Kes

Unhinged Shin Hye Sun charms in tepid rebirth tale

Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, See You in My 19th Life will make you realize you give major creep vibes if you approach and ask a stranger to date you on the spot 😹

Ban Ji Eum (Shin Hye Sun) lives through countless reincarnation through the years. However, her short-lived 18th life makes her think she has an unfinished business that she went through great lengths in her 19th life just to reconnect with the people she met from her previous life.

Hye Sun is such a delight to watch especially the way she brings multiple characters to life. She effectively balances brazenness and craziness. It makes the viewers think she’s actually romantic for trying to reunite with her one true love from her previous life, even if she love bombs him. There's no denying in Hye Sun's acting prowess. She often takes on unique and interesting characters that could easily stand out and be memorable. However, I wanted more depth and specifics about her past lives, a mere 10-second flashback and reminiscing won’t do. I’m genuinely curious how she handles her accumulated memories and emotional attachments, especially her inner drive to live through every life.

Ahn Bo Hyun plays Moon Seo Ha, Hye Sun’s 18th life LOML. Aside from his impressive talent to stay at the bottom of a swimming pool, Bo Hyun’s character is painfully plain and boring, not to mention his stoic acting and inexpressive face. The hardest thing when getting paired with Hye Sun is the stark contrast in performance is evident when you’re not able to keep up with her. Hye Sun masterfully conveys her emotion and authenticity in every muscle of her face. Bo Hyun overdoes the brooding character and ends up delivering dull performance.

The story is heartwarming, but it fails to pull some heartstrings and be more memorable. The leads here are magnetic and pull you right into watching even if the plot seems outlandish. The mystery behind Hye Sun’s past and current lives will inevitably make you glued to the screen as it is an intriguing plot device. However, the execution and revelation of answers are poorly written. The shocking pieces of truth didn’t stir up my emotions that much. This kdrama offers a tepid heartwarming story about reincarnation. It is pleasant enough, but never quite moving or memorable.

Overall, See You in My 19th life is funny and romantic or crazy and obsessive depending on how you view it. It’s a fun and light watch if you will brush off the fact that a hundred-year-old lady falls in love with an 8-year old boy and tries so hard to reconnect and rekindle her love with him haha. In the end, all the beloved supernatural romance always comes across as creepy and give off stalker vibes but we all chose to turn a blind eye to it and chose to have a good time instead.

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Phenomenal timeslip romcom brings so many feels but has too many loops

Time travel has always been a popular theme because of how it tickles our imagination. In my experience, most of them fail terribly in delivering a satisfying resolution. I expected Lovely Runner to break this curse, however, despite the brimming amount of swoon-worthy moments and Woo Seok close-ups, Lovely Runner’s writing still falls flat and excessively drawn out.

Byeon Woo Seok as Seon Jae is a revelation. He is 2024’s breakthrough star and I fear no one can top his face card and on-the-spot comedic timings in the foreseeable future. He is more than just an eye candy because this handsome guy models, plays sports and sings, proving he is an all-rounder in the acting scene. He suits high school romance because he gives off this ulzzang or campus crush vibes and he has this relatable demeanor. Ryu Seon Jae is literally tailored fit for Woo Seok.

As expected, Kim Hye Yoon delivers a phenomenal and heartfelt performance. She shines in every role she takes. It saddens me though that she is underappreciated and overshadowed by Woo Seok’s success. Given her wide range of acting skills, it is still a mystery to me how she barely receives projects. Im Sol will not be Im Sol without Hye Yoon’s animated portrayal and soulful eyes that even a single teardrop falling from her eyes will break your heart into million pieces. This speaks volume to how Hye Yoon’s acting can move you deeply.

Lovely Runner uses the common and tested formula of K-drama which is fast-paced, full of cliffhangers, one-dimensional but entertaining supporting characters, exaggerated reactions and of course contrived conflicts that do not make sense for the sake of extended runtime. The first half of the show truly captivated my heart and piqued my curiosity. School days in the late 2000s brings back nostalgia and got me reminiscing about the good old days when everything is not yet high-tech and we just lived simple, normal lives. Indeed, those were the days. Unfortunately, the second half went down the drain and felt like a filler, full of fluff romance. The show is divided into three parts which also depicts the different stages of their lives from high school students, college students and working adults. This instills that in whichever timeline, Im Sol and Seon Jae are fated to meet each other even if it ends in doom.

There are many ways this could have turned out. This could have delivered a poignant story about how fans and idols are each other’s source of strength. They have this symbiotic relationship and bond that is unbreakable and beyond words. This kind of story would have been more heart-touching and relatable since there are millions of K-pop fans all around the world. Instead, they chose to tell a story of a one-dimensional villain who is obsessed with killing Seon Jae. The story did not even care to elaborate where this criminal came from and what his motives are for kidnapping and killing his innocent victims. I also hate how the plot treated Im Sol’s disability as an obstacle to her dreams. This is subtle discrimination against people with disability (PWD). I hate that no matter how many times she turns back time, the company is still the same and will always reject her if she's not able to walk because of the goddamn stairs. In every timeline, the company didn't bother to invest in an elevator 😤😤Doesn’t just this make Im Sol feel a lot worse because in every timeline her disability was her nemesis? Doesn’t this kind of story just add more fuel to disablism? Don’t get me wrong, I also wish Im Sol to be perfectly healthy and normal. It is just the way the story treated her paralysis as her tragedy and doom which leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, Lovely Runner will go down in history as one of the most iconic romcoms which catapulted Woo Seok to stardom. It is a viral sensation and cultural phenomenon that reignited Hallyu. For some, this is a pleasant, feel-good watch, but for others this is a fluff romance with too much runtime and repetitive arc. This was truly a rollercoaster ride over 16 episodes which I will gladly ride again depending on if I’m in the mood for romance and willing to overlook plot holes and filler scenes or not.

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A gripping tale of Shin Hye Sun's luxurious life and masterfully crafted lies

If there's a game women will always excel at, it's the lying game.

I always expect nothing but the best from K-dramas where Shin Hye Sun stars in. She always prefers to play multilayered and memorable characters. So, when I heard she is teaming up with the very sexy Lee Jun Hyuk in a mystery thriller, I know I’m in for a treat regardless of if the story ends up with a weak ending.

The Art of Sarah revolves around Sarah Kim (Shin Hye Sun), the regional head of a luxurious bag. When a dead body was found in the sewage and was identified as Sarah Kim, detective Park Mu Gyeong (Lee Jun Hyuk) was unconvinced and deeply skeptical about the case. He dives into the investigation and is determined to uncover the web of lies and mysterious identity of Sarah Kim.

Shin Hye Sun is as dynamic as a chameleon. She changes form and demeanor depending on the situation and the person she is with. It is fascinating watching her breathe into life the different identities of Sarah Kim. The desperation in her eyes wanting to escape her miserable life pierces through the screen. At the same time, there is this unmistakable glimmer in her eyes when she sets her eyes upon a fancy item or a gullible person. She perfectly embodies our absurd obsession with luxury bags and how crazy we can be in achieving it.

Once again, she plays a saleslady trampled by the rich but this time she rises to crush them. Her lean physique, laid-back demeanor and impeccable taste in clothing make it easy for her to exude quiet luxury, even if it is only a trick. Like what Sarah Kim always says, anything is possible even scamming the rich 😈

Lee Jun Hyuk is a tenacious detective with sharp eyes and oozing sexiness. He’s so sexy you can practically hear Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) playing in the background whenever he walks into the room. Did I already mention he’s sexy? He is very immersed in the murder case that even with lack of substantial evidence, he is convinced Sarah Kim is not truly what she appears to be. He is ready to put his job on the line just to prove his point and get a lead in the case. His expertise makes him think he is not gullible like others and can break open the truth, but it seems he is no match to Sarah Kim’s sly tricks and schemes. A criminal without identity is much like a powerful demon you can never defeat unless you figure out his name and origin. How I wish we had a glimpse of Jun Hyuk’s backstory. I would like to know more why his chief is no longer fond of him and how he became so passionate about his job.

Honestly, I thought the rich colluded to kill her after finding out all her lies. The story did not take the usual route of a poor pretending to be rich and living a dual life. Sarah Kim is fully committed to her ploy and building her own brand. She made her way to the top, and she is never going back to the depths of despair again.

With the amount of plot twists coming one after another, it is generally hard to create a satisfying resolution. This show cleverly uses the tricks a con artist would use–distorting the truth and making the fake look real. Unfortunately, this certainly downplayed Jun Hyuk’s effort in search of the truth. I appreciate how the show emphasizes that wealth is a toxic dream. It is a poison that will seep into you slowly and turn you into someone you never were–a person consumed by greed. The Art of Sarah is a meticulously planned scam and a rollercoaster ride full of twists. It is thrilling and intriguing as it can be but do not be fooled by the underbaked ending. This is inspired by the saying “fake it ‘til you make it” but a very extreme and dedicated version.

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A heartwarming story only eldest Asian daughters can relate to

Nothing beats an Asian mom’s love. Right now, she’s bragging you in front of your neighbors, but on closed doors she’s scolding you for your failures. That’s the life of an Asian eldest daughter, with emotional trauma included.

But seriously, I love this show. It starts off lighthearted and comical, but both the story and the characters are multilayered, with many facets to reveal. The entire cast is flawed, relatable and on top of it all funny without being irritating.

Bae Seok Ryu (Jung So Min) returns home to Korea after working in the United States for almost a decade. Unfortunately, her family won’t be too thrilled to hear why she came home unannounced – she quit her high-profile job and broke off her engagement. Choi Seung Hyo (Jung Hae In) is Seok Ryu’s childhood friend and neighbor. He is already a successful architect but is now back living with his parents as he just opened his own company in their old neighborhood. They haven’t seen each other for a long time so one might think they would go emotional and teary-eyed the second they meet. In true sitcom fashion, they started bickering back and forth that it feels like they hate each other with every fiber of their being. And this is just the beginning. All the chaos and pent-up emotions start to spill out here.

So Min and Hae In are my favorite actors so imagine how ecstatic I was to hear that my fave versatile actors are starring in a romcom, which also happens to be my fave genre. These two can eat up any genre from romcom, thriller, action, fantasy to sageuk.

So Min portrays Seok Ryu with a chirpy, feisty yet vulnerable persona, capturing the very essence of every eldest Asian daughter and her fake façade. At first, she seems to shrug off every scolding and earful she gets from her mother, but as the story moves along, we learn that this is just a cover-up and she has already harbored ill feelings toward her parents for their favoritism and high expectations of her. Seok Ryu is one of the most complex yet relatable characters I have ever seen. Perhaps this just hits too close to home as an Asian daughter myself who knows all the dynamics and inexplicable relationships in an Asian household.

Hae In establishes a nice balance in Seung Hyo’s noble yet reserved personality, which he shows to everyone except Seok Ryu. On paper, he is the ideal guy and has all the qualities every Asian mom would adore – successful job, company owner, handsome looks, and kind manners. But in reality, he is too much of an idealist rather than keeping his foot on the ground, which is the result of coming from a privileged background. It was so nice to rub in everyone's faces that Seung Ho also has flaws and is not the perfect boss, son and friend we want him to appear to be. He is selfish just like any of us and tries to live in his ideal world even if it is not practical.

An Asian household is not without its dysfunctionality. Love Next Door depicts the two extremes of Asian family – one is a seemingly perfect family from outside with prestigious jobs but barely talks and eats together, while the other is a working-class family founded on tough love and good food but with bottled-up emotions. This just goes to show how you don't get to have the best of both worlds. Every time they get drunk, the two dads spill out their guts about how they are jealous of each other’s lives. Two different people living two different lives, yet they are envious of each other. Our achievements and wins in life are always just the tip of the iceberg, yet they are always the first things people see in us. They try to equate our value with how well we do in life and that’s the sad reality. Our hardships in reaching the peak of success is unknown to many because only we how hard it was for us.

I don't understand the low reviews from other viewers. They keep saying the show lost its potential, even though it’s clear this has some of the best character developments and most fleshed-out characters in K-drama. This is character-driven and has an unconventional storytelling. It does not follow the usual climactic formula and over-the-top conflicts. There are many characters yet they don’t drown out the theme and conflict of the show. I love that this show celebrates the seasons of life, that through the course of our lives, we will experience all four seasons: the joy and brightness of summer, the quiet and pensiveness of autumn, the cold and gloominess of winter, and last but not the least the warmth and hopefulness of spring. Seok Ryu and Seung Hyo’s winter were the harshest of them all. It took a lot of time and energy for them to finally achieve a fresh beginning.

Watching this feels like visiting your old neighborhood and everyone is excited and nosy about how you have been. As you excuse yourself from your neighbors and walk towards your house, you can still hear the faint chitchats and gossips going around. It’s the same neighborhood you know inside out - whether it's the moms bragging their children’s achievements, dads getting drinks and falling back to their intoxicated behaviors, siblings nagging one another or childhood friends hanging out outside a convenience store – everything feels familiar and the same, yet you have already changed at the same time you feel lost on what your next step should be. This is Seok Ryu’s dilemma from the get-go. The familiarity of the place became her safe space and shield against all the horrible things that happened to her. With all the love and support she got from the people around her, she was able to bounce back which is definitely a feat because Asian families are not fond of failures haha Despite the miscommunications and missed timings, everything eventually fell into place.

What seems to be a lighthearted K-drama turns out to be a compelling and poignant story about all the relationships that formed and nurtured us - from family, platonic to romantic. I love how this has a modern take on marriage, dreams, family dynamics, marital difficulties, introspection and everything Gen-Z is revolutionizing for.

Ultimately, Love Next Door centers on motherly love. Seok Ryu’s mother treats her two children differently but still cooks and serves food even if she’s mad. On the other hand, Seung Hyo’s mother barely stays at home and rarely spends time with her husband and son. It’s such a drastic contrast to Seok Ryu’s house which is cozy, noisy and always smells of homecooked food. Mo Eum’s mother finds it easy to get along with her neighbors and newcomers, and she is also very supportive and protective of her daughter’s future. Despite being a single parent, she is not obsessed with her child’s success allowing Mo Eum to pursue her own path unlike Seok Ryu and Seung Hyo’s mothers. Three mothers portray three different kinds of maternal love which is essentially our foundation and basis of what true love is.

To sum up, Love Next Door is a realistic portrayal of families, relationships and everything in between. I will forever treasure this for its unapologetic vulnerability and how it unexpectedly infuses touches of humor, mirroring how life is—full of happiness and tears.

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Taecyeon and Seohyun's sizzling chemistry elevate a mediocre script

A heroine being pulled into the webtoon world is not new in the kdrama scene. However, the First Night with the Duke gives a unique spin by turning up the heat and adding spice which is a dream come true indeed for avid fanfiction readers.

Adapted from a webtoon, the story starts off with a university student who finds herself in the world of her favorite period romance web novel. As a minor character named Cha Seon Chaek, she tries to be a bystander and watch how the romance between Prince Gyeong Seong and Cho Eun Ae unfolds.

Everything went off the rails when when Seon Chaek had a passionate night with Prince Gyeong Seong. The next day the duke immediately asked for her hand in marriage and is seemingly determined to keep her by his side. Wanting to undo her actions, Seon Chaek tries to escape her fate of replacing the female lead of the story.

What I like about this show is how it keeps the storyline relatively simple and easy to follow. Initially,
the pacing of the story feels off and drawn out. Eventually, I grew accustomed to it and I have finally come to terms that this is a mediocre romance sageuk. Not that this is a bad thing but this is the perfect guilty pleasure and no-brainer watch.

Seohyun plays Cha Seon Chaek with a relatable and bubbly demeanor. Before she had an otherwordly journey in the webtoon, Seohyun is university student "K" and she is as cheerful as Seon Chaek until her friends outcasted her due to cheating allegations. She then leads a lonesome and secluded life. Seonhyun captures K's desire to start anew in the new world she now lives in. Her past mistakes initially holds her down but then she showed determination and ultimately follows her heart.

Meanwhile, Taecyeon is the dark, brooding hero of the webtoon. As the king's personal assassin, he is aloof, intimidating and constantly carries a sword with him scaring people and spreading false rumors about him. He slays people and so does his face card. Taecyeon is the epitome of young, fine, tall and handsome. With broad shoulders, strong build and jawline and high self-confidence, he undeniably suits the role of a leading man always ready to risk his life just to protect his leading lady.

The villains are so annoying and cunning. This is how you properly create a compelling villain, you set up their back story clearly to know how they ended up as evil. They have unique perspectives and strong motivations to do something bad. I'm glad Eun Ae and Prince Yi Gyung are not one dimensional villains unlike the king.

However, the fate of these antagonists doesn't sit right with me. Their resolutions are too neat for my liking. They hardly paid for their sins and got away with it easily. I understand that no one wants more blood to be shed but a proper ending for these villains would have been more satisfying.

I must say this is decent kdrama compared to other mediocre shows out there which either has poor writing or acting. Of course, it's not the most groundbreaking of shows. We have seen kdrama plots in the past where the female character is pulled into the webtoon world or travels back to Joseon period (W, Scarlet Heart and Extraordinary You), but what makes The First Night with the Duke memorable is how flirty and naughty our main leads are.

Pairing up Taecyeon with Seohyun is undeniably the best decision of this show. Seohyun's cheerful yet provocative nature complements Taecyeon's guarded and intense character. They are the ultimate sunshine-grumpy trope.

Overall, The First Night with the Duke is a guilty pleasure through and through. It's perfectly cliche and hits the right feels. I was looking for a watchable sizzling romance and I got one and sometimes that's all it takes to be entertained and glued to the screen.

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Nam Joo Hyuk's debut thriller lacks substance and depth

For years, I have always watched Nam Joo Hyuk's shows because I find the plot interesting and Vigilante is no exception. Vigilante revolves around Kim Ji Yong living a dual life — studying as a police officer by the day and punishing remorseless criminals at night.

The story starts with a young Ji Yong who gets shocked by the court's decision to punish his mother's murderer with a short jail sentence. Years pass and the criminal continues attacking innocent people which prompted Ji Yong to take his revenge and ultimately kill him. Ji Yong realizes his mother's case is not an isolated case and that the justice system is being too lenient on criminals. He starts hunting for repeat offenders who easily get away with their crimes and taking the law into his own hands.

Nothing is groundbreaking here but Nam Joo Hyuk ruthlessly killing criminals and embodying Robin Hood was indeed a pleasant watch. His tall and brooding physique yet having a quiet demeanor makes him the perfect mysterious hero.

However, my main issue for this show is how they keep on adding new characters each episode, all of which are underdeveloped.

Cho Heon, the team leader of the regional investigation unit, is an intriguing character. It only took him a short amount of time to catch Ji Yong yet he lets him off the hook. He believes he can convince Ji Yong to be a competent police officer just like him.

My empathy for Cho Heon's motives goes down the drain when both him and Ji Yong didn't have any character growth. Ji Yong's intentions were also unclear to me since he forms alliances with anyone he likes without a rational thought. I also find Joo Hyuk's acting a bit lackluster since he only growls whenever he is confronting Cho Heon or the criminals.

The violent fights and torture were also unnecessary and exaggerated. It feels like the show tries to be a gritty and bloody noir wannabe.

Overall, I enjoyed the first half of the show but not as much as the second half. Everyone is aimlessly trying to bring down the criminals without a concrete plan. The characters also seem to be one-dimensional. I don't find myself watching the second season, if ever there will be one. Vigilante is an entertaining thriller that lets Joo Hyuk show he looks good as a young action hero but the underdeveloped characters and confusing narrative makes this show hard to recommend.

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Amplified by Kim Yerim's performance, Blue Birthday is not your mediocre web drama as it offers an intriguing and nostalgic high school drama with impressive directing and scoring.

I felt a rollercoaster of emotion throughout the series specifically from Episode 1 to 15. I was always on the edge of my seat every time an episode ends. I highly recommend this series for binge-watching.

However, the last episode was such a letdown. I kind of wished ML still died at the end and that FL only get to have stolen moments and new memories with ML. It was so absurd how they can time travel and change things on their own accord carelessly. I get that what they did is for everyone's sake and happy ending. It just felt like every turn and twist of the story boiled down to the leads' happy ending.

On the other hand, I didn't expect that Yeri was such a natural actress! The camera obviously loves her but I was amazed by her acting skills. And this series is absolutely a good start for her acting career. I can't wait for more!

Once again, this drama is a breath of fresh air in web dramas! Usually, web dramas are so cringy with lots of cheesy lines and cinematography that do not have that much creativity. Blue Birthday is hands down one of the best short series I have seen!

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For starters, I only got intrigued with this drama because of Lee Jong Suk (well, who can’t resist his dramas anyway). I thought the drama will revolve around their love in the midst of rebellion but I only got an affair where they always long for each other. The drama is too short to fully express their feelings for each other.

The actors didn’t lack emotion but I found myself commenting on how they were just merely acting and not being so immersed on their characters. However, after I did a rewatch I was really moved by Hye Sun and Jong Suk's compelling performance that I probably overlooked on my first watch.

Overall, I still like how the writer recreated the life of the soprano artist. Jong Suk is still one of the versatile actors I have watched and it hurts my heart how this is his second to the last drama before entering enlisting.

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I hate the fact that I got spoiled for this drama. While You Were Sleeping became immensely popular as Bae Suzy comes back on small screen and Lee Jong Suk once again (for the third time!!) partners up with the writer of this drama (I’m sorry but I’m not good at names 😔).

As always the writer incorporates fantasy into the contemporary world. This time, she put the dreams-becoming-real idea and it is somewhat intriguing for me and I think for most of us.

The first episode starts off with Hong Joo (Suzy) dreaming of hugging a stranger and later on she gets to know that the stranger is Jae Chan (Jong Suk) who is their new neighbor. Later on, Jae Chan dreamt of Hong Joo getting in a car crash which killled a man. Hong Joo then got into a coma and wakes up to find that her mom died because of an accident while working to pay the hospital bills for her. She then got accused of being the suspect as she was found behind the steering wheel when they got rescued. Jae Chan tries to stop this and told Hong Joo to not drive if it will snow. Still, Hong Joo drives with her boyfriend and almost hits a man but Jae Chan hits their car to prevent it. The man whose name is Woo Tak later on started having dreams and this is the story of how the trio met.

Until the end, I didn’t get enough answers on how Hong Joo’s dream started. The premonitions of the three characters get converge and intertwine. With those premonitions, they try to change the future and somehow everything became predictive. Their dreams became spoilers and I was left to watch how the three of them save the day.

What I love about the writer is that she always put family in the theme. The lines of the actors are always striking, relatable and sensible as they connect every part of the story.

The story is divided into many parts in such a way that they are all cases of Jae Chan. He tries to solve and prevent it with the help of his, Woo Tak and Hong Joo’s premonitions. It became exhausting at one point because the antagonists are so atrocious so I stopped watching midway because they stressed me out.

The only thing that was not predictive was the thing that I got spoiled 😭😭.

Generally, this drama is worth-watching as it perfectly combines romance, thriller and melodrama. However, I still prefer Jong Suk’s character in Pinocchio for some reason. Hae In really portrayed his character exceptionally and charmingly. I also thought Suzy really did well on her part.

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Gah. The plot is such a huge disappointment or maybe I misunderstood who the real protagonist is?

I got intrigued by this drama because it is based on a famous manhwa. A year before the drama got released, Nam Joo Hyuk was in talks of being Haebak so I got more excited. I tried reading the manhwa however there are like 20+ volumes with 30 chapters each and I cannot take it anymore so I dropped reading. I thought the writer and PD will adapt the plot from the manga but they decided to do a spin off in modern times. I crossed my fingers that the drama will still be fine without the sageuk genre.

The drama starts off pretty great but later on the story got dragged with the plot focusing in the human world.

I expected a clash between the deities but all I got is a series of contemplation of Habaek and So Ah whether to let themselves fall in love when they already know that their relationship will be short-lived. There are also lots of cute moments between the two protagonists that I got sick of it. Hu Ye joins them just to shake some things up.

I anticipated to discover the secrets each of the characters are hiding. But by the time the secrets were revealed, I just got more frustrated because it did not cause any major conflict to the story. The actors’ lines were also not that strong enough to give me the ‘feels’. I always felt that it’s lacking.

The only reason that I gave this drama a three-star review is because the final episode was shocking and astonishing. No one would have ever see that coming. I bet the writer submitted that idea and got told to just drag the story to make it a 16-episode drama. The ending also made me realize that the story is not really all about the the gods and goddesses, it is about So Ah – the bride of the water god. Everything made sense because of that finale.

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Ensemble cast with a disappointing and sappily charmed story

Despite Crash Landing on You's excessive use of k-drama tropes, the talented ensemble cast will still have you swooning and smiling from ear to ear.

CLOY tries to give a refreshing insight of North Korean culture but fails to give a unique spin on the romance. After finishing the first episode, I was able to discern how the story is extremely generic on the surface. The gunfights and gunshots got me rolling my eyes. Most of the conflicts are too corny and mawkish for my liking. The writer could have put new narrative ideas but she solely relied on the chemistry of Hyun Bin and Ye Jin to cover the clichés and predictability.

The real pleasure of watching this k-drama comes from experiencing the characters. They are relatable, funny and precious. The cast is charismatic enough to keep my eyes glued to the screen. Most of the time, I had my eyes on the second lead couple as they have the gentle appeal and quiet chemistry than the first leads.

To sum up, CLOY is strictly the usual k-drama romcom but with less substance than I expected. It is a joy to watch but it is equally disappointing and sappily charmed.

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Elevated by Shin Hye Sun's performance, Thirty But Seventeen delivers a perky story about destiny with an unexpected tug at the heartstrings.

Initially, I didn't quite enjoy the first few episodes. Between Seo Ri's childish acts and Woo Jin's hostile behavior, nothing seems to enrich the plot. That's when I realize that the characters are overwhelming the story on purpose. I shouldn't be focusing on what will happen next rather I should laugh along the silliness and the growing camarederie among the characters. In the end, the loose ends are wrapped up nicely and went beyond my expectations.

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WWWSK is an old school office romance with some touch of mystery to make it more thrilling. It has dull moments as it only revolves to the main characters fighting, then making up then making out .

Honestly, I didn't get my hopes up on the storyline but I actually enjoyed it. Seo Joon really fits his character and he is a natural. Furthermore, this drama made me realize how gorgeous and alluring Min Young is. Her skin and face is to die for, gosh. On the other hand, I was not that fond of the supporting characters that much as they are just also flirting. Overall, I like the drama but not that much as the story somewhat lack substance.

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I had high expectations for this drama as its writer is the same with W. W really blew my mind from the pacing, the characters and damn the plot twists on the first episodes because I didn't really expect any of that. However, Memories of Alhambra seems so lacking in many ways.

The first episode was a good start as it was really intriguing and magical. I absolutely love the AR theme, very timely and witty. It was really action-packed which is the thing that I always anticipate on every episode. But things got really repetitive and tedious when Hyung-seok keeps on showing up. I stopped watching it for awhile because the story did not pique my curiosity anymore. Episodes 4-7 were very trivial for me. The Memories of Alhambra (guitar piece) keeps on playing more than twice in an episode and it did get on my nerves at some point. The story picked up its pace again sometime later when we got back to Korea. I guess they just wanted the drama to reach 16 episodes so the scenes on Granada were very lengthy and unnecessary. I then read comments online that Hee Joo's character was also unnecessary and I began to realize that they were right. The story could really go on without her presence and help. The thing with this writer is that he writes in a fast paced manner so I did not get enough time to sympathize with the characters' feelings. Hyun Bin was great but his lines and scenes were really lacking. As for the music, it should have been more suspenseful as this drama is a thriller one. I anticipated it to have lots of sfx to really shock the viewers but it didn't. The guitar piece was overly used. It's where the drama got its title but it doesn't really have a major impact for me.

Let's jump to the finale episode which was a disappointment but I'm really glad it's open ended because if not, there would have tons of plot holes here and there. However, the ending was not satisfying at all. We mostly got scenes on the church with the characters looking at the ashes the whole damn time. We also got a flashback of everything that happened where I realized it was not a roller coaster kind of ride. The story focused mainly on Jin Woo playing the game and finding Se Ju. The story only unfolded just to reveal the past and find Se Ju. This drama should have been entitled Finding Se Ju seriously. To sum up, it was an okay drama for it is very unique and truly magical. It may be flawed on some of its elements but it is still worth watching especially if you are an avid online game user.

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