Love, life and the struggle to balance the two

Four moving stories about women trying to find their way in love and life, which doesn’t always mix well together. There are two episodes for each story making it feel like four movies, except the plots aren’t deep enough for a feature movie. However, they are deep enough to keep you interested. I won’t go over each story because Frangirl, who says she rarely write reviews, wrote one of the best reviews I’ve ever read. I would feel insignificant trying to follow that review. Lets just say this drama was worth my time and I think you will feel the same way. If you are interested in the pitfalls that love throws at us as we struggle through this beautiful life we are given, then watch this one. If you are wondering, story four was my favorite.

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Chae Soo Bin at her finest.

Some would say the storyline is unbelievable, but the fantastic acting pulled it off and made this one of the best shows I’ve seen. Chae Soo Bin’s portrayal of a robot was just beyond words. Her eyes speak without saying a word. Her smile lights up a room. They couldn’t have chosen a better actress to play this role. If you want to see if an actress is into her role, watch them kiss. A kiss from this show made the top 12 list on the internet, but that is only a small part of Chae Soo Bin’s acting ability. She knows how to develop a love story with her facial expressions and body language. Her presence on the screen is compelling. This show was entertaining and captivated me for every episode. I highly recommend it.
I don’t speak Korean, so I rely on the acting, the music, and the sub-titles when I watch a show that’s not in English. I’ve watched thousands of romantic based movies and TV shows because it’s a genre that fascinates me. Maybe I’m one of those eternal romantics. I hope my review was helpful.

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Weak Story, Loose Ends and no Romance Chemistry.

Since I used to be a PC gamer (SWG WoW etc.), this show attracted me. In addition, I was hoping to see some romance like the profile of the show described. I was in for a big disappointment. But more about that later.

The sports gaming concept surprised me. Cybersecurity is a big topic today. I’m not sure how interesting that is to the viewers, but it wasn’t visible anyway. The show is about Han Shang Yan and the people around him. K&K and the CTF world is Han Shang Yan’s life; that much is clear. His only joy in life comes from this interaction. I had a hard time understanding all the camaraderie and past grievances. The story spent so much time trying to make it all significant, but I couldn’t buy into it. Let’s say they had some misunderstandings that lasted for ten years. Were they were life-altering misunderstandings? Maybe, but I couldn’t feel the emotion of the whole thing. Was it Han Shang Yan’s never-ending stoic face that killed the feeling? Crying in the bathtub was way beyond weird.

Like most C-Dramas, this one moved slowly at times. Some of the scenes looked staged with little attention to detail. A little more attention to that detail would have made it more realistic. Repeating scenes is also a habit you see in C-Dramas, especially looking back in time.

Back to the romance, the age difference between the FL and the ML didn’t bother me. They are only one year apart in real life, so it was hard to make that an issue. However, watching Han Shang Yan (Li Xian) acting like a boyfriend was like watching a blind man searching for something he dropped. You know he will find it eventually, but you are not sure if you should be watching him explore. It’s not the first time I’ve seen Li Xian play a stoic, rude, arrogant character who never smiles, but it does wear on you after a while. He has a great smile. I wish he would have used it more in the beginning. In this show, he calls her a child, a kid, and a little girl. I hope that was a translation issue because who goes around calling their girlfriend a child or a little kid. Their romance, if you can call it that, progresses gruelingly inch by inch. Why would any girl in her right mind want anything to do with this guy? At this point, no matter what they do to redeem this character, it may not be enough. That’s the problem with the 40+ episode dramas. They dig the hole so deep that the character who crawls out of the hole is never the same.

Eventually, they come together as a couple if you can call it that. I didn’t feel the chemistry at all. Are these two not allowed any passion in this relationship? I’m talking about the kind of passion that drives the love you feel for the other person. It shows on your face, and it shows in your body language; it spills from your heart. Unfortunately, none of that showed on screen. Now the kisses. If you can’t commit to the kisses, the romance will look awkward no matter what you do. Kissing is not only about lip contact; it’s a mindset of emotion. They might as well have been doing a fist bump; it would look less awkward.

It’s was evident that the only thing that matters is the CTF world. With Han Shang Yan at the center of this universe. The show spent very little time thinking about Tong Nian’s capabilities, aspirations, and dreams. When the show started, and Han bought Nian a stack of games, I thought she would become an integral part of this world. Since she was a computer genius, it would have been interesting for her to become a game wizard. The story, however, continued to keep her on the outside. She seemed to be a toy for Han to keep himself occupied. He pats her on the head a lot. Is she his pet? Why does she wear a stupid backpack everywhere she goes? Is it because she’s 19 years old, and that’s the way they show her age? When she turns 20, she gets to take the backpack off? If they wanted to make her look like a schoolgirl, they succeeded. Of course, doing that lessens the romance, the awkward proposal, and everything else attached to the couple.

The music was all over the place. At times it was beautiful, and other times it felt like elevator or funeral music.

Subtitles:
I think they overused the word pitiful. In English, it just isn’t used in the context they use in this story. There were a few other translations that felt a little off. Why did Han call his teammates children? Why not use the term guys, young men, or even boys? Calling Tong Nian a child or little kid all the time was either a bad translation or a lousy script, you pick. But overall, I thought the subtitles were decent. I would give them a 7.5.

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Just Enjoy

To say I enjoyed this series would be an understatement. Inter-dimensional intrigue is right up my alley. There was drama, suspense, humor, and a beautiful romance. The concept was unique and spellbinding. Webtoons come alive in a parallel universe. The acting was perfect, and the music pulled it all together. I don’t think I would change a thing. The fact that I couldn’t stop watching it, is a testament to that. I got goosebumps numerous times and some of the scenes were heart-wrenching. Han Hyo Joo was outstanding, and Lee Jong Suk was her perfect partner. I could feel the chemistry between them in the air around me. I didn’t stop to pick apart the small things missing from character development because the story kept me captivated. I liked the romance even though it wasn’t blazing 24/7. Sometimes you just have to enjoy what you’re watching and smile when it’s over. This was one of those times for me. So, if you want a couple of days of entertainment, this a must-watch. Surprises at every turn.

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Couple matching with a twist

People looking for love (or money) try to couple up with another person looking for love (or money). If they succeed they get $10,000. The problem they face is that two real couples (called mafia) that are mixed in with the group. If they happen to pair up with a mafia person the mafia person gets the money. However, if a mafia person couples up with another mafia person they get nothing.

It sounds simple but it proved to be harder than they thought and truthfully much more entertaining for the viewer. They even get one chance to eliminate people, hopefully the mafia people, but even that can be difficult. The one episode series was not quite 2 hours long and it was fun to watch. There were areas that could be tweaked to make it a little more entertaining and I would liked to have seen a secret vote on the people suspected of being mafia.

There wasn’t much time to get to know the people but it was enough to to bring suspense to the reveal of the pairings. I was surprised by some of the reveals. So if you like this sort of thing, as I do, give it a try.

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Everything you would expect, and more.

The genres say, Action, Thriller, Mystery and Romance and that’s exactly what you get in this great drama. The acting was fantastic. Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young were unbelievable. Min Young is so good at portraying different characters I sometimes have a hard time believing it’s really her. She was perfect in the role of Chae Yeong Chin, the effervescent news reporter. Chang Wook was his usual amazing self. He brought the Healer character to life in every episode of this drama. I also need to mention the fantastic Kim Mi Kyung, one of the best supporting actresses in all Kdrama. This was one of her best roles. She played the hacker Min Ja so well you would think she’d been doing it her whole life.

Every episode was action packed and interesting. Yes, the Healer was super human and rarely lost in any of his encounters. That’s what made this drama so much fun to watch. There were so many twists and turns that I felt I was watching Mission Impossible. There were emotional moments and times when you wanted to scream at the screen. It immersed you into the story and kept you there til the end.

The music was nice and mixed well with the drama. When I feel the music pull me deeper into the story I know it’s well done.

The romance was just perfect and normal. They found each other and became boyfriend and girlfriend in the middle of the drama. Sharing each other like normal people in love do. It was done sweet and romantic. No love triangle, just two people who find each other under the most unusual of circumstances. They overcame outside influences and stayed by each other’s side. Who could ask for more.

I loved this drama and would recommend it to everybody. It is now one of my all time favorites.

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Drama, Suspense and a Sweet Romance

I love medical shows and this one didn’t disappoint me. A strong female lead and a group of young male military doctors to constantly stir things up. Add in a hospital ship and a group of nurses and you have a unique experience. The series went fast for me because each episode was a story in itself and they were all interesting. For some reason 40 thirty minute episodes seems to go a lot faster then 20 one hour episodes. Unlike some of the reviews I’ve read, I thought the writer did an excellent job of developing the characters. I put my trust in the writer and people that produce and direct a drama when I watch. That way I accept that each scene has meaning. It doesn’t always work out that way, but in this case it did. I throughly enjoyed this drama.

In reality more of the drama took place off ship than on, but I enjoyed both locations.There was drama, suspense, some comedy and a sweet romance. No one part of the show was dominate over another part. For example, if you don’t like hospital politics you were in luck. It was scattered throughout but it didn’t dominate the storyline. I would have liked more romance because that’s why I watch these shows, but the romance in this series was perfect. Sweet, touching and always present in so many ways.

I thought this was one of Ha Ji Won’s best performances. She has a way of projecting strength in her performances. Her portrayal of Dr. Song Eun Jae was perfect. She gave in gradually to the romance and that made it even more special. Kang Min Hyuk was also fantastic in his role of Dr. Kwak Hyun. He played a strong character who never got jealous or overbearing in his love for Dr. Song. The two of them together were priceless.

I liked the music, especially the music that ended each episode. I woke up thinking about this drama this morning with five episodes left to watch. I got a cup of coffee and immediately watched the rest. I would recommend this drama to anybody that wants a few days of good entertainment.

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The Kiss Of The Century

Let me start right out by saying I loved this show. It had drama, comedy, and a romance to remember. Seo Hyun Jin and Eric Mun were fantastic together. The romance grew as the show progressed leading up to a moment I will never forget. In episode 9 the first kiss was show-stopping. Maybe the most emotional, raw kiss I’ve ever seen in a K-Drama. I was holding my breath while it was happening. Seo Hyun Jin kisses with her whole essence. I’ve never, ever seen a kiss that displayed so much emotion on screen. I was happy to see it again at the start of the next episode. Seo Hyun Jin has mastered the art of kissing to a point it’s almost mind-boggling. The second kiss was every bit as good.

The story itself had its ups and downs. A 32-year-old woman being hounded by her mother is a little foreign to me, but I see it in a lot of shows so I just accept it. Smacking her on the head about 20 times in the show is not cool. But I love Kim Mi Kyung as an actress, and she did a good job playing Hae Young’s mother. I also liked Kim Ji Suk who usually plays “the other guy” in shows. Even though he was a little flaky for a lawyer the comedy was funny.

The music was nice, and it blended with the scenes setting the mood perfectly. I couldn’t understand the words, but the sound and the tones carried it all. I would have liked to have seen subtitles with the music.

The concept was unique and kept me interested. The twists and turns were non-stop. The emotional flow battered you to a point of anger. Which of course it is intended to do. They didn’t quite sell the pretty one versus the ordinary one. To me, Seo Hyun Jin is gorgeous and stood out even when they were trying to make her look ordinary. As the show went on she of course glowed, especially after that first kiss.

Please watch this if you haven’t seen it. Let me know what you think.

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Fractured Romance and Dysfunctional Friends and Family

Where do I start? I’m not too fond of shows where a best friend tries to take away his friend’s girlfriend, so I struggled with this one. I stopped at episode 12 for about six months. I have about eight shows on pause, so I decided to finish this one.

I would classify this as a family melodrama with a spattering of friendship issues. The story was hard to watch at times. The family was dysfunctional, finally coming together at the end. The three male friends were anything but friends, and portraying them as friends was awkward. There were a few funny moments, but the overpowering part of the story was the devastating attempt at romance. It included Sa Hye Joon’s best friend following his girlfriend around. Was it jealously, or did he think he could take her away? Who knows, but it’s the worst kind of betrayal, and it doesn’t look any better on screen than it does in real life. His girlfriend, Ahn Jung Ha, who supposedly has it all together, can’t seem to catch on? She calls his best friend late at night in the rain for a ride. He comes in when he drops her off. That should tell her what kind of guy he is. The fact that she invited him in is crossing the line. It goes on and on with him spending more time with her than her boyfriend, to the point where you become unsure which one she likes. What happened at those times they were together no one knows. The story makes a point at making you wonder. To do her boyfriend a favor and protect him, she dumps Sa Hye Joon and never looks back. We see a couple of images where she thinks about him, but that’s it. “I love you, let’s break up” is one of the dumbest lines I’ve ever heard. But she got over that ‘I love you’ part in a hurry. Telling him, that’s enough as he tries to follow her into the elevator. In my opinion, he dodged a bullet.

Remember, she went after him in the beginning. Did she think dating a movie star would be easy? His agent trying to restrict his access to his girlfriend fell flat and was unrealistic. Back to the friends. The story takes them to a cum-ba-ya moment on the swing sets. Hae Hyo acting like he never went after his friend’s girlfriend. I cringed when they even talked to each other. In the end, Hye Joon does his military service and returns, meeting Jung Ha at a movie shoot. At this point, I would have walked right by her. That would have been a better ending. She dumped him when he needed her the most. Doesn’t he remember this? In fact, she destroyed him. Who forgets that? The one minute at the end of the show did nothing to change that image of Jung Ha. Bouncing off down a path talking smack to each other was just not believable; if she dumped him once, she’d do it again. Just walk away. You can’t trust her.

Even though I didn’t like the story, the acting was good. Park Bo Gum and Park So Dam are two of my favorite actors, and they didn’t disappoint me. In fact, I watched this disaster of a show because of them. At least half if not more of this show was an attempt at some sort of weird romance. I can’t believe this was the best the writers could do. The story took you places that were just strange, leaving the romance part a trainwreck. Truthfully, I wouldn’t recommend watching this series.

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Strange Love Story

I liked this series enough to watch all ten episodes in a couple of days—nine of which I enjoyed. Kim Tae Hee was perfect for this quirky story of a superstar actress and her bodyguard. She gave the whole series style and beauty with her emotional performance. The supporting actors were also great. However, Nishijima Hidetoshi’s performance as her bodyguard was a little over the top. The comedy aspect of his character left him looking a little weird and less of a love connection. The love story missed the mark completely. Not because of the acting but rather the storyline. The final episode left me flat. It almost felt like they couldn’t think of an ending, so they did the easy thing. It left me with a wrong impression of the entire story, which is a shame because it flowed well up until then. I agree that the two characters came from different worlds but saying they love each other while one is a hermit at an observatory in the country and the other is traveling the world doesn’t work for me. I concede that others may have a different opinion of the ending, so watch it and judge it yourself.

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The Challenges of Romance

I start my reviews by revealing that I don’t speak a word of Korean. For that reason, I rely on the acting (facial expressions and body language), the music, and the sub-titles when I watch a show.
The storyline was unique, interesting with enough twists and turns to make it well worth the watch. The supporting characters were well placed and added to the overall experience. I especially liked the character Do Yeo-Yoo (Jo Bo-Ah). She was quirky, wild, and lovable all at once. Kwon Duk-Bong (Lee Soo-hyuk), the competitor for Hong Na-Ri’s (Soo-Ae) affections, was so good at his pursuit that it drove me crazy. The action scenes were exciting and added to the overall experience.
My favorite genre is romance. I always pay particular attention to the romantic relationship between two souls that meet as strangers. In this case, the meeting was in no way the normal man meets woman. I understand that the character Go Nan-Gil (Kim Young-Kwang) was her stepfather when they met. The development of the relationship was slow and sometimes excruciating. Was it meant to be that way? I think it was, so I let it flow and enjoyed the banter between the two. However, it felt awkward even in the end. A Na-Ri’s facial expression that should have said, “I love you,” gave me the “am I doing the right thing” feeling. The kisses sometimes looked just as awkward. But if you think I didn’t like Soo-Ae’s performance, you are wrong. I loved the strength of her character. The trials they went through to get to the man/woman relationship were challenging. She never gave up, and that gave her a warm, loving glow that fit the final scenes. I like shows that push my senses, and this one did.

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Misery vs Happiness

This drama is a love story of two people with an age difference. At times that can be problematic, but not to the extent the writers went in this drawn-out drama. At first, it captured me with the sweetness of two people falling in love. Then I realized that all they were going to do is throw 18 hours of misery at a couple struggling in a relationship. 18 hours of suffering matched with 3 minutes of happiness at the end doesn’t work. It leaves the person watching with the misery of the 18 hours, not the 3 minutes of joy.
However, I thought the acting was fantastic. Son Ye Jin was superb as always. So, I binge-watched the 18 hours and enjoyed the drama, but the story itself left me wanting more. The fact that I feel this way tells me that the foundation of the story was good. If only the writers understood the need of the viewer for a better ending. I loved the music.

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Unrealistic, with a love story carrot to keep you watching

Just when I think I’ve seen it all, something like this shows up. I’m not sure how I feel after watching this. It must have been a terrible time in Korean history. A brutal father that doesn’t respect his family. The ML and FL were making terrible decisions one after the other. A troublesome brother who tries to control other people’s lives but eventually learns a difficult lesson. Two younger brothers to assist in the unrealistic decision-making.

I watched love blossom in the most difficult of gardens. It was poignant and moving to watch. Two souls were clinging to each other in desperation and never giving up even though destiny wasn’t on their side. I saw in sad detail what happens when you take the wrong road in life. He tried to hold her hand forever but failed.

That was my impression of this sad story. I wished I never watched it. If you want a story that will make you feel good, stay away from this one. There were other ways to end this without total destruction. They used the love story as a carrot to keep you watching. When a story pulls you into the lives of two people, I don’t want to see this ending. I get the point. The May events were sad, maybe even total chaos. A time to never be forgotten. But wouldn’t it have been nice to see two people survive through it all? Somebody wrote this show intending to leave a lasting impression of how bad the May events were. Your documentary of destruction succeeded, but it wasn’t well written.

After reading other people’s reviews, I wonder if they watch the same show. The storyline was weak, with dozens of holes in the logic and flow. The decisions made by adults and children alike were just stupid. Was it intended to be longer with a different ending? It just didn’t come together for me.

On the plus side, Go Min Si’s portrayal of Kim Myung Hee was brilliant. The other actors were also good. The on-screen chemistry was great between the two leads.

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Great drama, Superb acting, Don’t Miss this one.

A beautiful fun show to watch. The story was easy to follow with side stories that fit in with the drama. Both the FL and the ML were great. Shin Min Ah’s portrayal of Joo Eun the overweight lawyer was perfect. The comedy was funny and there was enough emotion to go around. So Ji Sub was also great as Young Ho/John Kim. He performed a lot of difficult physical scenes that were all well done.

What I liked best about this drama was the romance. A beautiful on-screen romance between two adults. When the romance was committed they was no wavering on either side. I like that in a drama. The chemistry between the two was sweet and believable. The romance progressed in natural ways as the drama unfolded with the physical side of love. The journey through the difficult injuries was heart wrenching and emotional.

A great drama that will keep you watching. It held my attention for all 16 episodes which is not easy with me.

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A masterpiece of epic proportions

I know my bio says I like romantic dramas but it also says I’ll watch anything if it’s well done. This drama was a masterpiece. Non-stop action from start to finish. Fight scenes, hand to hand combat and mass brawls. You don’t come across many that keep you immersed every episode. Be ready to binge watch all eight. One of the best action dramas I’ve ever watched and that includes all nationalities. What more can I say.

The acting was superb especially Han So Hee’s performance. Her role was so critical to the overall success of this drama. From her fight scenes to that beautiful love scene, she was just brilliant. Park Hee Soon was also great playing the standup mob boss. We can’t mention acting without a shout out to Kim Sang Ho, one of the best supporting actors in the business. Every drama he’s in just seems to do well. There wasn’t a single weak performance in this drama. Mega kudos to all the actors/actresses.

Watch this one if you dare.

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