Great romantic legal drama

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic legal drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Some events in life shape us dramatically. Kim Yu-ri (Lee Se-young) lost her father in a tragic accident as a high school student. The fact that the accident was preventable had the company followed better safety standards made her determined to become a lawyer and focus on improving the safety and work quality for workers in Korea. It becomes her life's mission. She went to high school and college with Kim Jeong-ho (Lee Seung-gi) and they were romantically involved until he discovered that his family was involved in the corruption behind Yu-ri's father's accident. With strong sense of ancestry and responsibility for family actions, Jeong-ho decides that he and Yu-ri cannot be a couple and, with little indication, disappears from her life. Both were star students who became legal geniuses but Yu-ri has since pursued her passion to fight the underdog while Jeong-ho become so disillusioned he retreated to investigating the case in private while managing some buildings he owns. When Yu-ri is encouraged to retire from her current legal position because she is taking on two many money losing cases, she decides to open a cafe where she not only serves coffee but also legal advice. The location she picks just happens to be in a building Jeong-ho owns and the two are reunited. Yu-ri does not understand why Jeong-ho ended their relationship all those years ago and still harbors feeling for him not realizing he also maintains feelings for her. Can the two bring the corrupt perpetrators to justice? Will the cafe be successful in helping those who desperately need it and sustain Yu-ri enough she can afford to maintain it? Can Yu-ri convince Jeong-ho that the tragedy is not his fault?

Review

The cases were interesting and the friendships and romances were heart warming. It is a very good legal drama and I recommend it for anyone that likes romantic legal dramas.

Spoilers* Jeong-ho's reluctance to start a romance with Yu-ri was hard to understand as the series wore on. I understood, at first, the whole sins of my father angle and while that is not so much a thing in American culture I could understand it from what I know of Korean culture. But, with that, you either let it go or pursue it. As is so often the case I felt like he should just tell her what his father had done and let her decide if it was too much for her. I loved her unshakable sense of justice. How she would fight for the underdog even knowing it might cause her hardship. I did not feel the loop on Jeong-ho's father was completely closed. An honest discussion between him and his son explaining why he did some of the things he did might have mended their relationship sooner. I liked that they had reunited in the end. To me it was not in character for Yu-ri to be so reluctant to marry. Those that are reluctant usually experience bad relationships all around them. But her mother had a good relationship with her father up until his accidental death and then re-married and had a good relationship with her step-father so her fear of commitment did not make sense. It was also a little frustrating to have Jeong-ho come around and she is now the one, in the latter half of the series, who isn't sure if they can be together long term. I loved that it ended with a wedding. I am a fan of the "happily ever after" and I love all the wardrobe and seeing them all dressed up like that. There was just enough after story after the wedding to know what direction their lives were headed without going overboard and restarting the story.

#lawcafe
#Leeseyoung
#Leeseunggi

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Rare time 2nd is better than 1st despite lead actor changes

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 Chinese Romantic Comedy television series with 38, 30-45 minute episodes. Also known by the title "My Wonderful Boyfriend" from a Chinese book series.

This is a sequel to the popular Chinese Drama "My Amazing Boyfriend." And to answer some very frequent questions the two lead actors are different but it is still a continuation of the story. The former male lead was unable to come to China for the role due to a Halyu ban and the former female lead had a scheduling conflict. Some of the cast around them stayed the same though and the new additions are idols for the most part. I thought the male lead was better cast this time but preferred the original female lead. As it is always when the actors playing characters switch, I did have to remind myself this was the same story.

First I write a synopsis then I review

Synopsis
Tian Jing Zhi (Janice Wu) and Xue Ling Qiao (Kim Tae-hwan) acted the lead roles in the first season. They met after a car accident revived him from a dormant sleep and he, in turn, saved her life. Love developed as he stayed with her in search of the person who had put him in the dormant state.

The second season picks up where season 1 left off with a Jing Zhi (Tian Yi Tong) suspected pregnant and Lin Qiao (Mike Angelo) staying away as he thinks it is for the best. Things change when Lin Qiao finds out Jing Zhi is pregnant and he moves next door to watch over her and the child. When the secret gets out that Jing Zhi is able to carry a mutant Yun Zhen (Li Geyang), another mutant, is interested as he desires a child and begins to court Jing Zhi. Yun Zhen reveals there is an organization known only as "S" who are very interested in the mutants as well as a human able to carry a mutant child. Qiu Yue Bai (Wei Zhe Ming) is Jing Zhi's adopted uncle and, she is unaware but he heads up the "S" organization. Jing Zhi's grandfather uses his wealth to put Yue Bai in a position to write a contract with Jing Zhi to elevate her from B actress status but Yue Bai has his own motivation for doing so. There are also a string of disappearances and murders occurring that are somehow related to the mutants.

Review

There were several things I liked about this second series relative to the first one. Jing Zhi in this one seems to have had enough of Lin Qiao's cold behavior and is not immediately accepting of the terms of his involvement in her life. I also like that there are more mutants and that there is a guy that is pursuing Jing Zhi. The organization “S” is what you would imagine there would be with the Superhumans trying to figure out so many aspects of their existence plus how to blend in with human society. The fact that neither Lin Qiao and Yun Zhen both are reluctant to join the S organization is believable and fits their independent natures. They developed all of the characters well and you really got to know them and felt attached.

*Spoilers
The S corporation was antagonist enough that it was not necessary to have the doctor have his own evil intent within it. It seemed out of character that he became superhuman after bullies killed him then went on to be a bully himself. They did not explain well enough why he killed the women in the manner he did with the abdominal injuries. It seemed to allude to him experimenting around superhuman gestation but never closed the loop on the experiments he may have done including his victims. In the 1st series it seemed nearly impossible to fully kill the super humans and in the second it is like oh they can die by fire and also having their spinal cord ripped out. I did nit like that the superhuman doctor became a villians or that he just killed himself so easily. It was very “X Men” to me where there would be many mutations and each would have a unique role. They needed a doctor and his loss seemed like a major hole for the superhumans. They mentioned that, the mechanism of near death that caused their mutation should mean there were superhumans of other nationalities out there but that was never further explored. There was an opportunity when Lion traveled, for him to mention other Superhumans outside of Chimpna but there was only that brief mention and that was it. Oddly with the women sort of running everything in the end it seemed almost feminist woke. Jing Zhi becomes chairwoman and her acting career is no more. Little mama (the surrogate) now calls all the shots with Lion the former head of the S organization. I was disappointed Jin Zhi she never succeeded in her acting career because everyone was so mean to her about it in the first series. I also thought it would turn out she became superhuman and that would have allowed her and Lin Qiao to be together permanently. There were many opportunities for that to happen such as when she died while carrying the baby. I wanted her to carry the baby the full time and while I get why they made it so another superhuman had to still having her pregnancy turn her would have been more compelling as an avenue for her to be with Qiao and remain youthful like him. It reminded me a lot if the American “Twilight” series in that she fell in love with someone immortal, there is a group of immortals some good and others bad, blood was a key component, she has a miraculous pregnancy and carrying the baby nearly kills her. I would have found her grandfather and uncle stealing the baby away much more unforgivable than she did but I know that is a cultural difference in the way my culture views such actions and just a lesser role of elders in American culture. The ending felt rushed Yun Zhen was my favorite character and for it to not show them reviving him, his reunion with his girlfriend and their final date made me feel cheated. They also rushed the end of the pregnancy so that we never knew if the term was as long as a normal pregnancy and what little Lucky Star was like as an infant. It is a testament to how much I enjoyed this series that my complaints are that there was not enough not that there was too much.

I am not a huge C drama fan so the it took a lot from this series to overcome my basic dislike. She was more whiny in the 1st season but they premise was compelling enough to ignore that aspect. He was so cold in the 1st series that it be a one an annoyance but he canpme around and was so into her in the 2nd season that I was rooting for her to stop being difficult with him. Overall this was a highly entertaining series with very lovable characters and satisfying relationships and romances. I would watch it again and highly recommend to anyone that likes supernatural romances.


#myamazingboyfriend2

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Interesting premise, funny in parts, one of the better modern c-dramas

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 Chinese romantic comedy romance series with 28, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis

Xue Ling Qiao (Kim Tae Hwan), was transformed by a snow leopard bite into a being that heals quickly, has super human powers, and doesn't age. He was put into a perpetual slumber when his blood was drained and 100s of years pass until he is discovered. The scientists are transporting him to a research facility when a traffic accident results in him being revived. Tian Jing Zhi (Janice Wu) is a B grade actress who would have died in the traffic accident had Ling Qiao not chosen to share his blood and revive her. With everyone who knew long gone, Lin Qiao circles back to Jing Zhi and convinces her to let him stay at her place while he finds who put him in perpetual coma. Jing Zhi's high maintenance attitude has caused many boyfriends to run for the hills but she may have met a match in Lin Qiao who is calm in the face of every storm she creates. The two grow to like and depend on each other while working together to solve the mystery of Ling Qiao's past. Will the two figure out the mysterious circumstances and can they stay together?

Review
I typically read a lot of opinions and reviews before I watch anything. This one showed up on lists of recommendations so many times I finally decided to give it a try. I am not a huge fan of Chinese dramas. It has been compared to "He Who Came From the Stars" but I think of it as more in that same genre than a Chinese equivalent to that. The lead male character in both are sort of cold and unemotional and have super powers but I think that is the strongest ties between the two as they are completely different stories. While there have been some good Chinese dramas such as "Arsenal Military Academy" and "Falling Into Your Smile" and "You are My Glory", for me there are two many elements in C-Dramas that I find annoying. So, I read a lot of opinions on this and it seemed most people that liked other things I have enjoyed also liked this. Overall I have to agree. But the things that lessened it for me was the humor and it is really just a difference in what different cultures find humorous. The humor in this is mostly slap stick and they make silly noises and even have silly drawings to emphasize it. in the first episodes the female lead acts extremely slap stick silly and it was almost so much that I quit watching it. But I was determined to get through it to see what others had enjoyed. I am glad I stuck with it because it got a lot better. There was a lot less slap stick humor as the story progressed and she became a more mature and solid character. There were times she was way more clingy than I am comfortable with, I think if someone isn't putting any effort in then it's time to go "He's Not That Into You" and quit trying to so hard. It really felt like, if she backed off, he might value her more. I also did not find the male lead incredibly attractive so I had to accept that he was supposed to be or it made certain aspects of the story a challenge. His hair style contributed a lot to making him look not very attractive in my opinion. It was all brushed forward in sort of a modified bowl cut. I called it "coconut hair" and it was a very unflattering style. The actor has a very angular face which was "softened" and allowed his dimples to show when his hair was styled back. I felt like everyone was very harsh and cruel to Jing Zhi almost making comments that she was unlucky and a poor actress. Because of that her friends and family really angered me in the beginning. I know the luck aspect is very culturally important in Chinese culture and some of my impatience with that is because I come from a different cultural perspective. The voice over dubbing was really awful and it made things seem very unnatural. The voice over dubbed Chinese to Chinese I guess to give it a studio sound quality? It just makes their voices seem "off" very frequently and was unnecessary. I wanted to hear their voices as they were speaking not some later over dubbed voice.

Spoilers*
Her ex-boyfriend/nearly fiance having lung cancer and her having to choose between getting him to use his blood and losing him, was a good plot angel. I thought it revealed his character a lot that he had her make that decision. I understood what he was saying about nature and human greed and they made it even clearer with the glimpses into his past. To me though it is radically different making a choice whether or not to save someone nearing the end of their life or someone who would naturally die early. Especially since he was a police officer, a good one at that, and would have died as a result of exposure while on the job. I felt he should have understood why she couldn't ignore the obvious option of curing him. Although he did not admit to jealousy in that situation, I think it did motivate him. And it did reveal a more human side to him. Having been burned in the past by curing someone - he should have known that situation was very different and the individual that got greedy and held not saving someone against him was clearly mentally ill. I was not completely surprised at who the villain turned out to be although they did a good job of throwing the viewer off the trail on several occasion. I suspected the cousin multiple times. I will rarely watch a series without reading reviews enough to be sure it will not be sad ending. This was not a sad ending, they both were alive and well. But it was disappointing in that they were not together. She is holding out hopes he will come back as he left his ancestral jade with her and his house. And she is "dating" her cousins and stole his turtle to lure him back. I would have been way more disappointed if I did not know there was a 2nd season and they were very clearly leaving it open.

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Great Slice of Life - if you like "Fight My Way" you will likely like this

9.5/10 is my rating This is a 2017 South Korean slice of life romantic drama series with 16, 60 minute episodes.

Synopsis
Choi Kang-soo (Go Kyung-pyo) vowed to find the woman who abandoned him and his father and to become powerful enough to protect those around him. He has been a food deliveryman in most neighborhoods in Seoul in his quest to develop the skills and connections to start his own delivery service all the while seeking his mother. Lee Dan-ah (Chae Soo-bin) is a take no prisoners delivery driver who is earning money for the sole purpose of emigrating elsewhere. She wants out of Korea convinced it is the root of all her problems. Oh Jin-kyu (Kim Seon-ho) is the middle son of a Chaebol family and has always been told he was a loser so he set out to prove them right. That is until he encountered Dan-ah who has no patience for self pity. Lee Ji-yoon (Ko Won-hee) is the daughter of a CEO and her goal is to lead her own life not dictated by her family's wealth. These four young people are forever changed and enriched by their encounters with each other. Love and friendship develop in the course of their daily lives.

Review

I really love slice of life dramas. I feel like I get to lean some things about aspects of the culture. In this case it was food deliver and being a delivery person. It reminded me a lot of another drama I like a lot "Fight My Way" where the characters struggle with making a living in jobs that don't pay much beyond necessities. I loved Chae Soo-bin in "I am Not a Robot" and had I known she was in it would have watched this a lot sooner. Like most Korean dramas the title and summaries really do not do it credit. There is a villian, bromances, secrets in the past, and all the elements that make these compelling. The 2nd couples romance was well paced, believable and very heart warming. And there was even a third and forth couple although their stories were much more in the background. The rich versus the poor was another aspect explored in this drama and there was a thread of good versus evil. It was, for me, practically perfect in every way. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes romance, slice of life or who likes these actors. It was enjoyable the whole way through.

Spoilers** I do wish it was clear in the end whether, or not, the grandmother knew he was her grandson. She was such a nice person and he was so good to her I would have liked to have known she was told he was her grandson. It was not clear whether his brother was his half brother or if his mom had been pregnant before leaving with him where he would have been his full brother. That also was not fully fleshed out. Kang-soo and Dan-ah had really started the more intimate portion of their relationship so it really felt like they just got together fully. I think that is a cultural difference in the US they would be viewed as maybe a serious dating relationship no guarantee it was headed to anything permanent. But in Korean culture it may be obvious that there relationship was permanent. I liked that Kang-soo and his mom seemed to be on better terms but that he had not completely forgiven her. So there were some really small points that could have been clarified but there were very minor detractors.

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If you liked "Bring it On Ghost", "Goblin", "Tunnel" - you will most likely like this

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic comedy fantasy with 16 approximately 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis

Cha Cha-woong (Park Hae-jin) comes from a long line of powerful male shamans. He chose not to follow in his grandfather's footsteps when he sees how well he is treated when things go well for people but how quickly they turn on him. So, he decides to use his skills to produce magic shows utilizing the skills of ghosts, which he employees. Fate makes Cha-woong and a dedicated female police officer Go Seul-hae (Jin Ki-joo) cross paths and the two use their individual supernatural powers to solve crimes.

Review
Overall I liked this very much. It had a supernatural element that had a lot of ties to the general beliefs on things such as ghosts and afterlife but had a lot of very unique twists. They wove the day to day police work in with the back story that was woven through very well. I loved the magic shows and how he utilized the ghosts to make shows that were so amazing it rocketed him to the top of his field. I was happy to see him in a role where I didn't feel I wanted to hate him. His role in "Cheese in the Trap" overshadowed how I felt about the actor so I was happy to see him in a role where he was a "good guy." The chemistry between the leads built slowly and realistically and they were a very believable couple. I liked that his character developed from being very self centered and selfish to what his core really was all about which was a more caring and thoughtful person. Other characters commented on the change and his character growth and it added to the compelling nature of such an unveiling of who someone really is under all the facade they put up. His ghost employees each had their own unique backstory, talents, and their relationship with the leads and each other made for a very heartwarming element. I highly recommend this for anyone that wants a unique and compelling drama. If you like "Goblin", "Bring it On Ghost", and "Tunnel" to name a few you will like this one as it has elements of all of those.

Spoilers* This one truly kept you going all the way to the last episode where there was still action happening and things going down. That was both a good thing (it kept you interested throughout) and a bad thing (the wrap up felt rushed). There were a few things that detracted ever so slightly from the story and kept me from indicating it was perfect. When the Male Lead character (MLC) is stabbed when he has the evil spirit in his body he somehow lives. But it is never clear how or why he lives or how just being stabbed got rid of the evil spirit. When he is taken in by his former ghost employees and they are suddenly back but pretending to be reincarnated versions of themselves - it is never reveal)ed how or why they were able to come back and help the MLC. It seemed as though the ghosts could decide when they were ready to move on. That was different than others have portrayed and also inconsistent with how it was portrayed earlier in the series. It never sounded or seemed like it would be their decision when they wanted to leave. It could be that what gave them that flexibility was being under contract with the MLC but that was never laid out. The children in the end who the MLC and Female Lead Character (FLC) indicated were reincarnations of the ghosts, it never showed how that transpired. Their son was a surprise and they alluded to him being a reincarnation of the general but that was not further discussed so it made it a bit awkward. The fact that he was working as a traditional magician and learned from the ground up from his former nemesis was an interesting angle but, as always, I was disappointed he lost his her abilities. I did like that it showed he was a lot more caring toward his employees based on what learned from the ghosts. The FLC was a kick butt detective and I loved that about her. I liked the reincarnation angle and thought it was amusing when he lived through his past life and came out of his coma all mushy and I love you princess. I thought, when she was out for awhile at the end that her experience going back and experiencing her former life as the Princess might result in her talking to him and indicating she understood how he was feeling when he was so over the top with her. It was a bit inconsistent that the MLC went back to the past and interacted with the Princess and she wasn't more surprised about this time traveling visitor. She sort of accepted it and even expressed feelings for this future version of her current love.

#ShowtimeFromNow

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A hidden gem - It's a solid romantic comedy with interesting elements

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic fantasy television drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. Also known as Jinx's lover.

I will first provide a synopsis then review/comments after

Synopsis
Seon Seul-bi (Seohyun) has been shut away from the world along with her mother Lee Mi-soo (Yoon Ji-hye) for her entire 20 years. She lived in such isolation that she knows little of how the outside world works. The Chairman who is keeping Seul-bi and her mother isolated believes he is doing it to protect them and others from their negative energy. The women come from a long line of Shamans who used to advise kings but their history combines fortune and misfortune simultaneously. As such they, and those before them, have been both revered and feared. Mi soo has been no different, the Chairman has utilized her shaministic skills to further his business interests but has kept his distance despite having some romantic involvement. Seon Sam-joong (Jun Kwang-ryul), the chairman, is a redeemable villian and it is apparent there is way more to the story of his relationship with Mi soo and his reasons for locking them away. Gong Soo-kwang / Go Myung-sung (Na In-Woo) meets Seul-bi when she escapes into the city and determines he is her Prince. Something about the vulnerable girl sets off his protective nature. What can all these complex characters learn of and from each other? Is there a place in the world for someone that has such power or is the best for all concerned for the shamans to remain in isolation? What happened in the past and what does the future hold?

Review/comments

I loved Seul-bi as do most of the characters in the series. She has a child like innocence and yet is both highly intelligent and extremely caring and compassionate. In the first part, the parallels to the little mermaid were intentional and unmistakeable. Common objects were fascinating to her because she had never seen nor used them. I had a harder time with Soo-kwang because he was very harsh with Seul-bi. I felt like he would shower her with affection then turn his back on her for things that were out of her control. Some of it was cultural I know, the whole "sins of your father" angle, but I still had a very hard time with his emotionally abusive behavior at one point in the series.

*Spoilers. For the most part this was very enjoyable and I would have rated it much higher but for some aspects that I felt were unfinished or unnecessary. I really dislike the amnesia trope. It was a little more palatable in this one because using her power caused the amnesia. Still it felt like she was starting all over with all the relationships she had which made it feel like the first 14 or 15 episodes were a waste. Her mother died and, because she didn't remember anything, there wasn't a lot of mention of that. She had just developed a relationship with her father but he simply disappeared off the radar. Her relationship with the market people was different because she didn't remember the time they spent together. They alluded that she might be getting her memory back when her child said mom knew where all the characters were which is something from her past, but it wasn't definitive. The concept that the business had been built through the efforts of the female shamans therefor the only way to get rid of the "curse" and allow her to live a normal life was to dissolve that business seemed ike a complete waste. I also felt like, because she lived her first 20 years with no freedom, she should have had all the advantages of the wealth that had been accumlated to live the next portion of her life free and with the benefit of everything that had been gained from the sacrifice. It felt like the Aunt was just being spiteful over her sister's death in wanting the company to dissolve. We joked half way through when we suspected that she was actually the Chairman's daughter, and when her brother was expressing romantic interest, that there would be a Luke and Princess Leia like moment when they said something like "somehow I knew, somehow I always knew" and it was a bit like that. Her brother was like those feelings I had for you must have been because you were my sister. It was a bit amusing because the parallel for Star Wars fans was obvious. It was the only way I would have felt okay with her not choosing 2nd guy. Because he was awesome. Lead guy lost my support when he was blaming her for his mother's death and being so cold to her. I loved her abilities. She was a force to be reconed with but never used it in an evil way. So, I thought, for me a more preferable outcome would have been if all that negative energy nonsense wound up not being true in her case and that she was able to continue to help people. But they had to do away with the magic for some reason so she could be an ordinary person. I didn't hate it but it would have been even better for me if she had been able to retain her amazing abilities.

Overall I highly recommend this. There are a few detractors but the overall story is interesting, unique, and compelling.

#JinxedAtFirst
#seulbi
#NaInWoo
#SeoHyun
#TrueVisions
#Na-Inwoo

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Loved It - You will Never Look at whales the same - in a good way

9.5/10 is my rating. This s a 2022 South Korean Legal Romance Drama with 16, 64-82 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then I will review it.

Synopsis:
Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) is a lawyer with high functioning autism. Her single father raised her and provided a lot of life tricks that help her navigate social situations that are complex for those with autism. Although she graduates with the top scores in law school, because of page 2 of her resume, which outlines her autism, no-one wants to hire her. That is until the CEO of one of the major law firms focuses on page 1 that shows she is not only the firest Autistic person to graduate with such high honors, but that she is phenomenal in her field in general. Growing up Young-wo had only one friend Dong Geu-ra-mi (Joo Hyun-young) who has a rough exterior but a kind heart that led her to protect the Young-woo from the bullies. Hanaba, the firm that hired Yong-woo quickly discovers that, although they gave her a chance as a result of a connection the CEO had with her father, page 1 was, indeed the important page. Not only does Attorney Woo’s different ability (not disability but different ability) proide exceptional legal intelligence and photographic memory but her sweet nature draws people to her . While her manner of speech and presentation is direct and without any guile, even when the situation calls for it, initially make her peers think she will not last, her ability to hold so much legal information in her memory and scan it, makes her an invaluable asset to any team. Her supervising lawyer, Jung Myung-seok (Kang Ki-young), who was skeptical of her ability to do the job at first, becomes one of her strongest advocates. One of her close work associates, Lee Jun-ho (Kang Tae-oh), falls for the incredible woman who is Attorney Woo. The story follows Attorney Woo as she uses her outstanding and unique skill set to tackle a variety of interesting cases. Hanaba grows as a result of having such an outstanding attorney and attorney Woo progresses with the frienships she builds and the prejiduces she overcomes.

Review

Spoilers* This was such an amazingly good drama I feel sorry for those that don’t watch it. Attorney Woo is a differently abled attorney who has to deal with not only ethical issues around being an attorney in a law firm that is profit driven, but prejudices personally directed at hefor her different manner of speech and approach to social norms. Several of my family members are autistic and on various levels of the autistic spectrum and she truly said it best when she emphasized it is a spectrum so that simply having autism does not automatically mean you are the same, or can understand, others with autism. I liked how each episode dealt with a unique case and that, each case had some unique legal angle that Attorney Woo was uniquely skilled to ascertain because of her above average legal intelligence and photographic memory. I was a law technician and, at the time (this was 35 years ago) a physical law library was maintained in the law office and we would receive updates in the form of replace pages 10-19 with these new pages – the law books were in 3 ring like binders because the laws and relevant case citations updated all the time. As I am inserting this or that I would read parts of this case or that and there were a couple of times when I was able to point the attorneys to a case that was pertinent to whatever they were working on. A good attorney is open to any help with sifting through the mounds of case law to find that needle in the haystack that might shed light or add credence to a legal line that they are pursuing whether it be from a prosecutorial standpoint or defense. So, even from a lowly legal technician, if I spotted something in my many siftings through the law books – they appreciated the refence. And, whenever there was a big case there was a whole team of legal professionals researching case law, making recommendations on lines of defense or prosecution (I worked for a county legal team so they did both) and discussing all aspects of each case. I thought they presented that very well in this series – those that were open to additional ideas and looked at Attorney Woo not as a threat but as an amazing resource, did well on their cases. I also loved how it portrayed, because of her autism, some treated her like she was not fully capable and not fully an adult. Those that were in her inner circle realized she was extremely capable and that she had all the life skills of an adult with just a few modifications. Yes, she would panic if it was too chaotic or noisy but I know people with post traumatic stress disorder and general anxiety that don’t react much different. I have found that those with autism can be brutally honest and this series showed that, sometimes brutal, honesty. They just do not tend to be as socially devious as the majority of the population. While it can be awkward at times, it is also very refreshing. I wondered how they would treat her relationship with Jung-ho as some might see it as an awkward relationship but I thought they handled it perfectly. His sister was the voice of “but you have to take care of her” and I thought it showed Attorney Woo’s emotional maturity that she took that to heart and also considered she might make him feel lonely. One of the things that Attorney Woo finds undendingly fascinating are sea animals particulary whales and dolphins but she, at times mentions, narwals and other sea creatures as well. Whales are like her spirit animal because whenever she envisions one swimming through the air it is accompanied by some amazing revelation about a case. I love the visual as her hair blows back and her eyes get wide.

The few things that kept this from being perfect for me was just some loose ends I did not feel were tied up. I worry a lot about Netflix “Americanizing” Korean dramas as what I find very refreshing about Kdramas is what sets them apart from American television series. I like that one season is generally what series run and that a 2nd or 3rd season is an exception not the rule. In this case I felt it was left more open ended to leave room for additional seasons. They were back together, and that was nice, but it didn’t feel like their relationship had progressed significantly nor had he made the important step of meeting her dad. I really wanted to experience what her dad thought of him. She met her little brother and it felt like there could be a relationship there but he just disappeared from her life after the court case. It seemed like her little brother wanted a relationship with his older half-sister and I really liked his character so it would have been value added to have him involved with Attorney Woo. ? It was never clear what the CEO of Hanabah had against Attorney Woo’s mother. It was clear there was a back story there that was never explored.

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Central Romance is really heart warming, interesting premise, minor "flaws" in some element

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Historical Romantic Comedy Drama with 16 approximately 60minute episodes.

I first provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis:
Marriage is a big deal in Joseon era Korea and, at the top of their game Ma Hoon, (Kim Min-jae) Young-soo (Choi Seung) and Do Joon (Byeon Woo-seok) are three handsome bachelor's who use their unusual charm, intelligence, and good looks to run the most successful marriage agency in the land. Things are going well for the trio until the groom is stolen and the bride jilted during the wedding of Lee Soo (Seo Ji-hoon), a blacksmith's son and Gae-ttong/Yoon Soo-yun (Gong Seung-yeon) whom Lee Soo has loved for many years. But things are not what they seem and Lee Soo was a hidden prince who was abducted to fulfill his destiny as the King of Joseon. The marriage agency feels like they have to make it right for heart broken Gae-ttong and vow to help her determine what happened to Lee Soo and get the marriage back on track. When Ma Hoon foils an assasination attempt on Gae-ttong it is clear things may not be as they seem. The matchmakers pull Gae-ttong into their circle to protect her until they can figure out what, exactly is going on. Lee Soo still has not given up on marrying the girl he loves and asks Ma Hoon to help him figure out how to marry the girl who is now below his social station. Love is a tricky business though and destiny may have other plans.

Review:
Overall I really liked this. The concept of these match making men was a unique twist. The fact that each had a unique back story was very interesting. I loved Gae-ttong as she was very spirited and a-typical. It was a very heart warming story of love and friendship and good overcoming evil. Great all the way around on the surface.

Spoiler alerts**I did not like the romance between one of the matchmakers and the snobby noble daughter. I never found a single thing redeeming about her character and could not fathom a reason, other than her hard to get nature, why he would like her. She looked down on basically every one and the only consistency in her character was snobbery. Every time those two were focused on I just couldn't wait for the story to move on.

I felt very sorry for Lee Soo. He never asked to become king and his love for Gae-ttong was complete. My daughters, who watched it with me, found it nearly unforgivable that the only time he forced his powers as king was to try to force a situation where he would marry her. I think that is a bit generational. I thought his persistence just showed the depth of his love for her. They thought it was stalker level I just thought he was steadfast. I knew he would come around and he did. Said she could marry whomever. But it was sad to me. He mentions that he is married to the nation. I would have loved for him to have a happy ending. I know that is not realistic but I don't watch dramas to have them match sad reality.

There was no real sense for how her life with her brother went after they reunited. Was he living with her? It showed them hanging out a time or two but not if they had any sort of deep connection beyond that. It seemed he understood who she was but there was no emotional moment where it was clear that he did. When Gae-ttong was in trouble for impersonating a noble, he seemed to actually know her and suppress it to protect her, but that was it. And the maid that seemed to have something going with him. I liked that she was protective but to envision she had romantic feelings for him was a bit of a stretch. He was so child like in his thoughts that it would be weird. So that could have been cute if it was just a strong friendship but the implied romance was a little strange.

After all the effort and Gae-ttong to become a noble lady I really wanted to see her keep it. Like the noble who allowed her to use his name would fully adopt her. I mean he complimented her and said he thought his daughter would have been like her but I thought that was a missed opportunity at a really compelling relationship and another heartwarming story. He defended her at just the right time. But I wanted a real relationship to develop between them. It seemed he needed a daughter and she definitely needed a father figure.

I was disappointed in the last episode like so many others were. I really was asking in the second to last episode how the heck were they going to tie up all the political intrigue. Some prince, who we never saw, was supposedly coming back and two friends, turned enemy (the two high nobles) suddenly unite to back stab the king. So that could have been a big thing but it was so rushed it was like wait, how did they go from hating each other and seeming to have different goals for the throne to being in alliance again? It was just strange. A cool plot twist would have been that Do Joon was the prince. Then the snobby noble lady would have had to reconsider her actions. And I wanted him to fully tell her off. He minorly chastised her one time but I wanted him to call her on it and not like her anymore. So she was the one who wanted him but he was so over her. Instead he still wants her, even after she basically told him she wasn't interested because he wasn't a noble and not just any noble but a member of the royal family. So I think him being the hidden prince would have been a great twist.

After all Gae-ttong and Ma-Hoon did for Lee Soo I would have thought he would have given them high positions. I mean who could you trust more than them? It was unclear who filled his "cabinet" after expunging the traitors and how he turned public opinion. They started but never really finished that tangent. What happened with the Queen regent?

In conclusion I think this is well worth the watch. Despite some of the minor plot failings the characters were compelling, the romance was cute, and there were lots of interesting social constructs explored. Don't expect a perfect story. There are, in my mind, some unfinished tangents, and some questions left unanswered. It does end happy which is important to me and most of the major plot elements are tied up.

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One of my favorite couples - romance is heartwarming

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese Romantic comedy set against an e-sport backdrop. There are 32, 35 minute episodes (actual episode time ranges from from 30-45 minutes).

First I will provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis:
Qiao Jingjing (Dilraba Dilmurat) is a model, singer and actress who is isolated from regular social contact because of her fame. As such, she is only able to keep up with what is going on with former classmates through her close friends. One former classmate in particular, the guy who got away, Yu Tu (Yang Yang), turned her down in high school but she has never forgotten him. Years have passed but he is still handsome and brilliant and broke up with a long term girlfriend Yu Tu finds out through her circle of friends. She discovers by accident that he is a very skilled player in the mobile game Honor of Kings, which is a game she is advertising for. When fans found out she had been playing the game she needs to become a master or risk loosing the sponsorship to someone else. Looking for an excuse to see her former flame, Jingjing tricks Yu Tu into a face to face meeting for the purpose of enlisting his help as a tutor on Honor of Kings.

Review: (contains spoilers)

The romance portion is one of the best I have watched. I absolutely love the couple they represents everything that comprises a good relationship. They support each other and try to understand the other person's perspective. Although both have jobs that keep them away for long periods of time they ensure they are able to be part of each other's daily lives. She is no push over. When he rejects her she doesn't beg she walks away. When he decides he wants to be in a relationship with her she doesn't immediately accept his feelings. There are scenes when they are together where it is like they are the only ones in the room. When she was out with their classmates and he found out where she was he zeroed in on her. She was the most important person to him in that room and that shifted their relationship and made it so she believed he was sincere in his feelings after having rejected her earlier. The chemistry was there between them and they represented relationship goals.

Jinjing was someone who was fun to be around and amazing beyond her fame. It made it easy to understand how he could have fallen in love with her. She was mischievous, which was enjoyable to watch and was part of her overall confidence and unwillingness to accept being treated poorly. Both of the main characters underwent a lot of character development to become the best version of themselves for each other. She became less focused on material things and he became more fun loving.

I loved the sets and scenery. I felt like I saw parts of modern China that I had not seen to date. There were some beautiful places with lights, flowers, sculptures, architecture that showed the modern aspect(s) of portions of China. As they traveled, you got to see the diverse geography from desert to more tropical landscapes and from country to city. I felt like I got a mini tour of China it was nice.

There was slice of life of her career as a Chinese idol and that aspect was interesting and there was also slice of life of his career as a aerospace engineer. I found the aerospace engineering aspect less interesting because there were these long stretches where it was just him solving various aspects of space engineering puzzles. I remember when I was younger a popular saying was "I am not a rocket scientist" which was a self effacing way of saying you weren't an expert on something. It could also mean something was simply to do "it's not rocket science." In this case he was a rocket scientist and they went pretty far into the details of what he did to provide that slice of life. For me, I found it boring and actually fast forwarded through some episodes because it didn't show her much at all and was just focused on his issues surrounding his work. They could have cut out maybe 4-6 episodes that had heavy focus on rocket science. They didn't show Jinjing's work as much and her lifestyle was, to me, the more interesting of the two.

Overall I enjoyed this a lot and this is one of my top couples now. What detracted for me was just the unnecessary depth on rocket science. I recommend this highly, may watch parts of it again but would fast forward as I did through the "dry" episodes where not much is happening between them.

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Surprisingly funny and often underrated

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Fantasy Romance drama with 32, 35 minute episodes.

I first provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis: At a point where she should have had everything in life, a loving family, stability and living her best life in her middle aged years Min Jae-hee's (Hae Jae-sook) life takes a sudden and tragic turn. That all changes though when Jae-hee discovers her husband Kim Tae-joon (Jo Han-chul) is having an affair with a younger woman. Saddened by the fact that she is no longer young and able to start over she decides suicide is the best way out of what she sees as an inescapable situation. Just when she is about to fulfill her dark fantasy of ending it all fate steps in, in the form of a delivery man with a magical perfume that transforms her back into a beautiful young woman with a second chance at life. She becomes a top model, goes by the name of Min Ye-rin (Go Won-hee) and works with a top fashion designer Seo Yi-do (Shin Sung-rok) who is unlikable in nearly every way. He also has a lot of allergies and phobias that makes it so he drives people even further away when he freaks out because someone triggers one. Can life change for both as they interact, conflict and grow?

Review: I hesitated for a long time in watching this because it reviewed so low. When I looked into it more some of the low ratings were not because of the story or acting it was due to one element of the plot line which some felt was "fat shaming." I think there is a fine balance between calling a spade a spade and actual fat shaming. If someone is heavy I don't think everyone should have to pretend they are svelte. I also do not think anyone should have to make believe that people who are physically fit are going to see the beauty inside and be okay and attracted to someone carrying around a lot of extra weight. So, I did not see it as fat shaming I just saw the reality in life. Those that are on the heavier side of average, are likely to find not as many people are going to be attracted to them in a society that admires skinnier body types. Men, and particularly women that are heavy might have self esteem issues because of societal pressures. There was a time and place in history where portly was actually favorable and skinny people were not looked on in a good light. It all has to do with what body type is favored by the majority. If you can get back the early episodes, where her husband is just a jerk who quits loving her because she gains weight, you find that the main characters are not as shallow as he is.

Spoilers**
What I liked
It was funny. Yi-do is over the top dramatic. And it is very comical. He is one of those that seems very rough on the outside but is very caring and kind internally. The designs they showed were actually something I could see people wearing. The slice of high fashion life was interesting. There was a little bit of idol trope with the younger brother. I liked that he was very nice. I really liked Yi-do's assistant and how he became one of Ye-rin/Jae-hee's top confidents and friends. I liked the romance between Ye-rin and Yi-do they had chemistry and it was believable. A magical perfume that transforms her into a younger and more beautiful version of herself was a unique premise and I really enjoy series with magical elements. I liked that the daughter finally realized she had been unkind to her mom and decided her dad did not deserve her loyalty.

What I didn't like
I didn't like the romance between Jae-hee and Yi-do. There was no chemistry between them and it wasn't because she was heavy. It really just did not seem like they were romantically a couple. They seemed like someone that would be really good friends. I thought the personality was too dramatically different when she was Jae-hee. Not only was the appearance different but the personality was different. To me Jae-hee seemed cold and bullish. She was mean to Yi-do a lot of times when she really did not need to be. Ye-rin seemed sweeter and more innocent. Really they should have seemed like the same person but they didn't. I think it would have worked better if they had used a skinnier model in a heavy suit. I also was disappointed, at the end, that her 1 year transformation did not result in her being a healthier version of herself. I mean I liked that he loved her no matter what but I just thought, for her own self, that going off and getting healthy would have been a success/win over her horrible husband. I was disappointed that the Idol younger brother was so disturbed when she turned into the "Auntie". I didn't expect him to still be in love with her in that form but it just made he seemed a lot more shallow. I didn't mind that the ex husband harassed her through a lot of the series but for him to come back, yet again, and break the perfume bottle, and then immediately be captured by the police just seemed like too much.

Overall
I enjoyed this series a lot. It was great comic relief and I enjoyed the characters. I liked the magical element. I would watch it again and recommend it to others.

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Friends Turned More, coming of age, fresh angle - one of my new favorites

10/10 is my rating! This is a 2022 South Korean college romance drama series. There are 12, 60 minute episodes. It is also known as love playlist.

I will first provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis: The gossip chain is set abuzz when an anonymous confession is posted on the University's forum. Everyone wonders who the "secret admirer" is and who they are enamored with. Ma Joo-ah (Park Hye-su) is majoring in business and interacts with the computer majors a lot because of her long term friend Cha Min-ho (Jeong Jae-hyun) who is a computer major. They have been besties for 12 years but you definitely sense that, Min-ho at least, might want something more. She has never had a relationship but develops her first crush on one of the guys in Min-ho's major and gets him to reluctantly play wing-man. Seo Ji-min (Roh Jenong-eui) is one of Joo-ah's roommates and is one half of the "it" couple on campus. She is beautiful, with many admirers, is completely happy in her relationship and dreams of leading the cheer squad. She is a "justic warrior" and has a talent for standing up to bullies. The third roommate, Hwangbo Young (Woo Da-vi) is a bit older than the others, and has a very cool, no-nonsense approach to dating. Her potential partners either meet her dating expectations or she quickly moves on. With a lot of dating experience, and deep insight, she gives advice to others on dating. Park Ha-Neul (Bae Hyun-sung) is Ji-min's devoted boyfriend and the second half of the campus "it" couple. He is well liked, personable and goal oriented. Gil Mok-jin (Lee Jin-hyuk) is a psychology major who actually struggles to understand the psychology of others. He is a neat freak who has driven other roommates away but finds tolerance and understanding in his current roomies Ha-Neul and Min-ho. These computer, economic, psychology and business majors all come together as roommates, friends, and sometimes more as they navigate toward their future and college life. And they now have a common goal - just who wrote this confession? It's a mystery that intrigues them and binds them together.

Review: This has become one of my new favorites. I am rarely impressed by these shorter series as I often feel they could have used at least the four more episodes that is the "average" length of 16 to fully develop the story. This one was perfect at 12 it had great character development, major plot points were explored and "tied up", and did not feel rushed. When there are multiple romances I often find at least one of them tedious but I liked all of the romances. I am a huge fan of the friend turned more trope and this one went to the very top of that list. I loved the two together. The "villians" in this were also interesting because there was some redeeming for one of them and the other never grew or learned significantly. It is a heart warming story and I found myself rooting for them both in pursuit of their educational and career goals, in their friendships, and in the romantic encounters. The "mystery" around who was writing the letters was also very well executed. Hints were dropped that would lead you to one or the other and I felt like it was surprising when there was the "big reveal." Highly recommend this to anyone that likes coming of age, heart warming romance, compelling friendships, the bully/"mean girl" angle, and the slice of college life you get in this friend group.

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Lighthearted slice of life romantic (sport) comedy movie

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a (2019) South Korean romantic comedy (sports) movie. The total run time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Hye Jin (Lee Elijah) is an archery athlete with an attitude. Life in a wheelchair has not slowed her down much and a dispute over a contest ends in her motorized wheelchair being damaged. When she leaves she discovers that her braking mechnism malfunctions. She crashes into a tent where a group of robotics engineering students are hosting a tent as part of a larger event Hwi so ((Ji II Joo) can fix almost anything electronic and fixes Hye Jin's wheelchair for her no problem. Grateful for his help, she wants to buy him a meal and this is the start of an unlikely friendship. These two young people and their group of fiends navigate the challenges of life and grow through it together. Will love develop between two seemingly oppositve people?

I highly recommend this cute drama. I think the title is a bit lost in translation because I think it just refers to how she is a bit of a forceful personality that doesn't always play well with others.
But that is really her charm. I enjoyed the main female character's feisty nature and the fact that she was an amazing archer. Hwi so had attributes that made me think high functioning autism. But it could have just been the genius mentality. He was sweet to the core and I thought it was great the way he fit her personality like missing puzzle pieces. Each contributed to the other what they needed. She had that "cool girl" vibe and he had the quiet, itroverted "nerd" like mentality. She liked to do fun/exciting things and he was the quite the genius. I could easily have seen this being a series as I liked the main couple and their friends and enjoyed watching what they could create. Spoiler** There were fun scenes like they all sit around and are drinking beer. One of the friends is like here drink up and he is like I am one of those people that lack the metabolite to break down alcohol (only in way more technical terms) and our "cool" female lead is basically like shut it and drink your beer. And he got quite drunk but had a lot of fun. She brings him home and is apologetic because I don't think she realized he would get as drunk as he did. But his mom actually thanks her for exposing him to life. Same when, later, she encourages him to drive but they get in an accident. Mom comes and she thinks she will be mad because she is the one that encouraged him to get his driver's license but she says no-one was hurt and it was basically good for him. I loved the mom. With only a little over an hour and a half it was well paced, believable and my main critique is it left you wanting more only because the characters were so enjoyable. They did not fully tell us what happened to put her in the wheel chair nor whether, or not, the main male lead had a psychological condition or was just severely socially inexperienced to the point it made him seem like he might have autism. It ended well/happy. Enjoyed this immensely and would encourage others to watch it.

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Thought provoking, great cases, slice of life surgeons and ER doctors

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2016/2017 South Korean romantic medical television drama with 21, 60 minute episodes. Also known as Romantic Doctor and Romantic Doctor Kim. The 21st episode is a "special" episode but is such an integral part of the story I consider it part of the 1st season personally and not separate or "other".

Below I have a synopsis as I feel a lot of the synposis do not describe the dramas fully enough to get a good sense of what theya re about. In the next section I give my thoughts/review.

Synopsis: Boo Yong-joo (Han Suk-kyu) was a top doctor and a triple-board certified surgeon, who worked at one of the most prestigious hospitals in Seoul. Everything changed when his junior died and, as a result, he disappeared from his life in Seoul and assumed a new name Kim Sa-bu. In order to still work in the profession he loves yet keep his identity a secret, he works at a very small hospital in the Gangwon Province. Circumstances bring two young doctors, Kang Dong-joo (Yoo Yeon-seok) and Yoon Seo-jeong (Yoo Yeon-seok) under his tutelage. In the major hospitals, money and power often determine timing and quality of patient care with the very important persons (VIP) taking priority over those with less power position or money. Sa-bu sees patients according to their medical need regardless of their social status, power, prestige or the status of their bank account. His influence unearths Seo-jeong and Dong-joo's inner desire to disregard money and power and treat just the patient.

Review: This was a great, fast paced, medical slice of life drama with lots of interesting medical cases. The acting was, for the most part, outstanding with one small exception. When they would shock the patients you typically see the paddles placed high up on the chest and the person has to lean over the unconsious person a bit because of the position of the paddles then when they shock them the unconsious person's body jumps a bit off the table from the intensity of the current. Several times, particularly when it was Dr. Kim, the paddles seemed to be placed really low and the unconsious person barely moved. It sort of took you out of the moment a bit. But very minor. I loved all of the character development. Dr. Kang went from someone that had "given in" and was sort of in pursuit of money and power to getting back to his "roots" in medicine which is patient focused regardless of whether, or not, it benefitted him. He learned that from Dr. Kim. Dr. Kim learned to trust other doctors more again from all of the students who "baby ducked" themselves to him even when he tried to portray he didn't want it. He also learned to stand his ground and fight at times rather than always just figuring karma would sort it out. Seo-jeong learned confidence in her ability as a doctor from Doctor Kim and that she had the right to love again from Dr. Kang. There were a lot of surprise mentees that came from the main hospital and also attached themselves under Doctor Kim's tutelage. I particularly liked the director's son because he was headed on a dark path and both Dr. Kim and Dr. Kang really turned him around. The love story was cute and well paced. I didn't feel like we got a good sense of why he was so in love with her from their time together at the other hospital but I think we saw enough of their interaction under Doctor Kim that their love was believable.

Spoilers ** The reason Seo-jeong was so reluctant to start anything with Dong-joo was because of the accident she was in where her boyfriend was killed after she refused his proposal. She carried guilt feeling that was the cause without knowing that he was cheating on her and had drank a lot that day. There was an episode where she returned to the main hospital and encountered her former friend her boyfriend had been cheating with and that friend mentioned she had a five year old child that looked just like the father. You saw Seo-jeong give it some hard thought but it was never clear she made that connection. And then she was just sort of all right with moving forward with Dong-joo and I felt it wasn't obvious enough why she had the change of heart when the full extent of that situation was not revealed. She also had the attempted suicide episode and there was no complete resolution to that. It made it like just "tough love" was enough to snap someone out of that. Dr. Kim was basically like you can't be a doctor with thoughts like that and she was sort of like okay I won't have PTSD and attempt suicide anymore. Didn't make sense.

I also wanted to know a lot more about Dr. Kim's former students and why the one student had surgery. And what really went wrong. Why did she allow a proxy? Were they "sneaking" the proxies. What was the story with the cassette tapes/music. Lots there I did not feel was explained and I was very curious.

They left quite a few pieces unresolved I am sure in anticipation of the future seasons. But I prefer when a season can stand alone and I can decide whether to watch future seasons or not. I haven't watched season 2 yet because I am hearing there will be a season 3 and that season 2 ends without a lot of things unresolved. I am not a fan of being dragged along like that uncertain when and if a season will come out.

Overall I liked this drama. It portrayed well the very real world struggle doctors go through between being funded and doing the right thing by their patients. The slice of emergency and surgery life also showed the difficult decisions doctors often have to make in when to let go, who to treat first, and who to rely on. Dr. Kim was a very compelling character. It is true that when you are that good - you can have a target on your back from other's greed an jealousy. I will be looking for the 3rd season to come out and then will re-engage with these very compleling characters. Highly recommend for those who like medical dramas.

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Uder-rated romance, crime and supernatural drama

My rating is a 9/10. This is a 2019 South Korean Romantic, Fantasy, Crime drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. In the first portion below I provide a synopsis followed by review highlights.

Cha Min (Ahn Se-ha/Ahn Hyo-seop) is not very attractive in a traditional sense but he is a wealthy heir so some people are drawn to him not for his looks but for his wealth. He has been in love with Go Se-yeon (Kim Sa-rang/Park Bo-young), whom he graduated with, for 20 years. She has "led him on" as she liked him but could not get past his looks enough to see him as a romantic partner. She dates a lot but her main focus is on her work as a prosecutor. Cha Min has finally given up on dating Se-yeon and becomes engaged to a woman that Se-yeon introduced him to. That is until she breaks off the engagement abruptly leading Cha Min to contemplate his life choices while balancing precariously on a rooftop. Supernatural beings cause him to fall to his death when he was on the verge of changing his mind so, to make up for it, they revive him in a body that matches his soul. The result is he is flower boy handsome. They also leave him with an object, an abyss, that can bring anyone it is in contact with back to life. While investigating a serial killer, Seo yeon winds up being murdered and Cha Min uses the Abyss to revive her. She also comes back in a body matching the beauty of her soul and, to her dismay, it is much more average than her former "goddess" like beauty. Ironically Cha Min becomes the prime suspect in Seo yeon's murder so the two wind up working together to solve the mystery of Se-yeon's murder.

I put off watching this for quite a long time as the descriptions did not do justice to the depth and complexity of this story. Those that like crime drama will really like this particularly those that are interested in serial killer criminology. The supernatural twist in this is unique in that the object revives the individuals in a "normal" form, they are not zombie nor ghost like but appear completely normal. Part of the mystery is the how and why abyss works as it does. It also has a very heart warming romance and some compelling friendships and family relationships. Lots of character development and complexity. Some of the series posters I had seen showed this glowing ball and made it look almost silly but it is more of a serious crime thriller with supernatural elements and very occasional comedic (not slap stick) moments.

Spoilers**My main detractors were toward the end. I was glad I knew ahead that Cha min uses up all of abyss's power and becomes a ghost or it would have made me sad. They were separated for three years and we had to see heart broken Se-yeon go through her life without Cha min. I am not a fan of that separation trope. I was not really clear on what abyss was and whether the "beings" that had given it to Cha min were Gods of some sort or aliens. It wasn't clear why her love and his brought him back after three years and what all he had done in that timespan. Abyss was an important part of the story so I would have liked to have known a bit more about it. But none of that is enough for me not to recommend this highly and watch it myself again someday.

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Living through disaster and beyond

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2017/2018 South Korean romantic drama with 16, 70 minute episodes. Also known as “Rain or Shine or “Just Lovers”.

A horrible disaster leaves physical and emotional scars on Lee Kang-doo (Lee Jun-ho) and Ha Moon-soo (Won Jin-ah). They have both grown up and are living lives heavily damaged by the episode they continue to relive in their nightmares and day time flash backs (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Moon-soo builds architectural models and has an uncanny ability to spot dangerous flaws in the design. Kang-doo takes odd jobs and often works in the seediest part of society. They were together during the collapse but never maintained contact so they are unaware, in the beginning, of their shared past. Still they find themselves drawn toward each other. Can two people, so damaged by their past, find healing in their love for each other?

I really liked this drama. I was not aware it was based on an actual incident of a mall collapse but with the depth and attention to detail it makes sense they had something to draw on. It is a heavy drama, with romance sprinkled through, so if you are in the mood for something light hearted or with focus on the romance, this is not it. This is very much a slice of life of people who survive any major disaster or who lose love ones due to such tragedy.

Spoiler alert ** Moon soo is the typical teenager in the beginning, who resents the attention her younger sister gets as a child model/actor and doesn't want to be bothered by watching her. When her younger sister lends her phone so Moon soo can contact her boyfriend, you get a glimpse of how their relationship might have been like in the future. Although Moon soo is injured, her sister is killed in the incident and she blames herself for not being right with her sister (even though, in the end, she says to her mother did you want me to die with her which shows she realized her sister would still have died even if she had been right with her). Everyone handles the grief differently and through the interaction with the main characters and their later interviews with some of the victim's families, the complexity of grieving is shown. Moon Soo's mother becomes an alcoholic spending her days trying to bury her grief in alcohol. As a result, like most alcoholics, her maturity has never grown beyond the time of the tragedy. Moon soo's mom blames everyone herself for having her daughter act/model, Moon soo for not keeping her sister closer, her husband for withdrawing, and the people resonsible for the project. Moon soo tries her best to be understanding and take care of her mom even through her destructive behavior. Moon soo had a head injury and doesn't remember, at first, many of the specific details of the accident. She blames herself for not being with her sister and often feels like her mother wished she had died in her sister's place. She even says this toward the end of the series. Her guilt over her sister's death and feeling that she also caused her boyfriend's death in suggesting they meet at the mall, makes her feel she does not deserve love or happiness. Early in the series her focus is on supporting her mom, running the bath house, and building architectural models. Her models are so detailed that she can spot flaws in the design that could lead to safety issues. Through her work she is invited to work on the new construction project going on the site of the mall collapse. The passion she has for her work, and beauty bot in and out, attract the CEO of the architectural company who mentiors her but also is drawn to her as a similar soul.

Kang doo is a typical althetic teen-ager who is hanging at the mall while waiting for his father to get off work so they can go do something together. He is enamored by Moon soo whens he puts on lipstick in a shop window not realizing that, while she has a mirror effect, he is seeing her from the other side. He dreams of being a national soccer player. His dreams coming crashing down when the mall collapses and his legs are injured horribly. He, Mon soo and her boyfriend are all trapped close together as they were in the same portion of the mall at the time of collapse. Kang doo sings to Mon soo to keep her calm and comforts Mon soo's boyfriend who was fatally injured. When the opportunity presents Kang doo encourages Moon soo to crawl toward rescue first an action which will later add to Mon soo's burden of guilt.

This was near perfect for what it was - a heavy drama - but I did feel that Mon soo was rather cruel to Kang doo in the last few episodes. I did not find it credible that she would not have gone to him when he was calling to her and said he was sick. It showed her delaying and, even though I know she was tied up in grief over the events around the collapse, and punishing herself for all the things she felt guilty of, to leave someone who calls out for you outside, in the cold, until after they collapsed seemed very hard hearted. It was a departure from what I had come to know and believe of her character.

The situation between Mon soo's mom and dad never changed. It did not make sense to me that they would hold onto their relationship for so long and then it was divorcing that made them both decide to get better. The relationship between the bad director and Kang doo's "adopted" big sister also did not make a lot of sense. They obviously were in love despite the fact that he was married. She was someone who made him better. In the end, it seemed they would be together but I didn't feel like his character growth was enough to make him a good match for her. I liked the romance between Moon soo's friend who did webtoons and her assistant and wish they had played it out a bit more. All in all though these things were minor flaws in an otherwise great story.

Not sure I would watch it again just because I get dragged down mood wise fairly easily and this is a very heavy topic. I recommend it though for those that like dramas and are interested in a lens on past events or slice of life.

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