A good casual family drama - perfect to have on while multitasking

I got into Never Twice because of the clips I saw of some well dressed guy crying when a baby he was holding was getting his vaccination shots; this was just so authentic and adorable that I had to understand the context. Unfortunately, I'm a bit disappointed that the baby wasn't more of a character in this drama...I'm a sucker for babies/kids playing a vital role in the overall plot of the story.

I stayed invested in this story because I wanted to know how the bad guys got karma handed to them and how the good guys prevailed. Things got tangled between the characters, which I didn't mind at all.
I was most interested in the main characters, Na Hae Jun and Geum Bak Ha. I also had an odd gravitation toward the chef, Choi Man Ho and his wife, Yang Geum Hee - their story was so bittersweet. And while initially I didn't care much either way for the other side characters (I especially didn't care for the gold digger, Bang Eun Ji, and the golfer, Gam Poong Ki), by the end of the drama, I came to appreciate that they too found their happiness in the end. In particular, the romance between Bok Mak Rye and Choi Geo Bok was really sweet...seeing second chance love stories between elderly couples are kind of adorable.

I liked that the 2 very spoiled, twisted, self-centered daughter-in-laws got what was coming for them finally. And their character development was nice in the end.

The ending was very nicely wrapped up - I personally felt myself getting a little sentimental at the end.

Would I watch Never Twice again? No, probably not. But it was one of those dramas where you didn't have to catch every word. I very easily followed along while multitasking (only towards the end of the drama did I tune in more). This is a pretty predictable family drama, but there's not over-the-top acting or drama, just what you've come to expect from corporate politics K-dramas.

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Such a hard movie to watch, but such a good movie

I did not expect to be moved by the story so severely. I sobbed during the final scene with the father, because I was that moved. The amount of anger I felt on behalf of the father was intense. In the end, the words I've heard my husband say many times flitted through my head, "I'd rather see 20 guilty people go free than 1 innocent person incarcerated." It never weighed so heavily on my mind. Guys, this isn't like Juror #7. This movie is a tragedy. But the story sticks with you. Watch it, but be ready to be angry, sad, appalled, devastated, and left with a bitter sweet ending.

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Unsurprisingly, as I've seen with many Kdramas, the trailer for this movie was not reflective of what to expect with this movie. The trailer looks particularly funny and light-hearted, but the movie wasn't particulaly funny (though there were some humorous parts) and it wasn't light either. It tackled some great things concerning gender inequity and human rights though! The ending wasn't bad either, considering that the story was told as a story from the MMC's perspective, but I wouldn't say it's a happy ending either. Personally, I think I was expecting a bit more and this one just kind of blurs with other historicals that have courtesan houses with nothing to really distinguish it, plot-wise.

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The trailer for this movie looks exciting and intense. But when you finally watch it, it's not as exciting as the trailer makes it look. It's definitely intense - you won't be able to fall asleep while watching, but it has lulls in the plot. Plot-wise, it's meant to depict the life of the last princess of Korea; as you'd expect, it's not a happy story. I might be able to argue it has a bittersweet ending, but not happy. There's nothing objectively wrong with the way the story unfolds, it's just not the kind of ending that I find enjoyment out of, so for me, it's not a higher rated movie.

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Revolutionary Sisters is a great form of emotional therapy, but not for everyone

Revolutionary Sisters is NOT for everyone, I acknowledge that. Even though I ended up absolutely adoring it, it really isn’t for everyone.

The first ~15 episodes are painful - not because they were poorly executed or portrayed poor acting, but because watching the way the characters treat each other is just awful. After the death of the 3 sister’s mother is resolved, the plot really does improve. All of the characters get fleshed out and each one grows and changes for the better. Yes, in the beginning the daughters are particularly awful to their father, but the whole story is about their growth as daughters, sisters, and women. You come to understand them, why they turned out the way they are, and witness their beautiful metamorphosis when they see the faults in their ways. Watching the sister’s feel awful toward their father upon realization of their horrific behavior is the most heartbreaking, yet satisfying part of this drama to watch.

I will be completely honest: the first ~15 episodes had me wondering if I really wanted to watch Revolutionary Sisters. The murder/mystery genre really isn’t my thing - add that on top of the despicable treatment of the father by his 3 daughters and it really was a tough call. But, as shameful as this sounds, it was the affair of the oldest sister’s husband that kept me going. At the time, I was the most angry and disgusted with her (the oldest sister, Gwang Nam) behavior. She was awful to everyone and stuck up. But the affair tears her apart as a person and it destroys her world. She humbles due to the new hardships she must face on her own and really changes into this beautiful person. I identified with her the most and I adored her story with her husband the most.
My husband and I have been together for almost 10 years. I could really sympathize with the feelings that Gwang Nam experienced in her position, as the oldest sibling/daughter and in a long-standing committed relationship. No, my husband and I have never *knocks on wood* had to deal with infidelity, but the raw feelings and struggle this couple experienced, I could feel compassion for.
To be clear, I don’t really care to watch a drama revolving around characters who are cheating, but this was so different. Maria, the woman Gwang Nam’s husband cheated with, took advantage of him once while he was black-out drunk and conceived a baby (let’s say it how it is guys). While he’s not innocent of adultery and lying, he still sincerely loved Gwang Nam, he was just stuck between a rock and a hard place of doing the right thing. And through finding out about her husband’s affair and recognizing her responsibility and role in their failed marriage, Gwang Nam realized how much she still loved her husband. But it was too late. Things couldn’t go back as they were because a baby was now involved. Watching her come to terms with the aftermath of his affair and letting each other go had me sobbing like a baby. I can’t imagine going through that, but the feelings hit right like they should. From there on, I had to know what happened to them.

I next liked the second sister, Gwang Sik. She was the best out of the 3 sisters to start. She was a little too perfect for me, but her flaws, albeit relatively minor compared to her 2 sisters, became more apparent once she became married. Her romance with the aspiring trot star was pretty adorable and left you with mostly happy feels. The way their relationship impacted the prior generation was sad, but I think it turned out right.

And Gwang Tae. I *disliked* her for the majority of Revolutionary Sisters. She was manipulative and conniving. Money was the most important thing to her and I just don’t identify nor sympathize with that. Her constant business with the loan sharks didn’t impress me either. She just came across as you’d expect of the youngest sibling: spoiled, whiny, and used to getting what she wants. BUT in the last ~10 episodes (after her huge blow out with Gwang Sik), she really turned a new leaf (and things kept happening that kept positively impacting her character, which I approve of). I personally feel that her romance was the most shallowly written as I didn’t feel the build up of emotion and feelings as distinctly as I did for the other couples, but by the end, I really liked how they grew together and supported each other despite their flaws. I especially love how she defended her brother-in-law. At least she’s loyal! :D

There are many other characters in Revolutionary Sisters, but since it’s a family drama, that’s too many to analyze in my review here. But there’s someone I’d really like to mention...

Young Hee - the woman who finally makes Appa, Cheol Soo, happy towards the very end of the series. I love her happy demeanor, her loud, but classy style, how she’s attracted to Cheol Soo and how she wants to take care of him. It was so nice to see him happy and treated so warmly considering how poorly he was treated by his wife and how unhappy she made him. I was so happy that Cheol Soo finally found happiness with someone.

The conclusion of the drama was done through multiple time jumps - 8 months later, another year later, etc. I both liked and disliked this because it was a bit odd to have so many time jumps, but seeing the sisters with their families, plus seeing how the other characters and extended family were doing was nice.
Unfortunately, there were 2 loose ends that weren’t resolved to my satisfaction:
What happened with Gwang Nam’s father? Who was he and is it really okay for Gwang Nam to think he’s passed away?
What about Aunt Bong Ja and her love, Dol Se? I know things were complicated with Gwang Sik and Ye Seul being married, but we didn’t even get to see resolution with their matching necklaces...

In regard to music, I enjoyed the music, especially the instrumentals! They were well selected and well placed to really build the scene.

So overall, I *would* recommend Revolutionary Sisters, but warn that the first quarter of the drama is truly difficult to stomach; have patience and it’ll pass. You really need that awful beginning to adequately depict the character changes that occur over the course of the story. If you can get through the beginning, it seriously pays off. I will definitely be rewatching.

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Unexpected - dark, but empowering, but terrifying, all at the same time

The Devil Judge attracted me because of Ji Sung and Park Jin Young; I was interested in watching their performances again. I wasn't as intrigued by the plot, but figured their acting would keep my interest.

The story was so dark. It is NOT for the faint of heart. It challenges your conceptions and values of justice, especially how justice should be doled out.

There were a number of unexpected twists and turns in the plot and betrayals I didn't see coming. The ending, while bittersweet, was a fitting ending.

The only thing I found a little annoying was how the bad guys kept winning against the good guys for so long. For me, I would have liked to see a more even push and pull between the sides.

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You've got to be in the right mood to appreciate Hospital Playlist

Hospital Playlist is an objectively good watch, but it's got some heavy topics and every episode can leave you feeling a bit down because it portrays the ugly, natural parts of life that we deal with on a day-to-day basis.

I tried watching Hospital Playlist a couple of times, but I never stuck with it - I just wasn't in the right mood to appreciate it. This last time I was finally in the right state of mind - I had to watch it casually and NOT binge watch it. Over the course of about 2 weeks I finished it.

The acting is good and the chemistry between the friends helps bring the mood back to less sad, but there's still a lot of real life dragging down the genre to a true melodrama.

At this time, I'm not committed to Season 2, but mostly because I don't want to feel sad while watching TV, not because I think the season won't be good.

***As a warning, some of the characters and the dilemma's they face can be very triggering for some people, based on context. For example, if you are someone who has experienced difficulties with pregnancy/labor, the Ob/Gyn scenes could hit a bit too close to home.

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Took me a while to get through, but I kept coming back :D

It's a really good thing if: a drama is long and therefore I don't necessarily binge watch it in one sitting, BUT over the course of *months* I keep coming back to watch more. I am one of those people where if I step away from a drama, it's highly likely that I'll never get back to it - it's a bad habit that'd I'd like to fix, but it's an honest truth. With The Long Ballad though, I would watch a couple episodes, then take a month break, and then I'd watch 10 episodes, and then take a week break. It had no rhyme/reason, but the point is, I *wanted* to come back to it, which is a huge deal for me. A testament of the strength in the story, acting, and effects.

On a whole, Chinese dramas tend to be a bit slower paced and it takes a while to get into the story - it's the same here. The first 10 episodes had some dull moments that made me wonder if I really wanted to continue watching this drama. But then things really take off. Personally, my favorite arc was when Changge was taken to live in the Eagle Division - the tensions, the plotting! It had me at the edge of my seat!

While I obviously loved our MCs, Changge and Sun ( *v* ), I really liked the supporting cast too. Leyan had such a beautiful metamorphosis that had me in tears. Sher also had a tragic transformation that was sad, but necessary and satisfying.
My favorite character dynamic to see resolved was the animosity Changge held toward her uncle, Li Shimin. The way Li Shimin cared for his niece throughout the drama broke my heart and when their relationship is finally repaired, I was so satisfied!

The OST was great - I WANTED to watch the intro and closing song just to listen to the music! All of the accompanying instrumentals were fantastic too - they were perfect and building the emotion in the moment.

The biggest drawback of the very good, The Long Ballad is that it's LONG and there's not much skinship at all. Some parts of the drama are not as exciting or thrilling as others, but they're all necessary to the overall story, so pay attention!
I would recommend The Long Ballad to those who enjoy historicals with some romance and have the patience for longer dramas.

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If you enjoy X-Men, you'll probably enjoy this, even though it's definitely NOT X-Men

Off the bat: Moorim School has similar feels to X-men sometimes, but without *everyone* having special powers (instead, everyone is trained in martial arts).

Moorim School started pretty well, but as the drama continued, is suffered from pacing issues, which made it hard for me to stay engaged with the drama. There were some really cool action sequences, but then there would be really boring, draggy bits where the plot progressed really slowly. >.<

While I enjoyed the overall plot of the story, I have some critiques. I personally feel that the actors look too old for their roles as young college students. I also found the rehabilitation for Chae Yoon was unrealistic and too fast. I really didn't like the new villain trainer actress towards the very end of the drama, played by Kil Hae Yeon; I like the actress in other dramas (such as My Fellow Citizens), but I did not like how she portrayed her villainess character in this role.
Personally the biggest downfall to this drama is how Chi Ang was portrayed in the end - I don't like how Chi Ang turned into such a pathetic guy. While his growth could be argued as logical and realistic, I just didn't like the progression of his character and his dynamics with the other characters as a result of his "growth". On that note, it is not well portrayed as to how and why Si Woo has such a close relationship with Chi Ang when they didn't really have a long or in-depth friendship. The story spent so much time with them fighting and being "enemies" that I just don't see why Si Woo is so attached to Chi Ang as a "best" friend (and no, the general, "Si Woo is a good person and cares about Chi Ang" is not a sufficient explanation).

While I have a lot of criticisms, I did overall generally enjoy the drama. It has a great epilogue and it's a happy ending. Would I rewatch it? No. Would I recommend it? No, probably not. But I might listen to some OSTs from this drama since they were very enjoyable.

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My Fellow Citizens! is a very entertaining K-drama that I can genuinely say was worth the time. I found the political scheme pretty formulaic. but that didn't bother me. It reminded me a lot of the drama, The Great Show with Song Seung Heon (another really nice political drama). The pacing of this drama was really good and kept my attention all the way through (though, things do slow down a bit around episode 25). I do wish that the bad guys weren't so good at being bad, like how do they win all the time? The ending is a bit rushed for my taste, but has an implied happy ending, so I'm good.

I liked all the actors a lot. I've seen Lee Yoo Young in some other stuff, but something about her always made me a bit put off (especially after her creepy factor in Tunnel), but she was really great here! I'd watch something else with her now! Choi Si Won is handsome and a good actor here, though I haven't seen him in much of anything, but I'd happily watch another drama with him again too. It was my first time seeing Kim Min Jung and let me just say that she does an amazing job playing the super bad guy! I've got to 100% applaud her performance! Tae In Ho has played a large variety of characters - he played a rather upright character all the way through, but had a couple goofy scenes that made me giggle. Park Kyung Hye was perfect here - quirky, but loving (in an aggressive way) sister LOL.

What I liked most about this drama was how unique the setting was - the main characters are essentially married and together starting ~episode 3 (the prior episodes are just set up). By the characters being married, it offered a nice dynamic to witness with a married couple rekindling their relationship with lots and lots of laughs between.

I likely won't rewatch, but if you enjoy a bit of politics, a bit of con artistry, a bunch of comedy, rekindled romance, and redemption, I'd recommend this to you!

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Misleading trailer...AGAIN

The Asian drama world is notorious for creating trailers that are completely and totally misleading, as seen here yet again. The trailer makes this movie look like a rom-com, but in reality, it's just meh - it's not fun or comical, more of a melo. The ending is a true twist that I 100% did not see coming, which was cool, but at the same time, by the end of the movie I was kind of like, "ugh, what a messed up relationship."

To be completely transparent: I am really not the intended audience for this kind of movie. It's about adultery, which I just don't find entertaining at all. And while my best friend told me it likely wasn't my speed, I wanted to watch it because... THE TRAILER...ugh you K-drama useless trailers. >.<

I wouldn't recommend Sweet & Sour to really anyone.

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Sang Goo's character development makes it worth the watch

Move to Heaven was just an okay drama for me. The plot moved at a consistently slow pace because the story for the main characters was regularly interrupted with each episode's sub-plot for the trauma cleaning service.

I was most interested in the story of the uncle, Sang Goo - his history with the cage fighting and his pupil, and then his history with his older brother, Han Geu Ru's father, were interesting to me. These curiosities were well satisfied, but I found that some of the characters were lacking - Na Moo and Yu Rim (the social worker) were the potential love interests for Geu Ru and Sang Goo, respectively, but they wasn't developed really at all. Madam Jung also wasn't caught in the end - satisfaction-wise, this was not okay for me as the viewer.
I also found the ending to be a bit frustrating - it's obviously left open because Netflix wants the possibility of a season 2, but it's ambiguity was not appreciated.

Overall, I was not expecting the kind of drama I got from Move to Heaven - the tone was much sadder than I had anticipated, especially based on teaser trailers. There weren't laugh-out-loud moments (maybe just moments that made me smile here and there?). But at the same time, I didn't actually cry with this drama, nor did my chest ache for the characters, which I'm completely surprised by...I think this story just failed to move me the way I had anticipated. It's a quick drama to watch and the character development for Sang Goo was definitely worth the watch!

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Unexpectedly enjoyable crime scene investigation drama (with romance and comedy!)

I don't understand why Catch the Ghost isn't a more talked about drama! It was something that I came across and caught my eye in passing on complete accident. Overall, the plot and atmosphere are very similar to Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, but done like 1000% better! I wasn't a fan personally of SWDBS (I know, heathen, aren't I? :D) because the silly, slap-stick comedy and the Criminal Minds-like creepy, thriller, mystery moods clashed, giving me whiplash (and the creeps!). Catch the Ghost, while similar in plot, did a much better job in balancing the less silly, but still very entertaining, comedy with the creepier villainess scenes, which I was so grateful for.

STORY:
I really loved the story, which took me by COMPLETE surprise. I expected to just be "meh" about Catch the Ghost, but left and right, I felt surprised by how fresh the plot was. For example, Go Ji Suk's mother has dementia and he has been working his ass off to make sure she has everything she needs, with top notch care. He is such a good son and his decisions, while they might appear despicable if you don't know what's going on, are so endearing if you realize what fuels them. Yoo Ryung's story is also so incredibly unique - her twin sister, who has a cognitive disability, has been missing for 2+ years, with NO IDEA what has happened to her (fearing the worst case scenario); how often do you see this? Usually it's a parent or child. And because of these unique backgrounds, these 2 MCs mesh so well together! They understand each other and there's no pity, which literally makes all the difference for them both.

I also found the constant twists and turns in the plot to be well thought out on the writer's end. Right when you think you've figured out the "obvious" plot, you find out more details that change everything! I loved that! I was on the edge of my seat for every episode (especially since there was a sprinkle of creepy, with the ominous music, in every episode to remind us of the danger!). The real Subway Ghost and their story really isn't predictable (at least not for me!) and it's awful and tragic and unexpected!

I adored the supporting Subway Police detectives - their father-son relationship (literally, but not for real! XD) was HILARIOUS! They provided a great deal of comic relief outside of the MCs.

What I didn't like so much: Ha Ma Ri got on my nerves near the end of Catch the Ghost. She was so jealous. OF EVERYONE! And due to her inferiority complex, she was NASTY to everyone. She's the type of person who if she is reprimanded, she has to find fault in someone else and reprimand them to negate (?) her own guilt/responsibility. Every time her ugly behavior reared its head, I just felt like screaming, "And THIS is why Go Ji Suk left you!" (not the real reason, but still XD). She was "redeemed" in the end, but her behaviors up until that point just don't sit well with me. *shrugs*

I also do need to acknowledge that there were a couple of plot conveniences in the final 2 episodes that I can't look past because they're just too *convenient*. Like, I'm really glad we got a happily ever after, but at the same time, I found myself thinking, "that would NOT have just happened!" LOL.

ACTORS:
I've seen a lot of these actors before and enjoyed many of them in the past, so I'm not surprised that they were great here too!

A couple notable mentions:
I've seen Kim Seon Ho in a number of dramas (way more than I thought! lol), but this performance is what has me an official fan! His acting was great! I loved the way he was able to convey his feelings so well through his tone of voice and facial expressions.

I haven't seen Moon Geun Young in anything before, but she was good here! I'd definitely be willing to give her a chance in the future again!

The actor who portrays the murder (who will remain unnamed to remain anti-spoiler XD) also did a fantastic job in their role too! Really had me wavering!

OST:
I enjoyed the OST - it layered very well with all the scenes, especially the instrumental OST (the creepy ones were DEFINITELY creepy! Haha!).
My favorite vocal OSTs are: Highlight by Roh Tae Hyun, Wanted by ABRY (so catchy!), Feel My Heart by Kim Woo Sung
My favorite instrumental OST is: Lost by Young Ik Park (Perfect Run is the PERFECT investigative instrumental by the way, similar to the Mission Impossible theme song!)

REWATCH VALUE:
So the big question is: Will I rewatch this drama? Hmmm likely not just because I know who the serial killer is *now* (I didn't even look up spoilers in advance because I wanted to be surprised). But I will MOST DEFINITELY be rewatching scenes and/or watching MVs. The MCs are absolutely adorable together - who wouldn't want to rewatch that? ;D
I would 100% recommend this to people, especially if they liked SWDBS since this is way better! Don't miss out!

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Unexpectedly enjoyable rom-com

The trailers and synopsis for this K-movie always made me think that the drama is on the raunchier side, but after watching it, it really isn't explicit, which I was glad for. The plot isn't terribly unique and the setting and set-up for our MCs aren't terribly endearing, but I enjoyed the drama all the same. The story was completely predictable and I was completely okay with that. Mood of the Day is a really good chick-flick to watch with a girlfriend on a Friday or Saturday night. It's not terribly serious and there's no melodrama; instead, you have a very pleasantly resolved romance in less than 2 hours. I also really loved the use of Photograph by Ed Sheeran as the theme song for the movie - it matched the tone and mood so well!

So, is Mood of the Day one of my favorite K-movies? No, but I did sincerely enjoy it and it was that much more fun to watch it with a friend.

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