50FiftillidideeBrain

Sista Twista ❕Tween Alert❕ °7.7° °So Cute°

Shi-ah/🅰 (Kim Na Hyun from I Started Following & Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938) and Shi-yeon/¥ (Hong Yoon Hwa from Wok of Love) are fraternal twins. 🅰 is a mean girl, ¥ is a lost girl. 🅰 is perfect, beautiful, in a dance group, and has 3-million-with-an-”M” followers on social media, while ¥ is obese and rarely leaves her room. During a “family” interview with 🅰, ¥ is cloistered in her room. They won't reveal the embarrassing, ugly sister to the general public! When out of her room, ¥ tries to slip by at school without being noticed. She's counting the days til graduation. In HS, the sisters never see eachother; partly because ¥ is in self-imposed solitary confinement. When they do come across eachother, they're always 2 terse syllables away from triggering a fight.

The Miracle is a short Kromcom consisting of 12 15-minute episodes (about the length of Avengers: Endgame). If you're used to watching Kdramas with episodes that can be easily north of 90 minutes, this goes so quickly it's jolting. It is perfect for tweens and teens. It grabs the viewer right away, it has a positive message, and it's as cute & sweet as a kitten shaped lollipop. These kids can act. Kdramas spotlight one child actor after another who are just spectacular, and these girls are no exception. Everything's pretty in the show without being overdone. Not a high budget feature, it still flows seamlessly without ever calling too much attention to itself, its sets, or its costumes. It's all a clean canvas for the human story, which is the star of this feature.

While 🅰, the beautiful sister, is out leading a glamorous life, ¥ walks through the neighborhood looking for her lost dog. There's a lady flat on her face in the grass! She pulls her up, dusts her off, and takes her back home. This beldam does a card-reading as a “thank you”. One thing leads to another… ¥ leaves the shop with a wish granted and a magic talisman necklace. Then tomorrow comes. Each sister collapses simultaneously. When they wake up, they've switched bodies. They did NOT switch personalities.

Switching bodies means switching lives. School, career… each has alot on the line. Now each has to be the heroine in her sister's life, Girl group? Dancing? How can ¥ do that? Fortunately, she's been dancing in her room. She knows all the moves. What ¥ doesn't know is that everybody hates her sister. 🅰 isn't the kindest. But ¥ is a sweetie - she isn't the least bit hateable. At the dance gig, ¥ lays eyes on the male teen idol. She would never have a chance with him. But maybe she does in 🅰’s body… 🅰, in the meantime, has to go to school as the shy, fat girl. She steps into an environment where everybody mocks her sister. Well~~> 🅰 doesn't take much to mocking. She is going to shake everything up. What will people think?

That's what the show is about. TM reinforces the value of inner beauty and shows how cruelly people (still!) treat those they consider unattractive or beneath them. No matter how much we all preach against it, this is a common human failing. Think of it like taking your vitamins, the work is never done. When the sister swap occurs, 🅰 is able to experience ¥'s miserable life. They have to switch rooms, so 🅰 ends up reading ¥'s diary. She imbibes the excruciating humiliation and the utter hopelessness that her sister’s been feeling.

The show reinforces that inner beauty with confidence and courage are what harmonizes a life best. 🅰 had the looks, but over time, she became an ugly person. ¥ is regularly called ugly in the show, but she's kind, sensitive, thoughtful, and has the voice of an angel. {Per Hong Yoon Hwa’s bio, she's an actress and comedian but not a singer. She's convincing with the lip syncing, though} ¥'s first interaction with an outsider in TM is when she's helping a woman who's in need. Sadly, she's relegated her best qualities to the emotional prison of low self-esteem. Low self-esteem is a form of self-absorption. It's not healthy, and it's not okay. Any person too wrapped up in h/herself will become miserable. Finally, while confidence is the key, too much confidence leads to arrogance. It should always be tempered with humility because there's always somebody out there smarter, better looking, and more talented than you are, then I am. Overconfidence is living a lie, and is toxic not only to oneself, but also to everyone else.

Confidence, in healthy doses, is always the sexiest thing, but ¥ would never be able to find it on her own. Parents of unattractive children need to love and emotionally nourish them more, yet studies show that /even parents/ love and respect unattractive kids /less/! Children in danger of being ostracized over looks (or anything else) need to be handled tools by which to survive. We had a kind-hearted kid in our life who experienced some bullying at school. It's nothing unusual. When we talked about what one boy was saying to hurt his feelings, we worked on some comebacks. Fortunately, it worked like a wonder. Not everybody's a natural humorist but humor is the best diffuser, and humor can be learned. We told him to not defend himself, just make a joke out of it. He was able to do that. (I'm still working on this. Watching your charges surpass you is certainly a thrill).

Sibling relationships are also examined. Now that the girls must interact once again, they start to recall the fun they had when they were kids. In the run of these 12 episodes, ¥ does NOT lose any weight, even though the looks-oriented 🅰 is in her body. In fact, 🅰 can't stop eating when she's in ¥'s body. At first, like on a holiday, she enjoys eating everything in sight, to our amusement. She tries to go out and exercise. When she passes an open restaurant with the food displayed out front, exercise is over. “I can't stop these cravings!,” she moans.

The experience broadens their perspectives and gives them a new view on life. They each come out better for it. ¥ is able to gather the pluck to show at a music audition. 🅰 gave her the info witha threat: "You had better go, I pulled a lot of strings for this." They end up improving eachother's lives. ¥, the sweetheart, makes friends out of 🅰’s enemies. Chubby or not, 🅰 still has that confidence and she puts ¥'s enemies in their place - DOWN.

The show is amusing. While there weren't laugh-out-loud lines, I grinned through the whole thing. One of the cutest scenes is day 1 of the switcheroo. 🅰 hands a shirt to ¥ and says “Wear this”. ¥ looks at it and comments on how it looks like children's clothes.

Whether the clothes fit or not, TM will definitely fit into your family viewing time.

QUOTE🗣 I guess not everyone can fit in children's clothes

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬 7.7 🖊〰 7.8 🎭8 💓7.7 🦋6.7 🌞8.2 🎨7.1 🎵/🔊7.6 😅6.5 🤔 7.1 🔚8.3

Age 11+ this is perfect for tweens and young teens and adults will like it too.

Re-📺? 👍🏽 I'm looking forward to showing this to some of the young girls in my life.


Recommendations:

10+ C🇨🇳 Accidentally in Love-6.5 B-level scripting, acting, and directing, but still fun/strangely relaxing to watch,
🇺🇲 🕳💄Holes-7.6,
Howl's Moving Castle-8.9,
K🇰🇷 A Love So Beautiful-7,
My Dog Skip-8,
K🇰🇷 Part Time Idol-5.5 (suicide addressed),
Paulie-7.4,
Saiki-8,
K🇰🇷Spark-6.4,
K🇰🇷 Strongest Delivery Man-6.6

11+ Belle-8.5,
K🇰🇷 Flower Boy Next Door-7,
Girls Und Panzer-8.1 (1 each d@mn, he!!),
Labyrinth-7,
C🇨🇳 A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5,
Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4,
K🇰🇷 The Miracle-7.7,
One Piece-7.5 there is scattered PG-13 language,
Watership Down-8.5


12+ K🇰🇷 99 Days With the Superstar-7,
Colourcloud Palace-8,
Farming Life in Another World-7.7,
Goonies l-8,
Here Comes Miss Modern-7.8,
Hotel del Luna 8.4,
Jumanji-9,
C🇨🇳 Love Between Fairy & Devil-8.9,
K🇰🇷 My ID is Gangnam Beauty-7.5,
NiNoKuni-6.5,
Piano In The Forest-8,
K🇰🇷 So I Married My Anti-fan-6.8,
Your Lie In April-9

13+ K🇰🇷 Boys Over Flowers-8.3 ~ melodrama to the max;
K🇰🇷Cinderella and the 4 Knights-5.6,
K🇰🇷 Heirs-7.3,
K🇰🇷 My Shy Boss-6.5,
K🇰🇷 Playful kiss-7.3,
Princess Resurrection-7.6,
Senryu Girl-7.5,
Special A Class-8.2

14+ My Runway-7.5,
Princess Principal-8.6,
Toradora-8.5

Read More

Goodbye Concentration Camp ⛺️ Hello Glamping °8.4° °excellent°

CIL is a show that shows us what happens when a stormy cloud latches on to a gloomy front and electrifies it. It brings together the manic and the depressive in nature's way of bringing balance to the force. Sim Woo “Joo” hates her father, who had abandoned them (her, mom, sis/Sim Haesong, & bro/Sim Ji-Gu) for his mistress (THAT woman) yrs ago. Watching her is like watching the backstory of a supervillain. If she had a theme song it would be The Rolling Stones’ Paint It Black. She attends dad's funeral (in a leopard dress & 👠) and lets it be known.

Han Dong ”Jin” is a slumped pile of suffering on long legs. He exudes depression more than Joni Mitchell or Radiohead. More than Eeyore, even. His one 💖 is camping. His company brings together vendors for outdoor living fairs and exhibitions. (He does all the work and his partner does all the golfing). He is also the son of THAT woman. Crashing the funeral wasn't enough. Joo decides she's bringing Jin down.

Soon, Joo realizes she'll have to queue-up to bring Jin down. He's down already because of his ex. The only thing he has going is his company. The crows & raccoons have rifled through most of that already. As she's implementing her plan, she grows more uncomfortable with her goal. Jin is not the bad guy. All the critters around him are. Though morose, here's a handsome, perfectly good man. He's been dropped in the dirt, but all she needs to do is brush him off alittle. To begin, all she needs to do is take his hand…

CIL is a 2023 release that is rated 90 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 60ish-minute episodes. The directors are Lee Gwang-Young (The Secret Life of My Secretary) & rookie Kim Ji-Yeon. The writer, Kim Ga-Eun, is another rookie. If this is what they can do right out of the gate, we can look forward to great things from them.

Joo is played by Lee Sung-Kyung (She's marvelous in Cheese in the Trap-7.7 as the borderline Baek In-Ha). Joo let heartbreak make her hard & mean. She decided to be hateful. Sis, Haesong, put her efforts into becoming lovable. She looks to boyfriends as substitutes for her father's 💘. Brother, Sim Ji-Gu, is played by Jang Sung-Bum, who has a voice like an angel. He's the baby and is somewhat insulated by the women in his family from the pain. He dreams of a singing career while Joo insists he spend all his time studying for the Civil Service exam.

THAT woman is portrayed by Nam Gi-Ae. She's a force. Playing #313 guest in 2015's Oh My Ghost-10 led to 25, mostly bit, parts. Next, she is the ML's mother in When the Weather is Fine-9 & quite a different Oma in 2020's Flower of Evil-8.9. Since then she's been in 19 not-bit-parts >8/yr. I'm not the only one who thinks she's capable. Jin is played by Kim Young-Kwang. His hands are often bleeding. He's always getting cut. His mother abandoned him when he was a kid and his GF dumped him a few yrs back. He's been slowly bleeding out for most of his life.

The Romance is a tranquil 🏕 with a warm kindling 🔥... And a river of lava flowing 10ft beneath the surface. The two leads are under a weight of grief. They always walk along a wall, and there's a China-sized wall between them. She's been out to destroy him over his mother’s transgressions. He promised himself he would not be hurt, nor would he be abandoned, ever again. Will we get to see them smile freely? The audience knows her secret, and we know that the truth will come out. As we get to know all the characters more, the more wary we are of the truth being told - It is going to hurt. The more we know, the more we know it will hurt. Romance is in the eyes, more than anywhere else. In ep15 he manages to go from gloomy eyes to lovey-eyes - he does it better than my cat, and that's saying alot. My kitty has the best lovey-eyes. In ep16 we get to see some smiling eyes.

CIL is a thoughtful commentary on human relationships. The show is quiet. The viewer feels like s/he is watching the grazing heard from the quiet of the woods. Wolves are prowling while the prey are tending to their daily routine, mating up, and vying for power. The themes revolve around hurt, revenge and weakness - and the enslavement those bring - but also endurance and forgiveness, with the freedom they bring.

Revenge. ‘Do you crash your ex's wedding?’ He sincerely wants to know. Her: ‘Yes, you get revenge by any means possible. You trip your ex if you have a chance.’ Him: ‘No, you'll have to live with that horrible memory and that empty feeling the rest of your life.” Oprah is attributed with stating that if you're 40 and people call you “nice” there's something wrong. “Nice” is often substituted for “weak”, and weakness invites aggression. She tells him this. She tells him people are trying to take him down and pick his bones because he's too easy. He's been focused on pain. Endurance. Pain. ENDURE! “I keep going back and forth.” “Just deal with it,” she says. Athletes know all about it, she'll tell us.

CEO Shin let wounded pride fester inside of him. He, perhaps unwittingly, let a desire for 1up-manship take over his life. He was the original malefactor. Jin simply reacted accordingly and left his company. CEO Shin then let a desire for “revenge” take over his life. He allowed Jin to live in his head, which prevented him from moving forward freely. Jin enslaved himself in grief. Joo enslaved herself in rage, grief, and vengeance. CEO Shin enslaved himself in pride and vengeance - false vengeance, at that, as he had no valid complaints. “I've been living like a crazy person as if I was possessed by something. I ended up coming this far. I wanted to stop, but… I don't know what else to do with life. I'm so terribly sorry.” In the end he was left with regret, which leads us into ~>

Forgiveness. CIL is satisfying and inspiring and as good as it is because it has a true and positive message. It offers solutions that we all can use. All of our protags are called upon to forgive. They aren't called on to forgive small things, either. We see how forgiveness brings release, Forgiveness doesn't mean we let go of justice or proper punishment - That is not a requirement. Forgiveness is us releasing ourselves along with the offender. It's stepping out of the cage of bitterness and hate. It is freeing ourselves, though it ain't easy. I find that trail too rocky and difficult without a lot of prayer and divine help.

Our leads are no lazy slouches and neither are the directors. The filmcraft is excellent. CIL drops tasty tidbits along the trail to keep us following along. There's connections made with good use of dialogue, camera shots, and the actors themselves. Many lines have double meanings. Juxtaposition is used cleverly. CIL is often accompanied by pensive, somewhat melancholy piano and the whole show is like a concerto of such music. It's sad, hypnotic, emotional, and oddly relaxing. What Can I Do, by Hyunji, is Spotifyable. They do some fun shadow animation as Jin conjures up some of his favorite camping memories. The well-off people drink at a bar that looks like it's on the inside of a cob of roasting corn.

“I think I'm going to cry,” Haesong says happily, because she sees Joo holding a man's hand. The camera pans to a woebegotten pharmacist… In one episode, Haesong is wearing a top that has two fabric straps hanging from her left shoulder, and her work name tag is pinned in such a way that they make a big “A” on her chest, resurrecting Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter. Haesong has dated alot of men. She is looked at, by some, as tarnished. By ep15, Jun and Haesong are unconsciously matching their clothes. Quality touches such as these turn a good feature into an excellent one. CIL is excellent.

As moody and methodical as the pace is, there's smiles to be found. “His house is big, but there's nothing in it. Just like him.” Jin‘s misery is reinforced to the point of humor throughout the show. “How could you 3 make so much drama every day? You guys make trouble one after another. It's almost like teamwork, ” remarks Jun. Joo isn't much of a people person. “I'll pretend being ignored is all in my head,” is cheerful CEO Sun-woo's response to her non-response. ‘It's good to be gathered with you all - You who trust me least in this world, but cherish me most,’ Jiju quips at one point. It's all good for regulating the pressure valve and providing sufficient release.

Jin and Joo are seen walking alone in every episode. One beautiful irony is that his mother had been an obstacle in all of his relationships, but she ultimately brought him together with Joo. She is the broken road that led them to eachother. Fforgiveness paved the road. God bless that broken road - They don't have to hike alone ever again.


QUOTES📢

Do you know what the most loyal thing in the world is? A sense of foreboding. Animals know that an earthquake will happen and take shelter. Even animals are able to protect themselves.

If an issue can be solved with money and time then it's not a problem.

Nobody cares about loyalty anymore, so why should I? It only stabs you in the back.


〰🖍 IMHO

📣8.3 📝8.5 🎭8.5 💓7.7 🦋7 🎨6 🎵/🔊7.8 🌞6 ⚡1 😅3.5 😭4 😱2.5 😯4 😖2 🤔6.4 💤1 🔚8.5

Age 13+ with the following cautions: This is an adult romance that is mostly quiet and respectful and conservative. The benefits outweigh the liabilities. Not much physical contact is even depicted throughout its entirety, but we do see couples kissing in bed. A man invites a woman to spend the night. There is violence that is depicted without being fully shown as the screen goes black. The ML's mother always has a man in her life. Language: PG-13 here and there.

Rated TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned.

Re-📺? Very likely

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

Modern Day:
Mad For Each Other 7.8 ~silly fun;
My Secret Romance 7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks);
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love to Hate You 8.9;
Her Private Life 8;
Touch your heart 8.2;
Romance is a bonus book 7.9;
Boys Over Flowers 8 ~ melodrama to the max;
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;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;
More Than Friends 8;
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9;
Something in the Rain 9

Historical/Period:
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy;
Live Up To Your Name 7.6;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl / Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo 8.5;
Saimdang 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

Try a Chinese historical fantasy romcom: The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8
Japanese lite romcoms: Maid Sama (10), Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo (7.8), Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions (8.4), Toradora (8.5)


Action/Sci-fi/fantasy:
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

Read More

⚘ Expires Before Episode 10 ⚘ °6.4° °somewhat good°

A brief encounter with Dae Hyun, our saintly male lead, prompts orphan Jung Saet Byul (who is currently raising her younger sister) to fall in love. He goes on with his day, but she is smitten for life. Fast forward 3 years and she goes to work for him at his convenience store. While people of her status are overlooked by the world, she manages to distinguish herself with her hard work and intelligence. She, °inconveniently, puts the hook-kick to his love life, however, through a series of misunderstandings and other blocks. There is no mistaken understanding when it comes to her, though: She's marked him for clearance; /her clearance to purchase him/ that is.

Rated 7.6 on MDL, BSR is much like unexpired convenience store fare - edible, somewhat good, but not very good. It degrades from being pleasant to being a bit of a chore in the last third. Knowing what I now know, would I go back and watch it again for the first time? That's almost a coin flipper. My answer is "no", but many people will enjoy watching this show - for good reason. Everyone is entitled to h/h form of wind-down entertainment, and BSR has obviously done the job for many viewers who have received it well. There are gems tucked away like Korean beef and fresh green onion in the 🍲. They have plenty of good ingredients, but they didn't incorporate them well. Just go into it with your eyes open(ha!). If your enjoyment level starts declining, know that it doesn't get better later. It fizzles and flattens.

Let's talk about the fizzle first. They have fun with the girl fights. There's flying kicks & flying bodies all over the place. They even do the Matrix Reloaded burst-out-of-the-pile-up. They have animation overlay to show eyes with hearts or to bleep out some language. All of it's cute and fun. I was thrilled with the first couple episodes.

They lay out clear character contrast in the opening shots of ep1. She's leading a gang brawl. He's saving a 🐈. (Gimme the perfect combo, indeed!) Sadly, he doesn't notice her for 2/3 of the show. Forget her, /I/ was frustrated! Most viewers want to see him take notice in little ways early on - let's get those 🌭 on the warming rollers! It takes a while for them to get toasty, right? It's a pity that all we see is his pity, or his overlooking her. Very gradually, they bond - soon the two communicate naturally by intricate hand ✌🏽👐🏼 signals. Nobody else can understand, but they somehow do. It's one of the cutest things about the show.

There's a handful of excellent scenes… brilliant really. "Let me go through the expired goods," she says, when the girlfriend walks in the store. He goes to a college reunion and everyone is practically dressed in monotone. They look a boring bunch. He has the most color in a pale green sweater, which could signify that he's still green. He's still a bit naive. She doesn't have a HS diploma, but she is not green. She loves green things and 💐, though. Our FL knows the meaning of every flower. I loved it and it makes me want to learn more of them.

We will see each female lead have a talk with the other that leads to a situational change. It's skillful mirroring. Kdrams love the 💘 🔺. (It's not a love triangle if a third party is interested in one of them, but they only have eyes for eachother, is it?) There's some truly funny moments that are muted, slightly, by other clumsy humor attempts that fail. The closing of episode 12 is fresh - stunning, even.

The best thing about BSR is Kim Yoo Jung playing Jung Saet Byul. She's gorgeous. Her smile is brighter than 🌞. If she went past the freezers she could "melt all that stuff". Also, she can wear tan or white and look good, which shouldn't be allowed - I hate her, lol. Her friends are likable, as is the ML's BFF. The secondary romance is painfully goofy at times, but overall I enjoyed that couple more. Kim Sun Young as Kong Boon Hee, Dae Hyun's mother, is a blast. She commands the screen. Watching her makes me happy. I suppose I'm a true fan.

As for every other character… yuck. His father is contemptible. I want to strangle him every time he's on screen. It's not okay to be that lazy and irresponsible. They get offended when somebody hurts dad's pride. He deserves so much more than hurt feelings! What °pride? ...Pride in what? Breathing? Dae Hyun. He's the ultimate good guy, but they fail to sell "everybody's doormat " as a romantic lead. He is in a current day relationship with a woman when the show begins, and it's a mostly positive relationship; at least, his GF is not the cartoonish villain that they'll often show in romcoms, which is appreciated. He's a wonderful human being, but he's missing sex appeal. He's too wimpy! Ji Chang Wook plays Choi Dae Hyun. He plays a similarly nervous guy who is upended by a woman, in Lovestruck In The City, which is far better than BSR. He's great in K2. It's not the actor's fault, it's how they wrote and directed him.

Our leads' °besties° have instant 🎇. Their relationship is easily more fun than the primary romance. "If I had love in My heart, I'd want the expiration date to be ten thousand years away." "Just call me ten thousand years." Yep, that's how GMO the dialog can get in the show. To be fair, that's between a pair that is comic relief, and they say a lot of very slurpy things. It's almost slapstick, but hey, they're fun. The director tries to wedge in a little too much nonsense, so the eyes will roll at times.

BSR becomes a bit of a slog to stick with it as the episodes roll on. Despite many nice touches like animation overlay, snappy cutting, and pauses that enhance, they don't have enough content to fill more than 10eps competently. Most of the characters are not relatable enough to truly draw the viewer in, and many of the plot drivers and vignettes are boring. Unfortunately, after the initial taste sensation, the expiration date is met long before the episodes expire.

〰🖍 IMHO


🎬72 📝57 🎭70 💓60 🦋40 🌞60 🎨45 ⚡ 🎵/🔊70 😅43 😭20 😱30 😯45 🤔40 💤40 🔚75

Age 13+ The show is tame. No language cautions. They touch on eroticism via the friend's webtoon. Fighting.

Re-📺? Never

{BTW, our ML is BFF with a guy that actually has a tan! Eum Moon Suk plays
Han Dal Shik (Dae Hyun's best friend). He looks so much like a friend of mine (who happens to be Hispanic) that I could only smile and smh every time he appeared on screen. I never plan to go down a 🐇 ⚫, but here we go: When you watch East Asian dramas you would think everybody there is paler than Tom Brady, which is tedious. East Asia's multi-millenia love of pale skin is connected to wealth & status. Field workers are tanned by the sun while the wealthy have a cave-dweller-like vitamin-D deficiency. We will hear Dae Hyun's family talk about their pride more than twice, and that is what it's all about. I am in love with 🌏Asian entertainment. I hesitate (or voice qualifiers) before recommending it to my African American friends and family, though, because it's as colorless as the show Friends. People insist on judging people based on things for which we have no control. Is anything more meaningless than a person's looks? Nobody has a choice of parentage or their skin color, so what is there to judge? Furthermore, much of history has been bleached. Early pictorials of Jesus showed a milk-chocolate skin tone until racism gripped the middle ages. Bible scholars will tell you that there aren't any white people in the Bible, except perhaps, some tangential bad actors. (In Poland they never adopted the Caucasian Jesus and kept the old paintings). The legend of the leprechaun was probably based on real-life Africans visiting Europe with gold. Africa was loaded with gold in ancient times, and there were Africans that navigated the world in canoes with gifts and exotic animals. They were masters at reading the sea currents, or the superhighways of the sea. The legend degraded over time to what we see now. That's two examples from a whole universe most people didn't know existed, Other than the good old vices of pride and prejudice, I cannot tell you why our 🌍 history has been color-lifted, but it is a fact. So, if we point at 🌏, three fingers are pointing back at 🌎. The result is that we remain divided. We should challenge them to diversify more, but also be patient with Asia. We all have deficiencies to work on. I am respectfully and patiently calling them out on this tired old mindset. Let's not start on the way they beat up on orphans…}

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

Reformed by Love:

Crazy Love-7.8,
My First First Love-8,
Boys Over Flowers-8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2 (But for eps 20 &21 it's an 8+)
Oh My Venus-7.4K,
Call It Love-8.4,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,
Itaewon Class-8.9,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
SKY Castle-9,
My Mister 9.5,

Out of Reach love:

A Love So Beautiful-7,
99 days with the Superstar-7,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Oh My Ghost 10,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Something in the Rain-8.6,


Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance-7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
The Bride of Habaek-7,
Heirs-7.3,
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 🎎/🔮 fantasyfeature: 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

Originally 〰️🖊 8/2023

Read More

☕️ Snack on Cotton Candy & Put Stalkers On Ice °6.7° °good°

Assistant chef, Jin-Hu (Lee Suk-Hyeong from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha & Lovestruck in the City-7.3), is walking down the street in a tucked-away neighborhood. His boss's new restaurant is set to open there. He looks to the left at passersby: ‘That woman shoved a man's body in a refrigerator with the help of’ (his head moves from 🕘9 o'clock to 🕚) ‘her daughter and’ (🕐) ‘granddaughter’. His head turns to 🕒. ‘That woman tried to stab someone last night.’ His head keeps moving right to 🕠. ‘And that man struck a pedestrian with his car and attempted to bury him alive.’ Tough neighborhood. What do you even feed a crowd like that?

Eun “Gye” Hoon & No “Da” Hyun: Here's 2 people living a very unhealthy lifestyle. She can't sleep (stress, bills, past due notices, unpaid rent, lying to her mother about her office job - she quit - Oh, she's got a stalker, too). He can't sleep because he has this weird synchronicity thing where he's suddenly feeling her emotions. So, when stress keeps her up, it keeps him up, too. When she cries he probably won't be able to hold back the waterworks. He's a chef, so he cooks to settle himself down. They aren't sleeping, and they are eating in the middle of every night.

That's not the beginning, though. As Link opens, Gye is buried in grief ever since his twin sister went missing, presumed murdered, at age 10. His family died that day. The family of his friend, Ji Won-Tak (Song Duk-Ho - May I Help You, Cheer Up) also died that day because Won-Tak's father was accused of the murder. Even though he was acquitted, the stigma remained. The phrase “insufficient evidence” is not sufficient to clear a person's name. Da is overshadowed by a shady past - it's literally shaded from her view. She has no memories of her childhood. She's only partially present and living. They are each a half.

Link is a 2022 release that is rated 87 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 60ish-minute episodes. Yeo Jin-Goo (The Crowned Clown, Hotel Del Luna-8.4) is ML Gye. His voice is delicious. Gye is a high level chef. ("When the cook is emotional you can taste it. I won't tolerate any personal feelings in MY kitchen.” He sounds rough, but a moment later he tears up and passes out. What is that about?) Mr. Yeo looks completely different from his HDL days. The shape of his face used to be triangular; now it's more round. Triangle or circle, he usually plays a square, & he's pretty uptight as Link opens. FL, Da, is brought to life by Mun Ka-Young (Welcome to Waikiki, True Beauty).

“These aren't my tears I'm crying right now.” Gye is 😭 and 🤪 all at the wrong moments. He's been through this before. He once had synchronicity with his sister. He experienced her emotions and reactions as if they were his own. Now it's happening again. His sister couldn't be aIive, could she? No, he's certain she's gone. He felt it. He could feel her terror, and then the connection broke; that was 18 years ago. Now, he must get himself together in time for the Gourmet Fair.

‘You shouldn't be too perfect or you won't be approachable,’ Da's mom points out. Little does mom know that Da is far from perfect. That company job that mom is so proud of? Da quit that a long time ago. She scrambles to work part-time jobs and she is behind on all of her bills. Hopefully she'll bring in some good tips from the Gourmet Fair. Soon she's slinging too many trashbags and dirty 🍽 to even think. Love? Notta thought. Da has never had a good man in her life.

Link is cotton candy, not gourmet fare. It's loosely linked together, but it will pass the time pleasantly for many. It wasn't until the later episodes that it started wearing on me. Here's yet another show that suffers from too many bread crumbs in the meatballs. They don't have enough good content for 16 episodes, but its problems go beyond a good edit. After 10 eps or so, it degenerates into decline & collapse mode, like a botched soufflé. The supposed premise of the show, his synchronicity with her and his ability to feel what she's feeling, adds very little excitement through ep11. It's almost besides the point. Perhaps it helped draw him to her, but people fall for eachother anyway. Synchronicity need not apply. They don't clearly lay out how he knows he's feeling /her/ emotions. The first couple eps are slightly haphazard. The logic behind some of the actions, reactions, and motivations is weak, unconvincing, and downright tasteless. I was stuck in Link’s terminal lukewarmness - it wasn't bad enough for me to abandon but neither was it good enough to enjoy. By the end I lost hope that it would recover and was dreading watching the 1 ep/day I forced on myself like bad leftovers. Worst of all, Link attempts to lighten the load of heartbreak, but it comes right up to the line of making light of heartbreak. The plot is sad, and what happens stings. What's most sad is that it could have been better.

It's ironic that this show features a top level chef, yet the show itself is barebones. No extras. No garnish, no special sauce, no BAM. The premise of the stalker and the refrigerator is a tad weak. Jingeun is irritating. And how does Da's family even make enough to live? Nobody is ever in their restaurant. They should have some weirdo regulars. They don't do a good job building up the tension. This is a town where everyone should be a suspect. We should get to know each one and be shocked when the true killer is revealed. The bad guys shouldn't drop from nowhere when the show is 60% done. It feels like cheating. We don’t know this person. We know this person has done bad things but we are detached. We don't hate, like, or fear this person.

Formulaic is a criticism, but there are formulas for good storytelling. If show creators want to deviate from the formula, it had better be good. Link isn't all that good. Ep15 is VG. It starts out weak because it must clear up a mess left by previous eps, but it puts the show back on track. Ep16 is also good. It's mostly a wrap-up, something sorely missing from too many Kdramas. They also had more opportunities for laughs and better romantic moments. Hong Jong-Chan also directed Her Private Life-8 and Live Up To Your Name-7.6, two shows that are rock solid with few deficiencies. Writer Kwon Ki-Young's Hello Monster & Suspicious Partner are quite popular. This is just an off project for them.

Link Is not fusion food; it will only feed romance junkies. It doesn't cross genres well and it will not attract new regulars to Korean programming. Anyone who doesn't like romantic and somewhat sentimental features might want to skip it. Still… I believe it's worth watching once. Some of the tastier selections include Da's Oma and grandma, who seem like they have a dark side🔩. Grandma turns out to be a profoundly good person. They manage a plot twist or two. Their 1st date is urgent care and a CT scan😆. We learn that we can't bury /everyone/ who bothers us - the problem is there's not enough land. I like the 2ndary relationship with the cops.

“I don't have the courage to be happy,” Gye admits. Truth is the 1st step in healing. The average person tells 3 lies a day, and some psychologists say that we lie more than 200 times a day, we're told. That includes the lies we tell ourselves. The most common lie that people tell is: “I'm okay.“

“Some people don't look forward, they look backwards. They live with regrets, bitterness and longing.” It occurs to Da that these people do not see her, they see someone missing from their past; Da is just a placeholder. In ep15 they cover if, if, IF ~>> Endless self-reproach, accusations, and regret. One character had faced cruel and entirely unfair judgment and cannot forgive h/hself. There are a couple of characters who feel a weight of responsibility when they did nothing wrong. In a vat of self-absorption, they feel compelled to turn themselves in, and it is less than convincing.

The vibe is somewhere between offbeat and strange. The characters are only half-baked. Mom and grandmother are a bit inconsistent but they grew on me. They're somewhat ridiculous but charmingly ruthless (Ye Soo-Jung from Stranger and Mine-8 is always good, and she's clearly having the time of her life in this role). This is not Gordon Ramsay's kitchen, it's more Flo's diner. However, I appreciate the good, which outweighs the bad. It does contain some of the most romantic words I've ever heard: “Do you want anything to eat? Whatever you want, I'll cook for you.” Whew. ‘Scuse me while I sit and fan myself…


QUOTES📢

Yummy food brings you joy.

Life is a comedy in the long-shot and a tragedy in close-up. ~Buster Keaton~

Questions are more important than answers ~Einstein~


〰🖍 IMHO

📣6.5 📝6.5 🎭7.5 💓5.3 🦋5 🎨6 🎵/🔊7.3 🔚7.7 ♦ 🌞4.5 ⚡5 😅2 😭6 😱4.7 😯3 😖3 🤔4 💤3

Age 14+ Scary and violent elements; Language: $h!+

Re-📺? This one's in the good-to-pass-the-time category, but I may never pass this way again….

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

Mad For Each Other 7.8 ~silly fun;
Crazy Love 7.8;
Love to Hate You 8.9;
Touch your heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
Private Lives 8.1;
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9;
Love Struck in the City 7.3;
When the Camellia Blooms 8;
Tunnel 8.1;
Signal 8.6;
My Mister 9.5;
Flower of Evil 8.9;
The Man from Nowhere 8.9;
The Cursed 8.3;
Black 9

Read More

?Don't Boo Talented Kids! ~❎️~ This Couldn't Be Cuter? °8.3° °Excellent°

This is a charming coming of age tale against the backdrop of country life and high school sports.

RB is a great show for families to watch together, as long as the subtitles aren't an obstacle. Qualities that the show reinforces include: Loyalty, standing up for what's right, defending the weak, hard work, compassion, respect, and teamwork.

It follows badminton teams from schools in rural Korea. There's not alot to do in a town that doesn't have sufficient population to support many forms of entertainment. It's even difficult to get wifi. Sports and friendships are what the kids work on most. We follow them through regular match-ups, individual and team competitions, and various family dynamics, as they gradually become a cohesive unit. The show, additionally, addresses the problem of vicious hazing and other abuses that can arise in a group of uber competitive Type-A personalities.

Positive cross-generational relationships are displayed in RB. The elderly couple that lives down the road loves to host the kids. They share a meal and, more significantly, their wifi. In return, the kids help them with reading and operating their cell phones. It's darling.

YIKES! A Fight❕ We see another side of the coin in a town hall where a village elder and one of the young players tackle eachother over conflicting ideas over how to generate more business in town. The problem, apparently, is that they have matching personalities;)l. Neither one of them has good ideas anyway, smh. It's a funny scene.

The kids help plan a birthday party for the oldest grandma in town. The whole thing is precious. As grandma is from Busan, can you guess what movie they played? Yep, the Zombie thriller: Train To Busan. All Young-tae saw was that the title contained the word "Busan." Some of the party-goers didn't open their eyes for 2 hours, lol.

It's impossible to review this show without addressing the controversy that has arisen around it. In ep5, an athlete was met with some boos while playing in Indonesia. There were some that saw this as an insult to their country. In The West we generally don't understand much about Asian culture. It does appear that they are sincere about their complaint as it is a matter of their honor, and we should accept that. However, being offensive was obviously not the intent of Netflix & the show creators.

Instead of giving feedback, a world wide vocal group took to their keyboards and attacked the show and Netflix as if insult was intended. It spread over social media and the ever-outraged went out of their way to give the show a low rating. Most Kdramas have under 3000 viewers on IMDB registering their ratings of a given show. Contrast that with RB, which had a whopping 24k ratings of "1" weeks before all the episodes were out❗ I actually watched RB to find out how bad it was. I'd never seen such a low rating on IMDB.

I wonder if most of the people on the train-to-umbrage actually saw this show before they rapaciously rambled down the tracks? Anyone posting a review having never watched the show is neither genuine nor trustworthy. The show creators are much tougher on their own country than anywhere else. I initially breezed by ep5 and never noticed anything offensive. (To be fair, I'm originally from right outside of Philadelphia, where the fans are notorious for being ill-behaved. I'll grant that my bar must be a little skewed downward by that;)

There's no perfect country. Perhaps everyone should unclutch their pearls, remove the shuttlecock from their eyes, and take a wider-angle view of the issues here: What happens in ep5 is trivial compared to what actually goes on in sports.

Fans in Wembley Stadium have booed during other team's national anthems.

It's shocking to hear that fans in Spain have done monkey chants and thrown bananas at African players⁉️.

Sadly, fans in Philadelphia really did boo Santa and throw snowballs at him.

Suspicions were raised against the New England Patriots that they had listening devices planted in the away locker rooms. Peyton Manning would not discuss anything sensitive in the locker room at Gillette Stadium. Tony Dungee would not allow his players to have possession of their playbooks as anything left in their Boston hotel rooms was liable to end up with Belichick's staff prior to the game. There's other stories of away locker rooms with poor lighting, bad smells, no heat or the thermostat not working right, no hot water, etc etc. Are the outraged here even sports fans? If so, they would know that some fans can be rabid maniacs. Right or wrong, sports is a venue that fans utilize to vent their frustrations.

I've even seen reviewers sneering at badminton: They write that it is a poor concept for a show. Badminton happens to be quite popular in all of Asia. The competition is intense, with the shuttlecocks, or birdies, typically flying off the racket at speeds up to 250 mph. Speeds have been recorded as high as 267 mph. This makes it the fastest sport in the world. That shuttlecock would win its share of pro drag races at those speeds.

Most of the actors in this show are KIDS. They all delivered first rate performances. People are heartless to trash the WHOLE show into which these kids clearly put their whole hearts. Their efforts deserve praise. Kang Hoon-kim (Yong-tae) is particularly special. He is a scene stealer; a top-shelf talent. Tang Joon-sang, who plays Hae-kang, is also quite talented. He plays a boy with Aspergers in Move To Heaven, and the sweetest North Korean soldier ever, in Crash Landing On You {Don't miss that one, btw}. The parts are characters that are completely unique from each other, and he's convincing in these roles. Ahn Se-bin plays the coach's youngest daughter, age 5 or so. She steals every scene she's in, and she also teaches the elderly couple how to read. It's cuteness overload.

Finally, the whole show is cuteness overload. It couldn't be more adorable, and these kids could not be more precious. So give it a fair go and cheer these kids on; even if you are a Pats fan :) ;)

Read More

GMO with the MOJO ⚗ The Birth of the 6 Bajillion Won Man °8.5° °innovative wows°

Okay, it's time to pick off another ep of BF. ⏱… ⏲… Where is it? What's wrong with my continue-watching…? Where's the beef? Hulu?

WHAT!?!

That's all there is? Just 10 eps? A cliffhanger?

I'm usually bringing up the rear guard and watching the older shows, which are all completed, so I haven't had this happen to me in a long time. Now I have to wait for S2 and it hasn't even been announced yet, smh.

Don't let that scare you. Unless people watch it, they won't make another season, and we should get another season of BF. It's excellent and has the potential to be a 9+. I've held back because it ain't over yet. As is, it's quite a rush. Let's get into its DNA.

He's got what she needs.

Ju Ji Hoon (Hyena, Kingdom-8.3) is Woo Chae Woon. He's ex-mil and now high-level security. He's about more than babysitting CEOs, though. He's on a mission to uncover the truth about a terrorist bombing that took place under his watch where he was one of the base commanders overseas. He's one of those guys - Like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. He's lethal. Usually more like a statue in the corner, he doesn't show much emotion.

Han Hyo Joo (Moving, W) is Blood Free’s CEO, Yoon Ja Yoo. With her background in the sciences, she's quite stoic herself. Hints surface of past traumas. She started the company, which makes cultured meat, in order to provide human beings with a drug, parasite, and cruelty-free food supply. Things are going well. They've released their beef and are preparing to launch their seafood line. Just wait and see what they get into next.

Our ML's resume fits our FL’s job search parameters so perfectly that she's suspicious. She's not stupid, afterall. Yet Ji-hoon gradually gains her trust, then her admiration, then more. Plus he's a good cat-dad. Men that like cats are largely secure with themselves. It's a good sign.

BF is a 2024 release that is rated 88 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of a MERE 10 50-minute episodes. Screenwriter, Lee Soo Yeon, also wrote the popular Stranger. Instant stardom: This is director Park Chul Hwan's 1st effort. Wow. Other main players are Lee Hee Joon (Mouse) as PM Seon Woo Jae, and as aids to the powerful are Lee Moo Saeng (Cleaning Up, Maestra: Strings of Truth) playing On San, Jun Suk-ho Kingdom-8.3, Call It Love-8.4) is Seo Hui, and Park Ji Yeon (A Model Family) as Jung Hae Deun. Jeon Gook Hwan (Crash Landing on You-9.1, Empress Ki, and nearly everything else) is perfect as the former Prime Minister/ grandfather to the current one. He actually loses it in one scene, which is something new. As one could imagine, it's frightening. He's everywhere because he's authentic.

BF's successes in the lab threaten the power structure in K-country. The plot centers around corporate espionage and other intrigues. It's a hot second before the government steps on the mess and makes everything worse.

BF touches on the cruelty of the meat industry, but only slightly. I've considered going vegetarian, but I'm not quite there yet. The changes I have made are 1. I eat little meat, and 2. I insist on organic and humane products. A healthy person doesn't “need” meat but 2 or 3 times a week, if at all. Our food supply is polluted with chemicals, and our meat is polluted with them as well. {All those ingredients most of us can't pronounce? I've learned the hard way they have a cumulative and deleterious effect on our health, particularly gut health. Maladies that barely existed in the mid-20th are rampant now - IBS, Crohns, and mental health, such as the anxiety and depression epidemics. Serotonin receptors are in the gut (? Yep!), so poor gut health absolutely affects mood. I probably never would have made changes if my condition hadn't become ultra-extreme. GIGO (garbage-in-garbage-out) applies to our physical health, not just computers. A good start is to wean off of GMO wheat, grains, corn, and all sugar, which only harms and has no nutritional benefits whatsoever. Same goes for pet food.} Animal cruelty is just absolutely wrong. It is inexcusable. By now, the cruelty involved in the meat industry is common knowledge, so to be willfully blind to it is to be party to it. There is no room for it in Hinduism, Buddhism, or Judeo-Christian belief (yes, traditional Hebrew worship involves animal sacrifice, but the whole point is that it is supposed to hurt. It is supposed to make humans reflect on the consequencesof their tresspasses and regret the hurt that we cause). Regardless of belief-system, it is patently obvious that it's wrong to be cruel to animals except to the most ardent subscribers of “survival of the fittest.” This isn't political. I am not political. Politicians-at-large let our food supply become polluted and it's keeping us down. Politics is the new racism, and we've never sorted out the old racism. People make a mess of everything, and it's all for nothing.

Moving on…

There's a rich and powerful family depicted in which the grandfather, father, and son all have their own agendas and work at odds with eachother. So sad. This is contrasted with our ML who is making sacrifices for his niece and working for the sake of his lost comrades. He lives to bring them justice. It would be lovely to not have to worry about money. Sadly, many rich people don't manage to be happy, either. They develop habits and appetites, based on greed and pride, that can never be satisfied.

The writing is just splendid. Only the most finicky left-brained types will object to the plot twists. I found viewing pleasure near frictionless - an easy glide. BF is slick as culture in a petri dish. It's weighty. The CEO has a tremendous burden on her and the viewer can feel it. They build tension steadily. Slick techno music accompanies the tense scenes. There's respectable action in ep3. As of ep7, BF develops into an excellent thriller. There's a Hollywood style gun battle in which our protagonists are quite fortunate in their ability to avoid being shot while being amazingly accurate with their own shooting skills. Still, it works. There's very cool VR search technology featured while the actor is using VR gloves (Like Minority Report). Save a life - A very cool medical device inhabits BF's basement (Like The Fifth Element-8.9 and Prometheus-8). “Good artists copy, great artists steal,” per Picasso (if he even came up with that. Whether that quote is his original words has been brought into question, in full-circle irony. It amuses me to think that he plfered that line). The camera work, acting, directing, writing all blend together to culture a quality product. One can't pilfer that. They constructed this excellent work one cell at a time.


✏〰 IMHO
Directing 7.5
Writing 8.3
Acting 8.5
Romance 6
Flutters 5
Art 8.2
Sound & music 7.8
Ending ?

LEVELS
Laughs
Warmth 3.3
Action 7.8
Tears 5
Fright 4.5
Tension T Anxiety 4
Gore 6
Thought provocation 5.5
Snores 0

📣8.5 📝8.3 🎭8.5 💓6,🦋5 🎨8.2 🎵/🔊7.8 🔚? ▪ 🌞3.3 ⚡7.8 😅1 😭5 😱4.5 😯4 🤢6 🤔5.5 💤0


Age 15+ for Violence. One stabbing scene is gritty. American style shootouts. I don't have any notes on language but it's likely some scattered PG-13 vocalization.

Rated TV-MA: Mature Audience Only.

Re-watch? This is a prime candidate to crank up for the family in my attempt to broaden their viewing horizons. When S2 comes out (nothing official is set yet) I will probably rewatch S1.


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

Modern Day -
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,
Descendants Of The Sun-8.3
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Hospital Playlist 9,
Move To Heaven-8.4
Mine-8,
Call It Love-8.4,
Iris,
Anna-8.1,
My Mister 9.5,
Hymn of Death-8.4
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9,
Mother 9


Historical/Period -
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

Action/Crime/Sci-fi -
Glitch-8,
K2 8,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Inspector Koo-8.4

Private Lives 8.1, Vagabond-8
Sisyphus 8, Law School -8
Tunnel 8.5,
Signal 8.6,
D.P. -8.4,
The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
Parasite-9,
Black 9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4
The Wailing-8.8


Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance 7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Boys Over Flowers 8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Bride of Habaek 7,
Heirs 7.3,
That Winter, The Wind Blows 7,
Something in the Rain 9,
C: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine,
You are my destiny 6.8 cute, sweet & 1/2 padding,
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5,
Find Yourself 8.9

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

Read More

✒The Water God Saves a Drowning Woman ♥️ For Romance Lovers Only °VG°

Here's a show about how the anchor is pulled up from a generations-long curse & Nam Joo-hyuk is put in his proper place.

BoH is one of my guilty pleasures. The term “guilty pleasure” is overused & misused. Most commonly it's thrown in b/c we're embarrassed about what we like or we're throwing cover over something we've enjoyed for fear of being mocked. For a GP to actually be a GP, there must be something to feel guilty about, meaning it has to be a show that is more than alittle flawed, but we just like it. Any fair assessment has to be a combo of technical competence & how it touches the♥️. Critics often focus more on the technical b/c that is measurable, while matters of the♥️ are subjective. How the receiver takes them matters as much as how the messenger sends them out. We have to be vulnerable to admit what our♥️ likes, & that makes it scary. BoH has lots of flaws - so many logical problems, so many missed opportunities, & if one steps back & really thinks about So-ah’s story, it's so So SO SAD! But I've already watched it twice & I'm sure I'll watch it again, b/c I'm a bit of a romance junkie, & BoH gotz goodz. I'll take a flawed show in which the director can give me the flutters merely by showing closeups of the actors’ hands, over Citizen Kane 6 days a week. I'll watch CK on the 7th. Technically excellent shows give me a thrill, but left-brain thrills are just trills compared to right-brain dopamine. Anyway, romance junkies! You'll love this one! Everyone else - probably not.

BoH is comfy & soothing while being surprisingly sensual at times. Based on the Kmanga, Bride of the Water God, it's a tale of the future king of the heavenly realms who must come to earth & complete tasks in order to ascend to the throne. Habaek (Nam Joo-hyuk from Start-Up-8) is that future king. So-ah (Shin Se-kyung Rookie Historian-7.5) is a psychiatrist who has no peace in her life. Nothing has ever gone right. She is drowning in debt and, well.... forget romance! She doesn't have the time or energy for that. Unbeknownst to So-ah, things are even worse: Her family is sworn to serve the heavenly realms whenever needed. Habaek somehow lost his powers when he descended, so he is going to need a lot of help… But So-ah is a mess! And, b/c she's from a line of divine servants, she's a god magnet.

House cleaning 1st. Besides the logical problems & missed opportunities, there was no follow-thru on many ideas. They dropped things here & there that initially made a splash, & then they let them sink to the bottom, forgotten. Habaek's powers, or lack of, are inconsistently handled. There are ill defined rules of the game, a thing too common in Kdramas. Not only does it get confusing, but it feels like they are cheating by making stuff up as they go. Before setting sail, they should clearly define the fantastical world depicted & stick to the parameters that they've set down. After 16+ hours of content, couldn't they have allowed a little more time for a thorough wrap up? We don't know what happened with most of the characters, & I would have liked a peek at what the coming days & years would look like. This is also too common and always yields discontent. It adds up to mandatory deductions. From a craft standpoint, BoH is at level 5~6 but as a romance it's a 7~8.

So-ah is in a submerged cage. She's drowning. Her altruistic father never had time for the family. Only child?!? Their house was always full of needy orphans! Ultimately, dad left on another goodwill mission & never returned. Her assistant recalls how evil she was as a child. From her perspective, she’s the victim. To dad, everyone else was more important than she. (It's a reminder that our perspectives often aren't the full story). Her dream is Vanuatu🇻🇺 - a beautiful sea ~ 🏖 ~ 🍍 ~🍌 & 🍾 ~ she wants the life of a god. Her reality, though, is prison. Her clinic is in a lower income area with bars on the windows. She literally lives behind bars. She's floundering in the dissonance between how she's compelled to live & how she wants to live ~ she's human.

Habaek begins as demanding & dismissive. It's amusing that he calls her his servant, but he always ends up helping her. As he acclimates to life on 🌏, it becomes clear that something dark is afoot. He & So-ah must wade through perils to right wrongs before all of creation goes under. In the background other gods are making trouble & complicating things; most have no respect for So-ah. One person that does respect So-ah is Shin Hoo-ye. He likes everything about So-ah, which makes Habaek gradually more irritated & determined to show his own worth, even w/o his powers. The oft overdone 💘⚠ makes a little more sense here given who So-ah is.

They ain't subtle. Like in The Terminator, clothes don't survive world-transference, so Nam Joo-hyuk is in the buff at the start. Rap music beats as he walks to So-ah like a model (though I can't say what he's modeling - The scene isn't a tad overdone, though; he's worthy of it). The director was able to make simple scenes sizzle with moments that practically steam up the lens with their sensuality. At times, just a touch is enough. Shots of hands moving slowly until the tips of their fingers separate are just beautiful. The soundtrack complements it all superbly. Glass Bridge, by Savina & Drones, made the romantic scenes flow deeper & stronger, like a wave washing over & the only way to escape the power is to drop under. I've got Glass Bridge & Savina & Drones on a variety of playlists. Ty, BoH.

One thing that is not lacking in BoH is the acting. Nam Joo-hyuk is fine, though I'm not sure if anyone cares about his acting. He plays Habaek who sits atop the world with no equals. He's never had to give anyone else a thought, so he has quite a bit of growing to do. Shin Sae Kyeong plays Yoon So-ah. I've seen her in Rookie Historian(7.5) & Run On(7- but the 2ndary couple’s ♥️ is a 9). She has an acerbic wit & authoritative air that lends to her playing a mother-lover in these shows. I like her, but I'm not partial to the mother-lover in a romance. Here she's gasping for air & she's fantastic. The superb actor, Im Joo Hwan, is Shin Hoo-ye. I'm a fan since Oh My Ghost(10). Just don't watch him in The Spies Who Loved Me(4) b/c it's awful. Krystal Jung is the petulant Mu-ra. She's got the best drop-dead stare - quite natural for a spoiled god. She's great in the hilarious Crazy Love(7.8) & even better in Sweet & Sour(7) and of course, she stars in the legendary Heirs(7.3). Gong Myung is Bi Ryum, another spoiled god. He's got a beautiful baby face. I'm currently watching him in Be Melodramatic, which is outstanding. I'd say skip Revolutionary Love(5.7) - not worth the ⏲ & his character is one of the worst things in RL.

Viki-9.2; MDL 7.4; Awiki 87; IMDB 6.9. BoH ‘s ratings are all over. Director Kim Byung-Soo doesn't have any duds. His low water mark, Bubble Gum @6.3, is his only feature rated under 7 on IMDB. Nine: 9 Times Time Travel is the high mark at 8.1. The very popular A Korean Odyssey(7) is the only other work of his that I've seen, & it's pretty much the same story. The “issues” made me crazy, yet I loved the show anyway. Both of these shows are too sloppy to appeal to anyone but a romant-i-phile. Mr. Kim's name in the credits is a draw for me, & to be honest, I would probably enjoy watching Nam Joo-hyuk in any show, good or bad.

Mr. Kim works in excellent shots & imagery. Hou-ye is also behind bars. His office is cave-dark & coldly industrial, with bar imagery on either end. It's a metaphor for his earlier life. Somebody goes through a window & the movement of the broken glass is beautiful, like it's water circling round them. Gorgeous. While there are not many action scenes, the stunts during the parking garage scene are excellent. In a scene or two, their clothes form ☯ as they embrace. There's reverses. In eps1&9 they kiss, & the scenes switch which one of them has closed eyes. In ep13 they both close their eyes.

There's laughter & warmth. Koreans & food - even when there's gods that don't get hungry they can't help having them go out to eat anyway. Why does Asian entertainment always feature eating while Hollywood starves us? The result is that their stuff has more warmth. Role reversal shopping is pretty funny. He has no clothes, so off to the fitting room scene they go. What's funnier is that tight-fisted So-ah buys him a suit that doesn't fit right. You get what you pay for, So-ah;))! The police want to know if there's anyone who might want to kill her? Her assistant immediately responds by giving names, Misters A-L, & blah blah blah, “I can't count them with my fingers…” She's utterly shocked. She had no idea.

They do go below the surface briefly. Instead of just one villain, everybody did wrong. Everyone has to live with regrets. Much of the angst in the show could be traced to a father's lack of love or attention. There's beautiful moments such as this poem about two people in love, as when you're in love even dandelions look beautiful & bright: ‘The dandelions beneath the telephone pole swayed brightly. I've come to believe that there is no such thing as coincidence in love. I've come to trust that the universe calculates even the littlest things, such as the winged stroke of a butterfly, in order to make two people fall in love.’

The name So-ah means: Beautiful waters. Drowning. Her whole life she's been drowning. The beautiful water god saves her. He turns her horror to honor & love.


〰️QUOTES〰️

The ones who smile during hardships are the winners. The ones who endure it are lesser. The ones who cry are losers.

It's in our language. We put action first in our sentences, while they put nouns first.


〰 ✏ IMHO
Directing 6.7
Writing 6
Acting 7.8
Romance 7.6
Flutters 7.8
Art 7.5
Action 5
Sound & music 9
Ending 6.5

LEVELS
Tears 7
Thought provocation 5
Snores 0

Age 15+ for mild sexual content

Re-📺watch? GP

🎬6.7 📝6 🎭7.8 💓7.6 🦋7.8 🎨7.5 ⚡5 🎵9 😭7 🤔5 💤0 🔚6.5

Read More

The Long And The Short Of It ❣ Harmonious Romance °7.3° °VG°

This graceful little show is for fans of romance.

This is my second foray into Chinese entertainment with a modern-day setting. This is my second time scratching my head. Why? Because, once again, I liked this show despite the many flaws.

For one, this show is relaxing to watch. Some would say it's slow, however, I kept choosing it over other shows because it was strangely soothing. The 24 episodes are just 40 minutes each, so they pass by quickly.

The premise is that a television producer, Mr. Yu, must find a last minute replacement couple for a show in which real-life couples compete. When things are desperate, and we need a big favor, whom do we call? Either best friends or family, right? So he calls his uncle, “Ye” Shuwei, who happens to be younger than him. Single, and very available Ye, is half of a couple. So Lizi, the co-producer, prevails upon her best friend, Erduo, to appear as the the other half.

Erduo. Played by the luminescent Lusi Zhao (The Romance of Tiger and Rose-9.8, Who Rules The World-7.5), she’s an aspiring voice actress with a goal to work in animation. Her dream is to study in Japan. As Erduo does not come from a wealthy family, she works several jobs as she tries to save up for school. That is precisely why she agrees to do the show: She'll make in 6 weeks what she would otherwise work 2 years to earn. Erduo is petite and as cute as the cartoon characters to which she lends voice. She doesn't come up to Ye's shoulder. She is smart and friendly, with a ready smile... while Ye seems like the very definition of a wet blanket.

Ye (Riley Wang from Back from the Brink), who crafts violins for a living, is a musical genius. Like many prodigies, he seems to be the brooding type. He isn't economical with words; he's downright stingy. Though handsome, he presents as condescending, bristly, and dismissive. As he comes from a wealthy family and is exceptionally talented, he hasn't had to look up to many people during his lifetime.

In part due to Ye's surprisingly convincing improvisation, Ye and Erduo are an instant hit with the audience. Unfortunately, they were not so much of a hit with eachother. In order to compete convincingly, and to dispel rumors that they aren't a real couple, they must scramble to get to know each other better.

Once Erduo meets Ye, she clearly never considers the possibility of a romance between them. /She don't like that /jerk/. It's very charming to see how Ye takes a liking to Erduo while she's oblivious to his feelings as well as her own shifting inclinations. As it turns out, Ye's a total playa. He really pulls some moves to close escrow. I was impressed. When Ye softened, he won Erduo over, and he won me over as well. While Erduo is admirable and adorable, Ye made me a fan of the show.

Erduo's friend, Lizi, wisely pivoted her life and then got to fiddle around with romance herself. As Lizi is a wonderful friend to Erduo, viewers will certainly be happy for her.

Here's some of the 'needs more practice' list:

The episodes don't appear to be split naturally. They seem to be chopped up at 40 minute intervals regardless. {I've since learned that many Cdramas are just one long movie, so this is no longer a criticism}

Wardrobe. Much of it is off. Some of Erduo's outfits are dreadful. Some are cute, though she tends to be overdressed. She asks her mom one time why she's dressed so formally- did she go to a wedding? Her mom was wearing a casual, businesslike suit. Awkward. To be fair, Lizi's outfits are classy. Ms Richbich, Lulu, always looks amazing. Mr. Yu's suits are over-the-top colorful. He's extremely handsome. There's always people that can get away with outlandish clothes. His confidence and looks put him in that category.

His apartment is awful, which brings us to....

Sets. Chinese entertainment can have odd modern day sets. Ye's house is impressive, but the decor could be so much better. (A trash can next to the coffee table? Really?) Erduo's mom's place has flea-marketish canvas paintings lined up about 7 feet high, straight across an entire wall. Kids, pictures should be put at eye level, with varied heights, or a limited structural layout. Long straight lines are for molding & borders. Lizi's place, and Ye's workshop are very sharp and the best put together sets.

Lastly, The Ending. The ending was not an ending. It sort of drifted off like all the other episodes. We can see that they are going to be fine, but they are still in the middle of so much, and things are largely left unresolved. They could have allowed for one more episode to wrap it up more smoothly. I was actually surprised to see the show had ended b/c I had lost track of the episodes.

Nevertheless, I can confidently recommend this to fans of romance. The pluses easily outplay any negatives.

QUOTE📢

(Ye, rejecting his childhood gf) "You will find your own happiness. You don't have to save it for me.


〰🖍 IMHO

Age 11+

Directing 7
Acting 7
Romance 8
Flutters 6

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

Period
C: Overlord 8.4,
The Sleepless Princess 9.1;
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
K:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

Fantasy-
C:
Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

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

Romance
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;

Romance junkies only:
K:
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 Blows7
Something in the Rain 9
C:
Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine, but ML pullsan outrageous stunt;
You are my destiny 6.8 cute, sweet & 1/2 padding;
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9;

Read More

☘ Big Mouse >VS< Big Brother ☠ Rolling With It °7.4° °VG°

When I woke up I was a different person: The most despicable louse in the world” He was already an attorney, how much worse could he be😜? Anyway, thus ep1 closes. B👄 opens, however, the night before. It was a dark & stormy night…

We get a brief look at our leading couple as they celebrate their anniversary. Just as the ML, Park Chang-Ho (Cho), is getting into a car accident we jump 7 days back to see how things have been unraveling. “He's got an exceptional mind, he just doesn't get alot of work.” He's the kind of guy who can never quite clear the bar. His pole will snap, or his laces will come untied. He has no connections. His win rate is less than 10%. He was scammed & lost their money.

A week ago, they lost their court case against scammers that had taken their savings, & Cho was representing the plaintiffs. Another loss. As the defense counsel & judge were changed at the last second, things look as kosher as marinated crab legs. The wife (Lim Yoon-A is Go Mi-Ho) is… displeased…

The “D” word comes up. “Divorce”. “I'd have to choose to live w/ Chang-Ho,” dad explains. “You're strong. You'll be fine. But he can't survive without me.” ”But you're MY father!” Mi-Ho really can't comprehend the reasoning.

We're lurched back to now; his car is flipping & by the end of ep2 Cho's life has flipped completely. He was set up to take the fall for the real Big Mouse. He's imprisoned. Everyone thinks he's B🐹. Some want to befriend him, more want revenge. He's been beaten several times & almost killed once. He wants to die. Living ain't easy & sometimes dying isn't either. The crazier he acts, the more the other inmates fear him & the safer he is. His fortune has always been to live a long & unlucky life. Very unlucky. He follows the crumbs & eventually decides the safest thing is to live in prison as B🐹.

“What!? The LAW!?! Flowers that look beautiful from afar. But when you get close, they are growing on the edge of a cliff. The moment you grab onto that flower, attempting to survive, you'll fall off the cliff to your death. A vicious flower planted by those in power. That's what the law is.” ~B🐹~ B👄’s charm is in the everyday couple getting yanked to the world of crime & somehow going Toe-to-Toe w/ these nefarious masterminds. They've got the everyday problems: Debt, bills, hard jobs, losing cases, tough bosses, & they can't afford to have a child. But when pushed into the corner, they manage to outwit criminal syndicates. B👄 shows us how people fundamentally want to follow a strong leader. They prefer a #good strong leader, but people gravitate toward any strength. Power abides where perception resides. Power is basically the result of a group of individuals agreeing (consciously or not) on where & what it is. It's usually 80% illusion.

This show is not issue free; we'll get into it later. Detail oriented left-brainers may get fed up & jump off the wheel. In the balance, B👄 works. The acting is fine. Some of the performances are right on the line but I could 🥐 w/ it. The actor who plays B🐹 did a particularly nice job. Our FL, Lim Yoon-A, is in K2-8.1 - among my 1st Kdramas. I 💘 the show & was blown away by Song Yoon-A's performance as the congressman‘s wife. In K2, Ms Lim's part is one of the weak points. I thought she was mad & remember being stunned that the male lead is attracted to her. To be fair, her character had been through alot. It just didn't play well. She's fine here. In the snake pit, DA Choi Do-Ha, is very Michael Corleone to his Sonny counterpart, Kong Ji-Hoon. Oh Eui-Sik is our ML's aid. I'm a fan. I first saw him in Oh My Ghost-10, a superb show. With 18 credited works on IMDB, he also plays the guitar & sings beautifully. He must be made of pixie dust b/c they are all good shows. Familiar Wife-8.5 was a particular surprise. If you see his name in the credits, it's going to be a good show, pretty much. Who else could play the CAT, I mean, the elder, but Jeon Gook Hwan? He plays the-menace-under-the-controlled-exterior like few others. Ok Ja-Yeon, as hospital director, Joo-Hee, exudes calmness to the point where I settle down alittle just by looking at her, yet she's also a tad scary. She was quite different in Mine-8, to her credit.

Kraft-cheese-wise, um, craft-wise, B👄 is solid. There's just a few holes. Director: Oh Choong-Hwan brings us nothing but hits, like Hotel Del Luna-8.4. There's excellent filming of a person driving while drugged, & a nice shot reflecting off of a black statue. The final shot of ep7, in the dreaded white hall, is perfection. The current trajectory had slowed significantly by then, & things take a hairpin turn just in time. Ep9 is a blast. It Looks like they used the same abandoned pool in ep14 as the one in The Flower of EVIL-8.9. If they did, I love the call out. Midway thru ep15 there's another little tasty twist. The music augments an air of excitement.

The show is a maze. The creatures that are trapped in it scramble & thrash dramatically. Every movement reverberates through the whole system. There's a nice scene where they're underground & disturb a nest of rats that go scurrying. (Finally, rodents appear). The title is a play on words. To the Asian ear, “mouth” & “mouse” sound nearly identical. Cho's nickname is “Big Mouth”, & the notorious crime syndicate ruler’s moniker is “Big Mouse”. Mouse? Who wants to be vermin? A quick goog of mice in Kculture lumps them in w/ rats. Adjectives used are: intelligent, agile, clever, hardworking, & w/ the abilities of foresight. 🔜 “They think they are predators as they run at me, but I'm going to chew them up & kill them.“ It is Cho's big mouth that enables him to pose as Big Mouse.

The backdrop for B👄 burrows into how Korea developed into a first world country. Though its terrain, independent spirit, & relationship w/ China has kept Korea mostly independent, Korea was colonized & generally pushed around in & around the 20th century, particularly by Japan (but the West has dirty hands also). Once the Republic of Korea was formally established (15 August 1948), it remained a military dictatorship from 1961 through 1987. During that time human rights were scarce, but prosperity prospered. Plenty of older voters in K long for the old days, because they were never victimized, while the younger voters, who didn't grow up in the abject poverty their elders did, don't fully appreciate the value of a good economy. (Thus is politics - a never ending cycle of imbalance. Both sides are right. Both sides are wrong). The elder made his money the old fashioned way - by trampling on the rights of the poor. By now, he's created a pile of toxic waste that's on the verge of poisoning not only his empire, but the entire country.

It doesn't work like a perfect mousetrap. The bad thing about B👄 is how it walks the line between taking itself seriously & not taking itself seriously. I can't accuse it of either one of those things. Therefore, I always felt slightly off balance while watching. Should I roll my eyes 🙄 or should I roll 🥐 w/ this? Do they realize they're being silly here, or are we called upon to take that seriously? Nibble. Nibble. Nibble. Thoughts like that kept nibbling at me. The gnawing continued through ep11. In ep12, the show started to be quite a bit of fun. Up until then it wasn't bad, but the nibbling was distracting.

The show does have a couple wandering moles leaving stinky droppings here & there, but it's all tame. For one example, there's a prison escape attempt that is too feeble (groan) (🥐◻🙄☑) The evil doctors are so evil it's cartoonish. People like that, just caught up to the point of being consumed w/ self-satisfaction & unhealthy appetites, exist. (🥐☑🙄◻)

In B🐹, they set up a human being who can't possibly exist, so I was waiting to be somewhere between amused & disgusted by the reveal, but they didn't do such a bad job. It's all implausible, ridiculously so, but for all that, I found it in the range of acceptability. (🥐☑🙄◻)

The granting-of-favors-thing is horrible. He made no attempt to do anything. He was toying w/ people's pain. (🥐◻🙄☑)

Prison politics run on contraband & outside influence (especially the ability to intimidate loved-ones on the outside) as much as muscle. This is not a small logical gap. (🥐◻🙄☑)

False choice. Are you/are you not B🐹? These highly intelligent characters never seem to consider other options, even when it's obvious that if he's not B🐹 they must be connected in some way, given what he knows. (🥐◻🙄☑

The shift mid ep12 is awesome!(🥐☑🙄◻)👍🏿👍🏻👍

Whom do you least suspect? One character came to mind & I dismissed the idea too soon w/ a laugh. In the balance... Another person actually did entirely escape my radar (I top out at average when it comes to figuring things out. I'm usually more focused on artistry. Still, good for them). (🥐☑🙄◻)

One person under B👄 has a perplexing life placement as it nets the organization 🅾. Plot-wise, his double life ties alot of bows, but that's a stale prison roll w/o enough beverage-of-explanation to get it down w/o choking. (🥐◻🙄☑)

If I make it to ep12 of 16, Ima finish it. Despite legitimate criticisms, B👄 closes strong & ep16 is great. It is not low IQ, & intelligent features don't hand-feed viewers. One must walk the maze for several eps to arrive at answers, & they do answer most ❔s (🥐☑🙄◻). B🐹 is cheesy but, in the balance, they are simply having fun. A review of the writer's & director's cache of credibility bolsters that assessment. The left & right brain fight for dominance B🐹 generates does lower its degree-of-difficulty, but if you can just (🥐☑🙄◻) w/ it, B👄 is a fun, albeit bumpy, trek through the Habitrail.


QUOTES📢

You gamble based on your instinct, not on human relations.

Do you know where the perfect place to hide lies is? The truth.

Wait until we see the torso. Don't get worked up about seeing the tail.


〰🖍 IMHO

📣8 📝7.3 🎭7.5 🎨7 🎵/🔊7 🔚8.5 ♦ 🌞5 ⚡6.5 😅3 😭6 😱5 😯4.5 😖4.5 🤔4.5 💤0

Age 14+ violence, other very dark themes

Rated TV-15

Re-📺? It's worth watching once but for me that's probably it.

Read More

❣ She Got the Chance ❣ To Live Like She Was Dying ❣ °7.8° °VG+°

Even if you aren't a country fan, the song, Live Like You Were Dying, contains universal human truths. The singer meets a stranger. It goes alittle something like this ▫▫>

🎶▪ He said: I was in my early forties ▫ w/ a lot of life before me ▫ When a moment came that stopped me on a dime ▫ I spent most of the next days ▫ Looking at the x-rays ▫ & talkin' 'bout sweet time ▪ I asked him: How's it hit you ▫ When you get that kind of news? ▫ Man, what'd you do?" ▪ & he said: I went skydiving ▫ I went Rocky Mountain climbing ▫ I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu…

❣ & I loved deeper ❣ & I spoke sweeter ❣ & I gave forgiveness I'd been denying ▫ I was finally the husband ▫ That most of the time I wasn't ▫ & I became a friend a friend would like to have ▫ Well I, I finally read the Good Book, & I ▫ Took a good, long, hard look ▫ At what I'd do if I could do it all again

❣ Someday I hope you get the chance ❣ To live like you were dying ❣ 🎶

CL goes alittle like that as well. Our FL Shin-a, is in a similar situation.

🎶 ▪ How’d it hit Shin-a ▪ When she got that kind of news? ▪ Man, what'd she do? ▪ She went social climbing ▫ She did some crazy driving ▫ She hole-punched the h3!! out his seven favorite suits ▫ (& she said: I'm not dying this way…) ▫ She chopped up his cacti & ▫ Force-fed him fish fry ▫ & pelted onions at his head to boot

❣ But it only led to: ❣ She loved deeper ❣ & she spoke sweeter ❣ & she gave forgiveness she'd been denying…❣ 🎶

Lee Shin-a works for a horrible boss. Noh Go-Jin could be described as coldly cruel but he's actually highly intelligent & hopelessly left-brained. Feelings? Nonsense. It translates to his being intolerant of incompetence. But next to him, /everybody's/ incompetent. His genius has no equal & it's gone straight to his ego. (He's such a heartbreakerrrr - trill those R's!) Shin-a failed her teacher's audition at Noh's academy. Those who don't make the cut get the “honor” of being Chairman Noh's personal secretary. It's the company's way of getting them to quit. Nobody has made it more than 3 mos. She has endured 12 months. Shin-a/needs/ this job. She'll endure b/c VP Oh Se-Gi gives her regular doses of positive re-endorphins. When she's at her lowest from Noh's worse, VP Oh always picks her back up. He's the best.

Ep1 sets up Shin-a's horrible situation. She gets particularly bad news from the doctor. Those headaches? That is a brain tumor. She's going to die. Yes, severe stress can open the gates for cancer to take hold. She's likely dying from stress. Noh, that rat-b@$+@rd, is killing her. Shin-a decides she ain't going out alone. Just like the (rightfully) disgruntled ex-employees of Noh, she will make sure he gets what he has coming. It's HAMMER TIME! Enacting her plan leads to a crazy ⛓ of events, & Shin-a is in the right frame of mind to step off a cliff to see if she can fly.

“Try harder to remember. You MUST remember!” Bedside at the 🏨, e’erbody thinks she's pleading out of 💘 for him, but in reality, she desperately wants Noh to remember how she stood up to him before his accident. “No way I'm dying like this.” She won't be able to die in peace unless he remembers that she clobbered him & then quit. Good old amnesia is an overdone Kdrama trope. Here, they borrow from the excellent comedy, Overboard. Shin-a claims they were secretly engaged prior to the accident. The interesting thing about amnesia is that when people forget all of their past bad choices & the previous offenses they've suffered, they forget to be miserable. They totally forget to be @$$h0!e$. Ignorance truly is bliss. Shin-a remembers it all, though. She decides the best thing to do, as she waits for the cancer to take her, is to take him through He!!. Vengeance is HERS.

Noh, in the meantime, hasn't thought of being mean. He may not remember his “fiance”, but he certainly grows used to having Shin-a around. She's going behind his back setting up expensive company dinners (you all deserve beef! Make sure to use all your vacation time before the end of the year… & start leaving on time!). It's not easy being mean, at least it's not easy being mean to someone who is always nice, & Noh is always nice, anymore. She knows the doctor expects a full recovery. When this genius (IQ 190) finds out what she's done, what will happen? In addition, Noh may be new & improved now, but his enemies don't know that. His enemies don't care; & he's made a lot of enemies.

Several characters have to show personality shifts & hidden sides. This isn't a serious show, but the acting is still quite good. Krystal (Heirs7.3, Bride of Habaek7) is excellent at putting on some antics, esp in one scene that would flop w/ most actor/writer/director combos, but they make it work. I cringed in anticipation of pain when she started ranting, but I ended up grinning, & fairly relieved. They could have done alittle bit better w/ fleshing out her character, though. What is her passion? Why did she fail the audition? How smart & capable is she? How hard has she worked to get to where she is? Getting more personal w/ her would help the audience relate to her more. She remains a tad distant from us, emotionally. That is the writing & directing - Krystal is great.

Kim Jae-Wook (Her Private Life-8) is Noh. HPL was a big surprise for me. The premise sounds like a low IQ show, but it's actually wonderful fun. Now that I'm getting a 2nd look at Mr. Kim, it's obvious that he is quite talented. His comedic timing is excellent. He sells his character both as an insufferably toxic narcissist & as an innocent, confused amnesiac. He can dance! In ep8 he puts on a show! Ha-Joon plays VP Oh. He's completely different as a teacher in Black Dog-8. Ko Kyu-Pil (Crash Landing on You-9, The King's Affection-8) is a PI. He's clearly having a great time. He's funny.

CL is VG & it narrowly misses excellent marks. Given that this is a new director/Kim Jung-Hyun & writer/Kim Bo-Gyeom I am very excited to see what they do next. I think we have some winners here. Overall, the romance is VG, but it could have been even better. This probably goes back to the fact that we don't know Shin-a as well as we should. They share a great first kiss. He lies to himself about what he does to keep her by his side. She's oblivious to what's going on in his head, as she's been keeping her head down & just moving forward.

They run into some small logical stutters. Nothing too ‘crazy’. Some of the drama in the later eps is a bit ham-handed, but again, it's not too ‘crazy’. The show isn't intended for anything but fun escapism, & it shouldn't be over-analyzed. The good by far overshines the substandard. They end up providing enough plausibility for ?s that arise. The director is skillful in handling the part of Baek Soo-Young, Noh's ex. In the beginning of the show she seems impossibly beautiful. As the show goes on she looks less so. Her clothes don't fit her right & the makeup & camera work are less complimentary. Woody Allen did the same thing w/ Scarlett Johansen in Match Point. Is it stretching to think their names are an English language pun? His name sounds like “No-go Shin”. It's close. She's definitely decided to “go” & the doctor told her, unfortunately, that soon she'll be go-ing, but he's there, & his name says “No-Go”. ‘No-Go-Shin’.

CL is plenty funny, She hates him. She really hates him. She hates him so much. So why is she sad? She turns on the TV to forget him, & there's his commercial: "Make your decision NOW.” He's pointing thru the screen at her! While everyone around her assumes the opposite of what is true, the overhead camera will look down at her face from a side angle & her eyes will tilt up sideways as she's lying. She often comments that way to the camera directly. Then he starts doing it in later eps. It's skillfully played for laughs. By mid show I became a fan of the director. The little things add up to something bigger.

CL features a horrible boss b/c that isn't exactly a rare thing. A horrible boss is almost always a person caught up in h/h own power. It's an offshoot of pride. Psychology teaches that people who get ahead tend to presume they deserve it, which leads to them assuming that those beneath them are truly °beneath° them & deserve to be so. These things aren't mysterious. Everyone knows that power is corrupting, yet nobody ever sees their own corruption. Pride is the worst liar & we are blind to our own stuff. Practice kindness: It takes determined effort.

Also featured is online gang mentality. Tech allows us each a voice. That is power. Virtual pitchforks are no different than horrible bosses. We should be slow to judge & be constructive when we criticize. CL's online lynching leads to a suicide attempt; a particular problem in 🇰🇷 (highest rate in the developed world). We have too much of it in 🇺🇸, too. People will take that pain & go the other way as well, becoming abusers themselves. If you want to live w/ a free conscience, then practice kindness. It costs you 🅾.

The wrap-up is excellent. They tied & trimmed all the 🎀. “Life can be shorter than we think it should be. If you're sorry, say you're sorry. If you're thankful, say you're thankful. Try something again. You never know.” At one point Shin-a's anger abates. She reflects on life & what is most important as she is preparing for her final exit. She decides to forgive & release her rage. She realizes that all humans are merely flawed humans. In the end, crazy love made her sane again. 💘, afterall, is the answer.


QUOTE📢
I've been ignorant. I had no idea those in my life were precious. & so, I've never appreciated them at all.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣7.8 📝7.6 🎭7.9 💓6.7 🦋6 🌞6 🎨7.4 ⚡4 🎵/🔊7 😅7 😭3.5 😱3 😯2 😖3 🤔4.8 💤0 🔚8

Age 14+ PG-13 Language An unmarried couple is pressured to have a baby.

Re-📺? 👍🏽

Funny shows:
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Mr. Queen 8.5,
Oh My Ghost 10,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Flex X Cop-8.5,

Read More

Duet. Exit. °8.4° °Excellent°

“I beg to differ.” Our ML only reached out his hand and said: “It's nice to meet you.” Our FL isn't an easy dame. He needs a female lead for his play (Oh Eui-Sik looks dreadful in a dress) but she turns him down flat. When he acts like he doesn't care, she says she'll do it after all, but only if she can sing. She will also quit if things appear dangerous.

Dangerous? Tokyo isn't exactly safe for Koreans in 1921 - nor has it been in most of history. The police thugs barge in for an impromptu search. A group of students? That makes the police suspicious. Kim Woo-Jin will not cower and almost gets shot. “At first, I thought you were reckless. I thought it was foolish to rebel against something you can't win. But I don't think that way anymore. It's fine even if we can't change anything. The fact that we're trying something with hope is what matters… Thank you for changing the way I think.” Now she begs to differ with herself. Her initial distaste has dissipated; FL, Yun Sim-Deok, seems to fall for Kim Woo-Jin rather quickly. He's rich. Really rich. She's poor. Really poor. Yet they have alot in common. Their family situations are more alike than different.

1926 starts the show, but we quickly go back to 1921, Tokyo, and the troupe will eventually return to Korea. The Joseon empire technically fell at the turn of the 20th century, but our protags still refer to home as Joseon. They've been thru war, occupation and loss. “Ten years ago, we had freedom. But today in this land, freedom no longer exists.” Though the script had been censored and approved, as they tour through Korea, Kim Woo-Jin is locked up due to the play anyway - for that entirely accurate line. For reference sake, these events roughly take place between 10-20 years after the time period of the show Mr. Sunshine.

HoD is the real-life story of singer Yun Sim-Deok, who recorded Korea's first “pop-song”, and playwright Kim Woo-Jin. Sim-Doek recorded her biggest hit, “In Praise of Death”, in 1926. They were unable to create a life together in the tumultuous 20’s. Japan had taken control of Korea and things were cooking up towards WWII. While every generation brings change, the changes going on in Korea at this time were dramatic - Out-of-hanboks-and-into-hose dramatic. Some women ditched the traditional robes and started wearing slim skirts and nylons. The show opens with the two having just committed suicide, so the viewer won't have to worry and guess about what's coming next or whether the couple will to work things out. HoD is a 2018 release that is rated 93 on AWiki. It is a short series consisting of either 6 35-minute episodes or 3 60-minute ones, depending. Either way, it's the length of a long movie.

Lee Jong-Suk of Romance is a Bonus Book (7.9) and While You Were Sleeping (7.3) fame plays ML Kim Woo-Jin. His mother died when he was 5 and his domineering father went on to marry 3 more times. He has some superb moments in HoD and hands in an overall excellent performance. He's completely different in WYWS and not so similar in RIABB, which is evidence of his range. The couple only has 1 or 2 deeply romantic moments in the show (they keep it chaste) but he is at his romantic best in these scenes. He is a playwright, but since he was raised in “privilege“ he has responsibilities. His father never wants to see him pick up the pen again, except to sign documents pertaining to running the family business. His traditional family has exerted control over every inch of his existence. There's always a contrast between generations, but the contrast between old-fashioned and modern in HoD is striking. We see near-flappers next to hanboks. Our male lead prefers something more modern.

Yun Sim-Deok, the FL is played by Shin Hae-Sun who is completely different in everything, such as the lead in Mr. Queen (hilarious) and support in Legend of the Blue Sea (broding) and Oh My Ghost (sweet and shy). Yun Sim-Deok comes from a poor family and is the sole breadwinner, due to her father's disability. Her younger siblings are relying on her for their education. Kim Won-Hae is Yoon Suk-Ho. He improves every production in which he appears. The compelling Lee Sang Yeob is reunited with Lee Jong-Suk after doing WYWS together. He plays Kim Hong-Ki, who is rejected by Yun Sim-Deok (like any woman would reject him! That's gotta be the only time). Oh Eui-Sik, who always does a great job, is another player in the troupe.

Does true love take unsparingly or give unsparingly? HoD explores that question. In terms of romance, we view it from a mile up in the air and only get intimate once or twice. Here are two people crushed by society. They were pushed and pushed and pushed. If they had never met, maybe they would have survived, but once they tasted true love, nothing else would ever be good again.

When there is life there is hope. Suicide is not the answer. In the show, My Liberation Notes-8.9, a character talks about those who unsuccessfully attempted jumping to their deaths. Every single survivor said they regretted their decision 3/4 of the way down. Before I went through emotional, physical and financial devastation all these topics were academic and easy for me. Those who easily judge another's pain have not felt excruciating pain. Only faith and my ironclad pre-determined ideal, that taking one's life is never the answer, kept me here. The show doesn't glorify suicide, but it doesn't comdemn it either. What the viewer should reflect on is the pressure and pain that we put on others. Kim Woo-Jin’s father exercised complete control at all costs, and he never saw the bill for the ultimate cost coming. We cannot (accurately) judge another's pain, therefore, we should always be gentle with others and only work on controlling ourselves.

HOD has the feel of a BBC production- that's a compliment. It also feels like the recounting of a true story. They don't squeeze every tear from the viewer and they also don't spring anything on the viewer. The pain is tolerable. They are reciting facts even more than dramatizing. I looked it up to verify the truth of the story because of the real-feel. I suspect that they didn't exercise much dramatic license out of respect, as the show is quite respectful of the subject matter. To judge it as a drama alone isn't entirely fair, since the ghosts of the past do possess the atmosphere of the production. All-in-all, HoD is well worth the 3 hour investment for the walk back in time. At this time it is not available for streaming, but it is bound to pop up somewhere.


QUOTE📢

Passionately, I listen to the curses put on my fate. She was the only Safe Haven in my life besieged by the devil. ~11/26/21 Trace of Heart~


〰🖍 IMHO

📣8 📝8.2 🎭8.3 💓6.7 🦋7.3 🌞5 🎨8 ⚡4 🎵/🔊8 😅2 😭6.6 😱3.5 😯6.7 😖2 🤔6 💤0 🔚6

Age 12+ Language - b!+ch × 1

Re-📺? I wouldn't oppose one day down the line

Tie-in shows would be: Romance is a Bonus Book 7.9 (same male lead) ; Oh My Ghost 10 (superb romdramcom, and HoD's FL is a side character) ; Mr. Queen 8.5 (same FL and she's hilarious); Saimdang 8.5 (another true story with a fantasy tie-in to modern day and a similarly less-than-satisfying ending, but an excellent show nonetheless); The King's Affection 8.3 (another person forced into an impossible situation); and Mr. Sunshine 9 (a show about a love affair with one's country that further chronicles Japan's aggression toward Korea).

Read More

✒No sustained objections ⚖ The Preponderance Of The Evidence Supports an "A" °Excellent°

The following is my brief with respect to this series. LS is, beyond a reasonable doubt, guilty of being a supreme legal drama.

This could almost be labeled a law school "fantasy" series, as unviable as that sounds. Fantasy shows don't appeal to everybody; some prefer realistic dramas. There are many more that hate procedure, or predictability: They want to be surprised by a last-minute reluctant witness. This show should satisfy most people, including most everyone in these groups, but the web of lives, the condensed degrees of separation, and the tangle of grudges and motivations wouldn't be admissible in a true-to-life drama. It is a strain to think of professors at an ivy league level school being as caring as the profs in this drama are. Identifying the right suspect is not as predictable as it is slightly erroneous. Astute viewers may still be able to pinpoint the killer with ease and declare it too predictable... To which I say: "Quash all of that. Who cares?" LS is not guilty of contempt. They've put together a winning case.

⚖Suspend skepticism and examine all the evidence. The jury must watch the whole show prior to deliberations, so we are remanded to get on the 🎢 and roll along with LS. This show is written, directed, and edited with a habile hand (I just looked "habile" up and decided to use it… pretty cool word, right? I hope it impresses the judge and jury👍🏼).

LS follows the lives of law students along with some of the professors - their struggles and triumphs, families, friends and foes. We also track their growth as they navigate through the fraught chambers of their lauded institution. Prof Yang and Kang Sol A are fabulous characters. I could listen to Kim Myung-Min (Prof Yang) talk all day. His voice is divinely masculine and deep. It would have been tossed out if he couldn't act or take command of the courtroom, but he can, and very well at that. The director sustains the tension😯 throughout the series. It's high mystery in classic whodunit form. The taut editing and soundtrack sequester the audience in a state of suspense. If you reason that you know who the culprit is in ep3, you might waiver by ep8. The evidence keeps our minds in motion, turning like a bottle being spun on a table.

We should overrule some of their arguments, though. There are things that seem judiciously obvious to the court at large that elude their brilliant minds. That always weighs a case down. I strongly object to the last moments of the show which are remitted as way too brief. We get very little discovery pertaining to what the characters went on to do or what the relationship is of the three that are walking together at the end. It resounded like a cracked gavel. Is it hearsay? No! The prosecution argues that it's strict negligence to wrap up a 16+ hour series with a 10 second consultation. Would that we could depose the director about that decision. In the balance, we can easily dismiss any such torts committed as, indubitably, the director's curriculum vitae (resume) shows he's had a solid run, and enjoys a high likeability factor. The overall quality of the piece is a mitigating factor taken into account in the sentencing phase: LS gets all the credit for time served, and remains released for all of us to enjoy.

I originally postponed the hearing on LS as I wasn't convinced that it would sway me. The worth of its collateral was evident once its docket came up on the calendar (my Netflix queue), and I sat in judgment. While I wasn't confident of its appeal, now that all the exhibits have been examined, Res Ipsa Loquitor: The thing speaks for itself.

In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this drama has acquitted itself laudably. The ratings prove what broad appeal it has. The preponderance of the evidence is that this show has prevailed in its effort to convince us of its credibility. So don't waiver: Watch as an interested party. I'm sure you will agree to stipulate the worthiness of the production.


IMHO...
🎬8 🤔8 🎭8.

Suggested Age 12& up


Originally 📝 7/2021

Read More

Two Maddies Catch Some Baddies And Pi$$ Off The Condo ☑ Association Too! °7.7° °VG°

He's a cop with anger management issues. She's a fearful, paranoid mess.

They run into each other on the street. She feels threatened and pepper sprays him, so you could say they didn't hit it off. Next they see each other at the therapist's office. Apparently they've been complaining to the same therapist about each other. And next they see that they live next to eachother. WHOOPS!

From that point on, it's the mayhem one could anticipate from two unhinged (but good, underneath it all) persons who each try to bend the other to their will, and in doing so, give no space for peace. They drive each other truly crazy.

Before the end, they'll get the gangsters and drug dealers involved, another neighbor will help Nah Hwi-oh dress up as a woman so he can go undercover while on suspension, thus, the cops jump in for a round along with the convenience store clerk, a deliveryman, parents, the condo association, and the neighborhood watch. High drama it ain't. It's meant to be fun and to make us smile. It is. It does.

They include a K-drama trope in the last couple scenes that usually is awful, and it is the same here: MSS, or mandatory separation syndrome. MSS involves couples, who once they get together, must separate. 'I love you! Finally, we're together! Now I'll catch you later...' Huh? Sometimes, it's a good thing - a generous 15% of the time. On top of that, most of these people are pushing 40. They ain't getting any younger. All flights appear to be grounded as well, because, even if the separation is 4 years, they never seem to visit each other in that time period. In MFE it is brief, we can let it go with a warning.

MFE is 13 half-hour episodes, so it is less than half the usual length of other Kdramas. So get the popcorn, sit back, watch, and grin.

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

Age 13+

Read More

Kang-soo To The Rescue °6.6° °Good° +Family Positive+

Here's a fable for the underdogs.

SDM follows the overlooked, everyday workers. They deliver when c☃ld in winter, and h♨t in summer, s⛈aked in spring, and through the lugubrious fall. They are sneered more than cheered. SDM finds them forming a supportive group that gives all of them a lift.

Kang-soo is the catalyst who turns friends and acquaintances into family. This is contrasted against several real families in the show that tear each other apart. The family we choose is often the best we get.

Kang-soo shows up in town and lands a job at Lively Handmade Noodles. From there, he deconstructs the whole delivery system and then rebuilds it, all while outsmarting the powerful corporate eateries.

The storyline is entertaining, though formulaic. I don't see formulaic as necessarily the worst criticism. Life, and our shared human experience can be formulaic. It's the journey that is most important. The journey you will take with this crowd is fun, like a Disney Channel show.

This would be a good show to watch with kids as soon as they can keep up with the subtitles. It reinforces hard work, honor, helping others and living right. Kang-soo is a perfect role model. He exemplifies all the above. He inspired Ji-yoon to follow suit. He makes loyal friends out of strangers by helping others.

The actual romance falls slightly flat. I'm not sure if the cause is the dialogue, the directing, or just a lack of chemistry. Perhaps it's a little of all the above. The secondary characters' relationship was a better story.

SDM is actually best suited for tweens and teens, and parents won't mind watching along. It is a simple story in the After School Special tradition, and solidly PG/PG-13.

IMHO...

Directing 7
Acting 8
Romance 5
Thought provocation 5

Suggested Age 10& up

Read More

SASSY MEETS CLASSY Joo Won-nah See This! °8.5° °Excellent°

This show is adorable, with nearly every moment enjoyable. Like Bridgerton, they sometimes wink at historical seriousness and just go for a fun story.

Visually, MSG is a treat. The sets, filming, and costumes are gorgeous. Its budget is clearly more than many historical dramas with its sophisticated fight scenes and costume after gorgeous silk costume.

The story features Princess Hyemyung (Hye) and scholar, Gyeon Woo (Gye). Back in time, we see Hye's mother, the queen, dethroned to open the show. Though assassins were sent to kill her, she was aided in escape and gave birth to Hye's brother, who was returned to the palace. The new queen is backed by the conspirators, and while Hye doesn't know /that/, she knows she hates the new queen. This explains why she grows up surly. Gye just returned from Qing (China) where he excelled. His moniker is: The Treasure of Joseon. Whatever. Hye couldn't care less.

Within days (hours?) of his return home, Gye runs into Hye. She's sauced. She burps in his face, leaving him gasping in her wake. He rounds a corner and there she is again! She's picked a fight with a horseback rider who almost hurt pedestrians. Gye helps diffuse that situation. Hye turns and pukes on him. He's horrified.

Gye has no idea who she is. Hye isn't allowed out of the palace, afterall. He is assigned to be the prince's (soon to be crowned prince) tutor. The prince and Hye are very close, so as soon as he shows up to work, he sees what he'll be dealing with. Of course, they can't stand each other.

It's good ol' plain fun to watch how Gye is thrown off by Hye. He declares her his enemy, but he can't shake her, & his pain is our gain. The device used to bring them together is her lost ring. She demands he help her find it, or he'll be in big trouble. That premise could be improved upon, but just roll with it. That enables her to introduce Gye to fermented skate, which everybody agrees, is some of the worst smelling stuff on the planet. She also feeds him chicken feet. While a somewhat weak premise got the two there, strong stomachs brought us these fun scenes.

Then it all starts. Look for the ring. Who is this wacky broad following Gye around? Gye complains to his friends that he can't shake a crazed stalker. One of them, a popular romance novelist, says they'll go from bring enemies to friends, and then to lovers. She meets his friends as Lady Hyemyung. They love her. They gamble and play a dare game at the lantern festival. She rocks all their worlds. Girls that are interested in Gye hate Hye, but Gye falls for Hye & she falls for him. Gye's parents want him away from that sassy princess! The king engages Hye to a prince from Qing. Gye has to stop that! And they finally tackle the mystery from the past.

It's tagged as a romance/comedy, but though it starts funny, this is no mere romcom. There's teary moments, intrigues and decent action as well. There's many Kdramas that start out like a romcom that go on to be very romdram. In order of importance, MSG is:

1. Romance
2. Drama (even though most of the drama comes later)
3. Comedy
~and to a lesser degree~>
4. Thriller
5. Action.
Do they have a name for a feature filled with all of that?
RomDramComThrAction?
Does simply everything have to fit in a mold? No, thank you.

The characters are well written and the acting is fantastic. Joo Won, as ML, Gye/Gyeon Woo, is astounding. He communicates with his eyes like few others. I loved him in this role. Go Na-eun, as Councillor King's daughter, Da-yeon, is fabulous at showing a calm (phony) demeanor while seething underneath. Yun Se-ah, as Queen Park, also gives a riveting performance. None of the performances detract from the whole. The directing is also top-notch. MSG has that lighthearted side, but it runs much deeper at times. The plot and dialogue are intelligent along with being amusing.

The court intrigues are done especially well. The king is weak, and he has deferred to his counselors for too long, his power mostly drained. The tension builds in the background and develops into full fledged drama in the second half of the show, when the past and present meet up. There have been forces at work against the present regime for decades.

Notes on historical context:

I watched MSG before I learned to not read any reviews prior to writing my own. Whenever I read before writing, my review would either reinforce one that I read, or I would rebut it in my review. I know now that I have to keep my head clear. In this case, I had read a review stating that the actors were too old for the parts. Per their bios, they were both born in '87, so that's fair, but they both did a great job, and I wouldn't trade out Joo Won periodt. Another complaint is that the court intrigues are nonsense in MSG. I decided to do a quick fact check on that claim (Wiki). Turns out, MSG is not inaccurate at all.

Per Wiki, "government officials were ranked in 18 levels. For much of the dynasty, a complex system of checks and balances prevented any one section of the government from gaining overwhelming power until the 19th century when political power became concentrated in a certain family or individual.

While the king commanded absolute loyalty from his officials and subjects, the officials were also expected to try to guide the king to the right path. Political struggles were common between different factions of the scholar-officials. Purges frequently resulted in leading political figures being sent into exile or condemned to death. The power of the bureaucrats often eclipsed that of the central authorities, including the monarch." Therefore, rather than a valid complaint, historical accuracy can be removed from MSG's liability column.

MSG was enormously popular in SK when it first aired. This led directly to making the much loved Rookie Historian (which also depicts fights within the bureaucracy) and 100 Days My Prince. Both of those dramas borrowed quite a bit from MSG. That's why the current rating confuses me, though less than 600 people have weighed in so far. Jun Suck Oh is a competent director whose works are all rated over "7" on IMDB except for this one. Two-for-two with me, he directed My First First Love(8), which is also lighthearted fun done right. I am confident the rating for MSG will climb when more people watch - as long as they give it a fair shake, meaning 2 episodes minimum. Ep1's in Kdramas are often set-up for the rest of the show, including introducing the characters as extremes of themselves. MSG is no exception. Princess Hyemyung is slop drunk when we meet her, and Gyeon Woo, though better than the sassy princess, seems 1 tick above a complete egghead. They get adorable with each other pretty quickly.

Gyeon Woo is, perhaps, the primary driver of the show's appeal. Not only is Joo Won enormously talented (MSG is worth watching for him alone) but once he decides what he wants, he works towards it, step by step, one challenge at a time, while being enormously brave and clever. So much for egghead, he can fight, too! With Hye around, that's a necessary skill. So, Don't be scared off by Ep1, and don't be afraid: Gyeon Wu is the only one suffering. Just avoid thinking about fermented skate and the rest should be a stroll through the garden.

Watch again? Did✅+would✅

IMHO
Directing 84
Writing 80
Acting 85
Romance 88
Flutters 76
Warmth 80
Art 80
Thought provocation 60
Ending 70 (due to MSS)

Age 12& up


MSS: Mandatory Separation Syndrome, an overused Kdrama trope in which couples, once get get together, must separate. 'I love you! Finally, we're together! Now I'll catch you later...' Huh? Sometimes, it's a good thing - a generous 15% of the time. On top of that, most of these people are pushing 40. They ain't getting any younger. All flights appear to be grounded as well, because, even if the separation is 4 years, they never seem to visit each other in that time period.

Read More