Great slice of life of start up in the high tech world

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean Romantic Drama with 16, 72-85 minute episodes.


As young children, Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) and her sister became separated when their mother and father divorced. Seo-Dal-mi chose to stay with her father in South Korea and her sister went with their mother who remarried. Dal-mi's step-father is a wealthy businessman who was able to provide Dal-mi's mother and sister with wealth and status. Dal-mi's father died on the brink of receiving an investment to realize his dream of the next big thing in the tech industry. Wanting to fulfill her father's dream and show her mom and sister that she made the right choice in staying with her father, Dal-mi strives to make a big splash on the tech scene as the CEO to a start-up. Dreams for a successful start-up business start and sometimes finish with admittance to the start-up groomer, Sandbox, which is South Korea's version of Silicon Valley. Nam Do-san (Nam joo-hyuk) was a "math genius" as a young boy and grew up to be a genius coder. He founded a start-up, Samsan Tech, with two close friends. With his business struggling, Do-san agrees to play the role of stand-in as Dal-mi's first love who she "met" as a pen pal when she needs a date to an important event. The young dreamers apply to Sandbox and all are accepted. The situation becomes complicated when Dal-mi's actual pen pal also comes into her life and discovers he has feelings for her. Will these young dreamers realize their dreams and overcome nearly impossible odds to form a successful start-up. Who will Dal-mi end up with, the man who wrote her letters and supported her in her time of greatest need, or this "new" love that is the perfect partner for her aspirations?


Spoilers* At the start we are introduced to Dal-mi's father and it was a sad moment when he died after just realizing his dream of getting investors to start a business. Young Dal-mi had elected to stay with her father when her mother and father divorced. The relationship between the Dal-mi and her father was very heartwarming. Her father's mother, the grandmother, was also a very compelling character and it was understandable why so many people were drawn to her. I love how the grandmother adopted this orphaned young man in spirit and took care of him despite his bristly exterior. The grandmother also took such careful care of Dal-mi not just physically but emotionally after her father died. It was an interesting slice of life to see what a technology based start up might go through trying to get their idea(s) off the ground. The friendships, romances, and just the character development was all very well done and interesting. I really liked 2nd guy but I did not feel too bad for him to lose the girl as it had taken him too much time to realize he liked her and, even then, he was too slow to show her how he felt. I also liked him to the extent that I was glad she didn't wind up with him because she would never have loved him as much as he loved her. The 2nd guy could have been unkind and kept Do-san and Dal-mi apart by withholding information but he cared enough about both that he told them despite it being against his interest to do so. I liked Nam Joo-hyuk in "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo" and "The Bride of Haeback" he is a very diverse and talented actor. Suzy Bae is just incredible. I first saw her in "While You Were Sleeping" and loved the role she played as a very vulnerable person troubled by visions she could not control. There was so much chemistry between the two leads and they looked very good together. It definitely made me root for their relationship. It was interesting to observe how each team member brought talent to the table and how they moved so many concepts into developed ideas into reality. I highly recommend this and would readily watch it again in the future. One of my new favorites.

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Could have been good - but failed

6/10 is my rating. This is a 12 episode 2018 Korean drama that rates high on most sites and with time travel, romance, mystery and suspense would seem to be a good combination but it just didn't work for me. The male lead Joon-Woo played by Kim Hyung-Joong moves into the basement of a building where everyone sort of knows everyone and everyone's business. The landlady, Sun-A (An Ji-Hyun) is working herself to death to keep up with the interest to loan sharks from loans her deceased father took out on the building. She is desperately trying to keep the building in memory of her father.

Spoiler 🚨 There were several elements of this that did not work in my opinion. They sort of went from being indifferent to each other to being in a romance - I guess - although I really wasn't seeing the connection between the two. There were others in the movie who also had special abilities but they did not spend much time on those stories which was a bit disappointing. There were also grim reapers whose job it was to remove those with special powers before they caused damage by using their powers in the world. It had a lot of interesting elements that could have made for an interesting and exciting story but none of it held together very well for me. I was even bored in some parts and might have quit watching all together if it would have had more than 12 episodes.

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A Beautiful Story

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2009 South Korean television drama that ran for 16 episodes (~60 minutes/episode). The female lead, Ko Mi-Nyeo (Park Shin-Hye) is part of an orphaned nearly identical twin pair. Both grew up in an orphanage but then pursued very different paths, she studied to be a nun and the brother pursued a career in music. The brother, Ko Mi-Nam is about to realize his dream to be a Korean pop star after winning a vocal audition that gives him the right to join the Korean band, A.N.Jell. To prepare for his rise to fame he gets plastic surgery which is unfortunately botched to the point he has to have it re-done. Not wanting to miss his opportunity with A.N.Jell he works through his manager to convince his sister to stand in for him. She must pretend to be her brother for the month it will take for him to get new surgery and recover. Slowly "Min-Nam" starts to win over the band members and you get to see through her eyes the different aspect of each Kang Shin-Woo (Jung Yong-hwa) is very kind and gentle, Jeremy (Lee Hong-gi) is very happy and always looking to have fun and celebrate and Hwang Tae-kyung (Jang Keun-suk) is the arrogant lead singer who is the most difficult to win over.

Spoiler 🚨 If you have seen the drama "Bromance" there are moments in this that are reminiscent of that. Embarrassing and cringy as you see how uncomfortable the characters are being attracted to someone that they think is a guy when they are heterosexual. There are some laugh out loud funny moments and I think I laughed more in this one than in the others I have watched thus far. I loved all of the characters in this and was sad when it ended because I so thoroughly loved the story and being immersed in the world. I enjoyed the music and looking it up after found that many of the lead characters are actually very talented, award winning, musicians. I enjoyed it the entire way through and it also ended well. This is in my top all time list and I will likely watch it again at some point.

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A magical show with lots of exciting twists

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean tv drama with 16, 90 minute episodes. Hotel del Luna is a hotel located “in” Seoul. It is not visible to just anyone and undergoes a complete transformation when night falls. Kang Man-wol (Lee Ji-eun) became the “boss” of the hotel when she was transporting some souls of people she killed to the hotel in an effort to make up for her actions. She is unable to find it until she drinks a mysterious liquor which curses her to be the proprietor of this hotel for ghosts. She had run the hotel for over 1,000 years when a human wanders in which is normally a death sentence. However he strikes a deal with her to give her his son 20 years in the future in exchange for his life. Ku Chan-Seong (Yeo Jin-goo), was raised by his father to avoid Man-wol and her employees and even lives outside of South Korea until he deems it safe to return. Avoiding his fate may not be that simple and he soon finds being the hotel‘s new manager may be a job he cannot refuse.

Spoiler 🚨 This was written by the Hong Sisters who have written other good dramas like ”Master’s Sun” and ”You are Beautiful“. They definitely know how to tell a good story. It is somewhat reminiscent of ”Goblin“ In that it has a delightful blend of spiritual and magical. It also has magical and ghostly elements like ”Master’s Sun”. I liked all the main characters and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each one and their back story. It was like ”Beauty and the Beast” in the way their relationship was transformative. Both leads were really gorgeous and their chemistry was really amazing. I would have given an even higher score but I’m not one that likes sad endings. It will be sad for some but for others it will not be. A lot depends on your beliefs and your own personal philosophy. If you like paranormal with twists of magic then you will really enjoy this one. I think everyone would enjoy it most of the way through. If you do not expect happily ever after it is easier to understand.

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Good but if sad is not for you avoid this one. If you don't mind or like sad this is good

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 South Korean television drama series with 16; 60 minute, episodes. It is known by the alternate titles “The Spring Days of My Life”, “The Spring of My Life” and “Springtime of My Life”.

Lee Bom-yi (Choi Soo-young) was sickly most of her life until a miracle happens for her and she receives a heart transplant. Well aware that the gift she received was likely from someone else’s tragedy she vows to do whatever she can to honor her donor’s gift of life. Dr. Kand Dong-wook (Lee Joon-Hyuk) falls in love with the kind and brave Bom-yi and they are set to get married. He had a one sided love for his brother’s wife and was heartbroken when they announced their engagement. He never told his brother but it drove a wedge in their relationship. Dong-wook knows Bom-yi has his late sister-in-law’s heart but decides not to tell her for fear she would seek out his brother and become his brother’s wife out of a sense of duty. Fate and cellular memory (a phenomenon where a recipient takes on some mannerisms and feelings of their donor) seem to have other things in store for the trio. Bom-yi winds up meeting the widower Kang Dong-ha (Kam Woo-sung) and his two children when she travels to the island where her donor passed. Her mission was to honor her donor but, while there, she finds herself drawn to the widower and his children and he, for the first time in years, sees in her someone he may be able to love again. Neither know, at that time, their connection through Dong-wook nor do they know the connection through Bom-yi’s heart. Is it a strange twist of fate that Bom-yi and Dong-ha keep running into each other even when, after finding out they are soon to be family, they vow to stay apart. Or is something, on a cellular level, drawing Bom-yi to the man her heart once loved? Is Bom-yi and Dong-work’s love strong enough to withstand love that exists at a cellular level?

Spoiler 🚨 Let me start by saying this is sad. The premise is good and interesting. I really like Dr. Kang and the first part of this sad mess is when he loses her. I never stopped liking him nor feeling sorry for him. I really liked all the characters. I thought there was great character development and it was all very believable and real. The acting was outstanding by the actors of all ages. But it ended very sad. I kept hoping it would not end sad, there were so many other possibilities but it did. And it took every good feeling I had about the movie and crushed it. If you do not mind sad stories or even prefer them then you might disagree with me and rate this one higher. If you do not like dramas that end sad and are laced with sad moments then avoid this. There are too many feel good dramas out there to waste hours of your life in a story that ends tragically. I would not recommend this one.

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Great romance with lots of humorous moments

This is a 2017 South Korean fantasy romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

So-ahs’ (Shin Se-kyung) life isn't quite going to her plan. She is a struggling psychiatrist with a mountain of debt. Just when it seems things cannot get much worse her path crosses with the narcissistic water god Ha-baek (Nam Joo-hyuk). Ha-baek is visiting the mortal world to claim stones from other Gods that will secure his royal throne. So-ah is the descendant of a person who promised to serve the Gods in perpetuity and since Ha-baek has lost his power he intends to cash in on her ancestor’s promise. So-ah is a psychiatrist and has seen more than one patient with delusional beliefs and thinks Ha-baek is the same that is until events unfold that temporarily restore Ha-baek’s power and she is unable to deny the truth of who he is. Her destiny is to be Ha-baek’s bride and this sets her in the path of other gods who have come to Earth. The wind god Bi-ryeom (Gong Myung), the water goddess Mu-ra (Krystal), and the semi-god Hu-ye (Lim Ju-hwan) have no intention of simply giving the stones to Ha-baek and do not hesitate to put So-ah in the middle of their games.

Spoiler 🚨 I really liked how narcissistic and arrogant the water god was and how So-ah is not all that impressed and, in fact, thinks he might have some mental health issues (delusions of grandeur and all that). Seeing this God turned human struggle through the many issues humans must overcome (such as food and shelter) is very amusing. There is a loneliness to So-ah and, as her relationship develops with Have-Baek you can see how each compliments the other. He simply cares about her and while she has some other people that care about her he goes that extra step and takes care of her not in a monetary sense but in a feeling protected sort of way. I liked the Demi god too and actually felt really angry at the Gods at times for the way they treated him. The side romance between the other Gods was really cute too. This kept my interest the whole way through as I wanted to see all of the characters have good outcomes. There were a few scenes where the special effects were actually a bit horrible. In this one So-ah is thrown off a building and winds up passing a window but rather than flailing and twisting and turning she is sort of going straight down like an arrow. It makes it almost comical. In another scene, So-ah and Ha-baek are swimming underwater in what is supposed to be an emotional scene but it is so obvious the they are pretending to swim against a green screen because their clothing and hair is not swishing and swaying like it would be in water and the water is not throwing streams and bubbles like it is when you see people actually swimming. It turned what could have been a touching scene into a bit of a silly moment. I was a bit disappointed that So-ah got this wish and it seemed she could have wished for anything but her wish was really very minimal. I would have wished for something like being a Goddess so I could enter the God realm and be with him indefinitely. Or wish that you could be with him until he ceased to exist. To only wish to be together as long as you, the human, lived was a bit disappointing. And it made me feel sad for Ha-baek who would have to see her age and die and then live forever without her. But, they do end up together and I would have been really disappointed if they had not. Overall this is a good supernatural type romance with a lot of compelling elements.

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A little shy of all wrapped up

This is a 2O19 South Korean tv drama with 16, 60 minute; episodes.

Go Mi-ran (Won Jin-ah) Is a fearless “stunt“ woman working for a variety show. The very talented director of the show, Ma Dong-chan (Ji Chang-wook), is always coming up with fresh ideas that have won him acclaim and kept his projects at the top of the ratings. His next big venture is “the Frozen man” and, since it is risky, he plans to be one of the subjects but they need a 2nd and , specifically a female, to round the show out. While the Director does not. Know her at all, his assistant is aware of Mi-ran’s willingness to do almost anything to earn money to help support her family while attending college. However, this is even a bit too far for Mi-ran and she originally says no. She changes her mind when her long term boyfriend cheats on her and she finds out that if the experiment is successful it may help people with health conditions - people like her beloved younger brother. It is, after all, only for 24 hours and it is a good cause that pays well. Things go wrong during the experiment and those that were only to be frozen for 24 hours wind up frozen for 20 years. The world and everything in it has changed in 20 years and they both experience a side effect where they must keep their body temperature at 31.5 °C (max. 33 °C/88-91 °F) in order to survive. With so many bonding these two together will circumstances drive them apart?

*spoiler 🚨 I liked the beginning a lot as it was fun to watch Mi-ran doing various experiments and what the Director would come up with. About 3/4 of the way through it felt slow and I was having a hard time continuing to watch. The concept of being frozen and response of all around them was intriguing but there were not enough plot elements to keep it interesting throughout. I also was disappointed that they were not married or at least a strong commitment by the end. With talk throughout of bad marriages I do not know if one of the writers was jaded that way or if some are embracing the idea that marriage does not need to happen for Happily ever after and I do not agree. I was glad they found a way to stay together but more formalized would have been good. Enjoyable but not one of my tops.

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Heart warming family drama with multiple feel good light romances

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean coming of age family romance drama with 16, 60-70 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Yoon Jeong-jae (Choi Won-young) is a widower who is raising his young daughter, Yoon Ju-won (Jung Chae-yeon) by himself. He owns and operates a noodle shop to support them both and often provides food to friends and neighbors as a way to show he cares. Because of his kind nature kids are drawn to him as the perfect father figure. He knows that his precious daughter, Ju won, wishes to have a sibling, particularly a brother. The perfect oppa candidate moves in upstairs and the lively and engaging Ju won sets out to win him over as her brother like figure. But the young boy, Kim San-ha (Hwang In-youp) is leading a tragic life with parents who always fight, his mother who leaves, and a sister who died too young. Still Ju won's bubbly determination wears him down and he becomes a regular at Ju won's house. When San-ha's mother leaves, his father, Kim Dae-wook (Choi Moo Sung) is also drawn into the warm family environment Jeong jae provides. Jeong-jae is such an excellent father figure he winds up taking in the child, Kang Hae-jun (Bae Hyun sung) who was also abandoned by has mother and who he only knew of through a brief blind date encounter with his mother. This group forms a family of their own choosing who is all knitted together by Ju won who doesn't allow any of the to feel left out. This is a heart warming story of people who form a strong bond despite many of them not being blood related.

Review

This is a very heartwarming family drama. I watched the Chinese version, Go Ahead, first, and it was an excellent series, but I think the Korean version subtly improved upon it. I believe you could watch either version and still get the same basic story. I liked it enough that I fully enjoyed watching both versions. If you like family dramas, slice-of-life themes, adoption or fostering stories, or if you're just a fan of romance anytime, I highly recommend this one. It's well-acted, with great chemistry between the leads, and everything wraps up nicely.

Spoilers

I liked that the South Korean version didn't focus as much on the time the male lead (ML) character spent with his abusive mother. What I didn't like about either version, though, was the concept that the mother deserved any level of forgiveness just because she was sad or because she was his mother. What she did to him was abuse. With some training in psychology, her behavior closely resembles Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The ML's relationship with his mother was characteristic of a relationship with someone who has BPD-nothing was ever calm. On one hand, she adored him so much that she wanted him around her to the point of desperation, but she was always accusing him of things, getting angry with him for things that weren't even his fault, and being jealous of every relationship he had. She bullied him and manipulated him to stay with her. Many people with BPD have a Jekyll and Hyde personality, where they seem to have two distinct personalities. But with BPD, they flow between these personalities throughout the day. It is part of their personality to be so toxic and volatile. Having dealt with someone with this type of personality, I can say they are extremely hard to be around. I don't think their actions are any more excusable than those of a sociopath. So, I wasn't a fan of the fact that the story wanted us to accept and forgive her actions.

The romance was very believable. It was clear that the male lead never fully saw her as a sister, as he resisted whenever she brought up the idea of changing their names to make them the same. They weren't biologically related, so I thought their relationship was perfectly fine.

I loved the dads. One dad was so nurturing, and the other was a quiet strength. Any kids raised in that environment would thrive. They had all the love and support they would ever need. However, having worked with foster kids, I know they still long for their biological parents. No matter how good the family environment, there is always some level of yearning for biological parents, even if those parents were abusive. It can be heartbreaking, and I thought the series portrayed that well.

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Interesting premise. Lots of unlikable side character though.

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 16, 62-74 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Han So-jin (Jung In-sun) is unlucky in love. Multiple ex boyfriends cheated on her during their relationship. As a genetic research scientist, she normally anlalyzes her partners for a whole range of genetic propensities and has even narrowed down a cheater gene. She has tried romance the traditional way only to be disappointed when they once again cheat. Now she is determined to use her genetic knowledge to pick her perfect other half. Shim Yeon-woo (Choi Si-won) loves women. He is a skilled obstetrician and gynecologist who goes above and beyond to ensure the best health outcome for his patients. Which is why part of his standard practice is to run genetic tests to identify genetics concerns in advance. The primary genetists working with his hospital is So-jin the same woman who drunkenly attacked him for dumping a female associate. Yeon-woo is handsome and wealthy and has his pick of female companions. But he has never felt any connection with any of them. So-jin is not at all Yeon-woo’s type but, on a cellular level they seem to have a connection. Despite trying to stay awy from the DNA obsessed science nerd, So-jin, Yeon-woo finds they are connected socially as well. Seo Kang-hoon (Lee Tae-jwan) has been So-jin’s friend and protector for many years and also happens to be friends with Yeon-woo. So they are connected through work as well as in their social circles. When So-jin finds out Yeon-woo has multiple copies of the cheater gene will that be the end of their groing interest in each other? Seo Kang-soon realizes he has feelings for the woman he thought of only as his noona/friend when Yeon-woo gets close to So-jin. Is Kang-soon, who has always been there for her, her perfect match?

Review

I liked so much about this series It had an interesting premise, a great cast and a nice blend of comedy, romance and suspense. I have liked so many things Siwon has been in and the type of character(s) he tends to play that noticing him in any series is an immediate lure for me. I enjoyed this the whole way through despite what I felt were sme problems with how certain things were written. I may watch it again if someone else was watching it and I recommend it to to anyone that likes the actors, is a fan of romance, or finds the premise interesting. it is definitely worth the watch

Spoilers

This ends happy in that Sojin and Yeon woo reunite and it seems they are going to be back together as a couple. So if the desired outcome was for those two to be together, then it is a happy ending. I thought it was a bit uncertain in that he was working as a small town doctor and she was still working as a geneticist in the city. So it wasn’t clear how they would resolve working in two different places. He did finally say he loved Sojin.

Part of the issue I had with Yeon woo the entire time is I thought he was selfish and it really bothered me that he deceived her with pretending to be her DNA lover and trying to trick her with her telepathy. She had such a strong belief in those things that him ridiculing made him seem less geniune and serious with her. Plus he told Jang Mi-eun (Jeong Eu-Gene) the truth about the DNA mix up which gave Mi-eun ammunition against Sojin as a romantic rival. People do not change a lot. At least not their core personality. So, I never felt like Yeon woo would be right for Sojin because he was so emotionally damaged himself that he was stingy with affection. But, women in reality make the same flawed choice and are, for some reason, drawn to the broken ones.

Sojin’s family was just horrible Yoo Myung-hee (Seo Ji-young), her mother said the most unforgivable thing about her innocent child. She deplored carrying her and equated her with a demon or something like that. When the father was alive she seemed to treat her okay but after Sojin’s father died any warmth she had shown her daughter went with him. She said the most horrible things about Sojin to some random woman she decided to claim as a daughter, Jang Mi-eun, and I disliked Mi-eun for listening to all that and encouraging the mother. You would have to be a little bit of an abuser yourself to listen to al that emotionally abusive language from a mother about her own child and being okay taking that abused daughter’s place in her mother’s cold heart. I didn’t care later whe she had cancer and Sojin had been nearly murderd that she acted like she wanted a relationship. She was just a horrible person. The sister was no better. She said horrible things about her sister to others.

Seo Kang- hoon was the perfect man for basically anybody. He freely gave his time and affection to Sojin and was always there for her. I often get second lead syndrome, like everyone else, but in this case he was so perfect for her it was hard to accept her choice of Yeon woo. Even more disappointing was it seemed he had a relationship going with Mi-eun who I did not like for multiple reasons.

What is it with some of the recent dramas and having a character who is “polyamorous”? I have seen it in several series lately. It made me wonder if this was something that was becoming widespread in South Korea and everything I read indicates it is not. South Korean’s do not approve of polyamory at any higher level of acceptence than do Americans. Which was a relief to me because one of the reasons I prefer South Korean shows over USA series and others is the more moral and wholesome content. I did not like Mi-eun for any of the male characters because she proclaimed she was polyamorous. I detest that notion. It is like saying I am going to tie up someone’s hear but want the option to cheat if I feel like it. There must have been some recognition of this because one of Mi-eun’s boyfriends broke it off with her when she was openly flirting at a dinner with Yeon-woo. It is just wrong think in my opion that results in a lot of people being emotionally hurt. I hope they quit with the putting polyamorous characters in dramas because it detracts from the story.

#DNALover. #JungInSun #ChoiSiWon #LeeTaeJwan #SeoJiYoung

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I know I am minority here but I found it boring and filled with unlikable characters

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2021/2022 South Korean coming of age/time gap romance with 16, 60-70 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik) and Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi) first got to know each other while participating in a docu series in high school featuring the best student and the student with the lowest grades academically. Not hard to imagine they did not get along well which made for some very comedic moments in the series. A decade later we find out they dated for years but suddenly broke up in such a hurtful way they vowed to never see each other again. But one of their close friends becomes a producer with the production company that is still getting traction out of their original docu series. Looking for hit content, the company pressures Kim Ji-ung (Kim Sung-cheol) their producer friend, to get the two back together for a sequel to the hit docu series. But Ji-ung secretly had feelings for Yeon-soo since high school and is reluctant to draw the two back together. Still, he caves to the oressure from his work and talks his friends into participating in the project. Things have changed though as Choi Ung is now a mysterious and successful artist who has fans. Fans such as NJ (Rohn Jeong-eui) a top idol who likes the art “Go-oh” (a secret pseudonym Choi Ung does his art under) creates but also has a crush on the artist. Now that things have changed, and time has passed, will this new project bring the two ex-lovers back together or drive them further apart?


Review

If you like straight drama and slice of life, that doesn’t depict the sunny side to life, you might like this. In fact, I think most of the people that rate this very high would fall into that category. In the other reviews, I read before watching this, I saw a lot of it’s a lot like reality. The characters were well developed. The interactions were real and raw. For me I am not a fan of just straight drama, I like a little bit of comedy at least sprinkled in or at least a plot that has some levity. In general, I did not enjoy this drama. I yeah.found it boring through a lot of it and repetitive, and I wouldn’t rewatch it. None of the characters were compelling because I did not like them except for the actress. It was emotionally heavy and I felt like I was watching people be emotionally abused.

Spoilers

The number one thing I did not like about the show was Yeonsoo was just completely unlikable. The way she treated Choi Ung was emotionally abusive. First there is the Cherrie blossom thing where he wanted to go see the cherry blossoms, but she said she couldn’t find the time. But then she obviously did find the time because she had a pocket full of cherry blossoms and sprinkled it over him like there there’s your cherry blossoms. It was such a demeaning way to show somebody something they had wanted to see, but they tried to spin it like it was a romantic thing. That was a jerk move. Later they have a date day, which I had the sense they hadn’t had in a long time, and she let him think she was going to break up with him the entire day. Yeonsoo led him here and there, never asked him what he wanted to do, just kind of pushed him along. He wasn’t enjoying it because he thought it was a break up date. Then at the end of the day they have this emotional scene where she basically ridicules him for thinking they were gonna break up and then tells him out of the blue that she is in love with him. The level of emotional manipulation in that scene was hard to watch. It was cruel. But she was not the only one in the family that was an emotional abuser. Later in the series, the grandmother, Kang Ja Kyung (Cha Mi Kyung) tells him not to blame Yeonsoo because she was poor, and the grandmother taught her to be the way that she was. Somehow this convinces him that Yeonsoo’s abusive behavior is okay and he not inly accepts her back but practically begs her and says things were his fault. I found that whole thing entirely disturbing from a psychological perspective. Just because you were poor and raised to be mean as a defense mechanism does not mean being an emotional abuser is acceptable. She would even badmouth him to other people when he wasn’t around, never supported him in his art endeavors and always held the thread of break up over his head. That is living on egg shells and it is a typical pattern for a narcissistic emotional abuser. So I never wanted to see them get together. In fact I was happy any time he stood up for himself and pushed her away.

in the beginning, I liked the grandmothe. She had raised her granddaughter and worked so hard to do so and the relationship between her and Yeonsoo started out as something very heartwarming. But later in the series it’s revealed she’s not very nice to a close friend she has to the point where Yeonsoo mentions it and says she should apologize and be nicer But what really made me not like the grandmother when when she was so mean to Choi Ung about making Yeonsoo cry. She did that without knowing any details just assumed he was the villian in the situation even knowing and acknowledginhpg how her granddaughter was. Then she gives him that whole story about Yeonsoo and how he should just understand her because she raised her that way. What?

I did not like Choi Ung’s producer friend, Kim Ji Ung (Kim Sung-Cheol) as he lusted after his friend’s girlfriend not based on some deep connection but simply because he found her pretty. He also took a lot of the very limited affection of Choi Ung’s parents knowingly and yet seemed like he thought he was doing Choi Ung a favor. I wanted him and Yeonsoo to wind up together as they were both sort of crap people.

His manager/friend Gu Eun-ho (Ahn Dong-goo) was a horrible manager. He is obsessed with NJ (Roh Jeong-eui) such that he interferes with Choi Ung and NJ getting together. I wanted to see Choin Ung date NJ. She probably would not have been a long term girlfriend but she would have shown him other possibilities. She thought he was great, loved his art and was always nice to him. Rather than tearing him down she would have bolstered his career.

His parents were confusing. His mother, Lee Yeon-ok (Seo Jeong-yeon) did have the one time she took care of him when he was sick that showed some close emotional ties but that was it. His mother and his father, Choi Ho (Park Won-sang) mostly seemed to like and spend more time with Choi Ung’s friends than with him. They even left his art show early which was weird.

I disliked most of the characters so much I did not care aboit them or anything they were doing. I only liked sweet, talented, sensitive amd emotionally abused Choi Ung and NJ whi was like a breath of fresh air. NJ was the only descent person in Choi Ung’s life and he oassed her over for Yeonsoo. I did not find it credible that not one but two men would be completely onsessed with Yeonsoo.

#OurBelovedSummer #ChoiWooShik. #KimDaMi

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Starts out mildly interesting then devolves into a bore fest

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean romantic comedy drama (includes mystery, thriller, suspense, crime and law elements) with 16, 70 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review



Synopsis



Jo Yeon-joo (Honey Lee) is a slightly corrupt, mafia defeating, prosecutor who finds her life completely transformed after a significant head injury related to a car accident.  Because she has amnesia and doesn't remember who she is, when she is mistaken for her identical twin/doppelgänger, Kang Mi-na (also played by Honey Lee) she just goes with it.  Min-na's personality could not be different she is cold, demure and is the emotionally abused youngest daughter-in-law of a conglomerate group.  Her husband Han Seong-woon (Song Won-seok) married her as she does have ties to another conglomerate family so had the surface pedigree and came with business ties that made it a beneficial arranged marriage.  However, her married family treats her poorly as they believe she is an illegitimate child of her chaebol father.  The family is in for a rude awakening when "Min-na" is no longer demure or easily cowed after her injury.  Her cheating husband finds the new spin on his wife intriguing and starts to show interest in her romantically for the first time even willing to give up his mistress.  But, Seung-wook (Lee Sang-yoon) who was in line as an heir prior to the untimely death of his father, returns from the United States and wants to reclaim Mi-na who was his first love.  The two begin to independently unravel the mystery of the real Mi-na as well as the truth behind other events such as the death of Seung-wook's father.  In the process, Yeon-joo and Seung-wook begin to fall for each other. 



Review



If you are a fan of Honey Lee you might like it just to see her act in a role where she plays two characters and has a lot of action scenes. Like so many other reviewers I found this initially interesting but quickly found the story line to be slow and repetitive. The romance is lost in the fact that he is not interested in her romantically for a large part of the series. Most of the other characters are completely unlikable. I would not recommend this and would not rewatch it.



Spoilers



In the beginning of the series Yeon-joo/Mi-nah rightfully tells her doppelgänger’s family off. It was satisfying when Yeon-joo talked back forceably to Mi-nah’s monstrous mother-in-law, Seo Young-won (Na Young-hee). Mi-nah left and husd largely die to the non stop emotional abuse from the whole family but from the mother-in-law in particular. But, in the latter half she let her get away with her abuse far too often.



There was not a lot of chemistry nor romantic build up between Yeon-joo and Han Seung-wook/Alex Chang because he spent a large part of the series reflecting on, amd pining for Mi-na amd was slow to realize his current feelings for Yeon-joo.



The oldest sister-in-law, Han Seong-hye (Jin Seo-yeon) seemed okay at first but then it turned out she was a snobby psycho. It was disappointing because I thought ine person in that horrible family had been on Mi-na’s side. But no. She turned out to be the worste of the bunch.



It was kind of funny that Mi-Na’s cheating husband, Han Seong-woon (Somg Won-seok) winds up falling for the feisty Yeon-joo to the point he ditches Park So-yi (Park Jeong-hwa) but sad at the same time because he never cared about his actual wife.



The father-in-law, Han Young-sik (Jeon Kuk-hwan), was horrible to Mi-na until she became chairwoman of her family’s conglomerate. Then he was better to her but only because it suited his only very selfish interests.



Usually when there is uninteresting or unlikable main characters, there is at least some redeemable side characters. This one was not even propped up by likable second and side characters.



#OnetheWoman  #HoneyLee  #LeeSangYoon  #LeeHanee  #JinSeoYeon  #LeeWonKeun   #SongWonSeok

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Not a very likable female lead character. Has some unique aspects so worth the watch for that.

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romance drama with 10, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

This is a story told after the initial romance occurs with the main couple and we, as the viewer, start the story when our Cinderella decides to break up with the man of her dreams.  Ha Yoon-seo (Shin Hyun-been) is practical to a fault. When she rescued her brother and herself from a physically and emotionally abusive environment, she had to grow up and take responsibility at a very young age. She worked long hard hours to put herself and her brother through school and then worked her way up in her career to be a Team Leader/Manager at a major company.  While romance has never been her primary goal in life, she falls in love with a young man on her team, Seo Joo-won (Moon Sang-min), who she at first believes is simply an office worker.  When she finds out her boyfriend of a year and a half is actually the chaebol son of the chairwoman of her company, she decides the best course of action is just to end it.  So when she receives an offer of money from Joo-won's mother Kim Sun-joo (Jin Hee-kyung) to break up with and stay away from her son, Yoon-seo takes it.  The hard knocks of a difficult life have led Yoon-seo to believe there are no fairy tale endings.  Cinderella may be happy up to midnight but what happens later, say 2 AM, when the harsh reality that she was not raised to be a Princess will set in.  But, Joo-won believes in their love and isn't giving up easily. 

Review

I am not a fan of stories told in reverse and their romance was mostly told in flashbacks.  We start with the main part of their romance having already occured.  I could get past that if the story was compelling enough for me to overcome my dislike of stories told in that manner but, for me, this one did not.  A lot of reviewers have the criticism that this drags in spots and I had that experience as well.  Still it is not horrible and I think if you are a fan of the romance genre you would want to watch it.  But, for many, I don't think it would be one to watch again and again.

Spoilers

It ends happy with all the major plot points wrapped up. 

I found Yoon-seo an unlikable character for the majority of the show.  Breaking up with someone in the height of your relationship when everything seems to be going well is very hurtful.  And her "easing out" actually made it worse.  She says later, and I thought it all along, the way she did it had little to do with him and was more so she did not get hurt.  It was odd to have such a tragic character, that had gone through so much emotional hurt, be so cold to everyone around her.  Her push pull behavior was so frustrating.  I don't know how many times I was like just knock it off already.  You are just torturing him and yourself at this point.  Quit being a coward.  It's a relatively short series but I spent a significant portion of it so frustrated with the main character.  It almost made me stop watching it, but I was interested in the second couple enough to continue or I would not have stuck around for the final episodes where it became more interesting again.  My thinking on who she was and what she did completely changed in finding out the details of her childhood.  Knowing the full details of her past explained so much about why she acted as she did.  I would not want a mean mother-in-law if I escaped abuse as a child. I understood her a little more but it wasn't until almost the end of the series. I hoped I would like her more and I did a little but felt frustrated with her to the end when she didn't find any time to help him with the wedding preparations and it hurt his feelings.  She is with someone who is sweet and sensitive and her cold personality would likely continually hurt him.  So it was disappointing that basically she is still doing it. 

While the first half of the series nearly ruined it for me, the last half saved it.  I loved the second couple that had an arranged marriage, initially thought of themselves as business partners but fell in love anyway.  Seo Si-Won (Yoon Park) perfectly played the doting older brother.  His "freedom" in his boxer shorts provided a lot of comedic moments.  It was also amusing that he could be so spot on with his younger brother in terms of how to win Yoon-seo but so clueless in his own life.  There was a point in the series where I looked forward to the parts with Siwon and his wife, Lee Min-Jin (Sojin) far more than I did the main couple. 

I thought the 2nd guy, Leo Seong-Min (Lee Hyun-woo) was the perfect foil for the icy Yoon-seo.  And I loved that they all became friends in the end and that he loved her enough to let go of his chance and help her find her way back to Juwon. 

The character growth that allowed the three Ju-won, Si-won and their mother Sun-joo to come together with the two new family additions, Min-jin and Yun-seo was heart-warming.  And the fact that it turned out to be "Cinderella" who had a hand in weaving them all together was a full circle feel good scenario.

This is a highly flawed series with a weak start and middle but that ends strong enough to save the series a bit.  The late portion of the series is really what makes it worth the watch. 

#CinderellaAt2AM  #ShinHyunBeen  #MoonSangMin  #JinHeeKyung #YoonPark  #Sojin

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Cannot stand alone well (need to watch season 1 first) . Leaves room for a 3rd season

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean Science fiction, Horror, Thriller series with 43-56 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

The first season took place in 1945. Fast forward to 2024 (79 years later) and Yoon Chae-Ok (Han So-Hee) is working with a mysterious group of people who help locate missing persons. She thinks Master Jang (Park Seo-jun) is long departed and kept herself away, while he was alive, because of the creature inside she has barely learned to control. While pirsuing a missing person, Chae-ok (Han So-hee) encounters a man who she, at first thinks is Master Jang but how can that be? He looks exactly as he did 79 years before. But this man Jang Ho-Jae (Park Seo-jun), says he is not Master Jang and does not seem to recognize her at all. They decide to work together on cases since they have some of the same goals.

Review

It is exciting and definitely lets us know what happens with all the major characters and even some of the minor ones. It could not stand very well alone, you need the backstory from the 1st season for many of the events of the first season to make sense. I was not suprised it end with a cliff hanger. Many of the South Korean content that Netflix has does not follow the pattern of one season, sometimes two, that end very neatly. It was something I loved about South Korean series, that they did not drag it on across many seasons. So, there are all the elements there for this to go another season. It was good and they did delve into the romance more in this one. I would not consider it necessarily happy, but one would not expect something like this to be all round happy. If you watched the first season, I highly recommend this second as I feel it does add a lot of depth to the story. I don’t know if I would rewatch it as a lot depends on where the entire series ultimateldy goes and how it all ends up. I have never felt compelled to watch “Game of Thrones” again even though I enjoyed it while I was watching it because it ended so horribly in my opinion. So, I can’t say at this point if I would watch it again or not.

Spoilers

I really like Park Seo-jun as an actor. So I am drawn to things he is in anyway. He has not disappointed in this role. He is heroic and compassionate and yet tough and resolute.

There are so relatively few series like this so it is hard to be overly picky. My main critique is just the Netflix effect where they drag it on and there is no great assurance they will finish the story. It all has to do with how much money they make off it whether we will see the seasons that would finalize the story. Other than that it is very good for what it is. It has that other worldly science fiction and horror element that is more rare for series.

#GyeongseongCreature2 #GyeongseongCreatureTwo #HanSoHee. #ParkSeoJun

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My new favorite crown prince. Once he fell for her he did not waver.

9/10 os my rating. This is a 2016 South Korean coming of age historical romance with 18, 60 minute episodes. It is based in a web novel entitled “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds”.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.


Synopsis

Crown Prince Lee Yeong (Park Bo-Gum) is awash in palace intrigue as he navigates the dangerous waters of becoming a monarch. His journey is made better with his friendship with Hong Ra-on (Kim Yoo-jung) who serves as one of his few allys and offers loyal friendship. Most servants avoid extensive contact with Lee Yeong as he is mischievious amd has the unpredictable nature of someone whose interest center in music and art. a series of unfortunate events involving debt collectors and being sold into servitude lands Ra-on in the palce seving as a Eunich. Although Ra-on has pretended to be a male her whole life, this turns out to be her most dangerous and complex ruse. As the two start to fall for each other, can Lee Yeong see through Ra-ons guise to discover he is not engaged in a forbidden attraction? Will the reason Ra-on has pretended to be male be what keeps them apart?


Review

This is a must watch for romance fans.  It has that sort of slow burn romance that is so appealing.  One of my favorite tropes is where main guy is hard to win over but once he falls for the girl, that’s it.  You do have to put up with a lot of the typical politics in Josean era historical romance with the infighting for power.  But that just comes with the territory with historical romance.  It is well paced, the romance is believable, and there are enough interesting things that happen and mysterious back story to make it all flow nicely and remain engaging.  I highly recommend it and would watch it again.


Spoilers


It ends happy in the sense that the good overcomes evil and the couple wind up together.  I see what a lot of other reviewers said about it being very rushed.  To watch 18 episodes and only get to see them be fully together in the last tens of minutes is a bit disappointing but not enough to ruin it as a very good, superior even, historical romance.

For the longest time I could not get the total fixation with Park Bo Gum.  He is undeniably handsome and just has this air about him where he seems like a very kind person.  I got that.  But I hadn’t seen anything where his acting was beyond just really good.  But this showed me why people are so invested in him as an actor.  His portrayal of Lee Yeong was nothing short of masterful.  I think he is now my favorite Crown Prince.  He was playful in a spiteful I really hate this position that was thrust on me way.  I liked how loyal his character was to all of those he cared about and the people in general.  Every aspect of his acting was spot on and his expressions and even his body language were perfect for the role. It was such a highlight of his talent for really brining out the unique aspects of a character so that they felt real. Great acting makes you feel thankful.  I am very thankful to him for the magical journey he took me, as a viewer, on with this character. 

 

The only disappointment I had in the way the Lee Young’s character was portrayed was around his relationship with Jo Ha-Yeon (Chae Soo-Bin) who later became the Crown Princess.  Although I think it is true to life in a way, I still did not like it. She falls for him basically because he is handsome and debonaire.  And that is when she starts being clingy and manipulativ, both traits I really dislike in females.  I don’t know why he wasn’t annoyed when she followed him in the marketplace.  I did not like how arrogant and entitled she acted from their first encounter and how she continued to act that way even after she found out who he was.  He doesn’t ask her to accompany him, but she follows him and essentially puts him in more danger trying to protect her while fighting the masked ninjas that attacked them.  I liked when Lee Young was like stay out of my space but then, later, he does a reversal when she manipulates him into believing she is willing to be the Crown Princess just to help him.  As a position/title but not like his spouse.  And he falls for that.  Then she proceeds to invade his space as much as she wishes even bragging that because she is the Crown Princess they just let her in to wait for him.  When he was pushing her away, he clearly told her he was already in love with someone else, but she did not respect that at all.  I do not know why when she screwed up and winded up feeding him poison that didn’t get her deposed.  Like an idiot she guilted him into drinking some tonic they had been trying to get him to drink and he almost dies.  But she didn’t act remorseful about her role at all. And she did not get deposFor the longest time I could not get the total fixation with Park Bo Gum.  He is undeniably handsome and just has this air about him where he seems like a very kind person.  I got that.  But I hadn’t seen anything where his acting was beyond just really good.  But this showed me why people are so invested in him as an actor.  His portrayal of Lee Yeong was nothing short of masterful.  I think he is now my favorite Crown Prince.  He was playful in a spiteful I really hate this position that was thrust on me way.  I liked how loyal his character was to all of those he cared about and the people in general.  Every aspect of his acting was spot on and his expressions and even his body language were perfect for the role. It was such a highlight of his talent for really brining out the unique aspects of a character so that they felt real.

 

The only disappointment I had in the way the Lee Young’s character was portrayed was around his relationship with Jo Ha-Yeon (Chae Soo-Bin) who later became the Crown Princess.  Although I think it is true to life in a way, I still did not like.  She falls for him basically because he is handsome and debonaire.  And that is when she starts being clingy and manipulate, both traits I really dislike in females.  I don’t know why he wasn’t annoyed when she followed him in the marketplace.  I did not like how arrogant and entitled she acted from their first encounter and how she continued to act that way even after she found out who he was.  He doesn’t ask her to accompany him, but she follows him and essentially puts him in more danger trying to protect her while fighting the masked ninjas that attacked them.  I liked when Lee Young was like stay out of my space but then, later, he does a reversal when she manipulates him into believing she is willing to be the Crown Princess just to help him.  As a position/title but not like his spouse.  And he falls for that.  Then she proceeds to invade his space as much as she wishes even bragging that because she is the Crown Princess they just let her in to wait for him.  When he was pushing her away, he clearly told her he was already in love with someone else, but she did not respect that at all.  I do not know why when she screwed up and winded up feeding him poison that didn’t get her deposed.  Like an idiot she guilted him into drinking some tonic they had been trying to get him to drink and he almost dies.  But she didn’t act remorseful about her role at all.  And she did not suffer any repercussions for her role in nearly poisoning the Crown Prince.

 

I don’t think there has been a 2nd male lead I have liked as much as I liked the Kim Yoon Sung (Jung Jinyoung) character in awhile.  Excellent acting.  His love and caring for the main girl was palpable.  The conflict he felt over his loyalty to his friend and family obligations was real.  He did so much for Ra-on and the Crown Prince behind the scenes and never felt the need to get the credit for it.  He was smart, and foiled so many plots.  I loved that character.

 

The other character I completely loved was Kim Bryung-yeon (Kwak Dong Yeon).  He was such an amazing martial artist and swordsman and such a loyal friend.  I was so happy he survived and that it was Yoon Sung that discovered he was still alive. 

 

I have been a fan of Kim Yoo-jung for quite some time. Perhaps it is her youth, but she brings such a whimsical feeling to every role.  When she smiles her whole face just lights up and it makes it so convincing why the men fall for her.  She is an amazing actress, and she was so good in this role.

 

I don’t think there has been a 2nd male lead I have liked as much as I liked the Kim Yoon Sung (Jung Jinyoung) character in awhile.  Excellent acting.  His love and caring for the main girl was palpable.  The conflict he felt over his loyalty to his friend and family obligations was real.  He did so much for Ra-on and the Crown Prince behind the scenes and never felt the need to get the credit for it.  He was smart, and foiled so many plots.  I loved that character.

 

The other character I completely loved was Kim Bryung-yeon (Kwak Dong Yeon).  He was such an amazing martial artist and swordsman and such a loyal friend.  I was so happy he survived and that it was Yoon Sung that discovered he was still alive. 

 

I have been a fan of Kim Yoo-jung for quite some time. Perhaps it is her youth, but she brings such a whimsical feeling to every role.  When she smiles her whole face just lights up and it makes it so convincing why the men fall for her.  She is an amazing actress, and she was so good in this role. 



They showed where Lee Young pardoned Ra-on for her “crime” (which to me is odd crime was basically being born the daughter of a rebel) so that she was able to live normally as a woman.  The Crown Princess basically had their relationship annulled.  So, he is free but there is no indication they will have any kind of public facing permanent relationship.  Knowing those royal positions, at least as they are portrayed in other historical dramas, he would normally have a wife and maybe some consorts or concubines.  But he is changing the rules so we don’t know what that means for him or for their relationship.



Ra-on’s father was supposed to be some super rebel.  Akin to the Star Wars rebels.  But he is seen talking to Kim about watching over ML.  They seem buddy, buddy but there is no clarity around what He supposedly has such dangerous ideology that everyone wants to know where his offspring is.  Some want to use her as a bargaining chip, but they made it seem as if she had some power to reunite and reenergize the rebels behind her.  But then they locate her and all they want to do is put her in hiding.  But not even good hiding.  She has lived her life pretending to be a man because they are looking for a woman.  But now they are looking for a woman that hides as a man and she goes incognito but then continues to hide as a man.  Seems like the best cover would have been as a woman.  And for cripes, change your name.  Don’t go by, in hiding, the very name of the individual they are looking for. 



The dad’s whole mystique became a nothing burger.  They find out he is alive, he has some strong words for the King, talks to the Crown Prince a couple of times, decides CP is how he wants things to be and that’s it. 

 

Huge missed opportunity in my mind to have FL be a strong swordsman super ninja.  In her circumstances, wouldn’t that have made sense?  And it sure would have been more entertaining than watching her stand there while whomever is protecting her is getting absolutely trashed.  I think the most I ever saw her do was kick a sword to the CP.  And she did try to get in front of second guy to block a sword.  But, her typical, was to stand there and just watch.  I mean tackle their legs or something.  You got teeth woman – bit them.  Throw dirt at them.  I don’t care.  But do something other than just watch the battle.  I mean she all but had popcorn. 

 

Why did 2nd guy die?  He was one of my favorite characters.  I wanted to see him join the light side.  Once evil grandpa was gone, he could have joined the CP as a trusted advisor.  But I guess the focus was on fulfilling the prophecy where one of them died young.  But come on, Kim was way more injured and he lived.  That was a bummer.  I really liked him. 

 

And we just don’t get to know about some characters.  Like the Little Princess.  Now that she told her story is she all better?  Talking?  Her boogeyman is now gone.  What about the baby princess?  She was recovered.  How is she doing?  And the fake prince.  What did they do with him?

 

Where did the king go?  ML’s father.  Did he retire?  I mean he doesn’t have a primary wife now.  She was deposed.  Did he finally get with his nice consort that ML liked who had the Little Princess? 



#LoveInTheMoonlight   #MoonlightDrawnByClouds  #ParkBoGum  #KimYooJung  #KwakDongYeon  #ChaeSooBin  #JungJinyoung

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Plot was chaotic. It could not decide what it wanted to be.

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean fantasy romance drama with, 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Cupid’s arrow never fails. So when Cupid, Cheon Sang-Hyuk (Jang Dong-yoon) accidently shoots himself, he falls in love with a human woman, Oh Baek-Ryeon (Im Jin ah;Nana), is a veteranarian who is so physically alluring men cannot helpbut fall in love with her. But due to a curse, or maybe just bad luck, every suitor has a close brush with death which causes them to leave her. But there is a much longer relationship between the two of them than either is at first aware. Can a human and a fairy find lasting love?

Review

Disappointing. I liked so many elements of this. Liked the premise, am a fan of Jang Dong-yoon, like serial killer stories, always up for romance and find supernatural interesting. But the plot was all over the place chaotic. It was like it could not decide which one of those things it wanted to be. It was okay, not completely unwatchable but with so many better choices out there it ranks low on my list. I would not seek it out nor sit down and watch it if someone else was. I do not recommend it.

Spoilers

It ends happy in the sense the main couple get together. They even give a little after story to show they had kids and remained happy.

I liked Dong yoon’s acting. He is a great actor. I thought he made a great Cupid and a detective.

Nana’s acting was fine I just disliked the character she played. I do not like overly clingy females it is cringy. And she was super clingy. When she let the serial killer trick her I could not believe someone bright enough to be a skilled veterinarian could be that stupid. It did not fit the character. Then she gets a brain injury and just acts weirder than her normal weird.

I thought it was going to be a movie about cupid and it was sometimes. Sometimes they do the cupid thing. Then oh wait it is a serial killer thing. Oops it is reincarnation story. All of the could have worked together but the writing did not accomplish that.

Her friend An Do-ra (Gong Min Jeung), falls for the weird cupid. Then weird cupid disappears but then reappears but they don’t get back together. So why did we spend so much time on their odd relationship? And if he knows he might disappear why does he not pay up front? It was also not credible that she believed he was a Cupid so quick. That whole part of the story seemed unnecessary.

Why did the other cupids hang out with main guy? He dissolves, they all dissolve, then he comes back and so do they. What is their role with him? Never fully explained. Will the one fairy quit being a dog?

The serial killer story was interesting but it was an awkward fit with the rest of the plot.

It was a show that could have been good but wasn’t because of a chaotic script. It would shift and be all about the serial killer, then hard shift and he is on the roof shooting Cupid errors, then it’s date time. It was weird. It was like they could not decide if it was a serial killer show, supernatural story or a romance and they did not blend them well or otherwise all of that could have worked.

The whole she is my woman and he is my man was just strange. I do not know many couples that refer to their significant other that way. It seems territorial like you own the person. Do not like those terms and I am not a feminist.

#MyManIsCupid. #JandDingYoon. #ImJinAh. #GongMinJeung

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