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Surprisingly hilarious and wholesome!
Upon attending their therapy sessions, an ex-police officer, Noh Hwi Oh (Jung Woo), who lost his job when he couldn't control his anger, met a woman, Lee Min Kyung (Oh Yeon Soo) and become straight-up enemies. Min Kyung has an anxiety disorder and has lost faith in people due to an incident in her past. As they keep crossing paths, will these two fiery hearts help heal each other?Bada boom bada bam! Comedy in your face, again, again, again! Yes, this is how I felt watching this show. I get immediately suck in to the leads from the start, seeing the hot-headed Hwi Oh clashes with Min Kyung, both of them are crazy! They are literally fire and gasoline. Their hijinks are hilarious, super slap-sticks! Even with some cringy potty humor, I’m pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable this drama is.
Though short, it handles sensitive topics of mental health and trauma so well. It didn’t feel depressing, but we get to see raw and vulnerable moments of our leads. Characters development is very organic that they touch my heart. Of course, I love their wholesome romance. They had a quite sexy intimate moment too, which felt so organic and earned. The only nitpick is the chaos in the finale, that is not my fave part, but it is a very fun short watch. I would recommend it.
-Feb 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
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A decent watch but not my type of genre
The story deals with our leads’ personal problems within the paradigm of social norm. The ‘conflict’ of this show surprised me as I had no idea that getting a divorce or dating someone with a child is such a taboo in Korean culture as it's not negative in my reality... ÂWhat I like most are the authentic cinematography and the well-written dialogues among the characters. The romance is very calm, lovely and honest. Despite the lack of spicy passion, Jung Hae In and Han Ji Min create a harmonious and good chemistry. I also enjoyed the bond and communication among the three sisters; Their arcs feel organic. The ending is done in a proper way.
Confession, there are times that I got so bored due to how slow and mellow this story is. I also struggled to finish it because "No Direction" plays on repeat. The OST is good but extremely overused that it gets tiresome. I would appreciate a little more variety or less repetition.
-Jan 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
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It was a true climax to the first season, but that's kind of a double-edged sword. In my mind, I view Season One and Two as a continuous story without a break in seasons. I just don't feel like Season One and Season Two had separate arcs. They really are a combined story that you should binge back to back. Because of that, I kind of lump them together, so here's my review for Season One:
https://kisskh.at/profile/10910079/reviews/313809
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Lacks a cohesive plot and a consistent tone, but nice to watch for action, visuals and characters.
A nine-tailed fox, Lee Yeon, (Lee Dong Wook), strives to protect humans from supernatural threats while searching for the reincarnation of his lost love. When he crosses paths with a PD (Jo Bo Ah) who looks the same as his first love, he gets lovestruck with her, but also confused with her real identity.Going into this drama, I was surprised by the horror element. There are numerous scenes when I genuinely felt creeped out… that I took a break watching and complete it because season 2 was announced. Apparently, the two seasons are separate stories, so it wasn’t necessary to complete it, but anyway, I’m glad to have watched it as there are many enjoyable elements from this drama.
First, the characters are exciting and well-written. Ji Ah being knowledgeable on Korean folklore and her grit make her to be on equal footing with the immortals around her, which is rare to see in fantasy dramas. Lee Yeon is the perfect balance of sass and arrogance and playfulness. Lee Dong Wook played him so genuinely that he disappears into a playful, arrogant fox. I like Lee Rang and his sinister quirks, but I feel his backstory gets overshadowed by too many happenings in the story.
Which brings me to what I think are lacking from TONT1, is a cohesive plot & a consistent tone. There are many unfinished subplots and whiplashing scenes that it’s hard to get into the vibe. Regardless, it’s nice to watch for action, visuals and characters.
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A fun and heartwarming show but forgettable
A talented ssirreum (Korean wrestling) athlete, Kim Baek Du (Jang Dong Yoon), is about to give up on his dreams when he can't rise out of his slump, but then Oh Yoo Kyung (Lee Joo Myung) is assigned as a new manager to his ssireum team. Baek Du was surprised and convinced that she is her childhood bestfriend, Oh Du Sik. Can he relive his dreams and is Yoo Kyung really Du Sik?Baek Du and Yoo Kyung is like a sunshine meets a grumpy. Jang Dong Yoon as the adorable Baek Du is a fun pair for the secretive Yoo Kyung. From the first encounter, these two's accent and mannerisms are hilarious, as well as most villagers. They're loud but not annoying. I also like the beautiful countryside shots and the OSTs.
Although this is fun and enjoyable, I do have few cons; First, the story is not memorable. Except for Baek Du, all the characters are forgettable, which is a bummer because the best watching experience for me are the ones that I can't leave or excited about after watching, but I don't. Yes, the couple is cute but I'm not so emotionally invested.
Second, I wish they develop the unique premise about the coming-of-age and ssirreum aspect, instead of including the mainstream "mystery in a small town" story, which execution feels wishy-washy. It's a pity because these are the aspects that would make it stand out amongst other shows. Nevertheless, we do get a good final, so thank you!
-Jan 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
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Intriguing at first, but the suspense fell flat around halfway.
A violinist Cha Se Eum (Lee Young Ae) returns from her study abroad to conduct the Han River Philharmonic orchestra. When Yoo Jung Jae (Lee Moo Saeng), an unwanted man from her past, returns to her life and becomes the new owner of this orchestra, he threatens Se Eum: either the orchestra never plays again, or she divorces her husband and gets back together with him. Thus, Se Eum has to survive in her cutthroat profession while protecting her passion and secret. All that while resolving her personal relationships that have gone awry.The premise is intriguing, it sets a good tension. I liked how Se Eum is ruthless and fiery, stands out for herself. Also, I was curious about Jung Jae, who seems so crazy and obsessive over Se Eum because of their past, and Se Eum's husband was very suspicious.
However, plot becomes predictable from ep 5 and the suspense really fell flat through the end. I feel the characters become one-note and just written for a plot device. Although the final climax is quite stylish, I had to suspend my disbelief and rolled my eyes at how 'convenient' the closure is. The most interesting character to me was Lee Ro Na (Hwang Bo Reum Byeol), a violinist who idolizes Se Eum. Her performance is excellent, despite my overall impression of the drama.
-Jan 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
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TL;DR: Doom at my verdict, but completed out of goodwill towards the actors.
What captivated me was the unique concept of personifying life and death. Seo In Guk's portrayal of the attractive and mysterious Doom, and Park Bo Young who (starts off) as the unexpected Dong Kyung, she appears brave and considerate and clever. The world-building is visually stunning, and what I like most is the way it is illustrating the beauty of everyday scenes like leaves falling or flowers blooming. One of the OST is a stand-out "Breaking Down."I also appreciate the lead’s character development, seeing Doom realizes the purpose of life through love, and seeing Dong Kyung starts to express emotions and talking to someone about them, realizing that problems can be solved together. Sadly, their chemistry seemed to suffer by the end, along with the overall storyline. While they could've done amazing things with all kinds of exciting plot twists and such, the climatic reveal occurred too early, and then it lost momentum till the end, and the show never recovers from this slump. The couple was being too emotional on ruminating in the name of love and it just bored me so much. I also don't think the love triangle brings anything useful to the story. I have more things I don’t enjoy about it but I don’t need to talk bad about it further… I think there's enough negative reviews for this one.
-Dec 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
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Only watch it if you want to see Kim Soo Hyun cry
After a heartfelt encounter, the crown prince of Joseon and a young noblewoman, become childhood friends, but their relationship is cut short when Yeon Woo is chosen as a potential queen candidate.This historical drama is filled with political conflicts, power struggles, hidden identities, and threats to tear our couple apart. There’s a sprinkle of fantasy element, which makes the show feels unique and intriguing. They built up good backstories for the characters. I had a lot of fun with the young and teen versions of the characters. But once they grow up and something happen to them, I got very bored. The pacing slows down and it becomes depressing as the story solely focus on our two leads emotional romance struggle. This is not to downplay any of the adult actors and actresses by any means, because they played well. Kim Soo Hyun is always impressive with his genuine and expressive performance, and he cries really well here. I miss the younger version of the female lead, Yeon Woo, her adult version is totally different to her younger personality. She was a wise and independent thinker, but after an incident, she let herself be trampled like a rug and too self-sacrificing towards the king.
By the end, I wasn’t caring much on what happened to them. Despite the everlasting depression, I was surprised that they managed to reach conclusion in the final episode. It does feels rush, there were many plot points and time jumps, but all loose ends are tied together.
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The women are way too overpowered and that makes it boring
Namsoon is born with a superhuman strength from her mother's blood, but she went missing as a child in Mongolia. When she grows up she comes to Gangnam, South Korea to find her parents. Her mother tried to find her while also tried to live a righteous life with doing good deeds, but her family is involved in a drug case. A young detective join forces on the drug case to solve it together...First impression 4 eps in, too much overacting in my opinion and I wasn't in the mood for it at that time, So I pause it and caught up on the final week it's airing because I do like how the story focused on the women. You get to see them all in their different personalities, and how they use their strength and how their strengths are perceived by other people in their lives and around them... Namsoon and her interactions with people in her life is beautiful. This part is cute and fun but it doesn't really move the plot. Apparently the women seem to always win and while it is cool to see it makes it kind of boring. No tension in the fights because she will definitely beat them, it's like Tom and Jerry. I need my hero to struggle a bit in dealing with challenges.
Ong Seong Wu… He's in his coming-of-age phase and wuaw, so handsome! His acting impressed me in Moment of 18 but unfortunately, his character here is not very interesting. I feel no romance chemistry between the leads – but they're very good as friends. The only character who is most interesting throughout is the villain. Some characters has no real purpose in the story. It's fun to watch if you enjoy a cheesy & campy superhero story, but that's it.
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A diaspora diary of home, maturing and love.
As a diaspora myself, I appreciate how this movie highlights that thriving a life outside your home country can be a challenge. You’re faced with choices that make you lose and find different possibilities. It's also one of the bravest things one might do.On the production side, the cinematography and characters introductions are great. There are a lot of scenes without words that are meaningful, they’re the best show not tell executions.
This is a very personal statement: I don’t feel any emotion to Nora’s romance life nor the longing or yearning. More than the plot shrouded by the fate analogy, I enjoyed the mature interactions among the three leads; Nora, Hae Sung and Arthur. They act natural and casual. there’s definitely a clear chemistry. It is refreshing to find no typical dramatic love triangle here. No one is toxic nor being overprotective.
Final remark without spoiling it, I wasn’t expecting the sudden ending. Just like that the movie ends and we know what happen. It has a clear conclusion and I agree with everything, but there's no build up that make the grand feeling of "ahh, ending!“
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Life is not easy but never give up, fighting!
"My Mister" is a healing story about three brothers struggling in their midlife crisis in both their workplace and family. This narrative is intertwined with the story of an extremely damaged young woman dealing with debt and poverty. The show delves into office crimes and corporate espionage, all while exploring marriage problems and the socioeconomic gap. It effectively illustrates that people are messy, showcasing their life situations and the reasoning behind their actions. The quiet, cold, and gritty tone of the show works really well with the OSTs and ASMR, such as footsteps and breathing.When the two leads start interacting, I become very intrigued to know their story, especially Lee Ji An (IU), who grew up to be an endearing thug. She's a very guarded person with nothing to lose and no fear, doing anything to survive. Her mannerisms are touching, and I feel her vulnerability. I particularly loved her character growth. Then, of course, I can't think of anyone besides Lee Sun Kyun as Park Dong Hun. He truly is noble, with respect for people, life, being generous and sincere. His beautiful voice, heard directly and through Lee Ji An’s perspective (which I avoid explaining further to prevent spoilers), makes him unforgettable. The ending feels complete and gives me a warm feeling. My only quibble is the silly subplots. I think the drama as a whole would be more engaging with less time dedicated to the subplots.
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One of the best execution of romance thriller genres, and hidden identity trope
I love this drama for all its' twists and turns, the creepiness, darkness, action and many thrilling / anxious moments, each episode adds momentum to the plot, which constantly evolving and stays unpredictable all throughout the end. The characters are smart, three-dimensional and contribute meaningfully to the story. I like the set up of the leads being a sexy married couple, it sets up the high stake immediately.All cast are brilliant, but I really enjoy Lee Joon Gi's character, even when I was not sure exactly what his true intentions are, I find him incredibly emotional and caring, and I'm fully rooting for him. Moon Chae Won's character is very well-written, feminine and capable at the same time. Despite of what happened, she stays true to her character, I pro all her decisions with all of her flaws.
Truly one of the most beautifully acted, intense dramas. It sat with me for a few weeks after I finished, to this day I still rewatch it and fully felt the addiction to watch one more episode. This is one of the firsts kdramas I watched, and now... among around 250 dramas later, I still haven't found any drama which combine romance and thriller genres as well as this one. It is one of my very favorites, so memorable!
-July 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
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The good part is only the finale
Unable to move on from her boyfriend's sudden death, a young girl is transported back in time to meet her lover once again. But what if the man she met is not the boyfriend she knows?I was intrigued from the interesting trailer as it shows such sweet scenes but somewhat a creepy secret, but the actual drama itself is a bit lackluster. The first six episodes is a cozy feel good youth story with your typical rom-com vibes. The story feel so flat that I didn't feel any conflict until episode 7. In my opinion this would be much better if made into a movie.
The actors did okay but I was never invested in any of the character's journey or interplay so that's my problem to make me care because at no point did i ever end up to caring about anyone.
Rather than the cinematography, I'm just simply not impressed. I ended up binging it because it's quite short. So feel free to just watch it if you want an easy-to-watch youth drama with some spice thrown in in the finale.
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Those healing and slow burn need more actions to keep me engaged.
Following her father’s death, Woo Joo and her siblings had to move out of their house when her father’s mistress kicked them out. Woo Joo wants revenge, so she starts working in the company owned by Dong Jin, who is the son of this mistress. However, she becomes conflicted when she starts falling in love with Dong Jin.The first mention is this unique pinkish hue of all present-day scenes, that I'm very fond of; It’s got an artsy feel. Also, I love the sound design which emphasizing ASMR like footsteps or the crinkle of a plastic bag, and when the music plays, it's like a breath of fresh air from the heavy silence.
Another pro is the acting from the two leads. They're pretty much the main characters you'll connect with and it’s easy to root for. The siblings interaction is very real; They don't seem to be that close at first, yet they show a lot of care for one another. They might not be overly bonding, but at the end of the day, they love and care one another whenever they need it.
Now, the pacing is too slow for me. Every scene felt like it went on forever, I kept thinking, 'Is it just a minute?' It is not a good binge; I binged it in three days and felt a bit robbed. I keep watching it because it’s a promising story with a fresh twist.
Sadly, the later part of the story was disappointing: there’s a time jump and it just got much less interesting. I just couldn't get past the unchanged behavior of the leads after all their time spend together, their interactions don’t feel natural anymore. If the writers would have kept the good tension and realistic vibe they had from episode 1-7, It could have been one of the best and most touching stories in a long time then. So it didn't live up to my high expectations, but it is still a beautiful story about healing and finding solace in others.
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Their emotion means so much to me! T.T Don't be skeptical with the ratings.
After a break-up, Ritzu (Honda Kyoya) gets into an accident that makes him forget about his ex-boyfriend, Fumiya (Suzuki Kosuke). Wanting to help him recover and start their relationship over from scratch, Fumiya resumes their cohabitation while hiding the fact that they were dating and broke up. He gets anxious when Ritzu starts to remember their past. Will the painful memory returns and will they be able to overcome it?This is amazing! Oh my heart, each moment was so well set-up and well-acted, not just by the leads, but also the brother and special star for the angelic-neighbor. The stand-out was definitely the leads performance, their emotion made me felt so much! Fumiya's flashback and his yearning was very touching, his flaws felt so relatable. Ritzu successfully made me cry sobbing, after months of not crying over dramas (that I thought I get numb). The chemistry was magnetic every time they're on screen together. On top of that, they had their spicy moments within the story, I can't be more grateful.
I've watched a lot of BLs from different countries, definitely this is a standout. It was gripping from the first scene, with conflict and tension. The internal struggle was fleshed out in a perfect pace. Just the dialogues felt a bit heavy-handed in the final, but I absolutely love how it ends. Plus, it was beautifully shot, with soft music, and the cozy sets made me miss Japan so much! >_< This review ended up becoming so personal, which only happens when I got so invested. Already rewatching the 6 episodes. Truly Recommend!!! Thanks for reading!
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
May 2024
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