50FiftillidideeBrain

✒⭐Soul Survivors - AoS Concludes⭐

AoS-2 is a seamless continuation of S1. It picks up about 3 years after the dramatic events of S1's close.

As the show opens it appears that they've spent a lot of money on the special effects. It's quite beautiful. The music is top tier also. Blue Flower by LIA is Shazamable. Aching, by Kassy, is too, as is I′m Sorry. by Ailee, and Raindrops, by Gummy.

They switch up the FL and she's got a very different personality than our S1 FL. She's also suffering from memory loss which explains part of the change. She has no memories and he doesn't recognize her, so they need to fall in love all over again. It should have been awesome, but their delivery is barely above average. Is it big-buget disease? Too often, a bigger budget bankrupts the humanity.

AoS doesn't take itself seriously. In S2 I was hoping they would go loftier, but they opted to go lower - they get more nonsensical than I would prefer. It's still a fantastic watch.

If I wasn't already familiar with Chinese fantasy, I may not have had those thoughts. Chinese fantasy, despite its often clunky special effects, is arguably the best in the world, and AoS has Chinese influence written all over it. If you like it, alchemize your watch list to include these amazing Cdramas:
Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!,
Eternal Love-8.3,
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8,
Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9,
Love and Redemption-10

AoS-2 drops off slightly from S1, but it is a solid conclusion to the popular show. I wrote more about it in my S1 review.

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Red Bun Coalition ♟️ The Means Rustify the Soul °8.4° °Excellent°

Corruption: the process by which something is changed from its original use to one that is erroneous or debased. A departure from what is pure or correct. Decay, decomposition, dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. Even if leaders want the right things, too often they are willing to do the wrong things to get them.

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it," said Mark Twain.

US is a historical political fiction thriller based on true events. Three characters are based on actual historical figures while everyone else seems to be an amalgam of other players that created the political debacle of 1959-60 in SK, Uncle Sam being the most amalgamous. Communism was spreading, the world was in chaos. World War II had rewritten the map of the world. The North and the South Koreans were at odds. SK was closely monitored by an on-site U.S. military. This is one of Director/writer Shin Youn-Shick's (Cassiopeia) higher rated offerings. “I think Korea is the only country that asks if one has eaten as a greeting. (The series) portrays the difficult times right after the Korean War, when it was truly challenging to have even one meal a day,” Shin said. Yet it was politics as usual at the top. These back-room ghouls think nothing of the suffering masses.

Not interested? I gravitate to the imaginative side of entertainment myself - Sci-fi, thrillers, fantasy… romance. We have to make an effort to try new things to be more well rounded. As such, one could tag me a somewhat reluctant viewer. Around Ep5 it became clear that this is an excellent drama. US might not be my go-to genre, but it is an excellently created show. It starts like a tank. It grinds slowly but really cranks up towards the end. The acting and directing are sublime. What's most important is that it's a peek under the hood of politics, another reminder that politics is overrun by hoods. “This is what it means to be in politics,” muses Joo In-tae. His daughter had just asked him how he could work with a guy who had tortured him during the Japanese occupation. Many well meaning people jump into the “public service” foray with the intent to ‘do-good’, but they slowly get absorbed by a system that pumps out ‘doo-doo’. Politics is one big manure spreader. As KS says, it's “Hypocrisy disguised as a dream.”

1960. The March15 Election Fraud is about the rigged re-election of Syngman Rhee, in power since post WWII. That led to The April Revolution: A series of protests and demonstrations demanding reform that led to the removal of Rhee. We open in 1960, but the cars look older, indicating that money is scarce and they're getting by on older belongings and older technology. It is a dark, wet night. Authorities are dragging away a man who is screaming that it's Samsik's fault. What’s a Samsik? Well, he is a dude who made sure everyone in his circle had three meals a day. Even during the war. “Sam” means three. “Sik” means food. “Chingoo Chincha.” A true friend.

US is a 2024 release that is rated 86 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 42ish-minute eps that positively fly by in comparison to a typical Kdrama. Not only is US an excellent drama, but it's also a primer on politics and the slippery slope that topples the naive. The good they sincerely want to do is the carrot. Getting reelected is the stick. It helps me understand politicians more and it also makes me despise politics all the more. It's a filthy, slimy business. Cliches are always based on entrenched patterns. The cliche, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” still rings true. The human race hasn't outgrown that problem. Voters and the general public seem to have the attention span of a fruit fly and the memory of an ostrich. We neither know nor understand our history. Therefore we are doomed to suffer corrupt leadership. It just isn't wise to put too much trust or hope in political leaders.

After we hear what a nurturing guy US Is, we revert to 1959 for a closer peek. There's protesters in Seoul. I've not seen one political Kdrama where that isn't going on. It appears to be part of the fabric of Kcountry. The opening eps go back and forth between that point & MPs questioning suspects in 1960. Questions? In ‘59 these guys staged a coup!

Samsik appears to be more mobster than businessman. He's slowly built up enough to enable him to buy into a chaebol level company - he's about to become a business baron. “Do you know what pizza is?” He's in a great mood and jawwing to someone at the meal before his induction ceremony. “You probably don't even know what cheese is.” He tries to explain pizza to a traditional 1959 Korean. It might as well be explaining the 5th dimension. Try explaining soy sauce to someone who has never had Asian cuisine.

Later that night, he's at a political rally to raise trouble, and the meeting does break up in mayhem, but then Kim San/KS takes the podium. To paraphrase, he says ~ I just got back from the USA. No one is going hungary. Every building shines. They don't even eat all their food. I lived above a pizza shop. Do any of you know what Pizza is? ~ He goes on to talk of a vision where Koreans aren't starving but, rather, where Korea is the center for commerce in the world. Uncle Samsik is listening. Attentively. The scene is quite powerful.

Park Doo Chil (Snowpiercer) plays ML Uncle SamSik with his coat swinging; part of Sam's signature swagger. It's been 35 years since he did TV. Coming into US, I could only see him as he was in Parasite-9, w/ the greasy face and that smell. (I KNOW one can't smell anything through the TV. That is partly why Parasite is so brilliant!) He made an impression. He's excellent in Taxi Driver-8.4 as well, which is also half-fictionalized events based in a true setting and, historically, serves as a bookend to US. In US, PDC is indefatigable. His character is so alive, so energetic, so garrulous, so thoroughly compelling that, for someone with chronic fatigue, it's actually exhausting. US is a man who has gotten used to exploiting opportunities; it's such a habit that he never questions it. He understands that when your stomach is full your mind tends to open. He won people over by feeding them. We're not that much different than stray cats and dogs in that way. He is portrayed as a split, or compartmentalized personality. He is fundamentally decent to those around him and he's generally loyal, but he has no moral backbone whatsoever. Like the best criminals, he's a savant of human psychology. He grew up poor, therefore, he says things like: “Do you like people that are admired? They're the worst.” Yet he fully embraces the system, while he operates outside of the law entirely. US opens up in ep2: ‘I love red bean buns. I could never afford them, but I wanted them so badly I killed a man one day.’

Byun Yo Han, who is positively luminescent in Mr. Sunshine-9 & Misaeng-9.1, plays KS, a man who has the best of intentions but gets marinated and stuck to the bottom by the political sauce. Mr. Byun shows that he can play a serious role. Other actors can as well, but what other actors can't do is capture the magic of the other characters BYH has portrayed. He conveys a nearly tangible sense of delight. That is rare magic, indeed. KS has a soft spot for people who recognize his worth. That only means that he's too self-focused, and his pride is too important to him. It's something that will trip us up. He is so determined to pass his economic reform pkg, (it would be wonderful for Kcountry) that he's willing to do anything. ANYTHING. He thinks he can wash away the stink later.

Lee Kyu Hyung (Doctor John) plays the spineless, but powerful Kang Seong-Min. Even though he's a beautiful man, he's terrifying because he's completely self-focused, he has no empathy, and he's gutless. If someone makes him the slightest bit nervous, he orders a hit. Choo Sang-Rok is Park Ji-Wook. During the Japanese Occupation he was a quisling and worked as a police officer on behalf of the occupiers. In 1959 he’s a prominent politician. Tiffany Young (Reborn Rich) is marvelous as Rachel Jung. Jin Ki Joo (My Perfect Stranger) is Joo Yeo Jin, KS's fiance, as the show opens. Seo Hyun Woo (Flower of Evil-8.9) plays Jung Han Min.

The slippery slope. KS is courted more than a duke's only daughter. How does Samsik seduce him? With intoxicating statements like this: “Nobody gets to fulfill more than 25% of their desires. Nobody gets 80 or 90% so what do you do? You increase your desires by 40-50-60%. Have ambition.” When KS finally succumbs, he has this conversation with the party chief: “I don't need nice guys. We are waging a war here. I won't tolerate any tears.” “I've already shed all my tears. I'm done with that.” By that time he had abandoned his fiance, ignored dozens of illegalities, and had started sewing the seeds of revolution. Samsik stays in the shadows. One might almost think he invented subversive triangulation, but apparently politics is the same at all times and in all places. It's a filthy business in which those in power take advantage of those in need. Catch rivals committing crimes? It's merely an invitation to control them. Turning them in is the last thing that US would do. Even so, Samsik and KS form an unbreakable bond. They have good goals that they intend to implement by any means possible. Following proper channels never even occurs to Samsik, and he manages to slowly and steadily bend KS to his will.

It's always the things that we think we know, our faulty presuppositions, that are going to bring us down. “There was an explosion of people that spilled onto the streets instantly. Ultimately, none of the promises or plans we made mattered at all… No one could have predicted the way the winds would take us, or or how the waves would crash.” The director is adept at building up tension throughout the show. It explodes into protests. There's an aerial shot of marchers that pans several blocks. It's really spectacular. Next, he intersperses the filming with genuine newsreels from the time itself. It's quite emotional. Another nice touch is how KS is gifted a light grey suit. It stands out amongst the unified dark suit coalition. I think it represents how his white intentions became muddied and gray through his interactions with US. In the last ep KS wears a black suit. His eyeglasses are two tones of grey.

Uncle Sam knows things are going sideways in the last episode. He can sense it. He looks at the hotel lobby. People are chit-chatting, drinking and going on with their evening as if nothing's happening. They're completely unaware of the day, of the country, & of the rotation and revolution of the earth. Isn't that always the case? The soldiers enter. It's a profound scene.

US, himself, is often profound. We'll let him close this out: “Let me ask you about the principles that govern this world. Spring arrives, then summer. Flowers bloom, then wilt. They're what make the World Go Round And the sun rise and set. The Earth's rotation and revolution. Can you feel it right now? The rotation and revolution? That's precisely the kind of man I am. The Earth's rotation and revolution…” (looks like the earth still goes around without him). “Sometimes I feel… I feel tossed aside in the world, completely abandoned. I'm flooded with loneliness. It's in those times that I find what I fear most of all… is when that loneliness… becomes familiar.


(more) QUOTES📢

So you think love is trivial? Guess you don't know much about love.

People think they're different from each other. Eventually, they figure out they're all the same. When they figure it out, it's too late.

You have a bad habit. You underestimate people who are younger than you. You need to fix that.

An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought. ~Simon Cameron US financier & politician, 1799-1889~

〰🖍 IMHO

📣8.3 📝8.5 🎭8.5 💓3 🦋4 🎨8 🎵/🔊7.5 🔚9 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡5.5 😅2 😭6 😱3 😯3.5 🤢3 🤔7 💤0

Age 14+
Language Rated-R F💣, some violence, gore, and scares, but the tradeoff is the primer on politics and human relationships. This is an educational jaunt as well as an excellent drama.

Rated TV-MA

Re-📺? Would


Historical footnotes:

Those based on true historical figures:

~Ryu Tae-ho as Choi Han-rim: a prestigious general who KS calls a 2nd father. WIKI - “Based on Lee Han-lim, he is known for his political neutrality and being the only commanding officer to declare public opposition to the May 16 coup. After graduating from Shinkyong Military Academy and studying at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, he served as an officer… was a classmate of Park Chung Hee,” part of the Imperial Japanese Arm & finally 1st Army CDR when the 5/16/60 coup occurred. “He opposed the military's intervention in politics and stood on the opposite line from those who led the military coup of Park Chung-hee. He had prepared to mobilize reserve forces to suppress the coup, but withdrew to prevent a civil war and potential North Korean invasion. Due to his opposition, he was arrested two days later and discharged along with the 5th District Commander and Army Major General Park Ki-byung.”

~Park Hyuk-kwon “as Choi Min-gyu: Minister of Home Affairs who collaborates with the Liberal Party government. Based on Choi In-gyu.”

~Oh Kwang-rok “as Joo In-tae: a politician who insists on national prosperity and peaceful coexistence. Loosely based on Cho Bong-am…Three years after the election, Cho was charged with espionage and receiving funds from NK. His first trial resulted in an acquittal but he was convicted in a second trial and was executed on 31 July 1959. His death sentence was posthumously overturned in 2011 by the South Korean Supreme Court.”

The Albright Stonebridge Group is a real Foundation committed to economic growth in SK.

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Mother's Love Will Never Abandon You ♡ A Sad Show With A Bobbled Ending

This is a good drama, but it made me sad - and not a cathartic "sad," like a Chinese or Shakespearean tragedy that is somehow fulfilling. This show brings on an empty sadness.

In the +, the characters are all complex and thus, they remain interesting. I loved the cameo of Seobinggo and Shin Soon-ae from Oh My Ghost, which I consider to be one of the best romcoms ever made. OMG & HBM share a director, Yoo Je-Won. He has 10 works credited to him, all of which are rated 7 or higher. That's outstanding. So far I've seen Tomorrow With You(7-VG but major logical problems and a couple of crashes with consistency) The King: Eternal Monarch(7.9 it's different, and it's not perfect, but it's mostly excellent) and Abyss(4.7 Poor - it's awful, which hurts my feelings because I love Park Bo-young), and Oh My Ghost(10 - it's superb). His most popular shows are Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha & Crash Course in Romance, which are ones I haven't gotten to, yet.

This drama addresses weighty topics (death, loss, regret, guilt) and does it well. Yu-ri shows thoughtfulness and grace… and MOXIE. The best moments are when the ladies get together, especially when they don their sunglasses-of-doom.

There are shortcomings - too many for it to be considered a top-tier production. Some things that happen are unexpected, but the final outcome comes speeding down the road and arrives just as foreshadowed. There is poor resolution. We are treated to some final moments peeking a few years down the line, but it’s too brief and way too ill-defined, and we don't witness much of any healing. Not all the drinks that are poured are imbibed, meaning that many of the characters seem like they would get more of a story arc, but they just evaporated instead. The rules of the "game" are not laid out. Even when the reason Yu-ri came back is confirmed, it doesn't change any of the problems. It is actually a weak plot point: If that method works, we shouldn't need funeral directors or cemeteries as no one would ever stay dead. As lovely as that would be, it doesn't play well in this show.

Their effort to analyze the mother/daughter cycle is respectable. It seems the show's diffuse focus redirects the audience from an exploratory surgery that would provide a deeper analysis of the truth, to: "Take an aspirin and get some rest. It will all blow by "

In summary, this is not a feel-good drama. Don't look for that. It did not help me process my own recent loss: Don't look for that either.

IMHO...
Suggested Age 12& up.


Directing 6.7
Acting 8
Romance 3
Thought provocation 6

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Dimestore Harlequin Novel On Your TV ~ VG Lite-Snack Romcom

This is not an instant classic. Nor will it be studied in a film class. It is a classic, somewhat cheesy, romance without any major flaws. Classic, here, means it's akin to those cheap paperback novels that were written by the dozens a few decades ago, the biggest publisher being Harlequin. My sister would by the bagfuls.

Yumi is a girl who is trying to live a better life than her narcissistic ex-adult film star mother. She was teased relentlessly in school over her parentage, so she doesn't want to be equated with her mother anymore. Enough already. She needs distance. She wants to be a *whole world* away from her & her mother's pasts. To draw a solid line between her and Oma, Yumi keeps herself buttoned up and tries to stumble her way through life in the background.

She embarks on a weekend trip for mom's second (Wait. It was the 3rd, maybe?) marriage. For Yumi, the weekend is one fiasco followed by another, culminating in a one night stand. In a convertible. On the beach. With a dude so good looking, he's almost too pretty. None of this makes Yumi feel better about it. She's disgusted with herself. She doesn't even know his name! (But HER mother wouldn't be so ashamed). She wakes first in the morning, slinking off with some of dude's clothing, leaving him exposed to the elements... and gawkers- quite a crowd, actually. All ages. They loved the show. He received loads of fanfare, too.

Yumi, next, slinks back home to focus on putting her life in order. She graduates with a dietary sciences/nutrition degree and is thrilled to land a job at a large corporation that offers great benefits. She's thrilled /until/ she runs into HIM. She has to figure out how to best slice and dice this situation pronto.

That sets the table. You'll have to watch it to see what's on the menu.

MSR is not devoid of quality elements. "No matter how many bad things happen in a day, if one lucky thing happens, it's a lucky day," says Yum-i, while buddy-chugging wine from the bottle, in a convertible, surfside, under the magically lit sky… 15 min later they have a 1 night stand.

{Timeout: That's never a good idea. It's unacceptable risk to one's physical and emotional health, and one will win the lottery before it leads to committed love. That's one reason it's a fun thing to watch and wonder, and then walk away. }

This is a show to which lovers of romance, who need a mental vacation, can relax and enjoy some healthy snacks. Their little chess game, misunderstandings, series of non-communications, and many memorable meals, will make loveaholics smile. Cha Jin-hook (Played by the otherworldly gorgeous Sung Hoon) tells his father, who is pushing for his marriage: "My wife is right here," metaphorically meaning the business. However, his wife is literally #there, in the building. Nice morsel. I suspect that Yumi's name is a play on the English word "Yummy" - also a clever detail.

There are scattered problems: Some minor, some moderate, but they don't bring on indigestion. MSR is what it was designed to be, as a whole - simple escapism. However, it could be improved on. Starting in Ep11, there were too toooooo 2*2*2 many sappy flashback scenes, with sappy background music. They could have made it an episode shorter, or, better yet, make optimal use of that screen time with more content. Do yourself a favor, and FF thru them. When Yumi is singing Karaoke, be warned: They do the #whole song with flashbacks. Then Mr. Cha goes down memory lane. It gets ridiculous, but some quick remote control work takes care of it. Trust me on this one.

The actors are likable, and they did a great job. The secondary romances are brief pleasures. It's easy to root for them. The CEO's aid wears over-the-top-flowered-polka dot-paisley-anything-suits. He's amazing, and wears them proudly. He's one for the highlight reels.

This is a good enough aperitif between heavier shows. If you are at a loss as to what to watch next, but in the mood for a heroine-exits-cocoon style romance, this will do as nicely as an afternoon tea.

IMHO...

Age 16+ My reasoning: Her mom is an ex-porn star, which has been a lifetime vexation for Yumi. Also, they have a one-night-stand when they hardly know each other. There's so many other great Kdramas to watch, so there's no rush for teens to see this one.

Directing 7
Acting 7.4
Romance 8
Flutters 7
Warmth 7.7
Art 7.6
Laughs 6.6
Thought provocation 6
Ending 8

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☘ The Snide Rabbit & the Smiling Carrot ☘ °5.7° °avg➕️°

Mom, I got a call today. ZGDX wants me to play on their 🎧Esports🕹 team…”

“Well I got a call today too. I won a Rolls-Royce just because I bought a fish at the supermarket.” Mom isn't easily impressed.

Esports. E…Sports? They've got the fittest fingers in the world! But parents don't believe it's a suitable way to make a living. Dad chimes in that “cool” isn't a valid factor in choosing a career. Now that Tong Yao has graduated, it's time to forget games and get a J.O.B. BUT, these esports dudes are prettier than a K-pop boy band! What's a gurl to do? Hmmm? A girl's gonna get to Shanghai and give it serious consideration.

But Yao's ex is in Shanghai playing for an opposing team… Whatever, she's so over him. As soon as Yao signs with ZGDX, mom changes the family chat heading from Happy😀Family to Unhappy😥Family… The fans are in an uproar. Her teammates aren't thrilled to have the first girl player in the league. Biscuit, the 🐈, is the only one who's happy. Just looking at Cheng's fish tank and dreaming of the catch keeps him smiling.

FIYS is a 2021 release that is rated 8.6 on MDL & 8.1 on IMDB. It is 1 season consisting of 31 45-minute episodes. It's proof that Xu Kai's smile can carry a show, as FIYS makes the Hallmark Channel look like the Smithsonian Channel. I flinched at the inane dialogue and weak plot devices a few times. From one sappy speech to the next, there's a heavily manufactured feel. At times even the romance feels rather staged (and at other times it's charming). Someone actually orders shark fin soup - Hey, China! That is not alright. Shark fin soup is derived from a brutal practice in which the fin is cut off and the shark is left to sink to the ocean floor and die slowly. This unnecessary cruelty should be banned🚫universally. They do not do a good job drawing the viewer into the competition; the viewer knows very little about what's happening on the screen. One can't help but compare it to The King's Avatar-8, which does a superb job of heightening game play drama and excitement. KA has no romance, but it has spectacular graphics. The tiny screen with tinier characters running around and tinny sound effects is less than exciting in FIYS. I got caught up on my shopping list during the game play because it adds nothing to the equation until the last competition. As of ep7 it still feels like set up - things haven't gotten rolling yet. Perhaps by ep9 or 10 things finally emerge from set-up mode. Then playas gonna play, and haters gonna hate - because this new girl has *ganked the sport's #1 attraction, Chessman. She's claimed ownership. The fans are in a frenzy.

*gank -verb; to take or steal (something); in a video game, to use underhand means to defeat or kill - good word.

Chinese esports fans in this show are really rough, and I'm from right outside of Philadelphia - I know tough fans. FIYS is a 31 episode sermon against cyber bullying with a romance tucked into it. But it's cute, and it passes the time pleasantly. And, hey, it's got cats. Dogs are great, too, but cats are underrepresented and downright abused in Western media. The adorable Xu Kai (Ancient Love Poetry-8.6, Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain-7.5) is Lu Si Cheng. No complaints. Notta one. Cheng Xiao (The World of Fantasy) plays Tong Yao, who is fleet of finger and can play many different RPG characters. Since opposing teams get to ban a certain number of characters, this is a necessary skill.

The romance is like a low drama Sunday stroll. What's a girl supposed to do when she hasn't quite made up her mind, yet the man of any girl's dreams gives her 2 hours to accept or reject him? She ain't ready. He pulls a stunt to seal the deal. He knows how to strategize, afterall. He seems to be into her rather quickly, particularly her bunny bra that he accidentally saw one day. In ep1 it's: “No one would look at you.” and in ep11 it's, “my intermittent blindness.” Soon, his bunny/carrot analogies are nibbling at her. By ep21 it's: “Your hands are so soft.” They are required to live stream for several hours a month while they practice. Since they sit next to eachother, the fans quickly pick up on the tension between them and the junk that they're airing out, both knowingly and unknowingly. From the outside it looks like this: “One of you is too proud and the other is too arrogant. Do you intend to fight for life?”

Now for the Scooby snacks.

🍬They pay subtle deference to The King's Avatar. Their uniforms are nearly the same as the ones that Team Happy wore in KA with some black added in. In ep1 a player on the other team is Yang. They're yelling “Yang! Yang!” It feels like a shout-out to The KA which stars Yang Yang.

🍬The soundtrack is loaded with beautiful piano and violin.

🍬Top lane, top laner, topsolo. Bottom lane. Bottom laner. Middle lane. Midsolo. Jungler. Shooter. Support. Gank. The lingo is fun.

🍬China loves Tolkien. One of the teams is Orcs of Doom. I've seen other references to Tolkien's works in Chinese shows.

🍬A great touch that they should have worked in more often is animation accents. They review the week's quotes with fun word animation bouncing around the screen. Great sequence. When she's tired, a hand-drawn energy bar in the red-zone and a mostly depleted heart are following her around. Less is not more in this case. More fun touches like that would have been an enhancement.

🍬“Your aesthetics are a reference for exclusion,” she says as she puts back the shoes that he picked out😂.

🍬The Big BAD🇰🇷Koreans on the other teams… given the history, and the fact that with a population of around 50M to China's 1.4B, SK is 0.036% China's size, that's funny. They also make reference to watching Kdramas💖

🍬Poor chubadub. Every time something intimate happens, he happens upon it, and he just don't wanna see it!

Love can overcome the odds, and this adorable couple does manage to eke out a win, despite the above mentioned hindrances. At least that's what the ratings demonstrate. This would probably be more popular with tween and teen girls than any other group. She's a touch stiff; maybe it's just him carrying the show… The poor dialogue and plot drivers do lower the degree of difficulty, so the top score is ceilinged well under its full potential. Romance junkies will tolerate this well, but others will relate to it worse than parents will to a career playing video games.


QUOTES📢

It's safer to be a wimp.

What's yours will be yours; otherwise could you take it by force?

Never take the enemy lightly. Don't fight unprepared battles.


〰🖍 IMHO

📣6.3 📝5 🎭6.7 💓6 🦋6 🎨5 🎵/🔊7.5 🔚7 ▪ 🌞5 ⚡2 😅2.5 😭2 😱2 😯2 😖1 🤔3 💤4


Age 13+
Language: PG-13 he!!, d@mn, etc

Rated TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned. ..

Re-📺? Nah, and with the benefit of foreknowledge, I would not watch it for the first time, though it certainly has its bright moments.

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

🎎Historical/Period:
Overlord 8.4,
The Sleepless Princess 9.1 (there's a minor fantasy element),
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8,
Under the Power 8.6

🇰🇷K:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl / Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo 8.5;

🔮Fantasy - Heavenly realm:
Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome siblings 8.7;
Heavenly Sword 9 (Kung-fu!);
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6

💘Modern Day romance:
Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
Find Yourself 8.9 all around excellent;
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5

🇰🇷K:
A Witch's Love 7.8;
love To Hate You 8.9;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's okay not to be okay 9;
My Mister 9.5;

⚡🇰🇷K Action:
K2 8;
Private Lives 8.1;
Sisyphus 8;
Tunnel 8.1;
Signal 8.6;
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;
Kingdom 8.3;
Sweet Home 8.4

🇯🇵Japanese lite romcoms: Maid Sama (10), Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo (7.8), Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions (8.4), Toradora (8.5)

Originally 〰️🖊 May 2024

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Like Pizza Delivered Upside Down ~ Could Have Been ⤴️ But It's Just ⤵️ °4.6° °Poor°

I tried to roll along with BIOG, I really did. When watching fiction - especially fantasy - we must hold our suspension of disbelief in order to go along with the show and enjoy it. It's more relaxing to be on the generous side of the issue. Each time we have to dismiss inconsistencies, errors, a clumsy cadence, stupid dialogue or other disappointments, it's like a pinprick. At some point blood starts to gush and one can't let it go anymore. Then almost everything posi+ive drains dry, which is what happened here. This show just doesn't work; it's lifeless. Inconsistencies kept that "little ✒pinch" feeling going. For instance:

✒Can people see ghosts, or just evil spirits? It's unclear. We are told that seeing ghosts is something only a few people can do, but as the show goes on, more and more people are seeing ghosts. The viewer can make some guesses as to why this happens, but we shouldn't have to guess. The rules of this world should be explained and then adhered to. Or it hurts.

✒Hyun Ji's wardrobe, and how she is able to obtain, wear and change clothes is inconsistent. Her clothing is a plot driver in some episodes, yet rules about wardrobe laid out early on are bent, broken or tossed out altogether later. While I'm on the subject of costume, when Hyun Ji is wearing black she should have had spike-heeled boots on, not the frumpy-dumpies she wears. How kick@$$ing could she be when wearing them? They only could have helped.

✒She gets wet when it rains but her hair is dry when she comes out of the lake(?)

✒Why don't people see the forks and knives moving and the glasses being raised when ghosts are eating?

✒The police investigate a buried body in the woods and declare that it may not be a natural death? Possibly. What made them think that? Oh, right, the body was BURIED.

✒I'm almost shocked that the two seniors, In Rang and Cheon Sang, who only want to film ghosts in the beginning of the show, seem to forget all about it, and their youtube channel, as the episodes go on. The writer and director just let that aspect float out there and never used it. Letting something so important to the characters just fall away with no reason provided is downright lazy plot and character development.

✒We aren't told how technically skillful In Rang is, early on, so when he magically displays prowess later, it seems to sprout from nowhere.

✒Do we know the monk's actual relationship to Bong Pal? He seems to be an uncle, but if that was stated I missed it. We shouldn't be left to guess.

✒Do we know if Hyun Ji got all of her memories back from her time with Park Bong Pal?

✒What's going on in ep16 when they claim they don't need money and they have to be convinced to earn some? Bizarre.

It's as if they mixed scenes together like four and water. They don't have the sugar and the eggs, so no cake. It's gloop. Instead of a cohesive product that works, they just have a pile of separated scenes that don't combine for a better whole. On top of the inconsistencies and general sloppiness, the soundtrack and sound effects are lackluster.

The acting was fine. The actors suffer from bad directing. It doesn't seem like it's their fault. There appears to be a lack of chemistry, but it's probably a lack of good direction. Joon Hwa Park has a great lineup as a director. Hopefully this is an outlier. Conversely, one of the best things in the show is an incentive twist. That was a pleasant surprise. The villain is well done also, but none of that can bless this offering.

IMHO…

Directing 4
Acting 7
Romance 5
Flutters 4
Thought provocation 3

Age 13& up.

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It's All Good In The Hood❕️ °Excellent°

Is this a romance, or an exploration of parent child relationships?

It's both. It's actually more the latter. There's loss, longing, loneliness, laughter and love, with scary tension mixed in for good measure. The neighborhood is a character on its own. The place to which they've taken us is so charming. Good directing, good acting, good writing and a good soundtrack all come together beautifully, like Donbaek's pork stir-fry. The romance between the two leads is sweet. The mystery surrounding the murders is also handled very well. Most of the character arcs are satisfying.

Dongbaek is uncomfortably passive and within herself in the first few episodes. Watching her develop... and bloom... is a treat. I've become a big fan of Lee Jeong Eun, Dongbaek's mom. She's a stellar talent and currently my favorite actress. I first saw her in Oh My Ghost which is a romcom that's cooked up to perfection. She, along with the other 3 leads deliver magnificent performances in that show and I have had a love affair with all of them ever since. (The other three are Kim Seul-Gi, Jo Jung-Seok, and Park Bo-Young).

This show is 95% excellent. Here's a complimentary sample of unimportant nitpicks:

It doesn't quite make sense to open a restaurant/bar because you can make one good dish.... .

It would have been fun to see policeman Young Shik catch a few more criminals, but it is understandable that one case started to consume all of his time.

I wasn't pleased with the treatment of Jong Ryul, Pil-Gu's father. It seemed more severe than he deserved. He truly cares for Dongbaek. He never had a chance to know his son. He made mistakes when he was immature, and has since grown up. The reason for the break-up and her attitude toward him is less in focus than other plot lines. I'm glad they didn't make him a cartoonish bad guy, at least. That's a played out stereotype; he has more complexity.

The efforts to catch the Joker had some holes, or flaws. Obvious things that should have been done were not, mostly to maintain the plot.

Any criticisms are easily overlooked due to the overall excellence of the show. Hwang Yong-Sik's energy alone is worth the time spent. Kang Ha-Neul is really terrific as the ML. So grab the peanuts and Soju and enjoy your stay in Ongsan.

QUOTE〰

"I scratched on cement that hasn't hardened." (Meaning that since he's a kid it will mark him, hurt him, and stay with him for life).


〰IMHO

Directing 8
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 5
Thought provocation 6

Suggested Age 14& up.

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✒Boy Wonder ✨️ Batman's Bratty Lil Bro °8.5° °Excellent°

“Everyone has their own task in their life. But I've never believed that.” It opens up dark and foggy. It's creepy. It looks more like a horror film. “Living with no purpose was not that bad. But now, a question was thrown into my life. Now I start my journey to find an answer.”

After that opening we jump back 2 mos. It's bright. It's colorful. Sparkly jazz is playing while bloody Marys are pouring. Su ditches the board meeting in the morning, telling his butler he needs to sleep more. He forces that butler to watch a clip of him swimming with the sharks. He looks like another worthless rich guy, a spoiled brat without a care in the world. Before he goes back to sleep, however, he gets a notification. There's been a kidnapping! The next thing we see is that he's on the SWAT team - Is he Batman? Is he a rich do-gooder, who appears aimless, but actually fights crime on the sly with the vast resources available at his fingertips? Nah, this is
the dress-up/role-play swat team. This guy doesn't work hard, but he plays hard. This isn't a spoiler ~ we're still under 10 minutes in.

Soon we cut to real cops (Violent Crimes Investigative Team 1) chasing a real criminal. Right at that moment, in the vicinity, Jin I “Su”, is innocently walking down the street when he has to defend himself against an assailant. Some random dude picked a fight with him. All Hy the cop sees, when she catches up to the action, is Su assaulting someone. Su's arrested - Our leads meet that way. Su's chair-dad finds out about the arrest from a reporter ~ At his press conference ~ He was attempting to announce his candidacy for Mayor of Seoul when he's blindsided by the news of his son's arrest. He angrily vows to disown Su… Until the police realize during the course of their investigation that Su actually captured a murderer. He did not commit assault: It was self-defense. Su's father is furious once again, and the police are squirming because they're in a lot of trouble. They work out a win-all-around solution: the police will say that Su has not been arrested. He's been a cop for 2 mos and worked with them to capture this murderer. Now, e’erbody happy. Everybody except Su's “co-workers” and the reporter who is now accused of making a false report about Su's arrest. So now···

Su's on the force. The cops are forced to work with him. They're hoping he never actually shows up to work.

FXC is a 2024 release that is rated 90 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 70-minute episodes. It's plenty typical and formulaic, but if you go for cop shows that incorporate humor with a couple surprises, you'll likely enjoy this. I certainly did. The episode about hypnosis is a bit weak, but all-in-all, one can't ask for more from a cop-edy drama. The cases are interesting and well conceived. It's really good - They could turn this into a franchise. Apparently, S2 has already been announced.

Ahn Bo Hyun (Kairos, See You in My 19th Life) plays the rich & spoiled Su. He's been shows that I loved: Her Private Life-8, My Only Love Song-8.7, & Descendants of the Sun-8.3. He was in a show that I liked: My Runway-7.5, and one that I hated: My Name-5.7. He's completely different in everything, so he's as versatile as he is good looking - and he is a specimen. Su inhabits a world that is entirely unfamiliar to the police. He has an advantage when it comes to investigating people of wealth and status as the son of the chairman - the /illegitimate/ son. (Therefore, his stepmother despises him). Su might seem obnoxious at first, but he's a kind-hearted and delightful person. He's a touch carefree, even careless, but he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. His mother died when he was about 7. He has no memory of it, but he's told it was a car accident. His father is concerned that “he'll get his memories back”.

Park Ji Hyun (Love All Play, Reborn Rich) is Lee Gang Hyeon/”Hy”. She's not the most feminine female. Dad, also a decorated detective, is her drinking buddy. She's positively rough… and RUDE, and she despises Su. Her everyday look is so utilitarian that it was jolting to see her dressed up for a sting operation. She looks great. As mature as she seems, she's actually 6 years younger than her co-star. Ahn Bo Hyun must have some amazing genetics because he looks like he could play a high school kid, still.

Kang Sang Jun (Marry My Husband, Doctor Slump) is hardboiled detective Park Jun Yeong, who has been alongside Hy since the academy. He seems overly interested in, and overprotective of, Hy. He doesn't try to hide his disdain for Su. Kim Shin Bi (Journey to the Shore, Revenant) is the friendly junior detective and social media follower of Su, Choi Gyeong Jin. Jung Ga Hee (Longing for You,The Glory) plays medical examiner Yun Ji Won. I love this ME. She's got a dry wit, a great attitude, and she's funny. Jokes coming out of the autopsy room sort of write themselves. In one scene she puts a decayed rice cake that supposedly choked someone to death on the metal tray. She then takes a fresh one, bites it, and puts it on the tray next to the one she extracted from the deceased's throat, showing how the one from the dead body was obviously cut, not bitten. Point made, she picks up the one she had started eating off of the tray and pops it in her mouth. The delivery was perfect. I laughed out loud. Ms Jung has a short resume, and I look forward to seeing her more. Her credits are sure to accumulate as she is absolutely darling.

Director: Kim Jae Hong - He's a rock star. His most recent 4 efforts: FXC, Revenant, Through the Darkness, & Begins Youth are all rated 8.7 on MDL. He has 7 other credits; 3 in the 7.5-7.8 range and 4 in the 6.6-7.3 bracket. Not a dud in a bunch. Screenwriter: Kim Ba Da of A Man Who Was Superman & the popular My Name-5.7, which I didn't care for

The cops do everything they can to keep Su on the sidelines, but he's just not the kind of guy to sit quietly in the corner. The next couple episodes deal with him proving himself. They're going to have to work with him, they realize. Money makes the day-to-day stuff easier (being a cop sure is costing Su a fortune), but it can really mess up relationships. That's the theme. Speaking of wealth, Su questions a wealthy person of interest at a tanning salon. Given that Kdramas are so pasty skinned my jaw dropped and I haven't found it yet. This is the first tanning bed I've seen in a Kdrama.

His stepmother is so abhorrent that he ends up moving back to the house where he lived with his mom, only to find out that Hy now lives across the street. This creates situations where he must interact with her parents. “For your information, this will be salty. I recommend not eating it.” So Hy advises when she delivers the kimchi that her mother forced her to bring over. (It took 3 days of nagging but she finally caved in). And that’s why Hy crossed the road ~ maybe the chicken was following her.

Will the seeds of romance bloom in S2? They aren't there yet, and they have more than one road to cross. She's drab. Oh, how his presence must hurt her eyes! Lime. Plum. Lemon. Tangerine. Grape. His clothes are colorful, bright, expensive, and capital-F-Flashy. He's a peacock. Her car is really messy. She's more dude than chick. He comments on a sticky brown residue in the cup holder. “Oh, I spilled coffee yesterday.” Unsatisfied, he presses further: “Didn't you clean it up?” Her unfazed answer: “I did” Unconvinced, he responds: “Do you have a tissue or anything?” She looks around, “Use this.” She hands him a piece of /junk mail/. Only someone who's lived like a slob or has been around a slob would be able to write that. That's too authentic. It cracked me up.

Her Oma falls in love with Su first. Perhaps that's because she sees a potential mate for her rapidly aging daughter. There's nice juxtaposition when he's at his family's home for a press interview. Afterwards, dinner is being laid out, but stepwitch informs him that they are /not/ setting a place for him. When he gets home, Hy's mother insists that he come over and have dinner with them.

They have to do a stake-out which means spending even more time together. That's followed up by an undercover operation where they are wedged even closer. Su has things to work through before he can give all to a relationship, however. As we get to know Su, it becomes obvious that his cavalier attitude is the way he deals with pain. He's got some trauma that he's never dealt with. He's locked it away under the surface as evinced by his reoccurring dream about a painting of a woman submerged in water. Hy starts to hear from people (her father and a psychiatrist, for example) to be wary of Su: He's a ticking time bomb, she's warned. Halfway through the show, he gets his memory back.

Be that as it may, Hy will be the last one to deal with her own feelings. Most of S1 sees her on the fence as to whether she can tolerate Su at all. She wrote up a brutal recommendation to release him from the force, and it sits in her desk drawer. This mindset leads to amusing scenes, for example, when they're about to do a group arrest. She's handing out guns to everyone on the team. Su puts out his hand. Hy gives him handcuffs. There's NO WAY she's giving him a gun. Naturally, /he's/ the one who ends up saving the day and slapping the handcuffs on the perp. Later on, we see that he's had them gold-plated! You can't beat a guy with optimism (and resources) like that. You might as well tune in, then: You know if you can't beat ‘em, you might as well join ‘em!


QUOTE📢

There's no one who is strong enough to beat everything.


〰🖍 IMHO

📣8.5 📝8.3 🎭8 💓5 🦋4 🎨7 🎵/🔊7.4 🔚8.5 ▪ 🌞5.5 ⚡6.5 😅4.5 😭3 😱3 😯3 🤢3 🤔3.5 💤0


Re-📺? Totally worth it

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day - Crazy Love-7.8,
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Her Private Life 8,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Hospital Playlist 9, Misaeng-9.1,
My Mister 9.5,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9, Mine-8

Action/Crime/Sci-fi -
Inspector Koo-8.4,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Vagabond-8,
Private Lives 8.1, Law School -8, Uncanny counter season-1 only °S1-8.4 S2-4, When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Why Her?-8,
Sisyphus 8,
Tunnel 8.5,
Signal 8.6, Blood Free-8.5, Iris-8,
D.P.-8.4,
The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9, Wonderful World-7.8,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9, The Wailing-8.8,
Black 9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4

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W♡nder-Girl Meets Bad☆Boy☆Band! °8.3° °Excellent°

Wondering if this is worth your time?

If you love Kromcoms, this show is mandatory. If you think romcoms are Daebek, SK or otherwise, you will want to add this one to your list. Here's the test: If you aren't starstruck by ep2's conclusion, just move on; BOF is not for you.

Jun-Pyo may love viewing the skies through his telescope, but BOF isn't intended to be viewed through a high powered one. Lie back, look at the stars and dream a spell. Yes, there's consistency issues, and 2-2-Too much back and forth. Yet, I couldn't stop watching. 25 episodes is a LOT, and yes, it should have been trimmed back. The last vignette is best forgotten; it's that 5th season that never should have been made. Ask Jun-Pyo to hand over a towel in order to wipe that one away.

Additionally, it stretches credulity a tad far when we see these ruthless and cruel overlords of the school all (rather quickly) turn from black holes into North Stars. Actually, the 3 aren't necessarily cruel, but they are indifferent, which is just as bad. Since they were in playpens together, it seems that his 3 quasi underlings just let Jun-Pyo be Jun-Pyo. He is the sole instigator, the solar flare. Jan-di's parents are over the top of Namsam tower extra, but within the sphere of comedies at large. Jan-di has some strange moments in the first 3 or so episodes. She almost looks (clinically) spastic. Obviously, the director was going for laughs, but ultimately gets a "Huh?" None of that is important, though, because this is very Pride and Prejudice (especially if Darcy had an evil queen for a mother) with some Beauty and the Beast stardust thrown in.

Geum Jan-di is a beautiful soul, and Gu Jun-pyo loves her so completely, that I fell for them. Their relationship is lovable... when it's not WWIII, that is. The way they tit-for-tat fight, make up, and merely converse (always addressing each other using full names only, for example) is adorable. The leads did a bang-up job: The attachment feels authentic, and the sparks are visceral. While I haven't seen the lauded Japanese version, Koo Hye-sun is perfect - she's artsy, smart, and still forward-strong: She's a singer-songwriter, actress, director and artist now. I love her Jan-di, except for the loose handful of Red Cards. Lee Min-Ho - Don't dismiss him. He's not a heartthrob merely because he dropped from the sky that way. He built his image one work at a time, and BOF was his big launch to international stardom.

It does make sense that he falls for her, btw. "No" is something he'd never heard. Ever. He's no longer a lone star in upper space looking down on everything. Here comes a moon at his level, orbiting him. He loves the challenge. While engaging in the contest and in partial shock a girl exists that isn't interested in him, Gu Jun-Pyo concludes that Jan-di is the #only light in his sky. He's been denied love and family time, which is what his heart wants most. She blew his mind by standing up to him. He fixates on Jan-di as his panacea, his home. He boorishly pursues her, knowing nothing but bossing people around. He'll grab her arm to drag her somewhere, and she #lets him. She, likely, has no idea why(?!) she lets him. She certainly doesn't want to like him - given how much she °loathes° him. The human heart is a mystery, indeed. If you find his behavior offensive, you're right, but only for a twinkle. Gu Jun-Pyo is a quasar, Jan-di, the red giant. Once their paths collide, the quasar changes course, shooting down to earth. All those episodes find Jan-di schooling Gu Jun-Pyo. He accepts her tutoring and becomes a better, happier, more peaceful man. The opening of the show finds him a veritable toddler - le infantile terrible - throwing tantrums and money at everything that vexes him. Don't think for a moment that he's domineering, abusive, or controlling in the relationship; that ain't what's going down. Jan-di would kick him in the head if she didn't want his attentions. Anyone thinking Gu Jun-Pyo is in the lead is projecting. He enters HER world, and it's endearing. They travel light-years to bond, only to have that bond tested to the extreme. The gravitational pull between them only strengthens as they share any orbit to work through obstacles together.

BOF is an excellent choice for teens. Jan-di is a shining role model. Her beautiful smile elevates all who are in her proximity (except The Witch). She stands for what's right. She is courageous. She's a veritable Joan Of Arc in the battle for Shinwa High- Without the burned-at-the-stake thing. Yet, she can be as comforting as a plate of warm pancakes. The way Gu Jun-Pyo adores her, emitting rays of warmth in which she can bask, should resonate with teenage girls, and prod them to reflect on their standards when it comes to boyfriend material. If you can swim with it and overlook some of the goofy stuff, you will escape to the great beyond with this entire group of friends. You will also be treated to an epic kiss, mid thruway at rush hour, in the background is the sun dropping from the sky, igniting the space between them. Eat your hearts out Sunny, Ginger & Miranda.

The notoriety of the show, which includes its effect on popular culture, plus the fact that BOF boosted Kdramas' popularity globally, as well as the numerous nominations and awards bestowed all supply evidence that this series is WONDER-FUL.

IMHO~》》

Directing 7
Acting 8
Romance 9
Flutters 8
Warmth 7
Art 7
Action 5
Thought provocation 6
Ending 8

For Age 13+ with cautions: Jan-di gets duped into taking fetish photos. She's shown in a childlike skirt and wearing bunny ears. She holds up a revealing costume and refuses to put it on. There are two setups to look like two singles shared a bedroom (to get an enemy in trouble), and there was a lie about a pregnancy scare. These would all be good for generating worthy discussions regarding safety of person and reputation. Decide accordingly.

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♥️ The Cutest Jailhouse Romance Ever ☘ °8.9° °Adorable°

Ah, bad boys. I've never understood the attraction. Just because it's not my poison doesn't mean that it's not a /thing/. We all have our crosses to bear. LBF&D is a high fantasy romance. High fantasy is a genre in which the whole world is new & fantastical. Almost everything in this world is magical in some way.

Not only is the universe in which this show takes place a fantasy, but the concept that a good girl can reform the bad guy is also a fantasy. Beyond the fact that it's a fantasy, it is also disrespecting oneself. You. Deserve. Better. Enjoy a story that's based on that idea here, but don't go chasing after /that/ magic sword. You'll only end up piercing yourself.

The premise is adorable. Imagine the most powerful being who has ever existed on earth. His enemies manage to lock him up, but they were not powerful enough to kill him. While they were resealing the weakening roof of his prison, a fairy falls in there! What's /she/ doing here? (She was chasing after her crush). Somehow, in that deep pit, the little orchid fairy and the big, bad felon were subjected to a frightful spell. Now, he /feels/. He feels everything that /she/ feels. And she's an emotional little cutie. He's experiencing everything (emotionally and physically) that she is. Now, killing him is easy - all that someone needs to do is kill her and HE dies.

“Boo’-can-aw!” Balderdash! No one is more powerful than he! This will not control him!

Dylan Wang is Dongfang “Qing” Cang. Qing will get retribution against his tormentors, wake up his 100,000 soldiers, and wipe out his foes. He will burn the world down!... As soon as he can break this curse and shake loose from this simple-headed orchid 🌱 fairy. Until then, he'll have to keep an eye on her. He must keep her safe BY ALL MEANS, and since she's a delicate orchid, she needs all kinds of special care. ("I can do everything in this world," he says. As for raising a plant, how difficult can it be for me?) Little Orchid assumes he has a crush on her and tells him: "There's plenty of fish in the sea. Why don't you go find someone else?"

So, we have the arrogant, very angry, “evil” overlord being controlled by an innocent (who thinks he needs her help 🙄 - What can /she/ do? She's even afraid of the dark!). He'll have to protect her to stay alive, and keep her from harm to keep himself from being harmed. Among odd couples, this is an odd couple. She thinks she's in love with someone else (Chang Heng), and she's trying to get promoted in the Heavenly Realm so that she can be closer to the object of her affection. Her early successes aren't her's at all, though. Qing is helping her from the shadows while she's oblivious. It's silly but not idiotic. It's fun yet still beautiful, and though it's lighthearted, the directors took their work seriously.

All the acting forwards the story. There's no under or overdoing it. She is cuter than the little white cub she finds in the forest, while his fervor for her touches our hearts. Dylan Wang (Meteor Garden-7.4, The Rational Life-7) is a nice looking guy, no doubt. But he's no Dwayne Johnson. So what makes him special? Qing is stereotypical as the condescending, aloof, perpetual bully, but that's because he was love-starved as a child and became emotionally stunted. Underneath that hard shell there's a cupcake. Mr Wang makes a nice romantic lead because he conveys love and (poorly suppressed) desire with intensity. Because of their occasional role reversals, he must act like a woman. He can play a girly-girl! He is fantastic. Later on, though he loves her, there's a point when he has to erase her memory, including her memory of him. We can see the hurt in his face. The eyes are what takes good acting to superb acting. He handles his eyes well.

The romance is a gem. Capital "R" good-girl-bad-boy Romance. It's a separate haven, like Arbiter Hall, tucked away from a world of war that springs up from hatred, revenge, and fear most of all. In ep13 there's a delightful kissing scene, being both fun and funny. His expression is probably overdone, but it packs the comedic punch. Although their lips locked a couple times prior to then, it's difficult to say what qualifies as a first kiss in the show. However, one could argue that the first truly romantic (mostly) mutual one isn't until ep26. The camera moves to show they are also holding hands. Flutters, for sure.

All of the acting bolsters the production. Qing's guard, Shang (Charles Lin from Romance with Blind Master & N Generations) looks like any guy walking in the neighborhoods of Philly: Italian, with a little bit of Irish in the mix. Esther Yu (My Journey to You, Love Game in Eastern Fantasy) is Orchid. She's cute. She plays a spoiled kid in Find Yourself-8.9, a show that I love. Her career seems to be taking off. The handsome-almost-pretty Zhang Ling He (Story of Kunning Palace, The Princess Royal-8.3) is Orchid's crush as the story opens, Chang Heng. Xu Hai Qiao (The Legend of Zhuohua, Marvelous Women) portrays Rong Hao, Chang's BFF and regular chess opponent. Hong Xiao White (Cat Legend, Rising with the Wind) nearly steals the show as Jie Li (When Orchid says her name it sounds like “Jelly” and it's darling).

Screenwriters, Cao Xiao Tian (The Glory) & Bai Jin Jin (Love Game in Eastern Fantasy) adapted original creator, Jiu Lu Fei Xiang's novel. She has several credits, including Back from the Brink & The Legend of Shen Li. The directing by Yi Zheng (Falling Into You) & Qian Jing Wu (The Silence of the Monster) is sheer competence with fresh elements, snappy cadence, and smooth segues. I've already watched this twice. In the second go-around connections, forecasting and ironic lines that aren't as perceptible upon the first watch popped out. It's a tidy work of art with a huge fun factor. Ep2, provides a metaphor: One guy /loses/ the handkerchief he treasured, as it was from his crush. Another man /finds/ the person he loves. The first guy was hesitant, and he lost, while the latter would define hesitation as weakness. He won.

LBF&D's dreamy fairyland is fanciful, magical, & delicate. Most Chinese features are 25 to 80 episodes long, which is lots of time to fill up. The effects budgets generally can't live up to Hollywood standards. Clunky special effects can break up the flow, but the excitement in this show is seamless. They get a lot of bang for their ¥uan💴, particularly with the action; most of the special effects in this are fantastic. The opening episode is quite pretty with impressive effects. There's a battlefield with 100,000 sealed soldiers who look like statues. Qing desperately wants to unseal them, which is a cool concept. The effect that impressed me most is when Chang Heng & Rong Hao take a break from chess and enter an antique pen & ink on faded parchment. They take a 2D boat ride on the River of Oblivion. They, themselves, become 2D. It's wonderful.

There are some minor flaws. Most transitions are excellent, but some are a little bit choppy, or awkward. They pick on an orphan again. Asia is not kind to orphans, and one of the bad guys is an orphan. The pain of his early life's loneliness is part of what drives him. Some actions and motivations aren't sufficiently explained. There's one rescue where we must wonder how the rescuer even knew he was needed. When the two leads body switch, their power doesn't seem to switch fully, but we never get an adequate explanation for it. The ending is too brief. A ten-second wrap-up leaves the viewer feeling cheated. Why they DO dat?! My biggest head-scratcher was Qing failing to grab one of those paintings to take back home with him after their visit to the mortal realm. Thankfully, the flaws are minor and few.

The main theme is how we are led away by our desires. We see the progression: Pride. Self-righteousness - which goes hand-in-hand with self-delusion. Prejudice - which brings hate along for the ride. The Heavenly realm is not heavenly. Though they presume their superiority, they are backbiting, spiteful, and ruthless. Orchid is the only one who appears to have true kindness, along with Chang, who is a truly good guy.

One of the baddies is just a dupe for the truly evil guy. His motivations make no sense on one level. Many of us can see someone treading the wrong path and wonder what they're thinking. In this case, this person is drawn away by h/h own desires while lying to h/h self that this is for somebody else. People have a habit of creating big knives that end up in their own backs.

The nature of weakness and strength is another theme. "I am so weak, I have no skills. I'm just an orchid fairy; I can't do much," Orchid says over and over. "She is my biggest weakness," says he. She's more powerful than she realizes. When she stops the whinge and starts working on herself, she gets stronger. Who is the most powerful one in the show? We begin to wonder. Futility is also a theme. War and revenge are a never ending cycle that just foments misery.

All in all, LBF&D is a personal River of Oblivion and a constant flow of smiles. The art is magnificent, the acting, directing, and writing are excellent, and the romance is unforgettable. This is one bad boy who is reformed for good!


QUOTES 🗣️

I will never make my past mistakes again.

Love makes everyone a better version of themselves.

I never thought bringing up a plant could be so troublesome.


〰🖍 IMHO

🎬8,8 🖊️〰8.6 🎭8.5 💓8.7 🦋7.8 🌞7 🎨9.3⚡6.4 🎵/🔊8.5 😅5.5 😭6 😱5 🤢2.5 🤔5.7 🔚 8.5

Age 12 +/- It's practically a kid's show, but there are some scary moments and heartbreaking moments as well

Re-📺? 🔛

Recs:
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9

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Looks ARE Everything ⛔ Don't Descend Unless You're Down With That °4.7° °Abysmal°

How could a show named Abyss be so shallow?

Sadly, the show created its own Abyss, trying to make -4 = +4, to extract a sample from the feature. Mathematically, 1 negative in the mix only detracts & never adds + too many negatives will bring everything down into the abyss. A successful feature needs enough positives to negate those negatives. Does 🅰 teeter, or does it totter? Let's examine it.

The show has a similar twist to that of Shallow Hal. Hal is given the gift of seeing people as they are on the inside, not the superficial outside. Hal ends up falling in love with a corpulent, plain girl who has devoted her life to others as a volunteer, so to him, she looks like Gwyneth Paltrow. Go Se-yeon (“Sey”) is a prosecutor, and she's a looker. She's been friends with Cha “Min” since college. He's not attractive in the least, but as an heir to a cosmetics empire, his family is. They aren't attractive enough for Sey to accept Min, however. He's never told her, but he loves her, and there's little doubt that she knows this.

Sey wouldn't join Min in life, but she joins him in death: They are both murdered around the same time. Using an "Abyss," which is a beautiful sphere of light that can bring back the dead, Grim Reaper type beings resurrect them into bodies that reflect the beauty of their souls. Sey ends up average looking and Min, well Min ends up looking like Ahn Hyo Seop from Business Proposal-7 & Dr. Romantic. On his worst day he's a 9. They decide to work together to hunt down their killers. This stirs the villains into action and the show proceeds from there, but it's a bumpy and unsatisfying descent into a pitfall of poor dialogue, bad plot points, and general sloppiness. Abyss is abysmal.

Apparently, becoming more beautiful will improve somebody's personality. They made Min look like Super Dork in the opening clips of the show. After his exterior is transformed to match his internal beauty, he becomes intellectual, reasoned, thoughtful, and displaying social intelligence that he clearly didn't have before. It's true, attractive people receive different (better) treatment during the run of their whole lives, even by their own parents. Parents of unattractive kids treat them worse than parents of attractive kids treat their own, studies have shown 😲.

Park Bo-young is an adorable human being. They bring her in to play the dull reincarnated appearance of Sey's soul against the now beautiful Min. She also takes on a brasher, more grating personality. This is what I most hate about 🅰. it kills me to see them do that to Park Bo-young. When her hair and makeup are done right, she's gorgeous. As a ghost possessing her body, she criticizes her appearance in Oh My Ghost-10 as well, but it's played for laughs, and the rest of the show reinforces her attractiveness. She's the type of person who can look many different ways with makeup, wardrobe, and hair changes. She's a superb actress. As 🅰 progresses, her face gets softer. She starts looking a little more comfortable and, consequently, prettier. Ahn Hyo Seop doesn't have a lot to do other than look good. For what he was called to do, he's more than competent. It's just hard to assess his skills from this show.

Lee Sung Jae as the doctor is nothing short of fantastic. His character gets more irritating, though, as the show goes on. Why can't he just put that shaggy hair in a ponytail? It grates the eyes. Han So-hee, as Jang Hee Jin, is annoying in 🅰. She's great in Nevertheless-7.6, playing the quiet tortured type in that, as well. It's unclear if she can do anything else based on these features. Having to put up with her in 🅰 is wearisome.

Though it likely wasn't intended, the theme of the show is: Looks /do/ matter. They actually hammer in that theme ~repeatedly~. This romance is the worst. They're trying to push a narrative that he only ever liked her for her - the woman with the hideous soul. Yes, they had a friendship, but she treated him like doo-doo for 20 years. How could she not show shame? Why didn't she even apologize? She's shameless - so entitled. Small and mediocre; she's shown her soul❕ She even resents having to pose as his secretary, she's so bossy and selfish,. They try to make the case that she was always interested, but that's ridiculous. There's no connection between them that the viewer can feel (and these actors each connect with their co-stars in other dramas, so don't blame them). Sey shunned Min for his looks, and only now that Min looks better, she likes him. I'm probably not the only viewer who wanted him to end up with somebody better.

There are so many issues. Basically, it's people making stupid decisions, doing stupid things, running off stupidly, without asking for help or backup, as the director tries to force certain emotions, situations and plot points. For those of you who skew more logical, don't go near this. I'm half logic / half emotional, and it drove me nuts. Like trying to weed around rose bushes and constantly getting scratched by thorns, it's impossible to enjoy this. The supposedly tense times don't have any effect. The supposed cliffhangers are just big yawners. This show flat-lines.

I literally logged an entire page of problems with the production. Here's a sample:

☄ It's incomprehensible that a prosecutor would leave her door unlocked. If you know anybody in law enforcement, they know too many horror stories to do anything as naive as leaving a door unlocked. In fact, enhanced paranoia is a much more likely condition. We know a state prosecutor who won't let his wife go to the mall alone. Leave the door unlocked? Laughable.

☄ How would the killer know that Mr Park was in the hospital?

☄ Why does Hee Jin look the same after reincarnation? Despite her questionable soul, her face even cleared up. Is it just because the actress is hot?

☄ It's insulting that person would go into a dark & desolate area to meet somebody for a sales transaction, particularly after the trauma she'd been through. It's almost worse than horror movie stupid.

☄/Beyond/ horror movie stupid is the prosecutor running off on her own to rescue her parents at the restaurant. She has no weapon and no plan. She does have the police force at her disposal; she's a prosecutor for God's sake.

☄ They leave a dangerous villain with her phone which she uses to get rescued.

☄ They use an entire convoy - with video cameras - to take a murderer to his crime scene for a reenactment, but only one cop is needed to escort him to the restroom. It doesn't go well.

☄ Next there's a woman who helps out the killer and her reason is utterly ridiculous.

☄ Sey asks Min: ‘Wouldn't it be great to be rich?’ He IS rich. She KNOWS that. How moronic.

☄ Somebody that wealthy would have gotten his teeth fixed, wouldn't he?

Director Ja Won-yu is more than capable as shown with Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2 and Oh My Ghost-10, which is my favorite. This is an excellent director that dropped a dud. It happens. Around episode 12, I thought I could keep going. It got worse. By episode 14, I started sorting through mail and other things, only looking up once in awhile. It was continuing its downhill skid, and I couldn't take it. It isn't junk food. It's moldy food. Even the message it sends is rotten. Therefore, I would say don't let yourself slip and fall in. There's hundreds of more /attractive/ shows to watch first.

Time Better Spent: Here's a short list of lite & wispy, no-tears Kromcom recommendations that require no thinking:
Romance Is A Bonus Book-7.9, Forecasting Love and Weather-6.8 (not that good but not bad enough to trash + it's relaxing), A Witch's Love-8 (Actually great!), Mad For Each Other-7.7 (fun and short), Her Private Life-8 (a surprise winner), Live Up To Your Name-7.6 (solid and enjoyable), My First First Love-8 (simple & cute), & My Only Love Song-8.7 (hilarious), My Roommate Is a Gumiho-7.9 (the 2 leads make it worth it), Oh My Venus-7.4 (Shin Min Ah is great in everything) .

C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine, but the ML pulls a stunt that many will find too obnoxious;
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

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬42 📝51 🎭70 💓54 🦋53 🌞25 🎨43 ⚡45 🎵/🔊67 😅20 😭36 😱45 🤢46 🤔15 💤73 🔚68

Age 15+ Language: b!+ch, sh!+, b@$t@rd. Violence. Serial killings. Domestic abuse. Stabbing. Sex reassignment.

Re-📺? 🆖 That's only for masochists

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Maverick Amuck °VG°

Looks like there's a maverick on the force.

A firefighter, a paramedic, and a cop walk into a bar. It's not a joke. It's a script. It's pretty exciting, too. Watching them investigate is entertaining.

TFR is a 2022 release of 2 seasons consisting of 24 65-minute episodes and S3 is expected to be announced. It is rated 91 on AWiki. The name seems especially generic, so I wasn't convinced when I started it, but Kdramas with boring titles are often a pleasant surprise. The stories are downrightarresting.

Kim Rae Won (Decibel, A Wild Apricot) is Jin HoGae, one of those universally cool types. His first credits are from 1998; he's been around for awhile. This is my first look at him and I get the appeal. He has several interactions with his father, and it's never been less convincing to me that two actors were related by blood. Their scenes seem slightly off, they're so unlikely to be father and son. HoGae must take after his mother. He's our maverick, and he's completely unpredictable.

Son Ho Jun (Was It Love-7.4, Go Back Couple) is Bong Do Jin. He's got a nice presence. Both he and HoGae are interested in Song Seol (Gong Seung Yeon from Circle, Re-Born & My Only Love Song-8.7). This actress is a charmer. I'm a fan. There are, once again, amazing child actors. In ep5 a little girl steals the show. She completely upstages our ML. Director Shin Kyung Soo also brought us The Nokdu Flower & Six Flying Dragons, while screenwriter Min Ji Eun penned Partners for Justice.

Oh Eui Shik makes an appearance towards the end of S1 and takes on a more regular role in S2. I've been a fan of his since Oh My Ghost-10, one of my gateway Kdramas. I love it so much that I love every actor on the cast. This guy really does seem to be sprinkled with fairy dust because he's in a lot of features, and they're all successful. I've seen him in While You Were Sleeping-7.3, Familiar Wife-8.5, The Hymn of Death-8.4, Romance Is a Bonus Book-7.9, Touch Your Heart-8.2, Hi Bye, Mama-6.5, My Unfamiliar Family-7.9 Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.4 & Big Mouth-7.4. He gets to be more than a sidekick in S2 and I just want to see more of him, now.

First responders are police, fire, and paramedics. The ME and prosecutors will also be at a live crime scene. We follow all these careers in the show. Cases that pop up are arson, kidnapping,
suicide under suspicious circumstances, statutory rape, a hit-and-run, missing persons, and all the while there's corruption teeming In the background. Among the decent folk there's the everyday clashes that must occur, especially among sleep deprived adrenaline junkie types who exist on instant food and soju. Jin stops a helicopter with a fire hose. B@d@$$. There's the promise of romance, too.

Overall, TFR is a great ride. S2 has even more high budget special effects, particularly grand conflagrations and massive collapses. S2 also has a good old-fashioned Gangland beat down showing about 50 men fighting with fists and sticks. It looks like a 1970s rumble.

Can a maverick go-it-alone forever? To the fiery end? Watch and see. You probably won't regret it.


In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

💘 -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Crazy Love-7.8,
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Her Private Life 8,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Was it love-7.9,
Hospital Playlist 9,
My Mister 9.5,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9


⚡/🚀 -
Flex X Cop-8.5,Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Revenge of Others-8.3,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Uncanny counter season-1 only °S1-8.4 S2-4,
Han River Police-7.4,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Moving-8.5,
Law School -8,
Sisyphus 8,
Tunnel 8.5,
Signal 8.6,
Blood Free-8.5,
D.P.-8.4,
The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
Black 9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4

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♥️ She comes & goes but it's all about those ❣♥❣ °7.2° °VG°

It's just dinner… Psych! It's more than that. Hae prefers treating patients in a restaurant. Food is happy and comforting. His charges relax more over a meal. They open up. Maybe he just doesn't like eating alone.

Song Seung Heon is Dr. Kim “Hae” Kyung. He's a psychiatrist, so he's all alone. I've seen him in Saimdang-8.5 & Black-9. Those shows made me a BIG fan, though I wasn't crazy about his bad guy part in Black Knight-7. Seo Ji Hye (Crash Landing on You-9.1) plays Woo Do “Hee”. They do a couple of cute call-outs to CLOY. She's reunited w/ her CLOY co-star & love interest, Kim Jung Hyun (Mr. Queen-9). Here, he's not the man of her dreams. He is Hee's jerkface soon-to-be ex-lover. Hee seems dignified, but she has a silly sense of humor that pours out into her productions, 3-Stooges-inspired, all. On paper these 2 are mismatched. In reality, they are ramen & kimchi: The perfect compliment.

It started in Jeju. Actually, it started on the plane ride over, though they didn't make a good impression on e/o then. She's going to get engaged! She's making a big deal about it. He's rolling his eyes, and NO, he won't do a video congratulations for her! Later, they end up at the same restaurant where he watches her get dumped - the opposite of therapeutic. One thing leads to another and they end up having dinner together, & later stay at the same hotel, but they don't exchange phone #s… or even names. They won't exchange names for around half of the show. They fall in love before exchanging names! She offers a thank-you dinner to him when they are both back in Seoul, but he declines. His recusal was actually unkind. He thought he was being clever when he told her that the next time a hit by Tae Jinah tops the charts, he'll meet her at 8:00 at a certain restaurant. The implication is that it'll never happen.

When she gets back to work, she's given a tough assignment. She must recruit a reclusive but daring & handsome psychiatrist to be on her podcast. It's all about those hearts, & he will generate them. You get one guess as to whom /he/ is. She doesn't know it yet, though. Neither does Hae.

DM is a 2020 release that is rated 82 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 70-minute or 32 35-minute episodes. This show stays small and uneventful, yet it works, somehow. For perspective's sake, I'll mention that I'm working through Prime's catalog and I just finished My Man Is Cupid-5.9, and Heartbeat-4.8, and they were tough to finish. DM was not. Everyone has their own line of demarcation. The show moves forward, linearly. It keeps its focus and doesn't wander.

Hae doesn't do podcasts. He does food therapy. He /ignores/ her email. This leads to a follow-up email pointing out that manners maketh a man, and he appears to have ⭕. An aggressive exchange follows, which then becomes an in-person exchange - an attempt at one, that is. They each go to their other's place of business to finish the argument, but since they do it at the same time, they don't meet up then. They sure as shizzle know they can't stand e/o. Their quest for an outrage-unload is interrupted when Tae Jinah's ‘She Comes and Goes’ hits the top of the charts! Fate is serving up popovers: Drop everything. They have a date at the fish market.

Soon… “You hate takeout. Why don't you want to go out?” Hae is acting weird. “Oh, I'm afraid I'll run into that weird woman.” “What woman is that?” “One that makes me want to ramble on.” They /refuse/ to accept coincidence after coincidence that keeps them running into e/o, as “fate,” but they finally take the step of agreeing to share meals together as “dinner mates.” No dating, no borrowing money, no TOUCHING, just meals. It's ep5 and they haven't exchanged names yet. If they had, it would all fall apart because they detest e/o - professionally. His steadfast refusal has up-ended her career. One thing that drives them to form an alliance is that their exes are back in town. Each of them had suffered a brutal breakup and neither of them wants to be available for their exes to pick their bones.

As they continue to meet privately and spat professionally, the big reveal has teeth that keep growing. They've grown used to e/o. To learn that they loathe e/o will hurt. Around that halfway mark it occurred to me that not much had happened. It is all small plates up to that point. I was enjoying the flavor, nevertheless.

Lee Ji Hoon (Rookie Historian-7.6) portrays Hee's ex, Jung “Jae” Hyeok. He's got the hardest job of the show and he handles it well. Son Na Eun (Ghost Doctor) plays Hae's gorgeous ex, Jin Noh “Eul”. Ye Ji Won (Brain Works) is the adorable Nam Ah Young, '2N Box' CEO and Hee's boss. It would be a much more boring show without her. She provides the fun & flash - She dresses like an anime character. I love it. It would be a much more boring show w/out her. She's involved in the most fantastical 2ndary romance. Kim Seo Kyung (My Country: The New Age) is the nervous Lee Byung Jin, Hae Kyung's nurse. The intrinsically affable Park Ho San is Keanu, a mysterious homeless man with a booming laugh that draws a person in like a beacon. He's starred in Departure, Sun & Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? I've seen him in My Mister-9.5, Prison Playbook-almost done - it's wonderful, & Han River Police-7.4. He's a plus in any production.

Ko Kyu Pil (Crash Landing on You-9.1, The King's Affection-8.3) normally enhances any scene he's in. In DM he plays Hee's coworker, Park Jin Gyu. They could have used him better. He's a 2D cartoon in DM. Yoon Bok In is Do Hee's mother. She's always good. In More Than Friends-8 she really showcases her talent. The directors are Go Jae Hyun (Player, Café Minamdang), & Park Bong Sub of The Uncanny Counter (S1-8.4 S2-4). This is screenwriter Kim Joo's 1st effort, and it's based on the original work of Park Jae Bum who gifted us with Vincenzo & The Fiery Priest.

I kept waiting to be disappointed with DM. So many shows flounder in the double digit episodes. DM, admirably, takes on quiet depth. The acting is excellent, as well. It started to surprise me. Hee has to look at her father and say ‘I love you. You're a good dad. But you're so mean to mom. I'll support her, whatever her decision is.’ Respect and loyalty DO NOT mean you're supposed to support a loved one's evil or wrong behavior. Loyalty demands the exact opposite, as the true virtue of loyalty is always first loyal to truth.

“Do you like that man?” Her friend is curious. Hee shakes her head. “I do not want to... I won't. I won't like that man.” Soon after: “That's when I realized that your efforts to deceive your heart come to nothing when you truly like someone.” This is a cozy romance. The main couple doesn't emit sparks but they do emit warmth. They are embers, not a raging fire. The show is comfortable to watch, and this couple feels homey.

Here's 2 people ready to love the other and commit to the best for the other. They are contrasted with their exes who want to get back with each of them for selfish reasons. The exes want personal fulfillment and are looking to be physically and emotionally catered to. If they are willing to give in kind, that's one thing. But they aren't and they won't because they are utterly self-involved. Mentally ill people are all 💯% self-involved. Are all self-involved people mentally ill? I dunno. Maybe. Jae certainly is. Eul has childhood trauma she's working through, and she's certainly not “well”.

“I gave him up... because the person I love must be happy! You guys must have no conscience. You say you love them, but you have no interest in their happiness.” One of the side characters scolds Hae's ex. She is trying to get him back despite the fact that he's clearly in love with Hee. Ditto for Jae, Hee's ex. Hee reflexively covers for Jae when he does embarrassing things. But is she really covering for him? She can't release her shame. He's her past, and she's ashamed of her past. She's ashamed of her failure. She's ashamed that she felt for this messed up guy. She's ashamed that she can't make a clean break. At the core of it is that she doesn't feel worthy of this wonderful man, Hae. Not much is happening in these episodes, yet they held my attention because they're insightful.

One can't erase the past or hide it forever. “My life & my relationships are ridiculous. We love & break up. We fight & resent e/o... I thought my pain wasn't that special & I was doing okay. But it was a delusion. My relationship is a mess.” Hee has unresolved hurts. Once they get together, their past hurts are denying them peace. Not only are their exes physically present, but they are emotionally there as well. I was also angry at Hee. Talk about misplaced guilt, taking on other people's problems, & covering for toxic offenders! I hated what she was doing. Yet I was looking forward to seeing how they resolved it. What she's really doing is self-sabotage. She's terrified.


DM isn't perfect. There's videos of him being a vigilante, but they never follow-up on that motif. It's our Introduction to Hae, and yet that part of him goes into hiding and is never seen again. That is a flaw. They don't do a good enough job explaining Jae, his background, and his actions when he broke up with Hee and then disappeared for 6 years. The flaws are more than compensated for with cute touches and warmth. In ep6 they have dinner together and they're pretty much matching, already. We learn about Panama La Esmeralda Geisha coffee. I looked it up. It's expensive. There's some nice graphics - They have fun with gimmicks and polished effects. They show months of dating by way of a social media page filling up with photos. It's cute.

This director knows how to utilize camera, cutting, special effects and music to augment funny scenes. There's one contest that they film in slow-mo, fan blowing the hair back, and people also being blown away; it's done for very good comedic effect. They totally forget the no-touching rule at that time and hug. “You have a dinner mate!? Is he handsome? Are you sure you're not dating him? Do you want to date him?” Hee's friend is all a-buzz. “At least he's not like that psycho psychiatrist. If he comes near me, that's the end of him.” Hee believes she'll take that rage to the grave.

Hae's finest moment is at work. Sure, she lost her show due to that jerk, but B-class comedy never dies! They all cheer. (Hero music. Fade out). Hee… Hae… Hey, what else should I say? I think this is worth the watch. Is it in my top 50? Probably not. It's still a tasty snack, though.


QUOTE📢

There are so many weird people in the world.


〰🖍 IMHO

📣7 📝7.3 🎭7.7 💓6 🦋5 🎨7 🎵/🔊8.5 🔚7.5 🤗4.8 ▪ 🌞5.5 ⚡3 😅3.5 😭2 😱2 😯3 🤢2.5 🤔5 💤1

The soundtrack is wonderful. Shazams: DINNER MATE by OVAN, Dear My Star by Sondia, Midnight Cinderella, by EUN

Age 13+ Language: pr!ck, at least once but not much more. He's invites her to stay overnight. There stalking & mental illness. Overall, it is pretty tame. Rated TV-15: Parents Strongly Cautioned.


Re-📺? Hmm. Probably not, but once was good.


In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Simple & Sweet -

99 days with the Superstar-7,
Mad For Each Other-7.7 ~ silly fun,
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.4,
My First First Love-8,
My Roommate Is a Gumiho-7.9,
Romance is a bonus book-7.9,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Another Miss Oh-7.5,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Our Blues-8.5,
Be Melodramatic-8.7

🎎 -
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

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,
Something in them Rain-9,
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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✒ ⭐ Upstaged °6.5° °mostly good° ?%?

"I didn't look like this a day ago." Our FL is disheveled with dirt smeared cheeks, clothes sloppy, and hair a clump of matted weeds. She just pushed a total stranger against a building and smacked one on him. This was her desperation move; she was eluding pursuers, and they were gaining on her… Desperation? Or was this 💋 from her special reserve power?

These two have more in common than they realize. Each is fleeing (his father's / her grandfather's) chasing band of security, which is a common thing in Asian dramas. She's fleeing her engagement party - but this fool and her money had been soon parted a short time earlier, and she was already reduced to begging for food. Never fear! This maven-of-moxie is not even close to giving in to grandpop just yet. After the immediate threat is passed, our ML, Si Tu Feng, decides she's the perfect way to get revenge against his dad. Before Chen Qing Qing (Amy Sun) realizes what's happening, “His Highness” has dragged her into his father's wedding (his absence being the reason he had been pursued) and announces she's his fiance. Some quick negotiations and the realization that being his “fiance" means she can hide out and EAT, seal the deal. She's engaged for real now. For real profit. That's where it starts, but this whirlwind cruises through classes, jobs, projects, crusades, and iterations. By the end of the show she threatens to upstage °him°, a pop idol.

AIL is a 2018 release that is rated a generous 7.9 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 30 30-minute episodes. As is typical for Chinese modern-day features, AIL is seriously flawed, yet it's endearing, winsome, sweet, fun to watch and oddly relaxing. Guo Jun Chen, who plays Si Tu Feng / "His Highness", isn't bad looking but he would never get a (typical) romantic lead role in Hollywood. He looks like an Irish boy with funny ears. He does have a beautiful voice. He makes a pretty girl, too. He can't do math, but he passed grandpa's tests, and grandpa's tests are the hardest. The best looking male actor (by far) is the rebel (Zhao Yi Qin). His voice is dreamy, too. It's gorgeous. His highest rated streamable shows are Fake Princess and Wait, My Youth, so they go into the queue. The FL does look like an entirely different person when she is in disguise. She's supposed to be "ugly” but she's a cutie, and much more alive when in her casual & gaudy garb. Our leads get pressured from all sides: difficult parents and grandparents, nosy classmates, jealousy, a teacher called the witch, crazy fans, and a troublesome talent agency. He falls for her first. By the time she slows down enough to realize she's attracted to him it's too late to reveal her true identity without making him angry. Quandary😞.

AIL is frequently cute but painfully inept at the same time. There's poor acting, bad dialogue, logical faux pas, and general laziness about the quality. There's also some great acting. The leads and Zhao Yi Qin, who plays Feng's enemy, Lin Yi Yang, all do a wonderful job. Guo Jun Chen's Si Tu Feng is a convincing romantic lead. The viewer can feel his attraction to the vivacious Qing Qing. Most everyone else is wooden or stunted😑.

Things might be loosening up slightly, but the documented fact is that 🇨🇳society is not free. There's a fascinating split between the dialogue and acting of modern-day Chinese features and historic/fantasy pieces. In the latter, the characters are fully rounded with a full range of emotions. In modern-day shows and movies they are stiff with stoic expressions. The dialogue is simple to the point of being inane. They never get into deep explanations or deep explorations of intellectual, emotional, or philosophical topics, while the 🔮fantasy and 🎎period pieces can be quite intricate. Everything seems set up to subdue the brain and emotions rather than stir them up. They often have glaring logical gaps utilizing what I've tagged as dream logic: The viewer is required to know or accept things as so without explanations even when things look otherwise, like in a dream when you see your aunt Mabel but you somehow know it's really your younger sister. When your brain and emotions are already frenzied, Chinese modern-day features are weirdly soothing. There's Chinese 🔮 & 🎎 pieces that are among the best things I've ever seen, but there is not one modern-day feature that I would suggest to a friend or use as an introduction to Asian programming. Yet, AIL is surprisingly bright and carefree. The comedic timing is solid. It's actually a good recommendation for ✳10-16 year olds, as it's on that level.

One example of an irritation that must be dismissed is when Chen Qing Qing is looking at photos of her parents with a former schoolmate. She points out a photo from the first night they met, which was at a dance. In the photo her mom is wearing a long white dress, but in the later flashbacks mom's in a short red dress. Another annoyance is how our FL continues to dress up after Si Tu Feng knows her secret, including wearing glasses she doesn't need and drawing freckles on her face. He fell in love with the freckled cutie. Easing into a new look would be understandable, but as is, it's nonsensical. This is the type of sloppy stuff that frequents modern-day Chinese features and makes me slightly crazy - and I'm not fastidious. I can only imagine that people who are cannot abide shows like this, at all. You all know who you are, so be warned. Additionally, AIL drags alittle after the opening episodes and into ep10, but it then starts to get better again. Ep13 is adorbs. For the school dynamic they borrow from Boys Over Flowers, which is like calling out to a classic. They stumble into a gender-fluid school play version of Beauty and the Beast that is pretty amusing. There's also a bit with 2 guys fighting near a leaking helium tank that's funny.

In the balance, AIL is cuddly, spritely, and amusing. The romance is touching. The FL is inspirational - so much so that she's collected her own fans by the show's end. As many fans as His Highness? Maybe not, but give her time; there doesn't seem to be an upward limit to her reach.


QUOTE📢

Don't hurt yourself for a man who doesn't love you.


〰🖍 IMHO

📣55 📝52 🎭60 💓60 🦋50 🌞50 🎨40 ⚡30 🎵/🔊67😅45 😭25 😱25 😯15 😖0 🤔35 💤35 🔚77

✳Age 10+ with the following cautions: PG-13 language + in Ep21 they drop an F💣 and in ep24 they use the word pr!(k.

With what I now know, would I choose to watch it again for the first time? I might skip it, despite its cuteness. The female lead is fun, however, and it's a close call.


In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

🌐💘 -
You Are My Destiny 6.5
The Kings Avatar 8,
The Oath Of Love 7.6,
I Hear You 7.3,
Meteor Garden 7.4

🇰🇷K -
A Witch's Love 7.8;
love to hate you 8.9;
Touch your heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's okay not to be okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

🎎 -
Overlord 8.4,
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8,
The Sleepless Princess 9.1,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1

🇰🇷K -
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl / Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo 8.5;
The Kings's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

⚡/🚀 -
Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Heavenly Sword 9;
Love and Redemption 10;


Originally 〰🖊 11/2023

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✒ Eun Ha-Won & Those Shoes Kickstart A Family Royale °good tween show°

Cinderella and the Four Knights is a show that I watched early on in my Asian programming addiction (a gripping addiction that has taken me quite by surprise). I wasn't happy with it at the time, but I can see now, after watching dozens more shows, that it is geared towards a younger audience. There are better shows out there, but CAT4K is a perfectly acceptable way for tweens and teens to spend some downtime.

Eun Ha-Won is an outstanding role model. She is cheated by her stepmother, so no school. She is hustling jobs to save up and make something of her life. She meets Kang Heoyon-min, who rents her for the evening to pose as his date. He has his reasons. One thing leads to another and soon she's working and residing in the Kang household which consists of grandpa (He's loaded), 3 grandsons (They are like princes), and a collection of staff, including secretary Lee. This family is in a rut, but Eun Ha-Won will soon shake things up so much it will never be the same again.

The plot is cute and simple. Most problems are wrapped up in a tidy package relatively effortlessly. The romance is sweet. The acting is VG, and the art design and sets are good. They had the elements for a better show, which is why it's so popular, but they skated in the second half, and the final couple episodes were downright bad.

They also just hadda trot out an overused Kdrama trope: WKEWY, or, We Knew Eachother When (We Were) Young (The "K" is silent; it's pronounced "Whey," which is what "WHY??" sounds like in Korean. It's MY word. I can do that😜). What a worn-out, 15th-hand, dried out plot point in which a couple, after connecting when they were kids, end up falling in love after years of separation. It's a tie in to a couple being “fated”, but is that important enough to wedge it in and toss out originality? Along with the word "cringey," let's put WKEWY to sleep for a hundred years. When WKEWY makes it into a show for no apparent reason, we must ask WHY?? would they do that?! Kids Show or not, there's more eye-rollers than Knights in CAT4K.

It is still good enough. They deal with the death of a childhood friend and a character who is riddled with guilt. It is a good opportunity to discuss these topics with your child, but it may be too much for some kids, so decide accordingly.

You May Like:
For the 10-14 age group, Part Time Idol, Strongest Delivery Man, D4DJ, The Miracle, Spark, Bodacious Space Pirates, Belle, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, One Piece, The Dragon Prince, Avatar The Last Airbender & Trollhunters are all good to excellent.

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