The Story that Might Have Been

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean romantic drama with 13, 20 minute episodes.
Ae-Jin (Shim Dal-Gi) lives a double life as a bullied high school student who is constantly harassed as being "ugly" and a "goddess" social media influencer which she achieves through costumes, camera angles and photo editing. Her worst fear is that someone will discover her trickery and reveal her dual existence to all. This fear nearly comes to fruition when she receives a text with a picture of her posing in her costume and makeup unedited. A series of circumstances lead her to suspecting her only friend at school, Lee Jin-Sung (Yang Hong-Seok) of being the blackmailer. Lee Jin-Sung is an idol trainee who is literally too cool for school and he, on the other end of the spectrum, is also an outcast. He and Ae-Jin become friends as they were both frequently alone at school.

The premise of this was very interesting and that alone carries viewers through. All of the young actors do a great job of conveying their roles. Spoiler(s)** Often I am disappointed because the actor who plays the role of someone unattractive is not unattractive. Now I am on the opposite end, the actress who plays Ae-jin can be pretty with makeup and a flattering hair style but they do everything to have her look unattractive in never smiling, her body posture, and attitude. Which makes it really hard to buy that Jin-sung would fall in love with her. I got the whole he was an outcast because he was too cool sort of thing but, even if they were lunch friends, him falling for her when her personality did not even come through as that good, was a stretch. If she had been super smart, really nice, creative, or just really fun, I could have seen him falling for the beauty inside. But, she was a bit self focused and whiny so it was a stretch to believe he would have fallen for her. The more believable pairing would have been Ae-jin and the "lunatic detective", Kim Ho-In (Choi Bo-min), because they were alike on so many levels. Ho-in's girlfriend, Yang Ha-Neul (Heo Jung-hee) was such a bully to Ae-jin, even with her later redemptive actions, I could never see Ae-jin embracing friendship with her. And Ho-in even mentions how he hated seeing her bully other people and yet he still cannot live without her - that was a bit of a stretch too. The 12 short episodes flew by and it really felt like some of the issues could have been fixed with more episodes. They could have shown a side of Ae-jin we didn't see that would have made her more lovable. Maybe a fuller explanation of why Ho-in was bullying and an apology to Ae-jin. I really wanted to like this show more than I did because it was a great premise. I think it is worth watching for the unique premise, I would not re-watch it, but watching it once through was enjoyable enough. I also thought it showed, quite well, how bullies can make every day a living hell for the bullied whether it be a bully at school, at home, or in the workplace. I have combated bullies in my life, defending others, and also a workplace bully once myself, more times than I care to count. Seeing a bully get come-uppance is enjoyable as it rarely happens in real life. Hopefully a similar premise will arise in the future but there will be a better job with developing the characters and showing positive aspects of the relationships. Not a bad series, just not particularly good either. It's the show that might have been.

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Exciting cases, great bromance, and romances, great character development and complexity

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean paranormal mystery medical drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

Cha Young-min (Rain) is a highly skilled cardiothoracic surgeon who suffers no idiots. He is a professor at the teaching hospital and is mentoring a cadre of residents when an unexpected accident leaves him in a coma and wandering the hospital as a coma ghost. One of his mentees, Go Seung-tak (Kim -Bum) was a dislike at first site situation. Seung-tak is the heir to the hospital and is pursuing medicine at the direction of his grandfather who wants his grandson to know the business from the ground up. The thing is Seung-tak is book brilliant but adverse to doing anything hands on and his plan was to coast through on his brains without doing any hands on practice. When Young-min becomes a coma ghost he is able to take over Seung-tak but no one else. Since he was the only doctor of his skill at that hospital and many complex cases come in he finds that he needs Seung-tak's body to be able to save patients with the need for complex surgery. As things go along it seems that Young-min's injury may not have been an accident. Someone wants both him and Seung-tak out of the picture. These two who are so at odds with each other find they must work together to save patients and also to figure out who is trying to eliminate both doctors.

This was really the perfect drama that avoided all the tired tropes that are somewhat annoying. It had heart warming relationships, all major aspects were well finished, interesting cases, great chemistry between the leads and among all the cast. I loved the bromance. The friendship and interaction between the two male leads was super cute. Spoilers* I wasn't sure how they were going to carry off the whole "ghost doctor" angle but it made sense within believing that comatose patients are a special type of ghost. They did such an excellent job of showing not only how and why Young-min became the hard, seemingly uncaring, doctor that he was but his evolution into a doctor that not only cared deeply about the patients he knew he could save but all of the patients. Young-min and Seung-tak took the best qualities of each other and blended them together in a mentorship/friendship that was durable and made them both better people. I liked how both men had love interests and that was an important part of both of the worlds yet the central relationship was theirs. All of the ghosts in the story were interesting and complex and went through their own evolution. I liked how, while they were able to solve some of the cases of the comatose patients, there was that one they were not able to solve as that it made it more realistic. The only thing I thought was odd is you had a whole cardiac specialty section but none of the other doctors seemed capable of performing any but the most simplistic surgeries. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. That seemed a bit of a stretch to me but it wasn't a story killer. They let us know, for all the main characters, why this one or that was able to see, hear and/or interact with ghosts. The parents were not overbearing and the "children" held their ground and made it clear that while they respected their elders, they planned to live their own lives their way. So there was no bullying parent trope and there also wasn't a long separation trope. I mean Young-min and his girlfriend did have a long separation but that happened before we were introduced to the story so we didn't have to "live it" so that was a better way of doing the whole separation thing (which I still don't understand as being a necessary element but those who write these dramas seem to think it is). They also did not break up during the active story line (again that happened before the story started) another trope I am not a huge fan of. I fully expected him to wake and not remember anything that happened while he was in a coma but they found a way around that overused amnesia trope by making it so he left a film for himself and also that the heavens or gods or whomever allowed him to cheat the odds and actually remember (perhaps as a reward for saving so many lives). I worried that they would rush some of the romances but they didn't. They gave just enough detail to know what direction things were headed in then just left it there. Sometimes that can be frustrating but, in this case, it was actually perfect. I highly recommend this drama, would watch it again, and it is one of my new top favorites. It's a great medical drama, has the romance but it is not the only driving force, and has some complexity to the plot and some surprises as well.

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Great comedic paranormal romance

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean drama spanning 16 episodes (~60 minutes/episode). The main character, Na Bong-sun (Park Bo-Young) is painfully shy and socially withdrawn because she sees ghosts and does not get enough sleep. Along comes Shim Soon-Ae (Kim Seul-Ki) – a ghost who is determined to lose her virginity as she thinks that is what is tethering her in place. Bong-sun has long had a crush on her boss, Kang Sun-woo (Jo Jung-suk), who is as arrogant and self-assured as Bong-Sun was shy. With the ghost on board, Bong-Sun's complete change in personal style captures the boss's attention. And the hilarity, uncomfortable situations, and romance continues from there.
Spoiler ? This is one I often recommend to those that are new to Asian dramas because I think there are enough “interesting” elements in it that they can't help but get “sucked in.” There were a lot of fascinating cooking elements – an immersion into the high class cooking culture in South Korea. It was a little predictable at times but was such a good mix of drama, romance, crime and comedy. It ended in a perfect spot without being rushed or drawn out which seems to be something Asian Dramas struggle with a bit.

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Sizzling romance, well acted, interesting plot...what's not to like?

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean Historical Romance Drama with 20, 70 minute episodes.

During the Josean era, the birth of twins was considered an unfortunate sign. To disguise the event, the king sends a message to kill the infant girl and everyone who attended the birth. The mother, the Crown Princess Constort, had the twin infant secretly snuck out of the palace to save her life. After years of living at a monastery, Dam-yi, the girl twin, winds up returning to the palace as a maid. It is not long before her brother, the young Crown Prince, notices their remarkable similarity and gets her to pretend to be him so he can go on a mission outside the palace. Unfortunately, due to mistaken identity, the young prince is killed and the Crown Princess Consort realizes her daughter was disguised as her brother. To save the life of the only child she now has, Dam-yi's mother requests that she continue in the role of the Crown Prince, her brother. As the years pass Dam-Yi (Park Eun-bin) yp keep people from discovering her secret she maintains both physical and emotional distance from others earning her the titles "the five step prince" and "Ice Prince". When her first love, Jung Ji-woon (Rowoon), is brought to the palace to tutor the "Crown Prince" she finds that the womanly feelings she had buried for so long start to emerge. Now Dam-yi must not only keep her true identity secret but also protect those around her in an environment where many factions seek the crown.

I loved the premise of this. The reason she had to act as her brother was both logical and believable. The interactions between her and all of the characters around him/her were interesting and engaging. The love story between the two main characters was well paced and heart warming. There were multiple villians and they were very much love to hate. It had a Mulan sort of feel to it overall. Spoilers** The only slight detractors were I felt we never found out what happened to her cousin who was mortally wounded in the end. If he lived and there was a possibility that he would although unlikely, he would come for the crown again. I thought the young prince being killed was unnecessary. It was very disheartening because she had told him he would be okay. Hyun never expressed any interest in the crown and they did not explain how it came about that he wound up being the one to ascend to the throne. I mean he was more or less the last in line that they talked about but still there was no mention of how he felt about it. In general the monarchy was portrayed as weak, they did whatever their vassals wanted to the point of maids and the eunichs somewhat bossing the royals around. I am sure some of that went on but it seemed to be very prevalent in this one. She is very petite and feminine to "buy" that she was a man. That is not unusual though, every one I have seen with this trope you have to allow artistic license and just "play along." I mean if the queen seemed to buy it, and the rest of the royals who would question it? I don't expect movies to match reality - they are movies. People generally cannot bound between two buildings, jump out of moving cars, take on 50 guys, but we accept all that in action movies. So, I didn't mind that she was a very "feminine" looking man and that those around her bought it. Overall I loved it though and those minor points were very minor. I loved how strong her characater was and all the things she had overcome. I would watch it again and totally recommend it to anyone that likes this genre. Very well done. The acting was amazing, costumes were beautiful, settings were eye candy, and the characters had a lot of depth and development.

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Slice of national athlete and translator life with two compelling romances

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021/2022 Romantic Sports Drama with 16, 60 Minute Episodes.
Seon-gyeom (Im Si-wan) is a runner on the National Track and Field Team. He is the visual for the team but also a strong runner who has consistently scored second. Heading into retirement his goal is to finally take first place, but a bullying episode with a mentee leads him to put his career on the line for principle. Some would argue he is able to do this as he grew up with priviledge but he suffers intense criticism and malice for his action from his family and from the sports world.
Seon-gyeom grew up with a politician father and a famous actress mother and an older sister who is a pro golfer. He was a latch key kid who did not get much social interaction and whose family was all about expectations and less about caring and love. His older sister is his only ally against his father's unreasonable expectations. Oh Mi-joo (Shin Se-kyung) was an orphan who worked hard for every opportunity she ever had. She is an interpreter for films and takes great pride in high quality subtitles to the extent she will watch each movie multiple times. Her and Seon-gyeom cross paths when she is hired to interpret for him as he attends several key sporting functions that could benefit his father's political career. The father hired her thinking, since she had such modest means, she would be easy to manipulate but what he did not count on was Mi-joo's pride in her work and high ethical standards. As the two get to know each other they discover they are more alike than different and love may change both their lives for the better.

2nd Couple: Lee Yeong-hwa (Kang Tae-oh) is a young artist who displays his art works in a local coffee shop where Chaebol CEO, Seo Dan-ah (Choi Soo-young) grabs coffee. She grew up in a severe family environment as her mother died early and her father had multiple relationships resulting in half and illigitimate siblings. Competion for inheritance is fierce in the household so the siblings do not develop loving relationships among themselves or with their father. As a result Dan-ah is sarcastic, rude and has no social filter - she pushes most people away. She had a close relationship with Seon-gyeom when she managed his sports career and they even appeared on each other's blind date lists as they both come from wealthy and elite backgrounds. The lively and engaging artist Yeong-hwa is able to crack through the frozen exteriors of both elites and befriend one and romance the other. Yeong-hwa and his infallible good humor and persistence may be the only one able to break through Dan-ah's icy exterior.

Spoiler Alert** I mostly liked this series. I wish it had focused more on the running culture and was a bit disappointed that his career as a national athlete ended so early in the series. The statement he made about bullying among athletes really fizzled out. The coach who was allowing it continued to coach. He was never exposed for enabling and actually condoning the behavior. The bullies were sent off but it did not feel like they got the punishment they actually deserved. In terms of exposing the issue - it did that - but I personally like seeing the good guys win. The way it played out it was like don't bother blowing the whistle as it will only ruin your career and no one will want to have you on their team. The bullies belonged in jail for what they did. I know it may have been more reality based that way but I like the positive outcome when I am watching fiction - I want the good/positive outcome. Show the possibility and give people hope. I really liked the slice of life of a sub-title writer/editor. It was interesting to think about how much control they have over how things are said and how that can flavor the whole movie or whatever piece they are working on. I liked that her career took off and it was a result of her hard work and strong ethics. I loved the ML and FL characters and they were so similar in so many ways. He was extremely socially awkward but she was a bit too. She had no filter when it came to voicing what she was thinking. I could see how they fit together in personality so nicely but also why they might bicker. I felt a bit irritated in this part where she got angry with him for being out all night and not telling her where he was. She was insecure he may have been with another woman and that he did not care enough about her to keep her informed. I understood she was upset he didn't bother to text or call but when he apologized and was trying to make it up to her I thought she should have forgiven him. I was also disappointed in the way she reacted when his father threatened her. The man could be terrifying no doubt but I wouldn't hurt someone I loved because of it.
I would find a way. When the mix up was cleared up though she remained angry with him until she needed something. She even commented that she was being bad for only making up with him because she needed something. The second couple had a very interesting dynamic. I understood her damage yet still thought she could be somewhat abusive to him. The ending was less than satisfying for me. It showed everyone back together but there was no type of permanence in any of the relationships. Everyone was just dating. And given they had broken up so many times before it did not feel like a happy ending. My daughter who watched with me is in her late 20s and was perfectly happy with the end. But, in my early 50s, I am in the generation where marriage or at least engagement was the happy outcome. So I think whether or not the ending will feel happy and wrapped up is somewhat generational. It was really good - kept me interested the whole time but just a few things that kept it from being perfect. Definitely worth watching for the great acting, insight on national athleticism, and sub title writers and the character development and chemistry between the leads was on point.

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Hidden Gem

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 South Korean Romantic Drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. Also known as "Lovers of Trot" and "Trot Romance" and "Trot Lovers".

Choi Choon-hee (Jung Eun-ji) has lived a difficult with her mother dying in her young years and her father embroiled in debts from a gambling habit. She finds herself the main income earner for the household too busy earning a living to pursue her dreams. When her father disappears she also now has her younger sister to take care of. With debt collectors barking at her heels, things seem pretty desperate for Choon-hee. One of her greatest outlets is singing Trot at the local noerabangs, a talent she inherited from her late mother (who was a professional signer that released one album before her death). However, someone has been watching Choon-hee, someone who knew her late mother and wants to give Choon-hee a chance to realize her dreams of becoming a famous trot singer. So when down on his luck Jang Joon-hyun (Ji Hyun-woo) becomes available due to a scandal which suspends his successful songwriter/music producer career, that someone seizes the opportunity to enlist Joon-hyun to train the aspiring singer. Joon-hyun is not a fan of trot but he doesn't have many options to break back in to the music scene. Joon-hyun and Choon-hee had met before, and did not think very highly of each other. As they work together toward common goals, love blossoms in this unlikely place. Can Choon-hee realize her dream and change the direction of Joon-hyun's life/career?

I have to say Trot was also not my favorite music. However, Choon-hee's rich, smokey voice had me enjoying this fringe music more and more as the series wore on. I also did not like Joon-hyun in the beginning as he did such an excellent job of playing the spoiled, arrogant super star. Choon-hee's little sister, Choi Byul (Yoo Eun-mi) was a real show stealer. I really enjoyed every scene she was in. Despite having some plot holes and an aspect of the storyline that I am not a fan of, I overall enjoyed this drama immensely and am surprised it does not come up on the majority of lists of good dramas to watch. It received awards the year it came out and I can completely understand why - it has even aged well. Spoilers* There were a lot of plot holes. At the start of the series Joon-hyun is framed in a sex scandal and that is the reason he falls from grace as the "god of music." What was never explained is why? You know the motivation of his manager, he was offered a chance to sing by a rival music company, but you do not know why the people that took him down wanted to bring him down. There was a brief scene where it seemed some executive had something against him but that was nevery fleshed out. It also wasn't clear why his agency did not stick up for one of their top stars more. The reason all the events happened with the parents was not fully explained. It seemed both women were in the car and perhaps shared responsibility for what happened to Choon-hee's mom but it was never fully explained how that all went down. And what role did Choon-hee's father play - they all called him oppa which is typically reserved for close relationships but it wasn't clear if they all went to school together, were all trainees, or just what the relationship of Choon-hee's father was with the rest of the women. It also wasn't clear how Choon-hee's mother died. There were some references that made me infer she died of some sort of illness but I was never completely sure. The chemistry between the male and female leads was over the top. They were the cutest couple. Everyone kept indicating Choon-hee was not all that attractive and I thought she was actually very pretty and cute. Then there was some of the "classic" only in Korean drama things such as the women fall in a pool and for some reason start drowning. There is an accident and Joon-hyun loses his memory and forgets about his love for Choon-hee. And then, when they find out Joon-hyun's mother was involved in Choon-hee's mother's accident the couple, who were about to be married, take a break. And he goes to the USA for a year and doesn't call or write. Then he comes back, his fame restored, but with some attractive female manager on his arm. There are even rumours he is in a relationship with the manager. But then he approaches Choon-hee and she is a little mad at first but then quickly they are back to being a couple as if nothing of that ever happened. I would have liked for her to ask him why he never called or wrote but she did not even do that. But the relationship between the two was so hearwarming and believable I was able to see past quite a few plot holes and still very much enjoy this drama. I would watch this again and highly recommend this underrated drama to others.

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Slice of Life in Small South Korean Village - heart warming romance

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean Romantic Comedy with 16, 60 minute episodes.Alternatively known as Seaside Village Cha Cha, Seashore Village Cha Cha and Fishing Village Cha Cha.

Yoon Hye-jin's (Shin Min-a) life takes an unexpected turn when she decides to stand up to her employer for overcharging their dental patients. After outing her employer on social media she find she has been blacklisted in the Seou

l dental community and decides to take a trip to Gongjin, a coastal town where she had found memories as a child. Once there fate seems to step in to keep her there as she loses access to her money and her car suffers mechanical difficulties. A city girl with little skill for country life she finds she has to ask the go to guy of the village, Du-sik, for favor after favor. Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho) is not only the top bachelor in the village but also an indespensible member of the village community. If it needs solved Du-sik can likely solve it, and if it is broken he is most likely to fix it. One thing the village lacks is a dental office and Hye-jin is a dentist that needs some work. Not only does fate decide to continually throw Hye-jin and Du-sik together but it also has landed her in a town in need of her skills. Will this sleepy seaside village be that little something in Hye-jin's life she didn't even realize she was missing? Is there a future for these two very different souls that fate has thrown together?

I rarely find a drama near perfect. There are just so many out there and always aspects that could use improvement. But I have to say, on this one, it is near perfect. I liked how the characters were complex and showed good character growth. The various stories of the people in the town kept it interesting. The romance was very heart warming. They are both amazing actors and had good chemistry. I did not feel too bad for the second lead even though I liked him a lot. It ended well and was neither too drawn out nor lacked in completing the story. The one very minor thing I was not a huge fan of was the romance with the 2nd guy and his writer. She was just a very flat, and I felt, somewhat cold, character. I could not get behind their connection as she seemed like someone that was not very compatible with him and all it seemed she did was nag at him a lot. It was clear she was jealous and a lot of her behavior was around her. If you want a feel good, slice of life in a small town, romance then this would definitely fit the bill.

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Solid Romance with surprises along the way -

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 South Korean Fantasy, Romance Drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

Han Se-gye (Seo Hyun-jin) is known as someone who is flightly, literally, she runs out of important engagements and it has given her the reputation of an irresponsible troublemaker. Despite that she is a Hallyu A-list actress but struggles keeping her career moving forward with all the bad publicity she receives. What people do not know, and she cannot tell them, is she transforms once a month into someone else. She could be an old man or woman, a child or any gender and age in between. When it happens, it lasts about a week and she disappears from the public eye. It happens somewhat unpredictably although she can feel it coming on which is why she runs. Her friend and manager, Yoo Woo-mi (Moon Ji-in) has her work cut out for her trying to keep Se-gye out of trouble. Seo Do-jae (Lee Min-ki) is the Managing Director of his family's airline company and Se-gye is their top model/spokesperson. Things take an intersting turn when Do-jae decides to become personally involved in getting Se-gye to re-sign as he knows of her flight risk. He seems to have everything going for him being a Chaboel heir who is very intelligent and handsome. However, a tragic accident left him with prosopagnosia, which he must hide to keep competitors, such as his step sister, Kang Sa-ra from taking the top spot in the family business. Sa-ra is fiercly competitive but meets her match when she encounters Ryu Eun-ho, Se-gyes friend whom she enlists to distract Sa-ra at a critical moment. Eun-ho dreams of being a priest and his calm and peaceful nature seem well suited but there is something about Sa-ra that makes him rethink his plans. Can Do-jae and Se-gye find love in each other and trust each other with their secrets?

Spoiler alert* Most notable for me in this one is just how much I liked all the characters. Se-gye is a beautiful actress who is the perfect blend of sassy, she speaks her mind, and just incredibly kind. Some of the things she did both as herself and when she would become someone else was incredibly heart warming. I decided early on that she most likely became others to do something in that role. And in the end they indicated a bit that was the reason but they did not expand or highlight it. That is the one minor fail I thought was to not fully explain why she shifted. Her best friend and manager, Yoo Woo-mi (Moon Ji-in) is her number 1 nagger (as you would expect from a South Korean talent manager) and biggest advocate. She is one of the few that I think looks amazing with short hair because she has such a delicate face. I wanted to see her get with the male lead's secretary/best friend/jack of everything, Jung Joo Hwan (Lee Tae-ri), as they were so alike in so many ways. They looked adorable together. Woo-mi's boyfriend story was a story unfinished - you were left wondering what was real and what was not. The male lead character, Seo Do-jae (Lee Min-ki) underwent a huge transformation. He was a rather flat character when he needed to be but started to change and flourish when he encountered Se-gye. Very quickly he spotted the beauty inside of Se-gye and became her biggest advocate. His step sister and biggest rival, Kang Sa-ra, underwent huge character development. She went form an Ice Princess whose only goal was to replace Do-jae as the lead heir in the congolmerate to a caring friend, girlfriend and sister. I loved Se-gye's friend/brother of her heart, Ryu Eun-ho (Ahn Jae-hyun), and how he had plans to go into Catholic ministry but the beautiful and complex Sa-ra changed his dream. He said she became his new dream. And the big surprise that he wasn't who exactly you/she thought he was was a great plot twist. I also loved Se-gae's mother, Han sook-he (Kim Hee-jung), and was disappointed when she died so suddenly. I loved seeing her "mother" Do-jae as she was so protective of Se-gye yet could see he was the perfect person for her and quickly gave her blessing. Do-jae's mother, Im Jung-yeon (Na Young-hee), I loved how she went from Se-gye not being good enough for her son to she is the only girl for my son when challenged with an alternate reality. I just loved all the characters and thought they were so well developed and went through great character development. Slight detractor was the death of Se-gae's mom, I did not feel it was necessary and introdoced a sad element to an otherwise heart warming series. There is an absolute cringe scene where Se-gye has transformed into the body of an old man and Do-jae indicates he could love her even in that body. I was afraid of what type of affection they might show each other. I get the point they were trying to make but man, it was cringy.

As with just about all South Korean series, this turned out to be much different than I expected from the description and the clips. I thought the focus would be on her transformations and it was more of a side aspect, the main focus was on the chracters and their relationships. This is one of the more "steady" romances I have seen where the romance is kept front and center and does not get lost in side plots. I loved this series and highly recommend to anyone that wants an, on balance, heart warming romance.

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Fast Paced, great romance and exciting

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 Chinese military, action, historical and romantic drama with 48, 45 minute episodes.

Xie Xiang (Bai Lu) always looked up to her older brother who aspired to join the miltary to defend the nation. When tragedy strikes and her brother is lost Xie Xiang decides to disguise herslef as a young man and join an elite military school in his stead. She feels she is honoring him by fulfilling his dream. Her new roomate Gu Yan Zhen (Xu Kai), is the son of a wealthy family and he immediately takes joy in teasing the slight young man who shares his room. Shen Jun Shan (Toby Lee) is a member of one of the wealthiest and most influential families and also decides to defend the small young man. As their training progresses the three form very strong bonds and both boys find themselves attracted to the Xie Xiang even as they are confused as they think she is a man. To further complicate this love triangle, Qu Manting (Wu Jiayi) takes a likeing to Gu Yanzhen and is not used to taking no for an answer. Through it all they, and their fellow army classmates, become friends and fight their way through many adventures as they seek to solve a deep root of corruption and espionage.

Spoiler Altert* I loved this one and the episodes really felt like they flew by because there was so much action around the main story it kept it interesting. It was very comical and even cringy at times as she tries to avoid being discovered and as the young men become confused and embarrassed about their sexuality. I would have rated it higher but there was one story line of some side characters that would have been very cute but it ended unnecessarily. There were also several pointless deaths. But the story was still very good, the romance very cute and well developed, and I would watch it again. I also recommend it to others who like the girl disguised as a boy storyline. It was cool to see her be such a strong soldier and not a whiny girl who needed saving. I really like my heroines to be capable of saving themselves. This did not disappoint. Great acting, great action - just great fun.

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Quick Watch, Interesting premise, Great Acting

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean Supernatural Fantasy drama with 8, 44 minute episodes.

Jo Hee-ra (Song Ji-Hiyo) is more than just the cook of a diner, she is a witch who bakes up special dishes designed to fulfill the wish of the desperate diners who come through the door. The price varies by customer as do the wishes but be careful what you wish for as the cost is something very dear. Jeong Jin (Nam Ji-hyun) is one such unfortunate soul whose price is to become an employee of the diner. Practically everything goes wrong in her life - her long time boyfriend dumps her and her job lets her go. So she figures, what does she have to lose? Jeong Jin befriends Lee Gil-yong (Chae Jong-hyeop) when she comes across a bullying situation. She sees herself something like an older sister but that is not how he sees her. He makes a mysterious wish himself and winds up a part time employee at the diner. The situation is just fine by him as he just wants to be by Jeong Jin.

Spoilers**I liked the premise of this and found the "cases" to be very interesting. It worked fine as a shorter series and was surprisingly able to completely tell the story. I think there was room to make it a longer series. It seems whomever is the witch is destined to not find her dream herself and it was disappointing that Jeong Jin and Gil-yong also followed the path of the witch and assistant. I always prefer a sweet romantic ending though. Still it wrapped up nicely, was an interesting storyline, and checked all the boxes otherwise. If you go into it knowing there will not be a romantic happy ending - perhaps it would not be as disappointing. I would recommend this as a quick and entertaining watch with an interesting premise.

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Doom is a new favorite anti hero (along the lines of Deadpool)

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean Fantasy Romance with 16, 60 Minute Episodes.

Tak Dong-kyung (Park Bo-young) was orphaned at an early age and has come to expect relatively little of life. She has one incredibly bad day where she learns that the man she has been dating is not only married but has a baby on the way, she has a negative encounter with her CEO at work who is a self absorbed megalomaniac, and if that isn't enough she finds out she is dying form inoperable brain tumors. It's enough to drive anyone to drink and she does just that and, in the heat of the moment, she shouts at the heavens on a shooting star that she wishes doom on the world. Myul Mang (Seo In-guk), lives among humans for the sole purpose of spreading doom wherever he goes. When Dong-kyung shouts her message of doom, Doom responds. It is, after all, his birthday and he is allowed to fulfill one human wish. He is not a fan of being doom, but fulfilling Dong-Kyung's wish would be a quick way to end it all. Fate has had a role in making the two meet. As they grow closer each of their fates seem far too cruel. Can love find a way for a doomed girl and doom himself?

Spoiler Alert*** I really loved this drama. Seo In-guk's portrayal of Doom was spot on. I really cannot imagine anyone else playing that part to the level that he did. One of my favorite tropes is the handsome, arrogant, god so this premise was right up my alley. Park Bo-young who played Tak Dong Kyung was such a sassy and smart counter to Doom that their interactions were always so much fun to watch. it took me awhile to realize she was from "Strong Girl Bong Soon" as she looks so much different with darker longer hair. I loved all of the side characters as well. Dawon's portrayal of her younger brother, Tak Sun Kyung was perfect. He loved his sister so much and when he find out what all was going on with her he went from being the spoiled younger brother to someone that wanted to take care of the person who had shown him so much love and caring his whole life. He showed a lot of character development. His interactions with his sister's romantic interests reminded me so much of my own brother. I know that is also part of the traditional male family member role but it was still adorable. Cha joo-ik (Lee soo-hyuk) was a character that seemed so cold and impersonal but really was a very caring and charismatic person. I loved his portrayal of Gwi in the "Scholar Who Walks the Night" and find that he brings a very deep, intricate persona to the characters he plays. There were sad moments with Dong Kyung's terminal illness, but the majority of the show was very entertaining and funny. It was intriguing that God/Sonyeoshin (Ji So-jung) was a young Korean female with a terminal illness and there was a lot of very deep meaning in both her actions and words. I found it important to analyze the symbolic nature of her garden and the plants and explore alternative meanings to the things she said. I did not find the Uncle Kevin (Daniel C. Kennedy) character to be necessary, in fact the episodes with that character in them tended to break the 4th wall for me as it just did not blend in well so it really took me out of the moment. I think the fact that he only spoke English and those around spoke Korean - it made it like there was a language barrier and made it hard to understand the depth of the relationships and intensity of conversations when, at times it seemed like he understood Korean, and at other times it was obvious he did not. Those scenes could have easily been left out without changing the flow of the story. What dropped this from a perfect 10 for me was the ending. It feels somewhat hypocritical to comment that there was too much after they were reunited but, in this case, there really was. It is such a fine balance I find between ending something abruptly and dragging it out so much that the after story seems pointless. It breaks the magic a bit to see them just going about their every day lives. I could have done with episode 15 plus maybe 15 minutes to tie up all the loose ends. A very picky point. I highly recommend this series and would watch it again. But it is not my very top because of the minor flaws that don't mean much on their own but do stack up to lessen the enjoyment just a bit.

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Very complex which may be a good thing or could be a bad thing depending on what you are after

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean mystery, crime, thriller television series with 20, 70 Minute, episodes.

There is a serial killer on the loose and no-one feels safe. After his mother and father are victims, Ko Moo Chi (Song Min-jae) bravely identifies the killer causing one of the most notorious killers to be sent to prison. Fast forward and now Ko Moo Chi (Lee Hee Joon) is a detective who will stop at nothing to get the bad guy. He is on a personal mission to put as many killers behind bars as possible. It seems there is a new serial killer whose crimes rival the brutality of the "head hunter" the killer who killed Chi's parents. After several chance encounters with another police officer officer, Jetong Ba-reum (Lee Seung-gi) who is known for his good deeds and many, including Chi, wonder if he has what it takes, in terms of a hardened personality, to make it as a homicide detective. Nevertheless they team up to stop this new serial killer. Oh Bong-yi (Park Ju-hyun) sees Ba-reum as stability in a life that has been far from stable. Their romantic pairing is something her grandmother wished for seeing handsome and kind Ba-reum as a perfect pairing for her granddaughter who is haunted by a traumatic past. Choi Hung-ju (Kyung Soo-jin) is an investigative journalist specializing in stories about killers. Her work has her working with Detective Chi frequently and he values her opinion. They were once romantically interested in each other but life events drove them apart. Will they catch the killer through their combined efforts before he can kill many more? Is everyone who they seem?

Spoiler alert***
What I liked about this series. It went very in depth on the psychology behind psychopathy. It showed very clearly how some psychopaths are experts at blending in with "normal" people and how those closest to them can be fooled. I liked the relationships between friends, former lovers, and even the interplay between the serial killers and the police. I thought all of the actors played their roles very well.

What I did not like about this series:
1) It was so complex that it made the story hard to follow at times. The plot twists were frequent and you had to pay careful attention to things that may have happened several episodes ago or you may miss the significance of the latest twist. It caused me to tune out several times to let the story play out a little bit and get back to normal.

2) I did not like the inconsistencies. For example the killer was a psychopath even as a child and had one of his father's mice (assumed). But if the mouse was his father's it did not make sense as he was in school when it showed him with the mouse and his father was put in jail before he was born. So, where did he get the mouse as a small child? Another inconsistency was when Bong-yi was rescued as a child by Ba-reum. He gives her a piggy back ride and they seemed to be about the same age. However, earlier in the show the Bong-yi commented on their age gap and it seemed to be significant, like maybe 10 years.

3) An event with new characters would happen in one episode and seem to conclude then several episodes later they would mention the names of the people involved in the episode. By the time I would figure out what event they were referencing, the story would have moved along.

4) I did not like that I felt I had no one to root for. I like Ba-reum early on but when he turned out to be bad, I was very disappointed. The rest had some serious character flaws, Bong-yi jumped to conclusions, Chi wanted to kill the bad guys and be judge, jury and executioner, and Chung-ju does not open up to anybody.

5) Loose ends. There were a lot of unexplained things. Such as the mouse, why did Ba-reum have a mouse. The mouse almost seemed to be controlled by Ba-reum when it attacked the snake - what was that about? We also never got the full story of what transpire to PD Choi as a young child. What happened to her brother? How did the serial killer get her to work with him? The Oz organization was mentioned frequently but when things wrapped up we never got the full story of who all belonged to Oz and why they joined. The pregnant lady who was identified as having a child with the psychopath gene at the same time that Ba-reum's mother was, what happened to her and her child? There were so many psychopaths it was hard to keep track of who was who.

6) Romance died. I know it was never fully intended to be a romance but there was a cute romance developing between Ba-reum and Bong-yi and then we found out the truth about him and that was that, as it obviously would be. But then even Detective Chi and PD Choi, they had a romance in the past and, at the end, Detective Chi indicates to another detective he still has feelings and might confess but then PD Choi and he sit down and talk about their feelings of guilt over the way things played out with the doctor. They sort of agree it sucks and they will live with that guilt then she just walks away and he drives off into the sunset in his egg truck. Felt like we had build up in both cases only to be let down in the end.

7) There was a lot of emphasis put on the psychopath gene and, while they mentioned that there was a possibility the individual may not be a psychopath but a genius instead, they never pursued that angle. It is not dissimilar to what, in reality, is known about psychopaths that there are thrill seekers who have that similar flatline emotional state but do not exhibit as murderers, they may be thrill seekers (extreme sports), highly competitive business or finance moguls, or other such adrenalizing pursuits. It was unclear if the Doctor was thought to have the psychopath gene, he was part of the experiment so you could assume he did, however it was not clear.

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Great medical drama with a really disappointing plot element at the end

8/10 is my rating. This is a South Korean medical romantic drama with 32, 22 minute, episodes.

When they first meet, Kang Si-young (Lee Se-young) is working as a doctor to inmates but has no confidence as she quit medical school after a tragic accident left her guilt ridden and convinced she is flawed as a doctor. Cha Yo-han (Ji Sung) was a famous pain doctor but a career altering decision landed him in prison for three years. In prison he is known as the man with all the medical answers since the doctors that work in the prison tend to shy away from diagnosis and perform medical triage. Si-young is not sure about this mysterious doctor at first but quickly decides he knows what he is talking about. With just a little mentoring from him, Si-young regains some confidence and decides to return to residency only to discover Dr. Cha was released and reinstated at the same hospital she returned to. As they work closely together he as her professor and mentor and she as the mentee and resident, they find many similarities in the circumstances of the past as well as in their approach to medicine.

spoilers* This had such a great start and was intriguing the whole way through. The ending really ruined it a bit for me. I love both the Male Lead and Female Lead characters. Both are doctors who suffer emotional wounds from patients who were terminal and where they had to make a determination between life and death. Their experience in that regard is what draws them together. They are both brilliant, dedicated doctors who do not play politics but do whatever is best for their patients. Because they are so much alike, it is easy to understand how they would like each other as deeply as they do. The series deeply explored the ethics around euthanasia. Where it fell apart for me was toward the end when they have confessed their love for each other and he disappears from her life for three years. He comes back with some lame excuse about needing to take care of his health but, to me, that is exactly the time when you should be drawing the person you love closer not pushing them away. He watches her from afar for nearly a year when she doesn't even know he is back in South Korea. She is so heart broken during that whole time that it is hard to imagine her ever forgiving him for trampling on her heart. But she does forgive him, and actually quite easily, which made me disappointed in both the male and female lead characters. This is worth the watch but just expect that the ending will sour it a bit as he acts in total disregard to her feelings and she forgives far too easily

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Short series yet still well developed and interesting

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean Supernatural Fantasy Romance drama with 12,12 minute,episodes. Also known under the title “Kiss Ghost.”

Ban Sook (Bae In Hyuk) is a 160 year old Goblin who has gotten lonely and wishes to be human. The Goblin Queen stipulates in order to be human he must kiss 10 humans of her choice. Sounds easy he thinks after all his good looks and Goblin magic making kissing the girls easy. What he does not realize is the Goblin Queen carefully chose each woman based on her predominant emotion and that Ban Sook would take on these emotions after each kiss. In the course of his missions he runs across Oh Yeon Ah (Jeon Hye Won) who sees him kiss her friend and another girl and thinks he is a player. She is jaded as she has been cheated on so finds Ban Sook‘s behavior particularly offensive. Circumstances make it so she helps him guarding him from an exorcist determined to kill him. Will dislike lead to like lead to love?
What does the Goblin Queen have in store for him?

*spoilers. I liked this a lot just wished it was longer. On the other hand if you are coming off a long, heavy drama this could be just the short yet fluffy drama you need to recharge. Bae In Hyuk is gorgeous so watching him is worth it in any case. The plot line is interesting and they do a good job with it despite the brevity.

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Very predictable and little chemistry

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018/2019 South Korean television romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

Cha Soo-hyun (Song Hye-kyo), has lived life in the spot light serving as a poster child for her politician father. Her mother, who sees her daughter as a pawn to further her husband’s political career, marries her off to a chaebol whose family has wealth and power sufficient to support her families‘ political ambitions. The loveless marriage soon falls apart when Soo-hyun’s husband declares he wants to marry one of the women he had been having an affair with. There are conditions to the divorce on both sides, Soo-hyun’s mother-in-law insists she continue to attend family gatherings until her son remarries. Soo-Hyun requests to be CEO of a hotel owned by the family which is on the verge of failing financially. Soo-Hyun makes the hotel so successful that she goes to Cuba to strike a deal to expand her hotel brand. It is while there that she has several chance encounters with Kim Jin-hyuk (Park Bo-gum), who saved doing part time jobs for a fun filled trip too Cuba before returning to South Korea and settling int his career. Soo-Hyun takes an impulsive trip out without her staff to see a highly recommended beach sunset and winds up being pick pocketed and stranded. She asks Jin-Hyuk to help her and they wind up spending a spontaneous and eventful evening together. They planned a good bye meeting the next morning but Soo-Hyun gets delayed and they return to South Korea separately thinking they are unlikely to see each other again. Fate has a say though and Jin-Hyuk’s new job is with Soo-hyun’s company. Differences in age, social class, and her ex in laws and parents desire for her to remarry her former spouse all stand in the way of the developing romance. Can the two overcome all the obstacles?

spoilers** Overall I would characterize this as boring. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t particularly good either. The entire story line was very very predictable. When they were in Cuba it was slightly interesting as it was intriguing knowing neither one of them really knew who the other one was so there was anticipation in that. Also, in Cuba, they were doing some interesting things in that cultural space. When they were back in South Korea there was a moment of uncertainty when it turned out he worked for her and her company and when he had to go to an office farther away. The female lead character had a very “flat” personality. It was supposed to be due to her upbringing but, other than a few more smiles, the character did not change or grow significantly. It made it hard to understand why the magnanimous male character would be so madly in love with her. I thought that her conflict with her ex‘s family would turn out to be a way bigger deal than it actually wound up being. The fact that her father took care of it made the entire struggle leading up to that kind of a mute point. Even their small break up was very predictable and the fact that they got back together even more predictable. If it seems like I’m using the word predictable a lot it’s very intentional there were no major surprises or twists which for me made the story very ho-hum. His mom and her actions is something you would expect within the context of a Korean drama yet I still found it very mean and irritating. I know it’s the American in me that finds the way parents in Korean dramas interfere in the lives of their children annoying. When it is just them disapproving and working on their own child it is one thing but when they harm someone else emotionally it is just abusive. I was disappointed he was not angry with his mom about it. The father was and I liked that. I was glad she finally came around but it was almost too late. Not one I would rewatch or recommend unless someone is a serious fan of one of the leads or just likes very predictable romantic dramas.

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