Reviews

A deep connection that transcends the social differences and prejudices of an era

'Suunjapbang', whose official title is 'KBS Drama Special 2023: TV Cinema: Suunjapbang / Joseon Chefs (KBS 드라마 스페셜 2023 - TV시네마 - 수운잡방 | KBS Deurama Seupesyeol 2023 - TV Sinema - Suunjapbang)' tells the story of the noble Kim Yoo (Yoon San Ha), a scholar belonging to the nobility who during the Joseon Dynasty writes the ancient manuscript of traditional recipes "Suunjapbang", a text passed down as a family heirloom by the noble and exalted family of the Andong Gwangsan Kim clan, which contains culinary secrets ranging from exquisite liquors to gastronomic delights.
Known for directing 'Drama Special Season 12: Between' and 'Drama Special Season 12: Oddinary Goods', as well as the series 'Into the Ring' and 'Bad Prosecutor', filmmaker Choi Yeon Soo brings us a story that recreates how it comes about. This legendary recipe book, which with 121 types of foods and drinks is not only a culinary gem, but also a Korean national treasure that has stood the test of centuries.
To bring the story to life in images, the South Korean director has a script written by Jo Soo Yeong ('Drama Special Season 3: My Wife Natree's First Love') and Kim Ik Hyun in his debut as a screenwriter.
In this way, we will follow in the footsteps of the noble Kim Yoo, whose only ambition is to keep alive the family tradition of passing the national civil service examination. However, his path takes an unexpected turn when he crosses paths with those of Gye Am (Kim Kang Min), a passionate chef who calls himself the best cook in all of Joseon. This charismatic and energetic character will challenge the deepest convictions of Kim Yoo, who at the risk of his own life will not be afraid to confront his brother or the emperor himself when he has to protect his Master in the kitchen.
Initially surprised to learn that the cook at the memorial service at Amchungsa Temple where he arrives to concentrate on his studies is none other than Gye Am, soon Kim Yoo begins to search for the life he truly wants as he immerses himself in the world of gastronomy.
'Suunjapbang' (by its romanized name) explores how the passion for culinary art can transform lives and awaken forgotten dreams. The bond that develops between the noble family's second son and the wandering food enthusiast in charge of the Buddhist temple kitchen unfolds amid the culinary intrigue and challenges of a traditional society.
As the two young people immerse themselves in the search for exquisite flavors and innovative dishes, they also discover a deep connection that transcends social differences and the prejudices of an era.
Set in the majestic Joseon dynasty, this historical drama transports audiences to a world where gastronomy and love are surprisingly intertwined.
'Suunjapbang', which adds ingenious imagination to historical events, wins the Best Film award at the 13th Gyeongsangbuk-do Video Content Scenario Competition. The film is also intended to mark the grand finale of KBS' film project 'Drama Special 2023-TV Cinema'.
Kim Kang Min, who I absolutely admire after meeting him in both seasons of the LGBT+-themed romantic drama 'To My Star' and their respective films, adds dramatic fun to the film as a lower-class person with a passion for cooking.
For his part, thanks to the special appearance as Kim Yeon, Kim Yoo's older brother, actor Baek Sung Hyun, with a soft but strong charisma, brings depth to the team of actors while unleashing a series of events that will test the family ties.
I like how the film hints at a possible romantic relationship between Kim Yoo and Gye Am. From the very beginning of the film, the viewer is able to understand that the character played by San Ha is different from the others. Since childhood, Kim Yoo prefers to enter the kitchen of her parents' home before engaging in age-appropriate games.
Likewise, the discussions with his father and, above all, with his older brother, give the public room to perceive how homosexuality in the young man can be very real. Kim Yoo has always been seen as "the weak link", the "fragile child" who had to "accept his defects."
On the other hand, the relationship between the two protagonists, their meetings in the temple kitchen late at night, their night walks near the river, their tender and suspicious interactions, give rise to comments among the other young people residing in the temple. buddhist. For everyone else, Kim Yoo "is in love with a man."
I understand the alarm and concern among the other characters, if we take into account that the Goryeo Dynasty, of Buddhist tradition, focused more on the glorification of the individual, and there are many records that recognize that members of Buddhist orders, nobility and even royalty expressed their attraction to people of the same sex.
An example of the above can be found in King Mokjong (980-1009) and King Gongmin (1325-1374), who had male lovers called chajewhi at their service. The latter, after the death of his wife, created a state body dedicated to recruiting young boys from all over the country to serve in his court.
However, with the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty, the situation of homosexuality changes. This dynasty adopted Neo-Confucianism, a much more conservative tradition, which exalted the importance of family and community, so homosexuality, as today, was considered taboo, especially among the nobility. In the historical aspect, it is worth highlighting the fundamental ideological points of Confucianism in terms of gender, which still has an important weight in Korean society. These are gender hierarchy, marked sexual roles and sex segregation.
It would be healthy to point out that during the Joseon era in rural areas homosexuality existed. This is recognized by historical documents that record, for example, how popular music and show companies, known by the word namsadang, were made up exclusively of young men, even minors, who toured the towns, markets and special festivals to put on shows. full of acrobatics, juggling, tightrope walking, masked dance theater, music and other circus games.
Because artists such as singers or actors were often looked down upon at that time, namsadang troupes recruited their members from orphans, children of poor farmers, and sometimes even through kidnapping. Since they were not well paid and were often offered only food and lodging, and a small amount of money, these boys and young men, on many occasions, had to earn a living through male prostitution.
In short, the troupe of young actors, musicians and puppeteers could have functioned as a homosexual community, with each member taking the role of Sutdongmo, "tomboy", or Yodongmo, "queen", as Stephen O. Murray recognizes in "Homosexualities" , published in 2000 by the University of Chicago Press.
Although with other objectives, 'The King and the Clown', by Lee Joon Ik and filmed in 2005, portrays the relationship between two popular actors, the boisterous and macho Jang Seng and the calm and feminine Gong Gil, and how jealousy and anger They erupt in the king's mistress, the palace ministers, and in Jang Seng when the famously hedonistic emperor of the Joseon dynasty turns his full attention to Gong Gil.

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Slow paced but you feel closer to the cast

*NO SPOILERS*

I know what you think, slower must be better as you get to know everyone a bit deeply so it must be good? I'd tend to agree with this perspective a lot but this TV reality show has been dragged a bit too much for my liking.

Episodes length are from 1,5 hours to 2,45 hours and there are 15 of them. Obviously for someone that want to enjoy a long show are pleased but I felt they should've fast forward 50% of the content.

Overall setting: The exes are brought into one nice big house, they can't tell at first whom is their ex and go on a long journey of either dating new candidates or trying to get back to their exes. This is definitely interesting to know each of them, to know how their are hiding the secret of exes and connecting to new people. I have to say I really liked most of the cast and was rooting for them to either get back together or reflect on themselves and noticed they aren't meant for one to another.

Throughout the days the participants would have to text a person they like anonymously but sometimes it would be revealed depending on what the production intend to do. That is really about it. There would also sometimes choose to whom they want to go on dates and learn about one of another. I haven't really felt like there were a lot of "drama", "actions", "tensions" that you might see in another reality TV show. I don't feel that the participants were challenge a lot to get out of their comfort zone.

I'd say this show is like a very slow paced Terrace House with only one big difference is you are living with your ex.
You see them drink coffee, sleep, be drunk, cook, sometimes just be on the couch doing nothing. Imagine being filmed inside your house doing your daily thing after work but sometimes you get to chit chat with either a new friend or your ex, that is the best resume I can get you.

Too slow for me, participants are sweet or annoying, not much happening but if you want a background show while you're scrolling your phone this might. be for you.

Not interesting enough to watch season 2 and 3.

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It Was Okay

So, this one took me a while to finish. I actually watched the first episode when it was initially released, but something about it didn't make me feel like 'Oh, I am looking forward to the next episode'.

I think off the bat what I was underwhelmed with was the introductions of not only the new generation, but the reintroduction of the Suparburoot Jutathep (SJ) characters especially the couples and great grandma. This was probably what I was most looking forward to the most before the series started - how they were going to show off each parents' personalities and how maybe their kids are the same or not. But the SJ characters don't seem like their originals and I get that they are all now older and parents, but being a big fan of the original, it was a shame that it wasn't really shown much. It got a little better as the episodes went on, but still it was just okay.

And that also goes for the new generation, especially the sons. There wasn't anything special about their introductions or even to show what their personalities are. I was surprised that them just being in a room together was everyone's intros...again, I can't help but compare to the SJ series and how strong of an introduction it was for each brother and each of their future wives. Chat ended up being a breath of fresh air when he popped into the last few episodes, but at first I wasn't even excited about that, lol. Cause again we weren't really introduced to these characters well enough imo.

The main couple was again okay for me. I don't think they had romantic chemistry, but their scenes together weren't terrible either. But that really can't be helped when the FL is written to barely think about the ML especially in a romantic sense. Yes, romance isn't a big part of this one, but because of it being rare, that's when there should be moments of it where it should just then spark! But that doesn't happen here. And at the end of the day, this series is mainly about how the couples start and end their journeys. So, it should be an important factor.

The main story didn't really keep my attention. And man was that a really big loop to make the connection of how Laorchan is Thewaphrom. But the last couple of episodes were probably the best overall for me, those I did enjoy a lot more. I think I would only rewatch certain scenes rather than whole episodes. And the acting was good, nothing terrible.

I know a lot of people thought the first series in SJ wasn't the best, but it's honestly one of my favorites, lol. I think it's mainly cause of Great and Preem for me, I really liked their chemistry. So, this being the start so far is a little disappointing. But it looks to be picking up so, onto the next!

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Queen of Tears Is Yet Another K-Drama That Doesn’t Stick the Landi

✅It's A Below Average Drama With Amazing Performances and Decent To Good Cinematography With A Generic RichA$$ Makjang K-Drama Plot.. But Bruhh I Wasn't Expecting This Sh!t At All.. See It Was A Most Anticipated Drama From Makers Of CRASH LANDING ON, VINCENZO and MY LOVE FROM THE STAR.. + It Was Comeback Drama Of One Of My Favourite Actor Kim Soo Hyun.. So Obviously I Had Very High Expectations.. But It Turned Out Hell Boring Drama With A Bland, Lazy, Draggy Yet A Predictable Screenplay and Direction.. With Dead And Cliched Chemistry Of Main Leads.. + There Is Hardly Even 10 Mins Of Plot In Every 1h30mins Episodes.. I Can Point Out Much More But Let's Not Go There.. It's My Opinion And You Guys Might Have Different Opinion, I Totally Respect That.. But For Me It Was Biggest Let Down.. I'M DISAPPOINTED, DISHEARTENED, DISPLEASED and Uh.. That's It, Goodbye Queen Of Trash

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What is the sense to show the year 2074?

Only for the dialogue that stated ,if anyone of the two leave then other one wil reach to them .
There were several scenes that touched the audience deeply. For instance, when the husband, after deciding to divorce his wife, discovers she is dying, he chooses not to divorce her out of pity. He realizes the depth of his annoyance with her but decides to stay by her side during her final moments, which secretly brings him happiness.

Additionally, I found the chemistry between the second leads more captivating than that of the main leads. Especially, Hong Soo Cheol's performance was exceptional; he was truly outstanding.

Another memorable moment was when their love story finally began to unfold.

The subplot involving the female lead, who was the owner of a shopping mall, and her struggles to save it, added depth to the story.

Despite many engaging scenes, something felt lacking in the overall storytelling.

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Slice of life but make it end of the world

Unpopular opinion, i really liked this slice of life with an end of the world background they gave us.
Yes it's not a massive action dystopia where the earth get destroyed (and the biggest mistake was probably to sell it as this) but you can't tell me there is nothing to keep here.
Chatacters are really interesting with deep struggles and emotions. They are well developed and complex. It's a philosophical show with a lot of themes portraying humanity and its duality. It questions power, religion, forces, family, relationships, loss, despair, love.
Yes the construction is a bit ambitious (like the impossible heir) but i'm getting tired of people hating on a drama after zero minute watched. I understand people can dislike when the storyline goes back and forth with different timelines and cuts but when the story makes sense and the acting is that good I personally find it ok. It's just different and i feel like ppl are too much used to do something else while watching so they can't handle changing povs.
I loved the girl soldier, the children, the relationships between ahin's and eunjin's character. It blends social constructions , for example children behaving like adults bc they will never become one, marriage, pregnancy. There are huge blanks in the story it's true (we miss the whole yunsang's POV because of those cowards and it creates holes in the story) and they probably had to fill in with length or side characters that can be boring from time to time BUT besides this i find the storyline makes sense and it's interesting unusual and beautiful.
Love language and touch is this drama is BEYOND INCREDIBLE. I never saw such emotions pictured and it was heartbreaking (acting performance from the couple deserve an award). Once you detach from the apocalyptic movie you were expecting and if you focus on small things , you'll see there is a lot to take from this. The counting of days before the asteroid hit the ground is slow paced but I liked that it wasn't a story about a hero trying to save the world and escape his fate.
There's a also a hard work both visually and musically. Ost are so good. From The last of us to The Leftovers, there's a beautiful story here about connection between human being.
Yes I am mad and disappointed bc of what it could have been. And I ache thinking of what they did with Yoo Ahin and that we won't see him anytime soon. But i'm also very surprised by the angle they chose here. The flashbacks show us a lot of the chaos that happened in the past and the greed of people which let the characters with big traumas. And we face their fear and surerending in the present. The last ep was very moving like others scenes throughout the show (the end of ep9 is so sad i could kms) The ending is questionable but overall this is an enjoyable story with impactful scenes. I hope some people will make their own mind and stop focusing on reviews and group effect

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You never know people fully

An ex-prosecutor, mother and lawyer lost her husband in a car accident. Apparently he met his death in a cliff and the police believe that he committed suicide.
She faces debts and many dangerous situations, but the biggest surprise comes when she discovers that her husband is alive and not at all the good guy he seemed to be. Kidnapping, twists, lots of bad news... all ingredients of this series.

Revenge is the key word and I won't say anything else.
The plot was quite well constructed.

Great wife! I admired this tough and intelligent woman. Even she was scared, she faced situations head on.
I also like the character of her prosecutor friend.

The end of 9th episode seems to be the conclusion of the series, in the meantime there are other "troubles".

I found it right that the series was made up of 12 episodes and not 16.

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I was promised food..

This may be one of my lowest rated J BLs. Sucks when something promising turns out that way. Nevermind that it was riddled with clichés like the returning ex, subpar communication, break ups over silly reasons just to reconcile, no, the biggest problem I had with this was somehow none of the above.

It was the leads. I still can't figure out why they liked each other, except for a small love at first sight moment. What came after was a cute beginning which then dove into the cliché landfill, only to come out with underdeveloped characters and an underwhelming relationship. It certainly didn't help that one of the male leads was so hot and cold, he was sure of what he wanted, until he wasn't.

Now all of this could have been slightly salvaged, if they had chemical. IF. They did for a while, too bad it was just in the last couple of episodes. It's a jump from not being able to understand why they like each other to believing they do, and it just didn't work.

I'm not really angry about the lack of food, (although it would have helped the rating) because there were tiny moments I guess. It sucks though, because I can appreciate a good love at first sight story, but they didn't quite nail it here.

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Best example of how much fun and thrilling maths and puzzles are

Wow just wow.
All the genius and brilliant contestants, giving their best to solve puzzles and quizzes. when at last Hyun-bin said that after entering med he forgot his purpose, that one hit home. I think throughout my degree I forgot that passion, that competitiveness I had in highschool and I'm graduation soon. This contest made me realize how much I loved those things and how much I still am capable of it. I think it'll give the boost, motivation, and just some spirit to everyone who watched it.

But srsly everyone were soo good , like genuinely just soo brilliant and good I'm beyond amazed.

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"Queen of Tears": A Heartrending Journey Through Emotion

"Queen of Tears" truly lives up to its title, evoking a torrent of emotions from viewers with each of its 16 gripping episodes. From moments of joy and fury to romance, clichés, and, most significantly, heart-wrenching scenes that leave audiences in tears, this drama delivers a rollercoaster of feelings.
The stellar performances by leads Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won, and Park Sung Hoon, along with the compelling supporting cast, keep viewers captivated until the very end, pondering over the characters' fates. While the ending may be bittersweet, the impact of "Queen of Tears" is unforgettable, leaving a lasting impression on all who watch.

Don't miss out on this emotional journey; I highly recommend diving into the world of "Queen of Tears"!

#Queenoftears
#kdrama
#TVING
#Netflix

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Chemistry between Leads made it work

The story is ordinary, nothing over the top. It's lead chemistry that made it so much popular.

Loved Lee Young Jun house.

Lee Young Jun is arrogant, full of himself, narcissistic, egotistical, loves to praise himself, but he has a character development throughout the drama. There is a reason why he is like this. But he is considering a person who thinks about others, who will suffer alone but won’t let others.

Kim Mi So is Lee Young Jun's secretary who does all the work for him, from selecting his dress to his daily schedule. She is hardworking, workaholic, sharp witted, quick at work, has solutions to everything. In short, she is an all-rounder.

I laughed at Lee Young Jun expression when Kim Mi So & Go Gwi Nam were running together & everyone telling them to date & him being so jealous.

It was funny when Lee Young Jun got scared to see Kim Mi So in flash face in dark.

Loved Lee Young Jun & Kim Mi So silly arguments.

It’s sweet how Lee Young Jun sends Kim Mi So away whenever his brother comes to visit him. He is scared that his brother will take her away from him.

I laughed so much when Lee Young Jun pushed Kim Mi So chair when they were going to kiss, later on, her reaction & his scared look.

Lee Young Jun always noticed Kim Mi So & liked her. There’s a reason why he hired her. He never forgot their promise.

Loved Lee Young Jun & Kim Mi So awkwardness at the beginning of their relationship. They weren’t able to get out of their boss & secretary phase.

Laughed so hard when Kim Mi So sisters were bad-mouthing Lee Young Jun & him listening to everything with those expressions.

I appreciated it that Kim Mi So asked Lee Young Jun if it was okay for her to go & sort everything out with her brother.

Lee Young Jun helped Kim Mi So in every way without her knowledge.

Kim Mi So expression when Kim Ji Ah was bad-mouthing Lee Young Jun. I thought Kim Ji Ah character would go after Lee Young Jun. She will be creating misunderstandings between them & all, but thank god she is a positive character.

I laughed so much when Park was explaining to his ex-wife about the situation & both Lee Young Jun & Kim Mi So expressions.

Everyone’s reaction when they saw Lee Young Jun & Kim Mi So hugging each other.

It's sweet how Lee Young Jun had a nervous breakdown on his wedding day.

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