If you like TVN dramas then don't skip out on this gem because of the rating. When this drama first aired I couldn't get past two episodes, after picking it up again it took me less than 2 days to finish. This is has the lightness of a romcom and the realness of a family drama, I wouldn't categorize this a melodramatic. After the first two episodes the pace picks up with a decent amount of plot and not a lot of filler. The acting was real and spot on for all actors. They are all individuals with their own thoughts and don't feel like carbon copied personas. This is hands down my favorite role i've seen Lee Dong Wook in, he really captured the emotions of his chracters. This is also one of the first dramas that I've watched where there really is no antagonist. There are definitely characters put in place to be road blocks for the main couple, but none of them are evil everything they did was surprisingly human and matched to their chracters. I'm a sucker for a best friend turned lovers story and this one is going in my favorites list. I recommend you give this drama a go for at least 4 episodes before dropping it really is worth the watch.

Read More

I enjoyed watching this edition to the OCN's Vampire series. It was nice to have new chracters, lure and dynamic added to this fictional world. Lee Joon definitely played his part as Yoon San. The reason the series worked out so well for me was the main cast. They all conveyed their chracters very well. The writers did a good job of mentioning V.Prosecutor that has gotten me excited hopefully for the third season. Seeing Min Tae Yoon and Yoon San on one screen would make me really happy. Can't wait for the next season. If you liked V. Prosecutor you will most likely like this drama as well. The action and cinematography are all done in traditional OCN fashion.The music is forgettable but works with the story. Acting is portrayed realistically (within this world) and the characters are funny and loveable. I'd rewatch if I was going on an action binge or recapping the whole franchise.

Read More

If you love mature romance dramas this is the drama for you. In a world where the pretty and young dominate the romantic aspect The first half of my life stands out. From the cast to the story everything is very adult. Everyone has there own thoughts and opinions and nothing feels too dramatic. This story is one that can happen to anyone and I enjoyed it very much.

Story: All surrounding characters in their mid 30's to early 40's. I love how naturally every plot point occurs in the story. Nothing feel forced it doesn't feel like the writers were adding in a lot of filer. The dialogue is everything and a basic conversation between two chracters is always interesting.

(Fair warning the female character is whiny in the beginning but she gets better I promise.)

Acting. Top notch! A1! Everyone in this cast played their chracters to a T. If you've watched Jin Dong in other dramas you know what kind of chracters he gets type cast as. He lectures and gave me surgeon character feels at some point but his execution of his monologues are always great so it didn't deter me from watching the drama. The chemistry ,not just between the female and male lead, but the entire cast can be felt and I really loved it.

Music: Smooth jazz, loved it.

Rewatch: not unless there is a season 2.

Give this drama a try I promise you will enjoy.

Read More

Please don't watch this film if you are triggered by rape.

Halfway through this movie, I got so disgusted and almost couldn't finish it. I tried to watch to the end hoping the ending would finally make the movie mean something, but it didn't. There was just no point in this film. It's like we got Lee Shi Young is a badass action actor. (check) Men are trash narrative (check) Violence (check) a ridiculous outfit for the female lead (check) Skirt shots (check check check) This movie tried to disguise itself as some sort of badass empowering film (from the pictures at least) but it doesn't achieve any of that in my opinion.

The film is basically about a young mentally challenged girl has been sexually assaulted not once but 6 times by six different men. And the message ended up being about sisterhood and violent revenge? Like I felt like the movie was just using the female characters instead of actually telling a meaningful story about them. I'm always excited to see Lee Shi Young in action roles but this movie was a mess with no true plot and just gross. I'm all here for revenge plots but they weren't even satisfying revenge scenarios. If I wanted to watch stories about sex offenders who don't get any real justice then I'd stick to watching the news. Yes, the movie provides us with a type of violent revenge. But what does that do for the victim? What does a couple of lost fingers and bruised faces do for all her pain? Those men still got to live. And even if they didn't the movie doesn't give you any type of closure after all of this.

The movie was just sad, disgusting and left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't recommend it at all.

Read More

I really enjoyed this little series. The acting was realistic, cute, even heartwarming at moments. The story was fine and basic, your average underdogs story with a little reverse harem. I love Hwang Seung Eon she is one of my favorite up and coming actresses. She nailed this role with all its emotion and sass. Song Jae Rim has definitely made it onto my 'nicest smile' and 'great on screen kisser' list. Their chemistry was really good.

The only problem I had with it was when the phrase 'I Love You' was thrown around. And then you realize the chracters are high school students and not college students. I went into thinking the actors and the characters age were similar, but I was wrong. There were also some moments where the acting was a little too much. Song Jae Rim has a tendency to yell while expressing anger and there were some moments where I think it wasn't necessary. Son Ho Young also had some awkward moments on screen but for the most part they both did well.

I wish they would have written the ending of this story differently. It was a let down compared to the rest of the story and probably the only reason this story didn't get a 10 out of me. Great, easy watch that I would recommend as a inbetween while your waiting for you favorite series to air.

Read More

If you like medical and detective work. You will enjoy this drama. It has it witty moments and some heart wrenching cases. I enjoyed watching this season but I have a problem with the pacing and story line

What I liked: The cases. The cases that this team worked on were definitely different and the stories fit well within a 1-2 episode arc. I liked the dynamic of the team could've used some more fleshing out. I enjoyed most of their banter and the setup of their deductions. Everyone is cable in their own right and didn't bring down the team. (Also really liked the moment of silence before the autopsy)

What I didn't like: I would have enjoyed if this season had a few more episodes. Everyone likes fast pacing, dragging out a drama is never a pleasant experience. But I thought this was too fast. The main story line or (personal cases for the leads) didn't kick in until episode 8. It seemed rush and not fully rounded for me. Especially the love line. I would've appreciated a stronger build up to that plot point.

Acting was also enjoyable. There were some problems with delivery of some lines from the actors, but it wasn't enough to make me stop watching. I haven't given up on the series. I'm going to continue watching hoping that the show works out the few kinks I disliked.

Read More

The best female centric drama

This is everything I've ever wanted in a female centric show/
-Healthy friendship between women
-Working women in love w/o giving up their values in life
-Communication!!!!!
-Personalities outside relationships
-Conversations that reveal personality, characteristics, traits
-Emotions so raw that you feel them
-Writing so real you forget you are watching a show


As someone who generally dislikes the modern Cdrama genre, I've tried a lot of modern shows cus I love watching "women in the city". But a lot of these shows pin their female characters against each other for no reason and don't give them a story outside of finding love. From ep 1 of ROTP you can tell this is not the case. This show gives you such a nice realistic look at the characters that you can't help but fall into the rhythm of the story.

I'm also someone who avoids Melo or dramas that hinge on sadness. But again, ROTP is great at showcasing grief in such a real way that the sadness is neither a gimmick nor a plot point. Just happening in the characters' lives, realistic and raw. From the acting to the writing to the music score. ROTP is the best modern female-centered drama I've watched ever. The writing was so good that throughout the climax of the show my heart was in my throat as if I were watching a thriller.

If you like mature shows that are based in conversation, talk about work, life in the city, dreams, and sadness I recommend this show. Some may find the low-stakes scenes of characters talking boring. But they really do give you such good insight into how everyone thinks, reacts, and communicates. The chemistry between the cast is fantastic. And all the relationships make sense and give you butterflies. It's been a while since I've felt something so strong for a drama. A gem of a show and I'm so glad I watched it.

Read More

Korean Dramas are known for not being able to have multiple seasons of shows, but God's Quiz has definitely broke that norm. Season 2 follows up in a very nice and simple way making one ready for whatever story they have to tell us. If you liked season 1, season 2 is about the same.

Story: They fixed the pacing issue that I had with season 2. We weren't given all the important information about the major plot point in the last few episodes. So nothing felt rushed and I was ready for l the chaotic things that were happening. I also jumped on the love line between Jinwoo & Kyunghee. It wasn't 100% accurate but they were cute. The cases this season were a little boring though.

Acting: Ryu Deok Hwan has definitely turned into Han Jin Woo. I believed everything about his character, I loved that he wasn't fearless and vulnerable no matter how smart he is. Also have to applaud Ahn Yoon Jung. I had some hard times with his portrayal of the character in the last season but he grew as an actor and showed both the victim and monster sides of Jung Ha Yoon

Music: I liked the ost/bgm a lot better in this season

I like this series. OCN knows how to produce crime/mystery dramas. Can't wait for the next season.

Read More

Medicore Writing with a fan favorite trope that all amounts to nothing.

The flaw of most dramas and TV writing, in general, is that the entire story is not finished before production starts. LND is an obvious case of let's rely on the cast for the most interesting part of the story, and it fails in every way.

Of course, everyone was excited for this cast. Unfortunately, it's packed with veteran actors who are stuck acting out the same gimmicks in the name of dramatic suspense. Written in a story that feels like a college workshop piece. Not only does LND take a fairly easy trope,& try too hard to make it different. They somehow fundamentally make the story hate & bully its own main character. Bae Seok Ryu at every important turn of this story, is bullied into caring for herself & and tripped for her reasonable actions as a cancer patient. This was honestly my biggest problem with the story: instead of caring for a woman who decided to keep her illness from her family & work it out with her then-fiance. They utilize her decision to remove her agency concerning her medical information at every possible chance. In turn, instead of having a male lead who is gentle or kinder, when he finds out the woman he loves is sick, The story tries to force the FL into loving herself, which is psychologically speaking impossible imo.

Does the ML get punished for all his harsh words and rash decisions? No. but the audience is rewwarded with sweet nothings the last six eps with no substantial growth on the ML part. It makes the comments about the writer seeing the reaction from fans and changing things accordingly. I tend not to agree with that statement. I think the ML is the same in the beginning as the end. His problematic behavior is never addressed; he never apologizes for the stuff he said, and he is just given romance in the end because that's what we expected.

The sequence of events in the story don't make sense and doesn't utilize character & plot points in a way that makes sense. The episodes are long and the best romance & storytelling is in the secondary characters. The 2FL & ML love story was fun & cute. I actually felt butterflies in some scenes. However they did utilize a detail that uproots most of the power behind the painting. The relationship between the leads mothers was the best scenes to watch and feel anything from.

This story is void of so many things we hate like love triangles and angry mother in laws. And yet it's also void of a solid story that makes you feel anything more than meh. The chemistry during their childish arguments is some good dialogue writing. And the actors did their best with what they were given but even then, Love Next Door falls flat as you watch because it becomes a chore. If you want to hear me rant more about this, come hang out on youtube~

Read More