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Marooya

쿠웨이트- クウェート

Marooya

쿠웨이트- クウェート
Completed
Birthcare Center
9 people found this review helpful
Jan 26, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

A drama to some it may be a documentary to others it may be a comedy. What will it be to you?

'Birthcare Center' to me, a slice-of-life drama that I have been longing for in years! This drama has brought back my passion to write reviews (something I have lost long time ago!).

‘Birthcare Center’ takes the viewers into a fun ride between detailed reality and a fresh comedy. The initiation to the world of motherhood can be pretty overwhelming to some. Unlike anything else in life, motherhood is a lifetime commitment! Far from what we have mostly seen on screens whether it’s a series or a movie, this drama surpasses anything you’ve seen when it comes to postpartum phase. It highlights the travails and triumphs of motherhood including conceiving a child, going through labour, and everything else that you can think of about a woman’s experience entering motherhood and it does all of that with short 8-episodes in comedic frame.

Speaking of myself as someone who never had the chance to experience motherhood/childbirth, this drama has been such an enlightening journey! It made it possible to witness that side of motherhood that we never actually get to see unless we go through it ourselves. For those of you who have experienced it or will experience it you will find that you can relate to so many aspects if not all and you’ll be surprised that you’ll enjoy it despite relating to the pain and struggle! (you might even find comfort). As an outsider to this experience I actually felt every emotion which is amazing for a TV series to accomplish! I've come to understand that there are probably times when the mother is unable to say that the newborn is beautiful when she first sees the baby attached to its amniotic fluid. Details like these and so much more that will have you falling in love with this drama in no time!

Dear reader, ‘Birthcare Center’ isn’t trying to take you to a ‘beautiful journey’ by making things look beautiful/graceful while disregarding the reality of it. ‘Birthcare Center’ is trying to capture each and every moment of a childbirth/postpartum/motherhood phase realistically and help you find the beauty in the reality of it. Most of the time, things that happen after birth can be things that we would never think of such as the aftereffects of birth, the challenges of breastfeeding, the pressure that comes with parenting, and so on. Just like everything in life, even motherhood things do not necessarily go according to plan. The drama has captured all of that in details while presenting it in the best comedic frame, so you as a viewer would actually enjoy every second of it without feeling daunted by the emotions and without feeling drained by the reality of it.

What impressed me the most about this drama is the narration. Narrations are done by women (the cast characters) and it takes you through this journey and helps you understand what the characters are going through. It made this drama vividly real. I must say I absolutely adored watching the mothers in the Centre bond despite their different perspectives. They all had different backgrounds, beliefs, jobs, personalities and priorities however they all had one common goal, to provide the best for their child. You will enjoy watching their relationship changes from enemies to friends and how their bond becomes a lifetime bond.

Finally ‘Birthcare Center’ is a Korean drama tells us that “A good mom is not a perfect mom. It’s a mom who is happy along with her child”. The most important thing this drama tells is that the mother is also as important as her child and that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, confused, freaked, it’s okay if things is not under control… you will grow as a mother as your child grows… if the child is one month old the mother is one month old because a mother is born the moment her baby is born.

My most favorite quote in the drama - “Everyone says pregnancy is beautiful and pleasant, but it is exhausting, and labor is cruel. And the recovery process is miserable.” Kudos to the writer and the cast for presenting this in such a delicate, fun and fresh manner.

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Completed
Cruel City
5 people found this review helpful
May 11, 2017
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers
“The world is like a mirror. If you curse and spit at it, the world will curse and spit back at you. If you smile, I am sure the world will follow and smile back at you too.” Jung Si-Hyun

Before I start I would like to clarify one thing, I have watched 10 eps of this drama when it first started airing back in 2013 and then stopped (but that was no fault of the drama! I got busy with real life so I had to pause it and now I had to start all over again *which I didn't mind at all*). So you see the problem here after so many years have passed, there is a big chance that I may not feel the same as I would have had I finished it on time, but impressively enough this drama is one of those exceptional ones that keeps its great ‘quality’ preserved against time aka TIMELESS.

Writing a spoiler-free review for this drama is nearly impossible, but here goes.

'Moo Jeong Dosi' aka ‘Heartless City’ is extraordinary, unique, and lethal (yes lethal but I mean that in a good way). If I had to define Moo Jeong Dosi in simple sentences >>

- The story of charismatic men, and memorable characters with unique nicknames.
- Midnight summer dream in the heart of winter; fragile, but not frail, yet raw and omnivore.
- A world where nobody’s clear-cut good or bad. Everybody’s a shade of gray.
- Murky, intoxicating and twisted.
- Beautifully cruel, ruthless and dark but in slow cold motion.

As the cinematography is glimmering in the darkness, the story deals with a breathtaking confrontation between big drug organization and the police. Each of the characters' backstories is a whole different drama on its own! Human 'desire' and 'anguish' were the center theme of this drama in a world where 'white and black' does not exist.

Despite the slight drawbacks in the story and the few potholes, the storyline was intriguing and captivating enough to say that Heartless City rightfully deserves all the praise it has been scoring. I cannot stress enough on how much I enjoyed the coolness and slow motion feels that I’ve got from this drama as I was watching; it helped me savor every minute even though no ep actually dragged but there was that chill sensational feeling to it.

Characters (according to the ones that left the most impression on me):

Baksa Adil aka Professor’s son (Jung Kyung Ho): Before I start I have something that I’d like to say to Kyung Ho-ssi “WTH have you been doing since this drama?! Seriously, what… why…? I demand that we take you back 4 years ago for you to re-think your drama choices again!” :(
Jung Kyung Ho as Baksa Adil is in one word >> PERFECTION. He was simply astonishing, pouring heart and soul into Jung Si-Hyun’s multifaceted and multilayered character. Delivering pain in an aristocratic way. Jung Kyung Ho is truly the LORD of this drama. Who wouldn’t love Baksa Adil? He’s one of those few drama characters that will rightfully remain in your memory. The quietly dangerous air about Baksa Adil is mesmerizing and irresistible! What’s more, is the hidden tenderness in all that cold ruthlessness especially towards his loved ones. Even when he is fighting he managed to remain elegant, charismatic and mesmerizing. JKH’s presence dominated the scenes! No words could ever do his performance any justice. I'll just end it saying>> This is by far the best performance and character I've seen for JKH-ssi (please bring back that glory!).

Safari Samchun (Uncle) aka Moon Deok Bae (Choi Moo Sung): Safari is my heartbreaker (second to Baksa). Everything about Safari, from the nickname to the hair style to the Busan accent to his unconditional love for Jin Sook… it will all reside in your memory. Every bits and pieces of this man is wonderful, you can’t help but love him despite how strongly you disagree with his actions. CMS is an underrated actor. An actor who manages to embody each character he plays as if he’s an entirely different actor each time. His style of acting is rather peculiar in such a deep breathtaking way. His facial expressions, the moment Safari entered the scene I knew immediately that I’m going to fall in love with him. I plead to the K industry to please bless us with more of CMS in the future.

Last but not least, Jin Sook Noona (Kim Yoo Mi): The most intriguing aspect of her character is her relationship with the guys, Si-Hyun, Safari and Hong Ki but most of all her relationship with Si-Hyun. A relation that I still can't define, a relation that’s quite vague yet captivating and touching. I have never seen such complex undefined relation in a drama before and yet it still managed to move my heart. Jin Sook is gorgeous, strong, independent, prideful, sexy, cold and tender at the same time. Kim Yoo Mi has managed to stand her grounds among charismatic beasts of male actors.

Music:
Slow, raw, cool and very fitting.

Overall:
This drama has its own beauty that sets it apart from anything else I’ve seen. The atmosphere, the vibes, the cinematography, the poetic elegance in the fighting scenes, the memorable characters and their unique nicknames… everything just screams “memorable”, so despite my personal complains regarding the plot itself and some of the other actors in the cast, I still loved and enjoyed every second of this intoxicating dark beauty.

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Completed
One Day
43 people found this review helpful
Apr 12, 2017
Completed 12
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
“One Day” announces the birth of a new genre,

I had to think for a couple of days before writing this review because I had to sort out my feelings and thoughts so I could form them into words. Sadly though, mission is not accomplished. No matter how hard I thought about it, it is really hard to put this movie into words. It is a movie that you need to “sense” not “read” about. Thanks to director Lee Yoon-Ki, who is known as an emotional delicate director, the movie had so much charm and beauty added to the already beautiful story.

'One Day' is a healing-fantasy movie about two wounded people, it depicts the story of a man and a spirit with a similar pain and scar who meet each other ‘one day’. One of the reasons I labeled this movie as a new genre is because even though there was no love story going on between the two, the story was very much about ‘love’. It was fascinating to me that loneliness, emptiness, anxiety, and lack of heart of two people could be healed without the ‘I love you, I don’t love you’ format. I can’t even begin to express how captivated I was by the fact that this movie healed wounds without "love" between Kang Soo and Mi So. With all the sorrow in disguise it still managed to be a refreshing new genre.

One of the modest yet profound messages in the movie is when it suggests that a ‘blind’ person should be referred to as ‘blind’ person and not ‘impaired’ (it made a huge difference in Korean language and in my opinion it makes a difference in English as well as my own language).

Kang Soo and Mi So are two people who face each other through their scars and as they get closer, they realize that their wounds are in 'contact'. The best expression I could define them with is, 'window' because they were like a window to each other. On one hand Mi So is Kang Soo’s window to his inner-self and the memories that he locked away after losing his wife. On the other hand, Kang Soo is Mi So’s window to the world.

The story on the surface ‘a living person meeting a spirit’ is not a new material it's been done before countless of times. However, unlike other projects, ‘One Day’ depicts pain and loss in a beautifully healing fantasy. Mi So as a character as her name suggests (her name means ‘smile’), is not just your average spirit, she’s a bright, vivid, warm, sweet and endearing bundle of joy. Watching her smile was all the joy I needed.

The delicate and modest directing of Lee Yoo-Ki takes this fantasy and naturally applies it in our reality without risking the material becoming overwhelming.

Two of the most remarkable points in 'One Day' are Kim Nam Gil and Chun Woo Hee’s golden performance (calling it 'golden' is an understatement). KNG’s charismatic act through his deep expressive eyes even with scenes featuring no dialogues at all has once again swept me off my feet. He embodied Kang Soo and captured every bits and pieces of his pain and sorrow. KNG’s delicate display of Kang Soo’s emotion was top class graceful performance. However, this movie’s heartthrob I shall say is Chun Woo Hee. It is hard enough to play a blind character, but to also have to play a spirit, who on the other hand can actually see, is a challenge on its own. I don’t know how I will adjust to the fact that she’s not Mi So and she’ll be playing other characters in the future but I do very much look forward to her future projects.

Music:
Wonderful instruments combined with exquisite sceneries that had me taking deep breathe several times as I feast my eyes. This is the first time I’m actually happy with the music section in a movie.

Overall:
I’m a person who enjoys dramas a lot more than I do with movies, simply because movies have different format and the fact that they end so quickly doesn’t allow me to connect emotionally as well as I do mentally. Thus, it’s really hard to find a movie that not only do I NOT want to ever finish, but also makes me feel as if I’ve entered a different world. ‘One Day’ is that kind of movie to me, a movie that I never thought I’d come to meet. I went to watch it as a huge KNG’s fan and came out with a movie that I can finally label as an absolute favorite of mine. ‘One Day’ is definitely not a movie for everyone, but it’s a movie that will have you sensing all shades and colors of emotions.'One Day' is a beautiful, fresh, artistic, delicate, ‘feel good’ (despite the sadness) and enriched with classic vibes movie. It has ‘rightfully’ stole my heart. Finally I have met my 10/10 movie.

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Completed
The Great White Tower
19 people found this review helpful
Feb 12, 2017
21 of 21 episodes seen
Completed 16
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
White Tower is a metaphorical expression that is named in a way meant to criticize the Japanese medical system. Brace yourselves as this is going to be a really long review.

Before I start I’d like to say that I have always wanted to watch this drama ever since I heard all rave about it since I first started watching Asian dramas. Only, at that time I couldn’t find a way to watch it because back then Internet wasn’t as accessible as now and Asian dramas (especially J dramas) aren’t easily found streaming or even subbed. However, since I’ve decided to practice my Korean language through watching J dramas my first target would be those dramas which I’ve always longed to binge watch but couldn’t. Lucky for me a very good quality of this drama is available with Korean subs (and after long search I found Eng subs as well). The only reason I would be crazy enough to go for a medical, dialogue-rich drama such as White Tower in Korean subs is simply because I really wanted to watch it. “White Tower" was broadcasted in Japan in 2003, and in 2004, it won Japan TV Drama Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, and Casting Award. Because of its solid background, so I had a lot of expectations before even starting it and it has exceeded them.

The 'White Tower' is not a show of humanity, love, romance, etc., which is seen as a background for most of the medical dramas out there. White Tower is the desire of the humans to want to go higher. It shows humans constantly calculating in their minds and how they construct their behaviors in order to accomplish what they want. To put it simply it's not a medical drama, it's a story of various colors of humans. White grand tower: A white university general hospital, expressing its power and political color in its interior. Hence, is not a medical drama but a political drama.

Story:
Human desire for power and honor, battlefield of ambition surrounding the medical field. Based on the very popular Yamazaki Toyoko's novel "White Tower" this drama is a political story of doctors in a closed, bureaucratic university hospital. Yamazaki’s novel draws on the Osaka University School of Medicine as a model to draw attention to medical malpractices, the feudal system of medicine, and the struggle for power by doctors and so does the drama. For the sake of power, there is a dramatic struggle in the hospital centering on, Zaizen Goro, who seeks to hold all the power in his hand, and Satomi Shuji, who is seriously walking the doctor's path and is firmly idealistic in everything. The White Tower centers on the heroes who are on a constant path of choice, forcing extreme choices out of them. The main characters face conflict in the goal of the choice but they do not hesitate. The voice of a person who chooses power and honor sounds the same as his claim to keep his integrity and conscience. So the story goes around the hospital corridor like a tight knot that is never resolved. In the power struggle over the medical world, good and evil are only echoes for each other. The hospital is also a majestic tower in white clothing, but at the same time it is a dreary pit hidden behind a dark shade.

One of the good things about watching White Tower is the power of the story that comes from the power of human relationships. One evidential scene is when Zaizen Goro tells his father in-law “the problem isn’t the skill or talents it’s human relationships!!” And his father in-law laughs and says, “Of course it’s not the skills, if skills were enough the world would not be a battlefield would it?. It would be much easier world to live in if that was the case but it’s not” (You’d have to forgive me if that is not as accurate as it should be because this is what I understood from the scene which is interpreted through Korean subtitles).

The Great White Tower is divided into two, half of which is a cross-section of the organizational society in which various political patriots are involved in the election of the chief of the surgery, and the other half is the doctor, the hospital and the patient's legal confrontation surrounding the medical accident. There are various doctors in the white tower. A doctor who is ambition-seeking, a humanist doctor, and a researcher. So what is a doctor? What does a doctor do? The easiest way to understand a doctor is to concentrate on what "doctors do". In The Great White Tower however, the story is searching and revealing out characteristics of real doctors in our society and dealing with their dreams and ambitions. To put it in simple words this drama is basically aimed at presenting the theme of "what is a doctor" through the confrontation between Zaizen Goro and Satomi Shuji.

It is also a good insight on how the hierarchy system works in the medical world in Japan, for instance the professor becomes a professor through assistant professors. The professor holds only one person in his / her department, and takes over all the power of the position until he retires.

Acting and Characters (This is a long section because there are just too many characters worth mentioning but I tried to minimize the list with 4 only):
Karasawa Toshiaki as Zaizen Goro is a genius that specializes in esophageal surgery and is the best in esophageal surgery. Has a desire for success and a strong ambition, he chases after his honor and reputation rather than his patients. The performances of Karasawa Toshiaki made it possible for me to know what he was thinking and what is he going to do without having to read the subtitles. He gave out such a GRAND performance how else could someone even love Zaizen’s ruthless arrogance if it wasn’t for Toshiaki’s realistic admirable performance, which does leave you vulnerable and can’t help but root for him. I will never forget Zaizen’a humming song and the way he moves his hands picturing the surgery in his head making his hands dance along as he operates inside his mind, something very profound that I’ve never seen before.

Eguchi Yosuke as Satomi Shuji has no ambition and no greed as a doctor, and therefore has little relationship with his career. He is a person who only cares about patients without being interested in becoming a professor. I read that there was some criticism thrown at Satomi’s character that he was a non-flexible idealist, and someone like him does not exist in the world, but I personally think that such a person might exist in the world. He is a person who can carry out his thoughts without leaving them to be compromised by external pressure. In other words he is the 'hope' that you may think it does not exist but at least it should not be forgotten. Not many people will understand Satomi, but you cannot help but appreciate him. I really liked Eguchi Yosuke’s portrayal of Satomi, it is quite impossible to separate the actor from the character now.

Ishizaka Koji as Azuma Teizo a person who cannot abandon his status as a member of a doctor 's family and is caught up in authority rituals. He is ahead of his retirement, and he gets caught up in jealousy and inferiority towards Zaizen Goro. Ishizaka Koji’s performance was solid I could feel Azuma’s anxiously and fear so easily due to his spectacular performance.

Hitomi Kuroki as Keiko Hanamori her relationship with Zaizen Goro is noteworthy, it can’t be seen as a simple affair. Keiko dropped out of medical school and ran luxury bar. She is the only one Zaizen opens up to and she is kind of supportive alley to him in this battlefield. The bar she operates is ran by the people in the hospital, so sometimes it comes in handy for Zaizen Goro. I love her witty brutal honest responses and discussions with Zaizan. I loved loved LOVED Hitomi Kuroki’s Keiko her facial expressions, her voice and her laughs everything was just so delicious and witty and fun to watch!! She was such a wonderful spark to the show.

I personally loved the relationship between Zaizen Goro and Satomi and all their electrifying and unforgettable scenes filled with conflicted dialogues, which were, breathtaking and deliciously witty. They are friends since college but they are very different. Their relationship is founded on acknowledging and respecting each other while establishing an angle of confrontation. It is interesting to have a relationship between two people who have different values but seek the same goal, which is saving patients and changing the system. In some ways, Zaizen tries to make changes from above, and Satomi tries to make a change from the bottom up. In the end, both of them wanted the development of the hospital and the development of medical care. However, their methods were different.

Overall
The drama was thought to be serious and heavy, but to my surprise it was lighter than expected. It was a heavy and difficult topic to deal with, but the drama did not lose itself in the midst of the heavy content. As I was watching this drama my thoughts were shivering and possibly this is the most time they were provoked. It is really a thought-provoking drama that will hold on to you and never leaves you until you are done watching the whole thing. I could not take my eyes of the drama. Something is meaningful and profound from the title of white tower. A tower that is built to earn honor in a society through a university hospital but instead was destroyed and ruined by the absence of ethics and conscious. One of the best dramas, which will always remain memorable to me, definitely worth every praise and award. I could not possibly explain with mere words how much the ending touched me so deeply, I will only say that it’s rightfully one of the poetic thought stimulating ending I have ever seen and has managed to make me shed some tears. I don’t know if I will ever be able to let down my guard and watch the K version.

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Completed
Nine: Nine Times Time Travel
9 people found this review helpful
Feb 5, 2017
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
Nine is thought-provoking beast of a drama. It’s intense, it’s engaging, it’s preoccupying, and it’s captivating and tightly written.

First I have to confess that it actually took me a couple of episodes to get completely absorbed, but when I did I just couldn’t stop anymore.

Story: I honestly don’t know what I was doing holding up this drama for all these years, and what was holding me back? I was worried that if I watch it now I won’t experience the same thrilling experience, which the viewers felt while watching this as it was freshly made. But fortunately it is one of those few dramas that, I believe, will hold on very tightly to its astonishing qualities even if much time passes. If I had to pinpoint one single thing that makes Nine different than all of the mystery/twist and turns type of dramas that I’ve seen, it would be the plot development and writing. The plot development takes the center-stage over character and relationship development. Allow me to say that in your average K drama, character and relationship developments are often given more prominence and importance over the plot development itself. In Nine however, the characters are the constant components of the show and the writing/plot developments is the thing that’s twisting around them instead. It was such an intriguing construct, which was really refreshing to watch and brilliantly set by Nine writers.

Thoughts throughout the show: Two core questions,
Can We Humans Play God? And What’s The Price of Playing God?
No matter the timeline, we are essentially the same people. The character consistency across the timelines didn’t bow to human meddling. Although there is the possibility that some things within us may be re-shaped but the core will never change. It is such thought-provoking stuff indeed.

Acting:
Since Lee Jin Wook plays the lead and primary focal point of the show; from start to finish, Nine revolves around Sun Woo’s journey, all other characters exist in relation to him, and their importance is also mapped in relation to him, thus everyone else is mostly a supporting character so I will dedicate this section mostly to the actors who played Sun Woo (LJW & PHS).

Lee Jin Wook as Adult Sun Woo: Lee Jin Wook turns in a solid performance as Sun Woo, effectively portraying him with an almost impenetrable veneer that is at once intelligent, rational and tenacious, while giving us glimpses, in the quiet moments, of the uncertainty, fear and worry that he keeps to himself. This is by far the best performance I’v seen from LJW. I loved Sun Woo as a character very much!! I was so happy that I could love him so easily because he is the essence of the entire show. It’s really hard not to love Sun Woo, he is smart, quick on the uptake and cares about the people he loves even if it means putting his own life at stake. One of the most endearing qualities which is worth mentioning about Sun Woo, is his courage in the midst of confusion. Very admirable quality truly a hero in the making.

Park Hyung Sik as Young Sun Woo: This is my 4th drama for PHS and I have always admired him, moreso when I consider that he’s an idol. He did admirably well as young Sun Woo, it is possibly one of the best young portrayals I have come across in dramaland. He managed to give similar vibes to the adult Sun Woo and was a reasonably good echo of the adult Sun Woo. I really loved his scenes the most of all.

Lee Seung Joon as Young Hoon: I freaking loved LSJ here!! Young Hoon is by far my favorite character of his! YH’s friendship with Sun Woo, seriously one of the best BFF demonstration in dramaland even though it wasn’t given enough time, attention nor space but it was beautifully demonstrated nonetheless. LSJ is the comic relief of the show as his expressions to the time travelling talk were priceless!! Young Hoon is such a sincere, dorky, grizzled and adorable grumpypants. His concern for his friend all throughout the entire show is the show’s best emotional treat, for me it beats the romance element by million times!!

Music: Nothing memorable to me, nothing special and the show didn’t need one tbh.

Overall:
Nine is a rollercoaster of a ride. I am rarely ever taken by dramas, which don't move me emotionally, but there is always an exception and Nine is one. This is one of the very very few dramas that doesn’t need your emotional consent and will make you appreciate the ride for the thrill and creativity factor alone. For those who are thinking thrill-seekers Nine is a must watch drama. For those who are wondering why is this drama so popular, the ending on its own is a mind-blowing sensation for your thoughts (if you are willing to accept what the writers tried to offer). The only reason this is not getting higher grade from me is the romance factor, which took from the story a lot more than it deserves and this has admittedly peeved me.
I will definitely not re-watch this for two reasons 1) I rarely re-watch dramas 2) This is a "mystery"drama and once that element is unfolded there is no point in watching the whole thing again.

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Completed
Reply 1988
37 people found this review helpful
Jan 19, 2017
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 9
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

A Drama That is Worth a Thousand Smile

Before I start let me just clear out one thing, I have never been a fan of Reply Series and never thought that one day I would be. The first series (Reply 1997), I watched it while it was still airing back in 2012 and stopped right after ep.4. The reason I still remember the number of the episode perfectly is to keep reminding myself that I did start it like everyone else and before all the hype but still didn’t work for me. While Reply 1994 did intrigue my interest, it’s the rumors I’ve heard about Reply1988 being a family drama is what really pushed my button especially that I am sucker for family themed and nostalgia stimulating dramas.

In life, I have had to say goodbye to many things--friends, family members, my teen life, and as I venture into my last year of my 20s, I say goodbye to my youth as well. Bidding farewell to Reply 1988 continues this list, as I venture onward in dramaland and away from Ssammungdong. I say goodbye to that warm, neighborly feeling, that old nostalgia, that stirup-pant wearing era, and to the best youth drama I have ever seen. This drama really penetrated my soul.

Story:
The story primarily takes place in a singular setting, and yet the narrative does not stagnate; it does not become boring or trite; it does not make you sleepy when watching daily interactions of the families. Instead, the story of R1988 pushes at the heart and makes you yearn for friends who love each other this closely, for parents who love each other this much, for a life as simple and yet as hard as these characters' lives were. It takes you out of 2015/2016/2017 and supplants you into 1988 where you take that same journey with the characters. The first 2 episodes were pretty much an introduction episodes where all the crucial characters are being shown. My position as a viewer was a thin line between proceeding or stopping I needed to feel attached to the character because that is what it takes to feel R1988 but to me they were random people who knew each other BUT I knew nothing about them. The length of each ep (hour and half) scared me, I wondered if I could handle a 20 more eps especially that I wasn’t expecting much from the drama. However once I got deeper and deeper into their lives and got to know each and every one of them, I just couldn’t stop anymore. I felt they are part of me and I’m part of them.

Possibly, the star of the narrative of R1988 is its ability to exert both laughter and tears at the passing of a few minutes, yet it never feels stilted. It brings to us the viewers richness and variety of character within just the five friends, let alone the parents and siblings surrounding them. With that, we see intricate details of each person's character--like Bora's unspoken love for her parents, or Dong Ryong's inner philosopher, or Jung Hwan's hidden sweetness, or Taek's competitive strength. There are so many elements of character that we see, often unspoken, rise to the surface with the passing of a quick moment or a prolonged incident.

I loved the fact that the story focused more on friendship and family relationships so romance (the husband game) took a severe backseat in this drama. Furthermore, the show gave many couples a chance at love, both new and renewed, lost and found. It was never unrealistic or unfair to anyone in the cast instead, it offered options and chose the best one.

Acting:
I would love to talk about each and everyone one of the cast because they were the heartthrob of the show altogether, but no words would be enough so I’ll keep it short and list my favorites:

Sung Duk Seon (Lee Hyeri): My biggest surprise of them all! The bubbly and outgoing, if not a little bit kooky Duk Seon. At first, I doubted that she will be good because I’ve seen her before in one drama and wasn’t impressed. BUT, I was pleasantly surprised! Hyeri portrayed Duk Seon so perfectly that I can believe she actually acts like that in real life. Not to mention I could totally relate to Duk Seon issues being the 2nd child in the family which makes her my favorite.

Yoo Dong Ryong (Lee Donghwi): Dong Ryong is somewhat the male version of Duk Seon. I don't understand how the casting crew can be so good. The Lee Dong Hwi who is in his 30s can act out a whiny 18-year-old very well. I have nothing but praises for him and the way he portrays his character in the drama. I really loved Dong Ryong moments in consoling his friends and how he understood each and everyone of them more than they understood each other.

Kim Jung Hwan (Ryu Junyeol): Simply said, Jung Hwan is a kind of tsundere. I already knew Ryu Junyeol's fame skyrocketed after he took up the role of Kim Jung Hwan. I must say it is easy to understand that. He IS a good actor. The feeling awkward expression, the secretly happy face and many other are properly conveyed by Ryu Junyeol.

I could talk all day about the parents' roles as well. Ra Mi Ran, Kim Seon Young, and Lee Il Hwa trumped most drama mothers for being the most awesome trio of moms in a drama. They were not only funny, but they all showed signs of vulnerability and strength, and true to form, they were an unstoppable force on screen and in front of their husbands. But Ra Mi Ran takes the cake. She pulls off the ajumma routine like a master, this role was made for her. She’s intense. And every scene she was in, I thoroughly enjoyed. She’s a tough mom but an always kind mom; she’s aloof but wants to be warm; she’s smart but uneducated–and she’s a joy to watch.
As for the husbands/dads, all the dads were awesome as well, but Kim Sung Kyun takes the trophy. His President Kim routine will forever been ingrained in my memory, but also his relationship with Ra Mi Ran showed a great example of how love grows with age.
Fun fact, all adults used their own names. How funny and creative is that?

Music:
The music of Reply 1988 also played a special role, not only in the background OST, but in the characters' lives. The power of music pervaded the narrative of Reply. It gives warmth.

Overall
R1988 carries that genuineness into the world it’s set in. This isn’t the 1980s through the lens of nostalgia and political correctness, but a balance between the popular culture and political correctness. It’s not an attempt to shy from history. I cannot recommend this drama enough. The first 2-3 episodes are required to really get you into the show, but once you watch those, you will be hooked. It’s not about glamour, R1988 is merely about people, family, life and YOUTH. The only reason it did not get a full 10 from me is because of the slightly unsatisfying ending. I am NOT talking about the husband's identity (I’ve figured it out during the earlier episodes and the writing was fair to both male leads imo) but how the ending was handled did leave me feeling really empty. I needed to see everyone in the cast; I needed to see their 2015/16 selves. A narration/update of their 2015/16 lives would've been good enough so I could say goodbye because that is the point of R1988, feeling like you’re a part of the whole thing but instead felt kind of left out by the end.

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Completed
Shark
9 people found this review helpful
Jan 10, 2017
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0
Who goes to heaven? The one who doesn't repent?
Or the one who does?

Before I start I should mention that this is definitely “unpopular opinion” but that makes me all the more determined to write a review so here goes :)

I have been keeping this drama for the right time because I’m a revenge-themed drama LOVER and I have practically seen everything Korea has to offer in that category. Moreover, I especially have seen everything I want to watch for Kim Nam Gil… so I kept this one mainly because it doesn’t seem that he will be back to dramaland anytime soon. However my craving could no longer be suppressed anymore not after I realized that it is written by the same writer of The Devil, Memory and Resurrection.

Shark is not just a simple “revenge drama” with an obvious/repetitive plot, although I can’t say the plot is original but what strikes me here the most is the allegories that the story has offered in form of shark and Chagall’s painting “Orpheus”. The shark fish symbolizes that life must goes one as shark has to keep moving in order to live. The “Orpheus” painting features in some scene to remind us that this is a story between man and woman that cannot be together. The painting depicting the sad myth of Orpheus where he travels to the underworld to save his wife, only to lose her in the end because he looks back before they’ve both reached the upper world. An alternate title for this drama is actually "Don’t Look Back: the Legend of Orpheus". Shark is beautifully written and photographed, and it unfolds like a good book rather than just a television show. It has the depth of a Greek tragedy (references the story of Orpheus).

Story:
The story takes its time to establish the back-story of its hero and heroine, teenagers sincerely in love who are torn apart by a cruel turn of events that establish the revenge motivation. The plot reveals its layers like a good mystery novel, and has many eloquent scenes, the most powerful of which often feature no dialogue at all! This is what I call the perfect revenge drama, where there are so many victims, and yet the overall message is not really one of despair, but rather that love will triumph over revenge any day. It is the kind of revenge drama that haunts you with its inevitable tragedy. The origin of the revenge plot takes its time to reveal itself in exquisitely well written details. We get to know and care about major characters in their youth, and then follow them with interest into their adulthood. Shark had me hooked within its first few seconds, which reveal a teenage boy speaking directly into the camera, answering questions from an unseen young girl. That conversation replays over and over in Shark, and its poignancy becomes more and more touching when you see everything that happens.

The cinematography was lustrous and breathtaking on Shark, beyond beautiful! Many of the images were like classic paintings! I would freeze the images just to STARE at them in amazement! Images of beaches, lakes, woods, nighttime and daytime skies, gardens, picturesque streets and buildings, not to mention startling human facial close-ups on occasion, were all unforgettable.

This is not a romantic drama and certainly not a drama you’d watch for the romance. I’m very happy that the romance element was kept at its minimal and that it did not distract the core story. However it is fair to mention that the tension between Yi Soo and Hae Woo was indeed a bonus to the revenge line. It was astonishing well crafted and well acted. The tension between them was amplified by the fact that she is representing the law, and he is determined to be a criminal. It made the story all the more intense than it already is and looking back at all the revenge-themed dramas that I have watched I must say it is very rare that the level of intensity and romance is kept as subtle as it is in the case with Shark.

Acting:
Suffice it to say that every character in Shark is carefully drawn to reveal genuine human beings with their own emotions and agenda. However KNG’s Yi Soo/ Kim Joon is the heartthrob of Shark! You will be entirely captivated by the dark-eyed grace, gentleness and menace of Nam Gil in this complex role (even though he does bad things, my heart broke for him). His facial expression switch from cruel cold revenge seeking man, to a broken lonely soul who is inside desperately calling to be saved. When it comes to acting through facial expressions and even without many dialogues it’s always KNG who leaves me breathless. Yi-soo’s revenge is a well thought out and carefully executed. His desire to seek revenge is perfectly understandable, yet because it is so easy to feel for his character’s plight, it is difficult to watch him move further and further into the dark side.

Son Ye Jin: Her portrayal of a compassionate, righteous prosecutor and a true friend/lover was very much convincing. Hae Woo serves as the moral conscience of the drama. I can’t say that I love her character and I can see why most didn’t but I understand her character giving the circumstances and tests she is put through the entire time.

Music:
The soundtrack was lovely and haunting, just perfect for this poignant story of two people caught up in a web of intrigue, murder, and revenge. When the drama had aired in 2013 I was already in love with BoA’s "Between Heaven And Hell" before I even get to watch the drama! It caught my ears and heart when my friend sang it and I couldn’t help but fall in love so imagine how I felt while finally watching it through the eyes of the story.

Overall:
Shark is about revenge, about how there are consequences and reactions for every action, it’s about love but it’s not a love story, and it’s about finding those truths and then facing them. Shark is very good at being this well-oiled machine. It’s thought out and there is a strategy and enough metaphors (sharks! Orpheus!) to make it interesting. It has twists and turns that don’t feel forced and very little slip ups even though there are more characters in this than one would have thought. The ending may not be the best way to wrap up things but it certainly isn’t the worst way, I embraced the ending here (with its flaws) and appreciated it much more than some of the many other revenge-themed dramas that I’ve seen.
If you are a revenge-themed drama fan or a melodrama fan don’t let this one slip away from you! In the end we might like some "gems" that other people may have considered "waste", you never know.

Kim Nam Gil has once said, “I experienced a slump when KBS2’s ‘Shark’ didn’t receive a lot of love.” I would like to tell him that just as there are people who didn’t appreciate Shark there are those who did and even watching it in 2017 this is such a wonderful revenge drama, so thank you for making it happen and thank you for being part of it.

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Completed
Queen Seon Deok
6 people found this review helpful
Jan 3, 2017
62 of 62 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
"The one who secures the people will acquire the world and rule the ages" is a big quote and theme of the show.

Queen Seondeok is mainly a historical/political melodrama depicting the struggle of opposing (good vs. evil) factions. The evil faction is led by a ruthless leader (Mishil) representing government control both of government officials and citizens, based on manipulating them with fear. The good faction has a good leader who wants power and freedom to shift from government to the people (control by their choice instead of governmental dictates, ownership of land by farmers instead of tenant farmers working for the rich), and who appeals to the hope and good nature of others.

Despite displaying inaccurate portrayal of the actual historical figures. Nonetheless, it did do an excellent job introducing the viewer to Korean, specifically, Sillan, history at a critical time. Whatever the artistic license taken, the fact is that this period in Silla saw first a major change in succession rules, and second the period of unification that would occupy the reigns of Sillan monarchs for a space of decades, and which Queen Seondeok started. In addition the story is so engagingly written that you really don't care if it's what "really happened" or not.

Another core theme is women's rights in a male dominated world, which I find the most appealing theme of this show. The power play between two very intelligent women (Deokman and Misil). Their chemistry was very much electrifying as many of the greatest hero/villain rivalries of literature and TV. The concept of the shadow self that makes for such a dynamic, two sides of the same coin, but rarely has it been done with both the characters being women. Misil and Deokman do have moments that prove they can fight; but it's really intelligence that marks these women as strong females.The conflict between duty and love is one Deokman has to tread throughout the show.

The marvelous thing about many characters in this show is the depth they all have. Bad guys have sympathetic moments. Characters you think are good doing something that suddenly makes you hate them, or vice versa. Every character, good or bad, has motives you can understand. The complexity of characters and the realism with which they are portrayed that gives the show it's nuances. It's really the quality of acting that also keeps things realistic that with actors of lesser experience could easily turn into melodrama. Equally nuanced is the writing. This show is great in what it chooses to reveal to the audience at certain points and what it doesn't allow the audience to know. My personal favorite of Deokman's boys though is Alchun (Lee Seung Hyo). There's something I love about his deep loyalty uncomplicated by romance, especially since he doesn't start off as one of Deokman's supporters. She has to earn his trust, but once she does, she has it for life.

Acting:
Deokman/ Queen Seondeok – Lee Yo Won: Amazing how well Lee Yo Won was able to portray this character. LYW’s performance as Princess Deokman, who later became the great Queen, was really stellar. The way she portrayed herself as a nangdo (a soldier trainee), to princess, to ruler was a compelling/convincing act. Her expressions were so clear, that I find myself “congratulating” her for overcoming every impossible feat that stood her way.

Mishil- Go Hyun Jung: GHJ is a brilliant actress who made the Mishil character stands out in this drama. She had the most audience attention actually in QSD. She played the controlling, power-hungry Mishil perfectly. She was as beautiful as she was terrifying in her quest to sit on the throne. Most times the ‘bad guy’ of the drama is detestable, in Mishil’s case I couldn’t detest her, in the end I understood her.

Bidam- Kim Nam Gil: FAWLESS! I was waiting for Kim Nam Gil to appear from the opening credits but I had to wait about 21 episodes for it to happen. But boy-o-boy when you came, he came with the thunder. Just as I was getting a little bored, Bidam came into the picture adding a whole new dynamic to the show. KNG really played the role of Bidam perfectly. I couldn’t imagine another actor playing his part very effectively. As Bidam, KNG was able to portray different emotions one after another that you would find him the charming, egoistic, and suddenly frightening individual. His character is a thin line between evil and good.

Yushin-Uhm Tae Woong He played the upright Yushin very well. Always steady and honest. That was the energy that he brought to this role. I was like with all the chaos, he was the one constant, the pillar for not only Deokman but for us viewers as well.

I should also mention the music of the show which has a great mix of character themes, sung love themes (both romantic and parental), and suspenseful background music.

Finally, the reason I could not give this drama any less than a perfect 10 despite its flaws is because at times the story offered some of brilliant psychological insights, such as Mishil saying "Humans can not live without believing in fantasy", as in liberal idealism (world peace, income equality without degrading the economy, big government that works efficiently, etc.) that can never be achieved. I am weak when it comes to brilliant/breathtaking psychological insights especially if portrayed so raw and wonderful as it is the case in QSD.

Some of my favorite quotes:
“Do not even think of possessing me, nobody can ever possess me as long as this crown adorns my pate”–Queen Seon Duk

“Why did you change?”-Bidam
“Because I have no name, crown prince crown princess and even the scoundrels parading in the market have a name but a ruler does not… All I am is Her Majesty”, “Because the moment I lost my name, you became nothing more but an influential subject of mine” –Queen Seon Duk

“I love you for loving me as woman”–Queen Seon Duk

“Earning people’s trust is hard, however what is even harder than that is abandoning them” – Queen Seon Duk

“I shall neither give up, nor abandon my people, not a thing not anyone” –Queen Seon Duk

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Completed
Nirvana in Fire
4 people found this review helpful
Dec 16, 2016
54 of 54 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
I am normally very hesitant when it comes to watching Chinese dramas because I’ve tried crossing the boarders many times over my drama-watching -years but I end up giving up each time. However, none of the dramas were historical/wuxia ones so a dear friend of mine has once jokingly said, “maybe you’ll like their historical dramas?” It was a joke but I seriously thought it through and all the praise I’ve heard about NIF has finally pushed my button. It was time to take the step, and boy am I glad that I did.
I have to confess one thing before I start, the storyline is what drew me in considering I did not really care for most of the cast prior to watching. Nevertheless, their portrayal was so captivating that I was won over completely.

Nirvana in Fire is a smart show. All the characters are smart and act in rational ways it’s so mesmerizing! The political maneuvering by the various competing parties in the show is like watching a brilliant game of chess being played in front of you. The show is so smart that sometimes I feel like I’m getting smarter as I’m watching it! Every scene, every action, every word has a purpose. Everything counts! The story forces you to stay alerted to every little detail, because every little detail matters and might be introduced ahead many episodes before you could understand what is it aimed for. Although some may say it’s slow paced plot but for me I was constantly holding my breath eagerly watching how our leads will turn a potential defeat into a victory.
The high production value evident with the impressive cinematography of the imperial court and countryside, beautiful costumes, dazzling sword fights… not to forgot the breathtaking introduction which is very deeply related to the story if you watch you will understand the meaning behind a butterfly emerging from cocoon.The story unfold bit by delicious bit. The plot had all the elements you could think of.. greed, betrayal, loyalty, suspicion, love, revenge, lust for power, implications of genocide, jealousy, honor, integrity, murder, cruelty, kindness, generosity and mixtures of these qualities in conflict and contradiction.

Characters:
Hu Ge as Mei Chang Su: My absolute favorite actor and character! Considering that his character is the emotional heart and of the show, it was vital that Hu Ge’s performance be no less than phenomenal and indeed it was. He was a piece of art! Hu Ge eyes were so expressive! By only looking at his gaze I’d immediately feel the chill and fire at the same moment! The character of Mei Changsu is very dynamic and complex! It requires someone who has the ability to portray the character in a nuanced manner. Hu Ge managed to portray the varying components of his character from mischievousness to deviousness, cunning to kindness, unscrupulousness to tenderness, sorrow to longing, etc. I am mostly amazed by how Hu Ge has totally embodied the weariness of his character so well! Every little gesture was so unbelievably well mastered! What a gem of an actor

Wang Kai as Prince Jing: I heard that this drama escalated his status as an actor; it’s no surprise to me! If I had to describle Prince Jing I would say he is the idealistic form of power/authority that everybody dreams of living under which why it took me sometime (over half of the show) to warm up to him and accept his stubbornness and impulsive reactions. It’s not that I had a problem with his beliefs, I admired that he would stick to his guns and would never sacrifice his morals for power. But sometimes it got too naïve and idealistic for my taste. The world isn’t an ideal place, a price will always be paid for the greater cause… is what I believe so his character frustrated me (sometimes) but by the end I came to like him very much. For me to even like or dislike any of Prince Jing’s actions proves that Wang Kai is clearly a very talented actor.

I would love to talk about each and every character but the review would go on and on so for your sake I’m just mentioning the two most powerful characters. Nonetheless I have to give everyone in the cast a big round of applause for their wonderful performances. The whole cast is just so darn likeable and everyone portrayed their character so fantastically! From the very top to the very bottom, from the veterans to the younger actors, everyone did a great job.

Music:
I fell for the OST the instant I heard it before engaging into the story (and that has never happened before). To my surprised 3 songs were sung by the 3 main actors, Hu Ge, Wang Kai and Liu Tao so they aren’t only great actors but can sing this beautifully? Talk about perfection :)
My favorite song is Aging of a Beauty by Liu Tao

Lastly I will leave you with “some of the spoiler-free” favorite quotes of mine:
“You know, this pair of hands, used to bend bows and tame horses. But now it can only hide in the dark and stir the pot.”—Mei Changsu
“People can only be betrayed by friends, enemies will never have chance to do so” —Mei Changsu
“If not for the people, what need for an emperor?” —Mei Changsu
“If you did things for others to see, then it’s a problem of your moral character, but if no one knew of your good deeds, then it’s a failure on my part as your adviser”–Mei Changsu

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Completed
Pandora
23 people found this review helpful
Dec 14, 2016
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
I’ll start by saying this..., Pandora is a movie that definitely surprised me! To be honest I was “in” purely for the cast because the synopsis did not sell itself to me, I've seen similar themed movies so it didn't feel original and I still say it's not "original" per-se. However it's the emotional ride that counts here!

Story:
As I've already have mentioned it probably won't be new to some of you as similar themes have been done before maybe not a Korean movie but it's still not “brand new”. However the way it was delivered, the emotional journey you go through while watching it makes it one of the most quality story lines for such types of movies I've seen thus far. I did not expect to get all emotional while watching this, I can assure of that, but things just don't always turn out they way you expect them to do.

Pandora story is told in a way that would get you attached to the characters very fast!! This is just beyond wonderful because normally it takes a whole drama with 16 ep+ for me to get attached to the characters (that is if I get attached at all). Somehow in Pandora, you can relate to the characters and feel them, which is what makes it a very emotional ride without being a tearjerker or tire you down with emotional scenes on purpose. In fact, this is what I loved about the plot, it not trying to be over the top or play the emotion game. The writer has managed to keep things in tact without draining you with all the tragic events. Pandora story pretty much mastered the love, friendship, loyalty, sacrifice, neighbors, heroic acts, dirty politicians... all in one plot which is over 2 hours without tiring me.

Acting:
Kim Nam Gil: He is the main reason why I decided to go all the way to the cinema in the cold harsh winter and watch this movie, which didn't appeal to me at first. If you are reading this review and have never seen anything for this man I earnestly ask you to pls hunt his profile down and WATCH HIM! Simply because there are no words that could be said, enough to compliment this amazing actor. He has yet again embraced me with his impressive beyond words performance but this time with a Jeolla Satturi accent! This is my first time watching him preform this accent and he's one of the best K-actors who perfectly mastered it to the point that I had to remind myself that it is truly KNG! His performance didn't just move me, it moved the whole audience in the theater, and the whole hall was crying in tears and crying in heart. Amazing heartfelt sincerity that broke my heart into pieces.

Jeong Jin Yeong: This man owned the first half of the movie! I've had the pleasure of seeing this actor before but I was even more delighted to see him here because what he showed me here is on a whole different level. He is my favorite character from start to end, loved Pyeong Seob with all my heart! Such a courageous, righteous, wonderful character played by this wonderful mister.

Han Joo Hyun: What a wonderful surprise! I've seen this girl twice but never like in Pandora. This movie has to be her breakthrough! When I was watching her I couldn't resist falling for her, her character is my 2nd favorite but how Joo Hyun played it is just too precious. The whole time I was so impressed I couldn't avoid my girl-crush. She stood her ground as a new talent among these giant actors! Bravo!

As for the rest of the cast I honestly loved them all, Kim Myung Min, Lee Kyeong Yeong, Kim Young-Ae what a stellar cast!

Re-watch
I don't really re-watch things (except for few exceptions), and in my opinion even for those who do re-watch I don't think it's the type of movie that you'd want re-watch.

Overall
**Although I would love to say this is a movie for everyone, but it would be wiser to say that it's a movie for those who don't mind bloody scenes. The story isn't aggressive but "nuclear power plant" is involved so scenes of injuries are bound to happen, just a warning ahead for those who hate the sight of blood.

Compelling emotional story, high quality direction and production, and finally stellar cast. I’d love to state all the points I loved about it but I tried not to give anything away so I will conclude my review in one sentence, “try not to miss Panodra” :)

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Completed
Cain and Abel
21 people found this review helpful
Nov 22, 2016
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 9
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Even though I decided not to write reviews long time ago but this drama pushed my button. I had to calm myself for a while before deciding to write anything about this wonderful work of art.

So Ji Sub and Shin Hyun Joon, what more could a viewer possibly ask for? I’m so glad, genuinely glad that I waited 7 years to watch this! Why? Because it made me appreciate it even more than I would have back then considering that NONE of the recent dramas could ever match up to. We tend to value things more if we know it’s no longer available and is no longer easy to get by, thus I value this drama very much now.

Let me say this, a huge part of this review is dedicated to SJS's and SHJ's phenomenal performance! Because with all do respect to the very well-written story, those two wonderful men will steal you from the very first scene before the story gets to take a place! Their chemistry, is simply breathe-taking and heart-wrenching at the same time!

SJS’s trademark is his “sad eyes” and people have known it since I Am Sorry, I Love You (and what a trademark it is!) Trust me it is not easy to show such a sincere sad eyes like he does when he acts. His “sad” act, his crying scenes…he looks so damaged and destroyed it looks so real that you’d lose where you were at when you watch him act. His sincere-heartfelt act changes the “too overused” plots into a piece of art and a classic one even if it is a 10/20 years old. If you want to truly "feel" SJS, it has to be I Am Sorry I Love You and Cain and Abel.

Cho In has became my favorite character for SJS because he is a warm-hearted decent person, with cute smile and soft voice. This character has allowed SJS to show different side of him, different expressions… mixture of many expressions that I’ve seen for the first time while watching him. I loved Cho In’s kindness, naivety, innocence, sweetness, softness and vulnerability.

If SJS’ Cho In is half the reason why I loved this drama, Shin Hyun Joon ‘s Sun Woo is definitely the other half! This is the 2nd time that this man pushes me to tears (first time was in Stairway To Heaven). His portrayal of the antagonist is simply majestic and too beautiful to be put in words. Sun Woo is definitely a worthy rival of the great Cho In.

The story is very well written plot-wise and character wise. It struck me as slightly slow and scattered in the first episode, but things quickly gathered together and progressed in a way that really draws in the viewer. The characters and settings that were introduced kept things new and exciting without being overwhelming or hard to follow. I especially appreciated Young Ji because she was flawed! But not in ways I found to be cliché. She felt real to me! Which something I don’t normally see when it comes to the main female character especially this genre.

I have always for *some reason* thought that this is a revenge-themed drama but to my surprise this drama had so much more to offer other than plain revenge and for a revenge drama fan such as myself I still loved it very much, that didn't disappoint me at all, so kudos to the writer!

The OSTs are wonderful, the painful lyrics make the drama even more sad which contributes very well to the story. I loved it.

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Completed
Woman
12 people found this review helpful
Jun 6, 2016
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
Forgiveness, atonement, acceptance, amends and family... yes it is all here in "Woman “and I would add the word "Motherhood" too.

Yet again a wonderful, beautiful, inspiring, realistic, rich of humane emotions one peace of art written by Yuji Sakamoto. Woman has managed to stay real to the core and majestic even though the whole story does very much emphasize on real depressing facts which we see in our day-to-day life yet it still managed to be optimistic and full of hope leaving you feeling warm and hopeful yourself. Hope is a great thing, and that's essentially the message of this show.

"Woman -My Life for My Children-", tells the story of a single mother who struggles with money, living her life for her children who she loves so dearly. Woman depicts a woman's fight to survive in a difficult world, whilst shedding light on problems rooted in Japanese society in specific. Although I'm not related to the Japanese society in anyway but I can to some extent relate to the culture and its drawbacks especially towards women in "family oriented societies" which is why I find this drama very compelling and rewarding.

The story touch on motherhood, how motherhood is not a switch you can turn on and off once a mother, forever a mother. However, there are mothers who never chose to be a mother. This is about Koharu's motherhood and although she questions herself whether or not she is fit to be a mother, personally I think the real question is whether or not you "want" to be a mother. This is what matters.

What else makes "Woman" very special? Well, Woman had some of the most commonly/overused cliches in Asian dramas not just J dramas and as a drama viewer, you can either choose to be turned off by it and quit watching or enjoy the awesome acting and put aside the logic of it all. But here there is a 3rd option! Woman. I was taken by the unshakeable resolve of Koharu's attitude and the fact that she never allowed herself to get swallowed by self-pity and rejection. She took it upon herself that she has to survive and at least allow her kids to grow old enough for them to become independent. That was one of the most inspiring motherly acts I've ever witnessed in Asian drama.

Although she had many things going on with her family instead of disintegrating and falling apart, they choose to unite and set aside feelings of bitterness and hatred. After all family is what matters you need to try and open up your heart for them to reach you. The drama is blessed with a beautiful striking dialogue one of the best really.

According to my research on this drama, I‘ve come to know that Woman has managed to obtain huge rave especially to women among the J audience (which made me happy). Why wouldn’t it? We get the ever-so realistic performance by Hikari Mitsushima, and a stellar cast to drive the story (Hikari is the queen of them of course). Not to mention the compelling script that takes you inside Koharu's struggles and her sweet moments with her two adorable children, the drama unfolds the daily life of a young family just trying to find peace and happiness... I sincerely urge you to watch this drama although it isn't a drama made for entertainment purposes but it is nonetheless entertaining, rewarding, insightful and precious especially to women :)

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Completed
The Queen's Classroom
13 people found this review helpful
May 24, 2016
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 10
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
"Education creates miracles when kids are developing there are many miracles that we don't think of".

Jyoou no Kyoushitsu is such a meaningful, addictive, intense, unpredictable, intelligent and educative story. It made me delve with many questions about the importance of life, learning, and the future. It managed to be both pessimistic and optimistic at the same time, both realistic and idealistic. It showed many difficulties of life, flawlessly relating the troubles the children experienced to the real, adult world.

This is the kind of story that will need you to have enormous use of your heart to appreciate its beauty and have patience too. It is one of the few dramas that not only does it provide the "entertainment" service but also offers you so much values, so much meaning and so much lessons. Usually such a slice-of-life kind of dramas do somewhat lack in the "entertaining" factor but not here, not this one.

Akutsu Maya is the show's best attraction. I wouldn't be exaggerating when I say watch it for her! She is the kind of teacher whom when you run into you'd wish you if hadn't! She is SCARY, mysterious, manipulative, controlling and idealistic. She will make sure students surrender to her and her "rules" no matter what it takes and is pretty much determined to do so.

The drama will take you into and intense journey where you will feel you might soon run out of patience because there are things that won't come to your liking and you won't understand "why" BUT that's what makes this story even more compelling, you just simply can't stop. It will suck you in from the very 1st episode and the characters will eventually grow on you. The students each one of them had their own problems to overcome. The more time went on and the more you learned, the more important everyone became, whether as part of the class or for something a bit more complicated. I felt I was one of the students too and Maya-Sensei will haunt me down if I break rules too.

What does it really mean to be a teacher? Who determines what is a good or bad teacher?
Whatever the answer may be, there are many risks involved here and taking responsibility for people's lives is a HUGE burden which teachers in general have to live with. I almost forgot how much of a big of deal a teacher's job is but Jyoou no Kyoushitsu has done a beautiful splendid job with reminding me that.

Another thing I loved here the realistic portrayal of the faults and deficiencies in education system (Japan specifically). That was such an honest portrayal of things that should be changed in order to make better people and better future. I honestly wanted to clap for the writer for being able to create an entertaining story while keeping things realistic.

Finally my new love interest, Amami Yuki!! I absolutely loved her. She is the queen of the show I loved her portrayal for Maya-Sensei. She was both lovely and luscious. I honestly believed her as Maya-Sensei (which is why I felt being haunted by her too). Not to mention the everlasting affect from her gaze and voice tone when she says "Open Your Eyes" (when you watch the drama you will understand the weight which this sentence carries trust me).

Jyoou no Kyoushitsu had so many beautiful quotes and dialogues, which I’d love to share, but I don't want to spoil things away. I just want to say that this drama has moved my heart to the point where I shed few tears not for a sad scene but for a happy one.

Overall: In my humble opinion, this is a drama for everyone and should be watched by everyone regardless whether the genre is your cup of tea or not. This is definitely not children/teenager drama it's different from all the school projects I have seen and I'm sure it will take you by surprise just like it did to me. I honestly think this is the kind of drama that if you miss out on, it would be such a loss. Give it a chance and you might end up feeling rewarded as I am now :)
I'll leave you with the queen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwl70ZrX9D0

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Completed
Mother
14 people found this review helpful
May 15, 2016
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 13
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
After taking a deep breathe, after shedding tears, after spending hours thinking about this show I finally decided to write my feelings down.

Mother is not a drama, it’s slice-of-life and is in no way made for entertainment purposes but rather to move every shred of humanity in you. So why watch when a drama's primary purpose is to entertain? The answer is simple, Japan is the best in human dramas like Mother, which stay with you long after the glowing warmth of a sappy romantic comedy drama has faded.

“I am not trying to justify what I’m doing, I am an observer who became a criminal that’s all“ Suzuhara Nao.

A school-teacher who ‘kidnaps’ one of her pupils when she discovers she is being abused at home. Her desperate desire to save this little girl’s life she with no faith in authorities decides to take matters into her own hands.

This is one of those few dramas that will have you emotionally invested by episode one. I personally have shed tears towards the end.The slow building relationship between Nao and Tsugumi, as little by little Nao learns what it really is to be a mother, is wonderful to watch.

I am not afraid to say that despite the fact that “kidnapping” is illegal in the eyes of the law, I was wholeheartedly supporting Nao all the way. She wants to save this little girl, whatever it takes and she is willing to take the penalty. You can’t help but admire her strength.

Another gift which this show bring to you and which rightfully could be the most important reason if not the only enough reason I’d tell you to watch this show for is Ashida Mana as Rena. This little girl was only 6 years old when she starred in this show and yet her acting skills by far surpass her age. Her emotional scenes just breaks your heart into pieces and leaves you uncontrollably sobbing. There are two scenes for her that left me emotionally vulnerable and heart broken from the heartbreakingly raw sincerity she has shown. I had to remind myself over and over she is just "playing" the part she’s not really going through this, I had to remind myself that so I too can move on with my life. Yes that's how powerful her performance is.

You might read the synopsis and think to yourself there’s no way that this story can have a happy, feel-good ending. Without spoiling anything away, the drama ends in the best most fitting way possible. Personally I’d say the ending is one of the most wonderful things about this show and has left me speechlessly sobbing.

Overall, I think by looking at the synopsis it is pretty much clear that if you are looking for something feel-good and entertaining then you most definitely should look elsewhere. But if you want to see a drama at its best, acting at its best, story at its best and finally Japan at its best then I suggest to have this one on your-must-watch-top-priorities.

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Completed
Memory
42 people found this review helpful
May 7, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
“How will my broken head remember this day in the future? Without anytime to prepare myself, my life began to crack…Will I remember the man in his 40s who is shaking in fear after getting lost for the first time in his life?” Park Tae Suk.

“A wise man once said that getting lost in life is an opportunity to find new way. But that’s only a saying I might end up remembering today as the day when I realized that such a saying doesn’t make me feel better at all”. Park Tae Suk.

“The heart I tried so hard to ignore gives a command to my brain “Please Persevere As Long As You Can, Persevere As Long As Your Heart Is Still Beating”. Park Tae Suk.

You take a look at the synopsis and read “Alzheimer” and immediately think to yourself “What? Alzheimer again? And what is even worse there is no romance, no fairytale, no young faces… nah I won’t bother this is clearly a tearjerker and I know how it’s going to end anyway so what’s the point?” Well, you have the right to walk away if you think “Alzheimer” is depressing topic I won’t blame you BUT please bare with me here and let me try to sell this drama for you, would you?

Yes, this topic has been used countless and countless of times in dramas, in movies….etc, so what makes Memory special? There is nothing special with the story itself or the elements it has presented. Family, regret, changing the way you lived your life, sorrowful past that you want to run away from, locking away your painful memories and the pain of losing someone…etc these aren’t new topics but let’s face it how many topics can be brand new? Searching for totally brand new topics is almost like a mission impossible honestly. The trick isn’t in the topic but rather in the way it is used and presented. Memory has brought in over-used topics and turned them into a wonderful emotional ride with diverse emotions that will leave you breathless and heavyhearted. The ride was raw, real and very consuming both mentally and emotionally!

I loved how the drama made me feel for each character without leaving the show feeling depressed myself. It is clearly isn’t happy go lucky drama, it has a lot of unfortunate events but it avoids feeling over the top and it also avoids feeling like stuff happens to force viewers tears. It takes you along and you just feel all of it naturally. Doesn’t that scream “different”? I feel bad if someone would call it a tearjerker (not that I have a problem with tearjerker dramas) it is just not what Memory really is.

The best and most important two aspects that made Memory strong felt drama is the award winning acting and the wonderful cinematography/scenery and direction. Usually it is hard enough to find a drama that is excelling in one of these aspects let alone all 3 of them. Even for those of you who never notice scenery or direction you will be forced to notice them here because it is just too good, simply beautiful. The feels that this drama possesses it is all driven from the acting performance. Acting has played the most essential part in this drama along with the heart-wrenching dialogues. I loved each and every sentence spoken here especially the scenes between Park Tae Suk and his wife and Park Tae Suk and his son. Those scenes are one of the most memorable scenes in the entire drama and I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I tell you to watch it for the sake of those scenes only because they are indeed EXQUISITE.

I would love to mention each and every member of this stellar cast because they really deserve the appreciation but that would just make my review endless and words won’t do them justice. I will just mention my favourite ones. First my most favorite misters of all times and our hero here,Lee Sung Min (Park Tae Suk). Kudos to this man, let me just say to the those of you who already know how precious this actor is “congratulations he NAILED THE HELL OUT OF HIS FIRST MAIN LEAD!!” And to those who still haven’t met this man in drama land “PLEASE don’t let my review stop you and go ahead STALK DOWN his profile”. It is sad if you decide to pass on Memory but at least pick one thing for this man and make the time to watch it please. He belongs to those class actors whom you as a drama fan have to watch something for because trust me “acting” doesn’t get any better than this. This man has no limits; every minute spent on watching him he makes it all worthwhile. I also want to mention the rest of my favorites two wonderful surprises Lee Ki Woo and Lee Jun Ho. Their performance both took me by surprise, I have seen Lee Ki Woo before but not as a despicable sorry excuse of human being (which he did WONDERFULLY) and I have seen Lee Jun Ho in a movie and he was likeable then but I had no idea what kind of hidden talent this boy had until I watched him in Memory (his first drama) and boy am I still surprised that he is actually an idol, very impressive! Looking forward to their future projects.

This is one of the few dramas that are blessed with storytelling OSTs and great ones if I may say. There are many great OSTs out there but I appreciate it even more when the OSTs speak the story too this way it gets me even more emotionally invested in the story than I already am.

I generally do not rewatch dramas but I do have very few ones that I'd rewatch. However even for those who do rewatch dramas I don't think Memory is rewatchable material considering how heavy and intense the content is I think once is enough to appreciate it throughly but I also could be wrong so that's for you to decide.

Overall
Clearly this will be one of the underrated dramas here on MDL, nonetheless I have faith that there will be fans out there who are meant for this drama and hopefully will appreciate it the way it should be appreciated. If you are willing to go in an emotional ride and if you don’t mind the predetermined ending, if you are looking for well crafted story, award winning performance and beautiful heartfelt dialogues then this drama should definitely be on your plan to watch list ^^
Don’t let “Alzheimer” keep you away from a great drama such as Memory. Realising what are our priorities in life this is something which never gets old nor boring no matter how old we get we still learn and there will always be a chance to set those priorities right even with little time. "The end is soon HOPE. With the strength you have now be happy" Memory.

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