Ophanin

What can we say about these learning methods that consist in humiliating and discouraging ? Asking young women to do the impossible and then telling them that they suck for not getting it right the first time is pretty bizarre. Teachers, those damned little cops. And their shows, it's like they discover it by performing it, in the first episodes at least. Don't they ever do real rehearsals ? Too weird.

Kim Tae-ri plays her colorful character with a lot of life and empathy, despite an extremely toxic and invasive entourage. Give her a break ! She exudes energy and has an impressive physical presence. A total commitment. The audition scene, in tears, is intense... But the rest of the cast is not to be outdone. The members of the troupe personalities evolve intelligently, and they don't go from very mean to very nice all at once. They don't even try to justify bad behavior, they simply take responsibility. And then the series manages to make us feel involved in a traditional theater we'd never have seen or even known otherwise. To the point where you don't know where the story ends and the theater begins.
As we say in France: “bravo les lesbiennes !” (courage Jooran)

"You can forget me. I'll remember us, for both of us."

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TW : domestic violence. Physical and psychological. And animal cruelty.
The first episode is already tough going. The second episode brings tears of anger and despair. We unravel the mechanisms of control and silencing, particularly by the police and their invaluable assistance, or by those around us who prefer not to upset the status quo. Resisting makes things worse, enduring leads to the worst too, and fleeing is not an option for everyone, nor is it the ultimate solution. The perpetrators will never be satisfied, even if they kill their victims. The victims are not apathetic ; they simply have no solution. The series shows this without voyeurism or sensationalism. We cannot expect a victim to solve a structural problem on her own. That is the whole point of this series.

Nevertheless, I find the sudden change in personality of a key character a little unfortunate. His temperament could have been toned down a little. Apart from that, the script deals well with the venomous participation of certain women in patriarchal violence when it suits their interests. This is also one of the reasons for the maintenance of this system, even a necessity.

The only solution is collective action, without expecting anything from institutions, by making the perpetrators pay the social price, and abolishing all relationships of domination, such as marriage, family, exploitation (broadly speaking), etc. This is just my opinion ; the series does not provide an answer.

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With this director and screenwriter, obviously we had to watch it. Kim Go-eun, as a bonus, we can't say no. Park Se-jun's intriguing music completes the picture. He makes good use of the solo bassoon. I appreciate the effort. (Even if that minor sixth leap sounds like the theme of The Force beginning.)

At the beginning, we are introduced to complex characters who have room to exist and develop. We expect nothing less from this team. The understated direction chooses its moments to intensify the stakes of the story, then becomes more academic when the actresses' performances demand it. Thus, we follow the story in the most natural way possible, without questioning the (many) oddities of this far-fetched scenario. The original text of ‘Little Women’ is far removed from this...

One criticism I would make of this K-drama is that it resorts to certain plot devices to add artificial suspense. Certain elements of the plot are resolved in a very convenient, even miraculous way. The whole Singapore section, for example. (Singapore, the wet dream of every fascist on the planet) It's reminiscent of the 2013 film Samar, and that's not a compliment. The twists go so far! These secret societies that scatter blue flowers all over the crime scenes and reveal everything (but not too much at once, let's save some for later) when our heroines question them. Strange, strange.

"The rich risk their capital, the poor risk their lives."

From the very first episode, there are references to ‘illegal’ torture (we'd like to think so, but it was perfectly legal) against people suspected of espionage (being "communists"). The scene is set: the cruelty of the rich. You don't become rich without stealing, killing, cheating and being complicit in all of that at the same time: inheriting.

I think it's good that the alcoholism of one of the characters raises the issue of taking substances to keep up with work and cope with pressure. It's a problem that no one wants to address; bosses are happy to see their employees work themselves to death and then accuse them of bad behaviour when they no longer want them.
It really hurt my heart to see how it was used against her. That said, this theme disappears quite quickly. And excuse me, but when you quit alcohol, you suffer serious, even fatal, physical and mental consequences. It deserved better treatment. Here, it seems like a bit of an easy plot device.

Another thing : the rich great-aunt somewhat undermines the dialectic around money. If we can count on providential help, what's the point of repeating over and over again how desperate these young women are to find money to survive ? It somewhat undermines the illustration of how poverty makes you exploitable and disposable. And so we wonder, where was this immensely wealthy woman when her family was living in poverty ?

What's more, all this talk about pride when you're poor is rather annoying. When you need money, you don't turn your nose up at it, and those in power know this very well indeed. We feel indebted when they throw us a few crumbs, but for them it's nothing; we cost them nothing and they gain so much.
Similarly, trying to justify this great-aunt's actions by saying, "Yes, but being a woman was hard", well, being a poor woman is undoubtedly much harder, and it still doesn't justify getting rich off the deaths of others. At least this old lady seems to have a keen taste for the paintings of Juan Gris, Jacques Villon and Serge Poliakoff, and she's quite right.
And now that I think about it... she could have told her nieces so much about that blue orchid thing, but she didn't say a word ! What a joke.

"Do you really believe that the rich are always the aggressors and the poor are inevitably their victims? That's a lie that poor people tell themselves."

On the other hand, violence among wealthy individuals, towards each other and towards their children, is shown in a stark light. It is their way of validating their worth ; this social position is maintained through violence against others and against themselves. One must undergo "discipline" to remain in line and thus "earn" their's superior position. This is demonstrated in the work of French sociologists Pinçon-Charlot. (not sure if their books have been translated in English) However, it is worth adding that violent fathers exist in all social classes and are never good fathers.

The ambitious mayoral candidate says at one point that his father was a Vietnam War veteran and a victim of Agent Orange. It is curious to see how Korean productions so rarely mention their country's participation in this war against Vietnamese independence on the American side, and how, coincidentally, it is only to talk about a very sad old man who is ill, and never about the Vietnamese he surely killed... The screenwriter does the same thing in Tempest, briefly mentioning the war but without saying what it entailed. There is something to question here.

I notice a lot of annoying things (which no one will read, thankfully. I write too much), but to be honest, this series keeps you hooked throughout. You want to know where it's going, and each episode ends with a scandalous cliffhanger. Scandalous ! Even if it's a senseless mess at times (the youngest little sister who serves as a sort of pet throughout and then disappears because one really don't know what to do with this character...), I devoured it all in a ridiculously short time. I'm so weak. And any story that doesn't involve virile males in search of action, I'm in.

Useless bonus :
_The heir locked up in a luxury psychiatric hospital reads Le Comte de Monte Cristo and later sends a text message under the pseudonym Dantès. A true fan.
_The shameless advertising for chocolate squares wrapped in plastic (we see it in countless K-dramas) is completely off-putting. Buy a whole bar and cut your own squares !
_From one series to the next, we end up seeing the same places. I recognise the house of the evil rich people and the three sisters' flat on the roof. With that church tower right next to it.

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Citizen Kim by Or Son-Wel

"Is a fake that seems perfectly real really fake ?"

Shin Hye-sun, best actress. End of sentence. That's all.
A thrilling series, with a new twist in every episode. I really liked how effective it was. Just the right length, even if it does drag a little in the middle. The themes are well explored and really gripping. It's quite clever !

"I felt deprived of something that had never belonged to me."

All these luxury bags, all these luxury items, it's high time to put an end to it. These people clearly don't pay enough tax and feel far too secure to walk around with them in public. "When did it all go wrong ?" It's amusing to talk about Ponzi schemes, but capitalism is based on them. The whole system is a huge scam based on debt. "My mistake was wanting to become rich. You don't become rich, you're born rich."

Sarah Kim, who no longer knows who she is because she keeps taking on new roles and doing what is expected of her... welcome to the world of autistic people. It's exhausting, isn't it ? I know. And it goes well with the big twist (which we see coming, anyway). A clash with oneself, with one's fellow human beings, alienated by money, obsessed with commodity fetishism...

"I'm not sorry, and I apologise for that." Great line.

_And Jung Da-bin finally starring in a good series ! Well done to her. I never doubted her. Or maybe just a little.
_"Splendid melancholy", why get that tattooed on yourself ? Joyful depression, obscure clarity, excellent Nolan. These oxymorons are so bizarre.
_I loved the moment when she turns around and says her real name : "Rosebud". Now that's cinema, the real thing.

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"Alone, I can't do anything. I can't redeem myself. I can't comfort anyone or be comforted myself. The only thing I can do on my own, it is feeling lonely."

One touching aspect of this series is the attention paid to how the characters look at each other. People like to see others happy. The series deals with sad topics, such as grief, but it also has some sweet, funny and tender scenes. (The story with the young girl in the convenience store is very touching.) It's terrible to feel guilty if you start to feel better after losing someone. This cult of suffering in our societies, truly poisonous. And these people struggle to get out of it.

A series I watched, taking breaks. Quite long breaks, to be honest. Its pace, its subjects, its slowness, all these elements make it challenging despite its great qualities. Two episodes in, and it starts to feel heavy. I cry far too much. It has to be said, some of the characters can become downright unpleasant, behaving badly or hurting others, wallowing complacently in their own misfortune. They are whole, complex, real, and don't always know what to say or even how to feel. It requires a heavy investment on our part.

The brother, for example, I didn't want to follow his story. He becomes interesting when he interacts with his father or sister, but the rest of the time he's unbearable. And I really wonder how he ended up with his dancer girlfriend. What does she see in him ? It's a mystery. This kind of relationship is best avoided. Everyone ends up hurting each other...
On the contrary, we see the brother's childhood friend doing all the emotional work for him, even mourning his mother's death in his place. She invests herself in their friendship, almost like a second mother ! And I would have preferred them to remain friends. Friendship is beautiful too, isn't it ? He remains incapable of saying I love you to the one he loves. It exhausted me to follow all this. I'm sick of seeing guys who make no effort and live like parasites off their girlfriends.

Overall, the women in this series... I feel sorry for them, so sorry. The last episode is hard to watch. They deserve better. They have to put up with everything, plan everything, manage everything, and (unfortunately) it's very realistic. The series has a happy ending (what a relief !), but it's still primarily to the benefit of the men and at the expense of the women's work. Emotional work, particularly.

"Without you, I'm a total disaster."

Seo Hyun-jin/Joon-Kyung is more or less the main character. All her life, she has made so many efforts without success, yet she does not realise how far she has come. But she is terribly lonely and unhappy. She leaves her mother feeling angry, even furious with her, and doesn't immediately realise that it's over, gone, and that one day a wall of silence will hit her head-on : her mother is no longer there. She is left alone, carrying their memories. But this triggers a realisation that she has the right to be happy. It's a complex and mixed set of emotions, enough to make you sick.
This character's journey is very beautiful. She makes mistakes, she overcomes them, she finds love. This strength has always been within her. She just needed to find a way to open the door wide.

Her partner confides in her, explains how he feels, suggests activities, cares about her. Incredible. A rare gem. It's so good to see men like that! I don't know if we realise how rare this kind of representation is ? (Well, the story with his ex was tough) This K-drama presents quite different types of men in heterosexual relationships. That's one of its strengths, its subtlety, its raw complexity.

"Just because we are a family does not mean we are supposed to know everything, understand everything, endure everything and persevere."

However, we need to have a conversation here. People in this series do not know how to respect other's privacy. You don't just invite yourself into someone's home without warning ! What's more, with their strange doors, everyone knows each other's codes and can just walk in unannounced. That's not right at all.

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Extremely serious topics addressed head-on. Unfortunately, the pacing is terribly slow at the start. The characters spend so much time repeating the same information. But the story becomes increasingly gripping as it progresses. A cliffhanger in every episode, it works. (It makes me feel uncomfortable saying that about a subject like this)

A "necessary" series (even though I don’t really like reducing a work to that). Especially when you know about the Burning Sun scandal. Of course, these aren't exactly the same events. But it's comparable because the privileged scum who destroyed the lives of dozens and dozens of women didn’t face many consequences, thanks to the active complicity of the police and the justice system. Just like in the series, an idol committed suicide ; she was helping to raise awareness about this scandal, and documents disappeared after her death. (Goo Hara) Just like in the series, these men beat, abused, drugged, and filmed their victims. And just like in the series, they were tipped off about an investigation in advance, so they were able to delete their chat room and their abominable catalog (the "Connect In" app). These wealthy men have shown no remorse, and those facing legal action are free to start all over again. (They are suspected of doing so, by the way, in France and Cambodia, according to the latest news)

As long as prison is the only response to these acts, nothing will change. That's the point. The state's justice system wants us to feel powerless. It protects those who have everything against those who have nothing.

In Honour, the victims have to take matters into their own hands. Sadly realistic. And they're three well-off women, with all the tools they need to succeed. That, too, realistic. The poor don't get justice. Neither do the dead.
A good thriller, in the end. It has a slow start. We have to get past the first three episodes. But a good thriller. Between this, Made in Korea, and Climax, Korea is sending a clear message this year.

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These people take role-playing way too far.

I wasn't convinced at first, but I got caught up in the game. I'm weak. A lone knight like me ? Falling in love with this budding romance ? How shameful ! But that's the magic of Chinese dramas ; the pace and technical quality play a big part in it. The evil minds behind these productions are very powerful.

The story navigates between their role-playing and their IRL lives, which allows for a variety of atmospheres, but it mostly feels like two parallel series that come and go somewhat randomly. It takes some getting used to, but it doesn't last long ; at some point, it stops. What they want us to understand is that these are people who would like to be someone else and will discover that they are happier together, just as they are. Isn't that beautiful ? Be yourselves. Unemployed.

It works thanks to the two leads, Chen Xingxu and Lu Yuxiao, especially her, because they are extremely cute. They are so touching together and natural. She is clever and mischievous, a fighter who doesn't hesitate to resign when she realises she won't be given the job she was promised. He is the typical Chinese male model, a little reserved but loyal and devoted. It's a healthy relationship, they take the time to get to know each other. They don't make impossible promises to each other. No one fights to win the other over ; it happens naturally, and they already know they love each other when they finally admit it. They laugh together, tease each other, and are just happy. And in these dark times, when everything is nothing but brutality and hatred, this kind of light-hearted series where everything is fine is a breath of fresh air.

The ending unfortunately tries to create tension between them, but it doesn't work. I know. I know everything! They resolve it like adults, by talking. And this heavy secret wasn't really a secret at all. "Either tell me everything or let me go." "I've already told you everything you wanted to know."
And I wish all these characters the best and many happy years ahead of them. But I'm delusional because they're fictional characters, so what I'm saying doesn't make sense.

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A lavish series in every sense of the word. Very slow,too slow. Boring, one-dimensional characters who are a pain to watch. A super basic plot, a Monte Cristo-style revenge story we've seen a thousand times before. However, it varies slightly because the heroine finds herself caught up in someone else's revenge (her adoptive mother’s) and breaks free from it without much effort. In fact, nothing really serves as an obstacle or a climax in this story. Most of the time, you're just waiting for it to end.

If the point was to make me hate chaebols, I already hated them before. Missed the mark.
If the point was to see a deadly, venomous Seo Yea-ji with a slender figure, then mission accomplished. Yoo-sun looks extremely elegant despite her unlikable character. I only watched for the two of them. The rest of the cast is boring to the extreme.

Episode 1 ended up being the most interesting, thanks to its editing that jumps between different time frames. And yet it still felt very slow for no good reason. Next, the synopsis misleads us a bit by saying that Lee Ra-el isn't rich. She's fully part of the world of the wealthy that she wants to destroy. (Or else, I'd be happy to be poor like her) And by "destroy", I mean "break up a marriage that was already broken from the start." Nice work, young lady !

Their whole Piazzola bandoneon thing, I don't get any of that nonsense. Their whole tango thing, what a bore !
And the age gap. I won't say anything rude, but I still think what I think.

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I'm not Korean, but I was bullied throughout my entire school career. I wish I could say that everything in Episode 1 is exaggerated and ridiculous... but not really. Students who insult, hit, and humiliate other students, with no one coming to the victims' aid, and sometimes even with the teacher's support (yes, really), well, that's the reality. Episode 1 isn't that far-fetched.

Violence doesn't solve anything in this case. But the series suggests that it does, that it would be the ultimate solution to everything. No, the bullies will take revenge on their victim. All it does imply that if violence comes from the stronger people (adults), then it's valid. And consequently, adults have complete authority over minors... because ? Because, period. Thus, violence in school would simply be an educational problem caused by the parents alone. I'm not sure I support that. (I believe above all in the collective responsibility and individual courage proposed by philosophers like Arendt or Sartre. At some point, we must act even if we stand to lose something, even if we aren't personally responsible : we are.)

That said… it's hard not to find it thrilling when a teacher goes to the home of a privileged bully (the son of a high-ranked politician) just to piss him off. And he couldn't care less about threats from a potential future president of the Republic. I admit it.

There are also some very serious issues that aren't handled all that badly. It goes beyond just school. We seek revenge for the powerless. And these "teachers" are only there for a specific mission.
Well, here I go complaining again… I love revenge in movies or TV shows, but in real life, it accomplishes nothing. I wouldn't be any less devastated if I learned of the death of my bullies or attackers. It doesn't make things right. And it's individualistic, too. An individual solution for every systemic problem ? No. (Or else we must expect that many of our relatives and family members will disappear in prison or be executed...) And it happens after the problem. It's already too late. Neither violence nor the death penalty dissuades people from committing crimes !

The series takes on a cartoonish tone starting in episode 2. The students are total thugs straight out of the worst mafia movies. How many times have they repeated a grade ? Paradoxically, it becomes much more watchable. From that point on, it takes on a satirical approach, the ideology takes a back seat, and you can watch it as a usual action comedy. If the whole series were like that, it would be just fine. But, it's not.

Episode 3 and its false accusation of a teacher sexually harassing a student. I just can't handle that. What about the real accusations ? Do we just ignore them ? It leaves me completely dumbfounded, I can't stand it. And Jin Ki-joo finally shows up ! Finally ! (My main reason for watching this series) But I couldn't appreciate her absurdly authoritarian approach as much as I'd have liked. I dropped the series right there. That's my limit. It's probably a shame, but I refuse to waste my time on stories about false accusations.

(Ignore the note. It's just for my own reference, so I know not to try again.)

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Lee Kwang-soo does a spot-on impression of Nicolas Cage I said casually as I lit a cigarette, leaning against a wall, my gaze wandering and a mocking look on my face.

I started watching this series without knowing anything about it, just because of Park Bo-Young's name. Well, sometimes you really do need to know what you re getting into, because you end up disappointed. A mysterious first episode followed by two episodes that are boring as hell… with the occasional serious turn of events, or revelations that aren't exactly earth-shattering. (You can see them coming… the colleague at the airport ? Don't take me for a fool, please) It loses its momentum straight away. And anything that might pose the slightest obstacle is magically overcome : they hide the gold, they've got someone to fence it, they make a fortune, they forge documents. Nothing really causes a problem.
I'll be straightforward : it feels like a film that's been stretched out over 10 episodes. They're taking my precious time for granted. So I watched it, skipping bits here and there, just to see what it was like. But it wasn't any good. What a waste of time !
If that twist right at the end sets up a season 2, I have to warn the whole team: don't bother !

Doesn't the bloke who melts down gold actually know the price of gold ? Strange.
In the end, in France, in Provence, Park Bo-young buys three nectarines for €4. The price per kilo ! She's been ripped off, poor thing. That's my France. Well done to that shopkeeper for respecting French traditions. And her car is registered in the 96, but there's no department with that number.

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Park Bo-Young takes up the usual challenge faced by actresses: playing two roles at the same time. She changes her posture, her intonation, her facial expression, her habitus. It's confounding. She goes even further and plays two characters playing each other's roles.
Park Jin-young, you're perfect, go on.

"I feel like I've removed an invisible mask".

Injuring yourself rather than going to work - it's a sad thought for many of us. Yu Mi-rae's job is really awful. It's perfectly normal for bosses to be scum, that's why they're there, they're parasitic filth on the backs of the workers, but what about her stupid colleagues ? Don't unions exist in this universe ? You have to have the mentality of servants and cowards to be so relentless. And HR, they tell us to talk to them if there's the slightest problem... it will always piss me off how much they take us for morons. Don't believe them.

Bore out is terrible, torture for a lot of people; I have to admit that I've never been as fulfilled (in a manner of speaking) as when I was put in jobs where I could read all day without seeing anyone (disabled people are often isolated and shown the exit door).

"The door closed again"

This is a beautiful series, fuelled by kindness. Deep down, everyone is kind. Sometimes we are so bad that we hurt those around us, we become a ball of anger, unable to receive help, but there is a part of light in all of us. The only enemy in this story is this society that breaks us down thanks to those who profit from it. We cry a lot for and with the characters. Always with good reason. In fact, we cry even when these people are happy, genuinely upset at the idea that they are allowing themselves a moment of happiness.

"No matter how pathetic or messy it seems, anything you do to survive is brave" How can you not burst into tears after that ?

The poem invented for the series "The Sea of Sang-Wol" by Kim Ro-Sa brings tears to the eyes, so right and beautiful is its simplicity. The most extreme of sophistication: simple and beautiful. And her story goes straight to the heart. "I was the flaw. Without me in the picture, everything would be perfect" This declaration of love, left hanging in the air for decades and decades... you can't help but break down. So beautiful, so sad. We'd love happy stories for female couples, but the times in which this is happening didn't allow it. Not that it's any easier these days, that said...

"The void left by doubt ended up being filled with courage"

Everything is structured by a strict opposition : town/country, obnoxious/laxist boss, friends who listen/selfish, empathetic/vindictive mother ; and then we discover that these two mothers are broken, that they manage as best they can and their tumultuous friendship helps them grow. Each element takes its own course and feeds the deeply positive and consoling message that the series is so keen to deliver.
In the case of the twins, my initial fear that everything would be based on a teenage misunderstanding was quickly dispelled, and fortunately we're shown that the ground was fertile for depression, and that's by no means the only reason for their situations.
The parallels between teenage and adult life are often devastating. The characters recognise themselves in the misfortune of others and the inevitable decisions that life imposes on us, from which nothing positive can come. Love is never about winning or losing, it's about staying in the same team. You see yourself as a burden, but you help the others not to capsize.

"Why do I end up attacking myself when I should be defending myself?"

The roles of the main characters evolve, we're not taken for fools and everything ends up leading to something, taking care to spare its effects. The script and dialogue are simply perfect. Every monologue at the beginning and end of the episode breaks our hearts. We're not offered a magic solution, we're shown how to move forward one step at a time, a new blank page to fill.

"There is no perfect moment. Nothing is perfect in this world."

Ps: in a role as a wheelchair-bound disabled person, it would have made sense to cast someone who actually is, because it's much harder to find a role in that situation, for all the wrong reasons. Many roles wouldn't even require comedians to be able-bodied and yet disabled people are denied these roles.
Ps 2: Yu Mi-Ji is wearing a t-shirt that says "vos vêtements préférés/your favourite clothes" in French with a nice spelling mistake.

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Being short and having a bit of acne apparently makes you an ugly Chinese woman. These beauty standards are infuriating. I didn't think I could endure this young woman's humiliation throughout the entire series. And I was right.
One might think that, fortunately, this is offset by the fact that the ‘beautiful’ and ‘ugly’ versions of the character are played by the same actress. It's a bit like Ms. Doubtfire, but less problematic, in the end... no ? no, of course not.

To be honest, the male character is very annoying. He thinks he's superior, he behaves badly, and he throws a "you're so ugly" at Su Chengcheng the first time he sees her since their teenage years, even though she is clearly in distress. He uses his position as boss to hit on a stranger by offering her a modelling job. He wants to marry her, she's the woman of his life, he never gives up and calls her constantly... yet she's not interested and he simply doesn't know her. I think there's a name for that kind of behaviour in court. And these are just the very first episodes...

No, I didn't get very far into the series. That guy annoyed me, I don't want to know what Chengcheng sees in him and how they will end up together. Then I read that it promotes generative AI. That's it, I'm done. So this is a totally arbitrary and undeserved bad rating I'm giving to this CDrama. No one should take it into account. (As with all my reviews, for that matter)

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Capitalist propaganda goes a long way. I prefer it when the great King Vidor adapts Ayn Rand's rubbish, at least it's imbued with an old-fashioned charm linked to the Film Noir style, and then : it's funny in its grotesque sincerity.

But here, it's all literal, which is embarrassing for everyone... Well done, brave small business owners, true fathers of families, we owe you everything. We love working for you. Thank you again for all the risks you take without any compensation, you are true saints on Earth. We live off you and live comfortably by sucking your blood, we have an easy life thanks to you, the heroes of modern times.

I gave up on episode 3. I'm sure the romance and plot twists are very well done, thanks to Minha Kim, who undoubtedly brings a deep sensitivity to her character. But I'd rather spend my time on something other than an ode to work and exploitation.

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