Castaway Diva

Castaway Diva??

So first off all this is hands down one of the top 5 best kdramas I’ve watched this year, the casting was amazing and my fav CHJ did amazing 😻. I will say that the abusive dad storyline was dragged out abit and it was really getting on my nerves just for him to off himself gosh😒 but anyway overall I really enjoyed the first ep hooked me and the child actors did amazing. Each character was likeable apart from the biological dads but most of all my favs mokgeoli couple~so cute!! But we were deffo robbed of so many more romantic moments but at least we got a kiss they had such good chemistry💞💞. I hope that the rating for this drama will increase I think it deserves at least an 8.8! However again really enjoyed it and hope more projects like this come and yh I enjoyed it😭

Read More

I wished for a good drama, and this delivered in an unexpected way

Just finished watching it and will definitely rewatch it again. Yes, it was THAT satisfying. By the end, even though there were still unlikeable characters, they were at the very least understandable. I also felt that the songs used to propel the drama forward were appropriate for the scenes where they were used. My favorites were Someday, Dream us, and Night and day.

This drama was not perfect by any means. There were some things that were irrational if you examine them closely but then again if you do, then it will lose the emotional edge. Since the drama gave a balanced reality and fantasy I felt it deserved a perfect rating.

To be honest, I only watched this after about half of the series had already aired because I thought a story of an "old" singer would be boring. But since I really liked Park Eunbin in her earlier works, I gave this a go and ended up chasing the drama.

This is about Seo Mokha. Accompanied by her friend, Kiho, she set out to audition for Roo Ranjoo, her favorite singer. Unfortunately, she got separated from him and was stranded on a deserted island for 15 years before she was finally rescued. Can she meet Kiho again? Can she still go after her dream when so much time has passed?

The kids that played Mokha and Kiho nailed their roles. They seemed vulnerable yet resolute. I look forward to their future projects. The side characters and their stories were also a nice touch. I also liked the 'who is Kiho' mystery though it was pretty obvious. The Kiho reveal and their reunion was one of the show's highlights for me. The girl bonding between Mokha and Ranjoo was also good. I think there were 2 castaway divas in this story, one was Mokha who was physically stranded and the other was Ranjoo who was emotionally cast away. Both became overcomers.

Just a touch of caution, this tackled domestic abuse. Also, there may be times that you can see Extraordinary Woo Young Woo since Eunbin is playing a society awkward person. If those are non-issues for you then I definitely recommend watching this drama.

Read More

SO MUCH MORE THAN WHAT I EXPECTED ♡

Wow, I cannot believe this has ultimately reached its end, six weeks went by in the blink of an eye. Castaway Diva is so much more than anything anyone expected. Emotional and heartbreaking from the very first episode, it set the tone right and never disappointed once ever since. Even when one thought the main or side story could get messed up or disappoint viewers, it managed to prove us wrong.

The characters were beautiful and raw. Mok Ha and Ki Ho left such an impression from when they were school kids on Chunsam Island that it was impossible not to feel for their story and cheer for them to have a happy ending. They both went through so much even as they grew up and as adults, so I was the happiest when they finally managed to let go of their worries and finally be happy together with the people they love the most. Woo Hak/Chae Ho was always such a scene-stealer, his goofy and straightforward personality lit up the scenes in more ways than one. The Kang (or should I say Lee) brothers' love and support for each other and the way they had different ways to express themselves was one of the highlights of the drama. They are so different in personality but that's how siblings are, it was so relatable. They were so funny and adorable and I am going to miss seeing them onscreen together. The supporting cast was brilliant, every character was built on different human emotions, you could understand their motives, fears and moves and that is what made these characters human and relatable. Ki Ho's father is the only character that I despised the most but hats off to the actor, as these feelings only come out when an actor manages to portray them well, Lee Seung Joon is always such a versatile actor. On this note, a big part of this drama was its actors, and Park Eun Bin once again proved why she is the amazing star that she is: I have watched almost all of her dramas and she is such a talented actress, she portrays her roles with such diligence and perfection and this time she even sang so many songs for the OST and this step further made her shine in the role of Seo Mok Ha, as it is her voice and the facial expressions that made it such a delight to watch. I don't miss any of Chae Jong Hyeop's dramas as well and once again he charmed us with his eyes and amazing smile, the best Ki Ho we could have ever gotten. His facial expressions and acting are so captivating and I am so excited to see his future lead roles, he is a fantastic actor. It was my first time watching Cha Hak Yeon and Kim Hyo Jin and now I want to check out more of their works, I loved them so much: they were rash and almost selfish in so many instances but I can't fault them as these actions made their characters unique and real, and as actors, they were brilliant in portraying them.

A special shoutout to the child actors, Lee Re and Moon Woo Jin, they have such a bright future ahead of them, and the level of detail and passion they have at such a young age is commendable. The way they made us cry and love them in that first episode, wow I don't think a first episode ever left this much impact on me. It was like a whole movie, rather than an episode :)

The OST is such a hit, not one song is a skip, especially Park Eun Bin's songs, she surprised me so much, and her voice is so beautiful that I need her to sing OSTs in every drama she does from now onwards.

I have only praise for this drama, and I am happy about it. I enjoyed the last six weeks, waited for the weekend, and rushed everything so I would be sat when the episodes dropped on Netflix. Thanks to the excitement, the whole week would pass in a blur and I just genuinely enjoyed all the beautiful emotions this drama took out of me. I cried, I laughed, I was furious but the next moment I was giggling and covering my mouth at cute and fluffy scenes. This drama is a full package of emotions, so please be ready to feel them all along with the characters and I promise you won't be bored.

Thank you Castaway Diva, I was really happy the last six weeks. Thank you to the amazing cast, directors, screenwriters and all the staff for bringing this absolute gem to our screens. This is a 10/10 for me without even thinking, they deserve it in every aspect ♡

Read More

Directionless plot, slow, use of tropes and the classic ignorance of how a teen behaves

Before starting this drama I was already skeptical about the deserted island setting. I feel it's something that can't really work much as a plot device if the story is set in modern times, and this show didn't prove me wrong.
Mostly we have to take this whole story as pure fantasy, but even in the constraints of plausibility in a fantastical world, here there are things that simply don't work and that are just left as plotholes and the rest is just a collection of unrealistic situations that will make you facepalm very hard or that you'll have to brush off to move on with the story.

I find with this series there is a lack of a focus in the plot. Sure, we have a FL and the plot seems to follow her from the start mostly, only that it gets sidetracked multiple times along the way and ultimately feels like her story line didn't progress much nor it made much the impact it could have. The abusive father of ML is the only constant linear plot line in this show, even though if still with a dose of unrealistic-ness and quite dragged.

The start was good and overall it was so much more interesting and I was more invested in the story line in the beginning. I think this is mostly as well because I thought the young actors did such a better job at the characters than the older ones. I don't understand why it's a constant issue that if someone older plays like they're stuck in their teen years mentally they have to do some weird overacting that it's just immensely cringe. Don't they remember their teen years? This is becoming a new trope I absolutely despise.
What was the point of her being stuck in that island anyway? This is only used as a plot device in a couple of occasions as flashbacks and any other setting could have been used anyway. It's a small part of the plot and I don't think adds anything. She should be so much more mature precisely because of her life experiences in that island but as it's mentioned in the show itself, she's childish like that because she didn't continue her education.... excuse me what?

The love story in this show is quite anticlimactic and the "love triangle" if it can even be called that, it's unnecessary as always.
A lot of the plot points are just like that because the script said so, otherwise they make no sense, like Ki-ho hiding his identity to her knowing she's looking for him, like so much could have been avoided if he had told her straight away and told her the situation and to keep it secret. It's just so silly. Also he goes from that to then wanting her to be famous like all of a sudden he doesn't care anymore.

The biggest middle chunk of the show the attention is mostly on Ran Joo's character more than the FL, to the point the whole premise of her career as a singer is put to the side. At this point I lost most of the interest I still had for the story. Ran Joo's character is not bad but it's not great either and if I was supposed to feel sorry for her I didn't because her situation could be so much worse, especially when compared with the Kang family whose dynamics, by the way, were of the best of the show.

I think overall for a short drama it didn't have a clear idea of what it wanted to focus on, there were multiple subplots and the execution of them was not done in the best way, the story progressed in chunks of focusing on one thing or another what I get why they did it that way but it just added more to the unrealistc-ness of it all. Moreover, some of the characters would also keep changing from one side to the other what would do or undo the plot as it goes. The worst of all of this is that it makes you lose interest as it changes because most plot lines become very dragged as a result. Points for having so many story lines and characters at the same time and somehow still manage to make it boring.
There were a few conversations between characters that were engaging and I shared their sentiments but most of the others were very uninteresting and added nothing to the story or character development.
FL is cringe, ML is background character, couldn't care for Ran Joo, second ML (Woo Hak) has more screen time than the first and yet his personal story goes really nowhere (and he had more chemistry with FL too), and I have no idea why Lee Seo Joon is considered main character, he spent the series going in circles. Kang parents were great and I wish we got more of Mo Rae since she seemed somewhat interesting.

No more amnesia trope PLEASE. I'm so done with it, let's just leave it back in the past where it should remain. It was annoying at the time and it's even more annoying now.
This is also labelled as "comedy" here but I really don't know why, there are zero comedy moments unless people laughs at FL accent and "teen" attitude what it's actually insulting because it perpetuates this idea that certain accents/dialects mean the person is ignorant and dumb, she even somewhat drops it in the last episode, because now she's a *proper singer*... meh.

I debated giving this a 5 because I've seen worse and it had some nice moments, but writing this review and thinking about the series really stopped me. It is watchable if there is nothing else to watch and some of the songs were nice but I generally can't recommend. It doesn't know what it wants to be and manages to do everything half way in a dragged and boring way.

Read More

Regret watching this

Pros:
- soundtrack
- the strong love between the Kang parents and sons
- the strong love between the Kang brothers
- the kids escaping abuse
- the endearing and comedic moments with Woo-Hak
- 90% of the dialogue is foreshadowing, not just filler
- metaphors with the island
- extremely caring and selfless characters
- interesting concept for the plot

Cons
- the love triangle
- infinite plot holes:
- doesn't make sense that Ki-Ho's attempts to run away fail for months. not that expensive to buy a ticket and hide on a ferry to get away
- doesn't make sense why Ki-Ho and Mok-Ha didn't just hide on the boat
- they try to play it off that abuse was seen as more acceptable, but doesn't make any sense to have a guy beating a kid senseless in public, then chasing daughter like maniac, and no one does anything
- should have explained how the dad got on a boat that already left
- made no sense how she could have washed ashore some random remote island when they're so close to populated areas
- made no sense how all that trash ended up on the island, yet no boats or Ki-Ho could find her for 15 years
- can definitely still recognize people after only 15 years, especially your own sons
- the Kangs endangering Mok-Ha and Woo-Hak by not telling them there's a psychopath
- Bo-Geol is supposed to love Mok-Ha, yet literally causes his brother to fall in love with her
- doesn't make sense for Bo-Geol to pine over Mok-Ha for 15 years and then cruelly hide his identity, "protecting her" puts her in way more danger, if she resented him that would be an understandable excuse, but she clearly doesn't. no matter how good his intentions, he acts undeniably cruel
- Bo-Geol being adamant on concealing their identities and preventing Mok-Ha from getting famous, then out of nowhere changing his mind, stairway reveal was the worst scene in the show
- the childhood lovers trope feels out of place here, shouldn't romanticize two kids trying to escape abuse
- Mok-Ha's mannerisms feel out of place, no hate for autism, but living in isolation doesn't make you act autistic

For me, the cons outweighed the pros, so I regret watching this. I can even forgive some aspects, but overall I just can NOT recommend it. What would have made it good:
- cut any romantic feelings until the present day, don't romanticize kids running away from abuse
- cut the love triangle, make either Kiho's or WooHak's feelings platonic
- cut the secrets
- cut the amnesia trope
- add an episode towards the beginning showing her time on the island
- add an episode with her readapting to society to create more comedic moments
- fix at least some of the plot holes mentioned above

Read More

I Gave This a 10 Rating Even Though It Has Its Flaws

Just to reiterate, I absolutely love this series so far but it does have its drawbacks.

I won't go into details about what this show is about because there are already many reviews explaining that thoroughly.

I'm a huge fan of actress Park Eun Bin (main lead) and teen actor Moon Woo Jin, (who plays the young Ki-Ho). I'm also a fan of screenwriter Park Hye Ryun's works.

I could rave on and on about why I love this show but I'm only going to talk about some of the things that I wasn't too fond of.

Another review explained how young Ki-Ho was getting beaten in public and no one came to help. Then soon after, we had to watch Seo Mok-Ha (FL) get chased around the ferry and again, there was no help. While I agree that the lack of help seemed ridiculous, at the same time, when you think about how society is today, it actually may not be too far off the mark. While I personally would like to think the best of people, the "bystander effect" is real. Some people just do not want to get involved. Sad but true.

What bothered me the most so far, was the storyline regarding adults and domestic violence. I think this is where I feel the writers missed the mark when it comes to protecting children. Another person claimed that this wasn't an "advocacy show", that it is just a "drama". Of course it is, but IMO, writers can be powerful influencers. While they were able to write about the issue of domestic violence, there wasn't any real "ray of hope" so to speak. All was lost by the first episode. I found it especially disappointing when Seo Mok-ha goes back to the island and speaks to the two men who took over Mok-ha's father's shop. The men speak unkindly about Ki-Ho. Even though they knew that Ki-Ho reported his father for domestic abuse, they referred to him as being "insolent" and "the worst son ever" and of Ki-Ho breaking down mentally. The only saving grace from that scene was learning that Ki-Ho's father was fired from his job. But then the men go on to talk about how Ki-Ho's father still loves him and went to Seoul to look for him because "that's what parents do."

What a bunch of crockery. Lol! I say that only because there were a lot of ways that conversation could've gone differently without changing the storyline. Like maybe NOT taking the father's side and being understanding of Ki-Ho's situation and why he fled. Would've been nice if that one guy actually realized that he had caused problems for Ki-Ho and was regretful. That they tried to convince Ki-Ho's father not to leave and look for his son. That maybe perhaps they hoped Ki-ho wouldn't get discovered.

But of course, it's a "drama". But this is my version of how I wished that scene had unfolded because we shouldn't gloss over abusers' actions. As a viewer, I can only hope that for young child or teenager, who may be suffering from domestic abuse, if they're watching this show, finds some hope and solace. That there are adults out there who will believe them, take their side, and help them. This is why I say writers can be powerful influencers. They can change the narrative and influence public opinion and offer hope, even if it is just a "drama".

Moving on, another thing I greatly disliked was Yan Ran Joo reliving her glory days when it was really Mok-ha was doing all the singing. The way Ran Joo is acting all happy about the raving articles about her and yet, she was lip-synching. Seriously? I would understand if she was happy because she hopes to sell some albums but it wasn't portrayed like that. Of course, I'm sure things are going to get better later on, and with Ran Joo's help, Mok-ha will be able to become a diva.

Despite all this, I really, really love this show. The actors are amazing. I've always been a fan of Park Eun Bin and especially, Moon Woo Jin. Woo Jin's earlier works were always so amazing especially in "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim". He's growing up to be just as good as Eun Bin. Rooting for this kid all the way. I also want to give a shout-out to Lee Re who plays the younger version of Moh-ka. She was so amazing too! Her acting chops are like a mini-version of Eun Bin! Even her big, beautiful smile was the same. These two teen actors hit it out of the park! I was so moved to tears with these two. I adore Park Eun Bin as always. and as for screenwriter Park Hye Ryun, I still love her works especially, "While You Were Sleeping"! One of my fave dramas!!

On Ep4 as of writing. May update later if necessary!

Read More

The first parts of the drama was really good for me as a watcher. I have watched Castaway on the Moon way before, so I already have an idea on what it was somehow been inspired by. The child actors were really great, as they were shown as the first episodes. Their acting were superb. When they get older somehow, I was frustrated with the thriller part of the story, because it felt like it was being so far from the title of Castaway Diva but it did get better. Unfortunately though, it was only 12 episodes and I felt like the 12th episode was a rush. Still, I had a fun time watching this ongoing drama.

Read More

PEB and fellow actors make it through despite a contrived screenplay

First, I would like to apologize if I will hurt the feelings of some Park Eun-bin's fans. Basically, I am a PEB's fan too, but a kind of weird fan who allows himself to be critical about the productions where she leads in. Second, as concerns "Castaway Diva", I want to say from the start that my criticisms are not concerning the acting but the screenplay. PEB is sincere and expressive in her acting as expected, and the other actors are sincere too, but the screenplay is contrived and does not provide a sound basis for an outstanding performance. The spectator hardly knows what is the main direction, the main issue this series is aimed to, so many things are mixed up.
Apparently the main message the series intends to convey is that one must always stay focused and optimistic in order to attain one's goals. The message is right but does one really need all this overcomplicated and overemotional story to express such a straightforward idea? In order to deliver a positive message there is no need for big effects like being stranded on a deserted island, pursuing an idol career, or facing a psychopath. Positive thinking can also be transmitted by a drama about problems of ordinary people in ordinary life.
The series has also the ambition of addressing domestic violence. It is a very important societal issue and it is worth bringing it to the large audience. But does one need all this musical and romantic packaging to deal with this issue, is the improbable story of Seo Mokha a proper ground for that? Or does the caricaturally bad character as that of the pathological father provide the necessary sobriety and authenticity? I don't think so.
Another potentially interesting aspect of the series is the re-integration of a person who has been isolated for a long time. The struggle of such a person to regain a place in the society may be a very good story line. But the story has to sound true and not made-up. Is pursuing the ambition to become a pop star actually convincing? Is falling from a ferry and having been stranded on an deserted island compelling? Is an ex-fan and fallen-idol relationship appealing? For young people following today's pop culture, maybe. For me, from the elder generation, it is not.
In fact, in my opinion, the screenplay of "Diva" is not following a consistent scheme but simply pulls on all possible strings, including a story of a come-back of an idol, family pathologies, singing of the star actress, romance, in order to get the strongest emotional impact possible and to attract the widest audience possible. The series is overloaded with melodramatic situations, the weakest part being the love triangle, the hidden identities and the revengeful father. Nevertheless, PEB and her fellow actors were able to transform this mere entertainment product into a touching and audience gathering show.
I willingly admit that among the nowadays films and series, where the most popular are thrillers, horrors, violent crime or war stories, heartwarming and positive series like "Diva" are truly needed. However, I think that PEB, at this stage of her career, desserves better scripts or simply another type of scripts. She said in an interview that she would like to try different genres of films. I hope that her next production will not be a romantic comedy, but rather a psychological drama. I would like something more subtle, contemplative, introspective, even melancholic, without any excessive melodramatic effects.

Read More

A sweet

In this drama , I fell in love with Park Eun Bin. I know a lot of you did in her previous drama as a lawyer, but I didn't watch it so it's not my case. Her acting here is so sweet that you get attached to her from beginning to end.
The story is really interesting, every main characters has their secrets and their skeletons in their family closet and it's really interesting to watch them grow with it.

Mokha is so attaching, I love her loyalty. She stays true to her own values (she doesn't let people take advantage of her) and she's mature. She shows that you can achieve your goals without stepping on others. I love how she's not fake, simply good. She's not the traditional "innocent" female lead we meet in dramas: the one who's life is terrible but she's such a saint that you wonder why it happens to her. No she's someone like us, you can relate to her. But she's what everyone will call a realistically "GOOD" person.

Park Eun Bin has an amazing voice and her singing was a blessing to my ears, my phone and my laptops. The drama reminds me of Imitation because of the theme, but Mokha is more attaching than Maha.

I came across the videos of PEB singing "Someday" on Instagram and her voice was so pure that I decided to watch the whole drama.

Read More

The Songs! Her Voice!

Park Eun Bin never, and I mean, never, fails to deliver and this is no exception - adding a whole new facet to her talents by having her knocking it out of the park with that stunning voice she has too, alongside her already award winning acting talent.

The rest of the cast are great too, of course, and I particularly loved the interplay between Park Eun Bin and Kim Hyo Jin (who played Ran Joo), and Lee Re who played Seo Mok Ha when she was younger was an absolutely inspired choice - the two of them were a brilliant younger/older pairing and so often when watching the older Mok Ha I could see the little twitches or tells that were the same as Lee Re portrayed on the younger Mok Ha - this truly felt like a younger and older version of the same person.

This is a story of people who have lost their way, whether it's in their careers and dreams or literally on an island, and how those people find each other and guide each other to their futures.

The music throughout is spectacular, absolutely my taste and i'll be adding most of it to my playlist on Spotify, wait for the credits at the end of the last episode for a different video to one of the songs too featuring Mok Ha on the island, nice little treat.

Of course aside from Mok Ha on the island, you've got a number of other things at play, from Ran Joo losing her way as an artist, to the other things happening to Ki Ho, Mok ha's friend from home who tried to run away with her at the start that threaten to not just derail their futures but potentially worse.

Numerous times throughout watching this you'll get those big warm fuzzies, or ball your eyes out, depending on how you react - not spoiling anything but... Ran Joo and the balloons, that's all i'm saying. Sorry, i've got something in my eye...

Trigger warnings - abusive parents at the start, pretty tough to watch, but it all contributes to the story I thought and none of it was gratuitous.

I'd happily re-watch this one. The songs, the sights of seeing her grow and sing, the journey the other characters take, I don't think knowing what comes actually diminishes the value of re-watching it much if at all.

Right, i'm off to get a fair-use warning on Spotify for listening to the OST for this too much...

Read More