a really fun, feel-good drama

Twinkling Watermelon was nothing like I expected — its heartfelt in both writing and performance, and is an enjoyable story with a happy ending.

Of course there are flaws, but none that completely overshadowed the story. Some things that I wanted more from were (1) the inconclusive way they handled Eun Yoo’s anxiety and (2) somewhat of a lack of acknowledgment that what they went through is what made them who they are in 2023, but these are rather minor things compared to what this drama brings.

As far as I know, the people behind the production are able-bodied, but this was a positive, warm, and non-exploitative representation for people with disabilities. The show treated each character with fairness and didn’t dish out pity or over-emphasize what they lacked.

There’s also something so warm and tender about the the whole concept of the drama, which is the guilt and love we feel towards our parents, and the outpouring of empathy, grief, and protectiveness we feel when we realize they were once our age too. I love this concept. Though it’s more fairy tale than science fiction, it’s healing and speaks to how much we wish we could could’ve protected our parents once we’ve seen them as human beings.

Great cast, fun writing, and good music!

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A drama that is overall just okay, with good character portraits

To preface, I absolutely love historical dramas, and was pleased to hear about one set in this particular era jet during the invasion of the Jing/Qing. But, while the pacing kept me afloat to episode 9, I was greatly disappointed by this drama.

Let’s start with Jang Hyun. The way he is written is freaking annoying. His character and background is so vague it’s impossible to have any attachment to him. I’m aware that his mystique is part of the plot I guess, but withholding a backstory for a twist later is no excuse for having such a poorly developed character for a majority of the story. We only get glimpses of “tragedy” that don’t really explain anything about him. He’s also got a serious case of Mary Sue. I also think his companions could have been far more complex.

Now, he still has shining points as a character: he provides candid views on political situations, and what he said about Lord Nam’s burdensome idealism and weaponized incompetence was a BAR — the best written part of the whole drama.

Next. Let’s talk about my one casting gripe: Nam Goong Min. He’s a fine actor, but it’s so hard to get to the interior of the character when his face is so stiff. I don’t mean this as a drag or an insult, it’s just my criticism in a vital component of acting — with screen acting, you can’t profess your inner thoughts like in plays or lean on clever language like in books…the performers face must say what’s left unsaid. And Nam Goong Min simply has stiff facial performance. It’s creepy. And not good. I can tel by his eyes and his voice that he has all the skills necessary, but his FACE simply doesn't move!

More in stuff I liked: I love the character of Gil Chae. She’s a fascinating heroine (to me, who has seen every trope in the book). She’s neither a do-good heroine that prioritizes the good of society and well-being of the public nor a “spoiled brat with a secret heart of gold” trope that you typically find in sageuks.

Her character is clear, defined, and consistent. Pretty much from the beginning it’s clear that she takes exceptional care of her closest loved ones, but she protects them with by nanking hard decisions that can be seen as cruel and selfish if from an outside perspective. I found the boat scene leaving Ganghwa such a bold and powerful decision to portray her in.

In what I’ve seen so far, the balance of flat and round characters is very well used here (a round character must have an engaging direction, a flat character must be able to represent a force).

I’m not extremely well versed in the history that inspired it, but I did find some of the ‘foreign’ characters to be fascinating. It’s always refreshing to see some rounded out Jurchen characters as opposed to simple caricatures.

Overall, it’s not terribly interesting, but My Dearest has averagely decent political intrigue, engaging pacing, and important messages about the decay and de-romanticization of war. But the weakly written male characters dragged it down, and there wasn't a committed enough message on any single theme like anti-war or serendipity or youth.

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Weirdly...it delivered on pretty much exactly what it promised

Listen, if you're tuning into a drama called "The Heavenly Idol" with even the slightest awareness of its premise: manage your expectations.
Everything about this drama was not overly ambitious -- a shaky budget drama with a repetitive episode formula, a fun spark of chemistry, and decently charming actors. I believe that everyone involved HAD to know that they were making a show that people could throw on after a long day of school or work and just not think too much about. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but it was a novel idea and it tied things up pretty tightly in its ending.
While every single aspect of it could have been far better (music, portrayal of idols, fantasy lore, length, production value) its a fun drama to pass the time with.

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Carried by performances and a great ending

It's tough to rate a drama such as The Crowned Clown — the plot is not all that clear in its first act, and the whole show is largely carried by the FANTASTIC acting by Yeo Jingoo. I've seen many of his dramas, so I know he has the chops, but he completely blew this dual role out of the water demonstrating the mot restrained ambivalence and the most shattering despair.
The romance was more accessory, but not in a bad way at all. This drama's female characters have plenty of capability, but the writing is honest in how restrained their literal abilities were.
Towards the second act, the plot becomes pretty much unbearably uninteresting, but then the shining part of the whole thing comes into play: Haksan and his compelling relationship evolution with Hasun.
While Yeo Jingoo gave a stellar acting performance, Kim Sangkyung's impressive performance combined with his character's written development made Haksan the most charming, charismatic, and memorable man on screen by far. Seeing his complexity morph over the course of the drama was an absolute pleasure.
And the most romantic component of the entire drama was unironically the ruler-subject relationship that came to be. Haksan and Hasun's relationship is one forged both by honest trust and integrity-abiding opposition. Through this highly romantic (romantic in a literal sense) relationship , Hasun becomes a true king worthy of his people, and Haksan is able to find his way back to his original political ideals. It's a beautiful relationship that coexists with Hasun's intimacy with other characters, and is perfectly punctuated by the shot of the two men bowing to each other. I mean, this level of romantic ideal hasn't really been highlighted in modern dramas, but it really means so much that Hasun's people truly considered themselves to be his subjects.

The final episodes of the drama were very tightly written and wrapped up, so again, this drama's strongest point is in its ending, and the true hero of it all was Haksan for me. He absolutely stole the show!

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A show we needed

This show was a pleasant surprise to find — beneath a raunchy premise, is a drama that 100% empowers women. It's about affirming women and validating their desires, their choices, and their refusals.

The friendship between Mina and Heejae is so sweet, and they went just fleshed out enough in this drama's short runtime, which I can appreciate. I think Woohee and Hani were incredibly charming picks for our leads, as they both just give great energy on screen.

Overall, this show was surprisingly progressive, advocating for safety, for pride over guilt, and for really having a good relationship with one's own body. We live in a world ruled by male gaze that prioritizes male desire, and watching this show is such a healthy step for women to let go of the shame and guilt that's forced upon us. A great watch!

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Truly a Shadow of Part 1

To preface, I gave part one 9 stars — I absolutely adored it. Part 2 lacked compelling characterization, had a plot that made zero sense, and just overall felt directionless. That best part about it was staying with endearing characters like Lord Park and the Crown Prince for just a little bit longer. The female characters were completely diminished and there was no real weight to any of the "danger."

Also, while I appreciate GYJ, there was a huge hole in part 2, and that was the gap left behind by the absolutely show-stopping Miss Jung Somin. Her performance carried audiences through the endless laughter and excruciating tears of Part 1. Part 1 had it all: novel world-building, suspenseful plotting, and intense chemistry. This season, while adequate, had none of that, and Jung Somin and her character of Mu Deok tied so much of that together. It's not just that I miss the actress — I miss the CHARACTER. Her persona, the way she was written, and the way she loves. GYJ as Bu Yeon was fine, but her character and performance weren't magic like JSM's Mu Deok was.

BUT ten stars to Lia's OST — I loved that.

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A rare and FANTASTIC drama

Wow. AOS is truly, truly the most spectacular production I've seen in a while, especially from a rather dry K-Drama scene on the action romance side of things.

First off, I just want to applaud the Hong Sisters for crafting yet another masterpiece-- Hotel Del Luna was a huge disappointment to me writing, acting, and directing-wise, and I just feel like they made all the right moves with Alchemy of Souls. Not to stir up a fanwar, but Alchemy of Souls turned out to be the Hong Sisters' high-profile magnum opus that I thought HDL was supposed to be. And I couldn't be happier that it was a sageuk-style HIGH FANTASY! I have not seen this level of tight-pacing, enticing plot lines, affectionate characters, and balanced humor in a LONG TIME. And to top it all off, there's wonderfully appropriate acting levels here, as well as glorious CGI and art direction. I haven't seen a project so committed to a sense of epic grandeur since Moon Lovers (and say what you will about ML's plot, but the production was breathtaking).

Next, I would like to talk about how satisfied I am with the casting and acting. Not every single performer was a standout, but GOD I love Jung Somin. Truly, it's a relief they casted a veteran actress who's able to hold all the bubbling and conflicting emotions of Mudeok, Naksu, and Buyeong altogether. She has considerable depth, range, and truly immerses herself into her character in a way that is hard to find amongst seas of wannabe-starlets. The other standout performance I would like to name is Hwang Min-Hyun, who genuinely surprised me. Perhaps the character of Yul was so perfectly-written for him, or else he's talent that no one had recognized before. I had my doubts about yet another it-boy idol actor, but his calm tenderness and quiet strength are so delicately delivered. And man-- what GOT me was that teary-eyed stare he always held at Mudeok. His pitiful looks of longing were insane, I'd think he was actually hopelessly lost in a first love if I didn't know any better. 10/10 for him.

Now for my favorite part -- the creative decisions. I won't be reviewing the plot, because it's honestly a scaffolding that holds up everything else that makes this production great. First off, the lore is incredibly refreshing, as they've decided to go full high fantasy rather than historical fantasy, but still reserved some sageuk-style embellishments for the sake of genre stability -- very Tolkien style with an Asian twist. Going full fantasy allows them to write their own tales, to make their own rules and conventions-- even if they are inspired by Confucian civilization and existing superstition.

The next thing I would like to praise is actually how skilled the writing and execution is format-wise. What bumped it from a 9 to a 9.5 was solely the fact that they very cleanly wrapped up a lot in Part One, but set up SO much for Part Two, with the brave decision to have two separate female leads (especially in a romance!). I think what the Hong Sisters did SO right this time was, rather than center the story around lovers, to center the story around HEROES that are in love. The romance is there, but its not what everything hinges on. And before Uk and Mudeok are lovers, they share bonds of so many different dimensions: master and student, master and maid, savior and executioner. It's a fondness that is deeper that attraction -- it's respect, affection, survival.

And boy oh boy, I am PUMPED for the upped stakes of Part Two, especially with the return of Naksu via Go Yoon Jung. I'm counting on Jung Somin staying on to play her part as Jin Buyeon, because it would be a complete disappointment to see AOS without her incredible performance.

In terms of why I didn't give it a 10, I reserve that for my absolute favorite dramas that move me deeply (make me laugh and cry), so that's usually for more slice of life ones and so forth...but this drama makes me VERY optimistic for the future of Korean cinematic fantasy, all wrapped up in the Hong Sisters' satisfying writing. Yes, it can get a little predictable and some plot points seem a little too convenient, but that's what a fun story is all about! And honestly, the grim suspense and "realistic" tragedy that dominates television these days that was once a refreshing defiance against happy endings has become a tired and trite convention that just feels like a carrot on a stick these days. I'll gladly take happy endings (hopefully!!!)

Also, I think a whole star of my rating needs to be devoted to (1) the ambiguously lovable crown prince who is a fantastically confounding character and (2) the classical version of Oh My Girl's Nonstop-- it's gave Korean Bridgerton, and I mean that in the best possible way...

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Spectacularly acted, thoughtfully written, and comforting to watch. This drama comes into contact with controversial topics, but still bleeds optimism. It’s showing us what the world could look like instead of defaulting to “gritty realism,” and opens up our perspectives — not only do we learn about Attorney Woo, but we also learn about defendants and plaintiffs who all have their own stake in life…we learn about what drives and motivates Attorneys Jung, Kwon, and Choi as well.

Though the episodes become a tad bit boring towards the end, it’s a steadily building rhythm to a resolution. Youngwoo’s character arc is allowing herself to feel extraordinary — knowing that it can be painful, but valuable and beautiful. She doesn’t have to undergo change, and conquer others, but only forgive herself. It’s a really thoughtfully written story.

And PROPS to Park Eunbin for such a spectacular performance. I really appreciate her approach of not simply trying to “play a person with autism spectrum disorder” or “imitate an autistic person,” but rather tell Woo Youngwoo’s unique story, and treating her as a whole and individual character with her own idiosyncrasies.

Great drama, and although it could be called a little too perfect, it’s a world I want to live in.

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Comforting and meditative

First off, I just want to say the cast is fantastic here. I believe there is no greater acting challenge than communicating with silence — the most moving beats are the ones of silence.

Second, I want to applaud this drama for being a genuine slice of life. It’s not perfect, but it’s honest. It never strayed too far into melodrama, and it didn’t buy into this false hope like many other shows. The hope here in this show is genuine because it’s so ephemeral. It’s not noble, it’s prosaic and honest and desperate all at once.

And while this may just be my own cultural interpretation, I think this show gives a very honest and fair view of what common metropolitan depression feels like. In every character.

Lastly, the soundtrack is wonderful. Great show, and I recommend to those who enjoy seeing the truths of life through the eyes of others.

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Refreshing Entry in the Sageuk Genre

As an avid sageuk watcher, I found "The Red Sleeve" to be incredibly refreshing — though it's a dramatization, there was a heavy sense of honesty infused into its direction sensibility. I appreciated how the writers didn't shy away from themes of power just to create a swoon-worthy rom-com. The passion in this drama is not so explosive, but quiet and sustained throughout. Some viewers may not find the drama very satisfying, as its not composed in very western story structures that we are used to. The story "The Red Sleeve" tells is holds ambiguity, spans generations, takes a practical approach to characterization.
To reference Ursula K. Le Guin's carrier bag theory of fiction, while most modern dramas we see are tales of hero's journeys and triumphant struggles, "The Red Sleeve" instead of a receptacle of true human experience. At times it can seem messy and aimless, but that is a true reflection of life, especially from the female gaze.
The acting in this drama was fantastic, especially with a surprisingly knock-out performance from Jun-Ho! The scores was also amazing as well. The cutting and cinematography was some of the best I've seen for TV.
I'll be honest: this isn't a drama that changes my world or lingers in my heart, but it opened my eyes to the types of narratives that we are allowed to have— that WOMEN are allowed to tell. And that is an empowering feeling.

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A rare gem

Idol: The Coup is a rare drama: it's relentlessly dedicated to telling a deep story rather than leaning on flashiness. The acting is incredible (a true idol acting breakthrough), the writing is super detail-oriented (the writers did their research!), and the music is surprisingly excellent (fictional idol music has never been so good tbh).

Every single one of the girls was well-written and well-acted. Anyone can see that this was an incredibly tough script to act, especially for Hani, Solbin, and Exy. Kim Mingyu and Kwak Siyoung also performed excellently. Soeun carried well as both an actress and a fictional idol, and Jiwon was simply made for her part.

Attention to detail that made this drama so enjoyable: the five girls feel hand-picked and cohesive as a real girl group: Jenna the fearless leader, Stella the visual eldest member, Chae-ah the cute sub-vocal, Exy the fierce main vocal, and Hyunji the fiery maknae. Now that they feel like a real girl group, seeing the nuances in their character and relationship arcs becomes so much richer. Its difficult to go too deep into any single thing within 12 episodes, but they touched upon mental health in the entertainment industry, brutal working conditions for agency staff (with Duho), Businessmen praying upon young girls, the burden of being in a team, failed trainees, and even the stress of established idols. It was also an appropriate blend of 2nd gen and 3rd gen Kpop narratives, as pinpointing which era of Kpop to focus on is important too.

While I don't claim to be an absolute expert, I've been into Kpop for a long time—I've seen endless shows and documentaries that peek into these agencies. Most of them are in basements, and it's just so hard to survive in a brutal and oversaturated market. I've heard all the scandals, and I've seen so many promising girl groups be pushed aside because boy groups tend to be a safer gamble with dedicated fanbases. It's hard, but it can be beautiful when you see how wonderful the connection between an artist and their fans is. I appreciate this drama, because it's written with a perspective that feels true to my experience as a Kpop fan. It's on the side of women, of the unheard and the unsung. It's on the side of those who've failed, but did such a good job on their own terms. As a fan of countless disbanded and forgotten girl groups, this drama was very special to me.

As other reviewers said, this drama definitely flirts with makjang more than it needed to — but what makes it real and true is that the melodrama was simply an extension of everything that genuinely could've gone wrong, going wrong. I could tell that the melodrama was a result of the writers wanting to fit everything they wanted to say about idol life as possible.

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Not groundbreaking, but lots of fun and very captivating

While the overall plot was predictable for the avid revenge thriller viewer, it was still entertaining and kept me on my toes— with a few genuine surprises along the way. It's a classic genre entry, and while it's not groundbreaking, it checks all the boxes of a good revenge drama.
The acting was pretty spectacular for an otherwise mostly green cast for this genre, and I've got to hand it to Han Sohee and Ahn Bohyun for such captivating performances.
While the romance was kind of random, I was okay with it thrown in because both the leads are just so sexy that I'm sure it's just what everyone wanted LOL.
Overall, a fun watch for anyone who likes action, grit, and beautiful actors. A little darker than most cable dramas because I think the online release allowed them more leeway in including things that wouldn't have made broadcast standards.
It's been ages since I've been able to actually finish a k-drama, so I applaud the cast and crew for producing such a solid drama!
Bonus points for being female-led in this noir/action/crime thriller genre AND extras bonus points for subverting gendered savior stereotypes and making the male lead die for a revenge plot point <3

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Web dramas kind of have this stigma of being less serious and really just insignificant in their storytelling, but Dating Class really surprised me in its quality. Kudos to tvND for stepping it up and using the web-drama platform to tell refreshing and genuine stories.

I started Dating Class thinking it'd be a typical web drama, rife with cheesy and predictable tropes. Instead, I got very real (well, as real as you can get in a short, lighthearted series) college characters that sort of defied the typical romance tropes set up for them.

I also thought the acting was really great, and think the idol actors really pulled through here. The entire cast was just so wonderful and charming.

While I really thought the ending was lackluster, I loved a majority of the episodes, and would love a season 2!

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The shining part of this drama was IU, if I'm being completely honest. Her acting has improved tenfold since she entered the game, and she's just such a captivating lead. Not to mention, her makeup, styling, and wardrobe team were absolutely on fire for this drama — props to them for dressing and styling her so gorgeously and uniquely for every single scene.

As for the overall drama, while it's not bad, it's really not anything super captivating. It was also definitely way longer than it had to be. Most conflicts were either too easily resolved, or resolved in a way that I didn't understand why there was a conflict in the first place. And while I loved the cast, there was just a huge lack of chemistry between them for some reason.

I loved the was Man Wol was written, but what lost me was the romance. The romance really lacked progression. Suddenly Man Wol and Chan Sung were in love and I had just zero idea why. There was just no real process to it, plus the leads had NO chemistry. I'm sorry y'all — I love IU and Yeo Jin Goo, but just not together.

What saved this drama was nice production quality, a killer soundtrack, and great acting from IU though.

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