Communication is key

The Effect of a Finger Flick on a Breakup (2021)

This is a KBS Drama Special about a couple who breaks up after a finger flick game.

I liked the story, I just felt that the story focused too much on the girl's side and not the guy. The entire time we see the girl is lonely and feels that she was taken for granted in the 3 years they were together. It took a finger flick to realize all these and broke up with the guy.

Of course the guy is confused. They were very fine the night before and suddenly she went cold on him and wouldn't explain why. She just kept saying they don't love each other. I felt that the girl was insisting how the guy should feel and we never knew what the guy really felt about her.

Her outburst in the garden finally told the guy what he hasn't been doing. Girl also said it's also her fault but I never heard her say what she didn't do for him. I thought it should be both ways. And she should have said something earlier on, maybe they have saved the relationship.

I loved the rainy scene outside her house, when the guy gave the umbrella back to her. He still wanted to try again but it was too late. The girl didn't want to anymore.

Mixed feelings with the ending. I still wanted them to get back together coz it looked like the guy has chanhed. But i also liked the PE teacher who looks like he will treasure her more.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Boring

Likes
1. I liked the sword fight scenes esp when Muwol Corps are fighting.
2. Nokdu and Dongju were a nice pair!
3. The Queen, Yunjo and Heo who tried their best to persuade the King to not kill the child.
4. The old master who was always by Nokdu's side (i was scared that he will die in the last scene)
5. The middle half when Yulmo revealed his identity and the plans for revolt starting happening. I was more interested in the political part rather than the widow village scenes.
6. The happy ever after at the end! ? and the Queen gets to live with the couple too!! Dont even care what happens to the King!

Dislikes
1. The first half was funny but then it got boring because there was not a lot of action happening and the leads just keep talking in every scene. I fast forwarded some scenes ? unfortunately.
2. The King was awful and Prince Neungyang too but we know he will end up with the throne. So half of the time im asking, why waste 16 episodes just to find out the bad guy wins? Then i realize the title is called The Tale of Nokdu so it's not about the throne but about Nokdu's growth.

Rating: 7.5/10

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Fun and thoughtful spy drama that deals with relationships

Likes
1. Yes!! This felt like an actual spy drama and had similar vibes with My Secret Terrius. But this one is different because beyond the spy and action, there were a lot of discussions on love and marriage. Actually it is like a relationship drama under the guise of a spy drama.
2. I loved the 3 main leads. Jihun, Ahreum and Derek had so much chemistry together as a team and separately as couples. The stark contrast of the marriage between Jihun and Ahreum vs Derek and Ahreum were both so beautiful, i actually got confused who she will end up with. I was team Jihun but i wondered how they will get back together without Derek in the way. I liked how they resolved this.
3. The bromance between Jihun and Derek was also great. They both loved the same woman although they had different ways to show their love. Hated Derek's character at first but came to also like and pity him in the end. I hope he is having a good life like he wanted.
4. Although Jihun loved Ahreum he never crossed the line and waited until the time was right. They were too young when they got married but now they grew up, got to know each other more and found out thy actually worked well together. They looked like the korean Mr and Mrs Smith in the last episode. Really loved the acting of Eric in this drama.
4. Ahreum is one of the best female leads in 2020. She was smart and tough, yet feminine and compassionate. She fought Tinker and slashed his leg with a pair of scissors, she made a sweet deal with Kim Dong Ran and helped take down Helmes boss. I actually thought she would get out of the wedding dress business to be a full time agent in Jimin's team but being informant is way better!
5. Yonggu and Seora ?

Dislikes: The bad guys didn't get what they deserved.

Rating: 9/10

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Beautiful story about family and relationships

Likes:
1. Despite the initial backlash, i still watched this show before making any judgments and surprised to find a beautiful story about families and relationships.
2. Daehyun's family was not perfect. They may not be rich but they make up for it by being hardworking and having a nurturing and supporting relationship with one another. (Well, except for the sister!) On the other hand, no amount of money can justify being rude and insulting to other people.
4. The relationship between Eunbyul and Saetbyul. In the end they were sisters and they have no one else to lean on but each other. And Daehyun's parents for treating them like family.
3. For relationships to work, both parties should make an effort to sustain the relationship. Yeonju didnt trust Daehyun and kept lying, concealing and even cheating. She only found out what a good man Daehyun was unless it was too late. And she still tried to force her way back to Daehyun through dirty tactics. On the other hand, Saetbyul may be younger but she fully supported and believed in Daehyun. Age doesnt matter sometimes if the couple are on the same wavelength. Daehyun always showed Saetbyul how precious she was and how she was "good enough" while Saetbyul liked Daehyun the way he was. They even have the hand gestures that only the two of them can understand.
4. Dont judge a book by its cover. Dalsik and Geumbi on the outside may look weird and hated each other at first, but once they looked past the outside and focused on the inside, they realized how well suited they are. "Find someone that matches your crazy." And turns out Dalsik's family is even richer than Geumbi! But instead of mooching off his family's wealth, he set off on his own and followed his dreams.

Dislikes:
1. The ages of Saetbyul and Geumbi could have been adjusted to 1 or 2 years older. Or have a time jump in the end where they are older.
2. The ending was too rushed, with Yeonju and her family's issue with Daehyun's family resolved with just one meeting.

Rating: 8.5

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Not what I expected

Likes:
1. Jung Ilwoo playing a chef. He looked so good during all the cooking scenes that i can watch him cook for the entire 12 episodes even without a plot.
2. The food looked so good. The advices and lessons spoken by Jinsung and the 2 seniors were really comforting, even to me.
3. The wonderful performance of Lee Hakjoo as Kang Taewan. I loved his longing stares, cried for him when his heart broke, and cheered him on when he finally took courage to come out, to JS and to his father.
4. The electric chemistry between Kang Taewan and Jinsung from the very first episode when they bumped into each other all the way to their bittersweet ending.
5. The ending didnt go too extreme and kept the mellow pace. Not everyone came out happy but thats the point of the story. When something bad happens, we can cry, but we also get back up, and move forward. and there's always a new beginning and a chance to be better.

Dislikes:
1. That i actually liked the Taewan-Jinsung couple more than the Ajin-Jinsung is why i feel the show failed for me. I liked Ajin as friend of Jinsung but not as a girlfriend.
2. The whole premise of the show was pretty bad. A guy pretending to be gay on tv was good start, but then he kept on lying and everyone was dumb enough not to notice was unbelieveable. Even people not realizing Taewan is gay is also unbelieveable to me.
3. That Ajin was bullied by that annoying Gyu Jang, and the lady head director was so evil at the start, forcing Ajin to find a gay chef within a day, and even dangling a permanent position just to get ahead. Her only saving factor was taking responsibility for her actions and for the team.
3. I was expecting a show within a show type of drama where we get to see a lot of cooking and episodic guests but the story mostly happened offcam.
4. That Jinwoo and his dad had very few scenes esp towards the end. We didnt even get to see Jinsung talk to his family after he did the interview!

Rating: 6/10

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Truly The Last Men Standing

Super Junior: The Last Man Standing (2023)

Must watch for ELFs and newbies who want to learn more about this legendary kpop group.

There are 2 episodes, first episode focused on their training, pre-debut upto 2nd album.

Second episode started with Sorry Sorry and launching their global success. But it felt they rushed the episode by cramming the rest of their 15 years in less than 1 hour episode!!

They could have added third episode focusing on after everyone came out of the army, their new albums, how it felt like competing with the younger generation, what their future goals are.

Wished there were more songs, concerts, music videos shown to see their growth. Wished they also focused on all their achievements too not just one or two. And they could have also gotten more industry experts to talk about their fame and influence. And i dont think everyone got to say their final words in the docu. But i loved how they included some ELFs and their thoughts about being a fan.

As Siwon said, they last because of their trust and respect for one another, and all of them wants to be Suju forever. Yes, Leeteuk, when we all die, we will have SuperShow in Paradise ?

Rating: 8.5/10

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It's PORKALICIOUS!

For the pork lovers, meat lovers, cooks, and just about everyone who loves to eat delicious food.

When I was a kid, i loved pork. I would choose pork over beef or chicken. But as i grew older, i have lessened my pork intake (too much fat!) to only when I'm craving for a certain pork dish (like adobo, lechon) or when i just want to pause from eating chicken. Watching the process of how they use all the different parts of the pork and cooking them in so many ways was so satisfying.

Episode 1 mostly centered on the different ways to cook samgyeopsal or pork belly. The video is Ultra 4k so i was salivating as i see them grill the pork belly and watch the pork fat drip ? The last scene in episode 2 where they ate oven baked crispy pork belly looked so similar to our own lechon kawali or boneless lechon belly I'm surprised they haven't thought of cooking it before. I only eat pork belly once in a while, i prefer the other parts of the pork so i enjoyed watching episode 2.

Episode 2 showed the other parts of the pork, like grilling pork tenderloin, pork and rice soup, sundae soup, braised pork tail, jokbal (pig's feet), head meat, jamon. Im surprised they didnt have a section on bossam. Yummy!! ? I think we eat every part like they do, but we like to fry everything (like pork cheeks) or put in a sizzling plate (like sisig).

It was also interesting that just like pinoys, when there's a special occasion, they just go slaughter a pig and have a feast. For us it's lechon (roasting the entire pig), for them it's cooking the pig under the fire or boiling them.

I dont think they have exhausted all ways on how to cook pork. They havent tried our crispy pata (deep frying the pig trotters -- they boil or braise them instead). And largely because of difference in culture and produce, we have our own menudo or afritada (using tomato sauce), sinigang (sour soup), Hamonado, ginataan (using coconut milk) and binagoongan (using shrimp paste) to name a few.

Don't watch on an empty stomach or you'll be binge eating after (just like what I'm about to do now) ?
Rating: 9/10

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Short mystery drama that will keep you guessing until the end

The first two episodes were boring and confusing - i think partly because they were trying to make everything so mysterious and there were too many clues and characters to sift through. But once they start putting together the clues and revealing the secrets, everything started making sense. There were some scenes that were not necessary and 3 out of 4 episodes spent on suspects that were not the suspects that i wished they made the pacing much faster and more action packed.

I also both loved and hated both leads - just when you thought they were the good guys - turns out they also have something to hide, although it made the story and the characters more complex. The twists in the end were partly unexpected and partly sad as we find out what really happened that night.

Overall this mini mystery drama was interesting enough to keep you guessing until the end.

Rating: 7.5/10

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Suspenseful and Heartbreaking story of redemption and second chances

Likes:
1. Non stop thrills from the first episode all the way to the end. Although some of the plots were cliche and I was able guess the who is the killer and the ending, it was still intriguing to watch every episode.
2. So many memorable characters. Jimin should be crowned as father of the year. And the Evil mom in law as the worst EMIL!! Also loved Woo Joo - she reminds me so much of a younger Kim Yoo Jung.
3. No filler episodes, every scene was jampacked with details and information. The soundtrack was on point. I thought that classical music BGM from AWOTM was scary but every time I hear that violin sounds i just know something bad will happen to Eunsu.
4. Lessons learned - hell hath no fury like a "mother" scorned. The lengths parents go to to protect their family. And even at your darkest point, you can get up and move forward, and find someone who will accept and love you as you are.

Dislikes:
The weakest link is Semi. She was annoying for the entire show, doing nothing but put her anger and blame on Eunsu without taking a look at herself.

Rating: 9.5/10

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Nothing happened to Mr Cha

It started well until Mr Cha was buried under the school. The part where he was trying not to be discovered was funny but it went on for too long that it wasnt funny anymore. The construction guy was also not funny. Mr Cha was so clueless and his arguments with his manager were annoying that near the end of the show i just want him to stay buried there. I was hoping he will have this big revelation about himself esp when his wife called and they even have this weird sequence of his trying to think, but there was none. When he got rescued, it was just nothing special. Even the ending was not satisfying.

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True Bromance

Divorce Attorney Shin (2023)

Likes
1. The best thing about the show is the bromance between the 3 guys. They are so close, they know when one is crying or hurting. They do things without asking if it's going to help the other. They laugh at each other and eat and drink together.
2. I also like Seojin although the affair was wrong, i hope that she recovers from her trauma and start her healing. I thought there was going to be a romance between Shin and SJ but it's better to remain friends for now.
3. I also liked the side love story of Hyeong Gun and Soyeon. And the ex wife.

Dislikes
I felt like although the 12 eps were tight and fast paced, it also felt like we missed a little background. Like why the big change from pianist to divorce lawyer? It felt like the motivation to protect his nephew wasnt enough twist or plot. What went wrong with the sister's marriage and why is the second wife so evil? It just wasnt explained that well to understand the real issues. So an extra 1-2 eps would have helped.

Otherwise i loved the drama. The only thing missing was camping with the 3 guys, 2 ladies and the 2 boys.

Rating: 8.25/10

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Interesting Brain Cases

Brain Works (2023)

Likes
1. Comedy + crime solving is always up my alley. The cases were related to the brain so very interesting esp when Shin Haru describes how the brain normally works and there are little characters showing to demonstrate his explanation.
2. I thought CTH again as a detective? But he was slightly different here than Police U. Here he is still upstanding but more softhearted. His nice guy was a big contrast to YH's serious Haru. I wished th elast epsiode showed Haru to smile more and join the team dinner and be more friendly, but it would break his character's psychopathic personality. But at least he was able to make a friend despite his condition.
3. I also like Captain Seul, esp when she became the wild girl vs her usual timid self. I wish she stayed like that but she went back to her normal self when she recovered. Im not used to CTH having a romantic story but he and Captain was so cute together. Esp when he tried to say her name instead of Captain Seul.
4. Shin Haru's main storyline was predictable (of course we know who the bad guy is!) but it was still well written. Even the ending was neatly wrapped now. But that zombie hunting case would have been fun even for 1 extra episode!!

Dislikes
1. I think the ex wife's story was necessary. I didnt get why she had to be there other than to serve as a plot point against the love story between Detective Geum and Captain Seul.
2. The main villain at first i thought was going to be creepy but i was alittle underwhelmed by how sinister he was. I just saw him in the last episode an dhe just looked like a pathetic old man. Haru shouldnt have wasted his time on him. Although his games were interesting enough.

Rating: 8.5/10

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What a sucker!

Love is For Suckers (2022)

Likes
1. I was really looking forward to the friends to lovers story (which is one of my fave tropes). Eps 1-6 were so great - funny, heartbreaking, lots of kilig, but the story started going downhill when they started shooting Kingdom of Love.
2. I love the pairing of Siwon and Dahee, they were both gorgeous and had great chemistry together. Too bad the FL character was so frustrating, i was half wishing they just stay friends, or ML end up with the 2FL (although that's also not a happy ending i want), or ML finding someone else who deserves his feelings. But then ML was also confusing and kept leading on both females.
3. The unexpected pairing of Chef John and Jiwan is prolly what kept the viewers staying until the end. Their love story was more fascinating than the main leads.
4. For a show that was so messy in the second half, they were still able to have a good ending where all the stories were neatly tied up except one - wth was the scene in very beginning where the contestants were in wedding gowns?

Dislikes
The whole Kingdom of Love was executed badly. The show is a mess, the contestants were mostly boring. I prolly wont watch it if it were real. The 2FL is a nice girl but she kept crying like a little girl who cant have what she wants. But loved the #KwonYul cameo.

Rating: 7.5

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I want to join their retreat!

Youth MT (2022)

Wow! I can't believe they were able to cast all these actors for 3D2N! And got enough materials to air 8 episodes!

Love the games esp the flying chairs, although it would have been fun if the girls get to try the haunted house, flying chair and getting drenched with water too.

They were awkward at the start but definitely grew closer after a few days. I also love the tent bar and the senior actors who visited them.

Looking forward to Season 2 (i hope!)

Ps. Just realized i've seen Bogummy and Seojun in person back in 2019 and i'll be seeing Wookie this Sunday ?

Rating: 9/10

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