Reviews

How Could I Not Love This drama

How could I not love this drama when two of my favorite actors Namkoong Min and Yoo Joon Sang are the male leads.

I have to admit though that there were times I got frustrated with how long it took to solve Han Chul Ho’s murder. There’s a point where I always think too much time is given to the bad guys. Plus I was disappointed that the elders weren’t exposed.

Aside from that I think this is now my favorite Namkoong Min drama. Han Moo Yeong has replaced my all time favorite character from Listen to My Heart or Can you hear my heart Bong Ma Roo/Jang Joon Ha.

I don’t think there’s a drama I haven’t liked of Yoo Joon Sang’s. Watching Namkoong Min and Yoo Joon Sang work side by side was such a treat for me. A shame there was no season 2 so the elders could be revealed to make them suffer for the wrong they did to innocent children and seeing these two work together again.

I also have to give kudos to the whole cast.

Read More

A Small Town Romance With Quirky Characters

JTBC’s latest offering “Welcome to Samdalri” is a decades long saga of friendship, lost love and reconciliation. Starring Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hye Sun in the lead roles of Cho Yong Pil & Cho Sam Dal/Cho Eun Hye, the show transverses their journey as they reconnect after eight years of separation. The first thing that I noticed about this show is the scenic beauty. Shot in the backdrop of the beautiful Jeju island, the show banks on the small town life and its busy yet nosy neighborhood. Set in Samdalri (which is native to both Cho Yong Pil & Cho Sam Dal), the drama focuses on their reconciliation as Sam-dal returns to her hometown when her career plummets and she is at her wit’s end. The pilot episodes were pretty decent at introducing the individual characters and their current lives while keeping their past shredded in mystery. There is a lot going on in the backdrop that we are unaware of and these invisible issues have been adversely affecting their relationship for almost a decade. Let’s sit down and dissect the finer details relative to this small town romance!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2023/12/05/welcome-to-samdalri-first-impressions/

Read More

A good watch for me

I was patiently waiting every weekend for more episodes.

There are many things I love about this drama :
- the fact that it’s fast pace.
- there is something happening every episode and satisfying scenes
- love the leads chemistry
- ML’s family (except the brother) is wholesome. She finally found a family to give her the love she deserves, with her mother too.
- I always get spoiled because I love it, but we have some pretty interesting twists
- ML is such a green flag
- Both leads help each other and heal each other. They are each other safe place and home
- I found the revenge pretty satisfying, even if the father should have suffer more maybe. But still, in the end she’s on good terms with her dad and grandpa. That still okay for me.
- FL’s leads « family » and the ex + his family were so crazy and delusional. I was shock at time and it was something to watch. I was kept entertained
- perfect happy ending
- I was laughing so hard at the ex and the « sister » ending and when she showed up. The karma, he wanted her, he got her. Now a life of misery awaits them ahah got what they deserved
- the villain’s acting was so good, they were good at making us hate them


Some minus point :
- FL was kinda weak, got better towards the end
- I would have liked more romance, but since the plot is interesting and the revenge is more the focus, it’s okay. We still got sweets moments.
- I’m sorry, but ML’s wardrobe was hideous. It looked so bad for most of the drama.

Probably one of my favorite drama. I wasn’t bored, no unnecessary scenes and pretty satisfying. It keeps us hooked for more

Read More

Wow. This was surprisingly underwhelming. I started to watch at 2x speed after 15 minutes, because it was just so slow and boring. Nothing really happens. The scenes are terrible long, when it could've been way shorter, because they just look around. They meet pretty late in the first episode, so they waste a bunch of time where they could've built up and interesting connection. Both episodes have some flashbacks, which are stealing time again. Way too long and just unnecessary.

The story leaves me with a lot of questions, it's not even funny anymore. :'D a lot of things just doesn't make sense. I don't really get what the purpose of this story was.

The acting isn't really good.. the kiss was okay though. Well, thinking of the fact, that one guy throw up before they kissed, it's..not okay anymore, but who cares.

Read More

Worth it for 2 male characters

If you're into dramas that show men falling hard, then this one might pique your interest. However, it's important to note that there were more cons than pros overall.

On the plus side, the male lead (ML) was a refreshing change from the usual boyish characters, with his sexy deep voice and good acting skills. Additionally, the plot had its moments of interest, particularly in the second half of the drama. Hun Han also deserves recognition for his standout performance.

Unfortunately, there were several drawbacks. The female lead (FL) was not as impressive as the male actors and lacked passion in her portrayal of the character's feelings towards the ML. The chemistry between the FL and ML was also lacking, which made it difficult to root for the couple. Furthermore, the show suffered from inconsistencies and redundant episodes, and the low budget was evident in the limited use of set backgrounds. The maid character was also extremely annoying, as is often the case in costume dramas. Lastly, the epilogue failed to leave a good impression.

Overall, despite some brief moments of entertainment, the drama had too many shortcomings. Despite this, the ML's performance alone made it somewhat worth watching .

Read More

A LATER IN LIFE COMING OF AGE STORY ABOUT SURVIVAL AND LEARNING TO TRULY LIVE!

***DISCLAIMER: This is just my opinion. We don’t have to agree and I’m not here to argue with anyone.***

General Overview:

This is the story about a girl named Seo Mok Ha who lives with an abusive father. She yearns to be a singer in order to get away from her mundane life in the country. Like her idol Yoo Ran Joo, she aspires to relocate to Seoul and pursue her dreams as a singer. She enters Ran Joo’s singing contest with the help of a fellow classmate, Ki Ho. At first he doesn’t want to help her but then finds enjoyment in seeing her light up as she performs Little do they both realize they have more in common than they though. Ki Ho is also being abused by his father. Ki Ho has to submit Mok Ha’s entry on her behalf since she is unable to do so after getting badly beaten up by her drunkard father. When she finally wins the competition, she gets to meet Ran Joo in Seoul, but she has to figure out a way to get there because she knows her father won't let her go. Upon learning of Mok Ha's ordeal at the hands of her father, he offers her a safe haven and instructs her to knock on his window should she require his help. They make a plan to leave together however things don’t work out. Her father finds out that she attempted to flee to Seoul by boat and goes ballistic trying to find her and bring her back home. Ki Ho spots him and goes to distract him / ward him off however he is too young so he falls powerless to him and loses the fight. When Mok Ha’s father finds her he end up chasing her aorund the boat until they get into an argument. Seo Mok Ha falls overboard and her father jumps in after her.

Eventually, she regains consciousness after washing up on the shore of a deserted island. She soon learns that she is alone after finding her father's remains. We see a glimpse of her survival during the fifteen years that she is abandoned on that island. Fifteen years later, she is discovered by a crew cleaning up the beach on a deserted island while using a drone. After chasing the drone, Mok Ha is found by the crew and is later rescued and brought to safety. From then on, we follow her as she embarks on a quest to fulfill her childhood ambitions and locate Ki Ho, the love of her life and a long-lost friend. When she returns to Seoul, we watch her attempting to make her way through a world that is so foreign to her while she learns how to be an adult and grow up, fight for her dreams, and stand up for the people she loves. Amidst all of this, tensions build, people get hurt, secrets are revealed, and Mok Ha has to decide for herself what is really important and where her loyalty lies. She must ascertain if she possesses the necessary qualities to become a DIVA!

____________________________________________________


In More Detail (Spoilers Ahead):

This drama surpassed my expectations… I went into this not expecting or hoping for much. To say the least, I was not captivated by the first two episodes as much as everyone else. I found it extremely boring and struggled to find the will to finish episode 1 and 2. I would occasionally watch it, I got up to episode 4 then I stopped. Resuming, I binged the remaining 6 episodes when they were at episode 10. Then I was able to watch this drama along with everyone else when the last 2 episodes aired. For me the story started picking up in between episodes 6-9. But unfortunately this experience was nearly ruined / cut short because I saw a spoiler and was so irritated. Nevertheless I continued and I am glad I did.

Likes:

First of all, I think Ki Ho and Mok Ha's story was really brought to life by the young actors Lee Re and Woo Jin. They embodied their characters' anguish, despair, and desperation on film because they were so emotionally invested in them. I doubt the story would have had the same impact if any other young performers had played the roles. Moreover, their resemblance to the leads were uncanny! That casting and directing here was quite excellent.

I felt that Mok Ha's voice over and monologue gave this production and plot a lot more depth. There were many touching and heartfelt moments, and I believe Mok Ha took (as well as us viewers) could take away a meaningful lesson or message from each episode.

Park Eun Bin’s performance was really good. I particularly felt like she nailed the emotional aspects. I also commend her on her light hearted comedic country bumpkin-esque presence. She really had me convinced she spent 15 years on an Island. Her naivety was at times shocking but you come to realize she just has a good heart and always tries to see the best in people. But do not be fooled she is way stronger than she looks because of how much she had to endure for all those years on the island. As the story progressed you see how those events shaped Mok Ha into the strong individual she is today. I am a fan of strong female leads and it was interesting to see such a complex character grace the screen.

I really liked Bo Geol / Ki Ho… I was so impressed by Chae Jong Hyeop that i’ll be sure to check out his other projects His character was such a green flag and total softie at heart. When Bo Geol eventually tore down those walls and was prepared to let Mok Ha in, it was incredibly charming. Previously, I had always assumed that his icy demeanor toward her was him trying to protect her. I realize that later on he was either unable to hide his feelings or chose not to, which is why at times I felt he was acting a little too strongly or unexpectedly. I think that also explains Mok Ha's expression, as it caught me off guard numerous times.

The chemistry between Eun Bin and Jong Hyeop has to be discussed more. Even though it was just one moment, the intensity, tension, and passion were palpable on television. That kiss was the result of all those years of longing for one another, wishing, and praying that the other was okay, wherever they were. I couldn't help but smile and kick my feet, especially when it appeared like they could not get enough of each other and had no intention of stopping LOL.

The relationship between Mok Ha and Ran Joo was fantastic. They seemed like sisters to me. Sometimes Ran Joo was the elder sister, offering Mok Ha insightful counsel; other times, the roles were reversed, and Ran Joo was gaining a lot of knowledge from Mok Ha. It seemed as though Ran Joo's singing career was over, but with Mok Ha, she had a future in songwriting and producing/directing. They seemed to be mirror images of one another, with Mok Ha reminding Ran Joo of her past self and what it was like to be young, fresh, and ready for the world and all its opportunities. In contrast, Mok Ha Ran Joo was teaching her the importance of strength and determination in order to succeed in the industry. She made Mok Ha realize how important it is to put herself first rather than giving of herself all the time and then allowing other people to take advantage of her. In any case, you could sense their love for one another and that they only had one other's best interests in mind at the end of the day.

I also thought the competition between Mok Ha and Mo Rae made for an interesting dynamic. I definitely I rooted for Mok Ha through and through but I'd be lying if I didn't admit I eventually warmed to Mo Rae and I’m glad in the end they ended on amicable terms.

The assistant Yong-Gwan was sour at first but I liked his backstory as it gave us insight into his character. In the past he aspired to be an idol or celebrity but fell short due to lack of courage and being a pushover.

I have to say I enjoyed most of the songs although I felt the song Dream Us was played way too much. It got annoying so quickly in my opinion. The poignant ballads "Here I Am," "Until The End," "Someday," "Open Your Eyes," and "Fly Away" by Mok Ha are my favorite songs. I was particularly moved to tears by the last song "Fly Away" It was breathtakingly beautiful and just magical. I was really moved by Park Eun Bin's vocal performance. Mok Ha really slayed with that last performance and I was sold on her actually stepping into her destiny and becoming an idol / international sensation. When the song is finally released, I'll be listening to it on repeat because I loved it so much!

Dislikes:

To be fair, there’s not much I disliked. At times I felt like Mok Ha was too naive, trusting and easygoing and it made her seem like a pushover but at the same time – I’m glad she remained true to herself / who she's always been and did not let people’s influence or the industry pull a wool over her eye and change her / her morals.

I think the whole plot of Ran Joo and Mok Ha being outed on that live television broadcast was insane. I’m not sure how I thought she would have gotten recognized for her singing or for the truth to come out but I was not expecting them to go that route at all. It seemed like too many events revolved around that one singing TV show / set area. I wished there was a little bit more to it than just that.

The love triangle involving Mok Ha and the brothers was perhaps the aspect of the story that I found most irritating. It was superfluous, in my opinion, especially considering that Woo Hak had no chance at all because Ki Ho had been on her mind all these years. I felt horrible for Woo Hak, especially once he realized that he wasn't Ki Ho at all, after being misled into thinking he was. It was difficult to see him avoid Mok Ha, especially after he discovered that Bo Geol still harbored affections for her. Instead of arguing with his brother like we see in other shows, Woo Hak just wanted him to be happy, which is why he is such an amazing person! It's admirable, in my opinion, that he honored their decision and only wanted Mok Ha to be content, even if it wasn't with him. I literally teared up when his father consoled him after he admitted to having developed feelings for her. Like Woo Hak, I think that Mok Ha is quite endearing and gives others a sense of being seen and valued. Seeing Woo Hak go through that was difficult since, as previously mentioned, he is such a kind soul. Both brothers are such good guys who deserve the very best.

Additionally I feel like the father got off too quickly with such an easy death by suicide. He deserved to rot in jail and worse for all his crimes toward his so called “family” I really hated how he literally just walked up to Sang Doo in the middle of the street and stabbed him. That just made my blood boil… the fact that their family went through so much because of that psychopathic stalker and there was no real sense of justice was so heartbreaking. Woo Hak, Bo Geol and Ha Jung deserved so much better.


____________________________________________________

Quotes I Liked:

“In my eyes, you seemed to lack a lot. You lacked maturity, manners, and thought. You also lacked worries, gloominess, concerns, or reasons to cry. So whenever I looked at you, I was annoyed.”

“Become so famous that no one could dare mistreat you.”

“15 years ago, I liked her because of how much she lacked. She lacked worries, gloominess, and concerns. But she seems to be full of them now.”

“No one is cowardly or deceitful because they want to be. We all become desperate and make choices for our own reasons.”

“In life, it feels like the world mistreats you. And you take your anger out on the wrong person.”

“How long can a secret remain a secret? If we cover the secret under layers of lies, can we keep the secret from surfacing?”

“If you keep worrying about the future, then you’ll end up with just as many regrets down the road. From now on, I’m going to do whatever I want in that moment.”

“Relationships often change depending on the circumstances. We couldn’t share the same path in the past. But now, things have changed.”

“I’ll probably regret it a little. But I’d regret it even more if I never even try. At least for ten years, I’d be doing what I love the most.”

“They say failure is the mother of success. I’ll just take it as learning a lesson from another mother and move on.”

“It was all or nothing. Do or die. I made up my mind and jumped into the water. And then, before you know it, you’ll learn how to swim and you might be able to catch a ton of fish.”

“Let’s become the best at all costs.”

“I guess it’s true that givers create takers.”

“Why are you a taker? You’re a gift.”

“One person is lying to protect his children, while the other is lying to punish them. Then, which one do you think is the real father?”

“In life, you’ll learn that some people become happy over other people’s misfortunes. You’ll learn that many become jealous of other people’s success. That’s because when their lives become pathetic, they refuse to blame themselves. That’s why they blame it on others and want to bring them down. Because that’s easier.”

“When we almost lost dad, I realized not expressing your feelings can be the biggest regret in life.”

“There’s a sword in my hand so I might as well wield it.”

“Having gone through it now, I learned wishes don’t always come true right away. They don’t come true when you want them to. They take a long time. You forget about them, then suddenly, they come true.”

“Don’t cut ties just because you don’t like them. And don’t give up even if it gets tough.”

“Stay strong, endure it, and hang in there. Then one day, your wishes will come true in unexpected ways.”

“Let the failure of others become a lesson to you. Learn what you can and ignore the rest.”

“By replacing those answerless questions with other things to fill up the time, I survived one day after another.”

____________________________________________________

Final Thoughts:

In conclusion, I believe that the drama needed more romance and additional episodes. Although the kiss between our protagonists was beautiful, I thought there might have been more at the ending. The promise, tension, and chemistry were all there. Then again, maybe I'm just being greedy. Since Ki Ho and Mok Ha have reconnected as adults, I also wish their relationship had progressed further. It seems like we missed out on seeing them be an actual couple who hang out / go on dates and get to know each other all over again. Additionally, I also needed to see what happened with Ran Joo’s career, Mok Ha’s climb to success, the tabloids interfering with her private life and how she was coping with her instant fame etc.

Would I rewatch this drama? Yes, I think I’d rewatch it when the events are not so fresh in my head and if I had nothing else to watch. Again, it was hard for me to get into but I’m glad I stuck with it and waited for it to get better. If you told me a month ago I’d end up liking this drama as much as I do now I would not have believed you.

Overall, I think the difficulties were handled quite nicely. In the span of 12 episodes, Mok Ha underwent significant growth. Her monologues conveyed her emotion and heart, and I found her to be a rather trustworthy narrator. We had the pleasure of accompanying her on this coming of age journey and I just feel so blessed we got to see her transformation.

If you love mystery and intrigue with a dash of lightheartedness and sad/heartbreaking backstories, then I think you should definitely check out this drama. I adore how this drama strikes a perfect mix of comedy, drama, mystery, music, heartfelt moments, and excellent voiceover/storytelling to give us a glimpse into Mok Ha's mind. There are so many things to enjoy and you wouldn't want to overlook this drama at all.

With all that being said, I give this drama a solid 8/10.


Thanks for reading and happy watching! ❤️

Read More

Good at holding interest, even better visuals

This was my intro back to drama after quite a long hiatus and it set the bar pretty high. I went in with lowish expectations based on my experience of how 'revenge' dramas pan out in kdramas, especially when it's the FL pursuing the revenge. But so far, so good.

I like the way the story will weave between the past and present to uncover things gradually. The drama can take a slow, meandering pace in order to fully get things set up but its not unenjoyable. The story itself feels well thought out. It can be a bit dramatic at times but never veers too much into makjang territory. I do like how the characters have some depth in them; the antagonists, while evil, are not cartoonishly, 1D caricatures. The acting is very well done on everyone's part. Our FL really shines here and I am very much enjoying SHK's performance.

The drama has really good visuals and scenery. The music, while not really memorable on its own, does add well to the mood and vibe. Let's move on to Part 2!

Read More

I WANT IT TO BE 16 EPISODE TT_TT

First of all, i think i would be dissapointed if the drama end 12 episode poorly like the other famous 12 episode drama :( but i hope not.

4 episode, they build base of the story not strong enough, base story in joseon was explained too fast, so there are many missing part and flashback story, but i expect it would be explained between the storyline, because time travel always have story like this, explained back and forth.

Strange enough, the chemistry between mainleads like oil and water, it's separated but you can't detached each other easily.
Lee se young build her own character very well, rebellious woman in joseon era who missing her husband. Her unique character sometimes doesn't look well with Bae in hyuk but you want it more and more. I think i just need more their lovey dovey scene in joseon era T_T

Bae in hyuk definitely looks so handsome in hanbok (no one allowed to debate this), being an old bachelor, it doesn't matter at all, i would be in love being your bride hahahahaha >w< sorry.
But in modern times, bae in hyuk looks had lacking CEO aura, i can't distinguish his character with his step brother. His expression when have to act as CEO to fight his enemy that want to steal his position, i think it still minus, i expected tense scene between him and his enemy but i don't feel at many his "fight" scene. Sometimes it destroy my imagination when he had to act as CEO, but i love when lee se young lead the love story (chef's kiss), bae in hyuk can delivers his confused emotion very well.

Furthermore, the story line getting interesting in each episode, i don't feel boring too long, i genuinely waiting each episode with my sparkling eyes, time travel joseon to modern never fails, the clumsiness of joseon people to modern things never failed made me laugh. (A little spoiler, tbh i confused why lee se young character adapt so well with smartphone hahahaha)

Addition, if you had watched old drama "Rooftop Prince" starred Park Yoo Chun and Han Ji Min, i think The Story of Park's Marriage Contract is similar with that old drama. You allowed to have a good expectation romcom with this drama.

Read More

It could have been longer

I enjoyed this drama so much.
Loved the characters and the development of the story.
Sung Hoon’s character, Seo Do-kook, is another green flag, and Jung Yoo-Min’s, Yi-Joon, was so cute. Also, I loved Do-koo’s mother.
Hated the villains so, the did a good job.

My only complaint is that it was too short and felt a little rushed.
I haven’t read the webtoon, but I understand there were a lot of exciting moments and facts that didn’t make it to the TV series.
I loved how the relationship between them grew until he became her safe place.
The last chapter had too many commercial mentions.

Read More

nice idea, poor execution, could be much better

Castaway Diva[2023] - 8/10 -kdrama

I guess I am doing injustice to this drama with mine rating... Its just I see just too much of wasted potential.

From first 2 eps I was expecting drama with very interesting story about woman trying to :return: to society and maybe accomplish her past dream + obtain lower.

yeah all of this is in this drama, but its more like secondary focus? Primary focus is on classic story about family problems and bad past. Which just wastes premise of stranded woman. Drama Thirty But Seventeen was better in this theme.

plot - FL as high school student was fangirl of famous singer at that time, she got family problems with violent father. FL managed succeed in casting and obtained chance to become famous singer, but at way to Seul her father catch up and they both fell into sea. FL survived and lived 15y alone stranded on uninhabited island. After 15 y she was rescued and now she gotta get back into society.

genre - romance, comedy, music

Read More

What Is Wrong With My Princess is a well produced and performed revenge miniseries. The sequence of events advanced in a natural way and the actors, for the most part, did quite well bringing their characters to life. It is a revenge plot so the romance portion of it is gradual and subtle but the leading couple has great camaraderie as the female lead exact her revenge but there was not much in matters of the fluttering feelings of falling in love with your destined one. The antagonists did great as they were plotting together and their relationship as lovers was much more credible than the leading couple. It must be said that Mu Le En (as Murong Xin Er) brought her antagonist character of a rotten spoil wretch deluded from jealousy and hatred towards the female lead to high levels. The miniseries is well written and maybe, with lengthier episodes, the characters could’ve been more flesh out to intensify the revenge and romance of the leading couple. Overall, this is a nice production, enjoy it!

Read More