ltspada

Hidden Gem. Enjoyable watch. Interesting glimpse into Korean boy band music industry

Review

My rating is 9.5/10.

"Entertainer" (also known as "Ddanddara" or "Ttanttara") is a rare hidden gem that will puts a smile on the face of those that love dramas that have well developed characters, a glimpse into the music industry for boy bands. An unlikely group of characters who were burned in a variety of ways by the industry take on impossible odds carving out their own bit of success in the tough Korean music industry. The story has a bit of romance, some revenge against the big entertainment company, and tons of realistic behind-the-scenes glimpses—like the real struggles of rookies chasing their dreams. The bromance aspects are amazing (the band really feels like family), the music is super catchy, and there's a great mix of humor and inspiring moments. Romance isn't the primary focus there is a lot about personal growth, friendship, and never giving up. Perfect if you're craving something uplifting without heavy angst. I would rewatch it, and I highly recommend it for an underdog story that'll warm your heart!

Spoilers

I loved pretty much every minute, but I couldn't rat it perfect because I just wanted more closure. The ending felt soft and a little too open for me—everything wraps up happily, but so many things are left hanging. Like, do Geu-rin and Suk-ho ever get a proper full-blown relationship? They're still stuck in the flirting stage with all the lingering looks and age-gap vibes. I prefer something more definite! Na Yeon-soo (the drummer) quitting the band to help his family mom and focus on his education was such a letdown. He was there for most of the series and to have him fall short just when they had hit some success was disappointing. The Entertainer Band was starting to do well, but we never see them hitting it big—no sold-out crowds or real breakout success. Just steady but not stellar. Ha-neul (our lead singer) starts getting close to the new female drummer toward the end, but it's barely beginning. No idea where that was headed. And Geu-rin being in veterinarian school? That felt random—we never saw her have any real passion for animals to make that land properly. And she struggled so hard to be the manager it also felt like she quit before the finish line. A bunch of storylines just end softly: nice and positive, but not fully tied up. I wanted more payoff for the band's future especially. What bothered me most was the forgiveness stuff with Lee Ji-young (the one who falsely accused Ha-neul of harassment) and that sleazy KTOP director Kim Joo-han who set it all up. Ha-neul forgives her and him way too easily, and then Suk-ho helps her get an acting gig and even assists the director with his new restaurant? They barely show any real remorse, yet their bad actions get rewarded. I get the theme of moving on, but it didn't sit right with me. Also, Ha-neul's name gets cleared, but there's no big public reveal that fully sets the record straight in the industry. Still, the heartwarming vibes, band chemistry, and messages about dreams and second chances are wonderful. So the softness of the ending and not having every storyline did not ruin the show. It just would have improved it. I also did not like that Jackson's Ji-noo was never cleared. It was pretty obvious he had been set up but there was no official press conference or public acknowledgement that he was also a victim. It never fully showed what happened with that incident. How did he come to be drunk or drugged. What was the deal for "Luna"? And the real Luna never got anything either. Basically she was forced out so that lying girl that was willing to falsely accuse someone who befriended her could have a spot. And there was no repercussions from that either.

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Premise sounded promising but too short to deliver any meaningful content

Review

6/10 is my rating and I think I am being generous because I did like the premise, the couple was cute together and I think it was a good attempt. The problem is Revenge Lovers: tries to cram a full-blown revenge + second-chance romance + corporate intrigue + surprise family drama story into only 8 episodes of ~25–30 minutes each and with recaps and a long intro it is only about 20 minutes of original content per episode so only about 160 minutes total which is not even three hours. Which is about the length of some movies.

So. the revenge part is over almost before it starts. Which makes the title and even the synopsis a little misleading. He entices her into the fake relationship, they do the one big public humiliation scene with the ex, and then… poof, revenge complete. So, it you plan to watch it to get some big revenge drama "fix" this is not it. Then there is the other part of their agreement, the “psycho fiancée” (Reina) which also is over almost before it starts. His fiancé shows up, acts unhinged for literally one episode, gets dumped off-screen, and is never heard from again. Same with the ex-boyfriend—he gets publicly shamed once and basically disappears. Because everything is so rushed, none of the emotional beats land. There’s no slow burn of him actually tormenting her, no real satisfaction when the side villains get theirs, and no time to process any aspects of their emotional connection. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a good, well developed and enjoyable story. I was not even all that attached to the characters. Maybe if you read a webtoon and wanted to see the live, but other than that I can't think of others that would want something that has more problems than pluses. I would not watch it again and will not recommend it to others.

Spoilers

My daughter who reads way more Webtoons than I have said this is the general pattern when you see such a short series adapted from a webtoon. That it is going to be rushed and ultimately sorely lacking. And it was true of this. Things would just happen, some big reveal and you would be like "did I miss something?" and no you didn't. The premise and plot could have easily supported a 12 or even 16-episode script, but since they only had budget for 8, so their solution must have been to just omit background stories, build-up, all the things that would have helped it cling together and make sense. It was like watching something and hitting a 10 second skip periodically. In general, as I understand it, it suffers from the current Japanese streaming-drama disease: super short seasons + too many tropes they feel obligated to check off and not enough screen time to fully develop and unspool anything. When you only have 8 half-length episodes, something has to give, and in this case it was coherence, believability and emotional payoff.

If you want a Japanese revenge romance that actually commits to the revenge and has room to breathe, people usually point to older classics like Hana Yori Dango or Boys Over Flowers* (longer seasons) or the Korean version of the same story. Modern short-form J-dramas almost always pull this same bait-and-switch. It pulls viewers in with an interesting cast and promising premise but then produces a series that is whirlwind fast and holier than swiss cheese.

Synopsis

This is a quick 8-episode Japanese rom-com (approx. 24 minutes per episode) that dives straight into a messy workplace betrayal. Maika has been with her boyfriend, Narimitsu for three years and is waiting for him to ask her to marry him at any time. She is absolutely crushed when she finds out that, instead of a proposal, her boyfriend of three years is cheating on her. On the heels of her finding out about the infidelity, Shun, a handsome new CEO comes to the company. And he immediately seems enamored of Maika. After a couple of encounters where Maika is clearly distraught seeing her ex become engaged to a fellow office worker, Shun proposes a deal to Maika that will benefit both of them. They become a couple for Maika to get revenge on her sleezy ex and for Shun to get out of an arranged marriage. The story comes from Ryo Morita and Chika nada's manga Fukushu Kareshi: Dekiai Shacho no Kao ni wa Ura ga Aru. What starts as a simple ruse to get revenge and to get Shun out of an arranged marriage, quickly becomes something more.

Major Characters:

- Hattori Maika (Konno Ayaka): A resilient but freshly crushed staffer at a hotel management company, navigating the sting of her colleague's infidelity by jumping into a high-stakes fake romance that forces her to reclaim her spark.
- Satori Shun (Suzuki Jin): The polished, secretive new CEO of the Bird Left hotel chain, a reluctant heir dodging a suffocating arranged marriage by orchestrating a sham relationship that peels back his guarded layers one reluctant smile at a time.
- Matobe Narimitsu (Kondo Shori): Maika's charming but utterly duplicitous coworker and ex, whose casual cheating unleashes the revenge engine and keeps stirring the pot with his smarmy opportunism.
- Saionji Yuria (Tomite Ami): The scheming office interloper locked in Matobe's affair, whose manipulative maneuvers crank up the jealousy and corporate catfights, pushing Maika to evolve from victim to victor.

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The 25 year time jump was not done well

Overall Rating: 7/10  
(First half ~6/10, second half ~8/10)

It has a really fun and unique premise – a top star from the 90s/early 2000s suddenly disappears at her peak and reappears 25 years later with no memory, trying to make a comeback in today’s industry. The setup is fresh, and the show is mostly entertaining, especially once the romance finally kicks in during the latter half. If you’re mainly here for swoony romance, be patient – it is a slow burn in that regard and really only happens in the last episode or so.

The biggest issues are pacing in the beginning and, most noticeably, huge consistency problems across the 25-year time jump. A lot of characters feel like completely different people in present day compared to their younger selves, which hurts the emotional connection. Still, when it hits its stride in the back half, it’s genuinely charming and satisfying. Worth watching once if you like second-chance tropes, celebrity comeback stories, or just want something light with a happy ending – but probably not a rewatch for me.

Spoilers

The single biggest problem I had was how unrecognizable Im Se-ra / Bong Cheong-ja (Uhm Jung-hwa) became after the time jump. Young Seol-ah was ice-cool, confident, snobby (but only when someone truly deserved it), and emotionally rock-solid – basically peak diva energy. Older Bong Chenong-ja? Constantly on the verge of a panic attack, doing these breathy little “HAH!” gasps at everything (I seriously thought she was going to hyperventilate multiple times), and crying over literally anything. It felt like two different characters from the past to the present.

I kept waiting for them to say she had a brain injury from the car accident that altered her personality, because that would have at least explained it. But nope – they never mention it. Instead, we just have to accept that the poised princess of the 90s turned into the most fragile, whiny Ajumma imaginable overnight. The frumpy “bag lady” wardrobe and that wild hair were clearly to be comedic and show she “let herself go,” but come on – someone with decades of red-carpet training doesn’t suddenly dress like she shops exclusively at the dumpster just because she gained weight and lost her memory. She remembered being They Im Se-ra because she went on and on about not being the young beauty she thought she was, so she would have remembered all the glam treatments she did back then. I know they dressed her like that to make her look heavier but they could have accomplished it without making her look homeless.

She wasn’t the only one with personality whiplash:

Kang Du-won (Oh Dae-hwan) went from a bumbling, slightly incompetent but basically harmless dude when he was Im Se-ra's manager to a full-on cartoonishly evil schemer. He was polished with a businessman like demeanor that did not match that early shy slightly nerdy looking manager from before. People can hide their dark side, sure, but this wasn’t subtle two-faced behavior – it was a total core rewrite.  

- On the flip side, the villains who were supposed to stay awful – Ko Hui-yeong (the jealous rival actress), was perfectly consistent. Evil then, evil now.

Go Bong-goo (Song Seung-heon) was thankfully the most consistent of the bunch. You could totally buy that the starry-eyed young fanboy grew into a more reserved, mature version who still melts around her. His character arc felt natural.

I did love Seol-ah’s rise-back-to-fame storyline – starting from nothing, clawing her way up, dealing with all the ugly industry politics. And I loved that literally every single bad person got their comeback in the end (justice was served and it was delicious). The final happy ending wrapped things up nicely.

So yeah, I don’t regret watching it – the good parts are genuinely good and heart-fluttery – but man, those character inconsistencies and Seol-ah’s nonstop breathy whining made me roll my eyes more than once. Nearly quit watching after the early episodes. One watch was plenty for me.

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A light predictable romance drama. Bonus is few tackle alcoholism in a negative light like this.

Rating: 9/10

This drama was quite good. It was refreshing that it tackled the difficult topic of alcoholism in South Korea as I see evidence of it, almost a promotion of it, in many other dramas. Where extreme alcohol consumption and frequency is treated as comedic and portrayed as normal. The romance is believable and heartwarming. There were some surprises in store, which kept it interesting. I recommend this for anyone that likes relatively light romance. It could be difficult for those that are dealing with alcoholism in their family, but it could also make someone feel "heard."

Spoilers

Weak points for me was I did not believe the mom (Park Soon-ja) having liver disease, unrelated to alcohol, was necessary. It did make the alcoholics in the family believers in liver health and also showed how solid Geum-joo's love was for her mother. But, having one of alcoholics develop the disease would have made more sense if you even had to go there. If anything having the mother develop it, maybe from hepatitis, made the wrong point. It could be interpreted you don't have to worry so much about alcohol because you can even get it if you don't drink alcohol. I don't think the juice was worth the squeeze on that story line.

This was missing the dynamic tension of a love triangle. I have a love hate relationship with love triangles but always miss them if there isn't one.

The secondary romance between the Taekwondo master (Bong Seon-ok) and the main girl's sister (Han Hyun-joo) could have been better. I was especially disappointed when their love was challenged as being "inappropriate" that neither of them fought much for it. They were ready to just give up because his older sister disapproved. Weak. A weak romance if you aren't willing to fight for it. He at least seemed to be really in love with her, but they never gave us anything that made her seem to be really in love with him. They had a date where things were heating up a little, then the sister found out, and she was just like never mind. My friendship with your sister is more important than any relationship with you. I also didn't see where he so much wanted to be a father to her kids. Heart-touching moments with the kids where maybe he took them fishing, played ball with them, or did something other than the Taekwondo they were already doing would have been more convincing. Being someone's dad is a big deal. Even a stepdad. And it never really showed the kids liking him at that level either. So that secondary romance just fell flat for me.

Synopsis

Air Date: May 2025

Genres: Romantic comedy, drama

Number of Episodes: 12

Average Runtime per Episode: 70 minutes

Han Geum-joo (Choi Soo-young) possess an above average talent for fixing automobiles. In such a male dominated field she feels as though drinking culture is an essential part of the job. Knocking some drinks back with her male co-workers seems like the best way to fit in. We start out the journey when we experience her telling her fiance, who give her an ultmatim, that she prefers alcohol to him. And that encapsulates what is really a problem with alcohol for her but there is, of course, more to the story of her relationship choice as well as her perception of the party life. Her mother has had enough, so when she learns of her daughter's broken engagement, she halls her back to her hometown Bocheon, to set her head on straight. She immerses herself in the world of engine oil and enjoyment of simple smaller town pleasures such as home-cooked kimchi and starts to think this change might be so bad. But then she collides with Seo Eui-joon (Gong Myung)—her high school first love turned stoic health center director, fresh off a mysterious burnout from his glamorous Seoul surgeon days. What starts as a prickly reunion laced with unspoken regrets spirals into a reluctant alliance: Eui-joon, haunted by his own hidden battles with the bottle, becomes her unlikely sobriety coach, while Geum-joo's unfiltered spit fire personality opens his armored heart. Geum-joo and Eui-joon find that second chances are often worth the while.

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If I Had Watched as it Aired the Ending Would Have Made Me Rage Quit and Not Wait for Anything Else

8/10 is my rating

I am probably being generous with the rating because I know I can immediately watch Season 3. If I was watching it as it aired, I think the way it ended would have frustrated me a lot.

Review

I liked Squid Game Season 2 for what it is - which is a solid follow-up to the first season. It is notable that they were able to keep the same intense, cutthroat survival vibe that had me glued to the screen albeit not liking the "icky" way it made me feel in my brain. The early episodes hooked me with all the clever planning by Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) to take down the game’s twisted system. That, for me, was a pleasant departure from the gore. I was so pumped for his strategy that it was disappointing when it didn’t pan out the way I hoped—it felt like all that buildup went nowhere, and the story shifted back to him in the games and it felt like here we are again. It was also hard to understand his feeling about the money on one hand yes it was "blood money" but, on the other hand, not spending it on good things was a slap in the face of all those who played so hard and died. They had the choice to leave and chose not to. So, winning and frivolously giving it away or just sitting on it also felt wrong. It was a dammed if you do, dammed if you don't type situation.

If you loved Season 1, you need to watch this to keep up with the story—it answers some questions—but don’t expect a tidy ending.

Spoilers

Once he was back in the game, I was rooting for him to convince the new players. I wanted them to believe so they could avoid getting hurt and it seemed like there was hope in the red light, green light game where they were listening to him on strategy. He tried so hard to convince everyone it wasn't just these benign children's games. That people would die and that there wouldn't be groups of them making it to the end. But history has shown repeatedly, using the Holocaust as one example, that people will ignore warnings about horrors because it’s easier to buy a pretty lie than face a harsh truth. That whole cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias angle struck home because I have seen it play out in real life both in history and more recently. To me the trans character, Hyun-ju, felt totally forced. I just didn’t see how that character added anything to the story—her connections with players like Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim) or Jun-hee didn’t justify her role; it seemed like a diversity checkbox. Same with the druggie character, Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun)—his real-life drug scandal made his role feel like a stunt. He was an over the top almost Batman joker type character. For an actor making a comeback after drug allegations, that seemed like a poor choice as it would take people out of the moment thinking about the real person behind the character. I was disturbed that there was a pregnant girl, Jun-hee, because it felt like they added that just to show there were no depths to their depravity. I saw fans on X ranting about these same issues, so I know it’s not just me. I loved that they mixed up the games, though. The pairing-up game was brutal as hell—imagine hearing people getting taken out and walking through blood pools. The new voting rule after each game kept things fresh and not just a Season 1 rehash. 

I’m not a gore fan, and chilling with straight-up evil characters isn’t my thing, but knowing the show’s vibe, I always brace for the worst-case scenario. If I think, “Could this happen? Could something worse happen?”—yup, the worse thing’s probably coming. That dulled the shock a bit, in this second season relative to the first.

The ending, though? Just straight up infuriating. It’s not a cliffhanger—it’s a middle finger. No closure on major characters or plotlines, leaving you hanging with nothing. Netflix’s greedy, profit-driven model is killing what makes K-dramas great: those tight 16-episode seasons that tie everything up. Fans on X are pissed, and I get why—some ditched the show entirely. I waited to binge, which saved me some rage since I know Season 3’s is already available. But if I’d watched this as they came out, I’d be fuming. I mean nothing ended tidy - it was mostly left wide open. Park Gyeong-seok (Lee Jin-wook), the dad helped by North Korean defector guard Kang No-eul (Park Gyu-young) for his sick daughter, ends up at gunpoint after the rebellion flops. She suggests saving him but how? And what happens to both of them? Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) never finds the right island because the captain sabotages drones and kills mercenaries, confirming his role in the game’s corruption. But, they did find a hatch and it blew some of them up so they must have been in the right place. Are they still coming? The fates of surviving players are left totally up in the air, making the cliffhanger feel like a cheap ploy to string us along. Which would not have been so bad if it wasn't Netflix. Netflix will just end a show if the profit isn't there. They also create these cliffhangers in a way that only serves to ensure true fans will be looking for another. It is completely profit over people.

Synopsis

Season 2, which dropped on December 26, 2024, packs **7 episodes** with an average runtime of **65 minutes** each, ramping up the psychological warfare and brotherly betrayals while introducing a vibrant new cast of misfits in games that probe deeper into themes of revenge, identity, and the inescapability of systemic cruelty. Fans of the original's intensity will devour this escalation, but newcomers might want to start at the beginning—it's darker, more introspective, and ends on a cliffhanger that demands the finale.

Three years after his pyrrhic victory, a haunted Gi-hun abandons escape to America and launches a vengeful crusade to dismantle the Squid Game's elusive architects, only to find himself back in the arena amid a fresh batch of 456 broken dreamers facing deadlier evolutions of the childhood gauntlet—now laced with votes to quit or continue, testing fragile alliances and buried guilts.

**Major Characters:**
**Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) (Lee Jung-jae)**: Scarred by survivor's remorse, the once-bumbling everyman evolves into a steely avenger, infiltrating the new games to end them forever, his fractured psyche fueling both heroic resolve and self-destructive rage.
**Hwang In-ho / The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun)**: The enigmatic game master, revealed as the 2015 winner and a disillusioned architect of despair, grapples with his brother's pursuit while enforcing order, his stoic facade cracking under familial ties and moral erosion.
**Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon)**: The tenacious detective, still reeling from Season 1's revelations, goes rogue in a high-risk infiltration to expose the operation, his loyalty to family clashing with the deadly risks of getting too close to the truth.
**The Recruiter (Gong Yoo)**: Returning with expanded menace, the slick ddakji dealer expands his predatory recruitment, his polished exterior hiding a web of manipulations that draw even more souls into the abyss.
**Myung-gi (Player 333) / Thanos (T.O.P.)**: A fallen K-pop rapper turned crypto scammer, cocky and self-serving, whose online infamy follows him into the games, where his manipulative charm unravels amid paranoia and desperate bids for relevance.
**Hyun-ju (Player 120) (Park Sung-hoon)**: A resilient transgender woman and former sex worker fighting for her child's future, bringing fierce vulnerability and unapologetic authenticity to the arena, challenging prejudices in a fight for dignity and survival.
**Geum-ja (Player 149) (Kang Ae-sim)**: A cunning, foul-mouthed grandmother and con artist, whose street-smart savvy and maternal ferocity forge unlikely bonds, turning her into a wildcard ally in the chaos of betrayal.
**Yong-sik (Player 007) (Yang Dong-geun)**: A jittery, tech-obsessed young gamer burdened by his mother's debts, whose awkward innocence and quick wits shine in puzzle-like challenges, highlighting the games' toll on the digital generation.
**Seon-nyeo (Player 044) (Chae Kuk-hee)**: A faded shaman whose eerie prophecies and spiritual rituals unsettle the players, blending mysticism with sharp survival instincts in a bid to divine escape from the mortal coil.
**No-eul (Player 149) (Park Gyu-young)**: A stoic North Korean defector and soldier, hardened by defection and loss, who allies with Gi-hun with disciplined precision, her quiet strength masking a storm of unresolved trauma.

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For a Korean offering in this genre Not Bad

My rating is 8/10

Review

For me this is a pretty good rating as I am not generally a fan of this genre. For a Korean offering, in this genre, it is good. To me what made it a bit less compelling was what I will call the Netlix effect. They end it a certain way because it may or may not have another season. And it is all about profit. They also drag in a lot of unnecessary social aspects. That just become a distraction and actually turn a lot of people off the show. Minimal in the first season though.

I approached Squid Game with trepidation, wary of an Americanized spin on a Korean series. I also wasn't thrilled about this encroachment on a genre the Japanese do often and well. A Korean kill game type drama? Not one of Korea's typical—they usually leave it to Japanese movies and dramas. So that was one strike against watching it. But there were other things that didn't put it in the neat box I had for Korean drama content. What stood out especially were its multiple short seasons, which is a departure from the traditional single, 16-episode K-drama format. And that is the Netflix effect. They like to make them more like pilots. And determine if they will continue the story based on profit. As someone who avoids the blood-and-gore kill game genre, I was reluctant but curious, driven by the show’s inescapable presence in Asian content circles and pop culture. I wanted to grasp its significance to keep up with references. Squid Game delivered both what I expected—a brutal, high-stakes survival drama akin to The Hunger Games—and far more, with a level of gore and psychological intensity that was profoundly unsettling. The show’s ability to transform nostalgic childhood games into deadly trials is both ingenious and horrifying, pulling viewers into a world where desperation overrides morality. The production is visually striking, with iconic imagery like the triangle-masked enforcers and the eerie “Red Light, Green Light” doll now etched into global consciousness. The emotional weight is heavy, making it a challenging watch for empaths or those sensitive to graphic violence and moral decay. Yet, its exploration of human desperation and strategic cunning is undeniably compelling.

I recommend Squid Game to those who can handle the gore and don’t mind a cast of deeply flawed characters. It’s not a feel-good story, but it’s a cultural juggernaut that’s worth experiencing to understand its impact, even if it left me slightly rattled.

Spoilers

This is the ugly side of humanity on full display where even the "good" people operate more in a gray area. It plunges into the levels of human desperation, strategic brilliance, and moral depravity, all of which are amplified by its unrelenting brutality. The opening “Red Light, Green Light” game, where hundreds of contestants are gunned down in a spray of blood by an automated doll, was far gorier than I anticipated. I expected mass casualties, but the immediate, visceral slaughter—players falling mid-game, surrounded by their peers—was a level of cruelty I wasn’t prepared for. They did not go into it knowing what would happen, not for that first game, so that made it all the more a psychological horror for the players.

The psychological torment was intricately woven into the physical gore and violence and was equally jarring. The decision by Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and others to return after the first game, despite witnessing such horror, underscored the bleakness of their lives outside. Their choice to risk death for a chance at financial redemption was both shocking and a haunting commentary on societal desperation. But, to their credit that first game was a mere taste of what was to come. In that first game there was a complete reliance on yourself and your own abilities. As the games required teaming up and even making life or death choices for others, the layers of moral ineptitude were revealed and continued to compound.

The characters’ moral failings were staggering. Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), Gi-hun’s childhood friend, revealed a ruthless edge, deceiving his ally in the marble game and later killing Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon), the North Korean defector whose cautious yet principled nature I admired. Sae-byeok’s death, after Player 067 (Lee Yoo-mi) sacrificed herself for her, felt like a cruel twist, especially when Sang-woo delivered the final blow. Jang Deok-su (Heo Sung-tae), the gangster, was a vile force, and his manipulative dynamic with Han Mi-nyeo (Kim Joo-ryoung), who played every side with chilling amorality, epitomized the show’s cutthroat ethos. Mi-nyeo’s willingness to ally with Deok-su, including their disturbing sexual encounter, highlighted her lack of conscience. You think a psychotic player is bad then they get worse. Same with the game you think it is bad enough then it gets worse.

The games were diabolical in their design. The tug-of-war, where Gi-hun’s team, guided by Oh Il-nam’s (O Yeong-su) leaning-back strategy, barely survived, was a pulse-pounding highlight. Sang-woo’s tactic to rush forward during the game was a stroke of ruthless genius I hadn’t considered. The marble game, forcing players to betray trusted allies, was pure psychological evil, tearing at bonds formed in the barracks. The night of murder, when lights went out and players like Deok-su’s crew turned on each other, was terrifying, compounded by the horrific organ-harvesting scheme run by corrupt staff. The VIPs, watching the carnage like voyeurs, were as depraved as the game’s orchestrator, the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), if not more so. I half-expected the final dinner to reveal cannibalism—thankfully, it didn’t, but I wouldn’t have trusted the meal. The glass bridge game, where players like Abdul Ali (Anupam Tripathi) were pushed to their deaths while distinguishing tempered from regular glass, was another layer of cruelty. Sae-byeok’s arc was a standout; her cautious strength made her tragic end all the more devastating. Gi-hun, despite lying in the marble game and harboring murderous thoughts, emerged as the least corrupt in a den of vipers. He wasn’t pure—far from it—but compared to the psychopathy of Sang-woo, Deok-su, or even the calculating Oh Il-nam, he was the closest to redeemable. The strategic reimagination of childhood games was mesmerizing, yet the depravity—from the triangle-masked enforcers to the doll’s chilling presence—was overwhelming.

Squid Game is a must-watch for those who can stomach its gore and emotional intensity, offering a raw look at human nature under pressure. I’m torn—partly regretting the emotional toll but glad to understand the cultural touchstones, from the masked enforcers to that haunting doll. It’s a brutal, unforgettable ride that leaves you questioning humanity’s limits.

Am I glad I watched it? I'm not sure. I certainly don't want any of the t-shirts or any other merchandise reminding me of some of the horrible scenes. I thought, innocently, before I watched it, that the 'soldiers" were kind of cute little figures with a triangle, circle or square mask? Cute? No more. I see those and think of the organ harvesting or any number of other cruel activities they perpetrated.

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Not light and airy as imagery and some synopsis indicate

6/10 Is my rating.

I found this drama to be misleadingly heavy and filled with tired tropes although it did have some heart.

As someone who pretty thoroughly researches drums before I watch them, I found I wasI totally misled by *Bubblegum*’s vibe. The title, the bubbly opening with Park Ri-hwan (Lee Dong-wook) and Kim Haeng-ah (Jung Ryeo-won) smiling and jumping in bubbles, and most synopses out there paint this as a warm, fuzzy romance. Nope! This drama is a heavy somber slog that leans hard into Alzheimer’s disease and family drama, overshadowing the love story. The acting is top-notch—Lee Dong-wook and Jung Ryeo-won pour their hearts into their roles, and the writing is solid—but for me it was, on balance, too dramatic, dry, and sad. The Alzheimer’s theme, especially from the midpoint to the end, is a major part of the story, not some quick side plot, so if you or a loved one are dealing with dementia, be warned: it’s intense and might hit too close to home. If you love emotional, heavy dramas, you might vibe with this more than I did, but if you’re expecting the light romance promised by the marketing, you’ll be disappointed.

SPOILERS

The cutesy opening and synopses barely hint at the heavy Alzheimer’s focus, which takes over from the time Sun-young is diagnosed (about halfway through) to the end, making the show feel more like a family tragedy than a romance. I was misled in the beginning thinking, it would be a heart warming friends to lovers romance with a little bit of parental disapproval to overcome. I was not all prepared for it to become a medical drama centered around the mother as a patient.

The breakup between Ri-hwan and Haeng-ah was infuriatingly stupid and dragged on for *episodes*. They try to sell it as Ri-hwan being noble, worried he might inherit Alzheimer’s and not wanting to “burden” Haeng-ah. But this guy was a happy-go-lucky optimist before, and suddenly, after his mom’s diagnosis, he turns cold and ditches Haeng-ah? It’s so out of character! Haeng-ah has almost no family and sees Ri-hwan as her anchor, yet he abandons her when she’s desperate to support him and his aunt (who raised her). It’s selfish and cruel, especially since she wants to be there for his mom’s care. The breakup felt like forced drama, and it made several episodes boring. The show could’ve ended by episode 12 or 14 instead of dragging to 16, diving too deep into Alzheimer’s and slowing everything down.

Park Sun-young (Bae Jong-ok) was my least favorite character. Bae Jong-ok’s acting is heartbreaking, but Sun-young is so selfish. Raising Ri-hwan as a single mom in Korea was tough, sure, but she tried to end her life *twice*—once while pregnant with him and again when he was a kid, traumatizing both Ri-hwan and Haeng-ah for life. Then, she insists Ri-hwan marry into a rich family, pushing Kang Se-young (Park Hee-von) on him and rejecting Haeng-ah, the woman he loves, despite Sun-young herself escaping a wealthy family. The irony is ridiculous! Then, after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, it’s like she flips overnight from mild symptoms to severe memory loss, suddenly forgetting her obsession with the rich-girl marriage. It felt rushed and unrealistic. Having a family member with Alzheimer’s, I found the portrayal off—Sun-young becomes kinder as her disease worsens, but in my experience, difficult traits often amplify. The show also downplays how Alzheimer’s patients often don’t recognize loved ones because they remember them from years ago, not their current age, making Sun-young briefly forgetting Ri-hwan, episodic and not a part if the disease.

The secondary love interests were awful and leaned into tired K-drama tropes. Ji-hoon (Lee Jong-hyuk), Haeng-ah’s ex, is a selfish jerk who emotionally neglected her, yet *she* apologizes to *him* in the end, which was nonsense. His “I’ve changed” act wasn’t believable—people don’t transform that fast, and he was cruel to Ri-hwan for no reason, despite the girl he professes to love seeing Ri-wan as family. If you really wanted the girl you would be nice to the people important to her. And Kang Se-young (Park Hee-von), the rich girl chasing Ri-hwan, is a spoiled brat who decides she wants him because he’s handsome and nice, ignoring his obvious history with Haeng-ah. She’s rude to Haeng-ah and just unlikable. The show pushes the tired “she likes you, so you should like her” trope with her, but I never felt sorry for her. Yeah her mom was snobby and said cruel things but so did she. Even when she ends up with a nice guy, Han Tae-hee (Ahn Woo-yeon), I wasn’t happy for her because she still seemed mean to him. Also, Ji-hoon was hyped as “super handsome,” but I didn’t see it—he reminded me of Leonard Nimoy in *Star Trek* with those eyebrows and hair, and his awful personality made him even less appealing.

-ah’s friend, Oh Se-young (Kim Ri-won), was another letdown. She calls herself Haeng-ah’s friend but is weirdly mean to Ri-hwan for no real reason, just saying he’s “not good” for Haeng-ah when Haeng-ahs glowing happiness around Ri-hean says otherwise. I mean she says it is because Haeng-ah would be “shredded” by Sun-young’s cruelty toward her as a romantic interest for Ri-hwan then later in dealing with dementia but she obviously does not know her friend. It felt like another cliché “protective friend” trope done poorly, and she had no redeeming moments for me. Even after Haeng-ah and Ri-hwan are back together and the only “shredding” that happened was when they were apart she doesn’t ever admit she was wrong and congratulate her friend.

One redeeming aspect was the heartwarming found-family vibe. The people at Haeng-ah’s radio station, the restaurant crew, Ri-hwan, and even Sun-young formed a tight-knit unit that felt like a real family. Those moments were genuinely touching and gave the show some warmth amidst all the sadness.

The show also leaned into dated tropes, like Ri-hwan’s endless turtlenecks and trenchcoats—such a 2015 K-drama thing! The ending is bittersweet, with Ri-hwan and Haeng-ah reconciling, which is nice for happy-ending fans, but Sun-young’s worsening Alzheimer’s keeps things heavy. The title, opening, and synopses promise a light romance, but *Bubblegum* is a tearjerker bogged down by grief, tropes, and unnecessary drama.


The side romances in were a mess and mostly unbelievable. The older DJ, Lee Seul (Kim Jung-nan), was so silly and self-congratulating, always acting full of herself and fake, that I found her completely annoying. For the young, normal, nice guy, Noh Tae-hee (Go Bo-gyeol), to fall for her felt so weird—they were such different people, and there was nothing compelling about Lee Seul (Kim Jung-nan) to make me believe he’d overlook the age gap or her over-the-top personality. Then, Haeng-ah’s friend, Oh Se-young (Kim Ri-won), had a crush on the manager, Kwon Ji-hoon (Park Won-sang), but it was never clear why—she just liked him out of nowhere, with no meaningful interactions to show why she’d fall for him. Meanwhile, Ri-hwan’s friend, Dong-il (Lee Seung-joon), and Oh Se-young (Kim Ri-won) had a past relationship that ended mainly due to his alcoholism, though she also thought he cheated. Later, when Ji-hoon (Park Won-sang) rejects Oh Se-young (Kim Ri-won) and leaves to work at another station with Ji-hoon (Lee Jong-hyuk), she drinks with Dong-il (Lee Seung-joon), hinting they might reconnect, which made no sense since she’d already called out his drinking as a dealbreaker.

Lee Dong-wook and Jung Ryeo-won acted their roles well, and the found-family moments are sweet, but the misleading title, bubbly opening, and vague synopses hide how heavy and sad this show is. The Alzheimer’s focus, dragged-out breakup, tired tropes, and unlikable side characters made it a slog. If you love emotional dramas and can handle dementia themes, you might rate it higher than my 6/10. But if those topics hit close to home or you want the light romance it promises, brace yourself or pick something else.



SYNOPSIS



This is a 2015 South Korean drama in the romance, comedy and family genres that has 16 episodes that run about 60 minutes each.

In the bustling worlds of a traditional Eastern medicine hospital and a late-night radio station, childhood friends Park Ri-hwan (Lee Dong-wook) and Kim Haeng-ah (Jung Ryeo-won) are navigating adulthood. Ri-hwan is from a wealthy family and Haeng-ah was "adopted" by Ri-hwan's family and raised as another child in the same household. Both have dealt with unspoken feelings, family pressures, lingering exes, and the quiet ache of loneliness. But, Haeng-ah was clearly told that she was not of status to ever romantically pursue Haeng-ah by his mother both when she lived in the house and again as an adult. But what starts as playful bickering and platonic support evolves into a slow-simmering romance that's as comforting and fleeting as blowing bubbles—sweet, light-hearted, and gone in a pop if you don't savor it. The drama blends heartfelt family dynamics with witty banter. If you haven't heard of it don't be surprised as this underrated gem might capture the joy of rediscovering love in everyday chaos but it lacks the over-the-top angst that plagues other k-dramas but also pulls them into the ring of notice. And in true love triangle fashion there is also Hong Yi-seul (Park Hee-von) a rich heiress who had a blind date with and now has feelings for Ri-hwan, and Haeng-ah's ex-boyfriend Kang Suk-joon (Lee Jong-hyuk) who is also her senior/director of the company she works in, and who wants her back.

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Heartwarming and Fun with some surprising emotional depth

9.5/10 is my rating

For People Thinking About Watching Love 911  

If you’re into romance movies with a good mix of funny and heartfelt moments, Love 911 is worth checking out. It’s got a great cast—Han Hyo-joo and Go Soo have awesome chemistry—and it’s not just a fluffy love story. It digs into some real stuff, like dealing with grief and the tough calls that doctors and firefighters have to make. Be warned, though: the female lead, Mi-soo, might annoy you at first because she’s kind of selfish and arrogant, but her growth is so satisfying. The movie’s only about 2 hours long, so it’s a quick watch, and it’s got enough action, humor, and romance to keep you hooked. Just don’t expect every little detail to be tied up neatly at the end.

Review

Love 911 is a super cute 2012 South Korean romantic comedy, drama romance with some action due to the firefighting and rescue scenes. It's very heartwarming and in around the two hour run time it manages to not only tell a nice romantic story but sneaks in some deep emotions. The story follows Mi-soo (Han Hyo-joo), a doctor who’s kind of a hot mess at the start, and Kang-il (Go Soo), a firefighter who’s dealing with some serious grief. These two are total opposites, and watching them clash and then slowly come together is what makes this movie so fun.

Mi-soo (Han Hyo-joo) did drive me up the wall at first. She’s arrogant, a bit selfish, and honestly kind of rude. I was ready to turn the movie off in the first 20 minutes because I couldn’t stand her attitude. She was all about her career and didn't seem to care much about others, which made her hard to like. But stick with it, because her character growth is amazing! Han Hyo-joo does such a great job showing Mi-soo’s journey from being this self-centered doctor to someone who learns to care deeply and own up to her mistakes. It felt so rewarding to watch her change.

Kang-il (Go Soo), on the other hand, is this tough, quiet firefighter who’s still heartbroken over losing his wife. Go Soo plays him perfectly—grumpy and closed-off but with this soft side that comes out bit by bit. The chemistry between him and Mi-soo is so good, especially when they’re bickering or when Mi-soo’s trying to win him over with her crazy antics. It’s not just fluffy romance, though; the movie dives into some heavy stuff, like the tough choices doctors and rescue workers have to make. There are scenes where you really feel the weight of their jobs—saving lives sometimes means putting yourself or others at risk, and that hit me hard.

The supporting characters are great too. The firefighter team, like Yong-soo (Kim Sung-oh) and Hyun-kyung (Hyun Jyu-ni), add some humor and heart, and the fire station captain (Ma Dong-seok) is awesome as this tough but caring boss. The mix of funny moments, like Mi-soo’s over-the-top attempts to get Kang-il’s attention, and the serious stuff, like dealing with loss, makes the movie feel balanced. The music’s pretty good too, with some bubbly tunes that fit the lighter scenes and some emotional ones that draw you in to experience a little of what they go through.

My only gripe is that I wanted more time with Mi-soo and Kang-il as a couple. Once Kang-il finally lets his guard down, it’s so sweet, but it happens kind of late, and I wished we got a few more scenes of them being happy together. I’m not a fan of movies that drag out happy ending forever, but this one could’ve given us a bit more of their cute moments. Also, some things are left a little unclear at the end, which I’ll get into in the spoiler section. Overall, though, it’s a movie that made me laugh, tear up a bit, and feel all warm and fuzzy. If you love romance with some real emotional depth, you’ll probably enjoy Love 911.

Spoilers

Mi-soo (Han Hyo-joo) starts off in hot water because she misdiagnoses a patient, and the patient’s husband sues the hospital. Her lawyer tells her to get Kang-il (Go Soo) to testify against the husband, who assaulted Kang-il when he was grieving. Mi-soo’s plan is super selfish—she tries to “date” Kang-il just to get him to help her save her medical license. Her antics are wild, like volunteering as a paramedic to get close to him, and it’s hilarious watching her try so hard while Kang-il just shuts her down. But as they work together on dangerous rescue missions, you see them start to connect for real.

What I loved was how Kang-il calls Mi-soo out on her behavior. He points out that she was wrong to judge the husband so harshly, and it takes her a while to get it. Eventually, she genuinely feels sorry and apologizes to the husband, even though it pretty much ends her career as a doctor. That moment was huge for her character—she goes from being all about herself to actually caring about others. Han Hyo-joo nails those scenes where Mi-soo’s tough exterior starts to crack.

Kang-il’s story is heartbreaking. He lost his wife, Ji-young (Oh Yoo-na), and feels guilty because he was saving someone else when she died. The movie doesn’t give us a ton of details about how she died, which bugged me a little. Like, was it an accident? Was it during one of his missions? A bit more backstory would’ve made his pain hit even harder. Still, Go Soo’s acting is so good—you can feel how much Kang-il’s hurting and why he’s so closed off. Mi-soo’s persistence slowly breaks through his walls, and it’s beautiful when he finally admits he loves her, especially in that church scene where she confesses first.

The ending is super cute but left me with some questions. Mi-soo joins the fire station as a new recruit, which is adorable, but it’s not clear if she’s permanently switching to being a firefighter or paramedic or if she’s still a volunteer. Also, Kang-il keeps throwing himself into dangerous situations, like when he risks his life to save a worker in a collapsed building. After he and Mi-soo get together, I was hoping we’d see him ease up on the reckless stuff now that he has someone to live for, but the movie doesn’t really say if he changes. That felt like a loose end. Oh, and Mi-soo’s brain tumor thing? It comes up but doesn’t go anywhere major, which was a bit weird.

Still, the final scene where Kang-il wakes up in the ambulance, rushes to find Mi-soo, and they kiss in the middle of the street in Gangnam? So sweet! I just wished we got a little more of them as a couple before it wrapped up. Despite those loose ends, the romance and the way they help each other heal made me love this movie.

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Fans of the Webtoon will like this despite, and maybe even because of, significant departures

Review:

Note: A unique synopsis is at the end so scroll to the end if you want the synopsis first (but watch out for the spoilers section)

9/10 is my rating. The First Night with the Duke is a standout live-action adaptation that delivers a captivating blend of romance, historical drama, and fantasy intrigue. It ranks among the best WEBTOON-to-live-action adaptations I’ve seen, maintaining strong momentum from start to finish with no major lulls. It has the same basic premise as the webtoon but deviates in ways that can be good at times and not so good others. I will explain in a moment. The chemistry between the leads, Cha Seon-chaek (Seohyun) and Prince Yi Beon (Ok Taec-yeon), is electric, with both actors delivering performances that elevate the romantic tension. Anyone who is familiar with these two talented actors would expect no less. The supporting cast, including King Seol-jong (Joo Suk-tae), Do Hwa-sun (Ji Hye-won), and Jung Su-gyeom (Seo Bum-june), also shine, bringing depth to the complex court dynamics. The romance is heartfelt, punctuated by intriguing plot twists that keep viewers hooked. The Joseon-era setting, with its lavish costumes and detailed sets, adds grandeur, while the fantasy elements ensure unpredictability. I only very selectively watch historical romances because I find the cut-throat antics of royal courts nerve wracking. None-the-less if the plot is good enough, I will watch one and this definitely fit that criteria. I highly recommend this series to fans of romance, WEBTOON adaptations, and historical or fantasy dramas. It’s a drama I’d rewatch and eagerly join others to enjoy again, as its charm and strong execution make it thoroughly entertaining.



Spoilers



Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

While The First Night with the Duke excels overall, some plot points felt improbable. A major issue was King Seol-jong’s (Joo Suk-tae) decision to trust the exiled Prince Yi-gyu (Lee Tae-sun) over Prince Yi Beon (Ok Taec-yeon), who has loyally served as his assassin, carrying out his orders and protecting his reign. Even under the influence of poisonous incense, it’s hard to believe a king would favor an exiled prince with a history of disloyalty over Yi Beon, who has been his steadfast "hunting dog." This choice strained believability and undermined Yi Beon’s established loyalty. The Mongol invasion subplot also felt unnecessary, adding little to the core romance or intrigue and seeming like a forced external conflict. I get that was the way Yi Gyu was trying to get rid of the rival prince but there would be ways, much closer to home, to do so. Similarly, King Seol-jong’s decision to keep the treasonous Heuksa Clan, led by Yi-gyu, close after their failed coup felt dangerously naive. Historically, a king would likely eliminate such threats to prevent further rebellion, and their continued presence diminished the stakes of their betrayal. And even with Yi-Beon turning over a new, less murderous leaf, he was too smart not to understand how dangerous it is to allow those types of person(s) to stay close and retain any power.

Do Hwa-sun’s (Ji Hye-won) arc, shifting from a scheming villainess to a somewhat redeemable and entertaining character, was a highlight. Her transformation added complexity, though it occasionally softened her antagonism too much. In terms of the "nice" character turned villainess, Eun-ae, I appreciated that Cha Seon-chaek (Seohyun) didn’t forgive her two attempts to eliminate her, which felt realistic. After Eun-ae’s brief imprisonment, her romantic interest and Prince Yi-Beon's bestie, Jung Su-gyeom (Seo Bum-june), inexplicably resumes their flirtation despite knowing her actions, which felt illogical and diminished her betrayal’s weight. He was such a good guy character him accepting her evil acts, even if she had been punished, did not make sense. He had other options.

The addition of the three brothers—Jae, Min, and Soo (Kim Min-jae, Lee Do-hyun, Song Kang, placeholders)—who were not in the WEBTOON, brought comic relief but were overly silly, clashing with the drama’s elegant tone. Their slapstick humor, while occasionally amusing, felt out of place in the otherwise sophisticated narrative.

Comparison: Live-Action vs. WEBTOON

The live-action The First Night with the Duke captures the romantic and dramatic spirit of the WEBTOON but introduces significant changes due to its shift to a Joseon-era setting from the WEBTOON’s quasi-European fantasy world. This change makes it work better in the Korean drama genre and embeds it deeper in Korean cultural context but alters Prince Yi Beon’s (Ok Taec-yeon) characterization. In the WEBTOON, the male lead (Zeronis) is a belligerent, near-invincible figure who can defy the king without fear, emphasizing his absolute devotion to the female lead (Ripley). In the live-action, the Joseon setting forces Yi Beon to be subservient to King Seol-jong, as displeasing the king could lead to execution. This shifts the focus from Yi Beon’s unwavering devotion to his precarious court position, which some fans may feel dilutes the romance’s intensity.

The three brothers—Jae, Min, and Soo—added for the live-action, do not exist in the WEBTOON. Their slapstick antics, likely included for broader appeal, feel jarring and could have been more subtle to align with the drama’s tone. I thought perhaps they would be side romances, but that never materialized.

The Mongol subplot, absent in the WEBTOON, feels unnecessary, detracting from the focus on romance and court intrigue. I am not a fan of court intrigue, it is one of the reasons I don't watch a lot of historicals, and it was heavily interwoven in the live action.

Do Hwa-sun’s arc differs significantly: in the WEBTOON, her counterpart (Seria) remains a straightforward antagonist, while the live-action makes her a complex, partially redeemed character, adding depth but risking softening her villainy. I liked it though. Actually found her quite entertaining in the latter half of the series and she also did not forgive Eun-ae's evil actions. Particularly because she took the rap for them through much of the story.

Cho Eun-ae’s descent into a malicious antagonist is more pronounced in the live-action compared to her misguided WEBTOON counterpart (Etoile), but Jung Su-gyeom’s continued affection for her feels less believable as a result. It wound up being an awkward romance because it would be out of character for him to still like her after all he had learned about her true nature.

The live-action emphasizes court politics more heavily, with additional scenes of King Seol-jong’s power struggles and Yi Beon’s role as his enforcer, which add depth but occasionally overshadows the romance. The WEBTOON prioritizes the central romance, with political intrigue as a backdrop. The live-action’s production design, with historically accurate Joseon-era costumes and sets, is stunning, though some fans may miss the WEBTOON’s whimsical, colorful aesthetic.

Despite all these changes and maybe even because of them, the adaptation succeeds, with Seohyun and Ok Taec-yeon’s stellar performances and undeniable chemistry making it a must-watch. Fans of the WEBTOON may notice the shift in tone, but the drama carves its own path effectively.

Synopsis

This is a 2025 South Korean television series that blends fantasy, history and romantic elements. It is adapted from a popular web novel of the same name written by Hwang Do-tol. It has 12, 60 minute, episodes. ,

Cha Seon Chaek (Seo Hyun) is just an average college student who finds herself magically transported into her favorite romance novel. Nothing to see here. And finds herself in the body of Cha Seon Chaek (Seo Hyun) who is a minor noble who wasn't originally a very intrinsic player in the plot. But, because Cha Seon Chaek is really not herself and modern college students who drink too much don't always make great decisions, she winds up having a hot night with Lee Beon (Ok Taec yeon), Prince Gyeong Seong. Which wasn't supposed to happen in the story. He is the male lead. Favored by the King he is incredibly handsome but also very cold-blooded and an amazing martial artist. Plot twist from the original novel, after spending the night with Seon Chaek he is determined to marry her instead of marrying Cho Eun Ae (Kwon Han sol). Doing what any good fourth wall would do, Seon Chaek is determined to get the story back on track and does everything she can to steer the Prince back toward his original intended. I mean, she knows what is supposed to happen but her original "error" along with the Prince's determination to steer events to his own intended outcome, mean our female lead (the body snatcher) is having to navigate court intrigue, manage a relationship with Lee Beon, and figure out how to return to her own time. It's modern knowledge versus ancient wisdom and an unlikely matchup versus a determined Prince.

#TheFirstNightWiththeDuke #SeoHyun #OkTaecYeon

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This is not light-hearted, has some comedy but not central, and is not a romance per se

Review

I consider this an 8/10 despite what I consider to be some significant issues with certain aspects and particularly the ending. But the "meat" of the story is very good. Castaway on the Moon* is a poignant and introspective South Korean film that dives deeply into complex themes of mental health, isolation, and human connection. Despite its seemingly quirky premise—a man stranded on an island in the middle of Seoul’s Han River—it’s far from a lighthearted comedy or romance. The story follows two individuals at their lowest points, finding an unexpected bond through their shared struggles. While there are hints of mild romantic feelings, the film avoids explicit romance, focusing instead on mutual understanding and empathy between two people who feel alienated from society.

The film’s strength lies in its unflinching exploration of mental health and social issues, making it a compelling watch for those who appreciate thought-provoking narratives. It’s not a movie for everyone, though. If you’re looking for a funny, uplifting, or romantic story, this isn’t it. The tone is heavy, and the pacing is deliberate, which may not suit viewers seeking lighter fare. Personally, I wouldn’t rewatch it, but I wouldn’t leave the room if someone else put it on—it’s engaging enough to hold your attention, even if it’s not a film you’d revisit.

**Recommendation**: Watch this if you enjoy deep, character-driven stories that tackle mental health and societal pressures. Skip it if you prefer rom-coms or lighthearted entertainment.

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Spoilers
Some viewers have questioned the plausibility of the protagonist, Kim Seong-geun, being unable to escape the island, given its proximity to Seoul. However, real-life cases show that isolation can happen even in populated areas. For example, there have been instances of people trapped in overlooked spaces—like a patient left on an outdoor hospital landing who died because no one heard their calls. This supports the film’s premise that Seong-geun could be stranded so close to civilization. That said, the film suggests he might not have *wanted* to be rescued. At a certain point, his focus shifts from escape to survival, and he finds purpose in sustaining himself on the island. This is evident in his determination to make black bean noodles, a task that symbolizes his need to reclaim agency after feeling like a failure in his job and finances.

The connection between Seong-geun and the female protagonist, Kim Jung-yeon, who observes him from her apartment, is another point of contention. Their bond, built on minimal communication through messages, feels intense but underdeveloped. I find it hard to believe that their brief exchanges could foster such a strong connection. As a psychologist I found the characters to be deeply troubled—Seong-geun with severe depression after attempting suicide, and Jung-yeon with what appears to be agoraphobia, social anxiety, possible hoarding tendencies, and trauma hinted at by facial scarring and her avoidance of her parents. Without significant therapy, it’s likely both would revert to their previous states after the film’s events. Seong-geun’s forced removal from the island leaves little indication he’s equipped to handle his old life, and while Jung-yeon makes progress by venturing outside, her underlying issues remain unaddressed.

The film’s ending is deliberately ambiguous, offering a soft resolution that leaves their futures uncertain. There’s a suggestion of a potential friendship, or perhaps a faint romantic spark, but I don’t buy the latter—they’re too damaged to be in a state receptive to romance nor would they be very good for each other romantically. His "FU" response to her not messaging him back is an example of how volatile both of their emotional states are. As friends, they might support each other’s healing, but both need serious professional help. Seong-geun’s struggles seem rooted in depression, while Jung-yeon’s complex issues, including possible trauma, make her a more intricate case. The film frustratingly never reveals the cause of her condition, which feels like a missed opportunity to flesh out her character.

On a side note, some of Seong-geun’s survival tactics were off-putting. His casual handling of bird droppings and using his own waste as fertilizer—without apparent concern for hygiene—felt gross and unrealistic, as he’d likely contract parasites. Eating unwashed items also triggered my germaphobic side. But, on a practical note, you have to be even more careful in a survival situation with stuff like wound care and sanitation. Granted you can't be perfect but being oblivious and careless could lead to fatal results. These moments detracted from the film’s otherwise grounded portrayal of survival.

Overall, *Castaway on the Moon* raises compelling questions about resilience and connection but leaves you uncertain about the characters’ futures. It’s a thought-provoking film, but its ambiguity and lack of resolution may leave some viewers wanting more closure.

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Did not find it at all delightful, lots of deceipt,

Review

6/10 is my rating. I found Delightfully Deceitful to be a disappointing watch. The premise of a con artist with no empathy teaming up with an overly empathetic lawyer for revenge sounded intriguing, but the execution fell flat

.The female lead character, Lee Ro-woom, is portrayed as cold and distant, with a backstory meant to justify her behavior, but it didn’t resonate with me. Han Moo-young, the male lead character, is incredibly kind and patient, but her stand-offish and sometimes cruel attitude towards him became increasingly frustrating, especially since it persisted well beyond the halfway point, when I decided to stop watching.

The plot is undeniably complex, with numerous twists and turns, but this complexity doesn’t translate into excitement. Instead, it often feels convoluted and slow-moving, making it hard to follow and, frankly, boring at times. Watching with my daughter, we frequently found ourselves taking breaks, only to return and realize we had missed crucial plot points because the show was so tedious.

From what I’ve read in other reviews, the final episodes drag on unnecessarily, which only reinforces my decision to quit when I did. Additionally, many viewers noted that the drama loses its initial psychological depth and becomes more formulaic, which might explain why it feels less engaging as it progresses.

If you’re a fan of the revenge trope and can tolerate a slow pace, you might enjoy it more than I did. However, for me, it was a struggle to get through, and I wouldn’t recommend it to others. In fact, if it were on, I’d probably change the channel.

Spoilers

One of the major issues I had with the series is how Han Moo-young, a character who is supposed to be principled and upright, ends up compromising his values for Lee Ro-woom. Even considering their past connection when they were younger, I didn’t see why he would go to such lengths for her. Her character didn’t have enough depth or charm to warrant such devotion, in my opinion.

From the very first episode, I found the storyline lackluster. I kept hoping it would pick up and become more engaging, but it never did. The complexity of the plot required intense focus, as missing even a small detail could leave you lost. Normally, this would add to the excitement, but in this series, it only made the experience more tedious. Watching with my daughter, we often found ourselves taking breaks, asking each other to summarize what happened, only to realize that even when we were paying attention, the significance of events was unclear, and new characters were introduced without proper context. It felt like my brain checked out, even though my eyes were still on the screen—that’s how uninteresting I found it at times.


Synopsis

This is a 2023 South Korean series with crime, drama, thriller, and even some comedy elements. Major themes in this drama include justice, revenge and deception. The series has 16, 60 to 70 minute episodes.

Lee Row oom (Chun Woo hee) was wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of her parents when she was actually herself a victim. To survive prison, she allowed the others to believe she was an unfeeling psychopath. Angry at her fate though, she does become a very charismatic and cunning con artist. After 10 years of time in prison for a crime she did not commit, new evidence, that indicates the actual killer, leads to her release. Once released, Ro woom teams up with the attorney who helped free her, Han Moo-yeong (Kim Dong wook) to bring to justice the group that ended and ruined her family's lives. Initially very different, a passionate empathic lawyer and a cold devious con artist, they evolve both personally and together through the series. The story weaves through mysteries, betrayals and many twists and has the surprising element of Ro woom breaking the 4th wall and talking to viewers.

#DelightfullyDeceitful #ChunWooHee #KimDongWook

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You Will Root for the Undersog

Based on mixed reviews, I almost did not watch this. But then Park Seo Joon and IU were in it and I like them both a lot. I needed this one after watching The Whirlwind Girl 2 and being extremely frustrated because she was so wishy-washy with her sport and competing. I loved that they never gave up. They kept on trying. That to me is the spirit of athleticism. I should’ve known with Seo Joon in it that it would be good like that because he picks those sort of roles. And I should’ve just trusted him. It’s a quick watch. It’s only a couple of hours. I wish it would’ve been a series because it was really good and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but they did a good job with it in movie form.

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It's a whine fest - world class athletes should have their head in the game

Review

6/10 is my rating. If you are a fan of Ji Chang Wook, you really shouldn't miss this one. He plays an excellent coach and tormented former top athlete. I kept seeing clips of him in this martial arts uniform which he wears quite well. I did not like this second one as well as the first. It continues the story but I thought they radically changed some aspects of the characters and the storyline and I wasn't a fan of the way they changed it. Am I sorry I watched it? No, I enjoyed many parts of it. Would I recommend it to others? Mainly those who watched the first, martial arts fans, and those that really like Ji Chang Wook. Rewatch value? Near zero for me.

Spoilers

Let me start by saying despite everything I still liked series, am glad I watched it as far as I did, but there are, in my opinion, a lot of problems which is probably why I don't see this turn up more on "what to watch lists."

It's not just that the changed the actress who played Bai Cao but the character changed as well. And not in a good way. She became less focused on the sport, more of a whiner, and I thought very selfish in many ways.

In the first season I really liked the Ru Bai character. He had the "there's no crying in baseball attitude" which is just what main girl needed because she literally had her head focused on just about anything but her sport. Ru Bai would get mad at her anytime he reason and focus wasn't for the love of the sport itself. That type of tough love coaching is just what this girl needed. Season 1 she spent most of her time only winning so her master would come see her. Which was frustrating. Season 2 it's just so that Rui Bai will come back, potentially from the dead I guess. Which is a great irony because he would have hated that. In fact, he would have disapproved of most of her behavior in the 2nd season. She totally disrespected the sport and he would have been "just quit" then.

Enter Coach An and at first he is also just what the doctor ordered. I am not going to coach you if you are only going to linger on someone who is no longer with us. Good. That is what she needed. Compete for the right reasons or not at all. He got her head back in the game. Finally. After a dozen or so episodes. Or so I thought, Then, the person who was trying to take out her knee gets injured. Why? Because she was training so hard to be able to injure main girl and punish her that one significant kick just about ended her. Okay. I get it. At first main girl thought it was her fault. Which was still ridiculous because you play competitive sports, especially something like martial arts or boxing, and you know injury is a possibility. Which is why, universally, deliberately trying to injure someone is not considered sportsman like conduct. But that family blamed everyone if their athlete was injured. Even if they were doing everything within the boundaries of the sport. Still main girl mired in that. She groveled to them. And, once again her head was completely out of the game. She even let her team mates lose and get beat up while she was over there being "punishing" herself for some imagined slight to the villain. And now Coach An is in love with her and just enabling all of her ridiculous guilt nonsense.

And Ting Hao. I loved him in the first series. He was a great 2nd guy but in this second he become overly forceful in his affection. Then, he blames her for his sister's outrageous behavior. He created that monster. Never made her take any personal responsibility. She could violate every rule of the sport and only be using it for revenge but that was okay. Even blamed main girl for stealing his sister's first love. Give me a break. He told his sister at one point give it up he has never liked you that way. But, now that he is anti Bai Cao suddenly she is the bad girl for "taking" his sister's crush. Dude you are just salty because she rejected you. Get over it. Quite whining. But oh, you are in good company half of the people in this show are huge whiners.

And why, every time main girl is confronted with a group of baddies does she forget she is a world class martial artist? That group of European toughs took her down way too easy. I didn't expect her to win but I did expect a good fight. And, whomever is with her, whichever top martial artist, also is suddenly completely helpless. So that leaves Bai Caio suddenly trying to defend her somewhat helpless self and another martial artist who is mysteriously completely helpless. I get a street fight is different than a controlled match but still. You can't even hurt them a little? And 2nd fight? You are so in your own head, feeling so sorry for your own self, you are just going to let your sister get beat? That is when I decided she was selfish. Selfish for letting everyone down and letting her hall go to ruin. Selfish for ignoring all the people that cared about her so she could go be sorry for herself and supposedly "punish" herself. And then selfish for letting them all fight to save the hall while she is playing Cinderella cleaning up after them.

Coach An. I loved the first part of the series coach. Tough and focused. He did need just a little softening. A little. Like maybe tell them why. That's all. Because our main girl still needs that tough love. You quit and she is all off doing everything but being a focused competitor. Literally someone needs to do it. Ru Bai is no longer around and everyone else is going to coddle her whiny butt. But, no, he goes mushy soft once he falls for her. Disappointing.

The girl was a siren but also an ice queen. I mean you have every eligible bachelor around you vying for your attention and you so obviously like some of them but you can't admit anything until they are literally dead or dying? That was very frustrating. I get it wasn't a romance but you are throwing romance in with so much potential but our girl is just cold as ice. Thaws a little here and there but mostly just cold. Which, if she had been focused on her sport I could have allowed a lot more. But she wasn't. She was always mired in some sort of self inflicted emotional misery. Such a waste of talent.

Tao Feng what the heck? He went completely Darth Vader. So he learns this big beef he had with Coach An was baseless. The kid he supposedly ended had a heart condition he was hiding and he was doing the right thing by making him quit. If anything Tao Feng contributed by helping him continue to train on the wheel. But no. It's your fault. So, he finally comes around on that. Learned anything? Nope. Blames main girl for his sister's injury when it was his sister who injured herself by over training. I lost all respect for his character. And that whole family. Grandpa. Was it worth it? It's just a game? Really? You were just having your granddaughter train like her life depended on it a couple of scenes ago. That entire family drove me nuts. They already practically destroyed one life because the mother is in a coma by her own martial arts mishap. So they blame her competitor. Destroy several lives there with that guilt. And let their hall just go away? That made no sense.

I did not watch the last couple of episodes. I was so frustrated I read episode reviews and learned she essentially rejects Coach An. It is bad enough when you have to experience lead girl break one person's heart but she just broke hearts all over the place. And it wasn't that she didn't like them she was just selfish and completely dishonest with herself. So, I had no desire to watch that. I also found out the last episodes are mainly flashbacks and many of the story lines are never fully resolved. The cincher though, was in the book she gets with Ting Hao. Rejects Coach An and gets with Ting Hao. What? Even knowing that is a possibility turned me completely off of watching the end. I rage quit it. Still irritated about it because it could have been good.

Synopsis

This is a 2016 continuation of the story of Whirlwind Girl. They are sequential and the story is threaded through both seasons. It would be possible to watch either solo, but parts of the continuous story would be missing. It is notable that the main character, Baicao is played by a new actress in this second season. There are 36, 40-minute episodes.

Baicao (An Yuexi) is coming to terms with the loss of her mentor. At the same time, she is trying to regain confidence after injuring an opponent. Her prospects turn around when Chang An (Ji Chang-wook), a brilliant and skilled Yuanwudao athlete begins coaching her. What started as a plan to use Baicao for revenge turned into a genuine desire to coach her to her ultimate success in the sport. As Chang An pushes the talented athletes to new limits a spark unites between the two. Fang Tinghao (Chen Xiang) hasn't given up his interest in Baicao and resents the new male presence in her life. Season 2 continues the story, but the rivalries have intensified, characters have matured, and the martial arts component is even stronger. Action, love and romance intertwine in the final tale of Baicao's rise in the sport she loves.

#TheWhirlwindGirl2 #JiChangWook #ChangXiang #AnYeuxi

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Liked it more than I expected to. It is exciting watching her skills build

9/10 is my rating. Worth watching? I think so. Especially if you are looking for something a little different. It has a strong focus on this fictitious form of martial arts. A slice of martial arts life. There are some romantic moments, but it really isn't a romance per se. So, if you are looking for romance you might be disappointed because there is not a happily ever after. It's more like the typical romantic moments that occur in a coming of age. There is a love square (not a triangle as there are three that like main girl) but the girl is more focused on becoming a force to reckon with than spending her time chasing boys. She does a little of it, but not a lot. For me I appreciated those little sprinkles of romance, it kept it interesting.

If you don't do sad but are okay if you are prepared you might want to look at my spoiler section. Just to be prepared. For me I am okay sometimes with sad if I know what to expect. This season is not on balance sad but there is some sad in it.

I found her a little annoying at times in the beginning. She was completely stuck on an idea to the exclusion of all else. Loyal to an actual fault. But, she grew beyond that so if you can stick with it she does mature and undergo character growth.

The martial arts is loosely based on taekwondo but it states, up front, it is fictitious. I saw where there was some criticism of the martial arts that it was over the top and they did some things that weren't entirely possible. If you have watched "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" or any of the other numerous Chinese martial arts media, you won't be super surprised by the moments when an aerial is exaggerated, or the action is comedically paused or drawn out. I actually enjoyed that. But, martial arts purest may not like that. Again, knowing what to expect is the key.

I have seen quite a few sites that recommend The Whirlwind Girl 2 as if 1 does not even exist. And I didn't get that focus. I thought maybe they stood completely independently and 2 was recommended in Korean Drama circles because Ji Chang Wook is in the second season but not the first. And I do think that is the case because there is a story that starts in the first and runs through the second and I think you will get a deeper dive and more insight on the story if you watch both in order. A little more than that even though, you would likely be confused in the beginning of the 2nd season if you hadn't watched the first.

Overall, I enjoyed this. But I think that was mainly knowing what to expect with the romance, martial arts, and knowing what the sad consisted of. I like seeing men or women go from not being very strong to a force to be reconned with. I would recommend it to anyone that likes martial arts elements with the caveat that they do exaggerate elements. I may watch it again at some time in the distant future and wouldn't turn it off or change channels if someone else was watching it.



Spoilers

This is like a martial arts campus/world. They live together as a team in these whole houses and you battle for your team. It reminded me of Harry Potter houses in a weird way. But it is a rather unique set up the way the teams are organized and how, if you are in that particular "house" you live and breathe with that team.

Don't get too attached to Ru Bai as it ends with a lot of uncertainty if he is alive or dead. So, you might grow to really like him because he becomes such great support for main girl. He tells her all the right things at the right moments and does so much behind the scenes to help her succeed. But, in the end, he collapses when she is competing, and she never effectively sees him again. Even in the 2nd season. So, if you are impacted by sad but are okay with preparation, don't get attached to him. That is one of the things I didn't like. They were so nebulous as to what happened to him. And it seemed totally unnecessary to have him possibly die. I think they wanted the whole "he would die for her" to the extreme.

If you don't want to get frustrated with the main girl realize she is absolutely loyal to a fault and that will become a strength later. You will have to put up with her whining about "her master" in the early episodes. And be like okay enough already just get over it and move on. He even wants you to. But, loyalty is an important trait in martial arts team type sports.

Three of the men/boys like her. I have to say, of the three I liked the rich/bad boy the most, Fang Ting Hao. When he gave her the phone and then called a car for her when she was lost...that was the sweetest thing. I mean it is hard to compare to some of the things Rui Bai did but one of the most frustrating things with Rui Bai to me is how he acted indifferent and never told her anything. Ting Hao was all in. The only drawback with him to me was he coddled his little sister, and she was a spoiled, wicked brat.

If the 2nd season would not have already been out, I would have really been frustrated with the ending. It just ends. She is about to go into a match with her biggest rival and Rui Bai collapses then it just ends. Abruptly. I even had to go back and make sure there weren't more episodes I didn't know about. And when the 2nd season first picks up there isn't a smooth transition from 1 to 2. They don't talk about the ending of 1 and what happened until some 10s of minutes have passed in the first episode. It was a bit odd.

Scroll down for a unique synopsis

Synopsis

This is a 2015 Chinese martial arts romance with 32, 45-minute episodes. Alternatively known under the title Tornado Girl. Series is based on a novel.

Qi Baicao (Hu Bingqing) became an orphan after losing both of her parents in a fire. She was adopted by Qu Xiangnan (Vincent Jiao) who was a former world champion who quit the sport after being accused of doping. Baico, who always had a love of Yuanwudao, starts as a white belt but with passion and discipline becomes a competitive athlete with the nickname "whirlwind girl." In order to take back the pride for her town (the origin place of the fictitious martial art Yuanwudao which most closely resembles the real art taekwondo), and clear her mentor's name, she is determined to excel at the sport. Her main trainer, Ruo Bai (Yang Yang) is secretly in love with her and she has Yu Chuyuan (Bai Jingting) a medic, and Fan Tinghao (Chen Xiang) who are also admirers. And the three boys/men interested in her are very different in character. But she has rich interactions with each that are a part of her journey in martial arts. There is a heavier focus on martial arts than romance in this one, but it has a lot of exciting matches like a face-off with rival Fang Tingyi (Zhao Yuannuan), Tinghao’s sister. As Baicao rises in the ranks she begins to learn more about her mentor's fall from grace. This is a coming of age feel good drama with an emphasis on the athletic aspect of the main character.

#WhirlwindGirl #TornadoGirl #ZhaoYuannuan #ChenXiang #VincentJia #Hu Bingqing

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Lots of loose ends; the ending was set up for another season

Review

8.5/10 is my rating. Overall I really liked this and would highly recommend it. My main disappointment is just that it, in my opinion, ends with a lot of loose ends because it is obvious they were planning for another season. I do not personally like when they do that because, with streaming platforms, there is no guarantee there will be another season. Also, for me, I watch so many dramas that if the other season does not come out quickly I will have to rewatch the first season. It is really intensely focused on the mother-daughter relationship. The romances are more of an aside. So, I wouldn't recommend it strictly for the romance aspect more for family dynamics and slice of life.

Spoilers

The mother could be extremely selfish. She did not encourage the relationship between the daughter and the father which I thought was very wrong. If she had done it because she thought it would be harmful it would be one thing, but her motivation seemed very selfish. I started out really liking the mother as a free spirit but then, as the series progressed and she did many things (like locking her daughter out or stealing her underwear when she was angry) I liked her less. And that might be my personal bias as I have a relative that she very much reminded me of. It is real though. There are mothers like that.

The daughter not desiring any relationship with the father did not make sense to me. She seemed as if she always wanted that and then this nice person comes along and wants to be in her life and she just refuses.

I thought the series would show how the mom and daughter had this co-dependent relationship that was unhealthy and it would evolve into a much healthier situation. But it didn't seem to go that way. They did not change a whole lot through the course of this first season. It may be one thing they are setting up for future seasons but it didn't happen in this first one. That was disappointing.

Neither romance fully took off. It was clear the mom and dad would likely stay together. But the daughter and "senior" had that one night then he said never mind and she decides to go off on some long journey. They had their touching I will miss you and I will wait for you moment but, come on, that is all we get? Another one where i think they were setting it up for a second season.

Introducing the grandparents did not make complete sense either. They were on the brink of becoming a complete family, they pulled their jerk move, then there was zero resolution or reconciliation. It is hard to picture a Korean family operating like that. Based on everything else I have seen their culture doesn't tend to write the elders off that easy. But that is another situation that seemed set up for something in the future. Maybe it will be picked back up in a 2nd season but having it be so transitory did not make sense in the context of a relatively short first season.

Scroll down for a Unique Synopsis

Synopsis

This is a 2023 South Korean romantic comedy drama that centers on the relationship between a mother and daughter. There are 12, 60 minute episodes.

Kim Eun-mi (Jeon Hye-jin) became pregnant with her daughter Jin-hee when she was still in high school. Surprisingly she elected to raise her daughter herself as even as a grown woman she remains very free spirited. To support her daughter she became a physical therapist and is much sought after at the clinic where she works. Kim Jin-hee (Choi Soo-young) is the opposite of her mother she is mature and calm is often the stabilizing influence in their household keeping her boisterous mother out of trouble. Jin-hee was a lieutenant at her previous station but got caught in a situation where an influential criminal got in trouble and she took the fall. She was temporarily demoted (1 year) and sent to serve at a new precinct under Eun Jae-won (Park Sung-hoon) a man who she has a not so good past with who thinks she is only book smart. An ear, nose and throat doctor Park Jin-hong (Ahn Jae-wook) emerges and it turns out he is Jin-hee's father who abandoned the two women when Eun-mi became pregnant. The story centers around the troubled relationship between the mother and daughter as they learned to understand each other. Romance is right around the corner for both women.

#NotOthers #JeonHyeJin #ChoiSooYoung #AhnJaeWook #ParkSungHoon

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