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If you can accept an episode that was useless to the series it is likable

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy series with 12, ~70 minute episodes. It is based on a popular Webtoon of the same name.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Na A jeong (Jeon Jong seo) and Lee Do han (Kim Do wan)were best friends since high school. When Do han asks A jeong to help him avoid an arranged marriage by entering into a contract marriage, A jeong agrees because, as an aspiring actress, pretending to be romantically in love with her best friend is just another role to play. She is used to playing parts for people (such as rent a friend) to make money to continue to pursue her dream of becoming a lead actress. Do han has hidden his homosexuality from his family to this point and the contractual relationship with his friend will allow him to continue to keep his secret. Lee Ji han (Moon Sang min) Do han’s younger brother, is not aware of his brother’s feelings on romance, and wants to thwart the relationship between Do han and A jeong. He wants Do han to folllow through with the arranged marriage with Yoon chae won (Bae Yoon kyung) to secure their grandfather’s approval and inherit control of the conglomerate.

Review

This is a slightly predictable but overall good romantic drama. It has a small comedic element but I wouldn’t characterize it too deeply as comedy. It deals with some deep issues like sexual identity and social stigmas. The slice of life is in the chaebol/conglomerate world and a lot of the social tension is viewed from that, upper echelon, lens. The first half was very good, the premise was not unique but not completely overdone and the story had great flow. But, the last episodes there was a lot of unnecessary drifting and I think some even stopped watching because of that. If you can get through an episode or so and just stick with it, it all wraps up well. The ending is generally happy and mostly tied up. I would not rewatch it any time soon as there are so many better options available. I would recommend it to those that like this genre, are interested in contract marriage tropes or social stigma around falling in love with the “wrong” person. It is not a hard watch and mostly enjoyable except for an episode or so where they seemed t have lost the way.

Spoilers

There was a lot of conflict around the grandfather choosing his “illegitimate” grandson as his main choice of heir even with all the problems Do han had. Nothing was ever explicitly explained but I understood he wanted him out of a sense of guilt toward his daughter and because he felt that powerful position would protect Do han from the social stigma around being an “illegitimate” child as well as his sexual orientation. But, it made no logical sense that a business man would choose his Grandson for those reasons alone. If they had made Do han some brilliant business person, a managerial or economic genius then him choosing him for the other reasons would have made more sense. They also did not clearly indicate why he was so opposed to his other grandchildren taking that seat. It does come out later that their father effectively caused their mother’s death and that might be why he was opposed to them inheriting the business, the whole sins of the father angle, but that is also not super clear. I wanted a huge take down and for those evil relatives to get some of their due. I guess their punishment was the fact that their father had done something so horrible. But that wasn’t completely satisfying given how cruel they had been to their half brothers. I thought it would have been a great twist if they had turned out “illegitimate” since there was so much snobbery around that.

The chemistry between the two main leads was just weird. Sometimes they had great chemistry and other times it just wasn’t there. When they did the beaten past recognition trope of “I’m going to leave you for the good” they acted like being apart did not bother them much. It was hard enough to believe they had some deep connection prior to that and I was just getting it when that separation happened. Then it was like, just kidding, we didn’t love each other that deeply after all. They were trying for the angle that they were just acting like they didn’t care but you can’t achieve that level of detachment with someone you love deeply. And why? At the point they took the year apart Do han had come out and confessed everything and the public had already moved on from labeling her with the scarlet letter. So, there was no compelling reason for them to separate and it just seemed very dramatic at that point. Immature. Ji han’s press conference where he emphasized that he was the one to pursue her and seduce her was pointless. First, there were pictures of them having a passionate kiss and she was obviously just as involved with him as he was with her. And second, Do han confessing resolved the entire situation. All he had to do was have a real conversation with his brother and her and that press conference would have been completely unnecessary.

I am still trying to reconcile how a child could be held responsible, at all, for the death of their parent simply because they were the first one saved, and the car exploded in fire. The mother specifically requested he be saved first. The grandfather basically said he treated him the way he did not because he blamed him but because seeing him made the grandfather feel guilty and remorseful. Selfish much? And they never explained why the mom was in the car, why was he in the car, and who was the man driving that car. Did she really have a scandalous affair that produced the two boys. Was she just a trash person or was her husband always a violent maniac? That was such a key aspect but we really got nothing in the way of explaining the situation around the mother.

The ending was not fully satisfying because she was in a wedding dress but it turns out that was for a role she was playing and not that they were getting married. I don’t always need to see the leads get married. Often just the confession and them indicating they stay together is enough to feel fully wrapped up. In this case though the leads were so wishy washy with their relationship I would have liked to see them actually marry. It shows them running away together in the end but you aren’t tricking me a bit he grabbed her and they ran away when she was in a wedding dress before and they still split up.

There is the weird stalker level ex Jung Dae Hyun (ShinYongBum) who apologizes and is “redeemed” at least in Do han’s eyes. I could nit figure out why they made Do han’s ex such a creepy character. They could have gave him a happy ending with a great life partner. It could have been a sweet bonus romance. But that character was so creepy I did nit want to see Do han even forgive him.

I really debated what level of liking I had for this because it had so much potential. If it weren’t for that episode or so of them breaking up and pretending like they had moved on I would have liked it far more. So like 75% of it was really good, would have rated as one of my top favorites, but that 25% really did have an impact on how much I enjoyed the series. I wonder if the surprising cameos of some of the top talent was due to poor viewer response to the episodes that they broke up and the script drifted. I really liked Yon Chae Won (Bae Yoon Kyoung) character where she played the Chaebol of an adjacent conglomerate who was originally affianced to Do han but wound up in love with Ji han. She remained nice even when she was jealous and did not let others speak badly of or mistreat others without cause.

So it was nice that they had Kim Bum step in as a romantic potential for Chae Won. Lee Soo Hyuk also appeared at the end of the series playing the role of an onscreen bridegroom. And they had Ryu Kyung Soo in for a cameo appearance as well playing the onscreen lover of Ajeong’s drama character. In addition there was Lee Chung Hyun who played the role of a director for Ajeong’s current drama and he was/is her real life boyfriend. So it was a lot of cameos thrown in at the end and thought the characters played key roles in reigniting the leads relationship, it was very noticeable because it was so many in a short span.

#JeonJongSeo #WeddingImpossible #KimDoWan #MoonSangMin #BaeYoonKyung
#KimBum #LeeChungHyun #LeeSooHyuk #ShinYongBum

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If you are looking for a longer, family oriented, love story this would fit the bill

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2012/2013 Taiwanese romantic drama with 72, 47 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Yang Yi Ru’s (Annie Chen) family convinces her she has terminal cancer to get her to take a break from work. Their plan to notify her that she is not really dying fails when she doesn’t check in to her pre assigned hotel room. As fate would have it, she runs across a former college class mate who fell in love, almost at first sight, with her. Lan Shi di (George Hu) lost track of the girl of his dreams before he could pursue his interest. On the island, Yi Ru accepts Shidi’s proposal and they get married but do not register so the marriage is not official. He is happy to have the chance with the girl he could not forget and she thinks she is fulfilling her dream of being married before she dies. When Yi Ru’s family is finally able to get in touch with her to tell her the truth, her and Shidi have already spent a night together. Yiru rushes back home to Taiwan without a word thinking they will never see each other again so she will never have to tell Shidi about the deception, Their fates are even more twisted when the company Yiru co-found lands a contract with Shidi’s company. At first Shidi is happy to see the wife that ran off without a word but happiness quickly turns to anger when Shidi believes Yiru tricked him to get him to drop a lawsuit against her company. Will they be able to sort out their misunderstandings and realize a lasting love with each other?

Review

If you take this for exactly what it is, a romance with all the social norms that are a decade and counting aged, you would like it. It’s very predictable but that can be a good thing if you want something that proceeds as expected. It ends happy with most major plot points resolved. I would recommend it to anyone who is fans of either of these actors. As a straight forward love story, slice of family life, love triangle romance it is a solid addition to all those types of series. It is on the longer side and there are some slow parts and even parts where the characters are shown from many angles just thinking about something. So watch it when you are in the mood for something you want to be engaged with for some time. Sort of like you might watch a daily soap opera. It was good for one watch to me. With so many option s out there, I do not think I will rewatch it. I would recommend it for those looking for a longer, family centered, romantic drama.

Spoilers

I thought the beginning, where they both thought she was terminally ill and he married her as a last wish, would carry and they would be in a contract type relationship. But that really only lasted through a few episodes then she found out she had been lied to about her illness and he was angry with her for deceiving him. I found his anger at her over all that really annoying. She was his dream girl, the one he wanted to find so bad he kept her picture around and then he is just going to act like that over what was obviously a misunderstanding? I was annoyed enough by that I almost quit watching. He was really being unkind to her and I thought it was a bit excessive.

Shi de’s grandmother (Shen Hai jung) was almost creepy in her desire to have him get married and start making babies. It seemed like she just saw him and his partners strictly as a baby conduit. I felt irritated by her over the top attitude on him getting married and having children. I know that was probably something that older women did back in the day but I have never seen anything where it was that extreme. And Shi de’s mother, Fang Xiu qing (Yang Chieh mei) spent her time only pleasing her mother in law. I know it wasn’t the way back in the older days but I wanted to see her assert herself at least a little. Part of the grandmother’s behavior was fed, unintentionally by Xiu qing. I loved her character she was so sweet and positive and just such a great support for her family. But I thought she had her hands to full with a mother in law that behaved like a grown child. The grandmother did change a little after Yi Ru moved in and she got close to her, but I still felt like she was overbearing. I thought one of the most abuse of power things the grandmother did was have the young couple get married in the jail just so she could have the date and time that made her comfortable. If it was really important to marry on an auspicious day, they could have delayed it for another time. It was her stubbornness that had them getting married in such a rush in such a horrible location.

I really liked the bromance between Shi de and Qi ming and wish they would have shown that more. They were very good for each other and their interactions made for a lot of humorous scenes. They could have filled some of those dragged out scenes of this one or that one just remembering or gazing around sadly, and filled that with more of the friendship between the two men

Yi Ru’s father, Yang Hao (Shen Meng sheng) was one of my favorite characters in the way he took Sun Qi Ming (Bobby Dou) in as a son even though he and his daughter were exes. It was very heart warming that he saw that need in a young man and was willing to take on that role of father. I was disappointed in him later on though when he continued the ice wall against Shi de’s aunt, Lan Yi ping (Yen Chia le) because she was so sweet to him all the time and they would have made a good couple. I felt they let that story line drop without good reason.

Yang Hao played a character that was like everyone’s favorite aunt. She was bubbly and always there for her family and friends.

I thought Shi de’s sister, Lan Shi yun (Vivi Lee) was a bit full of herself in the beginning for only having a semi successful self help author type career. As a person that wrote about relationships, she did not seem uniquely qualified to offer such advice. There was never an explanation of how she came to pick that topic. Had she been a successful psychologist or therapist who did that on the side it would have made more sense. Her wardrobe choice with the really long skirts was confusing and I wish they would have explained why she wore a fashion more fitting for a much older person.

He Tsai jung (Mandy wei) was a favorite character early on when she was a play no games hottie on the scene. She was even sweet when she decided she liked Qi ming. But she went through this period where she wanted to punish him and I thought she was just being mean spirited. Qi ming was still recovering from some major heart break with Yu ri and had all the emotional damage, which she was well aware, from his mom. Stringing him along and playing cat and mouse with him I thought was unjust as I thought she was a more understanding person.

I thought the cancer trope and the accident that leads to coma tropes were both unnecessary. It felt like that was added to appease those that don’t think you can have a slice of life, or family centered drama, without sad moments. I watch dramas to escape the sadness of modern life so I am never a fan of the sad story lines. It was tricky too because I look up how things end because I will skip a drama if it has a sad ending but this was buried in the middle and toward the end. I thought the family was very unfair to Yu ri expecting her to abort her baby to get treatment. Even Shi de was being harsh to her. Many women would understand how it would feel to end your babies’ life just to give yourself a better chance. Most mother’s would put themselves in front of a bullet for their child. Just because the child is not yet born doesn’t mean a woman does not feel responsible for the precious fragile life she has developing in her womb. I was glad Shi de finally came around. If the show had followed the trajectory of either her aborting or being seriously ill or dying for her choice to protect her baby, I would have been likely to have quit watching. The “live comments” were super surprising to me. A lot of the commenters were saying how selfish she was not to get the abortion because it delayed her treatment. They said how selfish of her to make her family worry. I guess, having had children myself, I understand how she felt about that little life she was carrying. To me her decision to delay was the opposite of selfish. I have read where a baby has actually cured a mother or improved conditions because of the presence of all the T cells in fetal development. And, even in the show they indicated the cancer had not spread. She actually learned of the cancer at such an early stage because she was pregnant. As that child grows I would think everyone would feel a little guilt for trying to pressure Yu ri to give up the baby.

The music became really annoying. It just wasn’t my favorite song and had a very repetitive beat.

#LoveNow #AnnieChen #GeorgeHu #BobbieDou #Harry Chang #ViviLee #EstherYang #ShenMengSheng #YenChiaLe #ShenHaiJung #YangChiehMei #MandyWei #KaoChengPeng #LiuHsiangChun #TieKe #HankWu #HuangChienHao #AlbeeLiu #WuRuiZhen #ShaunChen#HongChenYing #KellyKo

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Legends are realized and good prevails

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean fictional historical fantasy drama with 12;71-83 minute episodes

 
First I provide a Unique Synopsis then Review

 

Synopsis

 

The second season is a return to the fictional historical kindgdom of Arthdal.  While the general timeframe is bronze age, they are dabbling in Iron and Steel so it is on the cusp of those major developments.  The story picks up about 8 years after Tagon (Jang Dong Gun) dissolved the union and forms a nation that is ruled by a monarchy.  Tagon (Jang Dong Gun) is ruling as king and his wife Taealha (Kim Ok Bin) is the queen and they now have a young son Prince Arok (Shin Seo Woo).  All is not well though in the Kingdom of Arthdal as many feel it is a reign of cruelty so rebellion and strife are occurring across the land.  Tanya has now settled into her role as the high Priestess and still mostly does Tagon and Taealha’s bidding although there are early hints that she may have other plans. In this early time for the Kingdom there is already hints of a plot developing between Tanya (Shin Sae Kyeong) , Lord Saya (Lee Joon Gi) and Mu Baek (Park Hae Joon).  Both Tagon and Taealha seem to have their secrets from each other and are planning ways to secure their power independent from each other. Eunsom (Lee Joon Gi) has united the tribes that are not part of the kingdom and has been warring with Tagon’s forces. The sword (Eunsom), the bell (Tanya) and the mirror (Saya) have all settled into their destinated roles and it is building toward a union possibly and some fateful outcome.  This season continues the stories and we see how the destinies of the three play out.

Review

If you liked the first season then this second season will not disappoint. It is more of the characters we all loved, some of them all grown up. If there hadn’t been a 2nd season already out I am not sure I would have enjoyed the first season as well as it didn’t end in such a way they could have just stopped there. But I was fortunate both seasons were already out at the time I was watching them. It s a transportive experience. You really feel like you are spending time in Arthdal or hanging out with Eunsom. When the 2nd season ended I felt like I was missing someone or something. To me that is the sign of all good “take me away” type series. I love so much about this it is hard to know where to start. If you like action the sword and martial art battles are amazing. Like fictional peoples and even new species? All of the tribes in this are fictional although you might find elements that remind you of what you know if this past people or that. But the water people? Maybe Avatar vibes would be closest to that tribe. One of my favorite themes is good versus evil and also where those lines blur a bit. It’s a power struggle some purely for power and some to have the power to protect the people. And there is a romantic element to it although that is not forefront.

I highly recommend this wonderful series and will definitely watch it again in the future. It ends happy depending on which characters you are attached to. And it is tied up just enough to resolve all the major plot points while still leaving an opening for additional season(s).

 

Spoiler

It is hard to adjust to Eunsom/Saya and Tanya being played by different actors. They did an outstanding job portraying the characters but still every actor brings their own unique aspect to the character, which ever so slightly changes the impression and made it seem like a different person. I struggled the most in the first half of the season but, by the second half, I was used to the new renditions and was able to accept them somewhat as aged versions of the characters I grew attached to in season 1. It would have been better to have the continuity of the same characters but it is a credit to the actors that they were able to carry it off enough that most would be able to accept the changes. Lee Joon Gi, if anything, played Lord Saya even better than Song Joon Ki. But I thought Song Joon Ki was better at portraying Eunsom. For Tanya I thought having Kim Ji Won played the innocent more tribal Tanya very well but the transition to the more somber and powerful Tanya played by Shin Se kyung made sense as she had matured significantly and sort of come into her own.

You have Saya who wants Arthdal and the Queen who also wants Arthdal so there is plenty of material for a 3rd season. I am not sure if they do a 3rd season if I will watch it. I like where the 2nd season ended on a happy note and I like the way Tanya and Ensom are ruling Arthdal and all the people of the former Union. So it really depends the trajectory of subsequent seasons. If it is going to send their world into another evil battle, and I would see harm come to Eunsom and/or Tanya, I am not sure I would want to go there. So, it is nice the 2nd season concluded well enough I can make that decision without dropping the story.

#ArthdalChroniclesSeason2

#TheSwordofAramun

#JangDongGun

#LeeJoonGi

#ShinSaeKyeong

#KimOkBin

#ShinSeoWoo

#ShinSeKyung

#ParkHaeJoon

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A must watch for fans of historical fantasy

I watched this as a season which included parts 1-3 so this is about that first season or 18 episodes.

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Fantasy Historical, Action, Tribal Romance with 18, 80 Minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then Review

Synopsis

It is tribal warfare in the mythical land of Arth. As warfare and power struggles inevitably happen in the battle for resources, legendary people emerge. Two brothers, raised on opposite sides of the battle, are enamored with the same woman. Will those that are good overcome those who only desire wealth and power? Can the weak rise in power enough to protect those they care about? Is the tribal way of life gone forever?

LEAD CHARACTERS

Tagon (Jang Dong gun) is the son and military strategist of the leader of the Arthdal Union. He is also Igutu [a mixed blood child between the race that has beast like abilities Neanthal) and the humans] but it is a very well kept secret.

Eun seom and Sayaedit (Song Joong Ki) are identical twin brothers who were taken when the Neanthal were wiped out. Eun seom is raised by his mother and Sayaedit is raised by Tagon.

Tanya (Kim Ji won) Her and Eun seom grow up together after Eun seom joins her tribe upon his mother’s death.

Review

This has a tribal otherworldly feel akin to “Avatar.” Overall a very good fictional historical series. For those familiar with “Avatar” there are a but if those vibes but also some “Clan of the Cave Bear” as well as “Game of Thrones” reminiscent elements but it is uniquely its own at the same time. It reminds me of “Avatar” just in how innocent and close to nature the Wahan tribe are and the way their gods and clan mother are such a central part of the tribal identity. The elements that remind me of “Clan of the Cave Bear” are the fact there is this other race of people and hostility between the two but there are those that are mixed and experience difficulty because of having blood of both peoples. It reminds me of “Game of Thrones” because there are characters that are neither completely good nor evil and you definitely should avoid getting too attached even to central characters. I think the cultures that are built are believable and the characters are very well acted and developed. If it was a stand alone season I would have to say it ends happily enough but without major plot lines resolved. You would definitely expect another season based on how it ends. If you like this genre I would say this is a very good addition.  I might rewatch it at some point because it is good but also very complex. In terms of recommending it, I would recommend it to anyone who are fans of the actors as they do a wonderful job with the characters. I would also recommend it as a representative of the genre and just as another great South Korean series.

#JangDongGun

#SongJoonKi

#KimJiWon

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Perfect for what it is -A One Night Stand Turned More

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 South Korean romance movie with a run time of 103 minutes.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then Review

Synopsis

Bae Soo jung (Moon Chae won) and Kim Jae hyun (Yoo Yeon seok) meet each other on a train to Busan. He is a former star basketball player turned talent agent who is trying to recruit a rising talent, Kang Chul to go to the United States and play professionally. Soojung is on a business trip for her advertising agency. Out of the blue, Jaehyun proposes a one night stand. Soojung is in a 10 year relationship but the feelings have run dry and it is not headed to marriage. At first outraged but, as they spend time together on the train, then in pursuit of Kang Chul in Busan (Soojung hopes to have him agree to an advertising deal) decides there isn’t something about him drawing her in. After a night that leaves them both shaken can they really go their separate ways?

Review

I am not typically interested in movies as, with dramas, characters can be fully developed and the plot line can be much more complex. With this one though it works since it is centered around a one night stand. I thought they had great chemistry. It is a nice, short, compelling romance.

#MoonChaeWon

#MoodOfTheDay

#YooYeonSeok

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Suspend all expectations and appreciate it as short duration fluff and it is ok

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean romantic comedy series with 12, relatively short, 11 to 20 minute episodes. Also known under the title “Gaduri Restaurant”

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Ga Doo Ri (Lee Joo bin)’s life was on track when she was dating the man she thought she would wind up marrying. She was the college campus “Goddess” and was used to people assuming she was given things due to her beauty. As an adult she went to work as an assistant producer at an entertainment company where she was bullied by co workers who assumed she was able to bring in big names in the industry by using her looks rather than her talent. After a scandal created by those who were incredibly jealous, Doori abandons her successful endeavors in the entertainment industry to set out on her own. She opens a Sushi bar which becomes very popular for uniquely combining excellent food with a center for dating advice. Her business is under some apartments where she lives and also is neighbors with a very unusual and seemingly socially awkward neighbor, Cha Woo bin (Hyuk; Han Sang Hyuk). To disguise that he is a highly successful CEO of an undergarment company, Woobin dresses up in heavy framed glasses and track suits. Doori’s heart was completely shattered in the past when her long term boyfriend and best friend have become romantically involved and is not very trustful of men so she does not first see Woobin as a romantic possibility even though he steps in several times to pretend to be her boyfriend to keep her from getting bullied. Will two such different individuals find lasting love with each other?

Review

I would have liked this I think if it had been developed into a more standard length series. All of the elements for a good story were there but with such short episodes, none of the plot elements were able to progress at a pace that was believable. I would recommend this for those that are able to suspend their expectations of a well developed plot and characters with depth. If you are just looking for a quick piece of fluff to fit in while waiting for another series to become available, this might be it. I would not rewatch it, there just isn’t enough substance to merit rewatching for me.

Spoilers

Woobin wears a track suit and nerdy looking glasses and I surmised he was doing it to disguise his identity as a handsome young CEO that likely has some celebrity. But they never fully explain or clarify why he chooses to present himself in such an unbecoming manner.

From the descriptions, reviews and synopsis in various sites, Doori is supposed to be some super star dating and relationship consult but that doesn’t come through very strong in the short series. There is one main case where she helps the girl identify her boyfriend is cheating but it didn’t seem like her involvement in that was very outstanding. It wasn’t too hard to figure out the friend was the cheater just based on the way she was acting.

I think what makes this worth a watch despite all the comedic moments around Mo Tae Kyung (Woo Bin's secretary; Jung Jin hwan). His overly dramatic response to everything was hilarious.When he hung out with Doori he seemed like the type of fun to be around character that many people would enjoy hanging out with. I would have liked having more time with that character and that would have happened if the series were longer.

Everything felt rushed. What you were just mad at the guy and now you are madly in love with him? What you just agreed to date and now you are passionately kissing? You just encountered your bully who pushed you around for years and pushes you around in the first scenes but you suddenly are standing up?

In short this was a mini series that would have been much better had it been developed to a full length series. All of the aspects that fell short of the mark were due to how abbreviated it was and that made them unable to fully pursue plot lines and develop the characters.



#GaduriRestaurant

#GaDooRiSushiRestaurant

#Hyuk

#LeeJooBin

#JungJiHwan

#HanSangHyuk

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Celebrity Panelist mentioned Cupid visited this season and I have to agree

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Chinese dating reality show with 21, 95-122 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis
This is the Chinese version of the Korean reality dating show of the same name. The show starts with six singles, three men and three women who enter the chosen house location one at a time the first day. They cohabit the “signal house” (which changes each season) with the women sharing one bedroom and the men sharing two bedrooms. The overall goal of the show is for the singles to go about their daily lives while freely flirting/sending signals with the other occupants of the house. There are few organized activities, the main focus is on them living together and getting to know each other more naturally. At the end of each day they send a signal (an anonymous text) to the opposite sex single of their choosing and the detectives must determine who will send a signal/text to whom.

Celebrity Panel/Detectives

Angelababy formerly known as Angela Yeung Wing. Hong Kong actress, businesswoman, investor, model, and singer. She was born as Yang Ying and later went under mostly her stage name. Her birth year us 1989.
Meng Ziyi  is an actress. She was born in actress. She was born in 1995.

Sikence Wang, Wang Sulong, is a Chinese pop singer-songwriter and record producer. He was birn in 1989..

Wu Xin also known as Orfila. She is an actress and television host. Born in 1983.

Lee Seung Hyun (English name: Nathan) is a Korean-American pop singer and actor. He is a former member of the disbanded group TAKE. He currently works in China as an actor. He is married to Chinese actress/singer Stephy Qi, and they have a daughter and a son. Born in 1984.

Seungri known more formally as Lee Seung-hyun is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, and former member of the South Korean boy band BigBang. His career took a nose dive when he was brought up on criminal charges and served time in prison..

Chen Linong (Nongnong) Guest panelist episodes 5 to 8. He is a Taiwanese actor born in 2000.

Du Hai Tao Guest panelist episodes 7 to 10. He is an actor born in 1987.

SINGLES

FEMALES

Li Nie Shuang Yu - Lena Bear. Futures contracts. Researcher of Macro Aggregate of a financial institution. BA in accounting, Michigan State University. MBA in marketing strategy at Imperial College London. Born 1997. 25 years old.

Wang Qiuyi - Autumn Potato Consulting in life sciences. Senior Consultant in Anyong China. Double degree in Financial Economics and Visual Arts from Columbia University. Born in 1995. 27 years old.

Li Wanqian - Secret Media Blogger. BA in Mass Communications from Penn State. Master in Digital Marketing King’s College London. Born in 1996. 26 years old.

Jin JiaYue Graduated from communication University of China. Sports event host. Born in 1998. 24 years old.

MALES

Xue Zheyang - A Tall Sheep Wealth Management Business Strategist in a European Bank. BA in Finance at Penn State. MBAs in Finance at John Hopkins University. Born in 1995. 27 years old.
Haoran - Leo6 Musical Actor. BA in Opera at Central Academy of a Drama. Born 1998. 24 years old.
Zhang Genyuan - Eat More Vegetables/broccoli Investment and Financing Consultant and Manager at a local bank. BA in economics at NYU. Born in 1999. 23 years old.
Chen Zonglun (Jolan) BS in German studies from Shanghai International studies University. Worked as a Customer Service Manager at a major accounting firm. Born in 1996.
Sun Xin (Xuao Pai). Patrick. Double degree in computer science and statistics from University of Waterloo. Product manager with a dot com company. MA in Information Systems Management from Hong Kong University. 26 years old.

Review
This is my favorite Heart Signal season so far out of both the Korean and Chinese version and my all time favorite couple from this one. The heartwarming romance between some of the singles is a joy to watch. It will confirm that love is alive and still one of the most beautiful human emotions. They all got along really well and there were tears among all when the show ended because they formed such a strong bond in such a short time. I highly recommend this show for anyone that likes romance and particularly reality dating shows. It is a must watch in that genre.

Spoilers
I skipped to this Season after watching all of the Korean seasons up to date and the Chinese versions up to Season 2. I could not find Season 3 or 4 in any easily accessible format. Some have suggested watching it where TenCent posts on You Tube and then having it auto translate but auto translate was turned off for me. It is hard to find anything about the Chinese version likely due to all the discussions would be on Chinese media platforms and not likely translated. What little I could find was that one of the singles had a criminal history so they had to edit their scenes out of the show. But that doesn’t explain why the other season is really hard to find. Maybe due to the pandemic? Maybe the CCP censored it for some reason? If anyone reading this knows why these two seasons are harder to find, pleas note in comments.



#LiNieShuang
#LenaBear
#WangQiuyi
#HeartSignal5
#LiWamqian
#JinJiaYue
#XueZheyang
#GuoHaoran
#ZhangGenyuan
#ChenZonglun
#SunXin
#Jolan
#SunXin
#XiaoPai

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If you liked season 1 this does continue the story

8/10 is my rating. This the second season of a popular South Korean Horror, Action Fantasy series with Apocalyptic overtones. It was released in 2023 and has eight 62-85 minute episodes

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then Review

Synopsis

The remaining residents of the apartment complex had to move when the military arrived. Cha Hyun Soo (Song Kang) originally travels with another monster human hybrid but is voluntarily taken by the military. The rest of the group, are originally destined for a shelter that is supposedly ran for the survivors. They quickly realize the military and others mean to exterminate everyone for fear they have been infected. On their journey to find a new place for themselves, they battle monsters, the hybrids, the military as well as other survivors. This is a journey through their epic struggle for survival.

Characters (Main Cast)

ChaHyunSoo (Song Kang) Teenager who wound up living in the apartment complex after losing his family in a tragic car accident. He was infected but was able to resist losing his humanity and saved the humans multiple times in the First season.

Seo Yi Kyun (Lee Si young) She is a former special forces in the military and most recently was a firefighter. Her fiancé was one of the lead scientists on the monsterization experiments but was declared dead by the military.

LeeEunWoo (Go Min Si) A teenager with a chip on her shoulder. She is one of the few that do not see Hyun Soo as primarily a monster.

Pyeon Sang Wook (Lee Jin Wook) originally a thuggish gangster who they discovered was not as bad as he at first seemed. He had reasons. He is taken over by one of the hybrid monsters and now is host to multiple human and monster presences.

Park Chan Young (Jung Jin Young) A soldier who does not agree with some of his superiors and counterparts’ treatment of civilians.

Dr. Lim (Oh Jung Se) An unethical scientist willing to sacrifice “subjects” to create the ultimate human monster hybrids.

Kim Young Soo (Choi Go) They youngest of the group of survivors. The adults took him in when his father tragically fell to his death while trying to save his children.

Kim Soo Young (HeoYool) The second to youngest of the survivor group. She is Young Soo’s older sister.

Yoon Ji Su (Park Gyu Young) An edgy young woman who plays the guitar and tragically lost her boyfriend to suicide. She was depressed and people mistook that for being a loaner.

Review

The first season focused on an introduction to the monsterization concept and a group of people in one apartment complex as a set of them went from strangers to a family like group. It was surviving in a world turned upside down but in a very succinct environment. This season all of the residents from the complex before are out in the larger area but wind up settled in a stadium with a bunch of new people and are kept safe by an elite group of soldiers who journey out to secure resources and guard the survivors living in the stadium. The lines between good and evil and monster and human are very blurry. Some of the questions from the first season are answered but a whole new set of questions are revealed. As expected it ends on yet another cliff hanger. Which is typical Netflix they always want to leave it open so they can maximize profit. It ruins one thing I really liked about Korean shows, they were, for the most part, concluded in one season. Even if additional seasons were on the horizon, they would still end the first season wrapped up, in most of them. But you let United States based streaming platforms get ahold of them and all of a sudden we have these series that could go on for a long time. I heard there is a 3rd season. And will that be it? It’s like the “song that never ends.” I could deal with multiple seasons if it was known exactly how many seasons they plan. But, since they don‘t even know, it’s all about whether or not they make profit, it is frustrating that you don’t know how long it will run.

Overall it’s a compelling and interesting story, and you do learn more about monsterization. But don’t expect it to end neatly wrapped up or necessarily happy. It is very “Game of Thrones” in that, just because a character is popular, doesn’t necessarily mean they will survive. It is a great addition to a genre that doesn’t have a lot of offerings. I would recommend it to science fiction fans.

Spoilers

I ended this one with even less hope for humanity. So many characters are lost in this it seems everyone will either be turned monster or be killed by monsters. Characters are slowly picked off one by one.

Even after two seasons I still do not fully understand why there is some much variety in monsters. Why are there whole sets of the same type of monster? Why is this one hideous and that one looks more human? I know it has something to do with human desire and emotions but it is never fully explained.

It has some romantic hints but no real romantic elements so anyone looking for that should look elsewhere. Which is good if you want to watch something with someone who is allergic to romance. I think if there was some romance in it then there would be a sense of hope for humanity. As it is, it sees very hopeless and that becomes a bit of a downer.

My main complaint is just the way Netflix leaves things hanging with no guarantee of additional seasons. At the end of this you have the firefighter and former special services character who just got monsterized and is some kind of half human and half monster manifestation who seems to have an interesting duality of hating all monsters and yet embracing them at the same time. There are the soldiers that went to the old military research facility to rescue their brother in arms and are now trapped or at least in the process of being turned into something else. The former leader of the complex and angsty teenager turned angry young woman’s brother has finally emerged and you want to know if he has retained his humanity. What about Hyunsoo? His monster side is fully in control and he is not at all acting like himself after discovering in a vision that all the monsters are happy.

I really like the one youngest soldier and he has a thing it seems for the angsty ballet dancing teenage girl turned angry young woman looking for her brother. He never reveals his feelings for her though and leaves her to go back to the stadium. She, on the other hand, seems to have feelings for Hyunsoo which creates a weird love triangle. Will they dig into that in the 3rd season or just keep dancing around all the potential relationships? Usually in end of the world type scenarios more people couple up. So, it would make sense. But these survivors do not seem at all interested in continuing the species.

I am very interested to see where things will go just frustrated that Netflix is able to hold the audience hostage with no commitment to finish the series. I would be happier if each season would wrap up with all the current questions. The concept could still be extended in the next season as there is so much to expand on. But I don’t like a cliff hanger at the end of every season with no assurance they will continue as unfinished stories feel like a waste of time.

#ParkGyuYoung

#SongKang

#LeeSiYoung

#GoMinSi

#LeeJinWook

#YooOhSung

#OhJungSe

#JungJinYoung

#ParkGyuYoung

#KimMuYeol

#SweetHome2

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Good but lacks some elements that would have made it great

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2020;2021 mystery, action thriller with 16, 70 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

28 years ago an odd series of murders happened in a village that were labeled the “white night” incident. They never fully unravelled why people were committing murder in a gleeful melee. It is happening again and Do Jung-woo (Namkoong Min) who leads a special task force of homicide detectives, is determined to unravel the mysterious events unfolding currently and determine how they tie to the past occurrences. Jung woo is brilliant but unconventional and yet has the admiration of those around him for his ability to discern the nearly indiscernible. At times he knows things that FBI profiler, Jamie Leighton (Lee Chung ah) grows to suspect could only be known by the killer. Jamie was born in South Korea but adopted into an American family and only recently returned to South Korea. She is hired to help the special team in investigating and profiling these unusual cases. Not all is as it seems and as the two very different detectives work together they remember a shared connection they had as children.

Review

This is a good addition to this trope and if you are looking for something that focuses more on crime, mystery and action than romance this is it. It is fast paced and kept me interested the whole way through. I would recommend this to someone that likes crime shows with a supernatural component. It ends well and happy.

Spoilers

The start of the series is very complex with a lot happening so that if you can’t focus completely on it you are likely to miss things. It would lose me sometimes just because I am not one that likes to have to focus that intently for such a long period. For some that complexity would be part of the charm.

The former FBI team member from the United States was not entirely credible. She spoke English well but with such a heavy accent it was hard to believe she spent such a significant amount of time in the United States. It may not have been as big of deal but they emphasized her “Americanness” enough that it highlighted t and not in a good way. I think the script would have been fine if they made it so she went to the US but didn’t make it like she was essentially American.

I was a little irritated that Jamie, and other team members, would not let go of their suspicion that Jung Woo was the culprit when virtually every fact pointed away from him. They were like “yeah he wasn’t there but he probably did it remotely.” Based on what? How did they come to believe so strongly that the lucid dreaming could be influenced remotely?

I get that South Korean ‘s are very filial but totally looking away from a parent that commits the murder of hundreds of innocents? I don’t think even a child that lived in a culture where respect of elders is key could forgive and accept that. And they kept saying/implying if you show remorse then things can just be forgiven. No they can’t. Having seen over 300 Asian series at this point I have seen several where the parent has done something so egregious the children write them off. If committing mass murder isn’t one of them I don’t know what is.

They set a bomb or series of bombs to go off at the secret research facility with a timer set for five minutes. Why? They knew their people and others were in there and should have suspected something could go wrong where they couldn’t get out in that timeframe. There was no program kill switch? These people were brilliant and yet they can’t figure out how to abort the bomb detonation? I found that to be not bey believable as the super geniuses from the program should have been smart enough to undo that trigger and/or to foresee that things could go wrong.

So the super genius level scientists can’t figure out that there is no plan to use their work for the betterment of humanity but rather for a few very elite people? If they had just portrayed that they were really super evil and didn’t care at all that would have been one thing but they made it out like they really thought their work would do good. So they tried to make them more sympathetic characters than I felt they deserved.

It did end well and mostly happy but I really wanted to see the young woman detective and our main guy get together. It was so obvious they had feelings for each other but they danced around that possibility with the plot. And, at the end, she sees him and goes chasing after but he is gone. Like smoke. So it is obvious it is being left open for another season. I don’t like that. Make another season or don’t. Holding your viewers hostage or making them decide how things went after, I don’t like that. I don’t think it was enough to say don’t watch it, but I definitely find the more nebulous endings annoying. I don’t want to tel the story myself, I want you to tell it to me screen writers.

#Awaken

#LeeChungAh

#NoomkoongMin

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A strange premise but it works

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023/2024 South Korean Fantasy, Romantic comedy. There are 14 regular episodes with one special episode. Each episode has about 70 minute run time. It is based on a webtoon of the same name.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Hae na / Mak soon: (Park Gyunyoung) teaches Korean language to high school students. Teaching is a profession that provides good cover for someone living under a family curse that results in her turning into a dog if she kisses anyone. Teachers work day hours which is a must when you turn into a dog from midnight to 6 AM. The only way ti reverse the curse is for then same person kissed to turn into a dog kisses the person in dog form. Ha nae is sweet and attractive and has had semi serious relationships in the past but they end when she refuses to kiss them. Bo gyeom / San-p sin (Lee Hyun Woo) teaches Korean History at the same school and Hae na has a huge crush on him. She has been looking for an opportunity to express her feelings and winds up kissing him when she gets too drunk at a group gathering. Only it was not her crush, it was his friend and their fellow teacher, Jin Seo won / Soo hyun (Cha Eun Woo) she kissed. And it so happens that Seo won is terrified of dogs due to childhood trauma. Which presents a huge issue because, nit inly does he show no romantic interest in her, she has to get him to kiss her when she us a dog, the very thing he is terrified of. To further complicate things not only does Seo won seemingly have no romantic interest in Hae na, he appears to actively dislike her. All of which results in some very comedic situations as Ha nea tries to trick Seo won into kissing her. She gets help from an unlikely source, Min Ji ah (Kim Yi kyung), Seo won’s nephew, who is also one of her students. ji ah accidentally discovers her curse and since he has a crush on her, is very willing to help her break the curse. As if a dog curse is not enough, things are not as they seem and these “strangers” may have a much deeper past than they, at first, are aware. Did she accidentally kiss the right (fated) guy?

Review

If you read the Webtoon, you will find no major surprises as they did not deviate much from the webtoon. I liked the rendition a lot. They somehow made her changing into a dog a little bit less silly than in the webtoon. One thing I was not a fan of though was the number of flashbacks, there were entirely too many flashbacks and I found that they could’ve cut out at least an episode if they just gotten rid of some flashbacks. You can’t ever go wrong watching Cha Eun Woo though, he’s an awesome actor. The romance was heartwarming, believable and well paced. It has a great blend of fantasy, romance, mystery and suspense. I recommend it and would rewatch if someone had it on.

Spoilers

Many say it drags in the last part. I agree. There was a point, having read the Webtoon, I wondered what they had left to tell. I forgot about the memory being wiped. I am not a fan of the amnesia trope. I was glad it was her that lost her memory and not him. She had already gone through so much in getting him kiss her when she was a dog, I would really have been frustrated if she had to start all over again. I was glad she lost her memories and he had to win her back rather than the other way around,

I don’t know what the special episode was about or why they had it. Knowing that would have helped in determining whether to watch it or not. Since we didn’t know what that special episode was, we started watching some of it then determined it was the same thing just strung all together rather than being broken into episodes. Like one huge, extended, flashback. I don’t know if that’s really what it is because I didn’t watch the entire thing we watched maybe a quarter of it then fast forwarded through some more and got less than halfway and determined it was just more of the same. Since we only watched portions of that special episode, I can’t conclusively say it is nothing new but I can say the part we watched wasn’t worth watching for us .

#ParkGyungYoung

#LeeHyunWoo

#ChaEunWoo

#AGoodDayToBeADog

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A good offering in this genre if you are okay with cliffhanger endings

7.5/10 os my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean dark fantasy, horror series with 6, 42 to 60 minute episodes. It is based on a webtoon of the same title.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

The main part of the story is set in the years 2022–27 in South Korea. During this timeframe, people start to see am ethereal face, purported to be an angel that prophesies the exact date and time of the person’s untimely death. The individual is targeted for a very violent end where these large demonic looking minsters carry out what is tantamount to a public execution. They end their demonstration by incinerating the targeted individual, who is then sent to be further tormented in hell. A cult leader, Jeong Jin soo (Yoo Ah in), warns his followers and the public at large that these demonstrations are intended to show people the err of their spiritual ways. Dubious of the credibility of these incidents and convinced something far more human based and sinister is going on. A detective, Jin Kyeong hoon (Yang Ik june) and an attorney who is a warrior for victims Min Hye jin Kim Hyun joo) team up to determine what is really going on. Turns out a religious cult, the New Truth and another organization called The Arrowhead group fan the flames to instill the fear of God and mete out their own form of moral justice.

Review

Overall it is a very good horror series with strong mystery and fantasy elements. If you realize, they are already planning another season then the ending, which ends with a lot of questions, will not be as disappointing. It is a gorefest. And characters you may like may not survive. So if you are prepared for those things you will likely enjoy the short series. I wanted some more insight so looked for the webtoon.  The live action version follows the webtoon precisely so there is little additional information to derive from reading the webtoon. If you like supernatural and horror content this is a good one in those genre. It is a good one to watch with those who are looking for something that has little to no romantic component and prefer more action based dramas. I would rewatch it if someone had it on simply because there are a lot of complex plot elements that you may pick up on after having watched it once.

 

Spoilers

 

They allude to the fact that the “angel’ and creatures were identified as such by “The New Truth” and there was never a deep dive into what they might be by anyone else. As it becomes apparent that the targets are not always sinners, or at least not sinners we as viewers can identify, the entire God’s punishment angel begins to fall apart. And it leaves you wondering why and how the targets are selected. If “The New Truth” believes it is God’s will why do they call on Arrowhead to go after those they identify as sinners.  Who is Arrowhead and how did “The New Truth” find a band of psychopaths that are so ready to mete out punishment in the form of brutal beatings up to death.

 

How did the baby live? The target of the incineration is always the subject and the white light glowed from between the parents so it would have originated at the baby. How did the beings “miss” burning the baby? Then, when the baby survived, they left without accomplishing their intent. How does that work? Do they just leave the target alone if they are able to survive a period of time after the date?

 

If those that have been incinerated are brought back, why were they incinerated in the first place? Do they come back fully as their former selves?

I read that it was approved for another season but it seems if that is the plan there are huge delays. As time passes it becomes less likely they will carry through with a second season but I will remain alert for another season, If you are not okay with a cliff hanger that may never be resolved with additional content, you might bypass this one or wait for when and if there is a second season.

#Hellbound

#UhmHingSik

#YooAhIn

#KimHyunJoo

#ParkJeongMin

#WonJinAh

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If you like sci fi,, action and dystopian situations this is an excellent option

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 science fiction action dram series with 6, 46-59 minute episodes

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

In the future, 5-8 (Kim woo Bin) is an elite delivery driver in a dystopian era. After a comet hit the Earth polluting and destroying the atmosphere, the remaining survivors must depend on deliveries of precious oxygen to survive the scarce and toxic air. Deliverymen must be special forces level capability to survive attacks from those that would steal deliveries. One deliveryman, is legendary among the poorest class of people who are forced to live like refugees. He goes only by his deliveryman name which is 5 dash 8. He must counter the power hungry, greedy measures of the wealthy heir to a corporate group, Ryu Seok (Song Seung heon). In their stratified society, only those at the very top receive full access to scarce resource although deliveryman are rewarded with the same even if they come from the lowest, refugee, class. Jeong Seol ah (Choi Seung hoon) is a refugee boy who dreams of following in 5 dash 8’s footsteps to become a deliveryman and not only improve his own life but also help his people. He was adopted by his sister, Jeong Seol ah (Esom) who is also secretly making moves for the better of the people. While the deliveryman work for the evil conglomerate, many of them are working against it to secure a better life for all the people. It is a futuristic battle of good versus evil. Who will prevail?

Review

Ot is a great, dystopian, good versus evil, futuristic thriller. The deliverymen were more like elite special forces. It had some “Dune” and “Mad Max vibes but it was definitely all its own thing. I was able to watch it with my guy who is allergic to romance shows. This had the action and intrigue that he likes. If you are looking for something faced pace, with a great and unique premise, this is for you. It is well acted and Kim Woo Bin is a talented actor who is always a joy to watch.

Spoilers

Slight detractors was people, such as the kid, making decisions to move the plot along that aren’t decisions someone would usually make. Like your friend just dies, you know the bad guys are coming, but you do not go and they capture you.

When the kid finally made it and became a deliveryman he was doing inappropriate things like giving his friends rides, and it was as if no one noticed when previously the deliveryman could not deviate from their assigned route and schedule.

I was surprised, given it was on a streaming platform, that the bad guys used a vaccine to commit genocide. They also had people in masks when the villain was the one spreading the pollution that necessitated them. It was an accurate portrayal of such elements currently happening and it was easy to see the parallels

#BlackKnight

#choiSeungHoon

#KimWooBin

#SungSeungHeon

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Fans of the South Korean version will appreciate the cultural nuances

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 Chinese reality dating show with 10, 85 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

This is the Chinese version of the Korean reality dating show of the same name. With some subtle differences mentioned below and the inherent cultural differences, the show is essentially the same in form and content. The show starts with six singles, three men and three women who enter the chosen house location one at a time the first day. They cohabit the “signal house” (which changes each season) with the women sharing one bedroom and the men sharing two bedrooms. The overall goal of the show is for the singles to go about their daily lives while freely flirting/sending signals with the other occupants of the house. There are few organized activities, the main focus is on them living together and getting to know each other more naturally. At the end of each day they send a signal (an anonymous text) to the opposite sex single of their choosing and the detectives must determine who will send a signal/text to whom.

Signal House rules

>Singles must return to Signal House each night

>Singles cannot reveal their age or occupation until the 2nd day

>Singles cannot directly confess their like or love at any time during their stay

>At the end of the day, singles can send an anonymous text to one other house member

>Singles can go on one official date but each female picks a location without revealing her choice and the males choose the location they prefer.

Detectives

*Note I say they were this profession or that because people change careers so this represents what they were doing at the time. This is true of the singles as well.

*Zhu Yawen Born in 1984. He would have been 33 when the show was filmed. He was an actor.

*Zhang Yugi Also known as Kitty Zhang.Born in 1987. She would have been about 30 when the show was filmed. She was an actress

*Yang Chaoyue Born in 1998. She would have been 19 at the time of filming. She wasan actress and singer. A member of the Rocket Girls, girl music group.

*Jiang Sida. Born in 1993. He would have been 24 at the time the series was filmed. He was a presenter and had a television show.

*Guan Hong. Also known as Darren Chen. Born in 1995. He would have been about 22 when the series was filmed. He was an actor and model.

*Jiang Zhenyu. Born in 1996. She would have been about 21 when the series was filmed. She was an actress, singer and dancer.

Singles

Females

*Xiang Tiange Student. Born in about 1993. 25 years when the show was filmed. Salesperson in the securities industry. Sales options. Has a masters from Columbia where she studied applied statistics. Works for one of the best security companies in China.

*Hu Jimming Born in 1994. She would have been about 24 when it filmed. Also known under the English name Diana. A kindergarten online English Teacher.

*Li Junjie Born in 1994. She would have been about 24 when the show was filmed. Drama major at a performance arts college. Served in the military for two years,

*Wang Jinwen. Dance teacher.

Males

*Zhou You Founder and CEO of an interior design company (Renew Design Company/UpdateStudio). Je was born in about 1986 and was 32 when the show was filmed. He majored in architecture and minored in design management Pratt Institute.

*Jiang Mingliang Also known as Oscar. He was 23 when the show was filmed. He was a model.

*Liu Zexuan. Born in 1989. 29 at the time of filming. Race car Driver. CEO of racing team.

*Guo Rubin. Founder of 17hiAPP

Korean Heart Signal Versus Chinese Heart Signal

In the Korean version they call those that comment and try to guess outcomes based on signals the celebrity panel or romance experts. In the Chinese version they call them detectives.

The “gem” the detectives get for right answers look like the plastic hearts you might get out of a coin machine. The detectives even make a joke about it and one pretends to eat it. In the Korean version the gems are much more elaborate and look more expensive. Since it is a reward for predicting right, the nicer gems would be a better reward.

There is a lot of flirty behavior going on with the detectives in the Chinese version. There are sexual innuendos and jokes about other detectives. In the Korean version there is little to no flirty behavior among the celebrity panel.

Among the detectives there is a clear leader that says when they watch, what and how they vote, and just generally steers the activity. In the Korean show they take turns leading the celebrity panel group.

When the singles first enter the house they arrive one at a time and the Koreans are visibly nervous and they talk to each other relatively nervously and very guardedly. I was surprised how quickly the Chinese singles started talking to each other.

The Chinese singles essentially have two names, an American like name and their Chinese name. Because my native language is English it makes it a little easier for me to keep track of who is who. But it can also make it more challenging as they intermix the two names for each single. Koreans do sometimes have multiple names, especially if they are an idol, but often totally adopt the nickname.

Astrology is big in the Chinese Heart signal version, they talk about astrological signs a lot. Koreans focus more on Myers Briggs personality type and blood type but even that is not a huge focus.

In the Chinese version they are more likely to stick with whomever they get associated with. Switching and dating around seems less accepted.

Review

If you are a fan of Korean Heart Signal you should watch the Chinese version as tge cultural differences create some interesting nuances.

I watched this after the Korean Heart Signal 4 which I found to be one of the most frustrating seasons of heart signal. It made the Chinese version all the more refreshing as they didn't as radically and dramatically change.

If you are a fan of Korean Heart signal you will definitely get more of what you love.

Spoilers

I loved that Jimming and Zhou You pretty consistently picked each other and were a final couple. That was a frustrating rarity in Korean Heart Signal.

I was so frustrated with Junjie’s fixation with Oscar. She was such a perfect fit with Guo Rubin and he was so sweet to her. Oscar made it clear he was more interested in Tiange. I wish she would have given up on Oscar when he was avoiding her. She called him on it. So she noticed it.

I think the show manipulated the selection date too much so the relatively new woman, Jinwen, would get a date. She was supposed to be a catfish and I thought if she could not captivate someone that was on her. Forgive me but I think some females use their tears to manipulate. She cried and made the other females feel so bad for yer that she ultimately got Jungie to bless her selecting Guo Rubin. He so obviously was not interested her in that way. They did not have a great date because Rubin was so disappointed it was not Jungie. So Jungie goes with Oscar and that derails the fragile relationship that was developing with Rubin. Then Jinwen more or less blames Jingie for her bad date with Rubin saying if they knew they wanted to go together they should have made it clear.

I think the situation would be incredibly hard to navigate emotionally without getting hurt and without hurting others. It’s such a unique situation for somebody to be in a place where there’s so many perfect choices that you have two people you know you could have a good relationship with and they’re great for different reasons. What a hard choice to make. You would have regrets either way. No matter what you do you know someone’s gonna be hurt and it makes it even harder when you like all the people in the house and feel like they’re at least friends.

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Takes the cold executive trope too far for too long

8.5/10 is my rating.This is a 2023 Chinese romantic drama with 36, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

As a reporter Zheng Shu Yi (Bai Lui) has a specialized and unique writing angle as a writer for a financial news publication. She is highly capable and career driven and her goal is to get enough headline articles that she can pursue digital platforming the publications to pull her magazine into the modern era. When the opportunity arises to land an exclusive with a young CEO who is rising in the financial investment world, it is the perfect chance to get a headline. Everyone is curious to know more about the cold but exceptional Shi-Yan (Dylan Wang). In fact Shu Yi’s arch rival, who is equally ambitious, is so determined to land the interview she even cheats in an attempt to get the exclusive. But Shi-Yan was more intrigued by Shu-Yi’s outline than her rivals so she still lands the interview. Once in his realm, Shu Yi decides she likes the handsome Shi Yan for more than just an interview subject, Can the determined journalist melt the heart of the cold young CEO?

Review

If you like the cold chief executive officer (CEO) trope then this is definitely a solid addition to that category. Overall I liked it. I recommend it for anyone that is fans of either lead or supporting actors as they all act their roles very well. If you like cold executives, romance and/or want a slice of the financial reporting or technological investment realms, you would find this interesting. There were some aspects that were not really interesting to me and some frustrating slow spots. It is not one I would rewatch in the immediate future, with so many choices available. I found the length of time he was “cold” and the parts about financial investments, tedious.

Spoilers

I think they take the cold executive trope a bit too far in this one. He is not just cold to her but I think his behavior borders on abusive. When she is trying to connect with him, if she doesn’t say exactly what he wants her to say, when and how he wants her to say it, he walks away or kicks her out. He says he does not like to talk business on his personal time and will shut her down even if she is doing it as a common interest to carry the conversation. And that would be one thing, but he seems to break the “do not mix business and personal” any time he feels like it. He doesn’t even say what she did that he didn’t like, he just shuts her out emotionally and often literally. His friends and family even find him difficult to deal with.

Usually by three fourths of the way through the series, the ice cube CEO has thawed and is now all warm and fuzzy, at least to the main girl. In his case, other than the briefest thaw before getting break up mad at her, he remained cold until the last few episodes. Which, to me, was entirely too long.

Okay so she approached him originally to get the story. So what? She is a reporter it is what she does. But she was using him to get back at the cheaters? I felt like they decided to twist it that way later because that was not a motivation she revealed in any of her abundant internal dialogues early on. But still, he should not have been so hung up on why she approached him originally, but where they went from there. I thought the level of cold shoulder she got from that was over the top. Then several commented later that he let her off easy. She was so heart broken she landed in the hospital multiple times, that is not letting anyone off easy. And I dd nit think she did anything so horrible to him to deserve his cold shoulder, yet again, anyway. Supposedly he still loved her but had no problem seeing how he was completely devastating her emotionally.

The second guy in this I thought was her perfect match. He noticed when she was sad and did everything to cheer her up. He let her talk work whenever, and even helped her find new opportunities. Through his actions and words he indicated how wonderful he thought she was. He was smart, handsome, successful and extremely kind to the main girl. She was happy and laughed a lot when she was with 2nd guy, so of course she liked the absolute opposite guy. I was disappointed he did not at least get someone else wonderful.

Other reviewers said her best friend gave her terrible advice and, early on, I disagreed. She gave great advice on how to catch his interest. But I found they were right later when she was advising on how to save her relationship. Continue to lie and deceive him until he is so in love with you he easily forgives? Main girl should have known better. In the book on being petty and holding a grudge (pretending such thing exists) there would be a picture of him. They never explained what made him so he assumed the worst in relationships but that definitely characterizes his reactions. Deceiving him was absolutely the worst thing with him and anyone that knew him well would know that. So the friend’s advice was so far from right with him. It was frustrating she kept following the friend’s advice and kept hiding things. Main girl should have known him well enough by then to know he would not forgive being deceived easily.

I found all of the “business talk” boring. Financial investment in technological companies just was not that intriguing. Reporting was more interesting but all the investment speak was a yawn fest. And it just made the main guy look less capable.

The side couples’ romances were all super heart warming and they spent just the right amount of time on them. I thought the triple wedding idea was great.

I know people love when the couples spend seconds to minutes just gazing at each other but it is not my favorite. I have never seen anyone do that in real life.

#OnlyForLove

#DylanWang

#BaiLiu

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A Good Science Fiction Series, but not well wrapped up, typical Netfix

7/19 is my rating. This is a 2021/2022 South Korean science fiction mystery thriller with 8, 39-51/minute episodes.

In the not so distant future, Earth has nearly run out if water causing large sections of the planet to turn to desert. Water is strictly rationed but not necessarily fairly so. Despite these difficult times (or perhaps because of them) a team Is sent to the Balhae Research Station confusing to recover some mysterious samples. Some go on the mission for the science, some to discover what happened during a tragic accident that ended 117 lives and others have mysterious, and perhaps nefarious motives. Song Ji‑An (Bae Doona) is one that does not believe the official story of how her sister died 5 years prior. Dr. Song is a gifted Astro biologist so she is invited as a critical part of the recovery team. Han Yun‑Jae (Gong Yoo), is the Captain of the team and a soldier in the space agency. He is not the only soldier on the mission as Lieutenant Ryu Tae‑seok (Lee Joon) from the Ministry of National Defense is also a team member.

Once they reach the research station Dr. Song quickly discovers that nothing is as it seems. Lies were not only told about the current mission but the tragedy was also completely misrepresented. The sample, they discover, may look like water but when it comes in contact with a living organism it multiplies like a virus. They also discover that not everyone died and as they seek to understand what really happened they must avoid the water and survive violent attacks from a girl with superhuman abilities. The lunar water affects everyone except for their aggressor who is immune to the new elements effects. Deception, aggression and lies must be overcome as the team attempts to unravel the past and determine the true purpose of their current mission.

Review

Overall it is worth the watch as a really good, intriguing science fiction series. I rate it down as the ending left things open and I did not like how many died. I like happy endings and this fell short of happy. As Netflix seems to like to do they left the end open for another season but they may never do another season. I would recommend it to science fiction fans and may rewatch it in the future.

Spoilers

So much was not explained about the Lunar water 💧. Like why was it expanding when there were no living cells? Dr. Song showed how it did not expand until it came in contact with blood and stopped when the cells started to die. But it flooded the whole station and was expanding when all the people it was in contact with were dead.

Too many of the party died and it felt unnecessary. I really thought Captain Han’s (Gong Yoo) death was unnecessary. When they found he was blown out when the water rushed out, it would have been perfect if he survived after all. I thought he and Dr. Song were developing feelings and it would have been a happier ending to leave that possibility open.

They never explained Captain Han’s tattoo. It is not common for South Korean’s to have tattoos particularly in such a visible place. They never explained why he had the tattoo and if it had meaning. I read on it after and Gong Yoo said, in an interview, Captain Han was a military veteran and the tattoo was of his military unit. It was intended to give him that tough, rugged appearance.

What will happen with Captain Han’s daughter?

They spent so much time, once they left the station, looking for Luna then watching her with Captain Han, how did they know they would be rescued in time?

I liked Doc Hong (Kim Sun Young) but it seemed like they intentionally chose to have only the women survive. There were eleven people on the mission nine men and two women. And it was not like the men were over protecting the women most of the time. Well except for in the the final scenes of the series where Captain Han realizes the decompression chamber cannot be activated from inside so he sacrifices himself by locking himself on the other side of the door to activate the decompression before the water reaches them.

I really wanted to know what happened with Luna 73 (Kim Si-ah). Who was she cloned from? The sister had given Dr. Song the message “Find Luna” but we do not know what she wanted her to do with Luna.

Who picked the survivors up? If it was the same as who sent them on the mission then how do they think they will survive once they return? Dr. Song mentioned keeping Luna and the sample in space at that international biological research station but how were they going to get there?

#BaeDoona

#TheSilentSea

#GongJoo

#KimSunYoung

#KimSiAh

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