✒✨️ Ji-had Redo: From Drab to Fab ☣OR☣ Protect yourself, don't project yourself. °VG°
The 1-sentence review: 〰This is a pre-packaged, off-the-shelf, watchable romance that has some nice seasoning & truly bright moments for romance fans〰
Is it in the top 20 that I would show to a viewer new to Asian programming? Nope, but for a romfan it will pass the time very nicely. I'll stick some toes over the edge of the cliff & say it's worth watching for Song Ha Yoon's performance alone. She EATS her role up. PMY is always worth watching. NIW isn't bad to look at, either.
This drama is actually an advice column. There's plenty of useful truths to be gleaned, such as:
👠Shoes your friends wisely - eh, ‘Choose,’ I mean.
👠We accept the love we think we deserve (from The Perks Of Being A Wallflower).
👠Keep your friends close & your enemies closer (until the battle is over)
👠Statements don't grow up to be cliches b/c they're mostly false.
👠Some people just get used to losing. Some losers don't realize what (big picture) losers they are & will do anything to avoid (small picture) losing. Losing once in awhile is not a bad thing, as pride is always the biggest problem. Humility is good for the soul. Being a doormat, though, will rob your life's essence.
Ouch. Ep1 HURTS. Kang “Ji” Won has led a painful life & now she's close to death: Stage 4 cancer. “I never knew happiness,” she says. Horrible husband. Horrible family. Horrible friends. Her husband & bff cause her death & now they will enjoy the life insurance payout. The End.
But wait! There's more! After the end, Ji gets a reset. She wakes up back in time, year 2013… Meltdown! Is this a dream? If so, is 2023 the dream or 2013.2? Let the Chippies fall where they may… & Ji has a couple snagging Chippies in her life.
To go along w/ MMH one has to be accepting, as there's no acceptable reasoning for the time slip. It's connected to the FL's father, but that's all we know. Our FL learns that fated consequences are FATED and must occur. In her prior life she had a crescent-shaped scar on her arm from a coffee pot burn. She manages to avoid getting burned the 2nd time, but, instead, our ML gets burned w/ a scar /exactly/ like Ji's. Therefore, she proceeds slowly. Methodically. Carefully. She won't break up w/ her bf & future killer until she's certain she's transferred /that/ bad fate onto her frenemy, her killer's aider-and-abetter, her lifetime friend: Soo-Min. They lay down a satisfactory (enough) premise.
It's illogical at times. It's constructed in an almost lazy way, as everything is attributable to fate. Fates can be transferred to others, but not avoided. They use physical objects, like shoes & candy, to reset the scene in order to channel ill fates to bad actors. After a person opens a door s/he never would-or-should have & allows another party to barge in (ep15) - it just wouldn't happen - I then had to stop, reflect, & admit that the whole show is built on an arguably silly premise. But I'd been enjoying it w/o a care-to-logic until then, which is indicative of skill & good execution. Just take the ride & don't think too much. If you can do that, the show is good.
Otikay?
It's 2013. Again. What does Ji do?
🍬Break up w/ the jerk.
🍬Buy stocks.
🍬Stop being a doormat.
Being a doormat is not an easy habit to quit, though. Ji gets help. She's made new friends at work & she, unbeknownst to her, has an angel watching over her. 19 hours of programming gives the show ample time to methodically stroll through the plot. It takes our leads awhile to pair up as they have legitimate concerns: The prior timeline was brutal to Ji. After the break-up, the coffee pot/scar incident occurs, so she decides to soften her stance on her status w/ ex, Min Hwan - just until she leverages the potential outcome.
Park Min Young, a truly special talent, is the FL, Kang “Ji” Won. I've seen her in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim-6.8 (apologies, it's cute, but overrated IMHO) Forecasting Love & Weather-6.8, When the Weather Is Fine-9 (it's brilliant) & Her Private Life-8 (This one deserves the accolades that Sec-Kim gets. It's adorabs).
Na In Woo (Spark-6.4) plays Yoo Ji Hyuk. He's a tad geeky & wears ill fitting suits that look like tents. That's by design, as his character gets a needed upgrade after exposure to our FL. Purely observationally, this actor looks like a giant next to the ladies, & he also has the largest Adam's apple I've ever seen. He's an impressive looking man.
Lee Yi Kyung (Eulachacha Waikiki) portrays the weasel bf, Park Min Hwan. Song Ha Yoon (Intimate Strangers) portrays Jung Soo Min, Ji"s frenemy, & she does It marvelously. The character is yicky-icky, but the actress has a tough job, acting as a near split-personality who does drama better than ElizabethTaylor, & she sticks the landing. In fact, by ep10, I was most impressed w/ her: She's amazing. Other than guest appearances, Choi Gyu-Ri's only other role is in Behind Every Star. In MMH she plays Ji’s new work friend, Yoo Hee-Yeon & she's darling. I hope to see more of her. Director, Park Won Gook also brought us Special Labor Inspector Jo, & Screenwriter Shin Yoo Dam wrote the high IQ show, Awaken-8.7. The worst criticism of MMH is that it's boilerplate stuff, but the execution is above average. It also has worthy themes.
Theme #1: Some people don't know when to stop. “Gosh, I can just never win against you!”, exclaims 1 conniving mean girl after losing at chess. “Well, I could predict your moves b/c you tried to take it all,” is the reply. “A good leader should know how to let go of what is not theirs,” is the follow-up pearl of wisdom.
#2: I am not my mother… Messed up parents leave a massive pile of refuse on top of their kids’ heads. I'm not trying to beat up on anyone. I doubt there is such a thing as parenting w/ zero regrets. The perfect parent has yet to be discovered. We need to try & keep the baggage to a minimum & the 💘 at a maximum. Many kids can't dig out from underneath the mess & go through life at a disadvantage. Ji's mother ran off with another man - in a town so small everyone knows how many ‘spoons are in each house’. The vicious gossip piled pressure on Ji to not be like her Oma. She must look perfect. Act perfect. Cast no shadows. That's why she accepted the love she could “get”. She accepted the scraps that Soo Min & Min Hwan threw at her. There was no real love there. They only used her to bolster their own egos. She was a disposable ladder for them.
#3: We have another theme that is 1 of the harshest & cruelest truths that I know: Weakness is not OK. Weakness invites aggression, & enables evil: In the end, it's not much different than evil. It's easy to have compassion for somebody who's in a weak state, & we're all liable to be weakened at 1 point or another. That's just part of being human. Perhaps people who are weak enjoy the compassion & the attention tossed their way. But, in the long run, it's only going to allow in a bunch of trash. Evil must be opposed. It's like weeds. If you don't stamp them out they'll take over. I know this is brutal, but it happens to be 100% true. Sometimes, running away is the best opposition, sometimes fighting back is. Lying around to be someone else's doormat is never the right course. Never, ever, ever, EVER. And: Wallowing in self-pity is not only pathetic, it's contemptible.
The writer dropped more pearls of wisdom for us. Min Hwan is jealous of the boss b/c of the way Ji's been looking at him & visa-versa. He pulls her aside & unwittingly lets his character show: MH: “ I told you that jerk likes you.” JW: “He has a girlfriend.” MH: “You are so naive. Do you really think that matters to a guy? Do you know what? Every single man is a cheater. So he has a girlfriend? A guy could be married & still like someone else. You know what a man's dream girl is? An unfamiliar lady that he doesn't know yet. That's just how men are…” By the time Ji has this following exchange with Soo-Min she's grown significantly: S: “Why do you hate me?” J: “You're self-centered. Some people have a way of eroding those around them, & you are exactly that type of person…You don't trust easily. And it's only b/c you can't be trusted. You think that everyone is like you, & so you can't trust them.” When people tell you who they are, please believe them & protect yourself accordingly. Protect yourself, don't /project/ yourself.
Acting ✔. Writing ✔. Directing ✔ - all are good. The artistry is also smashing. The wardrobe is outstanding. Both of our leads dress in DRAB, until they decide to do better - to BE better. Then they go from drab to fab. “People are already treating me differently b/c of my outfit.” Ji just gave herself a makeover. She's experiencing 1st-hand how important appearances are in public life. It may not be right, but it is so. Turns out, once Ji Hyuk's in a suit that fits right, all the ladies in the office are checking him out, too. By the beginning of ep6 they look like a matched Ken & Barbie in ⚫ & ⚪ chic. A gorgeous wedding dress adorns one episode. The music is quite good, too, such as The Journey, by Kelley McRae & Wounds of Time, by Kim So Yeon. Half of ep16 is a well executed wrap-up - what has been lacking from too many Kdramas in the past. As long as you enjoy Kromcoms, this one has its savory appeal.
In parting, I'll quote one k!ck@$$, self-actualized woman from The Terminator movies, Sarah Connor: “There is no fate but what we make.” Ji-had enough. Enough to go full Jih@d on her enemies.
QUOTE📢
The mother of success is failure.
You're right. I'm a pushover. That's how I'm most comfortable.
Being considerate has its limits. Bad people don't recognize it when you're being considerate to them.
〰🖍 IMHO
📣7.6 📝7.4 🎭8.3 💓7 🦋5 🎨7 🎵/🔊7.3 🔚7.6 🤗4.5 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡5 😅2 😭6.5 😱4.3 😯4 🤢3 🤔4.9 💤0
Age 15+
Limited but present language: $h!+ F💣
Rated TV-15
Re-📺? neutral
In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:
Workplace Romances:
Crazy Love-7.8,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Romance is a bonus book-7.9,
Her Private Life 8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Oh My Ghost 10,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Hospital Playlist 9,
Call It Love-8.4,
My Mister 9.5,
C🇨🇳: Find Yourself-8.9,
Boss & Me-7
Modern Day -
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Familiar Wife-8.5,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Cheese in the Trap-7.7,
Our Blues-8.5,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9
Something in the Rain-8.6,
🎎 -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Mr. Queen 8.5,
My Sassy Girl 8.5,
Saimdang 8.5,
The King's Affection 8.3,
Mr. Sunshine 9
⚡️/🛸 -
Flex X Cop-8.5,
K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Tunnel 8.5,
Why Her?-8,
Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance-7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Boys Over Flowers-8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Bride of Habaek-7,
Heirs-7.3,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine,
When I Fly Towards You-7.8,
Wait, My Youth-8.4,
A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5,
Find Yourself-8.9, Hidden Love-7.8
Consider a Chinese 🎎/🔮 romcom: The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8, Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9, Love and Redemption 10 or Japanese romcoms: Maid Sama 10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo 7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4, or Toradora 8.5
Is it in the top 20 that I would show to a viewer new to Asian programming? Nope, but for a romfan it will pass the time very nicely. I'll stick some toes over the edge of the cliff & say it's worth watching for Song Ha Yoon's performance alone. She EATS her role up. PMY is always worth watching. NIW isn't bad to look at, either.
This drama is actually an advice column. There's plenty of useful truths to be gleaned, such as:
👠Shoes your friends wisely - eh, ‘Choose,’ I mean.
👠We accept the love we think we deserve (from The Perks Of Being A Wallflower).
👠Keep your friends close & your enemies closer (until the battle is over)
👠Statements don't grow up to be cliches b/c they're mostly false.
👠Some people just get used to losing. Some losers don't realize what (big picture) losers they are & will do anything to avoid (small picture) losing. Losing once in awhile is not a bad thing, as pride is always the biggest problem. Humility is good for the soul. Being a doormat, though, will rob your life's essence.
Ouch. Ep1 HURTS. Kang “Ji” Won has led a painful life & now she's close to death: Stage 4 cancer. “I never knew happiness,” she says. Horrible husband. Horrible family. Horrible friends. Her husband & bff cause her death & now they will enjoy the life insurance payout. The End.
But wait! There's more! After the end, Ji gets a reset. She wakes up back in time, year 2013… Meltdown! Is this a dream? If so, is 2023 the dream or 2013.2? Let the Chippies fall where they may… & Ji has a couple snagging Chippies in her life.
To go along w/ MMH one has to be accepting, as there's no acceptable reasoning for the time slip. It's connected to the FL's father, but that's all we know. Our FL learns that fated consequences are FATED and must occur. In her prior life she had a crescent-shaped scar on her arm from a coffee pot burn. She manages to avoid getting burned the 2nd time, but, instead, our ML gets burned w/ a scar /exactly/ like Ji's. Therefore, she proceeds slowly. Methodically. Carefully. She won't break up w/ her bf & future killer until she's certain she's transferred /that/ bad fate onto her frenemy, her killer's aider-and-abetter, her lifetime friend: Soo-Min. They lay down a satisfactory (enough) premise.
It's illogical at times. It's constructed in an almost lazy way, as everything is attributable to fate. Fates can be transferred to others, but not avoided. They use physical objects, like shoes & candy, to reset the scene in order to channel ill fates to bad actors. After a person opens a door s/he never would-or-should have & allows another party to barge in (ep15) - it just wouldn't happen - I then had to stop, reflect, & admit that the whole show is built on an arguably silly premise. But I'd been enjoying it w/o a care-to-logic until then, which is indicative of skill & good execution. Just take the ride & don't think too much. If you can do that, the show is good.
Otikay?
It's 2013. Again. What does Ji do?
🍬Break up w/ the jerk.
🍬Buy stocks.
🍬Stop being a doormat.
Being a doormat is not an easy habit to quit, though. Ji gets help. She's made new friends at work & she, unbeknownst to her, has an angel watching over her. 19 hours of programming gives the show ample time to methodically stroll through the plot. It takes our leads awhile to pair up as they have legitimate concerns: The prior timeline was brutal to Ji. After the break-up, the coffee pot/scar incident occurs, so she decides to soften her stance on her status w/ ex, Min Hwan - just until she leverages the potential outcome.
Park Min Young, a truly special talent, is the FL, Kang “Ji” Won. I've seen her in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim-6.8 (apologies, it's cute, but overrated IMHO) Forecasting Love & Weather-6.8, When the Weather Is Fine-9 (it's brilliant) & Her Private Life-8 (This one deserves the accolades that Sec-Kim gets. It's adorabs).
Na In Woo (Spark-6.4) plays Yoo Ji Hyuk. He's a tad geeky & wears ill fitting suits that look like tents. That's by design, as his character gets a needed upgrade after exposure to our FL. Purely observationally, this actor looks like a giant next to the ladies, & he also has the largest Adam's apple I've ever seen. He's an impressive looking man.
Lee Yi Kyung (Eulachacha Waikiki) portrays the weasel bf, Park Min Hwan. Song Ha Yoon (Intimate Strangers) portrays Jung Soo Min, Ji"s frenemy, & she does It marvelously. The character is yicky-icky, but the actress has a tough job, acting as a near split-personality who does drama better than ElizabethTaylor, & she sticks the landing. In fact, by ep10, I was most impressed w/ her: She's amazing. Other than guest appearances, Choi Gyu-Ri's only other role is in Behind Every Star. In MMH she plays Ji’s new work friend, Yoo Hee-Yeon & she's darling. I hope to see more of her. Director, Park Won Gook also brought us Special Labor Inspector Jo, & Screenwriter Shin Yoo Dam wrote the high IQ show, Awaken-8.7. The worst criticism of MMH is that it's boilerplate stuff, but the execution is above average. It also has worthy themes.
Theme #1: Some people don't know when to stop. “Gosh, I can just never win against you!”, exclaims 1 conniving mean girl after losing at chess. “Well, I could predict your moves b/c you tried to take it all,” is the reply. “A good leader should know how to let go of what is not theirs,” is the follow-up pearl of wisdom.
#2: I am not my mother… Messed up parents leave a massive pile of refuse on top of their kids’ heads. I'm not trying to beat up on anyone. I doubt there is such a thing as parenting w/ zero regrets. The perfect parent has yet to be discovered. We need to try & keep the baggage to a minimum & the 💘 at a maximum. Many kids can't dig out from underneath the mess & go through life at a disadvantage. Ji's mother ran off with another man - in a town so small everyone knows how many ‘spoons are in each house’. The vicious gossip piled pressure on Ji to not be like her Oma. She must look perfect. Act perfect. Cast no shadows. That's why she accepted the love she could “get”. She accepted the scraps that Soo Min & Min Hwan threw at her. There was no real love there. They only used her to bolster their own egos. She was a disposable ladder for them.
#3: We have another theme that is 1 of the harshest & cruelest truths that I know: Weakness is not OK. Weakness invites aggression, & enables evil: In the end, it's not much different than evil. It's easy to have compassion for somebody who's in a weak state, & we're all liable to be weakened at 1 point or another. That's just part of being human. Perhaps people who are weak enjoy the compassion & the attention tossed their way. But, in the long run, it's only going to allow in a bunch of trash. Evil must be opposed. It's like weeds. If you don't stamp them out they'll take over. I know this is brutal, but it happens to be 100% true. Sometimes, running away is the best opposition, sometimes fighting back is. Lying around to be someone else's doormat is never the right course. Never, ever, ever, EVER. And: Wallowing in self-pity is not only pathetic, it's contemptible.
The writer dropped more pearls of wisdom for us. Min Hwan is jealous of the boss b/c of the way Ji's been looking at him & visa-versa. He pulls her aside & unwittingly lets his character show: MH: “ I told you that jerk likes you.” JW: “He has a girlfriend.” MH: “You are so naive. Do you really think that matters to a guy? Do you know what? Every single man is a cheater. So he has a girlfriend? A guy could be married & still like someone else. You know what a man's dream girl is? An unfamiliar lady that he doesn't know yet. That's just how men are…” By the time Ji has this following exchange with Soo-Min she's grown significantly: S: “Why do you hate me?” J: “You're self-centered. Some people have a way of eroding those around them, & you are exactly that type of person…You don't trust easily. And it's only b/c you can't be trusted. You think that everyone is like you, & so you can't trust them.” When people tell you who they are, please believe them & protect yourself accordingly. Protect yourself, don't /project/ yourself.
Acting ✔. Writing ✔. Directing ✔ - all are good. The artistry is also smashing. The wardrobe is outstanding. Both of our leads dress in DRAB, until they decide to do better - to BE better. Then they go from drab to fab. “People are already treating me differently b/c of my outfit.” Ji just gave herself a makeover. She's experiencing 1st-hand how important appearances are in public life. It may not be right, but it is so. Turns out, once Ji Hyuk's in a suit that fits right, all the ladies in the office are checking him out, too. By the beginning of ep6 they look like a matched Ken & Barbie in ⚫ & ⚪ chic. A gorgeous wedding dress adorns one episode. The music is quite good, too, such as The Journey, by Kelley McRae & Wounds of Time, by Kim So Yeon. Half of ep16 is a well executed wrap-up - what has been lacking from too many Kdramas in the past. As long as you enjoy Kromcoms, this one has its savory appeal.
In parting, I'll quote one k!ck@$$, self-actualized woman from The Terminator movies, Sarah Connor: “There is no fate but what we make.” Ji-had enough. Enough to go full Jih@d on her enemies.
QUOTE📢
The mother of success is failure.
You're right. I'm a pushover. That's how I'm most comfortable.
Being considerate has its limits. Bad people don't recognize it when you're being considerate to them.
〰🖍 IMHO
📣7.6 📝7.4 🎭8.3 💓7 🦋5 🎨7 🎵/🔊7.3 🔚7.6 🤗4.5 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡5 😅2 😭6.5 😱4.3 😯4 🤢3 🤔4.9 💤0
Age 15+
Limited but present language: $h!+ F💣
Rated TV-15
Re-📺? neutral
In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:
Workplace Romances:
Crazy Love-7.8,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Romance is a bonus book-7.9,
Her Private Life 8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Oh My Ghost 10,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Hospital Playlist 9,
Call It Love-8.4,
My Mister 9.5,
C🇨🇳: Find Yourself-8.9,
Boss & Me-7
Modern Day -
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Familiar Wife-8.5,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Cheese in the Trap-7.7,
Our Blues-8.5,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9
Something in the Rain-8.6,
🎎 -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Mr. Queen 8.5,
My Sassy Girl 8.5,
Saimdang 8.5,
The King's Affection 8.3,
Mr. Sunshine 9
⚡️/🛸 -
Flex X Cop-8.5,
K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Tunnel 8.5,
Why Her?-8,
Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance-7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Boys Over Flowers-8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Bride of Habaek-7,
Heirs-7.3,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine,
When I Fly Towards You-7.8,
Wait, My Youth-8.4,
A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5,
Find Yourself-8.9, Hidden Love-7.8
Consider a Chinese 🎎/🔮 romcom: The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8, Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9, Love and Redemption 10 or Japanese romcoms: Maid Sama 10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo 7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4, or Toradora 8.5
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