Story
The story for 'Born Again' is refreshing and unique. It starts in the 1980s, telling you an almost whole story before moving to the present day. The story presents such a compelling story for the 1980s, a serial killer named Gong Ji Chul who's signature is a yellow umbrella. As we learn more about Ji Chul, we begin to realize he is truly a monster. But what is even more amazing is that once we get to the present day roughly the year 2020, everything we know is flip on its head. The once violent serial killer who has 11 bodies of women as charges against him has only ever killed one person is a strange self-defense love induced rage of the heart.
Furthermore, the cop, Cha Hyung Bin, is one of the most upright characters in the 80s. Hyung Bin's primary goal is to protect his fiance Jung Ha Eun because she has a yellow umbrella. Hyung Bin is the perfect boyfriend to Ha Eun; her heart condition is a strain on their relationship, providing an interesting point of conflict for the two. Everything hits an explosive end on a snow mountain before Jung Ha Eun's marriage to Cha Hyung Bin.
While in the present time, Gong Ji Chul reincarnated to be Chun Jong Bum, who is a student in college studying to be a medical examiner. He has a mentally abusive family and nonempathic life. During one of his classes, his professor turns out to be the reincarnated Jung Ha Eun now Jung Sa Bin. Jong Bum and Sa Bin hit it off; the two become very close when suddenly they meet the reincarnated Cha Hyung Bin now Kim Soo Hyuk over a 30-year-old body. Things become more complicated as both Soo Hyuk and Jong Bum vie for Sa Bin's attention and affection.
Acting/Cast
The casting for this drama is magnificent. I can't honestly say I wouldn't change any of the actors. I only came to this show because I love Jang Ki Yong and wanted to see him in something after 'Search WWW:'. I at first thought this was going to be similar to one of Jang Ki Yong's previous works 'Come and Hug Me', but it was on a whole different level. There was a depth to this character that I hadn't seen him act before, and it's impressive to see him play what you think you see. But once you open your eyes to who Gong Ji Chul and by extension, Chun Jong Bum is, you understand the depth he added to both characters, and it's breathtaking. Lee Soo Hyuk had such a distinctive style playing a good to bad to awful to just pitiful person. I ran through so many emotions in one second I was like he is so perfect for her (Ha Eun), and then I was like how could he do this to (Jong Bum). I fell for his story arcs, even after finishing this drama, I don't know how I feel about him. I can't even say if I loved or hate his character, which is a first for me. I genuinely think Lee Soo Hyuk outdid himself!! But I have to say for me the biggest let down has to be the lack of emotional connection I had with Jung Ha Eun and Jung Sa Bin. I honestly felt that the actress only played the character and did not bring either female to life like her costars. It didn't overpower any scene unless you were looking for it. I also think my lack of connection with her was because her character, to me, felt two-dimensional.
Music
The music fits into every scene, able to pull emotions from me; I didn't even know I was feeling. I am generally not a crier during emotional moments, but I felt myself tearing up as well as bawling my eyes out. I have to give credit to the music composer because I've haven´t cried this hard over fictional characters in a while. Perfect score in all moments because it brought everything together perfectly.
Rewatch Value
My rewatch value is super low because of 2 important things 1) I hate crying, and I would prefer never to do it. I honestly know if I were to rewatch this show in a week or several years, this drama would have me in tears in *aggressively snaps fingers*. 2) The ending, which was the biggest disappointment in history.
Disappointment
My only problem with this drama is it's ending. Because I don't like to cry, I like happy endings. No crying is needed, please. But this time, I wanted a tragedy; I feel like Gong Ji Chul/Chun Jong Bum was cheated of his happy ending. The drama should have ended how he wanted his life to end, providing someone with an unforgettable gift. I feel that if this story had followed Chun Jong Bum's intended ending, his wish for his purpose, that it would have been more enjoyable because it would fit his character. But the conclusion robbed him; ripped him from his redemption. I understand why he said he was traveling overseas to the US. But why keep her waiting? That was when I first knew this wasn't going to give him the beautiful ending he had wanted. But when Jung Sa Bin stole his dying wish forcing him to live so that she might have companionship and love, I felt this was the biggest injustice he had ever gotten. Besides the fact that I think her character is undeserving of him, but that's beside the point. The ending killed the story.
Overall
I loved the character arcs for the leading males. There new eccentric roles are electrifying, and I encourage you to watch this drama even if the ending is terrible. This drama shows you that there are always two sides to every story as well as character. That just because someone is fighting the good fight that might mean inside they are wrong. Or that even when the law is supposed to be justice, it can make mistakes. I'll imagine a better ending for Gong Ji Chul/Chun Jong Bum, but please watch this fantastic drama even if the finish is subpar at best.

Read More

A Story Without Context

I fully say I can’t review a show when I don’t know what the drama’s main intention was trying to convey. There is so much missing that it affects every aspect of the show. I can reasonably say I don’t know if the actors did a good job conveying the character’s emotions or intentions, mostly because I couldn’t figure them out. The primary purpose of music added to a show is to help you feel important emotions with the characters. I couldn’t enjoy the music selections because I was more caught up in trying to ascertain why this scene was emotional or essential to the plot.
As the title says, ¨Bedfriends¨ is a story with little background knowledge and context for why characters and situations are happening. Little to nothing is explained about the character’s backgrounds, expectations, and intentions as the drama progress. This drama is like an outline an author would have made when planning to write a script. For example, I want these characters here and this to happen. A very light idea to keep the storyline moving but with the intention of the author returning to fill in the blanks and build out the characters later. That never happened; this rough draft became the final product, leaving much desired. As a standalone drama, I find it lacking.
HOWEVER
I assume it will make way more sense if you read this as a follow-up to the novel. I have not read the book so I can make zero guarantees about that truth. I’ve also heard rumors that this was supposed to air as a sequel to ¨ Middleman’s Love¨, and I’ve seen no accurate citable sources to agree with that. I am again making my point that this drama cannot give its audience a clear explanation of essential background knowledge when watching, even if this is a sequel turned prequel. I hope the same
problems are not found within ¨ Middleman’s Love¨, but I guess I’ll have to wait until it airs to find out.

Read More

Hotel Del Luna is a beautifully told story. Some will say that this show is slow after some point in the middle episodes. It does slow down I will agree with that, but the slowness feels and adds naturally to the story. No, I won't rewatch this because of my tendency of not to rewatch things I've already seen unless it's with someone else. So if I find someone to rewatch this with me, I'll do it but not just by my lonesome.
Story:
The story starts almost abrasively but mellows out which I think leads people to believe it slows. But the story becomes more intense and lays out an intriguing world. By far, one of the most intricate storylines that has a bigger cast but still manages to address each and everyone's back story. From 1,300 to 500 to 200 to 70 years ago. Each story has its own unique feel making each more precious. Death is also a giant theme in this story, no surprise when writing about Grim Reapers, Ghosts, and the like. However, this intense subject matter is shown in all lens of life. With many different perspectives in which to believe.
Acting:
The chemistry between our main leads was one of the things that made this story breathtaking. After watching my fair share of dramas, I can tell you that these two are nothing like any other couple I've encountered. They have cute, funny moments that make you smile or giggle. While also having a very significant outlook on the life they share, if only for a brief time. Jan Man Wol and Ku Chan Sung are an alluring coupling that does nothing but enhances the characters and story told.
IU and Yeo Jin Goo give such power and prowess to these characters. The casting for this lead couple was perfect. I was worried about Yeo Jin Goo because of his recent Absolute Boyfriend series which I didn't like and barely finished. But this was so a much better fit. He did a heartfelt job when portraying Ku Chan Sung — as for IU, even more, impressing that her precious works. She tends to get sweeter and better the more she acts. By far the most dazzling character, Jan Man Wol's outfits were over the top.
As for the rest of the cast, Shin Jung Keun who plays Mr. Kim was a crane who put just the right amount of funny into each moment as well as having some tearful moments. Bae Hae Seon as Ms. Choi felt at first like a very flat character, and it wasn't until almost the very end that she grew. I hoped for more, but I think this was just the right amount. Plus that hug, tearjerker. Pyo Ji Hoon as Ji Hyun Joong surprised me; I honestly loved his character way more than I had thought, and his character development towards the end was astonishing as well as it just felt right. Not like a last-minute addition but a natural arch. Kang Mi Na as Kim Yu Na fit perfectly with Ji Hyun Joong. I loved how we experienced love in it's purest form, first love.
Music:
The music most definitely sets the mood in each of the scenes it was assigned. I loved that IU even sang a song wishing for Man Wol and Chan Sung to have a happy ending. They used powerhouse singers like Ben, Gummy, Taeyeon, and Punch, to name a few. The songs are so sad, touching and powerful that sometimes they took over. But I was grateful because then I couldn't hear myself sobbing. I honestly can say this collection of songs will stick with me even if I forget the story which is unlikely to happen.
Hotel Del Luna is by far one of my favorites of this year and maybe even my drama watching career. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Read More

I haven't seen the original drama. This is my first take on the story, and honestly, this movie is one big trailer as you watch you get bits and pieces of the larger storyline. As a viewer, you see the different branches of the storyline being told. But you don't get the full story behind each. It's not a disappointment of a film. It has to some small degree a plot. It has some music that is used both to help the story along or to show the different moods. But it is not a standout soundtrack. Its just something added as another layer of the story. I would say that it is just a too long trailer for the drama. In that respect, it did as it was supposed to. It makes me want to watch the original show and see just exactly what is happening. To me, it did a great job summarizing what exactly is going to happen in a concise snapshot of the drama. My interest in the drama has now made me watch that, but I was hesitant about its length. This movie provided an excellent overview and basic what to look out for a while watching it.

Read More