My new Secret Garden!

I really really loved Secret Garden back in the day when I just started watching k-dramas. I loved and still do stories with fantasy/supernatural themes such as superpowers, ghosts & mediums, gods & deities or any kind of supernatural side effect due to "fateful encounters" or astrology based phenomenons. So this C-drama was right up my alley when i read the synopsis.
I have to admit it was a bit slow paced, and in some parts the comical music & effects were a bit annoying, but there are also loads of other stuff I appreciated compared to a standard k-drama.
For example: every time the main characters changed bodies, their demeneaor changed to represent the other person is in their body. But it wasn't really "the fake girly" or "toxic masc" kind if behaviour. They were based off their personalities, the male lead became extroverted and talkative, sometimes acting cute too. The female lead became taciturn, serious and reserved. The fact that they could pull these acts perfectly every single time without a hinch was amazing. Also the face expressions?? Hello? I haven't seen such natural face expressions and crying scenes in so long. Artificial tears who? We don't know her. They even looked beautiful while crying which is a bonus. It wasn't tok dramatic or exagerrated with snot and puffy red eyes. Someone who doesn't do the "ugly cry" freely shows much more restraint hence I believe they are hurting even more than the ones who can cry as much as they want.
Also liked the fact that there wasn't too much of a love triangle, it was brief for max 2-3 eps and they wrapped it up quickly & nicely with no crazy ex following female lead around for forgiveness or revenge. Not all exes have to be petty, k-drama writers, please take notes!!
Overall, I really liked the mains chemistry and the fact that they had good communication throughout the whole series and healthy relationship behaviour dsspite of all the hardships they went through with mutual respect & support, means a lot for the image media is trying to portray of modern couples in fictional dramas.
I gave it 9/10 cause I was excited, but realistically I think it would be an 8.5/10, which is not bad either way, right?

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It's been a long time since a drama got me so addicted that I watched it few days in a row. Since my first drama( Heartstrings, which I also recommend) I have been watching some not so popular dramas and hoped I will find a new favevorite one, and here it is!
First of all, I must confess that I was a little reserved about this drama after I got "sick" of all the Romance genre. But what made me give it a chance was cover photo and Seol's imagine. At first I thought she was cute and I liked her hair, but it turned out that she actually has a strong personality and a pure heart. I really admire her!
On the other hand,even though I have the second lead syndrome, and Baek In Ho got me all hyped and fangirling, everytime Yoo Jung appeared this got me to my senses. I was thinking:" What is wrong with this guy? What he truly wants from the people around him? Is he really sane or something?" But I found out in the end that I misjudged him somehow. He was always put in the corner by his father and was always trying to hide his genuine feelings even from himself just to look good in front of others and especially his father. Maybe the was right saying:"I'm not the strange one. They are." People always tend to want more when they already have what they want. That is the biggest flaw of a human beeing: greed.
In some way I found myself in Seol,always the forgiving person who tries to be kind to everyone but gets hurt and misunderstood, always trying to help and says "Yes,I will do it." even if I have make sacrifices to do it,somehow grudging of my older sister when my mother praised her too much. But, surprisingly I resemble Yoo Jung too. Not being able to show my feeling to other, hiding them away, locking everything inside me, being an avenger with indirect methods and hurting those who truly care about me,is quite odd.
My advice: Watch this drama! It's not a waste of time.It might have some disappointing issues,but it will give you some lesson about how life truly is. You don't know what's awaiting for you. You might find things about you or others that you didn't know.

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One of the best coming of age in a school setting dramas! <3

My heart feels warm and fuzzy now. I adore this drama. Loved the characters to pieces!! Loved to see them love, grow and learn from each other without being overly dramatic or cringe. All the chapters of their life felt good enough and even the "time skips" were organic as if time flowed naturally. I believe both the original story and the script for this drama were very good, but also the actors! Considering for some of them it's their first major work that got recognised internationally too, this is something to be proud of! C-dramas are slowly winning my heart over Japanese/Korean and you can understand why. Added this to my comfort shows list even before finishing cus I knew even the end would be satisfying enough to give it a 10/10! <3

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At first I was a bit reserved about this drama. I watched about 3 episodes and I was like:”What is this? Seems so boring...Should I continue it?” You might think the same,but you should continue because it’s totally worth it.

Story:

The story has it’s ups & downs, it’s good and very good points. It stirs your curiosity and sometimes makes your heart skip a beat! (for real!!) It will literally punch you with funny moments, blow some cute immature romance and then *BOOM* it will make your heart ache with some melo-drama. This whole story is like a perfect chocolate cake recipe with a little bitterness to make it better. Even though it has a lot of cliches, such as a poor girl and a rich guy’s impossible love, an angry mother who wants the best for her only son, some other girl who wants to ruin their love-story. To this mix are sprinkled some strong characters with tangled personallities and dramatic life stories which will make you fall in love with from the start!

Acting/Cast:

The acting was so good that it gave me the feeling that the whole thing was real! Espeacially at the sad scenes, they cried so naturally that it made me want to wipe their tears through the screen. Some other scenes that get my brownie points are the fighting scenes. Just pure action! Sometimes I thought that Jackie Chan might be the producer or he might show up to teach the stunt crew from Action School. (Still got hope until the end,haha.)

Music:
The OSTs of this drama perfectly matched the storyline and the emotion of some crucial moments. Even the lyrics matched what actually the characters should have said to each other, that is because sometimes music can express more than simple words can do.

Overall:
I really enjoyed watching this drama. Had a lot of fun along with the silly yet complicated love-story and also cried in anger when the character struggled and faced tough situations. No matter if it’s a book, a movie or a drama I try to understand the story, the hidden ethics behind its cover. From this drama I learned how to be polite and sometimes cry from Gil Ra Im, how to not give in even if it’s hard and be strong from Kim Joo Won, how not to forget that the future is based on past decisions from Choi Woo Young and how to be loyal to the one I love from Yoon Seul.

In conclusion,I don’t really know what the director or those who wrote the script were thinking but they did a wonderful job! No wonder it has such high rating. It’s a must watch! I promise you that you won’t regret watching it!

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F**k ideology

It is said that no happiness thrives during war times. You either kill or get killed, it’s all about survival no matter who you are against to. And yet, movies and pieces of media like this teach us that modern times are worry free and meaningless in the face of true mid-war misery. Even so, we would like to imagine they still had at least one drop of happiness during these times, be it fictional of not.
This movie not only portrays the fight for life that is war, but also sensitive topics that still apply to this day: ideology, power abuse by high ranked people, race discrimination, poverty instigated by war, domination and territory take over. All people are more or less equal and entitled for survival during war, even so, the best to deceive and take advantage is the one to win. Fool or be fooled kind of situation. Amidst all of this, five random people form a group to… dance? Who would have thought tap dance would be so entertaining to watch? I had a good feeling about this movie once I saw the poster and read the synopsis. I do not know much about tap dance or 50s American dance and culture, but I know for a fact that a bunch of bullied and discriminated people portrayed what freedom through dance means so damn well.
“A group made up of a Chinese prisoner who would’ve been a brilliant choreographer if it wasn’t for war, a bright confident strong-willed young woman who was forced to provide for her family after losing both her parents, a civilian who became a prisoner only because he was wrongfully accused of being the commies; a Communist dance who could’ve stood on the stage of the Carnegie Hall if it wasn’t for the political ideology and… a humble black man who has found his only friends in life in this four individuals. Ladies and gentlemen… we are… the SWING KIDS!”
And so they danced, they danced like they were free birds on their way to Broadway and the great great country of possibilities and freedom, America. Dance and music, these two fine arts have existed since the time of Gods and before that, but they are still the most expressive and fascinating universal language that breaks any kind of prejudice, barrier or fucking ideology and as far as it gets until the world will collapse on itself and there will be no music, no dancing and no laughter.
During the entire movie we see here and there tactical and war focused strategy and terminology, but the ending, I believe it’s a realistic one. No war causalities or compensation can cover the tragedy that happened during every kind of war, yet still, humanity will find another reason to dance and sing as if nothing happened.

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Short, but sweet & intriguing!

**This review may contain spoilers**

A bit odd and confusing at times, sprinkled with fantasy-mystery like elements, but intriguing. Free for interpretation, but I liked the context of "self-discovery" through work. The main character was burnt out after giving her all in her teaching job, losing her passion for it. A fairy god mother listened, helped and taught her the values of self-respect & courage through work. Making her do small, yet meaningful jobs. She thought she was helping others, but in fact she was helping herself.

There was no major plot twist, quite self-explanatory in fact. The acting was so-so, nothing impressive, but well delivered story and simple characters. The thing that stuck out for me was the scenery/filming location and creative photography directing. You'd have scenery and sounds of the harbour, some random frames of the friendly neighbourhood cats, the elderly people just strolling by, the small community of people helping each other and keeping the children safe on the streets. The most mesmerising location/scenery is actually inside the "Canary Bus". I suppose they did not have automated buses in such small rural towns, but it was quite interesting to see this kind of public transportation and the uses of it for the community.
A small bite sized refreshing one when you're not looking for anything in particular.

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Park Bo Gum supremacy - you cannot convince me otherwise ( joking)

I am not sure why this has so many negative reviews, but I suppose everybody relates/sees things differently and that's perfectly fine. Please don't hate on people for having a different opinion than yours, it is important to respect each other's thoughts even in the free world of the internet. :)

I really liked how well produced was this drama. The frames and camera shots were very raw and honest. The whole story itself had a mature kind of vibe to it, even though it was a romance. The plot did not focus only on the love story of the main leads. It also showed their own progression and growth, I guess that's what you call a coming of age type of drama. It helped the plot develop organically.
I also liked the idea of the past-present alternation, how it started with something that happened ( a momentum) and how it all goes smoothly to show how the story got there. It is indeed a really interesting POV. It makes the viewer feel included in the plot as to say "you are here with us too. Let's see what happened so far. How did we get here?".
I will always have a soft spot for Park Bo Gum, but he never ever disappoints. I believe he is one of the most expressive k-actors out there. He looks genuine when he cries, and I mean not the ugly forced crying that looks like someone splashed your face with water. But the emotional sensitive one. I just love how he takes a character's story and just makes it his own life. He gets immersed in the story and the role. And no matter how "serious" or dangerous his character may be, he will always look like soft marshmallow boy. This world does not deserve such a pure soul.
But, his dramas are all worth watching. No matter who he co-stars with. His aura will make everything shine gold.

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Light emotional j-drama that will put you in the feels!!

Now listening to: Gen Hashino – Family Song

Overprotected Kahoko is a cute family drama where you can see the dynamics of a close knit family and their everyday issues. The story centers around our main character Kahoko, a 21 year old girl who is an only precious child to her parents. Her mother is housewife and her father is an insurance agent at a company. They all live pretty ordinary lives, just attending school or work. Then we are introduced extended family on both sides of Kahoko’s parents, we got one 2 sets of grandparents, 3 aunts, 2 uncles and one younger cousin. Every year on a family members birthday they all celebrate like a family. A birthday party with maternal side and one with paternal side of Kahoko’s parents. She always receives red envelopes and gifts from both sides no matter what. She is a lovely daughter, niece and granddaughter for her family and couldn’t be happier about her current life situation.
Kahoko is the last year of university when she randomly meets Hajime Mugino, a scruffy art guy who catches her interest with his artwork and bold ideals on life. He is honest and straightforward when talking to Kahoko, but does not have bad intentions or bullies her. He keeps talking to Kahoko in a subtle jealous manner of her parents love and support, something he lacked while growing up as he grew up in an orphanage. Their relationship slowly starts to develop once Kahoko keeps finding Hajime to ask for advice regarding her family issues and how she can help resolve them. Hajime tries his best to help her and encourage her to grow more and more independent from her family. When Kahoko starts to catch feelings for Hajime and she plans her confession, Hajime makes fun of her inexperience with love, even so he is also not very experienced in the dating world either. Their interactions are clumsy, cute and pure. Like some big kids trying to navigate adult life together while figuring out what they want to do in life as well.
Hajime’s goal since young has been “to surpass Picasso” with his art and impress everyone around him, including his long lost mother who abandoned him when he was young. He always thought that if he made if big with his art, his mother would come back to him and love him. But much later on when we find more about his background story, we learnt about him terribly missing his mother even though he held a grudge for so long against her. In the episode when he and Kahoko goes to find his mother from the letter she left at the orphanage for him, he was conflicted yet respectful. The meeting gave him the closure he needed to move on. Clinging and appreciating Kahoko’s support and presence he becomes vulnerable in front of her and lets his emotions flow while crying in her lap like a baby.
I could say that personality wise they are quite similar even though they came from different background. When Kahoko grew up overprotected with the abundant pure love of her parents, Hajime grew up bitter and hurt early on by the world he had so many hopes for. But when meeting innocent Kahoko, he started to open up slowly to her and let her in his heart while treasuring every bit of love he got from her and her family.
There are many moments that made me want to bawl, but one in particular just broke my heart to pieces and glued it back together, was when Kahoko and Hajime were visiting Baaba on her death bed and Hajime showed Baaba the portrait he made with the faces of the entire family. And then Baaba said with a smile on her face: “I don’t like it. It looks incomplete because you are not here.” That moment Hajime broke down when he felt the love and acceptance he craved for all his life. Growing up alone in the orphanage then randomly meeting a strange girl and being adopted by a huge loving family was more that he could dream of when he enrolled into university working 3 different part-time jobs to pay for his tuition. I am a sucker for the found family trope, so this hit home run for me.
By the end, when all the problems were resolves all by one, Kahoko gained more independence and trust from both her parents and her extended family, she became more mature and also a housewife herself! Just like her mother, and her grandmother before her, living in her grandmother’s house and realizing what an amazing person her Baaba was, having to keep the family united and the house and surroundings sparkling clean.
I must admit that I didn’t have many expectations when I started this drama, but it kept getting better and better. The story, the acting, the context were just perfect for everything. Even though it covers heavy topics such as abandoned children, couple infertility, terminal disease, parents disapproval on marriage, poor educational and income backgrounds, overall the story was kept light and emotional keeping you in a warm mood, just as a mother’s protective embrace and care for her children. I would totally recommend it if you are looking for a light yet short drama with warmth when you need to feel your feels. <3

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