djohangaon

Beautiful drama albeit not perfect

What I really enjoyed are the fighting scene, the war and the epic visuals. Great pacing, and good casting all around! Lee Joon Gi's screen presence and his role as Eun Som especially live up beyond my expectation. They couldn't have picked a more perfect recast than Lee Joon Gi! He does all his own stunts, is a master in actions so I knew he would be spectacular in this. The only recast that devastated me is Tanya, I found no passion in her line deliveries.

I miss the very pretty Tanya and Saya… they are not the same here. In defense of the time jump: their portrayals did change as how their characters come across here. they grow up and their political positions and motivation also evolve, so I eventually accept that. I feel bad a bit towards Saya as he seems to be the most inferior among Tanya, Eunsom, or Tagon. Tanya pity him too for his role in prophecy, Eun Som is now a war leader beloved by people, Tagon sees Eun Som as a threat but not towards Saya, I wish he is given a bigger role... I mean, he's children of prophecy too.

I admit that it is hard to appreciate significance of the mythology aspect, if you haven’t watched season 1. I went back to rewatch season 1 before got on board with season 2. Personally, I think the previous season's costumes and music are superior. I don’t think her romance trope necessary, it feels more like a reward than earned. The ending is well-wrapped up and I am satisfied if the drama ends here. I watched it with a patriotic passion I felt watching Mr. Sunshine!

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Search WWW follows a career woman in the tech industry. Bae Tami in her 30s has spent her youth working at a search engine company Unicon. She is very good at her job, extremely professional, and has a working relationship with her boss. Unicorn has a top-search page or a trending page, where they could remove top trending words. So there is a scandal to do with this, a scandal that she is forced to make into a scapegoat for Unicorn, and then she gets fired. Being hurt, rightly so, she takes a job at a rival company, Baro. There she forms a task force to make Baro number one over Unicon.

Unlike stereotypical strong female characters, the show is not really about women trying to break the system or workplace hierarchy because they're already in positions of authority. It's truly about strong women and their interactions together, both as rivals but then also a growing friendship. There's betrayal and there's relying on each other. There's something so incredible about seeing women portrayed in such a dynamic way that doesn't happen very often. There were definitely moments where I just grinned because "This representation is so cool.“ I didn't realize how much of a big deal the trending words were in Korea, or at least how much this show emphasizes them in Korea. That cultural difference is interesting to me.

For the first few episodes, I was aware of the fact that I think we had too much estrogen, so I don't know how much guys are going to enjoy this because there are not many people for them to relate to, but I'm having a good day. I believe the true love story are between these ladies. The main reason of why I like the story is because these characters, they're not perfect, they still show moments of femininity. Like, Scarlet, has some anger management issues. But again, seeing her just wreck and taking such enjoyment out of breaking things is just epic. I think I'm really strongly getting queer-baited, so the a romantic subplot is for me so boring. As much as swoony the male characters are, the romance is never exciting.

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Ki Sun Gyeom is a professional sprinter who was forced to quit due to legal issues. He crosses paths with a film translator Mi Joo briefly works as his translator. Through time and communications, their mutual interest pushes them passed their boundaries

Run On is a drama that is not baiting for my attention as it has a very subdued vibe, but I enjoyed it very much. Not many external conflicts going on, it’s a character-driven show where the main and supporting characters’ plot are very much intertwined. I like Sun Gyeom's quirky and very kind-hearted personality, and I’m enjoying how he interacts with people around him. I appreciate how he’s very blunt to anyone. The romance is also toned-down but wholesome. Sun Gyeom and Mi Joo’s chemistry is a lot softer than most Kdramas, it feels very realistic and heartfelt. The secondary romance of Dan Ah and Young Hwa I wasn’t really paying attention for their plot but they have great emotional moments.

Another highlights for me is the playful, quiet, subdued humor in the show, it was pretty clever and sharp, those moments were few and precious. For example, when Seon Gyeom wakes up in the morning and he's getting ready for his morning run as it has been his routine for years. One morning, when he's getting ready, he stops halfway and realizes that he doesn't have a reason to run anymore, so he turns around, throws off his jacket, kicks off his shoes, and rolls back into bed. I found that’s absolutely hilarious! This is just a small no-dialogue moment but so memorable. Also, I am happy to see a positive representations of LGBTQ characters here, as they are seen as part of society. The only nitpick I want to mention is that there’s something missing throughout my watching experience… Although the character development of the main lead was great, it felt slightly boring. Overall, I am happy to have known these characters.

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Misaeng is about office workers dealing with office politics and the work stresses. Our male lead, GeuRae, was a GO player who ends up getting an internship at an international trading company through connections. He is incredibly shy and introspective so quickly becomes the butt of a lot of the other interns' jokes and is targeted because of his background. He only has a GED while everyone else have university degrees, so they see some hypocrisy, some unfairness there because he's been given this opportunity they all had to fight really hard to get. However, due to his unique critical thinking skills and intense work ethic, he is able to find a place at the company, developing a strong sense of purpose and camaraderie with his team.

What struck me about Misaeng was how instantly I was drawn and invested to the characters. Every character, lead and support all play a critical role in someone's arc. Mr. Oh who is our male lead's team leader. He is known to be a chill but meticulous worker, and I absolutely loved his interaction and his developing relationship with GeuRae. And then I also loved watching him try and balance his moral integrity with some of the kind of sketchy work situations that he's put into.
Through our female lead we explore some sexist attitudes. There is a lot more going on with her beyond just being a woman in an all-boys club kind of environment, which takes a while to develop. There are quite a few questions that keep getting presented throughout the course of the series that keep you engaged, and her backstory is one of them.
Next, we have Byun Yo Han's character who I see as 'the free-rider': The one that do nothing in a groupwork but swoop in last minute to get all of the credit. He is a little extravagant and quite annoying, but as the show develops, I see his motivations, his backstory, and he becomes one of my favorites. His arc and struggle with his boss feels very relatable.
Lastly is Kang Haneul's character. He is the intern that has it all on paper, he's got all the background and confidence... Essentially everything that our male lead lacks. However, he struggles to connect with his boss and find fulfillment from his work. And because of that, he looks to our male lead, who thrives in this environment, he gets a little bit jealous. Honestly the pairing of them was just brilliant.

I really enjoy the realistic and very genuine humor, such as characters will say the same joke once, twice, even three times throughout the series, and then it will be used to create new comedy. We will recognize the same joke and it evolves into something new. It reminded me of the inside jokes that we develop with people in our real lives, like when Mr. Oh kept tripping people and then saying the same thing after he tripped different people. I thought that was hilarious.

I have two cons. The first one being the premise is never fulfilled. Based on our male lead being admitted as an intern due to his connections, it's a really big deal in the first few episodes, as well as his GO mindset was often portrayed but it never manifests into anything special. The second one is the pacing in most episodes are very slow, ans since this series is long, it might be boring to some. But if you're interested at all, it's worth it. If you watch the first episode and are not feeling it, I think you're safe to drop it as it is a good indication of what the entire series is going to be about.

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So good! Maybe not for everyone

D.P. centers around the daily life of men during their mandatory military service. Our male lead was recruited into the D.P. division of the military due to his innate critical thinking ability. It is there that he joins up with a few different seniors as they track down deserters.

Disclaimer: I am not familiar with official military titles, so I won't touch on that in this review.
If you're like me and all you ever really knew about this series was that it depicted systemic harassment and bullying in a gut-wrenching way, I'm here to tell you that, yes, those elements are there, but they're presented very well. This is not just harassment for harassment's sake. There's a message and as the viewer, I am getting the messages that are intended.

It has great characters, really beautiful writing, and a story that is about the human condition. Every character is given a surprising amount of depth, and even our antagonists are treated in the end as real people with their own internal struggles and demons. I find it comparable to "My Mister" and "Misaeng", those are all shows that I feel strongly represent the human condition, and so does "D.P." with as much seriousness and respect for the viewer as these ones did. Go into D.P. with caution. Do be prepared for those hard-to-watch, gory scenes. If the scenes are too much, you can always skip ahead. I'm not saying to put aside your own mental health and personal well-being just to watch a TV show.

The action are done well: From chase scenes to hand-to-hand combat, everything has the right type of tension, and the stakes are there. The soundtrack perfectly represents the feelings of the characters and the overall vibe of the show, too. The show has an episodic nature, like, "Let's catch the deserter of the episode," this might be a con to some, but it helps to understand the world and how things work. If episodic storytelling is not your thing, no worries as It transitions into the main climactic arc.

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Great on the 1st half, meh on the 2nd half...

BIG MOUTH refers to Park Chang Ho, as he is known to talk big but can not follow it up. He’s also a lawyer with a very low winning rate. One day, he was framed as a notorious swindler "Big Mouse" and sent to prison. Since the real “Big Mouse” is still a mystery, his wife Mi Ho is now struggling to prove her husband's innocence…

First, the premise is gripping as we quickly presented with the big question "Who is Big Mouse?“ It kept me wondering on who is Big Mouth and his motives. I enjoy seeing Chang Ho’s gruesome experience in prison and his dynamic with his wife, Mi Ho. I love the suspense and how they address a realistic political issue.

Then the reveal happened and it was so underwhelming... It feels that the drama lost its’ steam. We were introduced to so many plot points but it continues solely on hero vs villain plot, while sacrificing some characters at no cost. There’s a time jump towards the ending, and all that happened afterwards made me upset. The sequence of events were rushed and the huge blow I was expecting feel a bit off. Had they build up the finale properly, I’m sure it would’ve been more impactful.

This is my first Lee Jong Suk dramas and his psycho acting was entertaining. Apart from him, the acting of Kim Joo Heon was enjoyable, especially his fake crying and facial expressions. Overall, Big Mouth shows amazing performance and story until the reveal happened, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt and feel free to watch it!

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Our Blues explores the story of Jeju islanders navigating the ups and downs of their communities as well as their individual live struggles. Struggles like mental health, childhood abuse, teenage pregnancy, disability and discrimination... This series took all of these and delivered them in a genuinely raw manner that tugs at the heart and showed the nuances of human nature in a realistic way. It can be gut-wrenching, funny, uncomfortable, uplifting, and heartbreaking all at once.

Often an omnibus-style dramas like this can feel episodic and mundane to a point, but the way it portrayed community spirit was authentic and that makes it very much worth-watching. It’s not a plot-driven drama, it’s a drama that leaves you pondering about the relationships you hold in your own life. Personally, some stories weren't as engaging as some others because I couldn't relate with them, but each story delivered profound messages. It is one of those intricate emotional series with hidden depth characters that show friendship, romance, community and reconciliation.

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friendship is a blessing just as wonderful besides romance.

LOVESTRUCK IN THE CITY is a story compilation of people whose lives interlinked one another. Our two leads meet in the beach and got lovestruck at first sight. After few weeks of sweet roses and butterfly moments together, they parted ways after made promise to reconnect in Seoul, where miscommunications, conflict and consequences starts to unfold…

The unique aspect of this drama is it’s presented in documentary-style interviews in present-day Seoul, done in a refreshing way so I think most will enjoy. Five characters with varied personalities are being interviewed on love, sex, and relationships. It is fun because whenever a question was asked, someone will give their opinion and the next person is like replying with a completely opposite opinion.

Through these present-day interviews, the story segues to our two leads‘ past through the very BEAUTIFUL beach scenes. These flashbacks showed how they met, became friends and lovers. More than the plot, I was enchanted by the overall shot of these dreamy and romantic scenes! The chemistry between the leads is electric, fun and free-spirited through and through. Also the OSTs are wonderful! Every time a song played I noticed how much I was vibing with it.

I think the relationship between the two leads was nice, both then and now as they go through various complexities, it is realistic. I like how they switched the perspectives from our male lead's to our female lead, as it really fleshed out her identity crisis. The drama also emphasize that friendship is a blessing just as wonderful besides romance.

My con is the ending cameo, so spoiler warning! Why would they spend the conclusion focusing on a supporting character love interest with a brand-new character? It would not be a problem if told not in the finale I feel satisfied with ep 16 ending, where it fits the actual ending of the show

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If you think Imaginary Cat is a silly fantasy feline, I assure you: The cat is real!

Jong Hyun, an aspiring but struggling webtoon writer, has been loving and caring his sassy cat Bok Ghil for 7 years. Enters Na Woo, a café part-timer who lost her cat long time ago, and she's ambitiously drawn to both Jong Hyun and Bok Gil.

If you think Imaginary Cat is a silly fantasy feline, I assure you: The cat is real! I am surprisingly impressed for the depth within the story, beyond this strange title! This is not a fluffy romcom drama with a cat subplot... More than that, it focuses on Jong Hyun's emotional journey on his career and personal struggles. Him and his cat’s moments propel his character growth, I think the plot is brilliant! There's a romance subplot, but the female lead wasn’t appealing because she’s constantly being so nosy by invading Jong Hyun’s personal space.

Both Yoo Seung Ho and the cat Bok Ghil were connecting with each other so well that I enjoy this drama solely for their chemistry. Their scenes are uniquely shot from a cat person’s perspective. Also, we can hear the cat’s inner thoughts; which I want to thank the screenwriters for writing Bok Ghil scripts awesomely. They did their research on cat's logics and behavior really well. I believe that this story was written by a cat lover, that stay true consistently until the end.

There are several emotional plot twists that had me giggling, crying so hard. I ended up re-watching the whole series after it’s done. I appreciate how the plot is going and how they are portrayed in the story. I would recommend this to any animal lovers. It’s a short watch (8 eps @35 min), so if you want to feel an endearing cat-loving journey, please watch Imaginary Cat.

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"Dance, even if you trip!“

One Day Off aka Park Ha Kyung-travel diary. She’s a teacher at a high school who spend her Saturdays off doing one day trips.

Sunsets, bakeries, and butterflies led Ha Kyung to some of life's small adventure. She walks around, eats, and meets various people. She realizes she receives comfort and empathy through her travels. Each trip felt realistic and strangely therapeutic, highlighting Ha Kyung’s blunt and quirky personality. I like how lighthearted her story is – being a normal person in normal circumstances, taking a break from the busy and overstimulated world.

This short drama feeds me a lot of interesting food for thoughts in a light and heartwarming manner. Each episode is dedicated to different themes, such as reflecting on our past goals and dreams, the role of a teacher, adults' involvement in setting examples for kids, future insights, and appreciating artworks. I think everyone will have their own relatable part of what’s presented in each episode. Although it is only 24’ per episode, it provokes my thoughts for hours.

The cinematography was stellar and it’s consistent throughout all episodes. This is one of the dramas that is more feels and aesthetics than plot. Good casting all around. The soundtrack as sweet and simple, making me want to take days off and take a moment to just relax and go on a daytrip.

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beautiful, creepy, meaningful and lustful

Despite being a skilled worker, Moon Gang Tae (Kim Soo Hyun) struggles to settle in one psychiatric ward for longer than a year; which seems to be due to his and his brother's Sang Tae (Oh Jung Se) trauma and current situation. One day, he met a successful author Ko Moon Young (Seo Yea Ji), who writes dark-toned children's fairytales and who is obsessed with him at the first sight. There are reasons of why these people are the way like they are, and those reasons seems to be darker than as it seems as first…

I really enjoyed this drama for the cinematography, vibes and unique animated visuals of the fairy tales. They’re beautiful, creepy, and perfectly represent our female lead, Ko Moon Young. It’s fun how she was introduced as a dark fantasy writer aimed at children, who has a kleptomania for knives. Seo Ye Ji was phenomenal portraying her every movement and talk, showing Moon Young’s psycho and powerful aura. At times I got bored with the plot, but she’s the reason for me to keep watching. Her chemistry with Gang Tae, can only be said as seductive. The tension between them was intoxicating, especially the firsts times when they were enemies. Another thing, the Moon brotherhood were so genuine and emotional. Sang Tae’s appreciation towards art was so endearing and self-soothing. When he sees a mural, the world is more energetic and warm for him and I love the emphasize on that aspect.

This drama also has perfectly engaging OSTs. The OSTs blurred the lines among the various genres in this show; romance, comedy, suspense, and a bit of horror. The only thing that was not as engaging to me is the mystery subplot, it was predictable, too long and anticlimactic. Other than that, as mentioned, everything was beautiful and worth-watching!

Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
edited Mar, 2024

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A rubber band that is just stretched to its limits.... and eventually snaps!

A diligent student, Oh Ji Soo (Kim Dong Hee) aims for enrolling Korean prestigious universities while living all alone. To make ends meet, he secretly runs a security service for sex workers and has been successfully earn savings for his dream. However, his job is at risk of being exposed when his classmate Bae Gyuri (Park Ju Hyun) steals his work phone and starts blackmailing him.

This is one of a rare crime-thriller school drama executed to the best of its potential. Every element that makes a show GREAT are there! Powerful acting, crisp filmmaking, high-intensity OSTs, engaging metaphors and thrilling character arc. A roller coaster of emotions jam-packed in 10 short episodes! The story is dealing with controversial topics without being explicit nor shaming them, as well as study pressure that all students face.

The first few episodes might feel a bit slow, but they were intriguing and unsettling. Then the second half was like a bullet train wreck, with me entirely in the passenger seat, constantly feeling a strong tension. Lots of daring awesome action scenes: cars exploding, fist fights, students go and trash a karaoke bar! XD Ji Soo’s PTSD-induced nightmares are some of the most thought-provoking and memorable scenes, really showed how bleak the situation he’s gotten into. Thanks Kim Dong Hee for being a really engaging Ji Soo!

It ended on a strong climax, and I have no complaint regarding the “slightly open for interpretation” ending. The story felt sufficient, concluded, and it has clearly delivered the message it says in the poster, that “Some mistakes can not be erased.”

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This show's highlight is really the uniquely written characters.

Jun Woo has no interest in school life because of a traumatic past in his previous school. Just in his first week in the new school, he is falsely accused of stealing. Meanwhile, Soo Bin notices a different side of him besides what the others think and finds herself gravitating towards him. Through time, we'll see the innocent first love of these 18-year-olds.

It’s one of the better school dramas that handles students’ issues well. Not only the romance is so adorable, This show's highlight is really the uniquely written and authentic characters.

Jun Woo is probably my favorite type of male lead – quiet, stoic, introspective, protective, with no toxic masculinity. He's smart and knows how to stand his ground even though he's introverted. His quirks and mannerism is so unique that you just have to see him to understand and appreciate him. Our female lead, Soo Bin, has a really wonderful stage presence; She’s bright and warm, which gives the energy that people around her are happy to see her. I love that. Their highs and lows are just truly endearing.

Although there are some episodes that I find boring and landing flat to me, the ending allows me to imagine them living on and I always find that very nice.

I recommend the show to anyone who love slice-of-life. It falls somewhere in between Sassy Go Go or Cheer Up, and the more serious elements probably comparable to Sky Castle. So, if you enjoyed those, I think Moments of 18 has a lot in common.

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A fun representation of all of K drama classic tropes

Kim Mi Soo is a capable secretary of a narcissistic vice president of a family-owned company, Lee Young Joon. After 9 years of working diligently for him, Mi So now wants to resign to focus on her personal life & romance. But twist, Lee Young Joon actually finds her presence irreplaceable in his life.

Now, there are a few other layers of convoluted messy chilhood connections happening with the show, as expected by the K-drama formula, but I'm not going to touch on those because they could be considered as spoiler. And if you want to know a bit more about the show, you can just watch the trailer, which will give a bit more information about the plot setup than I just gave. I'm going to go right into my pros and cons briefly as I should be doing schoolwork.

Pros:
- Fun and entertaining to watch
- Very good chemistry between the leads
- Nostalgic feeling for fans of classic K-drama tropes
- Enjoyable friendships between characters, both leads and supporting

Cons:
- Forgettable characters and plot
- Lack of emotional investment
- Pacing slows down in later episodes

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Park Eun Bin and Choi Myung Bin saved the ship!

During the Joseon dynasty, the crown princess consort secretly gives birth to a girl and boy twins. While the boy will eventually inherit the throne, Confucianism values really condemn twins especially if it was a boy and a girl because they just don't think a man who shared a womb with a woman will have legitimacy. Therefore to protect the prince's future legitimacy, the King orders that the girl and everyone involved with the childbearing be put to death so no one knows about this situation. To protect the girl, her mother fakes her death and cast her way to live out her life in the countryside. Many years later, this girl the female twin ended up taking her brother's identity as the young prince because an incident killed the prince. The only people who now know her secret are her chief servant and her personal eunuch.

I have quite a lot of pros and the first is the portrayal of every character, especially our female lead. Her charisma and deep voice make it very believable, she is just like a very pretty boy in her prince costume. Although her figure is very slim and her small arm is very obvious she gives a lot of confidence with only just a cold stare. The only thing that I think could have made it better is if they did something to hide how short she is she really is because the height difference between her and her male lead co-stars is really noticeable.

Next, the pacing because overall I think it's very good, I'm completely absorbed by every episode up until probably episode 8. The child actors and actresses are doing a great job to make me emotionally invested right from the first episode. The child actress who played the twins, Choi Myung Bin, really shines in her roles! She pulled out the duality between the different twins' characters very naturally. Another pro is the OSTs are hauntingly beautiful, my favorite is "The One and Only", and "Shadow of You".

My con is mostly on the romance plot dominates the middle part of the story. I am not as engaged and I think that's because of the romance. Even though the romance is beautiful and I ship the couple, it is very heavy-handed and slow-paced. I'm watching the show because I really like our female lead and I want to see her navigate situations and crises, like her dealing with the envoy from China, fighting her grandfather's dictatorship, and keeping her secret. I think they are the strength of this series not so much the romance. Lastly, the action scenes are done incredibly well, but they're so sparse so I wish they are less melodramatic and had more action scenes.

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