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Not bad. Too rushed though to be a well developed romance.

7/10 is my rating.This is a 2017 Chinese comedy romance movie with a run time of 96 minutes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Xiao Bo (Joseph Chang) works long hours as a deliveryman to save up money to fund his deaf nephew’s surgery. Nothing is more important to him than his nephew having the life changing surgery which will restore his hearing. Ye Jin (Sammi Cheng) has it all, she is a successful CEO of an insurance company with a fiancé who will fulfill her desire to start a family. Everything changes for Ye Jin when she discovers her fiancé has been unfaitful. She decides to give up on men but not on her desire to have a child. She asks her secretary to find a man who meets all her criteria as a sperm donor. They are not honest about the true nature of the job up font and let the men think they are interviewing for Ye Jin’s assistant. Just when Ye Jun is about to give up, not finding any suitable men among those that applied, she has a chance encounter with Xiao Bo when he saves her from being injured by a disgruntled employee. The lucrative salary causes Xiao Bo to wholeheartedly agree to the rigorous interview process as he is so eager to apply the generous salary he would make to the savings for his nephew’s surgery. He is selected and after he works with Ye Jin for awhile, they pitch the sperm donor with a huge financial incentive idea to him. It seems Xiao Bo is already developing feelings for Ye Jin and wants to help her fulfill her wish. As time goes on, the two fall deeply in love which makes Xiao Bo desire a real relationship with Ye Jin. But Ye Jin had a traumatic childhood, where she would have been better without a father. And then Ye Jin was betrayed by her fiancé causing her trust issues to deepen. Can Xiao Bo convince Ye Gin to see him as more than a donor?

Review

It was simple, straight forward, and ended happy. I would not seek it out to watch it again but I would not turn it if someone else had it playing. It ends well.

Spoilers

The humor in this was very slap stick in parts. A bit too silly for my liking. When the disgruntled employee went after Ye Jin, the whole swirly scene was unbelievable. If we had seen him being a talented fighter before his sudden fight, his ability would have been more believable.

It felt rushed. It went from you are my assistant, to you are my donor, to you are my boyfriend really quick. If they had decided to make a baby the traditional way and he slowly fell in love with her it would have increased the chemistry factor. But it was like warp speed from one stage to another. Too rushed.

#LoveContactually #JosephChang #SammiCheng

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Pleasantly surprised. Better than I anticipated.

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean romantic comedy movie with a run time of 107 minutes. Also known as “A Dramatic Night”.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Jung-hoon (Yoon Kye-sang) and Si-hoo (Han Ye-ri) meet at the wedding of their exes who cheated on them to end their long term relationships. Heart broken they wind up hooking up with each other and having a passionate one night stand. What started as console themselves revenge sex turned into a friends with benefits relationship. Since the idea of having a purely sexual relationship started at the coffee shop, Si-hoo proposes that they meet at the coffee shop for their booty calls and once they fill up the coffee card they end their relationship. But they soom discover they habe more in common than just sexual compatability. Can a relationship built on such shakey ground turn into something more?

Review

This would normally be too risque for me but the intimate scenes were tasteful amd there was a lot of interaction outside of the the hook ups. Both were lokable characters and the relationship that developed made sense. I would watch it again and would recommend it to other fans of the romance genre.

Spoilers

I would have loved this even more as a series. It was great as a movie but I liked the characters enough a series would have been enjoyable.

I liked that it showed they both had their lives on a good track. I just wish they had showed them get engaged or married.

#LoveGuideforDumpees #ADramaticNight. #YoonKyeSang #HanYeRi

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Not my idea of a healthy love

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 Japanese romance movie that runs 120 minutes.

First I provide a Unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Saya Suzuki (Emi Taeki) is a hard working hotel employee who works on event planning. Her immediate supervisor, Susumu Tsuge (Tadayoshi Okura), is hyper critical and is always scolding Saya for her many small errors. which is why Saya is beyond surprised when Tsuge asks her out. Having a bit too much to drink, and feeling insecure about the real reason for Tsuge’s sudden interest, Saya shares that her first love was Haruki Hino (Kento Nagayama), a famous singer and actor. Saya tells Tsuge that she and Haruki were in love and tried to elope but since they were still in school, the police brought them back to their parents. A belief the young first loves had was if they found a four leaf clover it would reveal their true love and were searching in a field when the police found them. She tells Tsuge that Haruki was sent to the United States and she has been waiting for him. Upon hearing this, Tsuge offers to be her love rehab until her heart heals. So it is little wonder that when Haruki returns and befriends Saya, Tsuge is jealous. Jealous enough to get himself roped into an engagement with the hotel owner’s daughter, Shiori Tsutsui (Natsuna). Will the two unlikely lovers find the courage to stay together or allow themselves to take the safe route with people who are so clearly in love with them.

Review

It is a simple, straight forward romance. I would not watch it again. I recommend it if someone wants a happy ending romance.

Spoilers

I thought Tsuge was unduly harsh to Saya. A lot of her errors were made from always being criticized so that she was often nervous. He was like the boy that pulls the girl’s hair because he likes her. So I could not understand his sudden interest. I really liked Haruki for her. Haruki was always there when Saya needed someone to talk to because Tsuge made her sad. I was also very disappointed because Tsuge allowed himself to be put in a position to be tricked into an engagement. He did not act like someone in love. But Saya also spent a lot of alone time with Haruki and seemed like she was exploring her feelings for him. Since it felt like we saw them both more with other people than with each other it made their relationship less genuine. I was not rooting for them. He was a little sorry in the end. But I had the sense he would do something like that again.

I also wish he found out Shiori drugged him to fake that they were together. That was a horrible thing she did and it never came out as such. But he seemed to be considering sleeping with her as she requested as long as she would let him go. Tsuge was willing to sleep with Shiori more to save his career than to be with Saya. It cheapened his love for Saya.

#Clover #EmiTakei. # TadayoshiOkura. #KentoNagayama. #Natsuna

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Sad alert. Pass on this if you are not into tear jerkers.

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 coming of age romance movie with a run time of 119 minutes.

First I provide a Unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

At 17, Na Bo-ra’s (Kim Yoo-jung) world centers around her best friend, Yeon-du (Roh Yoon-seo). They have been friends since childhood and Bo-ra is particularly protective as her friend has a chronic heart condition. On the eve of going to the US for life changing heart surgery, Yeon-du vows to skip out as she just met a boy, who she believes to be Baek Hyun-jin (Park Jung-woo) whose kind act caused her to develop a crush on him. To get her friend to go, Bo-ra promises that she will find out everything about Baek Hyun-jin and send the information, video and pictures to Yeon-du. True to her word, Bo-ra starts to follow Hyun-jin and records facts about him to send to her friend. This also brings her into close contact with Hyun-jin’s friend, Poong Woon-ho (Byeon Woo-seok). In a bizarre twist both boys develop feelings for Bo-ra who seems to be everywhere they are which causes them to notice her. To be a good friend, Bo-ra immediately rejects Hyun-jin but does not see a reason to contain her feelings for Woon-ho. But when Yeon-du returns they discover they had the names switched and the boy Yeon-du liked was Woon-ho. Can Bo-ra give up the boy she came to love for her friend?

Review

If you want to know how this ends, scroll to the spoilers. I liked 3/4 of this movie. A lot. Liked the characters, thought the love story was believable amd thought it was well paced. But the last of the movie ruined it for me. I will not watch it again and do not personally recommend it.

Spoilers

If the story had stopped when she finally admitted her feelings for him at the train station I would have liked it. If he returned from New Zealamd and they had a heartfelt reunion I would have loved it. But I do not like sad endings and this had an extremely sad ending.

I seriously dislike sad movies. Every once in awhile I get suckered into one. This was a heart warming love story where the lead couple goes through all this stuff then finally get to be together. I know I know I just described practically every romance. But it is a solid formula that I like. But in this one, he has to go abroad and tells her he is coming back for her. That is a common trope, the separation trope. I do not like the separation trope but can deal with it if they get back together. So she waits, and waits and you think they are just drawing it out for dramatic effect but nope. Turns out he died. That is why he doesn’t come back. And I am like what in the Nicholas Sparks just happened here? But wait, there is more. She pops in this video and it is all about when he first saw her and fell in love with her which is way earlier than she thought. And then what in the “P.S. I Love you” in a “Notebook” hell, he has this videography of all their time together and ends with I love you and I am coming back. No in the “Nights in Rodanthe” you are not. You freaking “Bridge to Tarabithia” died, we know that. But it continues just “Lovely Bones” long enough to give us very false hope that it was not true. And my heart sank like the Titanic. And it made me a little sad but mostly mad.

I did not find much to like about the ending. For some reason they decided that Kim Yoo-jung would play the teenage Bo-ra and Han Hyo-joo would play the adult Bo-ra. Normally I would’ve hated that. It’s not that hard with hair and make up to make a 20 something year old look a little older so they could have kept the same actress. But given that the male lead character dies, it was actually easier for it not to be the same actress as it sort of felt like a different character and didn’t make me as sad. But I don’t think that is why they did it. They seemed to enjoy evoking tears. Still it worked out for me, it seeming like a new character, because it did not feel like the Bo-ra I had grown attached to was suffering.

What was the deal amd what was the point of him dropping the note to her in the rain? I thought maybe she, or maybe her best friend would find it and it would reveal that he liked Bo-ra before Yeon-du liked him. But they never found it. So I guess the point was just for the viewer which was pointless.

#TwentiethCenturyGirl #KimYooJung. #HanHyoJoo #ByeonWooSeok. #ParkJungWoo #RohYoonSeo

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Good for what it is

8/10 is my rating.This is a 2016 South Korean sports romantic drama with 20,15-19 minute episodes. 

 First I provide a Unique synopsis then review

 Synopsis

Kang Se Ra (Hwang Seun Eon) is a National volleyball player hoping to be picked up to play professional sports.  She is considered the volleyball diva and is often asked to promote products as she has achieved some fame as a beautiful woman at the top of her sport.  Due to an injury, Sera has hit a slump, but is hiding the extent of the damage for fear it would end her career.  Last thing she needed was a scandal, but she winds up having one when overzealous fans chase her into the men’s room, and she assaults who she thinks is a pervert.  To keep her name out of the newspapers, her manager swings a deal with the victim’s high school sports team for Sera to temporarily coach. The superstar returning member, Hwang Jae Woong (Song Jae Rim), is just returning from an injury himself and Sera is surprised to see him on the team as she met him previously when they battled over a carnival prize.  Turns out Jae Woong is not a minor, he is twenty, so he is more on Sera’s level in terms of age.  As Sera gets to know the team more, she realizes coaching the team may not only help them but her as well.  Can Sera reignite her career options and find love in this unexpected place?

Review

Good as a short, lighthearted uncomplicated romance. I recommend it to anyone that wants some quick romantic fluff but caution not to expect a lot. I might watch it if it was on but would not seek it out to rewatch it.

Spoilers

The largest problem with it to me was simply how short it was. For the length, they did a good job developing characters and telling the story, but I have to emphasize for the length. There was a lot of potential in this basic premise, and if it went into more depth then some of the intricacies of being a volleyball player either on or with potentiql to go to the national team it would’ve been better. I really wanted to know more about how she got to be known as such an awesome player and see her in a coach role really work on skills with the players or develop strategies. It was very minimal on the technical aspects of volleyball. I’m a fan of the slice of life type shows. I think the nest sport dramas are where I get to learn more about a particular sport and I didn’t come away from this feeling like I had learned very much about volleyball in South Korea. I really wanted to see her shining as a coach. A lot of times. I expected her to either train a player or make an important decision that would impact the outcome of the game. There was the one instance where she changed the lineup, but that was pretty minimal. A lot of the major decisions seem to be made by the male coach amd it did not highlight how her presence increased their skill and led them to wins.

Because she was the coach and several years older than the male lead, it made it feel like the teacher student love trope. I would’ve enjoyed it more if there was never a teacher to student relationship.

Her manager was overbearing and did not have her best interest at heart. It showed her catching onto that a little, but not to the degree that I wish she would’ve. I think some of that was because of the timeframe where women did not speak up for themselves as much as they might now.

In the end, the viewer didn’t really get to see what happened with her career. They showed a little bit that she had healed and went back, but not her fully getting back into her sport and excelling. I wanted to see him do great things too, and then see them doing great things together, I know I asked for a lot, but it’s not reality and I want it to be a really good. Happy story.

I think this is one they could pick up at some point in the future, retell it and develop it a lot better. They could make each episode longer and make the volleyball part of it a lot more exciting and suspenseful. All aspects of it have a lot of potential, it just needs to be longer. A longer format would allow more slow build in the romance, more about volleyball and more suspenseful games.

#ThumpingSpike #HwangSeunEon #SongJaeRim

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If you do not have high expectations, it is good for what it is

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 South Korean sports romantic drama with 20,15-19 minute episodes. 

 First I provide a Unique synopsis then review

 Synopsis

If you watched thumping spike 1, this is more of the elements you enjoyed but with a whole new cast of characters.  Han Da Woon/Han Ah Reum (Kim So eun) falls almost instantly for star volleyball player Dong Hae Sung (Lee Won Keun). 

Review

It is a light, short, very predictable romance.  Good for what it is. If you want a lighthearted break from more intense storylines then this would fit the bill. I would watch it if it was on but would not seek it out.  It is a stand alone from the first one with only a time or two they even reference characters from the first one.  There are some characters that carry over from the first series but it is some of the volleyball administration and a few of the more side characters on the volleyball team.  You could watch the second season without ever having watched the first and still understand it without missing any important details. 

 Spoilers

My biggest complaint about both series is just that it is so short.  I wound up liking this second series just slightly better as there was more of a love triangle, a bit more intrigue around lead guy’s career and injury, and I felt the chemistry between the leads was a degree more than the couple in the first season.  I did have a hard time getting into the story.  Some of it can be quite “cheesy” at times.  The music is a bit overbearing and the intro, review and then closing takes up a significant portion of what is already a very short episode.  But, this was 2016 and I think it is why the more current series moved away from this model. 

 I was pleasantly surprised they could tell the story as well as they were able in such a short amount of screen time.  That success was due to the simple story lines where more time could be spent on character development and the relationship aspects.  What severely lacked was any slice of life on volleyball, the technical aspects of the sport were very minimal.  They showed games a little but there was no time spent on aspects of different skills for the different positions, nor showing intense one on one coaching.  What I enjoy most about series that focus in on an activity, is learning more about the details of that activity.  I didn’t come away feeling like a knew more about college and professional volleyball in South Korea. 

#ThumpingSpike2 #KimSoEun. #LeeWonKeun

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Predictable but not in a bad way. Simple and sweet romance

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2012 Japanese romance movie that runs 121 minutes. 

First I will provide a unique synopsis then review. 

 Synopsis

Tsubaki Hibino (Emi Takei), is a socially awkward loner. She dresses in very drab, old style clothing, and wears her hairs in braids which is not very fashionable. In complete contrast, Kyota Tsubaki (Tori Matsuzaka) is one of the most sought out, attractive, guys at the high school. Tsubaki is completely surprised when Kyota begins paying attention to her, teasing her incessantly at first but then pursuing her romantically.  The more the two interact the more what started as a joke on Kyota’s part starts to become real.  Kyota draws Tsubaki out of her shell and Tsubaki makes Kyota look at his life and re-evaluate the shallow relationships he had been pursuing.  Can two such dramatically different people make it work in the long term?

 Review

This is a very sweet, well-paced coming of age romance.  If you are okay with it being a bit aged, it is not a bad offering in the romance genre. The characters are well developed and you can see the progression of their relationship and feelings for each other. It is predictable but not in a bad way. Super popular boy meets not so popular girl and they fall for each other.

I t ends happy and there aren’t any unresolved or outstanding plot points or sub plots.  I would recommend it for anyone that is a romance fan as a quick easy watch.  I might watch it again if it was on but wouldn’t seek it out to rewatch.

Spoilers

 Fro the hair styles and the clothes it is not hard to tell this movie is over a decade old.  So, when they criticize main girl for being old fashioned it is like old fashioned criticizing old fashioned from our modern perspective.

The music was not my favorite. Pretty screachy but not so disruptive it made it unwatchable.

There was no solid second couple.  There was the sister and her romance with the lead guys’ best friend but given she said he wasn’t really her type, and that she was originally interested in main guy, it wasn’t much of a romance.  The best romances usually have more than one couple that forms and this really only had the main couple. 

 It was a bit odd that the description for the movie said she was really good at doing other’s hair but not her own so I thought that would be a central part of her character throughout the story.  But it really wasn’t.  It showed her doing her sister’s hair in the beginning, then a few of her classmates’ hair a bit later but that was really it.  Then, she goes to work at the hair salon and then it becomes a central thing for her.  But that didn’t happen until close to the end.  That is why I think a better description of how she was before is that she was focused on studying. 

#LoveForBeginners  #EmiTakei  #ToriMatsuzaka

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Simple, heart warming, friends to lovers . Loved it.

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Korean romance movie with a run time of 119 minutes.

First I will provide a unique synopsis then review.

 Synopsis

 After having multiple romances end at or before the 100 day relationship landmark, Ha Joon (Lee Eun Bi) has a tendency to cling on to the relationship even when her boyfriend wants to break up.  Which is why, when her current boyfriend, Nam Tae Ryeon (Cha Hun) wants to break up before their 100 day anniversary, she strikes a deal with him to delay the break up until her birthday.  They come up with a “break up grace period” agreement where they both see each other, just more casually and less frequently, while they consider and possibly pursue other romantic interests.  The deal ends when they find someone else, or when it is her birthday, whichever comes first. 

 Ha Joon wants to make Tae Ryeon change his mind so she makes another agreement, with her best friend, Kang Jin whom she has known since college.  Reluctantly Kang Jin (Kim Jin Woo) agrees to be her fake flirtatious dating relationship with the goal of making Tae Ryeon jealous so he will realize he still has feelings for Ha Joon. 

 This sets up a love triangle that is sure to not come out the way any of them expected.  Once Kang Jin starts his flirtation with Ha Joon in front of Tae Ryeon in the place they all work, Tae Ryeon finds himself immediately jealous.  And he decides he wants Ha Joon back.  But, Kang Jin realizes that he liked Ha Joon since college and the feelings he had never went away.  So rather than Kan Jin simply making Tae Ryeon jealous he decides to confess his feeling to Ha Joon which sets Tae Ryeon up as his romantic rival.

Will Ha Joon choose the safe and comfortable relationship that makes her heart race, or the risky but exciting relationship that makes her heart race?

 Review

I loved this movie!  I like heart warming romance and this was certainly that.  I highly recommend it to anyone that wants a quick, but very well developed Korean romance.  I highly recommend it and would watch it again. 

Spoiler

 This is one of those rare movies/series where the 2nd guy actually gets the girl.  He isn’t a classic second guy in that he gets more airtime than 1st guy but the role he plays is second guy.  One of my favorite tropes is friends to lovers.  It showed just enough of their back story to get a clear sense for when their feelings started. 

I typically root for the main couple to get back together but, in this case, you could clearly tell 2nd guy was a better match for the lead girl. 

#RomancebyRomance  #LeeEunBi   #ChaHun  #KimJinWoo

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If you like simple, straightforward, heart warming romance, you will want to watch this one

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Japanese Romantic movie with a run time of 110 minutes. It is based on novel "Kokan Uso Nikki" by Iiyo Sakura

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

When 2nd year high school student, Nozomi Kuroda (Hiyori Sakurda) finds a confession letter in her desk, she cannot believe it is from Jun Setoyama (Fumiya Takahashi) the most popular boy at the high school. Although not sure what to do at first, Nozomi writes a reply and leaves it with Jun’s gym shoes. After they exchange notes a couple of times, Jun starts his reply in a diary and writes if they fill up the diary they will date. Just when she starts to feel a connection, Nozomi learns that the letter that started it all was actually intended for her best friend, Erino Matsumoto (Mizuki Kayashima). Embarrassed by the mistake but also starting to have feelings for Jun, Nozomi decides to continue the exchange. Nozomi discovers that Jun is able to readily express his thoughts and feelings and his transparency causes her to learn to be more open herself. Nozomi and Jun also start to see each other more frequently in person as their friend groups overlap and Nozomi struggles to hide her romantic feelings for Jun. When the deception is eventually revealed, will Jun’s feelings on paper translate to genuine love for Nozomi? Or will he be disappointed he was not writing Erino after all?

Review

I loved this movie. It was a slow build, heartfelt romance. I appreciate it did not have all the over-the-top displays of physical contact and there was nothing “woke” in the storyline. I would watch it again and highly recommend it to anybody that is a fan of heartwarming romances. There were even some surprises in the plot so it was well written enough to add some intrigue.

#OurSecretDiary #KokanUsoNikki #HiyoriSakurda. #FumiyaTakahashi. #MizukiKayashima

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Season 1 is unfinished without season 2

In some cases when you have a season one and a season two you could just stop at season one and never watch season two and there are times when that is advisable because season two, unless well written, can ruin or disrupt season one. With this series season one ends with so many things unfinished and so somewhat abruptly that to get the full story you really have to watch season two . Because season two completes the story, II like season two just slightly better. Season 2 provides the ending of so many of the storylines, I think I am a minority opinion in this entire series because I found the band practices to be very disruptive because they were very so long. With the band practices, though the music was good most of the time it was just too much too often and disrupted the flow of the storyline for me.
I thought the cases were on balance pretty sad and energy draining even when they had good outcomes so it didn’t make it a very good experience to me. There were also so many cases going on sometimes it was hard to keep them straight with who this person was or that person was and they were gaps in time with some of the cases where they had come in much earlier and then came back later, so it could be hard to keep track of all the characters , There were unfinished plot points even at the end of season two where they had developed an idea or presented something and then you never got the follow through so you wondered why they even brought it up in the first place. I think if you’re a fan of drama and you’re OK with it being very dramatic you would likely enjoy this series. If you prefer levity and lots of comedic elements and a series that sticks to the point , then you may not like this as well. It’s worth watching it at least once because the characters are really well developed and the friend group is fun. You feel like you’re hanging out with them. . There are so many better things to watch I think watching this when you have fewer options would be how I would approach it. I would recommend it but not highly recommend it and I am unlikely to ever rewatch it.

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Interesting cases and a heart warming romance

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Soth Korean medical drama with comedic amd romantic underpinings. There are 12, 52-72 minute episodes. It is based on a webtoon of the same name and is a reflection of true life experiences of a psychiatric nurse.

Her particular brand of sunshine is just what people, some of them at the mentally lowest points in their life, need. if some real life experiences of a psychiatric nurse.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Jung Da eun’s (Park Bo young) main “fault” is she is too nice to her patients. It is why she was encourager to move from internal medicine to the mental health arena. Her counterparts felt that, in life or death situations, speed was arguably more important than treating patients with kindness. Although she struggles at first when she joins the Department of psychiatry, it is soon clear that her particular brand of sunshine is what some if the psychiatric patients need. As she encounters people at some of their lowest points, she struggles with her deep feelings if empathy and looks to her childhood friend, Song Yu chan (Jang Dong yoon) for emotional support, Yu chan has known for a while he has romantic feelings for Da eun but can never seem to find the right moment to tell her. But when his older friend, Dong Go yun (Yeon Woo jin) friend also develops feelings for the kind, thoughtful young nurse it is a race to win her heart. Their story plays out amidst the very busy case load of the hospital.

Review

This provides a weighty dive into the work life of a psychiatric nurse. The digital effects they use to portray what it is like for the person(s) experiencing the different mentql disorders is unique and compelling. It is an interesting mental health drama with a heart warming romance. It ends happy with all major plot points resolved. I might watch it again and would recommend it to ither drama fans.

Spoilers

I was in a slump with dramas where we watched several that were not that good. We really like Park Bo young so this one really drew our attention. She did not disappoint as it was an interesting role that she played very well.

South Korea and US have a slightly different way of viewing mental health. In as much as the series is accurate, there is still a lot of stigma on disorders where having a mental health issue could keep you from getting a job or renting an apartment. It seems that the expectation in this series was it was a sickness you repair where in the US it is more of a condition that can flare but you mostly just manage with therapy and medication and live with. If you mention you have depression in the US, you either get “oh you do too?” Or they just express sympathy. Like South Korea, with Borderline, schizophrenia amd bi polar there is a lot of stigma and negative views but those are issues where the harm can be to others, they are more difficult to treat, and patients often stop taking medications. I think the biggest difference was depression is not considered as big of a deal in the US as it seems to be in South Korea.

I got a little frustrated with Da Eun during her depression because I thought she did not act like a psychiatric nurse at all. There were things she did in the fog of depression I thought she would have known better as a mental health professional. The “just leave a depressed person alone” and “forcing them is agression” was surprising because you cannot allow depressed people to mire in their depressed feelings. Although it is not one size fits all, it is often the case that interacting with other people, staying on schedule with self care and interacting with other people is what helps pull someone out of depression. Severely depressed people may start thinking things would be better without them, and although people might be sad, they would quickly get over it and be better in the long run. That’s why you have to talk it out with them and help them understand that none of that is true that it would hurt the people around them forever and be a wound that would never fully heal. They also need help with thunking things will never get better. So I was a little disappointed with the way they portrayed her depressive episode.

The psychiatric nurse who decided to take some time off to work on a criuise ship represented an unnecessary derailment of what could habe been a cute second romance. That separation trope is common in South Korean dramas but I am never a fan.

#DailyDoseofSunshine #ParkBoYoung #YeonWooJin #JangDongYoon

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I got bored half way through and had a hard time finishing the series (but did)

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean romantic supernatural drama with 16, 60-75 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

At one time Lee Yeon (Lee Dong-wook) was a guardian mountain spirit but he fell in love with a human who was killed. In his grief he struck a bargain to live among humans in the city and hunt other supernaturals who broke the rules. In exchange for his service, his love was to be reincarnated although he did not know when or who she may be reincarnated as. In all of his Over 1000 years as a Gumiho, and during his long wait for his love to be reincarnated, Lee Yeon has seen many humans who resembled his lost love but has discovered they only look like her they are not her reincarnation. So when reporter Nam Ji-ah (Jo Bo-ah) recognizes Lee Yeon from an encounter as a child, Lee Yeon does not assume there is any special connection. But the two are connected not only through a tragedy in her past that may have taken the lives of her parents but even more so by the fact that Nam Ji-ah is the reincarnation of Ah-eum, the woman Lee yeon was waiting for. As Lee Yeon finds himself attracted to Ji ah he is confused as Ah eum had his fox beecd and her reincarnation should have had the bead as well. But Ji ah does not have the bead although so much about her is like Aheum. Others notice Ji ah’s similarity to Ah eum including Lee Rang (Kim Bum) who was jealous of his brother’s attention and the fact that he gave up his guardian role for love. And others from the past alsotake notice of Ji ah. The two fall in love allover again as Lee Yeon fulfills his current obligation as well as solving the mysterious events of the past.

Review

I waited to watch this because of mixed reviews. Recently there were some really positive reviews so I thought I would give it a try.  I think whether or not someone likes it would be influenced by how much of a purist they are.  If you take “Little Mermaid” as an example. The original story is not very uplifting.  Most renditions of it take some broad artistic license in telling the story and deviate a lot from that original story. With “Tale of the Nine Tailed Fox” they stick close to that lore, particularly at the end of the series.  I am not in love with the actual lore any more than I am a fan of the real “Little Mermaid” story.  I like the concept but don’t want to watch something that follows it as it does not have the best outcomes. The romance is okay. Their chemistry is fine but there wasn’t the slow build up. I would not watch this again and would only recommend it to those that are super fans of any of the main actors or that like stories that stick to a more pure form.  It has some sad moments but I wouldn’t characterize it as overall sad. I think it is very mediocre amd would have stopped watching it if I was not already half way through.

Spoilers

The love story was really 600 years before when he originally fell in love with her. We saw so little of that original story it was hard to buy him waiting 600 years for her.  Because his test was the “fox bead” being present or not it made me curious if all those others that looked like her might have been her reincarnated in earlier times.  It never addressed why those earlier people that looked like her were not her reincarnated when the test he was using was flawed.

 I liked his brother but it made no sense to me that he was doing evil things to his brother just because he felt abandoned by him. If you love someone so much you are hurt by them not paying attention to you why would you do things that could result in their demise.  I was glad he came around and the brothermance was one of the few good qualities of the show.  But I did not enjoy the first part of the show where he was simply being jealous and immature.

 You have this cool nine tailed fox that did some interesting things catching some of the bad supernaturals in the beginning but that was such a small part of the whole series.  Mostly it is him just pining after her.  Long scenes with the romantic music of them just gazing.  I got bored.  My daughter, who I was watching it with, was more bored than I was.  My boredom started after about episode eight and was not alleviated until about ½ way through the last episode. There just wasn’t that much happening. I found the serpent to be a boring super villain. The nine tailed fox wasn’t doing anything cool and it was just them fawning all over each other and stressing about her turning into a serpent.  She could have been reporting on all kinds of cool supernatural stuff and he could have been helping her.  But no.  Just more and more of just them living their life.  It was boring.

 What was up with grandma turning to stone? She turns herself to stone then he sacrifices himself and she just turns back? How? Why didn’t they talk about that more.  I mean I was glad she was back. I liked her even though she could be really cold.  But explain how that happened at least.

 So, in the end we go through several scenes thinking he is now human.  Oh woe is me I have to get a root canal.  Being a human is hard. But, surprise, at the very end we see he is still a fox.  What? How? I thought he died and was reincarnated. And part of all that was he was now human. But I read somewhere that the cast said if you understand the real story of the gumiho you get it. So I read it and apparently one way a fox can become human is to trick their love interest for three years into thinking there are human.  So that is what he was doing.  He was tricking her. But not very well because he slipped up about them having a daughter. But why would she trip on that anyway. He could have just been saying that.  I get they were sticking to the lore and all that but they did not explain that lore to the viewer. So, unless you knew to go read about that, it was just confusing. Why was he faking it?  And that doesn’t even make sense to me anyway. No more than bubbles with the Little Mermaid.  I didn’t like it.  It was silly.

 Why did the brother die?  I was just liking him. And what cold people.  So sad when Lee died but then the brother dies, they shed just a very few tears and then are like Lee is back. No big deal brother was sacrificed.  They made a big deal about him having a family but he didn’t.  They didn’t seem to care beyond just those few moments.  Life went on perfectly without him.  In fact it smoothed over all their newlywed troubles.  The little boy didn’t even seem to care his surrogate dad/brother was gone.  But don’t worry he is reincarnated as about a six or seven year old child.  Okay he looks like him but I thought you were convinced that all those other people that looked like main girl were not her.  So how do you know that little boy is him?  It was just stupid.  And how do they explain some are reincarnated as a newborn but some seem to appear at various ages.  Too weird.  Not buying it.  Not even in a mythological sense.

 I guess I am of the unpopular opinion that this just wasn’t very good.  Lots of potential with such cool characters (foxes and other immortals) but they just told a very boring love story.  I never like love stories where they get together too soon and that is what this felt like.  Okay. They are together. Let’s go home.  Oh she is going to turn into the serpent?  I don’t care.  You had your love story.  And the side love stories? Also pretty uninspired.

#TaleoftheNineTailed. #LeeDongWook #JoBoAh. #KimBum

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I got Bored. Little chemistry and a slow moving story.

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean supernatural mystery romance with 12, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then Review.

Synopsis

Taxi driver Seon Young min (Yoon Chan young) just wants to make a good living driving the taxi his mother bequeathed him. Last thing he wanted or needed was a ghost, Kang Ji hyun (Bang Min ah) attached to his taxi. Especially a ghost that drives off his paying customers. When he discovers a way the ghosts can be paying customers and he can grant thenpm some final wishes, a new business concept us born and who better to help him in his endeavors than the ghost who is attached to his taxi. Having lost her memory, Ji hyun cannot tell Young min how she came to have his deceased mother’s bracelet or why their are pictures of her on his mother’s phone. So they have mysteries to solve around Young min’s mother and Ji hyun’s deaths as well as mysteries around the last moments for their clients.

Review

I very rarely quit watching a series. I made it through episode 5 on this and just could not watch it any more. I was bored. I like the premise. But the focus was not as heavily in doing cool things for ghosts as it was on their mystery and their relationship. I did not puck up on much chemistry between the keads so I was not super interested in their interactions. I would not watch it again nor recommend it.

Spoilers

Ji hyun is way dressed down, possibly to give a more ghostly appearance, but it makes handsome Young min’s almost immediate attraction for her less believable. She is also a bit annoying and has no empathy for Young min’s plight and need to earn money to provide for himself and his grandmother. So with her being slightly annoying, devoid of understanding, and not very attractive, it is hard to understand what he would see in her from a romantic perspective. She also is mean to hm by not understanding him needing to make money and guilting him into helping herself and other ghosts instead. She also makes fun of him for never having dated, and ridicules his desire to hang a lock on the fence.

I found the case where the con artist was trying to scam the young widow out of a settlement interesting. But those interesting cases were too few to hold my interest.

#DeliveryMan #BangMinAh #YoonChanYoung

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Unlikable female lead, boring cases, missing chemistry and plot is full of holes

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean Legal Romance drama with 12, 61-68 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Kim Sa ra (Lee Ji ah) was leading a good life as the wife of a chaebol son, Noh Yul seong (Oh Min suk) and head of a legal empire. The mother-in-law, and matriarch of the legal empire, Cha Hee won (Na Young Hee) decides Sara is not the woman she wanted for her son as she has too much of a mind of her own so they frame her for illegal emission of her son and he divorces her. She starts a law firm centered around gaining justice for women in unjust circumstances. With a talented former prosecutor, Dong Ki joon (Kang Ki young) as a partner will they be able to bring down Sara’s exes legal empire and help others along the way?

Review

This was a mediocre, at best, legal romance. I found many of the legal cases boring and was very distracted as some of the cases were very mundane. So I wouldn’t rewatch it to see compelling legal drama. I also did not see a lot of chemistry or romance between Ki joon and the Sa ra. So much of the series was spent with her in various stages of interaction with her husband then ex husband then husband that there was little time for anything to be developed between the Sa ra and Ki joon. It was disappointing as the potential for a really great romance was there but the writers took it in other directions. I would not say this is unwatchable but it is not even close to a top choice. I cannot see myself rewatching it and would likely not stay around to watch it if someone else was.

 

Spoilers

The Sa ra was a bad ass martial artist in the beginning and there were several opportunities for her to show her stuff.  In the later episodes, she did not show that side as much and, in fact, was taken down physically several times. I would have enjoyed it more if there had been more opportunity for her to kick butt on the bad guys and if she had done it through the series. The martial arts scenes were one of the only things that kept it flowing in terms of excitement and interest.

 

There was a huge back story I don’t think we ever got fully told about her marrying Yul seong It seemed like she was going out with Ki joon and then somehow got pregnant with Yul song’s child and that was the reason for her breaking it off so abruptly with Ki joon.  Or it could be I was so bored I missed something. But that was my impression. I was like, but wait, that is not common in that culture for someone to be essentially having two physical relationships with two men so that she was with one guy but pregnant by another. Some reviewers said she came across as a gold digger, only interested in Yul seong’s money. But I only recall the part where she had a positive pregnancy test. More back story on her relationship and how she came to marry someone like him would have helped in understanding why she put up with him early on like she did.

 

There was not any chemistry between Sa ra and Ki joon primarily because she spent the better part of the show giving him the cold shoulder and trampling his feelings. I felt sorry for him. Sa ra was just straight up cruel to Ki joon in her coldness and indifference. She knew he had feelings for her but she never gave any consideration to his thoughts or opinions. If she wanted to do something a certain way she did it. In fact she didn’t care who thought otherwise. I thought that was a serious character flaw. That she didn’t listen to anybody in the way she approached “solutions.” When she decided to remarry her husband to take him down from the inside, I was super disappointed in her character. It was hurtful to Ki joon to have her remarry her husband when it seemed she was finally going to accept him.  But she didn’t care what anyone thought.  Her solution was her solution.  They could have played up the fact she wanted her child more, that might have been a better justification, but they really made it seem about revenge for her mother.  It made her an unlikable character to not care about the thoughts and feelings if thise around her. To add insult to injury, her decisions rarely bore the best results. It would be different if she went her own way and that turned out to be the best way but so often things did not go well. 

I wasn’t a fan of the wardrobe.  She had all kinds of weird drab outfits that seemed to carry over to her son.  Those big weird collars, I am not a fan. But her clothes were unappealing a lot of times.

So her husband and mother in law falsely frame her for a fraudulent application, she gets sent to prison, loses her child, he divorces her and she loses her law license but she is ok with that? In all the evidence she gathered and confessions she had them make she had no interest in clearing up that false crime? Will she ever get her license back?: That seemed like an important plot point to resolve. And just, nothing?

And what about the mother in law? She just gets to falsely imprison her, keep her son from her and then find out her iwn son was a compoete tool amd that is just it? She disappears from the story line and just nothing?

 

Ki joon’s efforts to befriend Sa ra’s son were just weird. If my parents new partner was over the top fakey trying to be my friend I would withdraw. I mean his dad did a lot of bad things but he still had a dad. Most children would not buddy up to someone seemingly trying to replace their oarent. Children are better approached slowly and genuinely.  Someone didn’t know how to write a good step parent relationship.  Those exchanges were just weird.  Almost creepy.

 

I don’t know what this having the second couple marry but not the first one trend is but I don’t like it.  It’s okay if they marry and we see it but that is only if the main couple is married.  Otherwise why do I care about the 2nd couples’ wedding?  Several I have watched recently have ended like that.  I don’t get why they are doing that but it is a trend I am not a fan of. 

 

The ending was “happy” I guess. The second couple get married. But that just turned out to be odd. While you could see them slowly getting more and more interested in each other and together, it did not feel like they had reached the marriage stage. Sa ra’s speech at the 2nd couples wedding was awkward and I experienced a lot of second hand embarrassment. Way to kill the mood.  And then the lead couple doesn’t get married.  They kind of sort of get engaged with her having some weird we will be together in five year increments requirement. Because she is a divorce lawyer? Well, she didn’t have that issue when marrying her 1st husband. And she seemed to divorce him easily enough. Her stating that meant she had no confidence in their relationship and since there wasn’t a lot to make the viewer confident in Ki joon and Sa ra’s relationship I thought that was a very odd way to have them come together.  It seemed hurtful, yet again, for the Ki joon that she did not care about him enough to properly accept his proposal.

 

I wasn’t a fan of the wardrobe.  She had all kinds of weird drab outfits that seemed to carry over to her son.  Those big weird collars, I am not a fan. But her clothes were unappealing a lot of times.

 

Ki joon’s efforts to befriend Sa ra’s son were just weird. If my parents new partner was over the top fakey trying to be my friend I would withdraw. I mean his dad did a lot of bad things but he still had a dad. Most children would not buddy up to someone seemingly trying to replace their oarent. Children are better approached slowly and genuinely.  Someone didn’t know how to write a good step parent relationship.  Those exchanges were just weird.  Almost creepy.

 

I don’t know what this having the second couple marry but not the first one trend is but I don’t like it.  It’s okay if they marry and we see it but that is only if the main couple is married.  Otherwise why do I care about the 2nd couples’ wedding?  Several I have watched recently have ended like that.  I don’t get why they are doing that but it is a trend I am not a fan of. 

#QueenofDivorce #LeeJiAh #KangKiYoung #OhMinSuk #NaYoungHee #NaYoungHee

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Less sexualized than the American version, couples more serious

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Japanese reality dating show. It is patterned after the American show of the same name. It ran for 11, 47-71 minute

First I provide a Unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Eleven women and thirteen men live on a compound where the genders are kept separate at first, site unseen. During the first ten days members take part in speed dates where they seek to find out as much as they can about each other with marriage in mind. Following the speed dates, they can then choose to participate in longer dates with partners of their choice by going into adjacent pods where they are unable to see each other but can clearly hear each other’s voices. The intent is to fall for each other enough to propose marriage. Once the couples are engaged (and many will leave at this level never having found that level of connection) they are allowed to meet face to face where they see the other physically and the ring is presented. Affianced couples depart for a one week resort vacation Other couples that have taken part in the “experiment” are at the resort so the participants get to see others they may have “dated”. After spending their time at the resort, the affianced couples move into apartments for the remainder of the show. The couples are encouraged to spend their time introducing their fiancé to friends and family. While planning their weddings they go about their daily lives and learn how the person they chose goes about their days. All of the women go shopping for wedding dresses together and offer opinions on cut and style. Likewise the men shop for suits and offer each other opinions on the look of those suits they select. Each couple gets a day at the alter where they decide whether, after having real world time together, they want to say “I Do” or they regret their decision and say “I Don’t”.

HOSTS

Takashi Fujii Born in 1972. Would have been about 5O years old when the show aired. He is an actor, comedian, singer, presenter and music producer.

Yuka Itaya born in 1975. She would have been about 47 when the show aired. She is an actress, model and presenter.

SINGLES

Women

Priyanka Yoshikawa (Priya) (28) Mixed ethnicity with a Japanese and Indian ((India) parent. She is an interpreter, model and kick boxer. She was crowned Miss Japan world in 2016. Born in 1994. She would have been about 28 when the show aired.

Toshie (39) Aromatherapy instructor

Midori (30) Business planner

Motomi (27) Advertising salesperson

Minami (26) Architecture firm

Eri (32) Fitness trainer

Ayano (30) Corporate worker

Maki (34) Yoga instructor

Nana (31) Online marketing

Priya (27) Entrepreneur

Kaoru (31) Singer-songwriter

Nanako (35) Ex-ballet instructor

Men

Takumi (23) Ex-Maritime Self-Defense Force officer

Jinya (26) Hair and makeup stylist

Yudai (23) Men’s hairstylist

Mori (37) Cosmetic dermatologist

Shuntaro (56) Consultant

Odacchi (31) Comedian

Atsushi (42) Business owner

Sho (28) Design firm owner

Misaki (31) Baseball coach in Kenya

Ryotaro (32) Hairstylist

Ryoga (30) Real estate

Mizuki (29) Restaurateur

Wataru (38) Executive

Review

This is such a popular reality dating show that it started in the US and several other countries have done their versions. As expected the Japanese series was less sexualized than the US and if the couples were intimate it did not show it. The singles also seemed to consider marriage a lot more seriously than the US version. Is Love Blind? I think in watching the US version, this Japanese version and now starting the Swedish version I would say it depends. It goes back to how much importance the individual and the culture places in physical appearance. With a major in psychology it is fascinating to me they can do what they even call an experiment. It most likely would not pass an ethics panel if it were an actual psychological experiment.

Spoilers

What is clear to me is women, cross culturally can be very harsh with men. Some of the critical comments were hard to take. If you have seen the show you would know who I am referencing but I will leave names out of it.

One male was a little heavier than the woman preferred so she decided to put him on an intense training schedule. Wanting someone you care about to be physically healthier is understandable but all of her comments pointed to her being worried about appearance, she said a lot of things indicating that she thought she was more attractive than him. Her mom was funny as she took a liking to the future son-in-law and told her daughter to quit being arrogant. Basically he is a catch and you should realize that.

Then there was the beauty queen who saw herself as a leading expert on how to do business. The guy she selected told her he was a partner in a business he owned. She found out that the partner had put the money up so she said he was the owner and you are just an employ. Even though both men said they were partners, and it was a case where one is “the talent” and the other was the investor, she still insisted he was not an owner. That is a common business arrangement so I thought it was both rude and short sighted of her to characterize his business according to her standards alone. She also pressed him so hard on what he thought a good income would be that he said a high figure. Then she belittled him for saying so high saying that he didn’t have goals that were realistic. He said that he had inflated it because he was nervous and basically thought that that was what she would expect so she was responsible for making him feel that nervous to disappoint her. But rather than self reflecting, and realizing that she had made him feel that way, she harshly criticized for not stating a realistic amount. I thought he was way better off without her but could tell her opinion impacted him deeply and he was hurt their relationship ended.

Then there was Kenya guy. He had an innocent sweetness about him. The woman he selected made continual comments about him being an air head (which, from anime, can be considered cute) but not in a complimentary way. She was snippy and sarcastic when they met with her friends about various aspects of Kenya guy. I understood she did not feel they were a good match but a lot of her comments were personal attacks. And to bring him to her friends and make mean comments was not a good look for her.

To have two couples remain together is surprising because these type of shows rarely form couples with any longevity. Ryotaro and Motomi were refreshing. They liked each other from the beginning and never wavered. I think it was proof of concept because he was not someone, based on appearance alone, she would have interacted with. It was clear how much they enjoyed being together and their mutually supportive and caring relationship was so infectious it quickly won their families over. They are a lovely couple and I hope they have a future full of the love and happiness they conveyed so well. All signs on the internet pointed to them still being a couple.

Wataru and Midori also had a very nice relationship. I do not think she fully realized how happy he made her. Her mom could see how well suited they were and was an advocate for their relationship. They remained together based on social media posts.

#LoveIsBlindJapan

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