ltspada

Expect to lose sleep in binge watch sessions

8,5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese romantic comedy drama with 30, 45 minute episodes

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Lu Li (Zhu Xu Dan) has shaped her life to be around the man she fell in love with. Her singular focus to become the type of woman to win Jiang Yi Cheng’s (Xing Zhao Lin) heart, led her to not only majoring in the same program focusing on computer programming but even attending the same college. When she was unable to get Yi Cheng’s attention as a student, her plan shifted to working at his company. That plan hits a snag when it is revealed Jiang Yi Cheng's company does not recruit female employees. Not to be deterred, Lu Li disguises herself as a man to get hired with the intention of revealing her true gender after she has proven her worth. Jiang Yi finds himself attracted to this very feminine looking new male employee such that it is a relief when he discovers “he” is actually a she. Since he discovered it before the intentional reveal he is initially angry that he was duped. But his mother, who was already pressuring marriage, is happy when she discovers her son is not interested in a relationship with a man after all and is happy to pressure her son to make this person he showed interest in her daughter-in-law. To satisfy his mother, and yet not be forced into a relationship, Yi Cheng secretly strikes a deal with Lu Li to do a one year contract marriage and work at his company. Lu Li plans to win his heart and turn their fake marriage into the real thing.

Review

There were so many big milestone events I found this was one I could not stop watching even when I had work the next day. I would be like I am watching it until he figures out she is a girl, I am watching it until they kiss, I am watching it until they are married, I am watching it until she gets tired of his cheating, I am watching it until he discovers where she is, I am watching it until they reconcile, and so on. They did such a food job with the plot there was always something big going in that you wanted to see what happened with this or that. If you like heart warming romances with a strong female lead do not let the early part of this deter you, it would lead you to think she is a push over and simply too nice. But she comes into her own later in the series, so it is worth sticking with it, You might also think in the first half that he is always going to be somewhat cold and unfeeling toward the main girl but when he falls he falls hard. The slice of life of a female in a non traditional job in China adds a uniqueness to the story. I recommend this for those that like romances with happy, well wrapped up, endings and lighter, less complex plots. Those that like characters in disguise, cold CEOs, love triangles, surprise pregnancies, and women in non traditional roles will also like this.

Spoilers
It was cringy early on how little she looked like a guy. She was way too pretty and feminine to pass for a guy so I was glad, at least, they commented about it a lot and we did not go through too many episodes until he discovered she was a girl. The scene in the horse where he would have been cuddled up to what he thought was a guy caused a lot if 2nd hand embarrassment for me. i was super glad she was “discovered” and switched to a woman in like episode 7 or so. Up to episode 20/21 I was getting frustrated she was putting up with his emotional cheating. Even in a contract marriage, you should not do things that embarass the other person. If people think you are in a genuine relationship, having people pity you because they think you are being cheated on is humiliating and hurtful. So he should have realized that. She was so sweet to him and his behavior toward her was cold and cruel at times. I was cheering her on when she ate the stinky noodles right outside his room. And when she would stick up for herself and ignore him or defy him I thought he was getting a little bit of the punishment he deserved. The “other” woman/ex girlfriend was inferior to lead girl in every way. She was way less attractive yet they stated several times how pretty she was. Her personality was seriously lacking so that other men did not seem interested in her at all. It made it hard to understand what he ever saw in her and even angrier at him for the way he treated his wife.

When Lu Lin finally left him I was cheering so hard internally. No one ever needed a lesson more than he did. It showed her strength of character that she went to a new city, far away, and set herself up and was doing well. Her unlikely romantic interest/turned out to be just what she needed was awesome. You could have seen an alternate reality where she was forget Yi Cheng and went for the hottie new boss. He was cute with her and it was apparent he was a ladies man at that stage where he was ready for someone to knock him off his feet.
I have experienced a few guys like that in my life. Hard to catch but when they actually encounter someone who does not fall for their Romeo ways they fall for her. I would have liked to know what happened with him and his forced fiancé.

When the sister saw Yi Cheng with the ex girlfriend at the mall I thought she was going to let him have it. When he told her the girl was just misunderstood previously and she flipped so easy to accepting her excuse and mentioning her brother now had two romantic interests aI was very disappointed. She essentially helped her brother cover up his very bad behavior.

The Lu Jingwen (Pang Han Chen) character gave me serious Siwon vibes (Korean singer with Super Junior). In the show he is the boss who hires Lu Lin and has serious romantic interest in her until he discovers her heart is totally taken by Yi Cheng. You won’t get the Siwon vibe just looking at a picture of him it is more like a slight resemblance but his expressions and mannerisms totally remind me of Siwon. I love the role he plays because he expects a lot of her and yet he protects her and is her biggest advocate, He makes it very clear to lead guy you treat her right or I am right here.

In reality the character transformation Yi Cheng went through rarely happens and if it does it is not lasting. In my experience men and women who are cheaters, whether emotional or physical or both very rarely significantly change. Especially if they never fully understand how what they did was cheating. The show portrayed that Yi Cheng saw the error of his ways and would never do something like that again, but odds are that he would. The fact that so much had to happen for him to understand his actions were wrong shows that, at his core, he feels that behavior was okay. That would not make for a good romance though. And perhaps her showing what would happen to him if he ever did something like that again would deter him.

#CuteProgrammer
#XingZhaoLin
#ZhuXuDan
#YiDaQin
#GuanXin
#TianZiTong
#PangHanChen

Read More

If you like cold CEO, Cinderella and just a light hearted romantic comedy this is for you

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese Romance Drama with 24, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis

Gu Xixi (Wang Yu Wen) is a fashion buyer who dreams of opening her own store to sell her line of fashion designs. In need of a difficult to purchase item for a client she pretends to be with Yin Sichen (Wang Zi Qi) the CEO of a mall and son of a very wealthy conglomerate family. Not one to be used for nothing, Yin Sichen helps Gu Xixi catch the attention of the designer whose item she needs to purchase but then uses that to make her beholden to him. The designer is also someone Sichen wants to strike a deal with to feature his fashion in his malls. The designer, Alex, takes an interest in the two thinking they are an ideal couple to promote his wedding dress line. To seal the deal with the eccentric designer he gets Xixi to be his contracted wife for three months. Xixi is in need of cash so she agrees to the arrangement. As the two spend time together as a “married” couple real feelings begin to grow.

Review

This is just the perfect romantic comedy. The two lead’s chemistry is off the charts. Sichen starts as the arrogant, bossy and aloof CEO but turns into the most attentive and doting husband when he discovers his feelings. Xixi is bright and sweet and wins almost everyone over very quickly. If you like heart warming romance you will live this. If you like the Cinderella and cold CEO tropes this is very good in both those aspects. It does not have a deep complex plot and there are no real twists but if you are looking for bubbly romance you don’t want all that anyway.

Spoilers*. This does not have the tired mother in law buying off the girlfriend or boyfriend trope. The mother became one of my favorite characters. My mother in law was wealthy and flew in to our wedding on a private jet to tell my fiance it wasn‘t too late to change his mind. Life can truely be stranger than fiction, So I am never surprised when one of the mothers are cruel. I expected his mother to take the side of his childhood friend who thought he was hers but she did not, instead she said how she was a great sister to her son. The grandmother was Betty White level enjoyable older character. The female protagonist was a crazy stalker and one of the best moments was when Xixi told her you do not do things to hurt those you love. Inalso cheered when her best friend tricked evil girl into insulting her own fashion choice to reveal her wicked tricks. Second guy was steadfastly there for lead girl but he never did anything hurtful. He was like a foil for the 2nd female showing how you can show your love by wishing the target if your affection happiness even if it is not with you. The only couple I was not a huge fan of was his friend and the austere career woman. I did not dislike their relationship I just did not care. I could have seen second guy and his assistant as a couple as she was so amazingly supportive of him. I thought Xixi’s best friend and Sichen’s assistant may become a couple and there were some hints. Liked how Xixi was her own person and kept her own identity yet was an affectionate and playful wife. Sichen’s transformation was fun to watch. The lead couple were so on the same wave length they even planned the same surprise for each orher.

#OnceWeGetMarried
#WangYuWen
#WangZiQi

Read More

Enjoyable but ends abruptly

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean comedy romance fantasy drama with 10, 15 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis

Sun Nyeo (Kim Do Yeon) leads a typical teenage life but is annoyed that she bears a striking resemblance to a comic book character from a series that was popular a decade before. Not annoyed enough though that she doesn’t occasionally read the lines out loud. One time, as she reads the lines out loud, it causes the male romantic lead from the book, Chun Nam Wook, (Kim Min Kyu) to “Pop Out” from the comic book into the real world.
Even with a decades old hair style and fashion sense Nam Wook Is a heart throb. Seeing the object of his affections Nam Wook, Sun Nyeo’s he tries to continue their relationship where it left off calling her by a cheesy knickname and spotting equally cheesy one liners aimed at Sun Nyeo’s heart. It’s not long before Nam Wook understands that this Sun Nyeo is not the girl he left in the comic book. Will icy cool Sun Yeo fall for this unlikely Romeo?

Review
As a smile coming of age romantic comedy it fits the bill if you want something short, predictable and with a happy enough ending. Well acted with compelling characters.

*Spoilers. My biggest issue with this is it ends abruptly. He predictably has to return to the book and they have a tearful separation. He, also somewhat predictably, returns to the real world (how?) with some new character we only catch a glimpse of THE END. What? Do not leave me on a cliff hanger unless there are clear plans for another season. I liked it and was enjoying it but it felt like there was a power outage it ended so abruptly. If you like things neatly wrapped up in the end as I do then this is not for you. Maybe wait and see if they do another season. If you are ok with nebulous ending where you have to fill in a bunch of blanks then this may be one for you as I found the story and all the characters believable and enjoyable.

#PopOutBoy
#KimDoYeon
#KimMinKyu

Read More

Romance with side characters with deep dark flaws

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 (well filmed mostly 2017 but not aired until 2021) South Korean Romantic drama with 16, 70 minute episodes. Also known under the title “Mojito”.

First I write a synopsis then review

Synopsis

A tragic event led Chin Ji Woo (Sung Joon) to literally run from his past. But the money he had as a chaebol heir is running dry and he returns home anticipating a piece of inheritance from his recently deceased grandfather. In the course of being a rich play boy, he encounters So Joong Hee (also known as Soju; Im Ji Yeon) whom he discovers will do many things for the right amount of money. He is fascinated by this person that lives so differently than he does and decides to play with her. While Ji Woo did not inherit a lot of money he did get an old building filled with books. Since his family has cut him off (partially to keep him from leaving) Ji Woo comes up with the ipunique idea of having a day drinking bar which he calls Siesta. Joong Hee becomes his part timer to pay off a debt she wounded up having to him. Her dream is to study culinary art in Paris but since she was swindled out of her money working with Ji Woo is currently her best option. As the two get closer, Seo Yi Ji (Kim Yoon Hye) the sister of Ji Woo’ s deceased friend whom he feels responsible for appears. Ji Woo has so much guilt over past events that Yi Ji is able to bully him into being her boyfriend. Joon Hee’s best friend Kim Yeong Kang (Baek Sung Hyun) has thought of her as more than a friend for quite some time but has yet to confess. Will two people from such different backgrounds find love? What is the tragedy from Ji Woo’s life that had him running from emotional pain? Will Siesta flourish or fail?

Review

I think a huge determining factor in whether you like this drama or not is if you are okay with characters who have deep flaws or if you watch dramas to escape the ugly side of reality. The central romance itself is believable and cute but so nany of the characters around them have serious emotional problems. It is good, you can definitely tell it was filmed in 2017 as it has this darker style and just has the cultural essence of that time period. It is good and I would recommend it for those that like romances. I will not likely rewatch it so it is not a top favorite but still worth a watch.

Spoilers
Ji Woo is so cruel, at times to Soju that it is really hard to understand what she sees in him when there is a guy that is so sweet and caring to her in the form of her bestie. However, there is this scene when the two seconds ask each other what they see in the lead couple and their answers are telling. They basically provide a list of bad qualities and then say but I love them anyway. Ji Woo acts very cool and uncaring on the exterior but actually winds up taking care of all those in need who cross his path. He is fun and interesting and it is that charisma that draws people to him. Soju is very caring. She cannot pass someone in need without helping. She makes food she thinks others will like and is a hard worker. Which, I think, is the reason Ji Woo and Soju are better suited than the two people who like them. The fact that they see and bring out these positive qualities is what makes for a good relationship. There was a point when I thought Yi Ji might have undergone some character growth and might become likable but then she does the most selfish and despicable things and I think never mind. Harming yourself and threatening suicide to get someone to be with you is emotional abuse. The fact that she could observe what her selfish behavior was doing to him and still carry on, even when his mother implored her to let him go, showed she was a selfish and cruel person to her core. They tried to give her a redemption arch but the way she “let him go” was narcissistic and she basically blamed him for allowing her to use him. The girl needed serious mental help as she was emotionally abusive. Soju’s brother was just a straight up mooch. He did finally find a job that suited him and turn things around but it was so close to the end there was no time for it to feel redemptive. I wanted Ji woo’s mother to tell Yi Jo’s mother off. How dare she emotionally traumatize her son when the entire situation was that family’s fault. Who goes up to a grieving teenager who just lost their best friend and tells them they are going to hell? The son was upset and ran off because his mother was cheating on his dying father. Ji Woo goes after him and, when he is too hurt, he leaves him by a tree to go get help. And the guy crawls off? He was horrible too, he knew his friend was following him but he was busy throwing a fit. I found that whole family just horrible, None of that was his fault. The fact that no one told him that before her was disgraceful of all the adults in his life. The mother saying she needed someone to blame as if that was an acceptable justification for her emotionally abusive behavior was frustrating. But the Apple did not fall far from the emotional abuser tree as her daughter tried to justify her horrendous behavior toward him because she needed someone to lean on and that telling him it wasn’t his fault may have made him leave her side. I was a little disappointed that Ji Woo never apologized for choosing to protect manipulative Ji Yi‘s feelings and was willing to break Soju’s heart. When you hurt someone you live that deeply, even if it is because you are being manipulated and abused, acknowledging and apologizing is something you should do to heal as a couple.

#CastingASpellToYou
#Mojito
#SungJoon
#ImJiYeon

Read More

Same premise but all new cast and different stories

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 South Korean coming of age drama with 32, 28-36 minute episodes. Also known under the title Revenge Note 2.

First I provide a synopsis then I will review

Synopsis
Like in the first series, the main character, Oh Ji-Na (Ahn Seo-Hyun) gets revenge notes. It is an all new cast but does follow a similar story line. Ji-na is a nice unassuming high school student who gets the attention of bullies when she sticks up for a friend. She first gets an invitation to download an app called Revenge Note. Then, as she is dealing with the bullies as best she can, she gets a notice asking her if she wants to provide a name to get revenge on. Once the name is provided that person gets a notice that they are target of revenge. Then negative things happen to them including them typically getting in trouble for their actions. As in the first series Ji-Na wonders and tries to figure out who is running the revenges. Two brothers move in across the hall and are frequently coming to Ji-Na’s rescue. The younger brother, Seo Robin (Samuel Arrandondo Kim), is a bit of a rebel and though immediately popular with the girls in the school keeps mostly to himself with a bad boy vibe. The other brother, Seon Jaeyi (Ji Mn-Hyuk) is a model student and is kind to everyone. Both boys seem to be interested in Ji-Ana as a girlfriend.

Review

A cute coming if age romance. The revenge angle is interesting and keeps you guessing,

Spoilers*
Having the love triangle be two brothers liking the same girl caused an even stronger 2nd lead syndrome. While the premise is essentially the same as the 1st one, the cast is completely different and the incidences driving the revenge are similar but still unique to this story. There is never a definitive answer on who did the revenge note app but there are strong hints that the teacher‘s high school computer club may have been a part of it. The doctor/brother from the 1st season, who was suspected of being behind it, is in this one too and is associated with the teacher and computer club. After Jae Yi fixes Ji Ana’s phone and he sees her not Upload the app when prompted makes it seem he was aware of revenge note. But he is computer savvy and could be the next generation of that club. As others point out there are trips and pure accidents that seem more magical in nature. There is also an instance where the bully gets Ji Ana’s phone and puts Ji Ana’s name in as a revenge target and it says she does not meet the criteria. I appreciated that part as I wondered if it would accept anyone. Ji Na and Robin finally get together but he goes off to the United States with his family. So they have a long distance relationship. It would have been nice to see them reunite.


#AhnSeoHyun
#sweetrevenge2
#revwngenite2
#SamuelKim
#JiMinHyuk

Read More

Light hearted rom com

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 Japanese romantic comedy drama with 7, 24 minute episodes. It was adapted from a manga series “Shanai Marriage Honey” by Fujiwara Emi.

First I provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Since his mother is struggling with ill health, Mikuri Manatsu (Itagaki Manatsu) figures his marrige would cheer her up. While he is very popular with the ladies he does not currently have a girlfriend and decides a dating app is the quickest best way to choose a bride. Haruta Ami (Matsui Airi) is just out of a long term relationship and figures the best way to get over a cheater is a new relationship. They both like what they see in their profiles and quickly marry but know very little in terms of details of their new spouse. They are surprised to find they work in the same office and agree to keep it a secret so it doesn’t damage their careers. That becomes easier said than done when they find they are both very popular “singles” in the office. As their feelings grow, so does theor desire to seek each other out at work. How long can they keep their marriage a secret? Can love and a real marriage develop after such an unusual beginning?

Review
Overall this was a very light, feel good romantic comedy. The leads are very attractive and it was easy to envision them as a couple. I liked the premise and the story and characters were well developed. If you want a quick, not overly complex rom com this would fit the bill.

Spoilers
This could have been longer and would have provided the opportunity to give more background and slow build of their romance. I learned things from other synopsis that were not clearly revealed in the show. I liked at the end when they revealed their first meeting and what he thought when she first walked in. It got a bit too sexual for my preference at times. Their chemistry was off the charts so the bedroom scenes, which showed a lot, were a bit cringy for me. I loved how much his mom liked her and how much he loved that his mom liked her. It ended happy and things are wrapped up but it is a whirlwind to get there.

#InHouseMarriageHoney
#ItagiManatsu
#MatsuiAiri

Read More

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 Japanese suspense mystery, romance drama with 8, 37-52 minute episodes. Also known under the Japanese title Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru which translates to We Are Not Ourselves.

First I provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
Fifteen years ago Hanaoka (Okura) Nao’s (Hamabe Minami) mother was a talented baker at a family owned sweets shop. The son and heir of the highly successful confection shop, Takatsuki Tsubaki (Yakohama Ryusei), was Nao’s playmate as she lived in the staff area with her mother. The two young children learned to make confections together and Tsubaki fondly nicknamed Nao “Sakura”. That all changed when Tsubaki accused Mao’s mother of killing his father. After 15 years Nao is no longer the child TsubakI remembered and the two encounter each other through a confection competition. Not realizing the mysterious girl is his childhood friend whose mother he believes killed his father, Tsubaki asks Nao to marry him to get out of an arranged marriage. Without missing a beat, Nao accepts the proposal to be close to the family and location where she feels her mother was falsely accused. She keeps her true identity hidden as it is clear Tsubaki would not be okay in proximity of the daughter of the woman he believes murdered his father. Can Nao determine what really happened in the past without suffering a similar fate? Can the fragile love between the former childhood friends endure when they both discover the truth?

Review
Thus was eye candy in the beautiful Komono they wore and bright imagery. The sweets they created were amazingly detailed and it would have been worth it to watch just to see the artistry of making the Japanese sweets. But there was more to it than that. The mystery of what happened in the past was woven through well and it kept you guessing as new details were slowly revealed. The leads had great chemistry and their romance was believable, The villainess was well cast as I felt foreboding whenever she was on scene. It is a bit dark but still has a nice romance. I recommend this and would rewatch in the future.

Spoilers*
There we’re times when it was like if you would just let them both run it or select them both it would solve so many problems. Lead girl let the mistress get away with a lot as she would do something violent or despicable and she would not tell anyone else.

#CursedInLove
#WatashitachiWaDoukaShiteiru
#MinamiHamabe
#RyuseiYokohama
#IkusaburoYamazaki

Read More

Delightful romantic comedy and a must watch in the contact marriage genre

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 Japanese romantic comedy drama with 11 episodes in season 1 ranging 45-58 minutes run time and 1 spcial in season 2 running 121 minutes. It is based on a popular manga originally titled "Running away is shameful, but useful“ after a Hungarian proverb.

First I provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Moriyama Mikuri (Yui Aragaki) graduated and has only been able to secure part time work. Dreading being back out in the job market, her father secures her a house keeping position with a former work associate, Tsuzaki Hiramasa (Gen Hoshino). For the first time Mikuri feels supported and appreciated by her employer so when her father decides to retire to the country Mikuri comes up with a wild plan. Hiramasa at first rejects the idea but then runs all the scenarios and determines if Mikuri became a contract wife as she proposed, they could continue their mutually beneficial arrangement while keeping up social appearances. Knowing their friends and family would not approve of their arrangement, hilarity ensues as they struggle to make their marriage seem outwardly real. Soon they discover there may be more than just a contract drawing them together.

Review

I have not watched many Japanese dramas as I found they were either way too sexualized for me or didn’t make the manga to live action transition well. This one was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the marriage of convenience premise and that they fell in love very naturally. There were some breaks in the 4th wall moments but they were not obnoxious. It is overall a well paced and heart warming romance with many comedic moments. Highly recommend to anyone that is a fan of marriage contract and just heart warming rom coms with straight forward plots. The 2nd season special episode was actually a nice wrap up to the story. It was as well written as the main story and did not seem like an afterthought as some do.

Spoilers*
Hiramasa is very robotic in the beginning and it can be frustrating knowing how he really feels about something and watching him struggle to express it. These are big, complicated emotions for an engineer. It is enjoyable to observe his character development and they do a great job bringing the viewer in on that journey. Mikuri herself can be a little ridiculous about her emotions. I felt there were several times she misread a situation and got all spun up about it when she should have known he did not mean it the way she was taking it. But that is love which can cloud rationality. It took on some social issues like the traditional male and female roles. Japan is on a different path than the US and it is hard to watch them making some errors that US made that I think have caused problems. Mikuri wants to be equal with equal responsibilities and winds up putting a lot of pressure on Hiramasa. He learns and I think their relationship is better for it but it seems they are able to make it with one partner working and the next level is people not being able to make it and the state raises the child. They also tackle unequal treatment in the workplace, age gaps and homosexuality. To me it was interesting that the age gap was too large between the aunt and Hiramasa’s work colleague at 17 years but between the gay couple the age gap was not even mentioned. 17 years is a large gap but I don’t think, since they were both fully adults that is the only consideration. In their cases she was 50s but had a young bright personality that resulted in her fitting in with the younger crowd better than those her age. Her younger love interest, in his mud 30s, was so selective about partners that it seemed he would never select anyone his agenor close. The very things he did not like were attributes of his generation or younger. They were very compatible personality wise and it seemed if they weren’t together both would remain single. The special was also a reflection of early to mid COVID pandemic when we all though asymptomatic transmission was a thing, children were at high risk, and social distancing, masks and sanitizers were going to save us. It was heartbreaking their young family was apart but was an accurate reflection of the world at that time.

Deep Spoiler* Their chemistry in this is very real as the main couple married in real life. Gen Hishino is most famous as a singer and you can see a lot of his music videos.

#FullTimeWifeEscapist
#YuiAragaki
#GenHishino
#MarriageofConvenience

Read More

Unique premise, great chemistry, female lead not whiny

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Chinese romantic comedy drama with a supernatural element. There are 24, 45 minute episodes.I read there were 22 regular episodes with two, 15 minute special episodes. The special episodes can be hard to find and the English subs were not very good.

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
After a tragic accident, Xu Nuo (Fan Shi Qi) is no longer able to feel any emotions. Having this disorder has made him ruthless and high successful in the business world but leaves a path if emotional destruction which resulted in many people wishing him harm. Ke Si Yi’s (Qu Yan Di) family has a mixed martial arts business that is in he cutthroat sites of Xu Nyo. When he seeks a body guard, Si Yi uses the opportunity to fill that role in order to get close to the cold executive and influence the decisions he makes around her family business. More than sparks fly between boss and bodyguard when they discover he physically feels her pain and she experiences all of his emotions. What in the Freaky Friday? The two must rely on each other to discover the mystery behind this strange transference. There are some deep ties in their past so fate has had a hand in their lives for awhile. Did fate have love in mind all long?

Review
A cute romantic comedy with a very compelling and unique premise. The cold executive gets humanized by the happy go lucky positive female lead trope. The slice of mixed martial arts was interesting. The second couple were super cute. The family relationships and friendships were heartwarming. The female lead was not overly whiney. She was kind with an inner strength. Some reviewer say she was stupid.I did not see her as stupid she was guileless so she did not play emotional games. People who are overly empathetic and not good deceivers can come off as simple and I think that is what some are responding to.

I recommend and would watch again.

Spoilers*.

Him experiencing her pain had me laughing out loud at times. When he is in a meeting taking invisible punches and others are looking at him like he has gone crazy it is funny. He would tell his lawyer friend to find Si Yi knowing she was up to something. They had great chemistry and the timing and pace of their love story was believable. When he was going through her menstrual pain it reminded me of a documentary where they hooked men up to electrical stimulation machines to stimulate menstrual cramps and they would tap out.

There we’re a few disappointing things in the end. When he worried his competitor might hurt her to extract revenge he publicly rejected her multiple times. The female lead did not believe him because she was so familiar with his feelings having experienced them on his behalf. When he made arrangements to have an actress as his girlfriend and cruelly announced to her that they were considering marriage it gave me Meteor Garden vibes. I understood what he was doing and he he thought it was necessary but thought he could have told her and she would not have been broken hearted. I wanted her to cooly walk away but instead she clung harder and I felt secondhand embarrassment.

it was a bit silly looking when the bad guy goes to run over him and she drives her scooter in the way them the two of them are like spinning in the road. I think they were trying to increase the drama and make you wonder who would get hit but it was ver unnatural looking. Then when she is unconscious and injured on the ground he screams “no” just like that famous scene with Darth Vader in Star Wars. It was similar in that her injury was the very thing he was trying to prevent but keeping her away ultimately caused it.

She wakes from the coma, he is in the room, and she does not pause for a second but embraces him in a hug. It is all over now the bad guy is on the way to jail so he can now go back to liking her. But she just forgave him with no explanation. Her friend gave her lawyer boyfriend a harder time and he was nowhere as cruel to her.

We got a lot of sad when she and he were dealing with broken hearts so their reunion being the last few minutes was not enough happy for me to make up for the sadness we were put through.

Not sure why, with Chinese dramas they have special episodes that are rarely available with the regular episodes and even harder to find with English subtitles. It is like they are providing the opportunity to stop with the regular episodes or, if you want more story, you watch the special episodes.

In the special episodes we see that she is willing to leave if he is being cold or unreasonable. We see an argument and them both struggling not to be the one to make up first. And we get the proposal. The very end is a triple wedding. I enjoyed it but would have liked it better with better translation.

#LoveUnexpected
#FanShiQi
#QuYanDi

Read More

Promising beginning but then most of the characters devolved especially FL character

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean romantic drama with 16, 70 minute episodes

First I provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
Noh Ae-jung (Song Ji-hyo) dream was to produce films and she passionately studied film at University. Her capable and energetic nature toward all things film related caught the amaros attention of several of her fellow film students two of which went on to become famous. Ae-Jung’s dreams were derailed when she became pregnant and she did not tell the father and instead disappeared from the scene for 14 years while she raised her daughter. She worked a variety of jobs and tried to focus her work in the film industry. She finally gets a break when the CEO of the Production company she is working for promotes her and it looks like she will be able to realize her dream. But the CEO tricked her into signing a shady loan then disappears leaving her with the debt and the sinking company. When Ae-Jung discovers a novel, rights owned by the production company, which is ripe to be convertedd to script she sees a chance to turn the failing company around. The novel, that just happens to be the first work of a now famous author, could not only save the company but launch Ae-Jung’s production career. She just has to get a lot of people onboard and her efforts bring the men from her struggling student days back in her life. Oh Dae-oh (Son Ho-jun) is the famous writer who is seeking revenge on Ae-Jung for breaking his heart. Ryu Jin (Song Jong-ho) made it big as an actor but feels like Ae-Jung is the love who got away. Goo Pa-do (Kim Min-jun) owns the company where Ae-Jung’s CEO took the loan and winds up investing in her current endeavor to recoup his loan. Oh Yeon-woo (Koo Ja-sung) is a younger man who Ae-Jung saved at one point and he wanted to marry Ae-Jung and take on the role of father. Will Ae-Jung be able to make her dream come true with the help of these four very different men? Who is her daughter’s father? Which man will win, or reclaim, her heart?

Review

You may start this and wonder why there are so many negative reviews. The first episodes will pull you in and you may like all the characters and wonder how people could have disliked it so much, But it takes a turn when you find out what is really going on. To its credit this is one of the few with multiple romantic interests where I had no idea who she might end up with until well into the series. She had something special going on with each of the men, they all seemed interested and she treated them all like close friends that could be something more. I also was unsure which one was rhe father of her daughter. It made the first 3/4 of the series interesting as we tried to figure out who it might be. I liked the pre-teen daughter. But the Female Lead (FL) character became so unlivable to me at a point it was hard to continue watching. In the reviews I read some liked it but most that really liked it was more due to the actors than the story. I suppose if you feel the situation justified her actions then you could feel differently.

Spoilers*
I don’t know if it was Netflix influence trying to Americanize the series but I really disliked Ae-Jung’s “I don’t need a man” stance. She was very anti romance to the point of being mean to the men around her. When the misunderstanding that had kept them apart was cleared up she continued to treat him coldly and refused to help him form a relationship with his daughter. The only thing he was guilty of was he did make a bad choice in allowing a young girl that had a thing for him that close, but he apologized for that part, I was also disappointed in other characters I felt sympathy for Ryu having to be the sounding board for his friend when he liked the girl so much himself. But finding out that Ryu Jin deleted her text was a despicable action because it made seem like he would hurt others and cheat to get her. After that him being there for Dae-oh when he was so extremely heart broken took on a different feeling as he largely caused the situation or at least him having no clue why she left. Jo Ah-rin (Kim Da-som) did not care she was coming between a relationship with a child involved and thought it was very selfish and ridiculous to cling to someone who clearly rejected her romantically. Ae-Jung was just mean and the fact that Yoon-woo characterized her as sweet was confusing as I only saw her as very self serving and selfish. She did have her sweet moments with him but she also had other times when it felt like she led him on and other times when she was cold. I thought she was wrong to not tell her daughter the truth. She and the grandmother created an environment where the young girl did not feel she could ask about her dad. Even after Ae-Jung finds out her daughter wanted a father and was looking for him she still refused to let Dae-oh be involved in his daughter’s life. Even if he had cheated on her or ignored her text, he was still the girls father and she was wrong to cut him out of her life. Her daughter wanted to know who her father was but she did not clear up the misunderstanding he abandoned her. It made me not like Ae-Jung in the last few episodes. Keeping the child to herself and not telling her the truth of the situation led to a lot of unnecessary pain for father and daughter.

The ending was disappointing. it felt like he gave up his career, sacrificed it for her. After a completely unnecessary separation there is a short scene where they reunite then the end is her walking her daughter down the aisle at her wedding. That skip forward was awkward as it seemed not a lot changed between the couples or between father and daughter although many years had obviously passed. At least from what we could briefly see, All of the men were together sort of standing up for the young woman as a like a dad unit with Dae-oh leading that as a nod to being the biological father. It was weird. So it seems she never acknowledged her father and Ae-Jung was still playing the dual role of mom and dad. The fact that Dae-oh was there showed he was still in their lives but, given the FL wushu washy treatment of him I had no confidence they were together in a meaningful way. We finally get to see the gangster guy and the “bar” owner flirty and also the two actors but years have passed and they only made it that far which was also disappointing. It seemed to set things up for another season but I wouldn’t watch as it was such a train wreck with the dental relationship I have no trust any further stories would be any better..

Let me fix the ending how it should have went: Dae-oh cloisters himself off at his place but only for a few months. He and the FL hold a press conference addressing the rumors. He tells the public that the book he wrote was his truth at the time, but now that he has reunited with his first love he found out the truth.The production company will instead be working on the amended version of the book, and the movie will be released in tandem with the new novel. He goes into seclusion to finish writing the novel how it should be (and the screenplay) to finish as quickly as possible and they reunite when it’s time to film. When the film is released, they go to the opening night with Ha-nee and she learns the full story of her parents. She finally forgives her father and calls him Dad. The end. Had the ending went more like this it could have ended well. But it did not end well in my opinion.

Not one I would rewatch or recommend.

#WasItLove
#SongJiHyo
#SonHojun
#SongJongho
#KimMinjun
#KooJasung
#KimDasom

Read More

So much action it buries the story

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a2021/2022 South Korean mystery, crime and thriller drama with comedy sprinkled in. There are 12, 65-75 minute episodes.

Fist I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Ryu Soo-yeol (Lee Dong-Wook) does not make friends with fellow police and ambitious politicians in his role as a detective charged with bringing up other officers who violate ethical or procedural rules. He has been known to look the other why for the right motivation. He has been promoted quickly for his willingness to accept play for pay. That is until his alternate personality “K” (Wi Ha-joon) makes himself known and forces Soo-yeol to do the right thing. It is a thrill ride of hijinks and hilarity as the two battle for control of the situations. K also has a thing for Soo-Yeol’s ex- girlfriend, Lee Hui-gyeom (Han Ji-Eun) and takes every opportunity to romance her when he is in control. This causes Hui-gyeom a lot of confusion as Soo-yeol’ blows hit then cold. Thus set along a serial killer who is mysteriously tied to Soo-reol’s past. What will become of this person who hosts two such conflicting personalities?

Review
If you are really into action dramas then you might enjoy this for that factor alone. There is a lot of action scenes. Almost too much for those looking for substance. The romance element is also very minimal and mainly used for comedic moments. If you are a fan of either of the two male leads this is a role you may not have seen them in so you may enjoy the novelty. It is good especially if considere among others in the action genre.

*Spoilers
My daughter said the absolute chaos and almost too much action was like a teen-anger wrote it. It’s like “I don’t know what to do here…more action.” The other thing was I don't think gas lighting lighting and Dissociative Identity Disorder mean what they thought it meant. There were times when the other personality took over and Soo-yeol was not aware of what happened thus the disassociate part of the title but there were other times he was fully aware and acted like it was another person which is more like an imaginary friend. It blurred the two so much it was hard to tell when the main guy was actually doing the thing or if he was just imagining it. But then he would be completely outnumbered in a fight and K would appear and suddenly they would win against impossible odds. Then there were things like the straight jacket, Houdini could get out of a straight jacket by himself but that is a very rare skill. So it would have made more sense if K was actually there. Then there was the over the top action that resulted in things happening that were out of bounds even giving artistic license. People got beat to the point you would think they would have lasting damage but then go right out and voluntarily get beat again. One of the characters made out like cops getting stabbed was a frequent occurrence and he must have been correct in their world as multiple of the characters were stabbed and seemed to recover in an unusually quick fashion because they are right back out there. It was so much action that I found I got bored. Never thought I could get bored from too much action but this accomplished it. In the end we were supposed to think of him as cured as he had a clean bill of health from a psychiatrist (or psychologist) and by the way officers are all a little crazy right? I mean PTSD. But the fact that he still saw K as a separate person showed his personality had not integrated and he was not “cured”. If it is more like an imaginary friend it would be the same - not cured. And the way the alternate personality developed is inconsistent with DID, it is usually slowly, over time during multiple instances of abuse and it did not show that. It was more like K saved him when the serial killer, killed his father. Appeared because of that and not because of the long term abuse from the father. Same with what they called gas lighting. That is usually something that does occur but where someone is then “gas lighted” to think it did not happen at all or what they saw was not what they thought they saw. There was some of that which would be consistent but then there was also they were not even there but convinced they were or this other event that never happened actually did and you are going to say or do this thing. Much of what they showed was more consistent with brain washing.

#BadandCrazy
#LeeDongWook
#WiHaJoon
#HanJiEun

Read More

Practically Perfect in Every Way

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean Romantic Comedy Drama series. It has 10; 44-63 Minutes. It is also known as Love Battle.

First I will provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis
Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin) is an attorney who is an expert in martial arts and is not beyond rendering some street justice. Mi-ran vehemently dislikes men who take advantage of vulnerable young women and will seduce them in order to get close to expose their unethical and/or illegal activities. It has made her very jaded about men in general and she is convinced when she first sees Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo) that he is just another man looking down on and exploiting women. Mi-ran's long time friend and roommate, Shin Na-Eun (Go Won-hee) tries to moderate Mi-ran's thuggish behavior and is one of the reasons she is willing to stick with a new job that violates nearly all of her principles. The law firm Mi-ran works for, caters to celebrities, among them Kang-ho. Kang-ho's manager and friend Do Won-jun (Kim Ji-hoon) also has his hands full with his friend/client as Kang ho does not like manipulative women and has been on a mission to reform the spoiled actresses he encounters in his film roles. Both originally misunderstand each other and are thus on a mission to take each other down. However, the more time they spend together they come to realize each is not that thing they hate and are in fact among the few genuine people. As passionately as they hated each other in the beginning the two begin to love the other with the same intensity.

Review
The only very minor critique I have is it was a bit chaotic in the beginning of the first episode. I worried that the story would not come together and those confusing elements would continue. They do not. It quickly moves to a very engaging, entertaining, and comical story. The chemistry between the leads is very convincing. The reveal of the motivations of the main character is well paced. It is a heartwarming romance with a strong action and comedic element. 10 episodes felt perfect to tell the story and I am not one that normally likes series shorter than 16 episodes. This is one of the very few I could see myself watching again because I so thoroughly enjoyed it.

Spoilers*
The second couple, which was both of their best friends, was very cute and it was unfortunate that we did not get more time seeing their relationship further develop. However, they were a side couple so the amount of time spent on them was understandable.

I loved Mi-ran's relationship with her female client/aging actress who is divorcing her philandering chaebol husband. I liked how she won her over from being who she was and how they were such great advocates for each other.

I wish that Kang-Ho had told Mi-ran what exactly his ex-girlfriend had done to him but it was not critical to the story that he do so. It was actually part of of what was so wonderful about him that he did not totally out his former girlfriend. Mi-ran was so smart and good at investigating it is likely she would find that out on her own at some point anyway.

I liked how she gained respect and became friends with the male attorneys. I thought it was unfortunate how quickly the leadership of the law firm turned on her when the scandal occurred but that was necessary to maintain a plausible story line.

The "I don't need no man" fit with this story line. It was a bit more sexualized and risque than I am used to with Korean dramas. I worry some that the American influence could bring in elements of feminism and sexual promiscuity that has become extreme in American content and which I hope does not become strong in the content that is created or featured on American streaming services. I like Korean dramas because they are more wholesome and would not want to see them transform to a more American style.

#LovetoHateYou
#LoveBattle
#KimOkVin
#TeoYoo

Read More

More of everything everyone loved about the 1st two seasons

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean Reality Dating/Game show. There are 15 regular and 1 special, 70-130 minute episodes.

This is a dating reality show where the participants live together for one month. They cannot reveal their age or occupation but can reveal interests and other aspects of their personality. Participants work during the day and go back to the house they are occupying together in the evenings/weekends and other times off work. There are originally six occupants but two more occupants are added through the course of the show. Each night the participants anonymously send a text to the person they found most interesting and the panel has to guess who texted whom. Panelists who guess right are given a token. They act as a 4th wall, commenting on what is going on, analyzing participants behavior and interests in each other, and competing to get the most correct guesses on who is contacting whom. Participants go on dates but are not allowed to directly confess their feelings.

Panelists.

Lee Sang-min is a South Korean singer, song writer, record producer and television personality. He is a former member of hip hop and dance group Roo'ra. He was born in 1973 so would have been 47 when the show aired in 2017.
Kim Eana is a South Korean song writer who wrote hit songs for some of the top singers in South Korea. She was born in 1979 so would have been 41 when the show aired in 2017.
Yang Jae-woong is a South Korean psychiatrist, motivational speaker, You Tuber and entertainer. He was born in 1982 so would have been 38 at the time this aired.
Han Hye-jin is a South Korean fashion model and television personality. She was born in 1983 so would have been 37 when the show aired.
Yoon Shi-yoon (also known as Yun Si Yun) is a South Korean actor and television personality. He was born in 1986 so he would have been 34 when the show aired.
Pyo Ji-hoon (also known as P.O.) is a South Korean rapper, singer and actor and is a member of the boy group Block B and sub-group Bastarz. He was born in 1993 so would have been 27 when the show aired.

Participants

Cheon In-woo Born in 1989. So he would have been 31 when the show aired. He is an engineering manager
Jung Eui-dong. Born in 1992. He would have been 28 when the show aired. He is an animal replica sculptor.
Im Han-gyeol. Born in 1989. He would have been 31 when the show aired. He is a branding consultant for resaurants.
Kim Kang-yeol. Born in 1994. Would have been 26 when the show aired. He is an online fashion boutique owner. Joined the show in episode 6.
Lee Ga-heun. Born in 1996. Would have been 24 when the show aired. She is a veterinary student.
Park Ji-hyun. Born in 1996 so she would have been 24 when the show aired. Medical Student.
Seo Min-jae. Born in 1993 so would have been 27 when the show aired. An auto mechanic.
Cheon An-na. Born in 1994 so would have been 26 when the show aired. Profession is secretary. Joined the show in episode 8.

This season had the most intrigue and participants changed thoughts and course more than in the previous seasons. Deeper friendships seemed to form between the participants both within the same sex and between the men and women. Eana had a lot of good insight and was right about interactions and significance a lot of times. PO and his teasing with his exposing his wrists became an inside joke between him, the panelists and the viewers. I loved it. Sang-min's emotional responses and distress when he would be wrong were highly engaging. Shi-yoon is a talented actor and was very compelling with his insights with the participants. I enjoyed hearing their thoughts and watching their deliberations. I never felt like they were on too long as I enjoyed their interactions as much as the participants. The only thing I wish they would do on the show is make it so that each participant went on a date with each participant of the opposite sex and did not go on more than 1 formal date with other participants. They could go on informal dates with the same but not formal dates. I think that would be a more genuine choice because they seem to fixate, like imprinting on whomever they date a lot and it doesn't feel like they get to know everyone on that same level.

*Spoilers
I found In-woo very frustrating because he had so much in common with Ga-heun, even mentioned he had fun on their dates but was hung up on Ji-hyun because of his first impression of her. The panel was complimentary of him for his honesty but I felt his honesty was, at times, a bit brutal with Ga-heun. When she asked him if he would have went with Ji-hyun had she accepted his request for a date and if that meant he would have cancelled with Ga-heun he said yes. I thought that would hurt anyone's feelings. In-woo's fixation with Ji-hyun became a bit tiresome. Ji-hyun could not make up her mind between In-woo and Kang-yeol and I think Kang-yeol knew that when he commented that it was not just her saying yes then no then yes right. I think he figured out for In-woo to continue as he had, with the way that In-woo was, he would only have done that if Ji-hyun continued to give him hope. An-na was the participant I felt the most annoyance with because her and Eui-dong hit it off really well but she became fixated on Kang-yeol when he made it clear he was not interested. Hang-gyeol had his moments where it was hard for him to settle his feelings between Ga-heun and Min-jae but I think he handled the best when he reassured Min-jae that she should not feel bad about Ga-heun but should focus on them. He made it clear he had made up his mind and never led Ga-heun on as he never indicated directly to her he felt anything more than a deep friendship. I admired him a lot for that. Eui-dong was just a genuinely nice person and I was actually glad An-na did not give him more of a chance because she really did not deserve him. I have to remind myself that this is a reality show and that the participants compete with each other in that regard rather than looking for genuine long term connections. It would be hard for them to do so anyway because they cannot be seen out together after the show finishes airing as the viewers have not seen the outcomes yet. Also, they are now "famous" and it is hard for any couples that form to go out without getting seen and mobbed by fans.

One of my favorite aspect of the show is the panel that tries to determine who will send a signal or who will pick whom. I like their insight and commentary and their personalities also shine through.

Deep spoilers**
Lee Ga-heun and Cheon-An-na were accused of being bullies to school classmates. The show investigated and the allegations were denied. Kim Kang-yeol was accused of assaulting a woman at a night club in 2017 and he issued an apology.

Read More

Not your typical Chinese drama - the female lead is strong

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese romantic drama with 35, 45 minute episodes. It is also known as “The Woman Who Cannot Fall In Love”.

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Shen Ruo Xin (Quin Lan) has climbed the ladder of success through much personal sacrifice. Her overbearing mother and even friends are pressuring her to get married and her current boyfriend is the number one candidate. At 33 she is at the upper end of what her culture considers acceptable for single life so she is reminded frequently she is breaking norms by remaining single. a man and marry. Ruoxin already defies the traditional role by navigating corrupt office politics and serving as both a counselor and a mentor to subordinates. Despite being so capable and providing a shield for those around her, no one looks out for her that is until she gives Qi Xiao (Dylan Wang), a newbie, a chance and he becomes her biggest support. He is younger than her, but really smart. mature and caring.

Review
I enjoyed this slice of the life of a businesswoman in Shanghai. As I understand it, Shanghai, in the upper class of people, it is a very specific slice of life in China. Still, I enjoyed getting a feel for it knowing it is very specific and would only be true for a very small percentage of people. Women have many of the same struggles with promotions, recognition, bias, that women all over the world experience but at a greater level because their society is still very patriarchal. Seeing Ruoxin operate where she took care of all the people around her, managed some very hostile and extreme workplace politics and managed through her skill and expertise to overcome many barriers was a lot of fun. Her relationship with the male lead was well paced and believable. Qi Xiao's unwavering admiration, love and support of her would be sure to wear down any woman's defenses.

*Spoilers
The 12 year age gap was a significant part of the story and I think brought up a lot of social issues not only within that culture but beyond as well. My daughter, in her 30s, who watched it with me felt as though that age gap was too large. She was of similar age and could not envision having a relationship with a man that much younger than her. Not all women feel that way. I thought about if there was a person who you were completely compatible with and attracted to and thought they were similar age but then found out they were that much younger would it change the way you felt about the person. I think it is highly dependent on the people and what ages each person is. In the younger years it may have more of an impact than someone in their 30s with someone in their 40s, or 40s with 50s, I think it is harder to envision that large of an age gap when the younger person is in their 20s. Life stages, interests, so many things are different in the 20s. So that, for me, was a little hard to accept, the large age gap.

The story itself was engaging and kept me interested through all 32 episodes. She really was phenomenal in her ability to bring everyone around her along in her goals and vision. From that perspective it was understandable how someone his age and as handsome as he was to have considered her unique and want to pursue her romantically. He was a very bright person who was able to think rationally under pressure and solve many problems. So he was her match in terms of his above average ability to accomplish things. I could see the point that was made about how younger men were no longer viewing women as simply someone to take care of the household but were respecting them as capable to do something as high powered and complex as Ruoxin was pursuing. That was a good justification for why the age gap between them worked. Part of the reason she never found anyone she felt compatible with was because men of her age still had a view of women as maybe dabbling in the workforce until they found a man to take care of them. Qi Xiao understood and appreciated Ruoxin's goals and capabilities and it was part of what he loved about her.

If you are looking for a relatively light hearted romance this fits the bill. If you are a fan of Dylan Wang as I am then you will like to see him in this role, he does a great job. This is also of course an age gap/noona romance. I became a fan of Dylan Wang after seeing him in Meteor Garden. I will be looking for other things Quin Lan has done after watching this drama as she is a very talented actress. I am not, in general, a fan of Chinese dramas as I find the female characters to be weak and sort of whiny. I watched this at the recommendation of it having a strong female character and it did not disappoint.

#RationalLife
#DylanWang
#QuinLan

Read More

Exciting and action packed military crime drama with a very light romance element

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean military action drama with 16, 60 minute episodes

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
A tragic "accident" takes the lives of Do Bae-man's (Ahn Bo-hyun) parents as a young child and he is raised by his aunt. Not wanting anything to do with the military because of its association and reminder of his parents, he drops out of school in middle school which makes him ineligible for mandatory military service. He becomes a lawyer though and applies to many law firms. No-one is interested because of his educational history. Despair sets in and an offer he cannot refuse comes along from Yong Moon-goo (Kim Young-min) who tells him if he serves as a military prosecutor for five years he will hire him in his private law firm once he finishes the military stint. What Doberman (nickname) does not know is Young-min is closely associated with Major General Noh Hwa-young (Oh Yeon-soo) who is evil and corrupt. She is the first female to rise to such ranks and got there through nefarious means. Additionally she owns a defense company she acquired through her criminal activity. As Doberman approaches the end of his enlistment and prepares to join the private law firm, Cha Woo-in (Jo Bo-ah), joins his command. Some of her actions immediately capture Doberman's interest and he knows there is more to her than the by the book outstanding military prosecutor she portrays. It is not long before he discovers she was the heir to a conglomerate and leads a double life as "red wig woman." In her other persona, Woo-in seeks justice against corruption where acting outside of the law is the only way to capture the bad guys. Over time, Doberman comes to realize she has very personal reasons for going after Noh Hwa-young and that they have connections and reasons to work together.
Review
It is very exciting when the "red wig" lady takes down the bad guys. Her martial arts prowess is super hero level. Doberman is also a formidable force but the red wig lady is a level above him. If you like action and exciting fight scenes then this would be an appeal. The central conflict is very heavy on the good versus evil. And the lines between good and evil get blurred frequently. The characters were all very well developed and there wee some redemption arcs. There was a love triangle and a hear warming bromance. The back story on what happened in their past was very interesting. I enjoyed this show from start to finish and would highly recommend it. I read before I watched it not to be off put by the title. And I have to agree it is not some overly serious series with some by the book military prosecutor where you watch case after case of them towing the military line. The nickname doberman has more to do with how the main character's name sounds than a central part of his personality. It is mentioned and he does compare himself to attributes but he is a way more complex character than that and he is one of the characters on a redemption arc.

Spoilers*
There were some minor things that I felt could have been improved that kept this from being perfect to me. For me, they danced around the romance between Woo-in and Bae-man the entire series. It made sense early on that wasn't a focus but I was expecting more to develop with it after they were on the winning end of their conflict. But they literally wait until the fade out scene for them to kiss and you cannot even fully see their kiss as it is behind a tree and the camera both fades and moves out of the scene. If you are not a romantic or do not like series where romance is a central aspect, that would be a plus. As someone who enjoys the romance, it was disappointing that they waited that lone to show that they would be together then gave us so little of them as a couple. I was disappointed that Doberman was such a money driven prosecutor in the beginning. And there was no really good reason for it. He wasn't aware of what happened with his parents so it wasn't like well the whole system is corrupt so I might as well be. That wasn't the reason. The only reason seemed to be he quit school early to avoid becoming a soldier because of what happened to his parents and then it impacted his ability o get a job as a lawyer under normal conditions. Even so I could have seen him talking that offer he couldn't refuse but he didn't seem to have any moral issues with it. They tried to show he had remorse over that after she "changed" him but there was no basis for him to be like that in the beginning. Because he had no believable reason for being a corrupt prosecutor it did not make sense when he changed because of her. A big deal was made out of him learning about how his parents died and who was responsible but then, in the end, he did not have the moment with his parents where it was like "see I got them" like they had with Woo-in. It was like it bothered him just not overly so. His Aunt's relationship with his superior was cute and unexpected but the redemption arc for his superior was missing. They implied that his aunt changed him, and had him acting more like a "military prosecutor" but it was very brief and not well developed in that regard and it was hard to believe his moral to a fault aunt would have accepted a man that had any level of corruption. CEO Kang had feelings for Woo-in and was part of a very obvious love triangle but they did not dive into that at all which is a factor of them just not focusing much at all on the romance. I liked CEO Kang and felt like making him have enough wrong doing that he gave up his company in the end and just went off to start over was disappointing. Winning would have been like his company was restored. No Tae-Nam (Kim Woo-seok) had a huge redemption arc going from an evil character to one of the heroes of the day by taking down even his own mother to root out the evil. There was the whole story with Tae-nam and the bullying and abuse that was going on, on the front line. One of the characters was set up to make his military life hell but that became such a minor scene that the build up was disappointing. There was also sexual abuse occurring and a point was made of focusing on that as part of the "hell" going on in those front lines but it was never brought up again. It would have helped to explain why the soldier snapped. It was also an opportunity to show how Doberman had fully changed in that he could have showed some empathy for the soldier that snapped by allowing his mother to give him the glasses but he didn't and it was Woo-in who showed that glimmer of mercy. They could also have had his sentenced reduced and not pursued the death penalty in acknowledgement of the horrible abuse that soldier suffered. Life in prison seemed a more fitting sentence than death and it would have been more in line with being a moral prosecutor. Tae-nam mentioned several times how his Doberman was like his only family so for him to give his dog up, when he actually could have used the support for his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was out of character for him and unfortunate they did not use that as part of Tae-nam's redemption arc - that he never gave up on "family." He even volunteered to work with dogs so it would have been more logical he got his dog back. I wanted to see them more in action as military prosecutors the show was so focused on central conflict that there were no interesting side stories that gave that "slice of life" of being a military prosecutor. I am going to circle back though and say despite all of this it was a very good and exciting series with an interesting and unique premise.

#MilitaryProsecutorDoberman
#AhnBoHyun
#JoBoAh
#KimWooSeok

Read More