May and June Drama Reviews 2023 June 17, 2023

May and June Drama Reviews 2023

Oasis

During the 1980’s in the Jeolla Province there is Lee Do-Hak (Jang Dong-Yoon) who comes from a poor family but is really smart and well liked person. He is friends with Choi Cheol-Woong (Choo Yeong-Woo) who comes from a rich family and they meet Oh Jung-Shin (Seol In-A) who has transferred from Seoul and they both have a crush on her. There is a death that changes their lives forever and set them on completely different paths.

I think this drama had potential to be a great drama but somehow it always seemed like something was missing to make me get really sucked into this drama. I found it strange because I tend to cry really easily in dramas and can really empathize with the characters but yet in this drama I found myself watching scenes and thinking I should be tearing up and crying and yet the tears didn’t come. The only time I teared up was at the funeral scene. I found myself not really liking any of the characters they all seemed immature and frustrating. I think Choi Cheol-Woong was one of the worst characters and he was so obsessed with attacking Do-Hak all the time I just couldn’t like him one bit and never felt sorry for him even once. I should have felt sorry for Do-Hak and yet I didn’t, maybe the way he handled things seemed so cowardly. There were so many unlikable characters in this drama and I didn’t really feel good about any of them and I just couldn’t connect to any of them. I have to say though Oh Man-Ok (Jin Yi-Han) was really the scene stealer in this drama, I think all the main characters seemed so immature to me that when Man-Ok would come on the scene he really commanded the scenes and somehow made me like him more than the main characters. I think because I had zero sympathy for Cheol-Woong so when Man-Ok was somewhat hurting him it didn’t really bother me.

I think the ending was also just strange how they just glossed over everything and they could go back to their friendship. I feel like the drama had a focus on all these other characters like Do-Hak’s sister story line was pretty useless they might as well have just not had it in there because I wasn’t sure what the point of it was and it seemed to be that way with other characters. Also they completely glossed over the resolution of what happened with the crimes that happened in the drama. It felt like I got whiplash watching the last episode and I am so confused about how everything was resolved without much explanation. Also if you think this was a romance drama you will be disappointed it does not focus much on the love triangle or at least it doesn’t really focus much on those relationships.

It was still a decent drama if you like action, criminal and gangs type themes and there is are some fun twists and turns throughout the drama. It was still pretty entertaining and interesting and it doesn’t have much of a lull it is pretty fast-paced and exciting throughout all the episodes. There are frustrating elements but overall it was a decent drama that will keep you well entertained.

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse

This drama is about Yoon Dan-Oh (Shin Ye-Eun) who is running Ihwawon Inn that isn’t doing that well and she is trying to convince scholars who are coming to take the exam to become a official. She doesn’t have much money and finds out she has an old family debt and the only way that she can to pay if off is to find Lee Sool who is the oldest son of the deposed prince. Some of her scholar guests join her in searching for this man. Kang San (Ryeo Un, Kim Shi-Yeol (Kang Hoon) and Jung Yoo-Ha (Jung Gun-Joo).

This is a entertaining and well done historical style drama with a good ending. I like there was a mystery that kept you guessing in the drama and you have to keep thinking about who is the missing prince. I am happy that they didn’t just follow the normal plot of palace politics of the old officials plotting against the king and you only really see it from the King’s perspective. This drama was different the King was evil and we were given no sympathy for the man. I like the twists and turns of the drama and thought it was a great ending. Even though it had many serious moments it also had some silly and funny moments too that was pretty fun.

The one thing that bothered me in the drama was the sister and how she acted, like her pain was the only important thing and it seemed really selfish to me. Everyone has problems and she acted like the person in her life was completely innocent and that he did nothing wrong when in reality it is much more complicated then that. I don’t think that she should have had a happy ending if she is just going to treat people badly because of her pain. The romance was cute at times but I didn’t really feel a strong chemistry from the leads though. There was some unrealistic moments in the leads love line that just seemed off to me. I also think they didn’t need that many episodes, it seemed a bit long and yet it still was pretty interesting even to the ending.

I would recommend this drama, and I think this was a well done drama especially for a historical type drama. It wasn’t just the typical drama from the point of view from the King and the nobles scheming against him.

The Law Cafe

This drama is about Kim Yoo-Ri (Lee Se-Young) who is a lawyer that likes to fight for the underdog and take on cases that seem impossible but tries her best to use the law to help those underprivileged. She starts a Law cafe where people can come in for a coffee and a consultation. It is also about Kim Jung-Ho (Lee Seung-Gi) who very intelligent and used to be a prosecutor and is currently unemployed and lives off the rent of his building that he owns. Yoo-Ri and Seung-Gi have known each other since high school and she starts to rent his building for her cafe.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch another law drama since this year there has been many but I decided to watch it anyway. I thought that they definitely did a good job in keeping the law and the cases interesting and that it didn’t get boring. There was a good balance between the personal lives of the characters and the cases that they took on so the drama didn’t get boring. There was a lot of interesting cases and heartbreaking ones. All the cases were pretty interesting and they left an impression on me and they were pretty memorable. It had a good balance of humour and seriousness in the drama and fun characters. Even the bad guys were excellent in their roles. I think the acting was very well done.

I can’t say I was super excited about the romance in this drama, I don’t know why I just couldn’t buy the chemistry of the leads. I didn’t really get any heart fluttering moments in this drama and actually found their bickering to get on my nerves sometimes. Also I get that Yoo-Ri was supposed to love fashion and being different but honestly some of her looks were distracting and seemed out of place for the context of what they were doing especially in serious moments, maybe it was just me though. I thought they would do more of a story ending with Seo Eun- Kang and was kinda disappointed that they never followed up with a love line for him.

Overall this was a decent romantic comedy with a great ending and consistent writing and acting. I would highly recommend if you love this genre!

Shooting Stars

So I finally got around to watching this drama as it has been out for a while already!

This drama is about Oh Han-Byeol (Lee Sung Kyung) who works for an entertainment company as the PR team leader and her job requires her to clean up after celebrities and the mess they get into. It also stars Gong Tae-Sung (Kim Young Dae) who is a famous actor at the same company and his favorite past time is giving Han-Byeol a hard time after she made a mistake toward him. It also focuses on the different workers at the entertainment company like the PR Team, managers, lawyers and reporters. It gives a glimpse into the world of managing celebrities.

I really liked this drama, it was easy to watch and was interesting with the large cast and had lots of side stories mixed into the drama. I really liked the humor and comedic timing in this drama and was thoroughly entertained in every episode. They had some interesting mysteries and tosses and turns though the drama that keeps you invested in the drama. This drama really has everything you want in a romantic comedy!

What I didn’t really like in the drama was at times how Tae-Sung acted towards Han-Byeol, he really treated her badly and I don’t feel like he properly apologized and made amends for the things that he did to her. I feel like it is the idea that “Oh boys will pick on you when they like you” and they say this to girls to just tolerate the behavior. I wish he would have shown some growth or maturity and properly acknowledged his poor actions towards Han-Byeol and built a relationship on something with more substance and she definitely glossed over his behavior as well. I found this dynamic to be disappointing in the drama. I also had a hard time buying the relationship between the two managers, it just didn’t seem like a romantic relationship to me and for some reason, it bothered me. Unfortunately the problem with fame and dating doesn’t really get resolved in the drama it seems like Han-Byeol has to basically suck it up and deal with the fame of dating Tae-Sung and doesn’t really offer any solutions on how she can overcome this struggle.

Overall it was a great drama that had a great ending and it feels like they tied up the loose ends. I would highly recommend this drama if you love a good romantic comedy!

Upcoming Dramas

Queen of Masks

This drama is about some women that used to be friends until a murder happens and one of them is framed for it. They come together 10 years later to figure out the mystery of what happened that fateful night and how to exact revenge.

All That We Loved

It is about two teenage boys that are the best of friends and have supported each other through the worst times. Go Yoo ends up donating his kidney to Go Joon Hee and they meet a girl that they both seem to develop feelings for.

Oh! Youngsim

This drama is about childhood friends that have misunderstandings between each other and meet up many years later and one is a CEO and the other is a PD on a dating show and end up on the show together.

February, March and April Drama Reviews April 13, 2023

February, March, and April Drama Reviews 2023

Strangers Again

This drama is about Oh Ha-Ra (Kang So-Ra) who is a divorce lawyer but is also divorced herself. Her ex-husband Ku Eun-Beom (Jang Seung-Jo) wants to come and work at her law firm even though he was the one that cheated on her and why they got divorced. They are forced to work together and work through their past whether they want to or not. Things get very heated and also between the other lawyers in the office.

I think this drama had good acting and chemistry between the actors and I think the plot was interesting and the cases they work on are definitely unique. I think this drama had a lot of shock value and the problems they get themselves into was a fun ride to watch. I really liked watching the relationships and characters and just watch them work things out. I think it was a fun drama to watch and it felt somewhat different then the typical meet cute, fall in love scenario. Things are messy and emotions are conflicted and it just felt there was a lot that could have been done with growth of the characters. I feel like it had a realistic vibe where the characters have damage/trauma that they can’t really get over with the power of love. It also delved into the topics of having kids and what do you need to be fulfilled in this life. I think the drama had a lot of potential to be a really good one.

Unfortunately the biggest problem with the drama is the ending. I would say it is not a happy ending and feels somewhat rushed compared to the rest of the drama. I know that a lot of people were upset about the ending and it erred on the too realistic to how relationships end up. I just decided that I was going to leave it with an open ending and that they will likely end up together eventually but that was how I going to leave it in my mind. I didn’t find myself being as upset as other people as I still enjoyed the drama despite the ending. I think they should have had Eun-Beom get help earlier then he did in the drama and have them work through their problems instead of doing that easy way out ending. Other than the ending, I don’t really have anything that I disliked about it, it was entertaining and it felt a bit more unique vibe with their cases and themes in the drama. I really did enjoy it and would say check it out if you are interested but don’t be expecting too much out of the ending!

Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist 2

This drama is a sequel to Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist and I think it would be hard to watch the second series without having watched the first season. So it is the continuation of the story of Yoo Se-Poong (Kim Min Jae) who is a royal physician who can’t do acupuncture because of a traumatic experience he had and he continues to fix people especially those that need help with their heart and mind. It starts off with an unusual case in the royal palace and Poong has to fight against the royal physicians to figure out the case. Eun-Woo has been separated from the clinic living with her parents but she has continued to write letters to everyone and is going to come back to visit. They continue to solve cases and struggle with their feelings for each other as she is a widow and because of social customs it makes it hard for them to be together.

I think it was enjoyable drama even though it seemed to lack a bit of story with the main characters. The drama also doesn’t really explain why a widow isn’t allowed to marry and it would get frustrating because they focused a lot of time and energy on this problem in this drama. They just take turns self-sacrificing for each other trope. I didn’t mind the new and different cases that were done but it didn’t feel justified to do a second season. I really find it strange since there are many dramas that people have longed to have a second season for but I doubt anyone would have really demanded a second season of this show.

It was a decent heart warming tale but I didn’t really feel or were touched with some heart fluttering moments. I just didn’t feel the love between the two of the leads and it just felt somewhat forced. I found the side stories more interesting and the people that they met and their mysteries to be the reason to keep watching this drama. It is a decent drama with a happy ending that will leave you satisfied. There were interesting elements in this drama but as a whole it still felt like there was something missing.

I would say it is very similar to the first season and if you enjoyed that, I would definitely watch the second season.

Our Blooming Youth

Warning this may contain spoilers

This drama is about Min Jae-Yi (Jeon So-Nee) who is framed for the murders of her entire family and she finds her way to Crown Prince Lee Hwan (Park Hyung-Sik) who has been sent a ghost letter cursing him. Jae-Yi begs him to help her and he agrees after she tells him that she will help him with the mysterious letter as she is very smart and helps him solve some suspicious things going on around him.

I did enjoy this drama but I think I had high hopes for this drama and was a bit disappointed with the drama. It had a lot of episodes so I was also kinda sad the way that they wrapped up the ending so quickly, they had plenty of time they could have given us more than crumbs for the ending. I also am unhappy with how they just skipped over the whole Jae-Yi’s family murders and didn’t really flesh out well the reason for the murders. I don’t know if I am just confused about it, but the whole gravestone being such a great clue seemed silly to me. A gravestone of some names doesn’t really seem worthy of killing an entire family over, first of all people can change their names and how are you going to really prove it. Secondly, why not just get rid of the evidence instead of killing a whole family, I feel that will draw more attention to this problem then anything. So overall I found the reasons somewhat confusing and the ending felt rushed and things or rules just change so suddenly. Also they try to explain all the supernatural things but the whole hair turning white overnight because they got hypnotized was just so bizarre and the weird fish was a little bit over the top in ridiculousness. Of course with all palace dramas the old men trying to steal power from the king trope is been done to death in dramas.

I enjoyed the drama and characters and enjoyed the effort into trying to make a more interesting political palace drama. I found the romance to be cute and I wish there would have been more of love triangle with the Sargent and that he would have found her earlier but overall it was good. I also appreciate a happy ending and it was satisfying to win against evil. Overall it was a decent drama but I don’t feel it as anything really new or exciting that would make it an unique drama. It also really gave me love in the moonlight vibes with the Jae-Yi dressing as a eunuch for most of the drama. It felt like a mish mash of different historical type dramas but nothing really stand out for me. People also felt like it was a very slow-moving drama which I don’t always mind but it did seem slow at times. I still did enjoy it even if there was problems.

It was a decent drama and I would recommend if you love historical dramas!

Fanletter, Please

This drama is a short drama with only 4 episodes, I would say it felt more like a movie. It stars Han Gang-Hee (Sooyoung) who is a an actress and is facing a crisis because of rumors and her image plummets. It also stars Bang Jung-Seok (Yoon Park) who has a daughter who has cancer and is a huge fan of Gang-Hee and sends her a fan letter and it ends up helping Gang-Hee.

This is a cute drama and I can appreciate it more because it was fast-paced and they get right to the point because of time. The acting is good, the kids are cute and it was pretty decent for such a short drama. I enjoyed it, it was interesting and was a fun watch. The one complaint is they never explain what happened to the mother of the child. I don’t know why they don’t make it clear because I thought we would get an explanation at the end but it was never explained. The drama doesn’t go really that deep and kinda skim over the trauma that the characters face but I understand they don’t have time.

It was a cute short drama that is easy to watch!

Bad Prosecutor

I also decided to watch this drama it stars Jin Jung (Do Kyung-Soo) who has a strong sense of justice and has no problems doing what he thinks is right to solve the case as a prosecutor. This drama felt unique and felt somewhat refreshing for a law drama as I felt like there have been many in the last while. I liked how Jin Jung approached things differently and just tackled them head on even though it may not always the best method but he really got things done and was decisive. I thought I may get bored with the subject matter but yet the cases were always interesting and was always action packed. I was pretty impressed with this drama, I loved the twists and turns and shocking reveals. It really feels like it needs a second season but there has been no news released about that. I liked the side characters as well and how they get into trouble for Jin Jung.

At times it felt really unrealistic like Jin Jung being blamed for the murders and evading capture and then the next day it could all just disappear and the way he beat up people. I don’t think you have the authority for that even if you are a prosecutor. There isn’t any romance in this drama, not that it is needed but there was a bit of flirtation so that felt like a loose end. I think overall though this is a fun ride and pretty entertaining to watch Jin Jung go after the bad guys!

I would recommend this drama for anyone that loves the unconventional hero !

Catch Up My Prince

I watched this Chinese drama about Lu Ran Ran who is an intern doctor and is told to join this game by one of her patients and she gets trapped in the game. She has to finish one of the routes to be able to leave the game and her life could be in jeopardy if anything happens to her in the game. She is a laundry maid and has to find a way for one of the main characters which are princes to fall in love with her. She falls for one of the princes but can’t seem to get his love score up.

I thought it was a fun drama with many characters and just the rules of the game really made it interesting if she has to finish a different quest and it just felt more unique than a typical love story. I have to say it really sucked me into the story at times and found it to be refreshing and interesting way to approach a drama.

I did find the ending to be kinda of a let down since they don’t spend much time in the real life and how to move past the game. Also the reason for things going wrong is due to the “bad guy” and his reasoning is a bit silly and his motives are kinda convoluted. I think they could have a done a better job of building up the story and given it a stronger base and ending.

Overall it was a fun drama that was easy to watch and one I didn’t take too seriously.

Upcoming Dramas

Oasis

During the 1980’s in the Jeolla Province Lee doo Hak and Choi Cheol Woong are friends in high school that are looking for fun when they meet Oh Jung Shin who recently transferred and they both have a crush on her. A death causes the world to change for Doo-Hak and Cheol Woong and one of them is sent to prison.

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse

It is about a young woman running a guesthouse and she and the other renters try and figure out where a missing royal has been so she can save her home!

December and January Korean Drama Reviews 2023 February 12, 2023

December and January Korean Drama Reviews 2023

Curtain Call

The first drama is Curtain Call it is about Yoo Jae-Heon (Kang Ha-Neul) who is a theatre actor who come from a humble background but is passionate about acting taking up odd jobs. He gets an offer to play the long lost grandson of Ja Geum Soon. It also stars Park Se-Yeon (Ha Ji-Won) who is the granddaughter of Ja Geum Soon who is the founder of the successful Nakwon Hotel chain. Se-Yeon wants to save the hotel from being sold as it represents who her grandmother’s dreams of waiting like a lighthouse for her husband that got separated in 1930 when the Korean War broke out and she came to South Korea and her husband and child were stuck in North Korea.

I think the plot of this drama was really interesting and heartfelt at times, it was fun to watch them act and get caught in different kinds of moments that they had to act their way out of to keep it going. I thought it had good pacing and was exciting and when you thought it was getting slow it would pick up again. I would say this was a decently entertaining drama. It has a good ending and most questions are answered. The story is so heartbreaking of the grandmother and her family that it really created a memorable feelings when watching the drama. It is a slower drama but I liked watching Jae-Heon be accepted by a family and seeing him want to tell the truth and just try to become a better person.

The only thing was the romance story line was pretty weak and not really adding much to the story. It was also a strange idea because he is paying to act as her cousin and blood related so in my mind it was an awkward thought to make it a romance. I would have preferred if the romance happened between Jae-Heon and his fake wife rather this his supposed cousin. At the same time it doesn’t really going there into romance since it is an awkward relationship so they just kinda introduce it more at the ending. I also found it strange the relationships between the siblings and grandparents and even the later reunion it felt a bit lacking, I was expecting a bit more warmth and love but it was a more strained feeling to me. Also I found the characters to be a one dimensional, they don’t really get to the heart of the matter. Also with the one brother that wants to see the hotel they don’t really get down to the reason why he wants to see. I mean I understand but I don’t really see the emotions that he is feeling and feel they could have done more deep dive into the characters and motives. I feel they could have given the real grandson more screen time and more into his character since he seemed to be the most interesting one of the whole drama.

It was decent drama that may be a bit anti climatic but has a decent ride!

Summer Strike

The second drama that I finished was Summer Strike. It stars Lee Yeo-Reum (Seol Hyun) who goes through major life changes and decides to quit her job and go live somewhere out of the city for a year with her savings. She ends up in a small village and meets the local librarian An Dae-Beom (Im Si-Wan) who doesn’t like talking to people and is shy around new people but is a very kind person. Yeo-Reum ends up renting a building that used to be a billiard business and it in poor shape she struggles with fitting in this small community and others want her to leave. Dae-Beom helps her and eventually she is able to help him as well.

This drama was my favorite this time around, it is quirky and interesting and just has the right mood and feeling. It has really good pacing the drama gives you something super sweet and then will hit you with some darkness and unhappiness and then hits you with some sweet again. All the characters are flawed and really imperfect there is no sugar coating any of them. The grandmother is not doing a good job of dealing with her alcoholic son and the way the characters treat Yeo-Reum especially at the beginning really shows their flaws, yes it does get better over time and this feels like a realistic way of showing characters.

Dae-Beom and Yeo-Reum tend to be taken advantage of since they are nice and helpful they are used by people with motives and agendas. It doesn’t matter if Yeo-Reum leaves her job and comes to a small community essentially she is met with the same problems. Even if you think you can run away it isn’t really possible since the same issues with plague you anyway. I think when they meet each other they are similar and are able to treat each other the way they would like to be treated. They can find some healing within themselves by being in each other’s company. It really hits me in all the feels and really like the feel of the drama and the way they interact with each other just seem like a warm blanket, I would say for me this was a comfort drama. Yes the world is a dark and scary place but it also can be a warm and beautiful at the same time.

My only complaint is that the drama is too short it only has 12 episodes and it really could have had more to share the story. I feel like I need more at the ending and it feels too rushed to have a strong conclusion, it just leaves you wanting more.

I highly recommend if you like mystery, slice of life and quirky love story dramas!

Reborn Rich

The third drama that I finished was Reborn Rich. It stars Hyeon-Woo (Song Joong-Ki) who has worked for the Soongyang Group for more than 10 years and has been treated like a servant to the family and it has been abusive. He then gets falsely accused of embezzlement and is shot while his is on a business trip overseas for the family. When he wakes up he is Soongyang family’s youngest grandson Jin Do-Jun and he decides that he is going to take revenge on the family and take the Soongyang Group for himself and to ruin the recent of the family.

This drama seemed to be getting a lot of hype so I decided to watch it even though for some reason I am not a fan of Joong-Ki, I don’t know why I feel this way but I tend to avoid his dramas. I started watching this one and it was interesting for the first couple of episodes but I felt it had a lot of boring business talk in this drama that I found hard to follow. I got the gist of what was happening but it had a lot of focus on business more than I was expecting. I think it was also hard because we never really knew what Hyeon-Woo’s plan really was or really got into his head to understand him better. I don’t really even get exactly what revenge he wanted other than being the owner of Soongyang Group. The love story was also really weird and neglected in this drama it seemed somewhat unnecessary since it was such a flat and boring relationship. I just found Hyeon-Woo’s character to be somewhat flat and just didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I also thought it was really weird that he didn’t try and do anything for his original family in that timeline. He could have supplied them with all the money that they needed through some anonymous means but he does practically nothing. Then with the current family he seems so disconnected and seems somewhat guilty with them. He acts so blah in his relationship with the love interest as well. It kinda seems like who are you doing this revenge for? Himself? Does he only really love himself? Somehow he becomes more unlikable to me as the drama goes on. The ending feel like there is plot holes and just anticlimactic and somewhat confusing. It kinda feels like what was the point of this drama.

I did like some of the plot of the story that was interesting when he is battling against the family. The family had some really great moments when they are fighting against each other and Hyeon-Woo pulling the strings. When things don’t work out for the family it feels somewhat satisfying and the best relationship to watch was the grandfather and Hyeon-Woo and to see if he was going to be accepted. It was a decent drama to watch but there the ending feels pretty anticlimactic and not really one that I was excited about.

Check it out if you like business dramas where the small guy fights against the big guy in the business world!

New Life Begins

I watched a Chinese drama called New Life Begins which is about a fictional kingdom of Xinchuan and it is about a Li Wei who is forced to come to XinChuan for marriage selection and she tries to get out of it by not being the most elegant or educated but she still get chosen by Yin Zheng who is the 6^th prince. The 6^th Prince keeps a low profile and doesn’t want a wife that will give him power or strength, he wants to do it with his own ability. They end up together and she has hopes that she will be able to leave soon and go back to her hometown.

This is a pretty fun drama that has some interesting themes of getting women more rights and has a somewhat feminist feel to the themes. It has some cute funny moments but there is also some sprinkled dark moments that come with the problems between the princes. It is really interesting because they travel to different parts of the kingdom and there is different rules there regarding women and their rights in different places. It is about Li Wei trying with the help of her friends bring about real change and Yin Zheng being able to help her along the way and work together. Honestly I think their relationship is one of the healthiest ones that I have seen in a long while. I have a lot of good feelings when I think about this drama.

At times it did have some draggy moments but it would usually pick up again so I think that is the only thing that bothered me about this drama.

I really enjoyed this drama, it felt consistent and well paced. I loved the humor and silliness along with the warmth. I recommend this drama if you like romantic comedies!

Upcoming Dramas

Strangers Again

This drama is about two lawyers that are divorced but are starting to work at the same firm together. They are familiar with each other but also don’t get along and yet make a good team when working on cases.

Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist 2

So this is a second season of Poong and he is still unable to do acupuncture and he gets reunited with the same crew to solve some more psychology based cases where they learn to heal the heart and body. He has to fight against the Royal Medical Academy because he is a threat to them.

Our Blooming Youth

It is about the Crown Prince who thinks he is under some kind of curse and there is plots against to make him seem incapable of being crown prince. He meets Jae Yi who is from a prominent family that gets murdered and pinned onto her. She goes to the Crown Prince to help prove her innocence.

December 12, 2022

October and November 2022 Korean Drama Review

Gaus Electronics

Gaus Electronics is a comedy drama that is based on a webtoon with the same name and the episodes were shorter more like 46 minutes than the regular 60 minute run time. It also only had 12 episodes so it was a shorter drama than most. It is about the team members of Marketing Team 3 of the home appliance department at Gaus Electronics. It stars Lee Sang Sik (Kwak Dong Yeon) who is pretty good at his comedic role and he is a man that a bit dense but very positive and causes problems on the team on a regular basis. It would seem that this team is the underdogs of the company and with their hijinks they deal with love, career and friendship within the office.

I thought this was an interesting drama since not many dramas fully go in the comedy arena the last one was probably the Welcome to Waikiki series. It is a quirky and silly drama that has its own unique charms that make you want to keep watching. The actors were all good at playing their roles and nothing seemed too over the top that it feels cheesy but the story and acting were all good. I didn’t get bored since the drama was shorter.

The one problem is that the drama is too short, I am sure that the webtoon had way more material so I am not sure why they made it so short but I definitely felt like the ending was just too sudden and they were not given enough time.

So if you want a funny drama on the shorter side this is the perfect drama.

Mental Coach Jegal

This drama is about Gil Je Gal (Jung Woo) who is a mental coach after he had his own traumatic experience being a apart of the National Taekwondo team and eventually became permanently banned from returning as an athlete. He returns to the national team as a coach because he wants to help a Cha Ga Eul (Lee Yoo Mi) who is a struggling short-track speed skater and is in a slump.

Okay so I thought this drama would be about counselling others and be somewhat more of an inspirational drama but it really wasn’t what I was expecting. I was really disappointed in how they first of all portrayed the coach for the short-track speed skating, he was really abusive and everybody knew he was and they just kept as the coach. All the things that he did wrong and they would just keep him, it was disturbing that he could keep his job after everything was known by his boss. I also feel like they didn’t really explain enough about the sport in the drama and how much teamwork is needed in the sport. If you want to watch a good drama about speed skating I would recommend To Fly With You which is a Chinese drama. I feel like since I watching that drama I was able to understand the sport in this drama but I think I would have been confused if I hadn’t watched this drama first. The second thing that drove me crazy was the female sports counsellor Park Seung Ha (Park Se Young) everything that she did and thought was just so annoying and wrong. She would always tell Je Gal not to get involved with any of the problems the athletes were having and it was like how could you just sit still when the coaches are abusing the athletes. It was like she should just quit if she is not going to actually help any of the athletes. She also was Je-Gal’s counsellor at one point and she said the most awful and wrong things to him as well. She is really one of the worst characters of this whole drama and am still frustrated by her just thinking of her.

The love line is really just messed up in this drama, the age difference is too much and not to mention it is completely disturbing when a counsellor or coach starts dating their client. It is crossing so many boundaries and this was not what I was expecting when I started watching. You don’t date someone you are counselling, seriously I couldn’t believe that they went there and not to mention she looks like a child even though she may be in her twenties it just was not sending out good ideas with this drama.The reason that he is helping her is because he sees himself in her and even though he realizes this he still decides its okay to be with her. It also started getting pretty boring at the end with the whole politics and trying to catch the bad guys. I also didn’t find it very inspiring or was emotionally attached to any of the characters in this drama.

I don’t really have any positive feedback for this drama, I would avoid this one if you don’t want to be completely frustrated!

Love is For Suckers

This drama is about Goo Yeo Reum (Lee Da Hee) who is a variety tv producer and she is struggling in her love life and her career. She has her best friend who is also her neighbor Park Jae Hoon (Choi Siwon) who is struggling in his career as a doctor and they are comfortable in their friendship. Yeo Reum runs into trouble with her variety show that she is working on and has to recruit Jae Hoon to be on the dating show she is working on.

I thought this was an entertaining rom-com that kept me interested and had lots of characters to keep the story interesting. It was interesting because it was a show within a show type of drama and it felt like it had a different vibe after a couple of episodes. I would never watch those reality type dating shows like the bachelor but it was more interesting to watch it within this drama. We got to see what was happening behind the scenes and I mean its scripted within a drama so we aren’t expecting anything to be real. It was an interesting dynamic and felt fresh and not just a typical Rom-com.

I like Yeo Reum’s character in the show, she is strong and at some point shows that even though everyone thinks she should be married and accept everything to fit the mold of society she doesn’t accept this answer and chooses her personal happiness. She chooses what she thinks is best even if other people around her don’t like her choices. Jae-Hoon I feel like his presence in this drama was overshadowed by Yeo Reum character, he feels more like a sideline character, you get the feeling that she doesn’t really need him and maybe the chemistry is a bit lacking. Normally Si-Won in dramas his character is quite silly and has a strong presence so it felt strange to see him so subdued. He did good but it felt like he wasn’t himself but it was probably more that he had different character than normal for him. I think they also brought up important themes within the show, so it not just fluff but I don’t know if they really gave some of these themes enough time and attention to address them properly. It still surprised me that it went to these serious places at times.

I didn’t really like Chae-Ri who was the other PD for the show, I mean her character is pretty messed up and I guess I feel more sorry for her than anything else. She had family trauma and to deal with it she would just sleep with people as a one-night stand. This is super unhealthy and destructive behavior and they really should have shown her going to get help.

Overall this was an interesting and great rom-com with some serious themes! I would recommend watching this drama!

Seasons of Blossom

This drama is based on a webtoon with the same name and is a short drama as it is a web drama so the episodes are shorter than a normal dram but there is still 16 episodes. This drama is about a group of students that are currently going to Seoyeon High School and it focuses on Yoon Bo Mi (Kang Hye Won) who is a popular student and wants to protect her friends even if it means not allowing herself to be happy. It also stars Lee Jae Min (Kim Min Kyu) who is dealing with a lot of emotional pain from past events. It also goes into the past with Han So Mang (So Ju Yeon) who is a student teacher at Seoyeon High School as she remembers her painful past when she was a student and has to come to terms with the suicide of her boyfriend at the time.

So this is a very sad drama as you know the suicide is looming in the story the whole time and it is devastating to think about it when you watch the past. I knew this because I read the webtoon but it is still so sad when watching this drama. So if these themes are triggering for you I would not watch this drama as it deals with a lot grief and sadness. I would be careful watching this drama in general if you can’t handle these sad themes. The final episode was really the most sad and really it felt painful.

In the present the high school story is much cuter and not so dark and thought everyone did a great job in acting and it was surprising light-hearted even though there is still so much sadness in this drama. Also the story felt a little different than the webtoon because they focused more on So Mang and she was never a student teacher. Even though they changed some details it still felt like they did a good job and was very authentic to the webtoon. The one thing is that the webtoon is much longer and therefore the drama feels unfinished compared to the webtoon.

This drama is going to break your heart but was still enjoyable to watch!

Shadow Beauty

This is another web drama that is based on a webtoon with the same name but I haven’t read the webtoon. It stars Koo Ae Jin (Shim Dal Gi) who is not considered beautiful and feels ugly and is being bullied at school. She has developed a secret world where she utilizes makeup and photo editing to run a popular social media account called Genie. She keeps this secret to herself but one day she gets a message that someone is aware of who she is and that they have a untouched photo of her.

This was a very intriguing and addicting drama as you want to solve the mystery and it really sucked me in and wanted me to keep watching. It has a strange vibe with all the girl wearing the same type of style and looks like bad wigs but I am not totally sure. The story does get somewhat weak after a while but it still was interesting to watch. I think part of the problem since it is a webdrama they had to rush the story and didn’t give the same backstory time with the characters and developing the story in the same way a webtoon is able to because they have time. It was an easy watch and was pretty entertaining.

I mean it was still not very convincing that Ae Jin is ugly but at least they didn’t just give her glasses! Honestly I also didn’t really get her being and becoming friends with her bully, it was too fast of a change but again they didn’t have time. The fake genie story again didn’t have enough time to do that justice and so it felt really rushed and weird. Also if this fake genie is so pretty in real life why wouldn’t she just build a brand on social media as well? She really didn’t need to pretend to be someone else, she could have easily done well on her own. It has some interesting themes and was a fun ride.

I would recommend if you want a short, easy drama to check out!

Upcoming Dramas

Curtain Call

It is about Ja Geum Soon who owns a large hotel Nakwon and who is nearing the end of her life and she wants to be reunited with her family that she lost when she was separated from her husband and child during the Korean War in the 1950s. Her assistant hires an actor to play the grandchild that she wants to reunite with to make her happy before she dies.

Summer Strike

It is about a young woman who runs into problems with her personal and career and then gets hit with a tragedy and decides to quit her job and ends up in a small seaside village and meets a gentle and quiet librarian who keeps helping her in her embarrassing moments.

Reborn Rich

It is about a man who has been a loyal secretary to the Jin family who run the Soonyang Group and ends up dying after being betrayed and he is brought back to life and wakes up inside the youngest member of the Jin family. He decides that he will take revenge and takeover the Soonyang Group.

Sighilovekdramas October 25, 2022

September and October 2022 Korean Drama Reviews

Today’s Webtoon

This dramas stars Ma- Eum (Kim Se-Jeong) who used to be a judo athlete, but wants to transition into a different job after suffering an injury. She uses her passion and love for webtoons to eventually get hired at a struggling Webtoon department and becomes an editor. It also stars Goo Jun-Yeong (Nam Yoon-Soo) as a newly transferred employee into the webtoon department, he doesn’t understand what he is doing there as an editor but starts to fit in after working together with Ma-Eum.

This drama did a great job of keeping the story interesting and something with depth. As someone who likes to read webtoons, it was interesting to see the work that goes on behind the scenes to create a webtoon and the mechanics of it. I really liked how it was a big cast and they showed the different characters and the problems they face as artists, editors and managers. It really kept the momentum of the show going and the different way they could solve problems was interesting. I was also surprised at the depth that they went into with especially Shin Dae-Ryuk’s character and it was interesting understanding his thinking and his past. I think this drama is an embodiment of the underdog spirit, they know they are fighting for their life but they keep their belief and are able to accomplish what was considered impossible. I really like these type of stories because it feels hopeful. It is nice to watch a heart warming drama that makes you feel good which this drama did well.

What I didn’t like was that the ending was good but it seemed to lack impact and the love lines kinda got lost in the mix of the drama. I am not sure what they were trying to do, it seemed for a while they wanted a love triangle and then took a sharp left and then just kinda left it hanging. I think the romance department was pretty lacking and to me if you don’t want to commit to that then it would be better to just omit the whole love line sequence in the drama altogether. I don’t really have much complaints about this drama. I thought it was very good and I connected with the characters and felt the story was interesting and didn’t find myself bored in the drama.

I would recommend this drama if you like heart warming and office style dramas.

Poong The Joseon Psychiatrist

Poong is about a physician Yoo Se Poong (Kim Min-Jae) that was famous for working for the royal family but gets kicked out the royal court and he has become unable to use his needles due to trauma and eventually finds his way to a doctor and a bunch of misfits that work there. He starts to work as a doctor that instead of using acupuncture to heal people he learns to treat and people’s mental pain that is affecting their physical bodies. Just to warn everybody that there is plans for a second season and this was planned from the start so the ending is a definitely a cliffhanger, so don’t go into watching it thinking that everything will be wrapped up at the end.

I am a sucker for dramas about acupuncture and psychology and they have mixed the two in this drama. I thought it was a very well made drama the way they told the story and the way they treated each patient was interesting and was always a mystery that needed to be solved. Of course they had greedy officials which I find very tiring in the historical type dramas but at least the story and plots were somewhat more interesting than the typical way they try to be evil. I also really liked the misfit group of people and enjoyed the humor that was sprinkled throughout the drama. I really liked the feel good aspect of the drama and enjoyed the characters and humor. I thought it was interesting to see dealing with mental health in historical type times since I haven’t really seen this be done before I thought it was a fresh perspective .

What I didn’t like about this drama was the chemistry was a bit lacking between the male and female leads. It didn’t ever really give me butterflies or twinges that they were meant to be together. This could be because they were planning a second season so they wanted to leave something to be explored in a second season so I am not too bothered by this aspect about this drama.

I would recommend this drama if you like medical/psychology type dramas

If You Wish Upon Me

This drama is about Yoon Gyeo -Rye (Ji Chang-Wook) a man that has lived a rough life and has found himself having to volunteer at a hospice for causing an accident. He starts to change as a person there after he gets involved with volunteer team leader Kang Tae-Sik (Sung Dong-ll) and Nurse Seo Yeon-Joo (Sooyoung) and their team that grants wishes to those who are dying. For the first time Gyeo-Rye starts to understand how to be truly happy for the first time even when having to face death head on.

This is a great drama if you need something to sob uncontrollably to something. I didn’t know if I could handle watching this drama since in almost every episode there is death or dealing with really tough situations. I kinda wanted to give up after an episode or two but somehow it was still interesting and I wanted to keep watching even if I ended up with a headache from crying to this drama. I though Chang-Wook did a great job which I was surprised because I didn’t really like other dramas that he was in but I thought he did a great job in this one. I liked how they showed the different people’s last wishes and it kept it interesting even though it was heart breaking.

What I didn’t like was some ideas they had in this drama was unrealistic, I don’t want to say too much but it had to do with a coma patient. Also I don’t really get how they can work and live there as volunteers, it is somewhat strange concept to me also is there enough money for a wage especially as they are volunteers. Again I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the two main leads, it was a interesting dynamic but I didn’t really feel the spark between them, they seemed more like brother and sister to me. They have cute moments but I never really got the passionate love between them more of a familial type love to me.

This is a tear jerking drama that is somewhat unrealistic but has heart and I would recommend it!

Good Job

This drama is about Eun Seon-Woo (Jung II-Woo) who owns Eun Kang Group one of the largest companies but does undercover work and loves disguises while he searches for his mom’s killer. He is doing it undercover and has to deal with snakes within his company since everyone wants his downfall. It also stars Don Se-ra (Kwon Yuri) who was born with hyper-acuity and is able to see farther than anyone else. She is caring and wants to take care of her family that was with her together in the orphanage. She works odd jobs and runs into Seon-Woo and he gets her onboard with his work and they make a great team investigating.

I think this was a fun drama with a bit of mystery and romance. I think I appreciated the humour aspect of it and the drama didn’t always take itself very seriously and that made it more watchable. I thought the main leads had good chemistry even though it seemed like they never kissed or got very romantic even at the end. They seemed to hold hands and hug a lot more which seemed a little odd by the end but I didn’t mind it, it was cute. It has a good ending and it seemed like they were hinting at a second season which could be interesting but I am not dying to second season or anything though. Honestly the plot twist was pretty good and had me fooled.

I am not sure I loved Yuri’s acting or if it was her character, I just found it lacking somewhat for the main lead but it wasn’t terrible or anything. One thing I thought was not great was the disguises that they would wear, they acted as if they were very good at going undercover but it was pretty laughable most of the time.

This is a fun romantic comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously and I recommend if you want a light drama with some mystery.

Upcoming Korean Dramas

Gaus Electronics

This is an office comedy about the workers in Marketing Team 3 which is a team that other workers look down upon. It focuses on love friendship and corporate life that is based off a webtoon.

Mental Coach Jegal

This is about a former Taekwondo athlete that learned a hard lesson and became banned from the national team and in the present became a mental coach that helps other athletes get out of slumps and mental hardships to be able to compete again.

Love is For Suckers

This is about two friends with a 20 year old friendship that are struggling with love and work. Yeo-Reum works as PD and is struggling to keep her show alive and Jae-Hoon is a plastic surgeon that has lost his spark for his job and is working to make money.

Seasons of Blossom

This is more of webdrama and is based off the webtoon with the same name. It is about love and friendship in a high school class. It is about love and painful pasts with each other.

sighilovekdramas August 27, 2022

July and August 2022 Korean Drama Reviews

The first drama that I finished was Dear M. This drama has been delayed for a long time because of bullying rumors regarding Park Hye-Soo. Unfortunately this drama won’t be airing in Korea but is being aired for international viewers on Viki. It is a college drama about a group of students that take a photography class and someone confesses secretly and no one knows who it is about. It stars Cha Min-Ho (Jaehyun) who is good at developing apps and has been best friends with Ma Joo-A (Park Hye-Soo) who is a 2^nd year in Business Administration and develops a crush on a guy but has never been in a relationship. It has stars Park Ha-Neul (Bae Hyun-Sung) who just switched majors to computer science and is in a relationship with Seo Ji-Min (Roh Jeong-Eui) who is a student in the Economics Department and is star member the cheering squad and they are considered the perfect campus couple that everyone is envious of. This is a pretty cute drama and is based off of a webdrama Love’s Playlist that I previously watched so I didn’t expect too much but it was better than the webdrama.

It was really likeable drama with cute characters and was focused on the beginnings of love which seemed a little immature but it fit the vibes of the youth drama so I thought it fit. I really enjoyed watching them and it was interesting and cute at the same time. They really sucked you into the story with dealing of the first crush moments, jealousy and being rejected. You could really feel the emotions and frustrations with each character. I think the drama did well in playing on the emotions. The anonymous crush aspect of the drama gets really pushed aside I think and they don’t use that aspect to its full potential and you kinda forget about it. I still liked the twist at the end and I was starting to think it was something like that but I won’t give it away. I liked that it was a easy going and just heart warming.

I don’t think I think I can complain about too much with this drama, it was a bit cheesy at times but I still found it very lovable and relatable and engaging. Sometimes they seemed really childish and silly but it still gave me all the feelings of love.

If you love college and young love dramas I would recommend Dear M.

The second drama that I finished was Yumi’s Cells 2. It is a sequel to the first drama so I would recommend you watch the first one before you would watch the second season. It keeps the same cast as the first one, it stars Kim Yu-Mi (Kim Go-Eun) who is the female lead. It also stars Yoo Ba-Bi (Jin Young) who is the same as the first one and is the one that recognizes Yumi’s talent and has her transfer to the advertising department at work. Obviously Ba-Bi becomes the male lead in this second season and does an amazing job of sweeping Yumi off her feet. This drama is following the webtoon very closely and unfortunately it ends on a cliffhanger and I think would be very disappointing for the fans that have watched the second season to not complete it with a third season just like the webtoon.

I honestly thought they should have speed it up a bit through the story especially if they aren’t planning to make a third season because it sounds like they have no immediate plans to do a third season which I find is disappointing to hear as it feels incomplete especially if you have read the webtoon. So I found it somewhat lagging and then kinda speeds up at the end which seems weird to skip over pivotal moments but waste so much time in less important moments. I wished they would have spent more time with Ba-Bi’s cells or other people’s cells. I feel like first season had more interesting cell moments then the second season. I also started to get annoyed with the character of Yu-Mi, she doesn’t say enough of what is on her mind to her significant other. I feel like if she would have addressed her issues more straightforwardly she would have saved herself a lot of grief and hardship. It seemed like she hardly talked about anything important when she is dating it seemed like it was shallow relationship at least through the second season. I think that is why it badly needs a third season so we can see Yumi as her true self with a loved one and become the best version of herself when she is in a relationship.

I really liked getting to know the inner workings of the mind and even deciding on what words to say can be a process and isn’t always straightforward. It has all the charms of the first season and all the cells personalities which of course keeps it interesting. It was a bit lackluster compared to the first season but it is decent and didn’t get boring it still had me curious about what was going to happen.

I would recommend this drama if you have watched the first season!

The third drama I finished was Why Her? It stars Oh Soo-Jae (Seo Hyun-Jin) who is a talented lawyer in one of the most prestigious law firms, she gets caught up in a scandal and is forced to work at law school to get out of the limelight with all the fingers pointing at her. She meets Gong Chan (Hwang In-Yeop) who is her student but he remembers her from his past when she was his lawyer and believed in him. It also stars Choi Tae-Guk (Heo Jun-Ho) who is the chairman at Soo-Jae’s law firm and is morally ambiguous and always needs Soo-Jae to clean up his messes. I usually don’t want to watch lawyer dramas but I thought since it stars Hyun-Jin and Hwang In-Yeop who was just in True Beauty and stood out that it would be a good drama, unfortunately I struggled to watch this drama.

I didn’t care for all the politics and constantly old men talking about trying to get ahead and doing bad things and getting away with whatever they want, it got pretty tiring. It felt too long with all these issues and the story could have finished much quicker, it felt draggy. I really hated the love story, it was one of the worst ones that I have seen in a long time. I thought I would like Hwang In-Yeop since I liked him in True Beauty but his character was just terrible. They made him soo boyish with his looks and the way he acted. It was bad enough it was a Noona drama but they made him so childish and unappealing I was shocked. They wrote his character in a terrible way and even when he had been betrayed he was like that doesn’t bother me, I’m not even mad and it was just so unrealistic and unreasonable. I would cringe every time they would do the romance line I started skipping over lots in this drama, old people hanging out and the romance line. I think it was the writing because I literally found myself feeling dead inside while watching this, I don’t think I even teared up once while watching this which is strange because there was plenty of sad scenes.

I have to say it did pick up in the last two episodes when they start revealing truth and the revenge starts happening and it did have interesting mysteries that needed to be solved which kept me continuing on to watch it but there was a lot of elements that just need unnecessary.

If you are wanting a lawyer drama that has a noona loveline you might like this drama, but I personally feel like you can find a better one than Why Her?

Upcoming Dramas

Today’s Webtoon

It is about a woman who has quit being professional in the sport of Judo. She loves webtoons and decides to apply at a Webtoon department and finds herself thrown head first into the world of being a webtoon editor and the struggles that she will go through trying to succeed in a world that is unfamiliar.

Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist

It is about a doctor in the time of the Joseon Dynasty who is talented and worked at the palace but gets kicked out and ends up in a small village. He gets mentored by a middle-aged doctor to learn how to have more compassion and understanding and there he meets a young widow who is forced to remain faithful to her deceased husband.

If You Wish Upon Me

It is about a man who has had a horrible life as a child and then as an adult can’t stay out of trouble and gets ordered by the court to work at a end of life care facility for the terminally ill. He slowly starts to change while working with the staff that try to grant the patients their dying wishes.

Good Job

It is about a rich businessman who in secret is a master of disguise and has a detective agency where he solves crimes. He meets a woman who has gift of vision and wants to recruit her to work at his agency.