ltspada

Unique in one Character Speaks English and Others Answer in Korean - predictable yet cute

8/10 is my rating. This is a 107 minute South Korean romantic comedy movie that goes also by an alternate title "Seducing Mr. Robinson". It was released in 2006 and is unique in one character speaks mostly English throughout the movie while others speak back to him in Korean.

Min-June (Uhm Jung-hwa) is a hopeless romantic who gives all her heart to each relationship only to be hurt when the guys reject her. On the eve of her latest break up she stumbles into traffic and is hit, ironically, by a man that turns out to be her new boss. When she explains why she was not paying attention, Robin Heiden (Daniel Henley) is full of advice on the game of love which he sees as a win or lose power struggle between the couple. Desperate to change the outcome of her relationships Min-june originally listens to Robin until she decides that his methods are not for her.

Spoiler Alert ** I liked the unique quality of him speaking English and her, and others, speaking South Korean. It was cute if predictable. As short as it was there was little time for much depth to the story. It reminded me of the United States movie "He's Just Not That Into You". I forgot I had seen this actress in "Witch's Romance" and really liked her in that. If your expectations are not too high, and you are okay with little complexity or character development, it is good for what it is.

Read More

Not a typical revenge on the ex story

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 South Korean television series spanning 16, 60 minute, episodes.
Na Ae-ra (Lee Min-jung) grew up believing she was born to be only pretty and not smart. While working at her family's restaurant, she falls in love with Cha Jung-woo (Joo Sang-wook), a geeky engineering graduate student studying to enter a civil service job. Na Ae-ra wants to become a housewife, and after Jung-woo promises that she will be, they get married. During their 100th day wedding celebration, Jung-woo announces that he has quit his job because he has an idea for a business. Jung-woo's businesses keep failing and Ae-ra struggles to keep them afloat by working multiple jobs. After secretly suffering a miscarriage from the stress of being the sole breadwinner and living in poverty, Ae-ra divorces Jung-woo after four years of marriage. Three years after the divorce, Ae-ra discovers that Jung-woo has become fabulously successful and wealthy, while she is still paying debts that accrued during their marriage. The fun begins when Ae-ra schemes for revenge, with Jung-woo believing that Ae-ra wants him back because he has become wealthy.

Spoiler 🚨 This was not at all what I expected. I thought the ex-wife would be coming from a position of power at the outset and she really was not. I should be used to the premise not fully giving me insight into the complexities of the story line. it is part of what I love about Asian dramas. From synopsis I expected this to be similar to some American shows I have seen where exes get revenge - and it was not like that at all. I was also surprised at the sympathy I felt for the "villainous" characters and the unexpected evolution of some. I liked the way it explored the many levels of miscommunication that can go on in a marriage and the qualities that someone who should know you better than anyone might fail to see. It was moving, complex, but still light and refreshing.

Read More

Unexpectedly good

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 Chinese drama with 24 episodes that are 45 minutes long.

He Xie (Lin Bo-Hong) has a hit manhua entitled “Crystal Love”. Over time his control of his own creation is fading as he fails to come up with new content. His publisher is on the verge of having other authors publish stories under the title when He Xie is involved in a car accident under a billboard of the villian Lu Zixing, (Li Hao Fei) from his manhwa which results in him being sucked in to the story. He finds out that he must turn the evil villainess around and plug the many plot holes in his story in order to return to the real world. Lu Zixing likes the male lead of the manhwa, Gong Cheng (Huang Jun jie), and to change the end and the characters, He Xie must keep Lu Zixing away from Gong Chen so the romantic interest, Pei Encai (Huang Yi Lin) can win Gong Chen’s love. He Xie forms friendships and falls in love in this world of his making but finds there are consequences to staying.

Spoiler 🚨 I unexpectedly liked this more than I thought I would. I am not a huge C Drama fan because I find many of the female leads to be kind of whiny and needy. For me that was the Pei Encai character - she had some moments where she was okay but most of the time, I just found her behavior irritating. Not the same for Lu Zixing she was spirited and took action when it was needed. I would have loved to see her together with Gong Cheng because he was so sweet that I could see the two personalities balancing each other well. I found the premise to be really unique and it held my interest to see how things would resolve and develop. I liked the friendships that formed and thought all of the characters were really well developed. It ended well - I like when things are "wrapped up" but I did not completely understand what had changed enough for him to stay. But I liked that he was able to stay and it did not end leaving you hanging or on a note of sadness. For a Cdrama it is one of the best modern I have seen and I would recommend it. I still prefer Kdrama though so it rates below the best Kdramas I have seen for me.

Read More

Edge of your seat suspensefull

This is a 2020 romantic crime drama with 32, 30 minute, episodes.

Tae-Pyeong (Ok Taec-yeon) has an ability he never asked for and does not like. He is able to see the events and people that exist in the moments leading up to a person’s death. Tae-Pyeong, allows few to get close to him and lives in a mansion with his mentor/Teacher/ surrogate father, Baek (Jung Dong-hwan) and Attorney Lee Yeon-Hwa (Ryu Hye-rin). Tae-Pyeong keeps to himself as he has found that he is unable to help change any of the fates he sees. When a serial killer known as the Midnight Killer abducts a girl Tae-Pyeong had just seen, he finds himself pulled into a very convuluted crime. While Tae-Pyeong helps the police with the investigation, he is stunned when he meets Detective Joon-Young (Lee Yeon-hee). She is the first person that he can't foresee their death. It is comforting to look at someone and see normal things rather than a disturbing prophetic vision. Tae-Pyeong and Detective Joon-Young frantically work together to figure out how the past has influenced the present in order to stop a serial killer dubbed the Midnight Killer.

This was edge of your seat suspenseful the whole way through. spoiler alert ** his ability to see the moments before death was very useful to the police, once they believed him. There was a lot around the topic of nature versus nurture in regards to the serial killer. Therewas an attempt to shed the serial killer in a sympathetic light but he was completely remorseless and blamed others for his actions the full way. The story was interesting and compelling and there was depth to all the relationships. Thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.

Read More

Would have rated higher except for a really disappointing scene

8.5/10 is my rating for this 2012 South Korean romantic comedy that has 16, 60 minute episodes.

It is hate at first site when Yoo Eun-jae (Lee Si-Young) first directly encounters the star professional baseball player Park Mu-Yeol (Lee Dong-wook). Dong-wook is the bad biy of baseball and known for playing a bit dirty. Eun-Jae is a die hard fan of Mu-yeol‘s rival team and is convinced Mu-yeol is responsible for cheating her favorite team out of a win. When words come to blows between Mu-Yeol and Eun-jae’s father, Eun-Jae deploys her Judo black belt skills to teach hot headed Dong-wook a lesson. Unfortunately the brawl was captured on video and to avoid scandal for both the company where Eun-Jae is a bodyguard as well as to protect Dong-wook’s professional career, Eun-Jae must agree to be Dong-wook’s bodyguard so the can attribute the incident to self defense practice. Hilarity ensues as they each try to get one up on the other. Time starts to show them they are more than just a match in temperament and sport enthusiasm. Can an anti-fan learn to love the object of her dislike?

Having seen Lee Dong-wook in Goblin, I was excited to see him in this different type of role. The mustache was a surprise but actually looked really good for the part of a baseball player. It is one ofthe more comedic dramas I have seen and I was giggling right along. Spoiler alert ** There is this part though where they get in a physical altercation and I cannot think of a way they will be able to make that okay. I am never ok with a man physically hurting a woman unless his life is in danger. After they get back into their amusing bicker and such but, for me, that part was disturbing and unnecessary. After that incident their relationship became very cute. They toward the end they both get in a fight and another guy in the friend circle beats her up. I was not ok with that either. It was like the producers were like she is a bodyguard so it is ok for the men in her life to hit her. I disagree. Never think it is ok. Around those two it was really cute and ended really well. The “robot” couple/side romance between her friend and the team manager/secretary was super cute as well. It ended really well. I would have rated it higher but for the two violent scenes mentioned. Still well worth the watch.

Read More

Thrilling and fun to watch

This is a 2013 paranormal romance thriller written by the Hong Sisters. It has 17,60 minute, episodes.

As a rich but emotionally cold chaebol, Joo Joong-won (So Ji-sub) seems to have it all. He doesn’t realize what is missing until his fate takes a turn and he encounters Tae Gong-shil (Gong Hyo-jin), who unwillingly sees ghosts. For some reason, quite by accident, Ging-shil discovers that when she touches Joong-won her nightmarish encounters with ghosts goes away. So she strikes up a bargain to help Joong-won recover a lost fortune in exchange for being allowed closely by his side.

Spoiler alert ** I love the character Gong-shil. It would be absolutely horrifying to see the things she does and have no idea how to make it stop. It is a bit reminiscent of the American movie “The Sixth Sense”. Like that movie she sees dead people and if she solves a problem they can go on. The thing is she does not have the courage to face them until she discovers her magic bullet which is Jon-won whenever she is around him the ghosts are at bay. At first he wants nothing to do with this odd girl but as he begins to understand more about her he starts to care and genuinely wNt to help. Two different people who compliment each other. It was exciting and entertaining and is one of my favorite.

Read More

Surprising in much more sexual content than in most

This is a 2012 South Korean Romantic Comedy movie with a run time of 1:57 (HH:MM)

Yoo-Jung (Kim Ah-Joong) is not your typical South Korean female, she owns a lingerie company and is a bit more of a free spirit with her sexuality. Desperate to bring the spark back to her long term dating relationship, she calls her boyfriend to have phone sex. What she does not know is she dialed a stranger one who is heartbroken from seeing his ex, who he had a long term relationship with, get in the car with another man. Hyun-seung
(Ji Sung) answers the phone on a night he attempted to drink away his sorrows. When the sexy voice on the phone starts murmuring words that are the fabric of every man’s sexy dream, he just goes with it figuring he is getting a free sample or something. At the end of the call Yoo-Jung discovers it was not her boyfriend and is horrified over her sexy conversation with a stranger. Hyun-seung calls after a upsetting incident planning to get relationship advice and instead gets an earful from a mortified woman. Once they talk it out and realize the sexy call was a case of mistaken identity they begin to talk for real. Each find the other easy to talk to and a series of phone calls lead them to meeting in person. After an intimate night together their feelings grow deeper but Yoo-Jung‘s boyfriend finally proposes and Hyun-Seun
g s girlfriend returns. Did fate play matchmaker or was this brief interlude the thing to put their love lives back on track with their former partners?

Spoiler 🚨 This was way more risque and ribald than I am used to with South Korean movies and television series. There were a lot of sexy scenes that are unusual based on hundreds of shows I have watched. It was refreshing as their relationship just seemed a lot closer and it was easy to see how they would’ve developed feelings so quickly for each other. I really liked both of the main actors and the chemistry between the two was really good.
The storyline was interesting how just a chance meeting may lead to the love of your life. It reminds me a bit of an American movie I saw called “He’s Just Not That Into You”.. The aspect that reminded me of that was when someone does not move on to the next level in a relationship it could be due to the fact that they are not as into the person as would be best in a committed relationship. And when someone leaves and then comes back later it’s often best not to take that person back because at some level there was not enough love to keep the relationship going. I liked it all the way through and it ended well.

Read More

Serious 2nd guy syndrome

This is a 2010 South Korean Drama with 20, 60 minute episodes.

Seo Yoo-kyung (Gong Hyo-Jin) has worked for three years at an upscale Italian restaurant, La Sfera. Her dream is to become a pasta chef at last place her mother took her to before her death. Finally Yoo-kyung gets to move up and start making pasta but suddenly a new chef is hired and, due to a past incident, he does not like women in the kitchen. Chef Choi Hyun-Wook (Lee Sun-kyun) finds reason to fire all the women including Yoo-kyung. He trained in Italy and brings three Italian chefs who worked for him in Italy to fill the gap left by the women. Not one to give up, Yoo-kyung keeps showing up to work despite being fired. She is determined to fulfill her dream by learning all she can from this Italy trained Chef. Admiration turns to something more but Oh Sae-young (Lee Ha-nul), Chef’s ex appears and she is determined to win him back. Sae-young is friends with the owner, Kim San (Alex Chu) who insists she get a job as Co-chef. Kim San has a secret crush on Yoo-kyung. With a cooking war between the Italian and Korean Chefs, a grouchy head chef who scolds at every turn and multiple love triangles, things really heat up in the kitchen.

*Spoiler 🚨 I could tell this took place 10 years ago as the male to female relations were dated. South Koreans, in everything else I have seen, have closer equality between men and women than they did 10 years ago. I thought the chef was overly harsh in his methods and that she was treated unfairly at times for the simple fact she was a woman. Any time there was an undesirable task, all the men would suggest Yoo-kyung do it as the lowest ranking chef. I actually liked 2nd guy, Kim San, way better as he was very kind to everyone and watched over her for three years, hiding his identity and pretending to be a customer. I was really disappointed with the ending was because she had the opportunity to go to Italy and cook and he, without her knowledge, substituted one of the male cooks so that she was an able to go. He did not want her to leave which is understandable but it was selfish. She was concerned about her father and his health but I think if he had told her he would watch over her father while she was gone then she would’ve went. It seemed all the chefs that had not been trained in Italy were at a disadvantage and as a woman she already had a disadvantage. He had the opportunity to go to Italy as well so it would’ve been good had they just gone to Italy together. Heck the father was also a cook he could’ve gotten some training in Italy as well or at least lived there with them. I don’t know I was just disappointed overall with the way she was treated and the fact that she didn’t speak up for herself more. The second guy was actually much better to the women and I really like that. Overall it was good but the whole woman thing just kept it from being great for me. And I am not somebody who is strongly women’s liberation I think a balanced approach is best. I think there are things women do better and things men do better but if a woman wants to do something or a man that is traditionally one sex or the other I think they should have all equal opportunity with it. It really bothered me the way the South Korean team treated her throughout. So I would recommend it as it is interesting to see what it may be like in a South Korean Italian kitchen but with the awareness that it is a period in time and the way the women are treated could be annoying to some.

Read More

Great story a must watch for kdrama fans

This is a 2017 South Korean drama with 16, 70 minute episodes

Han Se-joo / Seo Hwi-young (Yoo Ah-In) is a famous author who hits a slump shortly after he meets one of his top fans, Jeon Seol / Ryu Soo-hyun / Anastacia (Im Soo Jung) Jin Seol was an Olympic level shooter who lost her desire to pursue the sport when holding the gun would bring on flashes of disturbing memories. Jin Seol is thrilled when her delivery service leads her to drop off a package at none other than Se-joo’s house. However, Se-Joo is not a fan of people in general and particularly this fan who finds excuses to seek him out. The package contains a typewriter that Se-Joo admired in an antique shop but was told it was not for sale. Seems the owner had a change of heart. The typewriter is not just any typewriter but holds a secret that ties Se-joo, Jin-Seol and a third character associated with the typewriter, Jin-oh / Shin Yool (Go Kyung-pyo) together. Collaborating on a novel about their past may break Se-joo out of his slump, allow Jin Seol an excuse to be around Se-Joo and reveal how and why the three are drawn to each other.

Spoiler 🚨. I liked everything about this. The reincarnation angle was interesting and the back story with the ghost was compelling. It was clear that their past story would be sad so it did not fall too heavy when the sad part occurred because it was expected. It kept you guessing just enough to make you want to keep watching. The love stories were believable and relatable. The friendships were heart warming. Getting a slice of life of that era in Korea was interesting.. The only thing that detracted and kept the ending from feeling thoroughly happy was not knowing what the future held for the ghost. It is a thoroughly engaging story with great character development, an intriguing premise and interesting plot. I highly recommend this for a wide audience but those interested in modern history, that like mystery, action, supernatural elements and romance will particularly enjoy this one.

Read More

Disappointing the story that could have been

This is a 2018 South Korean television mystery, horror romantic drama with 32, 30 minute, episodes.

Lee Da-il (Choi Daniel) has a detective agency where he helps to solve cases that the police are not thoroughly investigating. Private detectives are neither respected nor recognized by law enforcement which is why Da-il has to approach situations solo. After observing his success with a kidnap case, Jung Yeo-wool (Park Eun-bin) decides to get close to Da-il by serving as his assistant in the hopes he will help solve her younger sibling's bizarre death. A mysterious woman in red, Sunwoo Hye (Lee Ji-ah) appears at the crime scenes and seems to be involved in the victim’s deaths.

Spoiler 🚨 I literally thought the male lead would be a detective who went after ghosts. As it turns out he is a detective who is a ghost and winds up needing Yeo-wool as he does not have physical ability to even open a door knob. The lady in red trashes him every time he comes around her. Yeo-wool develops feelings for the ghostly detective early and it is hard to understand as although he is nice not a lot is going on that would make her have loving feelings for him so that seemed too early and too much.

If you can get past the first quarter of the show it actually gets really interesting. The lady in red makes Damien from the Omen movies look fairly nice. You quickly start to wonder how anyone is going to be able to stop her. As you watch her creepy smile and hear the way she gets inside people’s heads to unlock their deepest fears about themselves the fear all of the characters have for her is completely legitimized. The relationship between the leads makes more sense and Da-Il becomes more of a force to reckon with.

So the middle was great but the ending was not. It is one of those where the leads can never fully be together. He was a ghost through the majority of the movie and then they found out that he was actually alive and a living spirit but you wondered if the serial killer was going to kill his body. They got through all of that found him, got him in the hospital in
and you’re thinking yeah he’s not doing so good sort of in a coma has some brain bleed but something miraculous will happen they’ll find a way to get rid of the ghost and he will return to his body. That is not what happens. In order to get rid of the ghost, or rather evil spirit, they had to trap it in someone’s body and then that person had to die. So guess who that was. So after doing the final heroic deed and getting unplugged from life support, Da-il is spotted by Yeo-wool and you think maybe he came to after he was off life support and none of his frienspds knew. Nope. He makes an appearance again as a ghost and she’s just like well just stay around until I feel like I can be without you. Then they all start doing this Ghostbusters thing and that just seems like the way it’s going to be. But then you’re like wait a minute the only way they could get rid of the one evil spirit was for someone to trap it in their body and then die. So are they just gonna find people that are on the verge of death who will invite the ghost Or evil spirit in so they can trap it and die? Or did they suddenly find a way to get rid of them other than that? So it was a weird ending that was really unsatisfying. I might forgive the slow beginning because the middle was so good but the ending of it brought the rank right back down for me. It’s worth watching if you like Supernatural just because she’s a really, really evil spirit. So it’s a good supernatural for the genre. But in terms of romance it lags because it really isn’t a happily ever after.

Read More

Lacks development and substance

Ban Ha-na (Kim So-eu) is doing what she can to prevent the closure of her club “One Plus One” she also dreams of one day opening her own food truck. Na Do-jeon (Xiu Min) works as a Pierrot as he enjoys making others laugh. The two happen across each other one day and Ha-na invites him to join the club. Not only does he join but he teaches Ha-na and the others how to be Perriots which helps them save the club. Ha-na and Do-neon fall in love.

If the story seems simple and the plot predictable It is. There simply is not enough time for deep plot or character development. I liked it for what it was but still felt it was missing an element of intrigue or surprise. If you want quick fluff or are a fan of EXO then it is worth it for those purposes.

Read More

Living the dream

This is a 2019 South Korean comedy drama with 12, 1 hour episodes.

Sri Bo-ah (Kim So-the) is a 25 year old owner of a bath house. She was a promising webtoon artist but after having her work stolen by a Sunbae who becomes famous from it, she becomes jaded and hides behind her failing business. When Park Choi-go (Park Sun-go) quits his promising job in the cubicle jungle to pursue his dream of owning a chicken restaurant, he finds the bathhouse a great location and arranges to lease it from Bo-ah’s grandfather, Seo Myung-dong (Myung Kye-nam), who owns the building. Myung-dong says he will discount the lease costs if Choi-go will hire Bo-ah. Myung-dong hopes that losing the bath house and gaining a job will be a recipe for renewed success for his granddaughter who has put her life on hold after her negative experience as a webtoon artist. But Bo-ah has other ideas and thinks Choi-go is just a bored rich guy playing business she vows to do all she can to drive Choi-go out of business so she can resume her “safe” life. Hilarity ensues when every plot she attempts to harm the business winds up helping. Things get complicated when the two start to develop feelings for each other and Bo-ah starts to regret her early transgressions. Some things have been set in place that are hard to stop. Choi-go is as nice and optimistic as Bi-ah is surly and pessimistic. Can these two opposites find love and realize their dreams?

Spoiler alert. This was unique in that the female lead was the one who was not very nice in the beginning. Usually it is the male lead in dramas that starts out mean to the girl and she slowly wins him over. It was opposite in this and it made it unique. The male lead was so nice to her from the start and through all the hardships the female lead created that I would find myself angry at the female lead on his behalf. It was one of the funniest dramas I have seen though. It was extremely amusing to see her plots backfire. I liked all of the plot twists and how the characters grew and developed. It made me very hungry for fried chicken. The romance was very cute. And it ended well with all but one minor plot point wrapped up.

Read More

Very funny a good cheer you up series

This is a 2014 South Korean comedic tv series with 20, 60 minute, episodes.

After their rock career suffers a set back, members of the band Excellent Souls (ExSo): Kang Hyeok (Park Min-woo), Yoo Han-cheo (Lee Si-eon), and Han Ki-Joon (Dong Yeon) are persuaded by their lead singer Lee Min-ki (Lee Hong-gi) to give up their life in Seoul and take on farming to raise money to finally debut. Lee Min-ki’s grandmother left him a plot of farmland that had little value in real estate but could yield valuable crops such as cabbage. The village where the farm is located is comprised of villagers who are not very welcoming of outsiders especially city boys. The boys fight an uphill battle to win favor and much needed help from the villagers. Min-ki grew up for a time in the village and has fond memories of his first love, Kang Yoon-hee (Lee Ha-nuI). Yoon-hee is now a single mother and the village leader and Min-ki’s one connection to his past in the village. Can the boys gain the villagers acceptance and produce a crop that will give them a fresh start?

Spoiler 🚨 This is one of the most comedic dramas I have seen. It is very well cast and the young actors do a great job of conveying the struggle of being out of your element. They make so many hilarious mistakes and have you rooting for them the whole way. I fell in live with all the characters in the village. I loved the way everyone had each other’s backs no matter what. I was so interested in the music I looked it up and PT Island is on my playlist. Min-ki’s character was so dynamic it was easy to understand why people would follow him easily.

I had mixed feelings about the ending. On one hand it made perfect sense but, on the other, I wanted to see the full success as I knew they would get there. Walt Disney applied for a loan some 200 times before he succeeded and those types of dreamers that never give up, almost always eventually do. Min-ki is that type of dreamer and it made it so enjoyable to watch.

I highly recommend this fun, feel good, movie. When it ends, you will miss all the characters like they are your good friends. You will want to spend time in the village with all the crazy, but lovable, characters.

Read More

One of my favorite Action Romance

Kim Je-ha (Ji Chang-Wook) was a top special forces soyldier turned mercenary in the Iraq war. He falls in love with a local and is instrumental in getting her a job as an interpreter. His plan to marry his love and get them both out of the war theater goes terribly awry when she witnesses something she shouldn't and is killed in front of Je-ha's eyes. Worse he is framed for her murder. He is determined to seek revenge and escapes, for a time to Barcelona where he runs across a beautiful young woman who seems to be running from someone and pleads for his help. The girl is Go A-na (Im Yoon-ah) who has been kept as a veritable prisoner her whole life to protect her father's political aspirations.

Unsure if the young woman is crazy or indeed in danger Je-ha only half heartedly helps her and she is re-captured by her step mother's guards. As the result of an illegitimate relationship, Go A-na is kept under tight guard.

Fast forward back to South Korea and a series of events results in Je-ha, who is in hiding in his home country, catching the attention of Presidential candidate's wife, Choi Yoo-Jin (Song Yoon-ah) Realizing his skill as a great asset to her security team, she offers to provide an alias for him and ultimately an avenue to clear his name. Je-ha is assigned the code name K2 and is surprised to discover his first assignment is to guard the girl he ran across in Barcelona. Yoo-Jin and Je-ha find they have a common enemy, Park Kwan-soo (Kim Kap-so) who is political rival to one and fiancé murderer of the other. Meanwhile Jang Se-Joon (Jo Sung-ha) has allowed his wife to imprison A-na with the promise to not cause her physical harm.
While guarding her, K2 gets to know A-na and understands that past tragedy has led to her current fragile psychological state which is not completely unlike his own. The two find love but must navigate the danger of a political world full of lies, murder and corruption. Some will stop at nothing to gain the ultimate seat of power. A-na is not the only one who finds K2 attractive A-na's stepmom has been in a loveless marriage as a rich heiress able to fund her husband's political ambitions but having lost his heart to A-na's mother. She has possibly done the unthinkable once to remove a romantic rival and A-na is already a constant reminder of her husband's infidelity so Yoo-jin needs no excuse to eliminate her. K2 must play a dangerous game to free and protect the woman he loves while maintaining the alliance he needs to exact his revenge.
This has everything I love in a good action movie. It was sort of James Bond meets Bruce Lee. I was not sure Ji Chang-Wook could play another character I liked as well as Healer but I have to say he did. He plays this almost super hero level character with a vulnerable streak that has you rooting for him the whole way. The A-na character led such a sad life that it was a happy moment when K 2 entered the picture as you knew he would make things right. The plot was complex and every other character was such a twisted blend of good and evil it kept you guessing to the end. I loved this movie and thoroughly enjoyed it. Chemistry between the leads was perfect and believable. It had a nice romantic element. The only slight flaw was the overly obvious product placement it broke the fourth wall several times. Highly recommend yet another excellent Ji Chang-Wook action movie.

Read More

If you are not focused just on the romance, it is a great supernatural series

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean Dark Fantasy, Action Legal thriller. With 14, 60-73 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then a review

Synopsis

Judge Kang Bit-na (Park Shin-hye) is mysteriously stanbed to death in a park and erroneously winds up before Hell’s judge, Justitia (Oh Na-ra). Justitia does not like humans nor does she feel any empathy for the murder victim who was before her by accident so she sends her to hell. This angers Bael (Shin Sun-rok), a major demon who is essentially second in charge of Hell. To punish her, Bael forces her to inhabit Kang Bit-na’s body and identify ten evil amd remorseless sinners who do not get full punishment through the justice system and send them to hell. eternal punishment. She only has one year or her existence will be snuffed out by Bael. During the course of serving as a human judge, Justitia/Bit-na encounter Han Da-on (Kim Jae-young) a violent crimes detective, who becomes suspicious of the judge when he notices many of those who appear before her meet an early demise.

Review

This was a fresh take on sins and judgements and the role of supernatural characters such as demons and angels.  It reminded me of a book series I read by Piers Anthony "Incarnations of Immortality" where every role, God, Satan, Grim Reaper were just jobs.  I found the Hell's judgement aspect of this series very interesting.  Who wouldn't like to think that those truly evil among us might experience an "eye for an eye" type punishment.   It was entertaining throughout.  Well-acted.  And ended reasonably well.  I might watch it again and highly recommend it to fans of the genre.  It's not as strong in terms of the romance but very strong as a supernatural drama. 

Spoilers

Like so many others my main critique was with the romance element.  I did not dislike that it had a romance running through it felt like an afterthought in many ways. It would have felt more integrated if the ending had not been so nebulous.  Does she love him enough to stay behind and be human or not?  I thought the chemistry was fine between the leads but it was just hard, in general, to envision someone so strongly enamored with justice being okay with a partner that is essentially a serial killer.  She was just doing her job and wasn't going after anyone that did not deserve it, but the absolute joy she exhibited in carrying out the brutal and grisly punishments was disturbing.  It was like a serial killer that found a sanctioned purpose for what they already enjoyed doing. The main guy was so good that pairing him with someone who could kill anyone in that manner was just a hard match up to buy. 

It also made no sense why she would be offered the chance to essentially send 10 to hell in exchange for becoming human.  What did it benefit hell to grant her such a thing?  She would have had to carry out her job whether or not she was rewarded.

They seemed to leave it open for there to be another season.  It ended, they were together, but it could be only temporary (three years and she is on her last year when it ends) depending on whether or not she decides to become human.  I don't like nebulous ending.  I know streaming platforms like to do that so they have the option of additional seasons if it is popular.  But it breaks what is great about South Korean shows where you know generally there will be one season.  And there isn't this open-ended decision about future seasons or not. 

#TheJudgeFromHell. #ParkShinHye #OhNaRa #ShinSunRok #KimJaeYoung

Read More