching Kdramas. It's like China got a memo. They've responded well.

As for a comparison, the film is 100 minutes and the show is nearly 1400 minutes. The show should be better. The movie has more natural looking people and a more natural feel when it comes to interactions between the characters. It's so loose and free feeling, compared to most Chinese modern-day features (2016 & earlier), that I double checked to make sure it wasn't a Taiwanese film. Because of that, the film feels different from the show, even with some of the same scenes. From the start, the characters feel real; this movie is part of the positive jump forward. There are minor pacing issues, though, where things almost drag.

The FL isn't awful in the show, but she's just better in the film, being feisty and active in the relationship. She isn't shy. She becomes part of the team, not a piece of fluff on the side. It makes more sense how the film has Wei Wei actively involved with the company and making the game. She is a computer major, afterall. In the show she acts more like a liberal arts major and soon-to-be 50’s housewife. One of the show's deficiencies is how Wei Wei remains too demure. A confident and capable Wei Wei would have been a welcomed sight.

Er Xi in the show is said to be homely, when she's definitely north of an 8. She's one of the show's assets. I rolled my eyes every time they denigrated her character's looks. (The show focuses on looks too much. It gets wearisome). Show Er Xi could play Tinkerbell, she's so cute. Movie Er Xi is perky and would qualify as less than a 7 based on looks alone, though the actress beams an uplifting carefree air. I'm only commenting on looks because it's a theme in the story - perhaps the main theme. The truth is that there are very few ugly people, and confidence is the sexiest thing. The rest of the movie-friends get alot less play due to the 1300 minute differential. They didn't utilize the friends well in the show, either.

As the credits start to roll we hear about one of the guys falling in love with a female game character who turns out to be a man. It's a bit that got alot of screen time in the show and was handled particularly well, except for the wrap-up.

Overall, the flick has higher highs and lower lows than the show. The characters are solid and there's great moments. It is quick & abbreviated, with light drama that is resolved too easily. Just keep that in mind.


QUOTE📢

If you go outside the wall an inch, I'll move the wall an inch. If you go outside a foot I'll move it ten feet.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣5.5 📝4 🎭7 💓6 🦋7.6 🌞5 🎨7⚡5 🎵/🔊6.5 😅2 😭2 😱0 😯2 😖0 🤔1 💤2.5 🔚6

Age - there's nothing objectionable and nothing about which to make an age caution. As soon as kids can keep up with the subtitles they are good-to-go with 0-2-0.

Re-📺? Doubtful

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㊙️ The Most Evil Deal ⚔ °7.4° °VG°

Revenant; definition: A person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead.

“People around you will die. People you don't like or wish would disappear will die. Evil spirits are said to grow by fulfilling a person's desires.” The folklore prof looked very serious when he said this. (He must be insane!)

Next thing, the guy who scammed their family hung himself.

Let's get this out of the way: There's too many unexplained things out there for all of them to be a coincidence. Whether it's supernatural or super dimensional (perhaps there's no difference between the two) any fair-minded person who looks at the evidence would agree that there's quite possibly, even probably, more to our existence than this 3D plane.

Lost time, memory lapses, purchases she doesn't remember, things she doesn't remember saying or doing… Ku San Young is increasingly confused and disturbed. Is it multiple personalities? D.I.D? Drugs? Nope. It's possession. Most cultures in the world have lore, myth and/or downright belief that possession exists. There's psychologists, and other highly educated people who do - because they've seen it, like Dr. Richard Gallagher, Ivy League grad, board-certified psychiatrist and Columbia/New York Medical College professor.

San Young doesn't deserve this. She's not an evil person. An evil spirit shouldn't want to hang out with her, right? Sure, she was thinking about killing herself, but she pulled back. The scammer took everything. Her mother is impossible to deal with... She /didn't/ jump, though. The woman on the /other/ side of the road did. And then the evil spirit left the woman across the road and latched onto her. Now, Su Young can see spirits. This weird folklore professor is texting her, talking to her, and saying all kinds of weird things to her, like: Everybody around Su Young is going to die. Another thing he says is that doors are the passageways between worlds. If someone knocks at the door, make sure you know who it is before you open it.

® is a 2023 release that is rated 89 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 12 70-minute episodes. What a creeptastic opening. Watch the opening credits. They are short in length and tall in imagination. To get right to the point, ® is good, but not great. Its greatest failure is that the characters don't completely possess its audience. We remain on the outside and never fully bond with the protags. Don't wait around for love: They just tease us. Perhaps they are looking at a S2? Nothing has been announced.

Furthermore, ® is scary, but it's much sadder than merely scary. It's loosely tied, with many fine working elements that come together to make an interesting, imminently watchable show that leaves one feeling quite morose along with the sense that it could have been better. Ep12 runs into problems - Stupid people, stupid actions, stupid plot turns. It's mostly confined to 2 scenes. They recover.

The show can get pretty creepy. It isn't on the level of some of the darkest Hollywood stuff, but it has bona fide chills. There's many deaths. The primary evil spirit is a child ghost. The ghost's backstory is horrifying. Anyone who finds child abuse to be a particular trigger may want to avoid ®: It took a toll on me. Child sacrifice is/was not as uncommon as we would like to believe. Child abuse is/was not uncommon at all. There were many moments when the show weighed heavily on me. The plain, oft repeated & proven fact is that a group of people can talk themselves into any action, no matter how heinous.

There's more good than bad to ®. We've got an all-star cast. Kim Tae Ri (Mr. Sunshine-9, Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Space Sweepers-7.6) is FL Ku San Young. She's fantastic. Young is a little woman who casts a big shadow. It's a shame she kills herself in ep1. Wait… that was the woman on the /other/ side of the bridge. Young caught herself in time. But her mom blew the money. They're wiped out. That didn't change. Yang Hye Ji (Sweet Home-8.4, Wonderful World-7.8, When the Weather Is Fine-9) portrays her BFF, Baek SeMi, who is put-off and often hurt, even, by the recent changes in Young's personality. Ye Soo Jung (Mine-8, Link: Eat, Love, Kill-6.7) has a guest role as Kim Seok Ran, San Young's paternal grandmother. She's a fantastic actress.

Park Ji Young (Save Me, The Red Sleeve) plays Yoon Kyeong Moon, San Young's mother. As of ep5, I'm not in love with her performance, but she is a beautiful woman. She has to play a person who has been through severe trauma. Her backstory is rough. (We will see, I thought to myself early on). In the final analysis, her part drags the show down. She's annoying and she does irritating things.

Oh Jung Se (It's Okay to Not Be Okay-9, Queen of Tears) plays ML Yeom Hae Sang. He's been following Professor Ku KangMo/San Young's father's career (Jin Seon Kyu of Space Sweepers-7.6, Kingdom-8.3) for a long time. The legend, Na Byung Hee, is his grandmother and CEO of Joonghyun Capital. Her first credit is from 1977. I've seen her in No Gain, No Love-7.4, Inspector Koo-8.4, Start-up-8, Hospital Playlist-9, Saimdang, Light’s Diary-8.5, & Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds-7.2, and I've just been watching since 2020. She can play the sweet grandmother, the frustrated mother, or the queen b!+ch. She's fabulous. In ® she acts possessed, or at a minimum, oppressed. Never seen her like this before - She's really dug into her evil.

Both police officer roles, and the actors that portray them, are underutilized. That isn't about screen time. There's something missing from their character arcs. Kim Won-Hae (Black-9, Signal-8.6, and so many more) plays officer Seo Mun-Chun. He's terrific in every role. In ®, though he is a cop and deals with facts, his personal history is such that he knows there are supernatural phenomena out there. On one level he knows, on another level he refuses to accept it. This creates a lot of tension in him as well as an obsession with strange suicide cases and other unexplained phenomenon. Its only result is that it has garnered him the moniker ‘Detective Shaman’. He happens to be friends with folklore professor Yeom Hae Sang. Hong Kyung (Weak Hero Class 1, DP-8.4) is the other ML, Lee Hong Sae, a young detective. He had the highest score of his year on the exam. He's partnered with officer Seo Mun-Chun. Everything his senior says and does make some uncomfortable. This partner will say things like ‘As a detective he's supposed to be easing the grudges of the Dead.’ How can anybody say that in this age of science & globalism, he wonders? “Do you want to come with us?" He's asked by Professor Yeom. “No thanks,” is his clipped reply. “I'll conduct a more rational investigation.” The viewer is “in” on the inside joke and the over-the-top irony weighing down this statement.

The screenwriter is the highly talented Kim Eun Hee (Signal-8.6, Kingdom-8.3), and the directors are Lee Jung Rim (V.I.P) & Kim Jae Hong (Through the Darkness, Flex X Cop-8.5).

The main theme is: The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil + Money doesn't solve every problem. What is done for money (and food) in the show rivals documented dark histories and many horrifying conspiracy theories about what still goes on today. The realm of hungry ghosts is one of the Six Paths in Buddhism, we learn. Being hungry and thirsty, hungry ghosts always covet, and their realm was created by human desires. This basic template loosely shows up in anime, and the classic Chinese work, Journey to the West (A Korean Odyssey-7.2 is based on it). It isn't completely unlike Dante's Inferno, either. Someone's been sprucing up on their folklore.

There are a few amusing scenes. Our FL and the professor are conducting their own investigation while the police are rationally investigating “the facts”. They are working from completely different angles. Yet they still end up at the same places at the same time. It's probably the best element of the show.

Will you like this? ® is a show for fans of the horror and supernatural genre. It happens to be my least favorite genre- probably because Hwood's stuff tends to be so evil feeling, but I still like a good scare every now and then. I thought The Ring, for instance, was very well done. In my estimation, the good outweighs the bad, but ® is not on the watching level of The Cursed 8.3, The Wailing-8.8, or even Uncanny Counter S1 (S2 is horrible). Hopefully this provides some light in the darkness.


In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day -
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
My Mister 9.5,

🎎 -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Mr. Queen 8.5,
My Sassy Girl 8.5,
Saimdang 8.5,
The King's Affection 8.3,
Mr. Sunshine 9

⚡/🚀 -
Glitch-8,
Mystic Pop-up Bar-8.2,
Hotel del Luna-8.4,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
Mother-8.8,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
Black 9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4

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⛵ Fish Tale About An Angel⚓Fish Out Of Water ⛲️ °7.2° °VG°

🐚LOTBS is a dreamy onscreen excursion about a plunge into the pool of 💞. Roundabout there's beautiful scenery & other trappings that will hook a viewer. Based on a Joseon era fable, it tells the love story of a man, Heo 'double hooks' Jun-jae “JJ” (Lee Min-ho of Boys over Flowers-8.3 & Pachinko) & a mermaid, Shim Cheong “Shimmy” (Jun Ji-hyun from My Love from the Star & Kingdom: Ashin of the North-7.5) that is destined to end tragically. Even more tragic, is how they are fated to repeat this ♻ again, perhaps again-lessly.

⛵Ep1 sails to Spain, dazzling the viewer w/ refreshing scenery (though the 🎥 location is Palau). We meet JJ, who's in a sub-set of con artists. As if Lee Min-ho's looks aren't mesmerizing enough, JJ has the ability to spot hypnotize his 'marks' if quick lures are needed. He looks in a person's eyes while speaking softly & flicking his lighter. This is usually distracts the poor saps long enough for his gang of fleecers & scalers to work their agenda: Stealing pirate💰booty. These 'pirates' are all people as crooked as a barrel of hooks. As JJ& Co just steal ill-gotten 💴, their crimes cannot be reported to the police, nor the coast guard. Thus, these boys aren't so bad... They're just lovable scamps, really, like 🐬🐬.

⛲JJ's in Spain for 🏖 after a big haul. He's shocked to encounter a confused woman in his hotel room. She's a real strange 🐠. Shimmy cannot talk, has curious cuts & scrapes on her feet, & she's wearing one of his 👕, while looking quite the 🐡 out of water. He has the police take her away to cold storage. We learn, though, that this pair will not escape e/o. There are not plenty of other 🐟 in the sea for them. They're in a school of 2.

🐙JJ has a picture caught in his head of how pitiful "she" looked, & he can't 🐡 it out. She didn't try to con him, she didn't steal anything, or even 🐠 for compliments. Obviously, she has other 🐡 to fry. Most significantly, on her lovely wrist is a jade bracelet that could be worth over $6mil. That ain't 🐟 food. Swept off his feet in a tide of compulsion to care for her (or at least the $6M) he tells the police he won't press charges.

🐳Once she's released, he soon encounters her crouched under an overhang near the police station, looking utterly forlorn. It turned out to be a snag: He can't cut the line in which she & he are tangled. Before he snaps out of it, he's already fed her & taken her shopping for 👗 & 👠. Soon after, they escape from hitmen sent by a "victim" who wants JJ to sleep w/ the fishes. To hiss amazement, Shimmy is extraordinarily strong, & she can hold up in a tight spot. She's sort of pretty (scorchin hot) too... Hypnotized, his will drained, THE 🌊 crashes over him: He's amazed by her! He's catfish crazy over her! He takes the deep dive from a high cliff & crashes hard for this exotic, yet perplexing beauty.

🚣Like sunlight beams in water, when JJ is dreaming, we get flashes of past-life regression showing their woeful experiences in the Joseon era. Flashes later morph into flashbacks of past-life memories for JJ, along w/ several other characters that are being spun out & sucked back into the whirlpool alongside the two big fishes, our protagonists.

💦Things we learn about mermaids💦

💧Mermaid tears become pearls: In the Joseon version, a mermaid is locked up and forced to manufacture pearls.

💧Mermaids have super strength: This debones many situations.

💧Mermaids heal rapidly: This is also a lifesaver on occasions.

💧Mermaids are highly intelligent, learning at the speed of sonar: Shimmy teaches herself Korean by watching dramas all night. She picks up on culture along w/ pearls of wisdom, quickly surpassing JJ&Co regarding the latest looks, lures, & expressions.

💧Mermaids can wash away memories: We see several memory wipeouts.

💧When mermaids beach themselves for love & it's not reciprocated, they'll die. The same thing applies when they are separated from their love. It will kill them. Shimmy jumps in anyway, w/ 2 feet. She won't be like a cat that will eat a fish, but not get its feet wet. She commits fully.

🔥Things we learn about Jun☂jae🔥

☂His father's a Duke, um... I mean a CEO, & he's one cold 🐡. When JJ was young, his father cast out his mother in order to bring in a mistress, um, /new/ mistress of the ⛴. Once divorced, his mother abandoned ⛴, believing that JJ would be better off in his father's house, where he would want for nothing. She drifted away w/ very little salvaged from the divorce.

☂Stepmom turned out to be fishy. She's bait wrapped around poison. They needed her like a 🐠 needs a bicycle. His father is hooked, only seeing the bait. While in HS, JJ escapes the net & departs home to swim in other waters.

☂A chummy con man w/ a fish eating grin, Jo Nam-doo, takes him in (uses him for scams) & teaches JJ the trade (he teaches a man to fish🎣), as it were. Nam-doo may be friendly (most con men have "friendly" mastered before their first grift) but he's serious about his trade. From lips to tale he's hella serious about 💰. Don't be confuzzled on the subject.

☂While JJ has been looking for his Oma, she's been hiding 'under decks' avoiding detection, somehow believing that's better for JJ. (Big plot weakness).

🏊The show freestyles back to SK. We see our mermaid arrive in 🌇Seoul w/ no clue what to do. Her first friends are small 🐡: A bag lady, ahem, - excuse me - a /homeless/ woman, & a little girl instructer-&-scolder. It's as cute as it sounds. Eventually she learns to handle herself, including learning to 🍺 like a 🐟.

💦W/o ruining any big splashes, there's a tackle box of fun gear in LOTBS. There's chases w/ guns, flying 🐠 jumping off of cliffs, cons gone bad, cons gone good, & cons long gone. We're introduced to additional players from the Joseon era as the show unfolds. There's a secondary romance & other lively side characters. There's several shots of beautiful 🌊, water, & shore. We see escape on a 🚲, a An Affair To Remember moment, secrets & more secrets, messages in & on vessels from the past, & a backlit shot of an exquisite kiss while a fin fishtails dreamily. At the show's end, JJ has a 🐡 of another species dropped in his aquarium of friends - it's amusing.

🌅There is tension over the issue of fate & whether the repetition of the past & fate itself can be altered. The primary theme in LOTBS is, in the words of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2 Judgement Day: "There is no fate but what we make". JJ will not accept the outcome that seems fated to be. At both ends of the fishing pole, the past & present, he works actively against fate, believing that his actions & his decisions determine his future🌄.

🦑We see a bit of a fashion show. They're far downstream w/ the couture. Shimmy is beautiful enough to make Jacques Cousteau come back from the grave, but if she's hungry, or if she just watched a Bruce Lee movie, or read Moby Dick, avoid her like a Great White 🦈. Ms Jun is swimmingly at ease, playing at first an awkward newbie-to-everything, & later a naturally & affably uninhibited woman. Her comedy scenes, such as when she's eating, are clean nets, unslimed by the juvenile, trash filled, slobbering pig humor we see Hollywood drooling out. This hottie can actually ACT. It underscores how condescending Hollywood is to their audience. Afterall, isn't their declining quality why we love Kdramas?

🏄Besides the regular obstacles, misunderstandings, & outstanding warrants, there's also criminal matters that must be investigated. They drop hooks w/ a tantalizing bit in which JJ injects himself into an investigation & starts ordering the detectives around. They start complying before they realize what's going on. It's straight Mcdonald's fish sandwich&🍟. So tasty.

🛥While LOTBS is mostly treasure, & as a romance it's on solid ground, pertaining to film craft, it's a bit out to sea, as follows:

🦀LOTBS is only trying to be a surfs-up-fun-in-the-sun romantic cruise, not a deep water expedition, so it has less depth than JJ's feelings for Shi-ah.

🌀It suffers from overdone, too oft seen Kdrama devices.

🔻MMP Missing/misplaced parent(s). Here's yet another show where parents (especially a mother) get separated from children. I haven't seen one Kdrama yet that has separated couples co-parenting. It must be frowned upon in Korea. No reasonable explanation is laid down for JJ's mother to hide. They should have been tidier w/ it.

🔻MSS (Mandatory Separation Syndrome, where couples, once they commit, are physically separated for a period of time). LOTBS suffers a minor shipwreck & takes on water due to MSS. Anyone familiar w/ Kdramas knows what I mean. This is one of the worst cases I've seen. It's that 4th day w/ houseboat guests. The show threw a few 🐟 too many into the aquarium, crowding it out & making the presentation worse, not better.

🍤But the worst thing about Ep21 is how they cut the line on nearly every mermaid rule they had reeled in earlier. It kept stinking more as time sailed on & freshness waned. That isn't good filmmaking. Just be warned that Ep21 could near filet you, if consistency is important to you.

🚤One final caution: In Ep1, subtitles can fly by too quickly, especially when JJ is doing the hypnosis. After a couple times early in Ep1 it rarely, if ever, happens again. Don't be thwarted by that.

🏝To summarize, for cute escapism, LOTBS is like riding some perfect waves until we hit a bit of chop at the end. w/out the quality dip in eps20-22, LOTBS is easily in the middle to high 8s. The last thing we see, as LOTBS pulls up ⚓ & 🚢 away, is a couple sitting on a bench watching the turquoise 🌊 from a snowy beach, in a lovely & serene bon-voyage. It's been a good trip.

Quote🗣

I regret nothing❕ 〰homeless (I'm no bum) lady〰

IMHO〰🖍

🎬7 🎭7.7⚡6.5 🤔5 💓 7.5 🦋7 🎨8 🌞5 😅5 🔚5.

Age 12+

👁📺again? Eps 1-20✅ then w/⏩️

Loving someone from “another world” - In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Mr. Queen-9
99 days with the Superstar-7,
Live Up To Your Name-7.6;
My Secret Romance 7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Boys Over Flowers 8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Bride of Habaek 7,
Hotel del Luna-8.4,
A Korean Odyssey-7.2,
Romance is a bonus book-7.9;
Oh My Ghost-10,
Heirs 7.3,
That Winter, The Wind Blows 7,
Something in the Rain 9,
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine,
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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Turn Back Now ⛔ Or Suffer The Consequences °5.5° °AVG°

Hellbound is a dragged-about-through-the-muck, lackluster attempt at horror. While it is, at times, gory (a little too gory, really) it especially drags between the scenes in which poor souls are dragged about by those oversized, grey gorillas. None of what happens has any meaning. Whether that's classified as existential or nihilistic, either way it's always bleak in an unfulfilling way.

My family bought into the reviews claiming the naysayers don't know what they're talking about. But alas, the naysayers got it right. Korea does put out more consistently good quality entertainment than Hollywood, but they spit out duds as well. Nobody can escape it entirely. HB is watchable, but our opinion is that it's not worth the time nor the effort. This is not Squid Game-8.4, in which there's shocking violence, with some blood and the like, but no gross-out gore. Squid Game, furthermore, has no gratuitous violence: It all reinforces the horror that society creates when it's "Every man for himself." Kingdom-8.3 is another horror offering out of Korea that's done exceptionally well, with nothing feeling out of place.

I'm a fan of writer Yeon Sang-Ho’. He brought us Train to Busan-7.8, Psychokinesis, and the truly excellent The Cursed-8.3, which generated a follow up film, The Cursed: Dead Man's Prey, and there's been talk of a S2. HB's S2 was announced. Just Because I haven't rated all his works at 8 and above doesn't mean I can't see what he's going for. He's an excellent talent working what is probably the most difficult genre. I will watch anything of his.

HB, my least favorite of Yeon's by far, seems to have nothing in place. The plot twists don't pack enough of a wallop. The plot pivot at the halfway mark is strange, with neither half of the show being wrapped up completely. There are some likable characters, but they drift away rather than find any permanent resting place.

HB's worst sin is that it's boring. It did not hold the interest of anybody in my family, and we're Kdrama fans. We stuck with it, as that's our habit, and we also kept hoping something would pull it all together. Abandon hope. Nothing gets pulled together. It could actually be by design, in order to underscore a nihilist theme. By allowing that there is design to HB is as generous as I can be. It's entirely possible that there's none. It's difficult to tell.

Having said all the above, HB is still superior to most of Hollywood's horror offerings which depress the IQ and heighten sadistic indifference in the viewer. HB absolutely will not do that: Your IQ is safe from being dragged down by it, and your sense of empathy will not be preyed upon by it. HB has some truly good elements that were left unreconciled in a string of missed opportunities. That's what fans of the show have likely connected with.

If blood & guts is your jam, HB is gory. In fact, it's uncomfortably so. There's only a half dozen or so such scenes, however, none of the deaths are quick, and all of them are tortuous. As a piece of horror, HB's around a 7/10, but in entertainment value alone, it's in the neighborhood of 5.5 - 5.9, and definitely under a 6. My son was emphatic about that. Unfortunately for HB, after being starved of quality🇺🇲entertainment for too long, Kdramas have shocked our systems with quality overload. Now our standards have shot up heavenward.

We are new enough to K-entertainment that we haven't seen many horror pieces. As previously mentioned, Kingdom and Squid Game are far superior to HB. Tunnel-8.1 is a cop show involving a serial killer, so it isn't far from horror, and Tunnel is excellent. Black-9 is another police/fantasy drama that is quite close to horror, both depicted onscreen, but even more so, it creates horror in the mind (I refer to it as a bit-of-a-mindr@pe). Black is a profound work with no wasted dialogue: Almost every line connects to another element in the show, building a complex work of art. If you aren't sure what to watch next, those should not disappoint.

HB is a big letdown - pun intended. Repent, turn back, and save yourself from the mediocre forces that will definitely drag your evening down, if you give in to them.

Quote🗣

It seems that none of us have the right to make decisions for ourselves.

〰🖍IMHO

🎬7 🤔5 ⚡8 🎭7

Suggested Age 16+

Re📺? I won't rule it out. Maybe I missed something. I like the direction of the 2nd half, so I will probably check out S2.

Originally ✏️🗒 12/2o21

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