I'm going to try my best not to rave about this comedy. If I fail, sorry. Let me state clearly that it's beyond rare that I give anything all 10s. I mean RARE as in haven't done it in years rare. Is Sound that good? You damn well better believe it. This show is funny. BUT you have to like stupid funny. What I mean is you have to like laughing at things that are so improbable they are hilarious. Liking some toilet or bawdy humor isn't bad either. Remember this was a 15 minute web series. It didn't run on SK tv so they pushed the Korean envelope a bit on things they could and couldn't do and (pretend to) show. As a struggling web artist Jo Seok (portrayed by Lee Kwang Soo) lives at home with his parents and younger brother. The show is about things that happen in his daily life (and to some extent his family's lives) as they all go about their daily routines.

Lee Kwang Soo stood out to me when I first saw him in City Hunter. I don't know why; he just did. He quickly became one of my favorite cast members on Running Man. Since then, I've seen almost all his series and a fair amount of his movies. His acting has gotten better and better. As the lead in Sound, he's perfect. The cast he leads which includes the phenomenal Kim Mi Kyung. (I swear she is the hardest working woman in South Korea) are equally as perfect. This is the odd case where the casting director got it right all the way around. Speaking of RM, ex-RM, Song Joon-Ki is in an episode for maybe 2 minutes. Current member Kim Jong Kook is in another episode for perhaps 10-15 minutes. That brings me to the episodes. The webtoons were 15 minutes. Luckily, I found 30 minute episodes (2 web eps put together of course).

The writing is fantastic. There are some crude scenes (remember that potty humor I mentioned), but don't let that deter you. Those couple of scenes are really setting up something bigger and funnier. WARNING: The funny may sneak up on you. I started watching Sound at work. A scene came out of left field and took me by surprise. I basically holler laughed and had my supervisor at my desk wondering what I was doing. There's very little character development as it's not that kind of a show. There is character familiarity. You get to know these characters quickly as you do if you were just starting to read a comic or watch an animation. Hopefully, there will be more seasons and we'll see them develop.

The music was good... I guess. LOL I remember there was music and it fit well. I didn't find it hokey or silly. Just appropriate.

Overall, I adored The Sound of Your Heart. For me it was the perfect 30 minute nugget to help get me through my days. I've actually watched it twice in less than 2 weeks. I guess the rewatch factor is kind of high, huh? ;-) Mind you, the type of slapsticky comedy might not be for everyone, but you never know until you try.

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And the award fore weirdest out of left field ending goes to.....
Missing 9 is one addictive drama at least episodes 1-15 are. Episode 16, not so much. They could have made episode 15 about 25 minutes longer to tie up the story and end it. The final episode had too much obvious filler and not enough tension. And the last scene came from outer space. It's like a new director took over for a quick second. But I digress. The story is quite good. It's nothing like I thought it would be. Early comparisons to Lost were far off base. There's a plane crash and that's where the similarities end. Missing 9's characters all mostly know each other for better or for worse. They all belong to/work for the same Entertainment Agency. The writer(s) did a good job in character development and setting up a well layered mystery even where there didn't seem to be one. The characters had camaraderie and there were a number of humorous scenes. The cast as a whole did a marvelous job and they had great chemistry. They seemed to work well together. The incidental music did a great job of supporting the story and helping move it along. The songs were ok. I really didn't pay much attention to the main song that played throughout the drama probably because I found it uninteresting. I really did enjoy Missing 9, but I don't see a reason to re-watch it. To be honest though, it's rare that I ever want to re-watch any drama.. Overall, it's a solid well done drama and very much worth watching even with the weird, obvious add-on scene at the end.

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Pass that pretty boy a sword

Hwarang was great! It was exactly what it said it was, perhaps a tad bit more, but no less. In the beginning I called Hwarang "Pretty Boys Fighting." I didn't want anything too heavy or melo and I was sure Hwarang was it. I was right. It did what it intended which was entertain. It was never boring or slow. It's also more than just PBF, too. It has a fairly solid and interesting story about a faceless king trying to come into his own and a nameless peasant basically doing the same without realizing it. Each episode was well written and often times gave me a smile or laugh.

The major cast did a damn fine job, especially considering 3 or 4 are idols. The supports, many of whom were veteran actors, were excellent as per usual, but somehow allowed their younger counterparts to shine. I admit I adored the scenes between Sung Dong-Il and Kim Kwang-Kyu. They were my secret faves. Well, I guess non-secret now. I've loved Park Seo Joon since Kill Me, Heal Me. He did a fantastic job in Hwarang. His scenes with Lee Gwang Soo and Park Hyng Sik were great. I'd love to see him with one or both of them again. Overall, the male cast had great chemistry, even those you love to hate. There were a bunch of bromances going on. The only sore thumb was perhaps, Seo Ye-Ji, who joined the cast in later episodes. She was stiff and very hard to like or even dislike. She was like a weed in your yard. You know you want to pluck it, but you don't feel like bending over.

The music was good, especially the incidental aka background music. It really set the tone and helped move things along. I liked the lead song well enough. The love song was a bit annoying and is played a little too often.

Overall, Hwarang is thoroughly enjoyable. It made me laugh. It frustrated me. It gave me characters to hate. It gave me characters to love. It made me jealous. And at one point it almost made me cry (also rare). Will Hwarang go down in the annals of time as one of the best dramas ever? No. Will it win a bunch of awards? Doubtful. However, I'd watch it again in a heartbeat. Actually, I just may while at work. Nothing like Pretty Boys Fighting to get you through the day. :D

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I'm going to be honest. This move is really close to my heart so my review after seeing it umpteen times in over 30 years is probably a little skewed. Firstly, if you don't like dry and dark comedy, don't bother with The Funeral. You will not like it. If you are, shall I say, not prone to bawdiness or a little prissy, don't bother with The Funeral. HOWEVER. if you don't mind funeral jokes, seeing people insanely running through woods, and pretty much losing it over the death of the patriarch in their family, do bother with The Funeral.

Thirty years ago there weren't many movies like this. Because of this move I became a big fan of what I call the Funeral Comedy. I won't go to a funeral, but I'll watch a comedy about one anytime. Sad, but true. I had never seen anything quite like the Funeral, not in the US and certainly not coming out of Japan. The writer/director, Juzou Itami, was a genius that died before his time, but you can see his influence in other directors like Miike Takeshi. For Japanese film of the time there was nothing comparable in it's production (from writing to editing).

The story seems basic enough. An old man dies. His family gathers for a few days to make funeral preparations. Seems simple. Not really. That's when everything goes sideways. Bad for them. Good for the viewer. Some families just shouldn't get together no matter what the circumstance. The acting is great. Itami had a stable of actors, much like Woody Allen, who popped up in most if not all of his movies. Two of those actors, Tsutomu Yamazaki and Nobuko Miyamoto (Juzou's widow), give splendid performances. The entire cast is very good.

Admittedly, when I watch this now, I immediately think it's too slow. Eventually this gives way to what is a damn good movie.

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Overrated

I feel compelled to write a review for Goblin because I'm finding all the perfect 10s to be misleading and, if I can be honest, completely confounding. Let me first say the best thing about Goblin is the acting. The cast is fantastic. The worst is the age gap. I know most people talk about the age of the actors; however, the issue to those of us that have a problem with the age isn't the actors, it's the characters. The lead female character is a 19 year old girl. The lead male (taking out the fantasy of his living 938 years) is a grown man who appears almost 40. Personally, I find that the Korean's have been dancing too close to the line in the young girls with adult men in dramas for at least a year now and I'm not a fan. They're more daddy issue characters.

There are many times when the relationship between the 2 leads are most like Father & daughter. She speaks to him like a father figure. And he speaks to her as a child. It's off putting when it becomes clear that he has fallen for this high school girl. Part of me believes the part of Kim Shin (the Goblin) was written for a younger man. Considering the life expectancy of the period and his postion, in his late 30s he should have had a wife (and concubines I would guess) and children. I think the character should have been at least 10 years younger (again the 900 years undead aside). The romance of the leads just did not work for me on any level. Conversely, the romance between the supports is a completely different story. It was endearing and very moving. I rooted for them.

The writing was inconsistent. It was great in some parts and just passable in others. Toward the end it almost turned into melodramatic schlock. Goblin works best as a bromance. The scenes between Goblin, Reaper(s), and the male humans were precious golden nuggets to hold onto until the next time 2 or 3 of them were in a scene together. Had the writers held on to that chemistry and nourished it, Goblin would have been much better.

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"Who Are You" started off surprisingly well. It came off as a light crime drama with supernatural aspects. The CG and eFx of the apparitions were well done. Unfortunately, writer used the ghost seeing cop as a gimmick instead of an integral part of the show and tool used to solve crimes. Once the apparition of police inspector Lee Hyun Joon (played wonderfully by Kim Jae Wook) hits the screen everything that had previously been set up is thrown out the window. There was no need to place So Yi Hyun's Team Leader Yang in the department she was in or set things in motion they way it was done if they were only going to work on one crime for the most part. It was a waste and a big let down. To be honest I knew whodunit within the first 8 minutes of episode 1 and I knew the big bad the first moment I saw him on screen. In other words the writing nor the story are anything new or special. The mystery and crimes are not well thought out or delivered. What started with great promise, turned into a plain dime a dozen crime story with a bit of ghostly aide.

The main cast was very good. I tend to love Kim Chang Wan, Inspector Choi Moon Shik, in everything he does. He's an entertaining, scene stealing, and versatile actor who never fails me. This was my first time seeing Ok Taec Yeon. He was good. He played his character effortlessly and was very appealing. I even liked So, which is a first. She usually annoys me. Again Kim was excellent. He had very little interaction and because of his character he did most of his acting from the shoulders up. Every movement was done with purpose and it worked. The supports were also well cast.

The music was mostly forgettable and if I ever hear that love song again it'll be too soon.

I will probably never watch this again. I have no reason or wanting to, but it was worth a watch. It could have been much much better, but it also could have been that much worse. I should really give this a 6, but the cast is better than that. Too bad the script wasn't as good.

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Hideaki Ito gets my motor running. I have adored him since the first moment I saw him in Yasha. He is an underrated actor because he makes his hero and antihero roles look effortless like he's just playing himself. With that being said I don't know what to say about the ease at which he transitions to not so heroic and downright evil characters. YIKES!

Lesson of the Evil is dark and pulls no punches. No, the English isn't wrong. The 'the' is definitely correct. Anyone who thought Takashi Miike had gone soft or mainstream because of 13 Assassins gets his answer right here. This master of shock, horror, and otherwise oddball characters lets us all know he's not done with the crazy.

Lesson the Evil is dark. Wait, did I say that? Well, it is. it is violent. It is bloody. Ito's character is rancid. He's like the Joker from Batman, but not as friendly (or sane perhaps). He plays his role well and is rarely not smiling which just added to the creepy. By the way, there are scenes with gay undertones, as well as, statuatory rape. If you think that might bother you, do not watch this movie.

If you like crazy people horror and violence isn't much of a concern to you, grab your popcorn and watch the mayhem.

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My hat is off to this adaption of The Brother's Karamazov. The writers did a great job. The cast was wonderful. I happen to be a fan of the Hollywood movie from the 50's (like most people I never finsihed the novel) and I'm pretty sure the J-drama did a much better job. The cast gives some good solid performances. Oh how you will love to hate Yoshida Kotaro. Yoshida's performance as Bunzo Kurosawa is so brillant you wonder why he lived as long as he did. He's 3D: deplorable, despicable, and disgusting. Yoshida usually steals scenes in everything he's in. My eyes go right to him so I have to tip my hat to Takumi Saito, who managed to steal his scenes right back. The main set was a Western style estate which was perfectly dark and worked well with not only the story, but the theme song, "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones.

There's not much more I can say. I really enjoyed KnK. I will admit there aren't many clues to point you in the right direction if you're new to the story. If you don't like a lot of red herrings in your mysteries, you might not like KnK. However, if you like the original Hollywood movie, the book (I applaud you), or figuring out 'whodunit,' check it out. You might just guess correctly.

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All The Feels

I really didn't know what to expect when I started Ame no Yume to Ato ni. I just found the description interesting so I checked it out. What I got was a well acted, different, slice of life drama that just jumps into you. It's difficult to find subs for Ikki Sawamura's dramas unless he's the support, which is a shame because he's wonderful (and not bad to look at it). In Ame he plays a single father who tries to support and raise daughter the best he can without her being disturbed by anything unfortunate. There are some fantastic scenes one of which is imprinted on my brain and goes down as one of the most emotional scenes ever filmed between 2 male actors (Sawamura & Borther Tom). It's been a few years since I first watched it (and rewatched it), and I can see the scene like it's running now. Just have your tissues ready for it. The cast is a fantastic ensemble that have chemistry that works well.

Production wise it's eh, but it's comparatively old. The film quality is obviously different like it is between daytime and nightime programming. That is quite probably it's biggest flaw. The editing could have been better as well. Yeah it's a bit kitchy, uneven, and at times slow, but the heart thatnpours out of it makes up for it's flaws.

I have watched a few older J-dramas, but none stand out as much as this one. It's a classic and a favorite.

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I absolutely adore Ashita no Kita Yoshio. I have recommended it to several drama watchers including a diehard nothing's better than K-dramas person and they all loved it. Your heart can't help, but go out to the affable, down on his luck, curry loving Kita Yoshio played by the wonderful Kohinata Fumiyo. Ashita is brillantly written. I'm sorry, but no one tells a story and makes every moment count like the Japanese especially in 11 episodes. It might be a drama about a 40-something balding guy who plans to commit suicide, but it's life affirming. Yeah the drama may have some flaws here and there, but really who cares. It's a great drama and you do yourself a disservice if you don't watch it.

edit June 2020: Since I first wrote this review, I've rewatched Ashita no Kita Yoshio and fallen for it all over again. Part of me feels as if I should make the review longer, but honestly, it says it all.

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I liked Sword and Flower aka Blade and Petal, but it's not for everyone. Though the romantic couple were important, romance was not. The driving force in this drama is a combination of revenge, political intrigue, and of course backstabbing. All 3 were done well. There was much about the production including the sword fights that reminded me of a Spaghetti Western or Wuxia series. It was a very good production with few glaringly obvious contiunity problems. I appreciated the cinematography espcially the angles and shots in a few scenes, the staging, and the costuming. The cast is good and solid, Even No Min Woo's (who seriously needs to gain weight) overacting of the crazy was entertaining. I think the supports, especially Choi Min Soo, Kim Sang Ho, and Ohn Joo Wan carried the series. The ending was lacklustre and strange, but appropriate with the somewhat artsy vibe of the series. Admittedly, it should have been different, but I guess they wanted to pay hommage to Shakespeare.

What I didn't like was the romance. The leads weren't charasmatic and lacked chemistry. They both were much better in scenes with other actors. Together, they were annoying. Uhm Tae Woong is a much better actor than what he was in this. They introduced a couple of really great characters in the last few episodes that should have been introduced earlier. The series would have been the better for it. A few scenes could have been a little tighter and crisper.

All in all, I am glad I watched Blade & Petal. I was looking for revenge & fighting and I got it. I would rewatch scenes, but not the entire series. If you read a synopsis and thought it would follow the classic Romeo & Juliet path with romance seeping out of it's pores, go back and read it again because you missed something. If you appreciate a talented cast and good (not great but good) writing, and a production in it's totality, give it a whirl.

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Queen of Reversals is what you get when the powers that be in Korean broadcasting let a production just be (let the writers develop the characters and story and the directors direct). When the writers of QoR found out the drama was getting an extension (not once but 2x), they began to actually write instead of retreading the same thing. They developed characters and the story. The cast and crew had time to breathe and create one great entertaining almost soap opera like show. QoR was just too much fun to watch. The cast is fantastic. The production top notch! This is one of the few dramas that truly show off Korean talent behind & in front of the camera.

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I've been thinking about GSD a lot recently though it's been a few years since it was on. GSD (and Black & White) gave me hope for the future of Taiwanese and to some extent Korean dramas. Gloomy Salad Days is not just controversial, it's creative, well written, and the production standards are very good. It's based a bit on Hell Girl, but the similarities are slight in my opinion. It does deal with so-called taboo topics, especially in some communities (and religions) like homosexuality, transgender, teen prostitution, and suicide. If these are topics you find offensive or don't have the ability to handle, then I suggest you not watch GSD. It is not for everyone, but I think it's for most people. It definitely pushed the envelope on Taiwanese tv. Too bad they didn't keep leaping forward.

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There was nothing great about this drama except maybe the attempt to touch some taboo topics in Korean culture. I do mean touch as in lightly graze. Alright alright they didn't graze the pregnancy issue, but everything else including abortion was surface. Perhaps they were too weighty of subjects I don't know. I do know that the story has holes, too many holes. The holes made me unable to actually like or really care about the lead characters save 1. I'm a big Kim Sun Ah fan and I watched I Do, I Do solely (pun intended) because she was in it. For the first time I did not like her. I did not dislike her, but I did not like her. I did not care about her or the fact that she was pregnant. The 2 leads lacked chemistry. Since the Koreans film and air with barely any time in the middle, one would think when the leads have more chemistry with other characters they'd do something. Ji Sung or whatever her name is wound up with the wrong man. The idea that the 2 characters would even be attracted to one another and/or that she would fall for him is preposterous even for a romcom. I Do, I Do is closer to an I Don't, I Don't I think (I think). It goes from 4 to 6 simply because of the 2nd leads and supporting cast.

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