Ma Ri
Brazil
A cotton candy drama to the broken heart
What will I say of this piece of sugar with honey? This drama came to make your heart flutter and give you the false hope of being in love with a supernatural rich, sexy, and handsome fox. It's the perfect call to the ones who don't wanna suffer or get angry. It's the cotton candy of 2021 Dramaland.I'll start with the amazing performance of our stars. Lee Hye Ri is a pearl and to see her on the screen it's always fun and different. Lee Dam was an amazing character, and for me was the gold of this show. I love strong female leads and the ones who don't follow the pattern of the suffering lady. This totally matches with Shin Woo Yeo's personality. I was afraid that he could be the kind of male lead always rigid and with the overprotected speech, but his personality was pretty good and solid, and Jang Ki Yong keeps impressing me with his skills. The chemistry between these two was incredible, and I forgot that Hye Ri had a boyfriend many times watching the bts.
Other highlight was my cute couple Hye Sun and Jae Jin. My gosh, these two kill it! Kang Ha Na was amazing in "Start-Up", but now I could see even more how good she is, and I hope that she gets another drama soon as the female lead. Hye Sun was so fun and light, and I laugh a lot at her foolishness. Her friendship with Woo Yeo was also an amazing thing and I loved to see them together fighting all the time. Kim Do Wan is a baby and this character was made for him. I created the fanfic inside my head since "Start-Up", so this was my dream coming true. Bae In Hyuk is another baby since "Kiss Goblin", but this character was just terrible and I felt nauseated every time that I saw that moron sunbae appearing.
Amazing things said, I will point some not-so-good stuff. The first episode was very interesting, and I was excited to see the main plot developing, and the way how they do the waiting part was incredible, but... The waiting never ended. I thought all the problems that the drama presented were very superficial and sometimes even illogical. Episode 12 was the lowest point for me and give me the feeling of "Why this is a problem? If is a problem, why was solutioned so fast?" and this kind of thought. It wasn't terrible, it was just frustrating if you are a person who is used to watch many dramas.
I will put this one as a pretty good one (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) because I really think that an initiating drama addicted will think this incredible, and a more experienced will find it at least fun and well done. I hope the best to the actors and I will highly recommend this one to my friends who are entering now in Dramaland.
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[Soft action and fan service]
This is a cool movie for people who aren't looking for deep true action. I thought that maybe it would be a heavy story with a lot of blood and tense situations, but this wasn't so like that. We had some fight scenes that were cool, but nothing that makes you shrink yourself on the couch. The plot was softened by the comedy and the low age rating, and I think that the rate of 14 is reasonable here. I'm not a fan of action movies, so for me, this one hit on the spot with the violent stuff. For the ones who enjoy the kind of story involving thieves' friendship, this will be a good choice. The relationship between the team could be a little more developed, but maybe this would drag the movie, and the duration is a high light to me in this production. I like short movies, especially when it's about action movies. After watching "The Tomorrow War" I'm kinda traumatized.The performance of the actors was also pretty good, and It was fun to see Seo In Guk and Lee Soo Hyuk acting as hard enemies, to the fans this surely will be amazing. I felt like it was a movie to exalt both of them, so because of that we can't see a lot of the other characters, that is why I think it's a big fan service (no complaint, I'll accept that gladly). Maybe a version 19+ of this would be a great success to the ones who are not addicted to k-dramas.
This is a pretty good movie (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) to watch with friends eating popcorn, just to spend some time.
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Finally, I watched one "Reply" and all I have to say is: how I lived so long without seeing this? I didn't write my first impressions because I watch everything in two days, so I didn't have time. But let's start with a brief resume.
"Reply 1997" tells the story of a group of friends that grow up together and how their relationships develop through the years. The main plot involves Yoon Yoon Jae (Seo in Guk), an orphan that was embraced by the family of Sung Shi Won (Jung Eun Ji), and a third person that I won't mention because is part of the process find out this. I choose "Reply 1997" because of Seo In Guk and because I already knew who was the couple. I hate love triangles and hate fall in love with the wrong couple, so this made me enjoy the process without any tension. Maybe this could be a big factor to put this drama on my favorite list now.
The edition of the drama with the flashbacks and flashforwards was very captivating and make you travel in time. I was born in the '90s, so this also has a nostalgic side to me. The fact of you don't know what is going on and the surprises in every episode make you attached to the story and yearning for the end. As I said, I already know the spoiler of the main couple and yet for me was an incredible journey. If you don't mind with the possibility of frustration, I suggest that you watch without spoilers, but if you already know something and thought that it wouldn't be fun to watch like this, give it a chance.
I'm now preparing to watch the 1988 version (and yes, I already know who is the main couple) because I really enjoy the way how they put everything together. This is a drama with almost ten years, but it's amazing how only the edition can say that. The themes and relations are pretty different and developed in an incredible way, without the shadow that you usually see in this kind of old drama.
If you are looking for something fun and well-done, go for it! This is a chosen one for me (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ) after a long time! Yay!
See you soon!
Mari.
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I'm not talking about each character separately because I don't think this is necessary. And this is the first thing that I have to complain about. I wasn't interested in the second plot between the love triangle at all. I really was hoping that Na Ji Na ends up by herself because either Lee Hyun Gyu or Cha Joo Ik was just tasteless and even pathetic for me. I'm sorry for the ones that love this plot, but I really skipped most part of the dialogues because I just couldn't stand it. Joo Ik wasn't a childlike Hyun Gyu, but he also wasn't so amazing. The lines were confusing and sometimes just boring. Sadly I don't was captivated by these guys, and I said sadly because they occupied a big part of the episodes, mostly the last ones.
So what captivated me? Dong Kyung and Sa Ram. The chemistry between Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk was amazing and was the main reason for me to finish this drama. So why am I frustrated? Because I know that this story could be a lot better. When you start a drama with a sad premise you only have two options: or you follow the sadness and do it worse, or you surprise the audience with a big twist. My problem is that "Doom at your service" stuck in the middle of this. I see many people comparing this drama with "Goblin", but this is the perfect example of what I said. "Goblin" went to the edge of sadness and delivered an incredibly bittersweet ending, but here we had a bunch of things that weren't explained or were justified in a poorly way.
I know the hype is pretty high with this drama, and I was also pretty excited when I started, but if you watch a lot of dramas, mainly fantasy dramas, you will agree that something was lacking here. I wanted more "logic" in some explanations and more clarity. The dialogs were pretty deep (between the main couple and the main couple plus God), but the events didn't follow this deepness.
Sadly, I'll put this as a "good one" (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/2). It worthed watch the cuteness of the main couple and some parts of the plot, especially in the first episodes, but I'm with the feeling that this could be much more.
See you soon!
Mari.
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This is not a simple romance.
If you are looking for something fairytale-ish or you're watching "My Roommate Is a Gumiho" and thought that this film would be the candy that you need in your life... I'm sorry. THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE! That's said, let's beginning."Sweet and Sour" tells the love story of Jeong Da Eun (Chae Soo Bin), a nurse that works very hard but found out the sweetness in the little things of her life. One of them is Jang Hyuk (Jang Ki Yong), her boyfriend who loves her pretty much. After getting a promotion in his job, Jang Hyuk needed to move to Incheon, and there he meet Han Bo Yeong (Crystal), an ambitious woman who will mess up his head. When I started the movie, I was pretty sure that it will be a lovely story about pure love and hold on tight in your conviction, but it turns out very different. I won't give spoilers here, but I'll try to describe what I think this movie is really about.
I saw many people saying that the story was superficial and nonsense, but I think that everything was made to be that way. The superficiality was what we need to develop the characters in our mind, and give to them the burden that we thought was right. We made deductions following the formula of the perfect romance, and then the end comes and punches our face.
I think this movie was made to show that the life in fact isn't just sweet, that we have sour things that cross by, and it that. The frustration that I experienced was based on my own expectations and my idea of perfection. I wanted to see perfection in a relationship that wasn't perfect at all. This made me think a lot that we really only see what we wanna see.
For me, this movie was a pretty good one (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★). It wasn't the best script in some moments or the best edition either, but the idea was very good. If you are looking for a simple romance, stay away from this.
See you soon,
Mari.
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The most lovely cliche ever
Guys, I'm just in love. That's all. I love soft dramas, with comedy and romance enough to make you recover your energy after the tense ones, and this drama is just the cutest thing in the entire world! I gave the synopsis in the first impressions, so you can go there to see what I said. Let's to the characters!LOUIE, THE BABY WHO WILL STOLE YOUR HEART
The character of Louie isn't the kind that attracts me. When I saw the first episode, I thought "There we go again with another Gu Jun Pyo", but how wrong I was! You will think that Louie is a shameless profiteer that only gets headaches to Bok Sil, but when we immerse in his story and start to see how kind and sweet he is, you just go with Bok Sil and get down for this baby. Seo In Guk is just amazing and I have to say again: I can't believe that he is acting in "Doom at your service" with so many different. I saw episode twelve today and thought "Where is my baby Louie?". I IN LOVE WITH THIS MAN! I'm watching "King of High School" now, so wait for more of this great actor here.
BOK SIL, THE WONDER WOMAN
As I said, Ji Hyun isn't my favorite actress, but this character is far away better than "Suspicious Partner". Go Bok Sil is a clichê (as many things in this drama), but she does her job and delivery the sweetness and innocence in the right measure. The chemistry between her and In Guk is also pretty good and I smiled a lot watching these two. I cleaned my mind so I can follow Ji Hyun in her next characters without any ghost, yay!
There were a lot of interesting characters in this drama, but as a cliche, they weren't very deep. I will make a notification here to register my pain every time that I saw a "Ma Ri" in a drama. Why every Ma Ri is annoying? Please, someone, create an amazing Ma Ri character! For me! T_T Let's move on.
If you don't like cliches, this drama isn't for you. We have everything and more here. Chaebol, memory loss, gentle/strong female lead, conspiration... And the big one that I will tell in the comments, with spoiler (which was my only low point in this drama). This drama is pretty funny, from the edition until the script. The cuteness is something that you won't be able to handle (I'm watching repeatedly the red carpet scene and I'm exactly like the ahjumma and In Sung). If you wanna something fun and cute, just watch it. And you're welcome. Honorable mention here to the OST. Only amazing songs!
It's an AMAZING ONE (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★★/2) just not CHOSEN ONE because of what I will say in the spoiler below. I'm crying already missing my precious!
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| ABOUT THE CHARACTERS |
JUNG BA REUM, THE INCREDIBLY GOOD
Jung Ba Reum is the kind of character that you start hating or loving. There isn't a middle way. The figure of the good and naive officer is captivating and you just will get involving in his charms and sensibility. I'm not the kind of person that loves the good guy character so, in the first episodes, Ba Reum was pretty annoying for me. But with the process, I started to fall in love (Lee Seung Gi power, right?) and he totally got me. The development of the character is amazing and this is the man who will blow your mind and make you question what is justice and right like his name already invokes since the beginning. I'm suspicious to say, but Lee Seung Gi gives everything in this character. I went from the laugh to the passion, to the hate, to the sadness... Everything at the same time. This guy deserves his fame, without question.
GO MU CHI, THE BROKE DETECTIVE
Go Mu Chi was the edgy character that makes me tense in most part of the episodes. He is a traumatized detective who passes through many things in his life since his childhood, which was marked by the murdering of his parents by the Headhunter. Mu Chi is crazy, but also very smart, but in many moments I was frustrated by his stupid and recklessness. I joked with a friend that the problem of Mu Chi was his love with alcohol (maldita cachaça). This character made me cry a lot and, for me, he carried the heavy part of this show. His story is impressive and the consequences of the things that happened to him were also breathtaking. I met Lee Hee Joon when I watched "The legend of the blue sea" and at the time I already loved his performance. He is a great actor and this time wasn't different.
BONG YI, THE ANNOYING WARRIOR
Bong Yi is a traumatized character that you have to accept and understand. This isn't my favorite type of character, but I tolerate her because of the process (yeah, everything is about the process). She passed through a very difficult situation when she was a child and also lost her parents, being raised by her grandma. In the beginning, you can think that she is just an annoying teenager, but in the following episodes, you can realize that she is actually a strong girl. I was cheering for her, expecting that she could have a normal life someday. The first work of Park Joo Hyun that I watched was "A Piece Of Your Mind" (there is a review here), and she looks so mature at the time, so when I saw her on "Extracurricular" and now here, I was very surprised. She is young and I think she can do many interesting things in the future, considering her effort in doing "Mouse".
CHOI HONG JOO, THE MYSTERIOUS ONE
This is a character that I can't talk about almost anything without giving some spoiler. Choi Hong Joo is a mysterious reporter that has a big interest in the case of Headhunter and is close to Detective Mu Chi. It seems that she wasn't so important, but believe me, she is. She has an unknowing past (and present) that makes us suspicious of everything related to her since the beginning. It was my first time seeing a work of Kyung Soo Jin, and I really thought she was great on this. I couldn't predict almost anything about her, and she surprises everyone until the last episode.
HAN SEO JUN, THE HEADHUNTER
Han Seo Jun is more seeing in the first episode and in some flashes, but his character is the key to everything. Here is another character that I can say much about, but it was incredible to hate this guy. This character is pure evil and cynicism, and the performance of Ahn Jae Wook was just amazing. It was his first complete villain character and we have to praise him because he kills it (literally).
| HIGHLIGHTS |
The production and the script are really exciting. If you like thrillers you probably will enjoy this show. The performance of the main actors is also amazing and makes you immerse in every moment and feeling. I love plot twists, and this is something that you will have a lot here. The fight scenes are very exciting and real, and we can see the effort made by everyone on the team.
| LOW POINTS |
If you like thrillers like me, you can consider "Mouse" as an exaggerated drama. The plot twist is cool, but this happens in many moments of the plot and sometimes we feel a little confused and lost. I started to fix my attention after episode seven, when the bigger twist happen, but before that is a little difficult to catch up with the story. I started to deduce the truth in the beginning and see each episode trying so hard to make us think another way, even sometimes creating unnecessary tension, it was a bit annoying. But I'm saying this because I have to say something bad, because in the process I loved even when I was pissed of, lol. The science part is something that you can't take seriously. They explore the poetic license very hard and create almost a fantasy, and if you want real science and logic, this isn't for you.
| FINAL CONSIDERATION |
As I said, I have some points that made me a little distrustful in the beginning, but I loved every moment that I passed watching and theorizing about this drama. I will give the CHOSEN ONE (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) title for this because even with the low points I could enjoy everything and feel the tension and passion that was promised. I'm watching the special episodes these days and I have to say that this opens your mind to many things. "Mouse" is for sure a drama that you can rewatch over and over to understand and see things that you don't in the first time.
And you? What did you think about this one?
See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.
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A CLICHE, BUT NOT ANY CLICHE
Finally, I finished it! As I said in my first impression about this drama, we have here a lot of cliches. But this doesn't make the experience of watching it less enjoyable. We had themes pretty heavy, like murders, stalking, mental disturbs... But we also have relevant themes, as the pressure lived by the celebrities in social media and how this can affect their lives. These themes are embellished by some moments of fun and by the soft personality of some characters. Besides the relaxation, I would put this drama in the hall "adult drama", because we don't see just superficial matters being the focus, but truly and deep issues that can bring a good reflection to the audience. Even I could reflect on the influence of the comments in social media that many times we think that don't affect the artists, but that ends up creating an absurd pressure many times.| ABOUT THE CHARACTERS |
LEE JUNG HOON, THE DREAM MALE LEAD
I confess that the character of Lee Jung Hoon was my favorite in this drama. I like the male lead as an introverted guy, but to me, Jung Hoon was tailor-made. His disease makes he has a cold behavior and in the first episodes this is highlighted, but for me, the gold was his interaction with Ha Jin, at the pace of her seduction to him. The man has fire in his eyes, you guys! He is super determined and mature, which made me feel safe knowing that I wouldn't see (almost) any childishness in their relationship. I loved so much the way how he thinks about all the questions that were inside his mind and understood that he needed to make a choice about his life. The character captivated me! It was my first drama with Kim Dong Wook, and although he isn't the stereotype of the male lead that I'm used to, I liked so much his performance! I really looked at him and could see a man tormented by his memories.
YEO HA JIN, THE CRAZY GIRL THAT WE LOVE
Ha Jin's personality was pretty refreshing for me too. It is common to see female leads full of joy and fun, but Ha Jin has something more in her ambition and impudence. Her first scenes trying to attract Jung Hoon was a mix of shame and pride to me and made me so excited. It isn't common to see women making the first move in romance, mainly in Asian dramas, in such an open and persistent way. In the final episodes, I end up getting disappointed with some points, but in the general, she was a character that I really enjoyed. Moon Ga Young is amazing and I'm anxious to see her in another drama (cheering to the confirmation of "Link" with her and Kim Seon Hon happen soon).
MOON SEUNG HO, THE CRAZY MAN THAT WE LOVE TO HATE
This is the kind of character that pissed you off. I don't use like the "psychopaths" that we see in the most of dramas because of the exaggeration and no sense, but with Moon Seung Ho I don't have any complaints. He isn't a psychopath, by his profile, we could fit him in the paranoid spectrum, with erotomania: a person that has a delusion conviction that another person (mostly someone who is untouchable) is in love with her/him. Buring the drama I hated Seung Ho with all my strengths, and I think this shows us how good is this character. We can see the consistency in his delusion until the end, and the way how he shows up to Jung Hoon and Ha Jin even after all those years, keeping his delusion, is so convincing! I understood very well his plot and I thought his circle closed in the right way. Joo Seok Tae did a great job here, as the most part of the support roles that he makes (I liked him so much in "Tale of the Nine-Tailed" as Mr. Choi).
HA KYUNG <3 IL KWON
I need to do an honorable mention to this couple that almost stole the scene here! Guys, how I laugh with these two! Ha Kyung is love, always defending Ha Jin and taking care of her, many times putting herself behind and following her sister's wishes because she knows that one day Ha Jin would need her badly. So, when Il Kwon showed up and start to interact with her, I got so excited! Il Kwon is the classic support role that makes you fall in love. Super cute and helpful. Their chemistry is amazing and made us cheering all the time for their happiness.
| LOW POINTS |
How I mentioned above, a thing that we don't miss here is a cliche. Even getting surprised in some moments and with a heavy story, I still feel the taste of "I know what will happen" in others, mainly in the end. I don't care about cliches, even because I wouldn't watch Asian dramas if I do, but for some people, maybe this could be too much. Something that for me wasn't pretty done was the plot of Ha Jin's stalker. We get curious about all the thriller that the drama makes putting three potential suspects and reviling just in the last minute who was the true one, but... I don't know. After we finally find out, I just got kinda "hum, okay". I think this could be better done, but I understand that they also wanted to save some time to develop the story of Seung Ho. Anyway, these were the points that made me bothered. If you want to read some spoilers about the end, open the comment below!
| FINAL CONSIDERATIONS |
Although all cliches and low points, I really enjoy the experience of watching this drama. It was a new story, very different from what I'm used to watching, and also made me very exciting to finish soon and find out everything that would happen. I believe that if you watch this with low expectations like me, and focus on the high points, you can have a lot of fun!
For me, this is a "PRETTY GOOD ONE"! (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) You can watch this one on Viki (Viki Pass Plus) or in Kocowa (free), both of them only with English subtitles.
See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.
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Let's talk about the characters:
GO JI SUK, THE SURPRISE BOX
The personality of Ji Suk is one of the high points of this drama to me. The way how he puts the care with your mom as a priority is something very impressive and remarkable, even with all the sadness that this brings to him. Ji Suk is extremely responsible, but because of the need to keep his job, he ends up as a rigid and lazy officer, losing his passion for the purpose of his role and turn into an accommodated civil servant, that doesn't want to get out of your comfort zone. The mother of Ji Suk develops Alzheimer when the detective was close to being promoted into Metro Police, making him chose a place less dangerous and with a flexible schedule to take care of his mom. In the first episodes is hard to see all the nuances of his personality, and only in episode five he starts to show what he really wants and thinks, and this happens because of Ryung's influence in his life. As I mentioned in the beginning, I'm all Kim Seon Ho these days, and I have to mention his performance. You debut too late, baby! I wish that he had all the opportunities that he deserves. Seon Ho is a great actor, and I think that this comic side is the gold for him. His expressions and comic attitudes aren't forced and I always laugh a lot when he does something funny because is so natural. If you don't know this fun side of Seon Ho, I recommend that you watch some videos of "2 days and 1 night". Besides the funny, he also delivers a great emotive performance, mainly when he is interacting with his mother. My heart was broken every time that he shows up all dressed up.
YOO RYUNG, THE NO SENSE
Okay, this character was a little hard for me to accept. The personality of Ryung isn't something that captivates me at the first sight. During the episodes, I started to understand her attitudes, but yet... I think that she acted many times with selfishness and zero trust for anyone. In the first episodes, we found that Ryung had a twin sister with autism and her suspects are that her sister was the first victim of the Ghost (this isn't a spoiler, is in the beginning). Because of that, Ryung passes through the rules and even the people, as Ji Suk, to get what she wants. I get so upset in some moments when the character just messes up everything to her chief and didn't show any regret about it. As I said, the traumas are acceptable, but yet I felt that she has no empathy with Ji Suk's feelings. But some high points of this character is the fact that she is very brave and determined. Her overkill did with Ji Suk got out of his comfort zone, bringing balance to both of them. Moon Geun Young is a remarkable actress in Dramaland, mostly because of her role in "Autumn tale", but I never had seen her perform before. This was her comeback after four years and I liked very much her performance, mainly with her job doing two characters and one with an especial condition. I hope to see her in other projects from now on.
HA MA RI, THE UNWANTED
Okay. Can anyone explain to me this character? Because I gave up on her from the beginning, and I got so mad because I hated a character that had my name. The detective Ha Ma Ri (Jung Yoo Jin) is the ex-girlfriend of Ji Suk and chief of the Metro Police. She was also the partner of Ji Suk when he acted in this department, but when he asked for a transfer to the Subway Police because of his mother, Ma Ri didn't accept this and broke up with him, saying that he was weak and with no ambition. In another hand, Ma Ri didn't have the entire fault because Ji Suk didn't tell her anything about the situation, but even so. Her posture in the episodes was just ridiculous. She didn't take any responsibility for negligence in the missing of Yoo Jin, and starts to act in a very offensive way with Ryung and Ji Suk, being just unbearable many times. We can't see regret in her posture, a change of thoughts... Nothing. She just goes with the road and starts to cooperate in some moments because she didn't have any choice besides that. Anyway, this character was totally unnecessary and terrible for me. Jung Yoo jin is amazing and I wanna see her as a female lead in a great drama soon.
THE DETECTIVE SQUAD
I not gonna mention one by one, but the detective team, Subway and Metro, was very cool for me. The subway officers were very funny and useful to the plot, making the story fluid and soft. I will do an honorable mention to Kim Woo Hyunk (Ki Do Hoon), that even with no chances in the love triangle, was a consistent and interesting character.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
I didn't like some details in the plot, mostly in the ending, but I won't give any spoilers here. If you wanna know about it, I'll let the link of my blog in the next post with this text in Portuguese and with the spoiler part. As I said at the beginning of this text, I thought this drama was underrated considering the story and the development. I don't think it is a perfect drama, but I also think is necessary to exalt the good points. I believe that the success of Kim Seon Ho will push this drama into the middle of Dramaland.
I will put this as a GOOD ONE (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★)! If you are looking for something fun and at the same time intriguing, you probably gonna like this one.
See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.
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In "Kiss goblin" we know the story of Ban Sook (Bae In Hyuk), a goblin who wants to turn into a human. To make this happen, Ban Sook needs to kiss ten girls who the Queen Goblin (Lee Jung Min) determined. At each kiss, Ban Sook wins a new human emotion, and this makes his journey more and more complicated. In the middle of his mission, he meets Oh Yeon Ah (Jeon Hye Won), a college girl who works in a pub to pay for her studies. Yeon Ah finds out the secret identity of Ban Sook and decides to make an alliance to help him with his mission and be helped by him with her rent and domestic activities. We have twelve episodes approaching 10 minutes each and a funny story that makes you finish everything in the same day.
Starting with Ban Sook, I have to say that I love the character and Bae In Hyuk's performance. The way how he starts with no emotions and begins to show little by little in the following episodes is very fun and interesting. In Hyuk is very cute and plays this role exactly how he needs to. Oh Yeon Ah is also very captivating. She is a soft character and how Ban Sook says "A very cool girl". Jeon Hye Won is a young actress, but I think this girl is already a big promise to Dramaland. I enjoy her cameo in "True beauty" as a bully, and I think this versatility is the beginning to make a good career. I will cheer for her! The chemistry of the main couple is also pretty good!
About the plot of the Exorcist and the Queen Goblin... Maybe we will have a season two here? I think that will be interesting, but the point is they do their job as support roles. I think may the Exorcist could be a little more "persistent" in his mission to kill the Goblin, but I think that was a script choice to make things easier and fun. The scenes when he chases the Goblin and Yeon Ah keeps blocking him made me laugh a lot. The end is pretty predictable but doesn't leave any lacks.
As a relief and a break in heavy themes, I think this mini-drama is a pretty good one! (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) If you want something fun to pass your time without compromise with another extensive drama, go for it!
See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.
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But let's talk about this special drama. It's a special with four episodes with thirty minutes each, and I found this after seeing a mention on 2D1N. The kissing scene between Kim Seon Ho and Lee Yoo Young has more than 12 million viewers on Youtube and is pretty popular in Korea. It isn't my favorite kiss scene in Dramaland, but it's pretty bold considering the most scene that we can watch.
The story of the drama spin around the life of Kim Rae Wan (Kim Seon Ho) and Lee Yoo Young (Han Eun Song), that meet each other eight years ago and turn into best friends. The situation changes after they get drunk and sleep together. The episodes show how they will fix this situation and discover their feelings.
I thought the chemistry between Seon Ho and Yoo Young pretty amazing! I really believed in their friendship and the way how their feelings were exposed was very natural and beautiful for me. Particularly, I love stories with friends that become lovers. I think that is a simple way to show a real love story. The performance of them as main roles was nothing different or amazing, but it was pretty good and cute considering the script.
The story wasn't unexpected, but I really enjoy the process and the fact of the episodes be short. The ending wasn't that good for me, and because of that, I will put this as a GOOD ONE, walking to a PRETTY GOOD ONE (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/2). If you wanna something short, fun, and cute, go for it! If you wanna see Kim Seon Ho's previous work and smile with the Prince Dimples, just watch it!
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I just love this story! In many ways, this reminds me a lot of "What's wrong with Secretary Kim?" and not just because of Park Min Young. The crazy and funny edition, the jokes and exaggerating characteristics of the characters... Everything was amazing for me! Starting for our female lead, Sung Duk Mi was captivating! Her passion and the way how she maintains her personality during all the process made me love Park Min Young even more. Every drama with this woman makes me satisfied! She is a beauty (undeniable fact) but her charism makes her compatible with every male lead. I thought that I never would be able to overcome her and Park Seo Jun, but here she is also perfect with Kim Jae Wook. Here I left my note: Why this man doesn't participate in more funny dramas? He is amazing with this! I was searching for him and realized that he is in many thrillers and horror dramas, but I laugh so much with him that I couldn't imagine him being scary. The character of Ryan Gold was a masterpiece for me. A man who just loves a woman knowing everything about her and respecting her, without trying to change anything about her behavior. I had chills when I saw him protecting Duk Mi's passion as if was his passion too. THIS IS A MAN! And making a big note here: WHAT A CHEMISTRY! These two just set fire together!
About some things that I don't like... The Eun Gi (Ahn Bo Hyun) plot. It wasn't awful, but I'm a little tired of this kind of friend that appears just to make a twist in the story but you know that don't go anywhere. It's a waste of time for me. I also wish that the "fan thing" had a bigger space in the story. The plot is about Duk Mi hiding her passion and how this affects her life but kinda fades away with the process. But I'm just trying hard to point bad things here.
We see a lot of traumas and childhood issues in dramas like this, and we saw something very similar in "What's wrong with Secretary Kim?" (yes, I'll keep comparing), but here I could felt the things fitting with more fluidness. The story is equally "no way" when we think about everything that happens, and I can't imagine any of them happens in real life, but here I could believe a little more and wasn't so absurd. Also very impossible, but not absurd.
This is not a real-life drama but does its job. It's funny, VERY CUTE, made me cry... It was just AMAZING! (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) If you are looking for something to wash your dark heart and expel every bad feeling, this is your drama! Go for it!
See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.
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The story of "Start-up" is full of twists and beautiful relationships, and I think that this was the reason why I loved so much this process. Seeing a character as Dal Mi (Bae Suzy) I just knew that this would be a great experience. Dal Mi was the key to this drama for me. Her courage and determination made me think a lot about my choices and my dreams. She was a consistent character and I don't have a thing to complain about her. Do Sam (Nam Joo Hyuk) was different, though. In the beginning, I didn't like him too much, maybe because he just appears at the end of the episode and I already was in love with Kim Seon Ho's smile until there, LOL. Do Sam started as an insecure boy with no ambition and no perspective, and his posture made me uncomfortable many times in the first episodes. Because of that, I thought that maybe Dal Mi and Ji Pyung (Kim Seon Ho) had a better future together, but with the follow episodes I start to see tiny flashes of an unexpected personality that could surprise me (and did that indeed). The growth of Do Sam was remarkable and I loved to see how Dal Mi did part of this. He was an incredible character and I was cheer for him like crazy at the end. The performance of Nam Joo Hyuk also was incredible for me. The last drama with him that I saw was "The Bride of Habaek" and he was totally different! Remembering of "Weightlifting fairy, Bok Joo", it was equally different. So here I could see a part of this man that I didn't saw before and I loved it.
I will write an entire paragraph because he deserves this. Kim Seon Ho, you conquer my heart on this. I generally hate love triangles, but I never saw this relationship as a triangle. From the beginning, I thought that Ji Pyung had a unique path to walk on this show. His relationship with Ms. Choi (Kim Hae Sook) heated my heart and make me cry many times. The way how a person could change the future of someone with a simple action was beautifully showed and I couldn't love more. I loved to see his growth as I loved Do Sam. Both of them need to grow in different ways and I think that because of that their friendship was so important.
The only thing that I missed was a conversation between Do Sam and his father. After so many disagreements and repents, I think that they deserved a moment of catharsis. But maybe this was too cliche, I don't know. It was just something that I wanted to see elaborated.
I loved In Jae (Kang Han Na) and the fact that they didn't put her only like a b*tch, but like a person that made mistakes but also knew how to fix them. I loved the SamSam Tech friendship and the way how they kept their dream alive even when nobody believes it. Well, I really enjoy this drama, and the end included!
I'll rate this as "amazing"! (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) This is a different type of drama, focused on every kind of relationship. It was a great experience and I hope that Kim Seon Ho shows up as the main character soon! I can't get tired of these dimples!
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WHAT THE FOX SAY? (sorry, but I couldn't let this pass)
I have to learn when to stop with this kind of drama. Since the beginning, I had the feeling that I would cry as I did with "Goblin" and my expectations were totally right. I saw the last episode yesterday and my head still hurts because of all the cry.
As I said on first impressions, I'm not a fan of fantasy dramas, but some points catch my attention in this one and made me keep going. One of the things was Ji Ah (Jo Bo Ah). How I loved this girl and her personality! Ji Ah wasn't a common female lead at all! Her courage was impressive and the determination to find her parents and keep at Lee Yeon's side was a high point to me and make me wanna see how everything would end. Lee Yeon (Lee Dong Wook) also was a great character. I always laughed at his sarcasm and his intense protection for the people he loved. Lee Rang (Kim Bum) was a beautiful surprise, I caught myself cheering for him even when he did bad things, only because his charism was amazing. These characters moved me until the end, and of course my baby Jung Shi Yool. I LOVE THIS KID! The plot with Ki Yoo Ri (Kim Yong Ji) and Gu Shin Joo (Hwang Hee) didn't make me fall in love with them. I loved Yoo Ri's personality, but I thought their relationship kinda forced in some moments. I thought cute, I smiled, but wasn't a remarkable thing.
The story caught me many times and make me very anxious about the next episodes, but my big problem was the last episodes. I won't spoiler it here because this review is spoiler-free, but I'll let in a comment below finalized with SPOILER (if you are reading this on the page of the drama, you can search this post on my profile). Besides the last episodes, all the story is very consistent and very good writing. I think that for a Korean person that knows all the culture and legends, everything could make more sense and be more clear in some points. I noticed that sometimes I was lost with all the stories because I wasn't familiar with the legends, so I just didn't catch many details. But this wasn't important to follow the story, I thought that maybe just could give me a better experience.
I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this drama after all the process, but I never rate a drama only based on the last episodes. This definitely was a "pretty good show" walking into "amazing", so I'll put an 8,5 (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/2).
I will write about "Start-up" soon! I finished many dramas these days so I'm a little overloaded, but tomorrow I'll write and after that, I'll write my first impressions of "Her private life"! Many things to the next days! Follow the posts and share them!
If you wanna know my opinion about the end WITH SPOILERS, you can read the comment below. If you didn't watch it yet, save it for later!
See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.
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As I said before, Im Ba Reun (Kim Myung Soo) was a male lead that did his job letting the real protagonist shows up. The story didn't about him, but about Park Cha Oh Reum (Go Ah Ra) and her boldness to change everything around her, and this was shown a lot here. The most impressive thing to me was the fact that nobody of the characters was perfect. Ba Reun starts as a rigid and insensitive judge that had to learn to make a balance in his point of view, and the same happens with Oh Reum, that was pure emotion and had to learn to see the processes with more impartiality. It was amazing to see all characters learn and grow with each other.
A low point for me was the romance, unfortunately. For me, see their relationship growing up was amazing and I loved the fact that Oh Reum didn't fall for Ba Reun immediately because this made the process be more real. But I really missed more of their relationship being showed in the drama. Ba Reun was so cute and they were so cute together... I just wanted to see more. My empty was filled with Jung Bo Wang (Ryu Deok Hwan) and Lee Do Yeon (Lee Elijah), the cutest second couple that I had seen these days! I had to contend with their relationship and be frustrated with ReunReum couple.
Besides the important issues approach in this drama, I have to say that the script wasn't one of the bests in my opinion. Many times I got confused with the episodes and the drastic changes of posture in some characters from nowhere. The edition also didn't bring my attention. The idea of put the thoughts being narrated was interesting in the beginning, but, with the following episodes, I started to get tired with so many narratives and conversations just happening in the mind of the characters. The OST, in another way, was pretty beautiful, even just one song being played in the most part of the time (I think this is an issue in dramas with heavy themes).
To finish, I'll put this one as a "pretty good one" (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★). Some things in the production and script could be better, but the message and the way how the story shows the weakness and strongness to be a human and to follow real justice made this drama worth it.
Honorable mention to the explanation of the meaning of the expression "apple of my eye". I never heard an explanation like that and made me think a lot! I loved it!
I just finished "Tale of the nine-tailed" and I'm recovering now. I'll write about it later! Wait for it!
See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.
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