Zogitt

I don't think I'll see you again

This show's plot is paper thin and it is quite predictable. It pretty much played in one sandpit for the whole show with passable production values. There is little nuance or growth to the characters and their romantic developments are on rails.

All the usual youth romantic drama tropes are present; love at first sight, crushes, envy and fated meeting as kids. The plot regarding the FL's Prosopagnosia is poorly represented and not really explored. It is just used as a device for minor gags or token angst until the ML shows up as her knight in shining armour.

As expected, the plots are factory standard issue and the pairing of the protagonists are obvious from the start. It is just a matter of getting over the meet-cutes, push-pulls and failed confessions. Sadly, there is scant chemistry between the three CP's which netted a token amount of skinship. I get the OTP pairing (fated and all) but the other two pairs are hardly match made in heaven. What is more concerning are the weird editing, disjointed narrative and phantom side plots that literally appears for a few scenes and then forgotten. Choppy is a good way to describe this show.

Acting from the young leads are passable. They are energic but prone to overact. I have seen worse and they do try. The support cast is another story. Most are no better than extras handed a couple of lines of dialogue and it shows. I do wonder if the production company approached a local college to do a collaboration and held an open call for extras and bit parts. There is certainly no shortage of extras for many scenes.

The plot twist towards the end was totally contrived and unnecessary. It did manage to pad out the runtime significantly so job done. The HEA ending rolls in as expected. The final scenes after the big time skip feel amateurish and rushed.
If you are interested in a drama about Prosopagnosia, try The Secret Life of My Secretary. So, so much better.

This is a messy and unengaging filler. One time watch for me. Peace out.

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Need a few more special herbs in this guggling brew

I have high hopes for this drama (why do I feel like I just cursed the show? ;) ). It has a good cast and I like the ML when he stars in other shows. The FL is quite good at playing a sassy girl as well. It should be a sure fire hit, right?

The answer is a bit more complicated. The Show starts strongly. The opening scenes are impactful with some quite confronting. We have two leads who are hurt and damaged by the machinations of others. Both lives are derailed, and their future seems to be full of uncertainties and trials.

The Show is patently a healing drama with a strong dose of romance. The chemistry between the leads is unmistakeable from the start. The show largely delivers on its premise, but it is not without caveats.

Part of the problem is that the Show drifts from one motif to another without fully committing to any of them. There is palace intrigue which is full-on at the beginning but faded mid show. Comedic elements pop up from time to time but you can hardly call it a comedy. Medical dramas run right down the centre. Some cases are interesting but most are just fillers.

The whole Joseon psychiatrist thing is a bit of a deception. The ML still based his diagnosis on checking the parent's pulse and countenance. Treatments are centred on acupuncture and herbal tonics. He does think more about the circumstances of his patients, but I'd call him mindful, insightful rather than a neophyte psychiatrist.

The love line is oddly nebulous as well. Not that the leads are confused about their feelings. If anything, they knew exactly how they feel about each other, but the show just won’t let them take the leap.

I don't want to use the word draggy to describe this show and it is not, at least not in the classical sense. It feels more like a lack of resolve. It is as if the show is buying time, rather than wasting time. This might well be because the show is renewed for a second season before the first season is even over so the writer-nims might be under pressure to keep a few tricks up their collective sleeves for S2.

Characterisation is a mixed bag. The leads have clear identities, and their portrayals are largely on point. The support cast is more one dimensional with most of them employed as comedic relieves. The antagonists are a tropey mix of local pompous bully and power-hungry grand vizier type. They brought forth death and destruction, but the intrigue is more pedestrian than Byzantine.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the Show. All the ingredients are in the pot, but it just simmers and guggles. Never quite come to a boil. It is good but not great. To be fair, the Show concluded satisfactorily at the end of S1 with retribution and redemption dished out appropriately. It didn’t quite end in a cliff-hanger but more like a ridge-hanger.

Bring on season 2! Hwaiting!

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A healing drama is just like a donkey . . . I mean onion

On the surface it is a short, slow burn romance with low angst. We need to peel back some layers to find the deeper meanings.
The ML is a tortured soul whose near perfect world collapsed in short order due to his gradual loss of hearing. He doesn’t know how to deal with it, so he became withdrawn and pushed everyone away. He tried to join the deaf community but finds that he is still on the outer because he was not born deaf. He came to the sad conclusion that EVERYONE sees him as being different and there is nowhere he truly belongs.

I believe that one of the motifs of the Show is how society divide people based on many assumed and perceived criteria into different groupings. Both real and invisible barriers are here to segregate and isolate them into smaller cliques.

Our need to belong creates pressure points in our social interactions. It can be exhausting and debasing when we run into unyielding barriers. How horrible it is when you are yanked from a comfortable reality into a new one where you are confused and lost.

It was fortuitous that the ML met a kind deaf girl. She befriended him and helped him to learn the sign language. It is not acceptance but at least he can function again. Their relationship is ambiguous. The girl is clearly interested in him, but he is afraid of commitment and shows no inclination to take their relationship to the next level. The girl is happy to stay in the friend zone as she has him all to herself. However, all that changed when the ML's ex-girlfriend ran into him by accident and started a chain reaction that changes several lives.

For me, the Show is a beautifully crafted story about rediscovering love, friendship, sacrifice and the need to compromise. I don’t want to give away the plots regarding the SML and SFL but let's just say that I'm getting serious second leads syndromes by the end of the Show.

From my perspective, the first half of the Show is very well done. There are lots of backstories, raw emotions and misunderstanding before the fateful reunion. The show took its time to explore all this. It was never going to be a joyride but the writer-san skilfully weave the story back and fore along the timeline so that we know how each character arrives at their current circumstances. There were plenty of broken psyche that needs healing. They get patched up enough to keep functioning but not completely healed. The amount of baggage carried by the ensemble cast will keep a caravan of camels fully loaded.

Unfortunately, while the Show start to untie the knots and salve the troubled souls in the second half, it is a slow process. The pacing of the show becomes almost meditative.

The healing and exploring requires a lot of dialogues between the OTP and sometimes side characters. I think the writer-san wants to show how difficult communication can be even though it is based on a common language. We ended up with a mix of sign language, written words, phone apps and normal conversations. It can be slow going as the ML has to keep the signing slow and simple so that the FL can keep up. It is like watching two primary school kids trying to communicate. They do resort to writing sentences on paper when it got too complicated.

In the end, the bulk of the breakthrough came in the last episode. All the affirmations and compromises are nutted out then. Some of the best scenes are also found there.

The FL worked hard to live in his world and she cajoled the ML into compromising his unyielding stand. It is a fragile middle ground but one they can call their own.

The acting is great with a lot of depth. Without spoken words, they need to emote with their facial expression, posture and their eyes. That requires real skills.

The loveline of the OTP is sweet-bitter-sweet. It is ashame that there is almost no skinship.

I can recommend this show but you have to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate it.

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A modern fairy-tale that requires industrial grade rose tinted glasses

This Show might have a contemporary setting, but it has all the hallmark of a fairy-tale. The characters do not behave in a realistic way and the settings are more staged than true to life. The female leads are dressed to the nines to go to work and high society balls and cocktail parties are regular as clockworks. Wheeling and dealing are the only game in town but not a lot of real lawyering. It is a make-believe world that our protagonists have their fateful meeting and begin a fake marriage of convenience.

Fake marriage is such a trope nowadays that it is almost an automatic point deduction when a show uses it as the main plot. In this case, the Show is watchable, in part because of the charisma of the FL and the chemistry between the leads. The ML’s character is lying flat and generally taking a low profile. This means the FL is about as flamboyant as you can get as a counterpoint. She also has a collection of frenemies to match her designer handbags.

The raison d'etre for the fake marriage is the premo law firm where the FL works has a glass ceiling for unmarried female lawyers. Of course, the ambitious FL is not taking that lying down. In true drama fashion, lies begot more lies and the house of cards grew bigger and ricketier every day. I could add plot holes begot more plot holes but that would be labouring the point. ;)
The Show is entertaining at times and there are swoon worthy moments as the leads goes from being antagonistic towards each other to being lovers. However, the writer decided to keep their relationship ambiguous all through the Show. To be honest, it is disappointing as we see a lot of PDA but we still gets the “are we, aren’t we” vibe and the de rigueur breakup. This brings about the cliché fallout for several episodes.

The less we talk about the 2nd CP the better. They are a total narrative mess. They seem to exist solely to highlight how rational the OTP’s relationship is. If they were funny, at least we can get an occasional laugh, but they are just cringey to watch. The 3rd CP (FL’s ex) feels more like a one-sided crush. There are PDA but you don’t feel the passion.

While relationships are all over the place, the Show is littered with business subplots that are both ethically and legally questionable. Motivations are overblown and seems to always focus on monetary gains and one-upmanship. It serves to highlight the weakness and illogic of the FL’s chosen path. The longer the Show ran, the more untenable her situation becomes. It begs the question why she doesn't just quit if she is intelligent, professional and focused? Is it greed, stubbornness or blind ambition? It doesn't shine her in a positive light.

Acting wise, it is a mixed bag. There is a fair bit of overacting from the ensemble cast. The FL is the focal point, and she usually does a good job, but it starts to feel samey after a while. As I mentioned before, the ML’s delivery can be a bit flat but he is the yin to the FL’s yang so there is a certain balance there. When it works, their scenes can be quite swoon worthy. There is a decent amount of skinship which doesn't look fake. The OTP’s romance is pretty much the saving grace of the Show.

OST is not bad. Some nice tunes but they do get a bit repetitive by the end of the show. I might watch a highlight reel in the future, but it would be a challenge to rewatch the whole show.

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There is no escape from the mundane

I'm a bit late to this party as I binged the whole series a few months ago and I was a little OD on the characters when this special came out.

I finally got around to watch it and it is nice but it lacked the original's freshness. The quirky relationship of the leads have mellowed into domesticity. They still have this partnership arrangement but is now more relaxed and accommodating. The growth is nice to see but this is dramaland so it can't be all smooth sailing.

To stir things up we are going to have a baby! Hooray! Cue all the tropey stressors and complications that goes with a pregnancy. It ticked all the boxes and they covered a lot of work and societal issues but it wasn't anything new nor particularly egregious. Most are bullet points that are instantly recognisable. There are few hard and fast answers as their options are limited.

The addition of the covid lockdown was topical. It is done with a light touch as none of their family nor friends got sick so the Show mostly dealt with the initial shock, prolonged isolation and longing as the whole country went through a painful period of apprehension and uncertainty.

The acting is par for the course with few surprises.

The Show is largely fan service and a satisfying watch for their fanbase. We got more antics from the leads and their friends with minor updates. For some, this is perfection. However, with only two hours to play with, there are a lot of assumed knowledge about the backstories of the ensemble cast. If you haven't seen the first series then you should start there or it will be quite baffling.

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A dodgy script is also a crime

The first few episodes are tracking fine as far as a tropey romance/melodrama goes. Affairs, crushes and a complex web of lies are on full display.

I have a feeling that the Show is banking on the visuals and chemistry between the leads to hook the viewers. It would have worked ok if they give the leads room to grow and the plot to develop some complexity. Unfortunately, it took a different turn and wasted a lot of potentials and time.

Problem stems from the Show’s decision to replay multiple scenes from different characters’ POV. This means instead of moving forwards, we went back and forth extensively for several episodes, replaying scenes from a slightly different angle or composition and sometimes adding a bit of inner monologue. Time and again, we are presented with pieces of information that we already know while other times, the information is actually contradictory.

This extends to other characters watching each other watching the leads so it is like a relay race without ends. I can accept it if it is a major revelation, but it is mostly along the line of “you like her but not me”, “she like him but not you”. We get it . . . we get it the first time.

It is also a surprise to see a 2019 show that objectifies female characters to such a degree. They are seen as objects of desire and targets for seduction. There are not a lot of rules, married woman, co-workers, anything goes. The flip side is that the female characters are willing to do anything in the name of “love”. Love in this case is a loose term. It is more like a hunger for attention and affection rather than the classic definition of love. Of course, the Show will tell us true love is most important but it also throws shade at itself. The Show is not short of mixed and contrary messages.

The logic behind the ML’s action is quite obtuse. He loves someone who is married to a man who is having an affair. He wants his crush to be happy so he steals the man’s mistress, not necessarily for revenge (it is a source of some confusion), but so that the man will go back to his wife and live HEA. What? How? If the husband have had one love affair, he can have three. Not to mention what is the ML going to do with that woman he just seduced. The plot didn't thicken, it congealed.

In the end, the Show is “saved” by the happy endings. It is hardly a surprise as the Show has no where else to go.
Acting is ok. There is quite a bit of skinship and more than the usual quota of bed scenes. Some are replayed several times for our titillation.

The repetitive nature of this Show means that only about 50% are truly original content. So if we were to extrapolate this to its logical conclusion then the Show would have worked much better if it is only half its current length. That works for me. Peace out.

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Jack of all trades, master of none

This Show starts well enough. There is a lot of energy, and it promised some interesting characters and novel mesh-up of genres. Unfortunately, after that initial burst of creativity, it quickly lost the momentum and settled on a plodding meh-ddle ground that felt more cliché than creative.

Let us dive deeper. The leads includes a crime fighting chaebol with a hint of Batman including a secret lair (their words). Of course, that means he is paired with a trusted sidekick who is both a lawyer and a hacker/tech guru. To amp up the odd pairing, the FL has superpower but has a difficult childhood. Yet she is always righteous and hardworking. The 2FL can bake yummy bread (….).

Yes, that is an eclectic mix but the writer-nims thrown in enough chemistry and fast paced action from the get-go to keep your interest for long enough to get over the initial hump. Unfortunately, problems soon start to surface.

For starters, this Show has so many plot holes and inconsistencies. It is almost as if the writer-nims brainstormed ideas and settled on a handful of good ones and then try to tie them together with bits of string.

There is also little character development. It is more like character regression. The detective/crime fighting ML solves almost no cases except for one personal one that has been ongoing for 20 years. Yet all the ducklings begin to line up as soon as the FL joins the team. The lawyer sidekick practices no law, he does the usual techno babble, and everything magically appear on his screen. BTW, he drives a van that Scooby-Doo will be proud of. The FL barely ever uses her superpower, and the impact is marginal and contrived. The 2FL is there purely as comic relief and the love interest of the 2ML. Everyone just seems to settle into cliché roles.

This means the tone and direction of the show is all over the place. One minute it is slapstick comedy, next scene can be sickly sweet romance and then it becomes deadly serious. Some shows can pull this off like the Law Café but this show just feels scatty and manic. Maybe this is because of the writer-nims’ inexperience. Both credited script writers have little writing experience prior to this show and sadly, it shows.

Acting wise, it is a real mixed bag too. With the plot and tone going all over the place, the actors are prone to overact or just look a bit lost without clear directions. Most of them gamely soldiers on but it is a tough gig. There are lots of one-note characters which doesn’t help the the show's cause.

In the end, I was thankful that it is only 12 episodes long as I was wondering where the show is going at the end of ep.9. It is watchable, it has its moments, but it is like looking at a storyboard of hand picked scenes and a matching checklist from Script Writing 101. Could a more experienced writer-nim deliver a better script or would it be better to leave this sleeping dog alone?

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Tangled web of subplots with bonus bait and switch

This is not a bad show but it could have been better.

From advertising to the opening sequence and during the first couple of episodes, Kim Sejeong was the focus and it was assumed that the show is her starrer. However, once she join the webtoon department, her role faded into the background and she was just a rookie in a small struggling team. A lot of her "jobs" are quite mundane and largely involve putting out spot fires involving webtoon artists. We do see her growth but other aspect of the storyline suck the oxygen from her narrative.

This is a natural segue because the collection of artists are actually a lot more interesting than the FL. They are a diverse bunch but some are neurotic prima donnas. The Show does try to shine a light on how much hard work is involved in the creative process and the constant grind just to meet the deadline which I appreciate.

So rather than the show focusing on the FL, it is really an ensemble show with the plot switching from office politics to dramas with the talents and then occasionally we get a bit of the FL's backstory. That would have worked ok but some of the narratives involving the artists are tropey and flow oddly. One particular subplot involving a young male artist was very impactful and troubling but the Show whitewash the issues in the end. That was disappointing and feels like a cop out. Other times the subplot would end abruptly only to have the character pop up again several episodes later involved in a different subplot. It all sort of pulls together towards the end but it does make the show feel scatty.

A relevant but minor issue is a lack of romance. This show is definitely made for it. There are multiple possible pairings but nothing concrete happens. There are some side-eyes and meaningful looks but everything is literally left unsaid. Even the "confession that has to happen" is last minute and unanswered. I'm not saying that all shows need to include love lines but this show tease us constantly and delivers very little.

Acting wise, it is generally decent. The more experience actors anchored the Show but some of the roles are tropey and one dimensional. Even unto the end, I'm not a 100% clear on the efficacy of the male and female leads. Yes, KSJ is technically the FL but her role is marginalised and lacks depth. She laughs and cries on cue but she is hardly the focal point. Ditto the 2 male actors who can be considered ML's but doesn't seem to want the job either. LoL

Now that I have finished the show, I can actually say that it is watchable but I would have enjoyed it more if the show was more upfront about its genre and composition rather than try to capitalise on the popularity of KSJ.

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It is all about the feel

This review is going to be vague because there is no point dissecting every scene nor trying to highlight where the writer-nim could have portraited the law/autism/discrimination/etc better or more realistically. In a sense, the Show is about the overall feel and raising awareness of certain social and societal issues. There is no panacea for such ills. The writer-nim did leave some subplot dangling like the lawyer specialises in social justice cases and the ATM company. It means a win is not always rewarding or justice being served. It could end up hurting the "little guy" or setback social progress. They are grey areas that is up to us to explore further and reflect upon.

What the Show is good at is creating the unique world that Woo Young Woo lives in. It is not a "real" world because it is a drama after all. It is more like a modern pastel fairy tale. It is relatable but it takes liberty with certain aspects of reality.

Our FL's acting is superb and is consistent for 95% of the show which is a tough gig when you consider her character's mannerism and her speech pattern. Kudos to Park Eun Bin. The ML is also well played but he is firmly in support of the FL. Their romance is sweet and awkward in equal parts. There are some really swoon worthy moments. Speaking of support, it is a bit disappointing that the support casts are fairly tropey and doesn't "grow" during the show. Some are comic relieves while others are the token bullies. They are there as foils for our FL and to move the plot along where necessary.

Now the elephant in the room. The Jeju episodes are a misstep by the writer-nim in my book. It was a weird change of tone and cadence in an otherwise smoothly flowing show. It just felt off. It is just as well the Show recovers it's bearings and is back on track by episode 15/16.

It is as if the Show is self referencing itself in the end. I am left with a sense of contentment and fulfillment after the final scene. I couldn't help but grin in unison with our leads as the credit rolls. Life is good. Growth in measured steps is fine. I can't fault the ending. It is bright, positive and forward looking. What more can we ask? To paraphrase farmer Hoggett, "That'll do Woo. That'll do." :)

CGI whales and OST are both great. Rewatch is already scheduled.

At the time of writing, the Show has been confirmed for Season 2(!) and I'm thankful that writer-nim didn't leave us with some crazy cliff-hanger. I'm definitely looking forward to the future adventures of our Extraordinary Attorney!

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Is that a damsel in distress?! No, it is Super Damsel™!!

I started watching this show quite by accident and it was an "interesting" experience. ;)
Surprisingly, the Show’s timeline was not the usual “sometime during Joseon” but is pinpointed quite precisely. It was set several years after the end of the Qing Korean War which is dated to1636. However, a good deal of the show is subversive of the ideals of the day and this is not your typical sageuk.
The cornerstone of the show is the character played by the FL. She may be small in stature, but she gives off a big aura with her personality and attitude, she is definitely a force to be reckon with. To compliment her is a noble scholar that is about as righteous as you can get but he is not cold and heartless. In fact, his heart was quickly captured by the unique qualities of the FL. I’m quite happy with this pairing, not only because of their nice chemistry but also it allows them to be partners and not just the usual ditzy FL clinging onto the strong arm of the ML. The intelligence of the FL does come to the fore and gives the ML a run for his money. In fact, this show is quite female centric with strong female characters forming the nucleus of several subplots.
In terms of acting, it is good from most quarters. Some roles are a bit over-the-top, but the actors put in the efforts, and it shows. I’m particularly pleased with Kim Hye Yoon. She is a dynamo with an infectious smile. It was also good to see Ok Taec Yeon in a nice, good guy role where he can do some comedy as well as playing it straight. One surprise is the “illegitimate” son of the main antagonist. This character seemed straightforward at the beginning but grew more complex as the show progressed. Lee Jae Kyoon portraited him well and gave the character depth.
Now we must address the elephant in the room, historical accuracy. If you are a sageuk aficionado, then give this show a miss. This show is all over the place when it comes to history and its interpretations. The core premise might be based on an actual historical event, but the Show just ran hard and fast with a lot of plot ideas, and it can border on irreverent at times.
Another issue is the tone of the show. It really can turn on a dime. One minute we are watching slapstick comedy and then without much preamble we are in the midst of tortures and murders. It can be disconcerting when you are not really sure if the Show wants to be a light-hearted romcom or a serious drama.
There is also more than a passing nod to spaghetti western movies with both its OST and some set pieces. I dare say to really enjoy this show you must firmly affix the rose-coloured glasses and stop worrying about plot holes and questionable storylines. Yes, it is a hot mess of storytelling at times but you cannot deny that it is also swoon-y, cheeky and entertaining so caveat emptor.

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A wuxia drama that ticked all the boxes

Obviously, a bold statement like that comes with caveats. This drama works because it is so short. In total length, it is the equivalent of an extra long movie or a very short drama series. It is chopped up into bite sized pieces for easy consumption. While some short form web dramas stick to a fixed episode duration, this show is more flexible and is designed to finish each episode logically and sometimes even with a mini cliff-hanger. Similarly, such short dramas tend to be cheaply and quickly made for obvious reasons. However, this show didn’t feel overly cheap. It used a lot of existing assets so that it can still look lush without having a huge overhead. Its short run helps when you can literally shoot the same house/streetscape from different angles and time of day to make it look like a much larger set has been used without being repetitive. That takes clever planning, cinematography and direction.

The story is straight out of the classic Book of Plots. It is as tropey as any wuxia drama can be, but the Show distilled it down to the bits that people love about this genre, but do away with the excess baggage. There is nothing new about the plot nor the characterisation, but they are done well.

Being a wuxia romance, I can’t fault their take on the two key elements. There are some decent fight scenes that are cinematic and well choreographed. The two main leads have great chemistry and there is a decent amount of skinship including several passionate kisses. The 2OTP was a little contrived but they are a cute and innocent couple. It was a pleasure to see the push-pull of the 1OTP over and done with in 5 minutes instead of being dragged out for hours. Huzzah!

Another aspect that surprised me was the amount of comedy in the show. There are actual laugh out loud moments. Yes, they are clichés, but they ain’t forced nor laboured. I also appreciate that the plot is logical (within the realms of a wuxia playbook) and it flowed smoothly. Just when you expected something to happen with the plot, it happens. They even have time for some sweet CP moments which gave nuance to their relationship which can be lacking in dramas that are much longer. Like I said, this drama really know how to tick all the boxes.

In terms of acting, the cast did well. There are no big-name actors on the roster but there was energy and commitment from the cast. The 2 main leads were particularly well suited to their roles, and they have their moments. By keeping the cast small, there is time for some the support roles to shine as well.

From my perspective, there are two things that can be improved. Firstly, the ending was nice but lacked impact. I would have like to see the two leads fight as a team to take down the antagonist. The ending is also a bit wishy-washy as if the Show wanted to leave it open for a sequel (yes, please!). Secondly, the English sub was bad. At times it read like auto generated dross (which it probably is). Occasionally, it is completely out of sync.

There is no point in comparing this show to a classic wuxia drama from the "golden era" but it certainly held its own against some turnkey productions. For a quick wuxia fix, you can do worse.

OST was nice and appropriate. I can certainly rewatch this show without hesitation.

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A good, tight rom-com that wears its heart on its sleeve

The central plot of the show is the usual beautiful but feisty lady being drawn into a contract marriage with the handsome ML. No surprises that the CP fell in love and the tale as old as time gets another retelling. It helps that the chemistry between the leads is very good.

The ML is not a heartless ice god but a true gentleman. He tried his best to be respectful to the FL and did not play any demeaning tricks on her. How refreshing! On the other hand, the FL was just a ball of energy, and she is a sweet, kind soul that will go out of her way to help others even though she has little to give. Her heart is big and full of love. It is this love that the ML needed as he was brought up feeling abandoned. Everyone she touches is affected by her.

To be honest, it is just as well that this show has a lot of hearts because it is tropey and derivative, but you want to cut it some slack. It is sweet without being too artificial. You can't expect harsh reality in a show like this but It doesn't sugar coat everything. Life is tough but there is always hope if you have a big heart.

While the show started as a rom-com that was big on comedy. It did changed style as the show progressed (don't forget this show is only 8 x 45 mins long). It lean towards melodrama for a stretch and then romance became the focus. This means the pacing is quite fast and plots are deftly handled without the usual long strolls down garden paths. Some emotional subplots were dealt with firmly rather than left to fester as a result. This, in general, is a good thing but there are times when you wish some plots were explored a bit more. The same goes for the ending. there was no surprise there (hint, hint) but it felt underdone.

In terms of acting, the leads are good looking, solid actors. The support cast are fine, some are veteran actors and their experience showed. The younger set has room to improve but they played their roles with gusto. OST is nice, romantic and not overused. Rewatch is there as a quick filler while you wait for the next blockbuster. 8 episodes is an easy binge.

In the end, Hello, Heart is a good, solid show that will make you smile and feel a bit sentimental at times. It will warm the cockles of your heart. There are some angst, but nothing that will cause you to facepalm. Plots are logical (mostly), progress and resolutions are usually an episode away. It has the quality of a show twice as long. I can recommend this show to any romantic at heart.

P.S. I did it! I mentioned "heart" 8 times to match its score. :D

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To die is to heal and live again

This show has been on my watchlist for the longest time. I've watched several time travel tales that discarded any resemblance of logic for the sake of drama. Fortunately, this show gave time traveling a novel spin and is an integral part of the story telling. While the Show did not pay too much attention to the butterfly effect, it did not treat the temporal shift as a gimmick neither.

I'm sure there is no need to bring up the synopsis again. The important point here is that the ML did a great job portraying the fish out of water aspect of a doctor transported from the 1500's to present day Seoul. He was shown to be super resourceful and resilient. The Show made light of his ability to adapt to the present though. While it helped to move the plot along, it did lacked credibility.

Where the Show injected some novelty into the tropey plot is when the FL was taken back to the Joseon era by the ML on several occasions and it was she who had to adapt to the sudden change of her circumstances.

This jinx position allowed the Show to explore problems in both eras and forced the OTP to confront them as a team. The writer-nim also used their time in Joseon as a circuit breaker to take them away from the fast paced and insulating modern world. This gave the OTP breathing space and opened their hearts and minds to each other.

In the end, this is much more than a rom-com even though the early episodes were heavy with comedy. The Show skipped through several genres without pausing for breath. Tragedy, treachery and conflict were heavy in the second half and it was much more melodramatic. One cannot escape the social commentary which is mirrored both in the modern as well as olden times. The rich and powerful are still lording over their "slaves" and are prone to hide their inadequacies. The more things change, the more they stay the same....

Overlaid on top of such weighty subjects was the bittersweet romance of the OTP. Both leads are damaged and flawed. The Show forced them to confront their demons and plot a path through moral dilemmas so that they grew and heal each other. Their chemistry was so natural and their emotions so raw. While they did bask in the glow of their burgeoning love, their days together were numbered. You can sense their despair when they were separated and their longing for each other was palpable.

The acting was superb from the main cast. The range displayed by the M/FL was exceptional. The script is intricate with a solid core as foundation. However, some aspects of time travel were a bit contrived. The odd plot holes were just brushed aside. The oriental medicine aspect also took on an almost mythical quality so you might want to suspend your disbelief.
I do wish the ending was more fan service. We demand hugs and kisses, not a walk down a crowded street! The epilogue was very cute. The SML is in for a fun ride. :)

It is a quality production and it showed both in the set design, costumes as well as the OST.

The final caveat, this show is not for you if you dislike historical drama, cruelty, brutality, graphical medical procedures including acupuncture.

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Space cowboy meets Vincenzo meets WALL-E

It must be really hard for writer-nim to come up with new ideas for a space movie that has mass appeal and yet be as original as possible. In the case of Space Sweepers, they got 1 out of 2 right.

As an adventure movie, it is a blast (figuratively as well as literally). The 2 hours run time flashed by with little drag. Action was the centrepiece of the show and it runs the gauntlet of thrilling space flights, hand-to-hand combat, full scale space battle and zero gravity gun fights. In between, there were rare moments of the crew taking a breather and giving the found family trope a decent airing. It is a bit of a shame that most of what I have described are derivatives of a number of movies that came before. Classics like Star Wars, Blade Runner, WALL-E and others all casted a shadow on this film.

That is not necessary a bad thing. Many successful films have stood on those mighty shoulders. In this case, the script was good enough to allow it to be seen as paying homage rather than outright plagiarism. It was not quite original though but it got the job done.

Being a Korean production, the Korean leads all delivered strong performances. Even the child actor and the CG android have strong personalities. However, the same can't be said for the international casts. The evil antagonist was the strongest showing of that bunch but minor roles can be a real mixed bag. The least said, the better. ;)

The budget for this movie is over US$20millions (cheap by Hollywood standards). The CGI was really well done, the cyber punk inspired settings were expansive with grimy and edgy interior designs. Space structures are impressively huge and intricate. It is rated M but there is little blood nor graphical violence shown. Dead bodies were surprisingly "clean" even after being shot multiple times by an assault rifle.

As to be expected with this type of sci-fi drama, there are inconsistencies with future techs and pseudo sciences. One particular issue I have has to do with the "indestructible" nanobots floating in space. They are used as a kind of deus ex machina but that also contradicted with an overarching plotline so who is correct? There are other causal effects and subplots that were presented to us as fait accompli so it is pretty much 'ask no questions and you will hear no lies'. :)

Finally, the ending was actually not my favourite. I would have preferred the grittier ending as the story suggested but they must have done some market research and decided to go with a fan service version. They rammed it through but you really have to suspend your disbelieve.

OST is generic techno, heroic, eerie tracks which paired well with the scenes but ultimately forgettable.
Finally, please watch this in the original Korean/multilingual soundtrack. The English dub wasn't bad but it is not the same.

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Great CP chemistry and romance but questionable values did not sit well with me

So many c-drama are set in the corporate world that is itself a trope. Sometimes it works but a lot of the time the plots are filled with jargons and then a bit of magic drama dust to create a company collapse or save the company in the nick of time. This show is heavily business focused and there was no ends of "intrigue" and dirty tricks.

The basic story is straightforward. Two old school mates met up again after many years apart and found love. The twist here is that the ML was in love with the FL since their school days and he tasked himself to protect her. The reason is because she is allergic to tears and it could kill her if she is not treated quickly. He tried to toughen her up so that she won't cry but it was seen as bullying. He was going to confess to her before he went aboard to study but circumstances made them part in bad terms and he missed that chance and lost touch for years. This misunderstanding lasted well into their new working relationship as he became her boss in her new job.

There were no doubt that the pairing of Bai Lu and Leo Luo was a masterstroke. They looked great together and have bucket load of chemistry. They did not shy away from the touchy feely stuff either so there were lots of skinship. The 2OTP was cute and they tried hard to tell their story but there were a number of plot holes. In the end, it was underdone as their romance felt contrived. The 3OTP (noona romance) came out of nowhere and it was a stretch. 2 other pairing of fellow workers overflowed the CP quota.

The romantic story of the OTP would have been good enough to sustain a shorter run but they had a lot of business subplots to get through and it is here that the tone and plots did not sit well with me.

Most of the early episodes have the OTP investigating various companies as part of due processes before the company goes public or are bought out by another company. However, instead of doing the sums and highlighting dodgy transactions so that the authorities can follow up, they (including junior analysts) behave like private investigators and some kind of corporate crusaders riding out to right wrongs. That would be ok if the message is clear but again and again, the punishments do not fit the crimes. We are talking about someone who embezzled a lot of money as well as a manager who drugged and raped a young worker. That is a criminal offence, is it not? This type of moral greyness ran right through the whole show. The FL was drugged and dumped in a hotel room (unharmed, thankfully) and even though it was obvious who did it, there was no retribution. Other people who did wrong were just spoken to or cut a lot of slack. With that, what appeared to be a righteous stance soon turned into a mess of confused messages. It speaks volume about the business environment in China if it is even partially true.

I also have issues with the SML storyline. There was little chance of a second lead syndrome from the start but he was given a lot of screen time in the last few episodes. Once that subplot started, there was little doubt how it would end. It did little to progress the main plot but managed to turn the SML into a despicable character.

There were funny moments and lots of swoon worthy moments. I did liked how they set up the OTP as competitors after the time skip and their interactions were cute but it ended almost as soon as it started. If they did the time skip and just have them working in their own small company or even in competition, I'd ship them even more. The ML's proposal short movie was clever and the doggie is so cute throughout. :D

Production value is high but there are gaps. OST was fine. If I ever want to rewatch this, I would start at ep.20 and then watch the next few episodes where the OTP was white hot then skip to the last episode just for the feel good fan service.

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