A Sugary Sweet Vampire Drama

RH Plus was a show filled with a level of sugar sweet high school tropes, which undeniably left more questions than answers by the ending of the drama. In the beginning of the drama, the show focuses upon Makoto moving into a new residence , revealing that everyone ( including himself ) are all secret vampires. Now, the one thing which I did always feel as though this show could’ve gone into more depth around is the existence of vampires outside of the mansion. Whilst the script writers did have the benefit of being able to focus upon the centralised lives of Makoto and the other residents, there were many elements from the pasts of the characters which felt disjointed within the show, particularly the secret revelation behind Makoto’s parentage and of course, the head, Kiyoi’s past as the oldest vampire well. The latter, ironically being a major part of the series, however, there was little reason or explanation as to why Makoto’s mother and father ended up together in the first place and of course, why both parents made their decisions in the plot as well which would of course influence Makoto’s mental state for a major proportion of the series. This leads us to the next biggest problem . The unanswered questions. Naturally, a show can go through never answering these questions for viewers, however, there was little actual indication towards a sense of emotional appeal or relatability with most of the characters. Not least is the parentage of Makoto never truly brought to light in the series or shown to actually affect Makoto after the revelation, but, there are also so many questions regarding Makoto ‘s abilities as well which didn’t feel disclosed for viewers. Similarly, it would have been just as intriguing to have known more about Kiyoi’s past especially his path to vampirism. This leads us to another big snag in the series. How are vampires created? Now, this more of a general nag than anything else, but it felt a little annoying as to the fact that none of the characters were exposed towards if they had been presumably human or vampires their entire lives. Presumably, they were human once from Kiyoi’s comments, however, this also would lead to the more moral questions such as the youngest Ageha, and how these characters dealt with the pain and heartbreak of having to leave their human lives behind, something which just was dealt with at all in a show about vampires.

Read More

Skate Our Souls Will “ Save” Your Soul From Typical Idol Dramas...

There’s no denying that Project ; Skate Our Souls does have a certain “idol” teen quality within casting a fairly “ good looking” and a “ young” actor such as Teeradon Supapunpinyo ( renowned for his roles in Hormones 2 and 3) to play our main character, a depressed high school student referred to as Boo throughout the series.

Yet rather than playing upon his looks alone, Supapunpinyo’s appearance is fairly unrecognisable ; from clothes chosen by the stylist to hang loosely upon his frame to a buzz cut hairstyle accompanying his fatigued appearance, Supapunpinyo truly seems to step into his role throughout the series as a teen struggling with depression.

Yet contrary to the the unassuming appearance of Supapunpinyo as Boo, Toni Rakkaen skates onto screen impressively as Boo’s senior and a pro- skater, Simon with a vivid array of wardrobe choices and hair which seems to channel his inner G- Dragon ( particularly from BIGBANG’s music video Fxxk it).

It is made evident for viewers that from his appearance alone during their first meeting , Simon is seemingly everything that Boo is not; confident, cocky and certainly a vivacious flirt with Boo’s kind-hearted and worried doctor and psychologist Bell( Chayanit Charnsangarvej).


This would seem to naturally draw the conclusion that the show will take the cliche route of trying to enforce
a strange and sudden “ fraternal” friendship between Boo and Simon over the course of the series , with the former suddenly trying to help Boo to overcome his depressive thoughts, get together with his younger sister Fern ( Narupornkamol Chaisang)and for everything in the end to become hunky dory.

Yet refreshingly unlike a lot of idol dramas which would take this route , Boo and Simon’s relationship is complicated between a mixture of teasing and later revelations which plays a greater role in later episodes. This was a surprisingly intriguing development between the characters as individuals (including Fern), rather than just mere plot devices to get the story to advance.

On the other hand, perhaps the one compliant which should be noted about this series,is that the film quality isn’t brilliant. Whilst this does add a sense of realism at times to being like a fly-on- the- wall documentary of a fictional character ( Boo) ‘s experiences , this sometimes did not help with portraying the emotion or depth of some scenes ( sometimes this often didn’t help with actually portraying the problems for Boo during his moments of “spiralling “ in the show). Additionally there’s no sugarcoating as well that whilst our cast is fairly good, there are a couple of lacklustre moments of acting also ( even from Supapunpinyo during some scenes of his interpreted role upon “ depression” ).

On a more positive note, however, one aspect of the show which must be praised is the portrayal of a complicated and progressive relationship between Boo and his father ( Tom Phollawat Manuprasert) . In several early episodes of the series, Boo’s father is shown to realistically not be able to quite grasp what’s “ wrong” with his son’s sudden slipping grades and weariness at home . Whilst most idol dramas would write this off as Boo’s father being “uncaring “ and a “ villainous” character, he’s actually revealed to love and care about his son over the course of the drama . This relationship is dedicatedly presented as complicated and surprisingly heartwarming even in the final episodes.

Overall Skate Our Souls was a surprisingly more realistic and refreshing portrayal of teenagers and youths in Asian dramas with an intriguing plot premise of friendship, development and genuinely likeable characters. Certainly worth dedicating time towards and watching if you want a break from typical “ sugarcoated” idol teen dramas.

Read More

Will ‘ Ghost Doctor’ Truly Haunt You?

Rain is back. This time in a melodramatic medical-supernatural drama which whilst casting its net far and wide towards a wider audience demographic , isn’t without its flaws either.

The plot is set mainly around a working hospital. Previously mentioned Superstar singer-actor Rain stars as Cha Young Min; a first-rate doctor who is renowned in the hospital for his prodigal skills. However despite his impressive clinical acumen, Young Min is notorious for his cold personality and acerbic tongue directed towards colleagues and patients alike.

Nevertheless, everything changes for Young Min when he’s involved in a fatal accident. Whilst his physical body is rendered in a comatose state, Young Min discovers that he is now stuck as a living ghost anchored to the grounds of the hospital.

Perhaps by a whim of fate, Young Min stumbles upon a shocking revelation: he can possess the body of amateur resident doctor Ko Seung Tak ( Kim Bum). The grandson of the hospital’s founder,
Seung-Tak is nearly Young-Min’s polar opposite. He’s laidback, disengaged with his duties as a doctor but secretly cares deeply for the well-being of his patients and wards.

As Young-Min and Seung Tak are forced to share the same body, they begin to help one another grow as well as unravel suspected foul-play in their midst…

Screenwriter Kim Eun Hee is likely most known for her previous works ‘ Winter Sonata’ (2002), ‘ My Fair Lady’ (2009) and ‘ Live Up To Your Name’ ( 2017).

Similar to her previous repertoire of melodramas and cliche-ridden narratives, ‘ Ghost Doctor’ isn’t inescapable from its shoehorned storylines or some character archetypes. The villainous motives and goals of the antagonists could feel somewhat monotonous, whilst the attempts to influx subplots with romantic chemistry between the main leads and their potential love interests could feel vapid also.

Of course this isn’t to entirety critique Eun Hee’s screenplay. Whilst there were noteworthy niche moments , there were some refreshing takes upon niche character tropes; Seung-Tak ( as the “ affluent heir”) standing out in particular.

In addition to this under the directing reigns of Boo Sung Chul ( ‘ My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho’, ‘ The Heirs’ and ‘ Your Honor’), ‘ Ghost Doctor’ is able to maintain a crisp narrative with enough bromance, arbitrary medical knowledge terms and vocabulary and comic relief thrown-in order to keep viewers entertained.

Whilst there are notably moments where the series could darken quickly under the weight of the established supernatural and medical subtext, the series rarely delved deeper beyond a basic plot-level into these issues. Naturally this allowed more opportunities in order to offer lighthearted respite, but did provide fewer narrative moments in order to truly diverge further away from niche setups or tropes also.

Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding cast choices. Indeed, the casting choices of a-listers Rain ( ‘ Full House’, ‘ I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Okay’ and ‘ Please Come Back, Mister’ ) and Kim Bum ( ‘ Boys Over Flowers’, ‘ Mrs Cop.2, and ‘ Tail Of The Nine Tailed’ ) as the main leads will likely remain one of the major attractions of the drama.

Kim Bum and Rain offered fairly solid performances throughout. Whilst overblown script moments and dialogue was admittedly apparent at times in ‘ Ghost Doctor’, the duo’s onscreen bromance was one of the surprising highlights of the series.

Costarring alongside Bum and Rain was singer-actress Uee ( ‘You’re Beautiful’, ‘ Ho Goo’s Love’ and ‘ Marriage Contract’) as main female lead and Young Min’s old flame from the past, Dr.Jang Se Jin.

Whilst Uee’s performance was decent, her character’s development was admittedly greatly restricted by plot. Angst-ridden opportunities in order to explore the seemingly egocentric Young Jin’s backstory, gave way to notable inconsistencies between wasted character development moment for Se-Jin, as well as notably lukewarm chemistry between Uee and Rain onscreen.

Alongside Uee, there is also idol-actress Son Na Eun ( ‘ Twenty Again’ , ‘ Cinderella and the Four Knights’ and ‘ Dinner Mate’) as Seung Tak’s potential love interest Oh Soo-jeong. Na Eun’s onscreen chemistry with Bum was admittedly sweet in parts, but slightly inconsistent; lacking screen time in order to explore Soo-Jeong as a sentient character, as we as delving deeper into their potential relationship.

However, a shoutout must be given to supporting cast members playing the meddlesome “ ghosts” Im Bo Mi ( Yoon So Hee- ‘ Sword And Flower’, ‘ Witch’s Love’), Choi Hoon Kil ( CIIPHER’s Choi Seok Won- ‘ Phantom School’ ) and Hwang Kook Chan ( Han Seung Hyun- ‘Haechi’), with actor Sung Dong-il( ‘ Miss Hammurabi’, ‘ The Cursed’ and ‘ Pawn’) particularly standing out as mysterious ghost at the hospital, Tess. Yet similar to other characters in the series, the subplots and backstories surrounding the ghosts were only brought up when necessary; compacted and intriguing side stories, but nevertheless restricted within the compacted narrative.

‘ Ghost Doctor’ notably differs greatly between its first-part and second-half. The first-half spent time tried to build up dilemmas and characters, whilst the second-half attempted to heighten and intensify the obstacles set out for the main leads.

Naturally this did emerge as a double-edged sword for the execution of the narrative. It allowed some time for viewers to get to know characters and setups, but it could often feel as though by the halfway point , the intense and climatic buildup were somewhat fizzled out and disengaging for audiences .

Conniving Vice President Han Seung-won ( Tae In Ho) served as one of main antagonistic forces of the storyline. Whilst his limitations to fulfil his
role as one of the main plot obstacles are explained, Seung-Won was the epitome of “villainy for the sake of it”; heinous and manipulative, but rarely possessing an edge of fleshed-out characters, or decisive motives along the way.

As a consequence the latter-half of the series admittedly felt somewhat rushed and disorientated in parts. The attempts to drag out certain plot points and scenarios often led to the second-half feeling stretched too thin. The antagonistic and potential climatic buildup felt bedraggled in later episodes by an attempt to quickly wrap up events also.

Under the directing reigns of Boo Sung Chul, ‘ Ghost Doctor’ notably possessed a glossy tone. It did become apparent at times that the editing for the series was somewhat amateurish in parts. During certain episodes of ‘ Ghost Doctor’, a seemingly professional and slick sequence could be suddenly be debased by the presence of unsystematic editing in-between scenes and sequences.

Of course this isn’t to say that the cinematography was unwatchable or entirely mediocre. The filming quality was still professional, if a little uninspiring at times with limited camera angles and tones rarely standing out.

The accompanied OST offered viewers with an array of dulcet soundtracks . Whilst some of these tracks could admittedly feel a little generic, there were a small number of impressive compositions placed during key moments and scenes, such as CNU ( of B1A4)’s vocal and instrumental version of ‘ Fly Away’.

‘ Ghost Doctor’ is highly reminiscent of the offbeat series of supernatural and fantasy K-dramas which arose in popularity during the 2010s. Naturally anticlimactic and limited writing opportunities did serve as one of the drama’s prominent letdowns . However, whilst the ending certainly delivered a sweeter tone for viewers, lacklustre romance and certain writing moments may be disappointing viewers also. Certainly a decent binge-watch.

Read More

Strong Girl Nam Soon; One of The Worst Dramas of 2023?

While it is wrong to entirely compare the prequel and sequel as they do focus on respectfully different characters, due to the heavy similarities and world building between them, I will be using the original to compare the quality in writing and decisions taken by the screenwriter. ( Be warned this is going to be a long review.)

Strong Girl Nam focuses on a pretty much carbon copy setup to its predecessor, give or take with some new storyline and characters to make it “ different”. The main heroine is Kang Nam Soon ( Lee You Mi), a girl with super strength who grew up in Mongolia. Desperate to find her birth parents, she journeys to South Korea where she encounters billionaire and her biological mother Hwang Geum Joo ( Kim Jung Eun) and grandmother Gil Joong Gan ( Kim Hae Sook). Both women possesses superstrength as traditional with the matriarchal line of the family.

Despite a complicated reunion, Nam Soon’s happy ending is far from complete when she becomes involved in a drugs case and helps out Detective Kang Hee Sik ( Ong Seong Wu) who is gradually developing feelings for Nam Soon after his encounter with her early on. As Nam Soon becomes more involved in this mysterious case, she also encounters the elusively mysterious entrepreneur Ryu Shi Oh ( Byeon Woo Seok). Will Nam Soon be able to live happily with her family or she is in too deep with the investigation?

To give the shown one thing it could have been a pretty interesting premise.The first few episodes were interesting in setting up the rough concept of the series and did introduce our characters as potentially intriguing . In particular; the notion that there could be more representation of women across different generations was really fun also. The series’ major problem early on though came from not really knowing what it wanted to be. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon had fun balancing out mystery whodunnit, comic relief and romance in a way which worked well and gave the characters some room for development. Strong Girl Nam Soon tries doing the same but,unlike its predecessor, really struggles in balancing it out.

It would be understandable if the show was leaning more towards lighthearted fun, but the irony of the matter was that for the most part, the mystery element of the series was arguably just as dark in concept as the original. The series did attempt to offer some more “ dramatic tension” in scenes relating to the drug case setup, but a mixture of overreacting and being overshadowed by the comic relief sadly didn’t give the storyline that much of a punch.

Speaking of comic relief, the series is definitely indecisive . There are certainly a few jokes which occasionally land quite well ( one of my favourites being when Gil Joong Gan schools the cops and encounters Park Bo Young’s cameo), but for the most part, the series seemed to struggle with a mixture of gradually tiresome gags ( particularly directed towards male characters for no other reason other than trying to poorly imitate the situational irony from the original.)


Acting-wise was a pretty mixed bag with a mixture of overreacting and pretty wooden dialogue and characterisation . Byeon Woo Seok probably shone through the most in the series with his performance ( without spoilers) as a more ambiguous character, though was not given full justice either by reduced screen time either . Lee You Mi and Ong Seong Wu are both good actors, but the writing really didn’t give them a lot of justice.

Characters are another major post which has to be discussed. Kang Nam Soon was arguably one of the most underdeveloped character in the series and that is saying something for someone whose name is involved in the titles. Fundamentally, Nam Soon embodies the “ girl with a kind heart” trope. She is somewhat naive to the world but is ultimately out to do the right thing.

The problem is that Nam Soon doesn’t have a lot of focus or personality as a character. This is really ironic considering how much potential surrounds her. After all, there was so much possibility to talk about her experiences growing up in Mongolia more and her adopted family ( a notion Nam Soon quite happily seemed to forget in favour of the plot setup), possible complicated feelings surrounding her family abandoning her ( as well as evident insecurities surrounding her mother in particular) and of course trying to control her strength or experiences in the past. For the most part, Nam Soon pretty much breezes past with the idea of super strength or just happily moving on from a separate life and another culture (which hardly seems bothered by ) into another.

She always seems to win fights and rarely struggles with any major difficulties aside from a few “ tense” moments ( especially later in the series) which are rarely delivered afterwards. To give its prequel it’s due, one major development for the heroine was learning to control her strength and insecurities around it . While both characters have grown up in different circumstances, the lack of flaws or awareness Nam Soon actually possesses of her own situation or character , made her pretty one-dimensional in a way which shouldn’t have been the case. ( Her ending was particularly a bit of a last minute conclusion which just didn’t make sense considering her personal experiences and background.)

The next major character to talk about is Nam Soon’s mother, Hwang Geum Joo, who arguably had the most screen time for some inexplicable reason. ( More than the actual heroine.)There are some mixed feelings with this character. On one hand, her storyline was so heavily drawn upon it was had not to focus on her in the show. However, Geum Joo rarely struggles to be as likeable as the show wants her to be.

This seems to a major problem with some characters. The show wants us to like them, but in reality, it’s hard to really digress what it is about them which meant to be so intriguing when it was forced on viewers.It is a shame as Geum Joo had a potentially very interesting story; a woman who has made it in the world, living a separate life from her husband and son , struggling with the loss of a daughter and running a business could have all been excellent writing points to give her flaws.


It seems as though the series was heading in the direction at one point, but the writing had other ideas, by presenting Geum Joo somehow prevailing through it all as a “ cool vigilante” or rarely being questioned for her actions. For example, Geum Joo is meant to be a “ motherly” figure but is rarely involved in the lives of her children . It’s never really explained exactly why Geum Joo has a somewhat estranged relationship with her son, something which could have been developed a lot more, especially when Kang Nam In ( Han Sang Jo) pretty much hit the nail on the head in saying Geum Joo spends a lot more time with Nam Soon than him. While the show wanted us to feel pity for her, I couldn’t help but agree with Nam In’s point more . (Although not when we rarely see Geum Joo interact with the daughter she’s seemingly been searching for desperately beyond the first few episodes really.) More importantly, what was going on between mother and son to hardly be involved with one another to that extent ? Is this a bond which has just fallen apart naturally or has something caused it? Simple coverage on these matters could have been used well for her development, but were instead neglected and gave her little development onscreen.


Gil Joong Gan is more of a minor character in the plot but as the matriarch of the family, she does have a sideline plot involving a potential love interest. She has a good heart fundamentally; but her constant role in interfering and interesting or being used in the romantic setup does begin growing a bit grating. Her romantic setup did seem quite sweet initially especially as we seen an “ opposites attract” scenario, but Joong Gan’s lack of empathy at times, non consensual decisions and near-obsession over him did start becoming a little tiresome.


Kang Hee Sik has risen a lot of debate by watchers in being more of a background character than a male lead as he’s pretty forgettable. Hee Sik is made to embody the “ good detective” trope. He is kind-hearted and brave and committed to his job. Evidently his encounter with Nam Soon makes him develop feelings and that’s all there is really is to say about him. Hee Sik could have been a really interesting character considering his involvement in the case and going into more depth about his personal drive for becoming a detective. Instead, he’s pretty much really there for a potential romance with Nam Soon and a bit of dramatic incitement .

Romance in the show js a bit of a hard one to go over. The main leads do have some chemistry in more comical moments , but there wasn’t really enough buildup due to lacking character development overall. The ending conclusion was expected though felt a little old-fashioned in deliverance.

Speaking of main characters, there’s of course Ryu Si-O, an antagonist in the series and a major mystery. Ryu Si-O was arguably one character the series did get right in maintaining mystery and ironically had better chemistry than the male lead with Nam Soon. Sadly the writing didn’t give him full justice.

The series struggled a lot with having too many side characters and not enough time. For example we have Secretary Jung Na-Young’s ( Oh Jung Yeon) potential romance going on, Ri Hwa-Ja / Lee Myung-Hee ( Choi Hee -Jin) criminal backstory, vagrants Ji Hyun-Soo ( Joo Woo-Jae) and No ( Kyungri), and then HSC Finance Triple’s storyline and then the Drug Gang on top. There was too much going on in the background.Rather than trying to focus on just a few, the plot attempted to cram in multiple subplots without a lot of development or further conclusions.


Pacing wise the series takes a bit of an odd turn. The first few episodes were fairly brisk, but the halfway point really tried rushing through the rest of the series without a lot of thought over execution. The plot reveal on the “ big bad” was meant to be a big surprise but felt more like a last minute throw in due to feeling rushed and somewhat out of place .

Cinematography and settings were a strong point for the series though. Music was a little out of place, particularly the ending credits.

Overall, Strong Girl Nam Soon really struggles with coming of its predecessor’s shadow. It had so much potential to be a well-written series about lost family and coming together to uncover a case, but a mixture of poor writing decisions, characterisation and plain characters and poor pacing made the series feel like it could be arguably be one of the worst shows of 2023. While the series may appeal to some in its own way, it’s fair to say most kdrama fans are going to probably stick with its original over this. Overall, a poorly-written drama with few redeeming features.

Read More

The Futuristic Vampire Gang Thriller, Which Failed To Deliver An Impactful Bite…

At the heightened craze of vampires flicks and blazing gun thrillers, notorious 1990s " pink film" co-screenwriter and director Takahisa Zeze decided to cash in both genres with ‘ Moonchild’ (2003); a 2 hour trope-worthy film filled with an intriguing premise and characters , as well an array of questionable acting performances and narrative execution.

The movie is set in an alternative timeline where in the year 2014, Japan begins to suffer from economic collapse. As a consequence, myriads of Japanese citizens emigrate to mainland China in order to escape economic ruin.

Set against the backdrop of the fictional ‘ melting pot’ Chinese town of Mallepa, the main narrative focuses upon a trio of orphaned boys. Sho ( Kanata Hongō- ‘ The Prince Of Tennis’, ‘ Nana 2’ and ‘ Himitsu no Hanazono’) is the head of the group, whilst his younger brother Shinji and Toshi are fellow members.

Shinji ends up landing the group in hot water when he steals a briefcase filled with money from a notorious hood gang. Fortunately, Shinji, Sho and Toshi are protected by the mysterious vagrant and later-revealed vampire Kei ( L'Arc-en-Ciel and Vamps’ vocalist Hyde- ‘ Last Quarter of the Moon’).

A time-skip several years into the future reveals Sho to be in his early twenties ( idol-actor and screenwriter Gackt- ‘ Tonde Saitama’, ‘ Sengoku Basara’ and ‘ Time Spiral’). Acting as the leader for his own small gang consisting of Toshi ( Yamamoto Taro- ‘ Battle Royale’, ‘ Secret Love’) and Kei.

However Sho ends up running into trouble along the way when he becomes acquainted with Song ( Wang Leehom - ‘ Love In Disguise’, ‘ Forever Young’) and his sister Yi-Che ( Zeny Kwok).

Whilst Sho ends up struggling between his growing feelings for Yi-Che, rising tensions between old friends and betrayals, Kei begins to struggle against trying to resist his bloodlust and vampiric urges also …

Co-written by director Takahisa Zeze, main actor Gackt and Kishu Izuchi, ‘ Moon Child’ attempted to combine the adrenal-infused thrill of shootout movies, sci-fi futuristic worlds, vampiric-horror flicks and pining romance tales in a movie which attempting to appease to everyone, often failed to deliver a cohesive narrative along the way.

Undeniably there are intriguing elements surrounding ‘ Moon Child’ behind the over-the-top makeup and idol clothing aesthetics of Gackt and Hyde onscreen.

Patchy elements surrounding Kei’s creator vampiric Luka ( Kishu Izuchi) were intriguing, the subtext and evident messaging towards an emerging Pan -Asian society ( particularly enforcing a timeless allegory towards the rise, virtues and flaws of fusion cultures, immigration and poverty in other countries) and the reiteration on the horrors of violence are prominent in parts of ‘ Moon Child’.

On the other hand ‘ Moon Child’ and its array of gun-wielding chic gangsters occupying the periphery of the storyline were often absent of cause, sentience and personal drive.

Sho’s seemingly " burning" feelings for main love interest and doe-eyed Yi-Che were tepid to say the least. Aside from some hinted causes of physical attraction, it seemed ironic that Gackt’s onscreen chemistry with costar Hyde was arguably more passionate than his character’s ” soulmate" and costar Zeny Kwok’s onscreen persona. (Often leading to a somewhat unintentional homoerotic subtext behind Kei and Sho’s interactions. Ironically, this relationship probably would’ve been more dynamic than the established lukewarm chemistry between Yi-Che and Sho.)

As suggested, Song is one of the main antagonistic forces in the series. However rather than being a merciless force to be reckoned with or possessing an ineffable charismatic charm for audiences to make him memorable, Song possessed only one quality; to act as a threat and then fizzle out as quickly as he’d appeared onscreen.

Of course Song isn’t the main focus of the narrative. However considering his role in later events of the storyline as well as the notable absence of foreshadowing or drawing attention for viewers towards his onscreen presence, Song was a notably generic antagonist due to his anti-climactic exit by the latter-half of the movie.

The acting performances of the series are admittedly a mixed-bag. It’s wrong to make out these performances were "dire" or entirely "egregious " in the long-run, but it could often become a grating experience for viewers to witness inconsistent line deliverances and acting performances onscreen.

As for the challenge of pacing, ‘ Moon Child’ could often misstep its execution- cramming multiple genres, storylines, constant time-skips and shifts even into a 120 minute film could often feel somewhat overblown. Whilst the narrative was able to attain a certain entertaining edge from
subverting it’s tedious opening to a pacy and adrenal-infused storyline, Zeze rarely placed emphasis upon the art of " less is more".

As a consequence rather than reducing the movie’s length or themes in order to subtly focus upon a limited yet insightful scope of plot and characters, ‘ Moon Child’ became entrapped in its own self-made Gordian knot of cutout cliches, archetypes and incoherent plot logic from beginning to end.

The cinematography of ‘ Moon Child’ under Zeze’s directing reigns is admittedly an odd accumulation of amateurish shaky angles and shots during epic fight sequences, as well as some surprisingly stunning and impactful symbols placing emphasis upon the old cliche of cyclical narrative symbolism.

‘ Moon Child’ is a classic reflection of the culture of throwaway 2000s productions. Whilst Zeze’s move could be entertaining in parts with a particularly bittersweet ending , ‘ Moon Child’ often felt as though it bit off more than it could chew at times. Choppy execution, inconsistent pacing alongside a potentially intriguing premise with a multitude of loose and messy plot ends rarely helped viewers to feel connected or involved with ‘ Moon Child’’s world building. The acting rarely possessed solid deliverance throughout and in between over dramatic line deliverances and dialogue, the generic array of characters rarely left an everlasting impression for audiences either. Overall whilst ‘ Moon Child’ isn’t a bad watch, the movie is easily overshadowed by its lacking definitive qualities also.

Read More

Tale of the Nine Tailed Fox 1938; An Action-Packed Sequel...

Tale of the Nine-Tailed Fox 1938 is the long-awaited and highly anticipated sequel to the 2020 series, Tale of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Following the adventures of gumiho, or nine-tailed fox, Lee Yeon ( Lee Dong Wook), the series uproots the modern setting to a time-travelling experience during the Japanese occupation. Lee Yeon and Koo Shin-joo (Hwang Hee) chase after a mysterious masked being that has stolen the Samdocheon Guardian Stone, a gem that maintains the barrier between the living and the dead. Stuck in 1938 until they can recover the stone, they encounter old friends, the former mountain deity and wealthy socialite Ryu Hong Joo ( Kim So Yeon), a hostile former friend and guardian spirit, Cheon Moo Young ( Ryu Kyung Soo) and Lee Yeon's younger brother, Lee Rang ( Kim Bum). Can Lee Yeon travel back to the future while saving the past from malicious entities, or will history be doomed to repeat itself?


The same screenwriter wrote The Tale of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the first series, Han Woo Ri, and the series is s directed by
Kang Shin-hyo and Jo Nam-hyung. By far, the sequel takes a more whimsical approach than the first season regarding the fantasy element. The decision for Jo Bo Ah to not return ( aside from a brief cameo) in the second series, probably caused a major rut in the works of the original direction of writing for the drama and led Woo Ri to try and come up with a plot that could work. In some ways, this did grant the series some golden opportunities to venture out from the heavy romance for Lee Yeon in season one to a more dynamic explanation of his character and platonic relationships and the action at heart.


This gave the series a lot of advantages to being revamped from a fantasy romance into a fantasy action-comedy. The comic relief is certainly a lot more present in the series. Refreshingly rather than relying on cheap gags for comic relief, the series offers more witty jabs and self-awareness towards its previous shortcomings ( with Lee Yeon's encounters with his lovesick past self and, of course, Lee Rang's violent tendencies being primary sources for some laughs). There are certainly some darker moments in the storyline, including the subplots revolving around the Japanese Army and the intentions of Moo Young. However, rather than being heavily dominated by this theme, the sequel is a lot more easygoing in some regards.



The acting in the series was good. Lee Dong Wook and Kim Bum did not disappoint as the main leads and offered fairly stellar performances. However, a surprising performance came through Kim So Yeon's performance as Ryu Hong Joo. So Yeon showed a fairly flirty yet complex edge to the character, which truly helped bring the character to life. There were admittedly a few corny performances in the series, yet, they could sometimes be ignored with the direction of the writing.


With this in mind, viewers should be surprised that one driving element of season two ( similar to its predecessor) came through the bromance and fraternal bond between Lee Rang and Lee Yeon. After the bittersweet conclusion for the brothers in season one, the return of Rang and Yeon's tragicomic bond was a gold mine for writing opportunities, and the series took it to its full advantage. Lee Rang is still caught up in his hatred and secret admiration for his brother; while armed with the knowledge of the future, Lee Yeon tries to spend more time with him and play a brotherly role in his life.


With this being said, there does come a more decisive issue with Lee Rang's romance with half-mermaid Jang Yeo Hee (Woo Hyun Jin). On the one hand, seeing an antihero character such as Lee Rang fall in love was quite sweet. On the other hand, while fairly well-paced, the romantic element show did feel somewhat contrived, with Yeo Hee falling nearly head over heels with Lee Rang at first sight to give the season its '' romantic couple''. The show's focus on this relationship was fairly driven, though it did not entirely overshadow the main plot either.


New character introductions helped the show to go a long way. Ryu Hong Joo was a new main character for the series, which offered a starkly different personality from Lee Rang and Lee Yeon. Headstrong, playful and surprisingly more complex than her first appearance would suggest, Hong Joo's past with Lee Yeon helps to drive a major part of the series. She is a very morally ambiguous character, neither truly playing the role of hero nor villain, instead being more driven by her personal goals and motives. Similarly, Moo Young acts as a frenemy character in the series. He goes way back with Hong Joo and Lee Yeon, though as viewers find out, his grudge against Lee Yeon is very personal. When trying to tie up loose ends with Moo Young's storyline, the series felt rushed, but it was still fairly entertaining.


Other subplot characters include nefarious Kato Ryuhei ( Ha Do Gwon), a man determined to bring down the local Korean deities and gain power and status, and Seon Woo Eun Ho ( Kim Yong Ji). Kim Yong Ji, the actress of Yu-Ri from season one, returns to play the reporter under Sunwoo Ilbo, Seon Woo Eun Ho. The character's striking resemblance to Yu-Ri is noted even by Lee Yeon ( ironically commenting they are lazy with faces in the birth cycle). It would have been interesting ( irony or not) to have touched upon the reincarnation cycle lore from season one a little more, but Eun Ho was still a fairly interesting character. Perhaps the only major weakness of her character came from needing more screen time, meaning some of her more interesting plot moments were cut short.


The execution was good for the most part. The storyline played more episodic than season one, often giving more opportunities to focus on specific areas or characters than a jetstream narrative. My one complaint came through this often, feeling as though the series lacked a greater sense of direction until the final part of the series. As a result, some story elements ( including the ending) needed to be more timely.


The cinematography was fairly nice. The sets were impressive, and the costume design was a major highlight of the series. The OST included some good tracks, such as "Kiss The Rain" by Thama and "Wind Song" (바람의 노래) by Kei.




Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 offered a great sequel to the original series and exceeded expectations. Learning from some of the previous season's past mistakes, the drama provided a more entertaining watch than season one, with an intriguing storyline, a good balance of themes, beautiful costumes and sets, and characters. With news of a season three on its way, it will be interesting to see where the series is taken, and what adventure Lee Yeon will be on next. Overall a good and entertaining watch.

Read More

Sweet Home 2; Is It A ‘ Sweet’ Sequel?

Like most drama fans and readers of Sweet Home, I was a little hesitant hearing about a sequel season to the original series. While the original series was interesting ( though a little flawed) in its own ways, deviation can often be a rocky road and has been proven especially in recent months with sequels to beloved shows .

However, Sweet Home 2 surprisingly took onboard someone of ite faults to create something which was very different from its original source. Is this a bad thing per say? No. In fact, director Lee Eung Bok really did seem to have fun with world-building outside of the apartment complex and introducing new and potentially compelling characters. Did it make the second season feel a bit like a filler before the finale season? Yes, it did a little. (For those who haven’t seen season one, I will try my best to keep this spoiler free but be warned in saying I will be comparing some characters and referencing general knowledge from both seasons. )

Season two picks up pretty much where season one left off. Now facing seperate threats, Hyun Su ( Song Kang) and the surviving Green Home Apartment residents
find that there are worst things than monsters outside of the apartment complex...

Season two is arguably a lot more action-orientated than the original season and source material which definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the series had a feeling of an adrenaline rush, while also being able to be engaging enough for audiences to see new characters introduced. However, while I do praise the series for showing us more versatility in fights and powers of some of the monsters and characters , it was noticeable that the sequel was lacking a little in something which made the series feel more rushed than in season one; suspense and tension.

Evidently with a new setting and place, it was apparent to see Lee Eung Bok trying to take a leaf out of dystopian works such as The Last of Us and Resident Evil in some of the more apparent world-building, disturbing creatures , combat and characters onscreen. However one thing which made both pretty successful in execution as horror-dystopian works came through a good balance between dreading suspense and action.

Sweet Home 2 often seems to struggle a little with attaining this balance. A creature would often come out, mass hysteria and fighting ensues then that’s pretty much it. ( Though praise in a few scenes in the show which allowed some more moral questions to come through .)

While it’s fun to have some action scenes, it’s fair to say most viewers probably were expecting a lot of what was going to happen before it did. When the series did try and surprise us, it rarely had a great impact as a result.

Ironically while season one often struggled with the opposite issue ( not enough adrenaline at times), it did attain one element right by creating tension. Alongside Hyun-Su, you were never entirely sure what was going to await your eyes when he turned a corner or opened a door and you found yourself on edge in a way season two could not quite replicate. Hopefully season three will be able to find a middle ground between both past seasons.

Going into one of the major topics of Sweet Home Season 2 comes through acting and character writing. On the acting front, Sweet Home 2 is fairly good. There are certainly a few wooden deliverances here and there, but there are some particularly outstanding performances by Jung Jin-Young as soldier Park Chan-young, Kim Si-a as the mysterious child, Go Min Si as Lee Eun Yoo and of course, Lee Jin Wook as Pyeon Sang wook.

Character writing was a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand there’s a lot of really interesting characters introduced in the series. However at the same time, it felt as though Sweet Home 2 overcommitted a little to introducing too many characters at once and not enough time to develop both original characters and newcomers alike.

Lee Hyun Su is a classic example in the series. As the actual protagonist and considering how much he went through in the first season, Hyun Su has very little screen time. On one hand, this does seem to be purposeful as the second season did seem more focused drawing upon external forces and how this will influence the later course of the plot. However at the same time when the writing tries to really make us feel or emphasise with his struggles, it didn’t really land as well because we had not really seen or explored how his character had grown onscreen and in the sudden time skip also.

Lee Eun Yoo and Sang Wook, familar faces from season one, go through quite a significant character change in season two which was an engaging part of the story. However similar to Hyun Su, they aren’t really given enough time to be developed onscreen. A lot of the original residents are often put on the back burner a little when it comes to some of the new characters.

Newcomer Park Chan-Young is a really engaging character who arguably had one of the most interesting motives in the series. While he did suffer from lack of screen time, hopefully season three will allow him more character development. Similarly, the mysterious child and Chief Ji (Kim Shin-rok), two of the show’s biggest potential plot points,were underdeveloped but could be explored more next season.


While there are definitely some interesting new characters, there are some very debatable ones introduced such as Hani (Chae Won-bin), Ho-sang (Hyun Bong-sik) and Ye-seul (Yang Hye-ji). Ye-Seul isn’t particularly a bad character per say and is used mainly in the show for some laughs. However, she is never really given anything beyond being the comic character despite being quite heavily featured in some scenes and shown to have a significant character relationship. On the other hand Hani and Ho-Sang are a little more convoluted. They are meant to be more antihero figures in the series, but rather than having more morally ambiguous roles or counteracting what characters think of them, they often play into being downright problems for the plot. In addition to this, anything to do with their relationship or even backstory is pretty much brushed over completely.


The execution of the series is definitely very fast in parts, and slower in others for introducing characters or some exposition, but does struggle with feeling very rushed. This is odd conserving how much time the series could have spent building on its two main plot lines. Although it’s apparent the series was trying to get through as much plot as possible, this was none so more apparent than in the time skip in the final few episodes. Is it bad to have a jump forward? No. Did it mean the series thought it was a solution for not seeing some plot holes and relationship growth? Yes, very much so.

The cinematography has definitely improved since season one with more varied palettes and sets. The CGI does still seem a little awkward in parts, but has improved also since the original season.

Overall Sweet Home 2 finds itself is definitely a slightly odd position . It has improved a lot of the graphics and world building as well as setup an engaging plot and characters, but still struggled with some writing and pacing issues which could have been easily fixed. Overall a fairly engaging watch as well as enticing for setting up the final season.

Read More

Ballerina; A Messy Pirouette Marked With Blood…

2023 has seen a great lineup of action thrillers, especially with strong heroines and Ballerina certainly tries to follow suit. However while did have some heavy action scenes and subjects, was it really a worthwhile watch?


Lee Chung Hyun directed and wrote the movie. Ok Ju ( Jeon Jong-seo) is a bodyguard who holds her own in fights. However, her life turns upside down when she discovers her friend and ballerina Min-hee (Park Yu-rim)’s fatal aftermath in the wake of being sexually assaulted by mid-level boss Choi Pro (Kim Ji-hoon).


Now seeking her revenge, she is put on a bloody path to enact vengeance on Choi Pro and his cronies by ending him once and for all.


It’s suffice to say Ballerina is very much what it says on the tin; a revenge movie where the heroine gets revenge by tracking down the big bad and leaving a wake of carnage in her way. The film is gory and filled with adrenaline, but that’s about it.

This isn’t necessarily bad. A lot of revenge and action films work on the premise of mindless violence to keep viewers engaged and it was evident to see the film’s influences from John Wick to Kill Bill. However, Ballerina never really gives us full scope that it tries to do with its characters and plot. It always tethers on potential development before tearing it away to focus on a fist fight and action scene.

The problem is that doesn’t really give the narrative or characters a lot of backbone. Even some of the most disturbing revenge Korean films over the past few decades such as Oldboy, Lady Vengeance and Burning are able to balance out their narratives with adrenaline, and tension, but equally compelling storylines and choreography. In Oldboy, we see plot twist development shock us beyond belief, Lady Vengeance is filled with complex characterisation and compelling fight scenes, while Burning explores tension and thematic issues such as capitalism in its core narrative . The problem with Ballerina is that while it doesn’t have to be a complicated movie at heart like some of its predecessors , it struggles with simple basics such as characterisation and development.


Jeon Jong-seo is a good actress but her character Ok Ju is very paper-thin. The audience never have any opportunities to warm up to her. It seems quite ridiculous when we consider the fact that we’ve seen Jong-seo lose a close friend and numerous hardships, yet we never see this develop or understand how this is such a devastating impact for her character. We do see some flashbacks to understand their relationship but this felt a little convoluted than explained or poignant, lacking a lot of potentially sincere emotional development. Sure, she’s a certified pro- fighter and brutal, but that’s pretty much in the space of this movie’s duration, all we get from our heroine’s character.


It was Kim Ji hoon’s role as Choi Pro which did shine through here. His cartoonish heinousness did help during some of the more questionable pacing and writing issues, by at least giving some appeal for the audience to root for the heroine.


The pacing is pretty variable in parts. When the action comes into force, it’s quick and adrenaline rushes. Yet in its patchy narrative and writing moments drawn out for sobs or seeming development, the gaps in writing often make these scenes drag out longer than they should.


Naturally, action choreography and actions scenes are where Ballerina excels. Lee Chung-hyun’s direction is simultaneously ultraviolent yet sleek. Its mesmerising to watch with the pure adrenaline of movements and camera angles really bringing these scenes to life.



Ballerina is a fairly mindless action movie. While probably not one of the best films released this year or winning over fans of revenge action films and cult classics, it is adrenaline infused and brutal. The writing is patchy but it’s well-directed through its camera angles and the fight scenes are well-executed also. Overall probably decent enough to watch one time when bored or killing time and that’s about it.

Read More