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Couple more often stay together relative to the South Korean version

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 Chinese dating reality show modeled after the popular South Korean show of the same title.

First I provide a synopsis then a unique 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.

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.

Celebrity Panel/Detectives

Du Haitao is a television host and actor. He was born in 1987. So he would have been about 32 at the time the show was filmed.

Victoria Song is a singer, dancer, actress, model, host and author known for her work as the leader of South Korean girl group f(x). She was born in 1987. About 32 years old when the show was filmed.

Yang Chaoyue is an actor and singer in the Chinese group Rocket Girls 101. She was born in 1998 and would have been 22 when the show was filmed, she is the only season 2 panelist that was also a panelist in season 1.

Zheng Kai is an actor and television personality. He was born in 1986 and would have been about 34 when the show was filmed.

Rainie Yang she is an actor, singer and television host. Born in 1984 she would have been 36 when the show was filmed.

Pearl Poon also known as Poon Ngai Tung. Is a Hing Kong born actress. She was born in 1995 so would have been 24 when the show was filmed.

Liu Xuan Former artist gymnast. Born in 1979. Would have been 41 when the show was filmed. After she retired from gymnastics she turned to acting and television presenting.

Ren Jia Lun also known as Ren Guo Cho (English name Allen) is an actor and former professional table tennis player. He is a guest panelist in episodes 3 and 4. He was born in 1989 so would have been 31 when the show was filmed.

SINGLES

FEMALES

*Yang Kaiwen (Nickname Kevin). Fashion Toy Designer. Was an Animation major at Communication University China. Born in 1994. 25 at time of filming.

*Zhang Tian Film and television show producer. Double majored in Gender Studies and Film at Syracuse. Her company has offices in Bejing and Los Angeles. Born in 1996. 24 at the time if filming.

*Wui Pei Graduated from University of South Florida with a degree in Business Management. Holds the prestigious position of Director of Human Resources for an internet based company. Born in 1990. She was 29 years old when this show was filmed.

*Pan Zhengru. General Manager at an event planning company. She was born in 195 and would have been 24 at the time the show was filmed.

MALES

*Wu xiangwei (William) Champagne brand ambassador. Swiss hotel management school, project management major sommelier echondon sommelier of 2018 from food and wine 1991 and many other awards in the industry. Born 1991. 28 at the time if filming.

*Zhao Qi Jun He is a Beijing Culture Construction Foundation Investment Manager. Attended the University of Nottingham Finance and Investment and graduated with a masters in business administration MBA. Born in 1991. He would have been 28 at the time.

*Chen Yi Chen Part time English teacher. Attending the University of Canberra and majoring in business at the time of filming. He was born in 1996. He was 24 at the time of filming

*Huang Zhengxuan. Head of sports medicine at an anti aging cancer prevention center in Bejing. Born in 1995. He was 25 at the time of filming.

Review

The detectives/celebrity panel in this are nearly as entertaining to watch as is the drama playing out as the singles interact. Zheng Kai is so funny I was often laughing out loud at his antics. I have watched several reality shows with celebrity panels but this has been, by far my favorite.

One thing reviewers that have watched both the South Korean and Chinese versions of this show comment consistently is they like the Chinese version as the couples tend to stick together more. I have watched all the South Korean Heart Signal to date and wholeheartedly agree with this assessment. There is far less surprise in who they pick and who they reject and the reasons why they might go that way. It can still be frustrating when us self appointed matchmakers, watching through our fourth wall, identify a couple that seem perfectly suited for each other but one of them does not go that way. We must remind ourselves that these are real people with real feelings and it is often the case that the heart and mind do not agree on romantic choices.

My favorite part of these shows is watching such wonderful friendships and budding romances develop. It highlights how fragile an early romance can be. At the point where no one has fully confessed their feelings (and in this show they can’t( what seems like a rock solid situation, can be severed relatively easily. It is also important to keep in mind we see only a small portion of all the footage that is shot as the singles go about their lives. I am not suggesting they steer the outcome with the editing, but what I am indicating is there are small things that happen between the singles that we do not see which add up to a different outcome than we may expect.

The one disappointment I have in the Chinese version is there is not a lot of effort put in to show us what happened with the singles after they left the show. As viewers we feel we get to know the singles a little and care about what happens with them. I think it is unreasonable to think they would only choose others that were in the show to date, they are obviously going to return to their normal lives and have a different set of people they interact with. But I know I am not the only one that would like to know how they are doing. As much of an emotional roller coaster it can be for the viewers, it is even more for the singles.

I highly recommend this to anyone that likes reality television particularly those that are fans of shows like “The Bachelor” or just anyone that likes dating reality shows this, to me is a level up from that. It is all the good parts but with a lot more morality than you would ever find in such American shows which are highly sexualized. This, is my favorite out of the 4 seasons of south Korean Heart signal and the one season of the Chinese Version I have watched so far. I would rewatch it in the future with someone who had never seen it.

Spoilers

If you are a fan of the couples you think really like each other getting together you will likely be happy with the outcomes for these singles. Two couples emerge and you could clearly see the progression of their relationships. If you like seeing people that you might think are very well suited choose each other it could go either way. But you are not hit from left field like I have seen with some of these where you feel cheated by the outcomes. Yes, Season 4 of South Korean Heart Signal I am talking about you. Yes, Games of Thrones you are still on my sh&*^t list that way.

One thing about the Chinese version of the show I am not a fan of, is for the travel date they allow the female with the fewest signals (texts), cumulative, to have first choice. That inevitably winds up being the “catfish” (the female or male that arrives late with the soe purpose of mixing things up). I have only seen two of the Chinese Heart Signal shows now but it does frustratingly disrupt the flow and dynamics of those very fragile relationships that have developed. They typically choose singles that are outgoing and somewhat forceful in their approach. Since it is so hard ingrained in most of us that stealing someone else’s boyfriend or girlfriend is a bad thing, it is hard for the viewer not to feel badly toward these “catfish.”

Over all the shows like this I have watched, I notice how hard it is to be a super popular single. Because most of them have developed friendships with everyone else so matter who they pay attention to or ultimately choose they are hurting multiple people they have become friends with. I think the tears in their rooms are genuine and they really struggle with ow to choose and interact with the one they have settled on while doing the least emotional damage to all the others. Oddly I think that also winds up effecting who they choose in some cases, I have seen where I am fairly confident they made a completely surprise choice because they think if they choose that person, not even in the running, the others won’t feel as rejected.

I also notice a pattern with some, particularly the women, and often the catfish where they select the most emotionally vulnerable single and use emotional blackmail to get them to date and, in one case I think, choose them. Having interacted with some people like that over time I feel I am particularly in tune to that type of personality.

After I watched the show I went to see what I could find about what the singles were doing. It is much easier with the South Korean version as they post and interact on at least some of the platforms people in the United States use. But, with the Chinese version, I think they post and interact on Chinese social media platforms and I would not access or download those even if I spoke Chinese because our countries do not have friendly relations. I think even TikTok is a security risk so I would not access those places where more about what happened after might be found. So, it is hard to find information but there is a little bit out there.

The few mentions of these singles after the show basically confirm their humanity and they have the same issues and struggles as everyone. Yang Kaiwen and Zoa Qi Jun were engaged and are most likely married or well on their way to it, by now. That couple have did not have any major drama or break ups after getting together from the show. There are some really solid posts where they announced so that seems to be true that they are engaged/married now. Zhang Tian and Chen Yi Chen seem to have more of an on again off again relationship. Shortly after they were together there was a leaked message where Yi Chen seemed to be asking Tian about her past where she may have done more than what the Chinese consider an appropriate pace of dating. It is unclear whether his discomfort with her having so many past relationships broke them up or if it was his agent that preferred he be single but something definitely broke them up, at least for a time. They unfollowed, took down picture and Yi Chen even put out a statement defending Tian but also indicating they were taking a break. Several years later there were more indicators they may be back together. There were pictures taken at Disneyland of them separately but the background and other aspects were such close matches that netizens felt they were actually together at the park. And there are pictures of them from a photo booth during that same timeframe.

I think part of the magic of the show is it is a situation that rarely if ever would happen in real life. You have a group of highly attractive and successful people who live together for a time. It’s like the popular show “Friends” only a reality based situation. It is clear why it is so hard for them to choose who they want to finally select or who they want to go on a date with. It would be hard to have a really bad date between any of them. So you go out with your second or even third choice and you are, at minimum, friends with them if not slightly or more romantically interested in them. That would be a hard choice. And, I think they take rejection especially hard at times because these are such “cream of the cop” people that they are nt used to being rejected in their normal lives. They may be more used to rejecting the feelings of others than they are being rejected themselves. And, in normal life, you don’t reject someone then still have to live with them and/or potentially have to do a follow up show with them. You don’t have people tracking your moves after you are no longer on screen. So, it changes all the dating and interacting rules we are used to as it is that unique of a situation. It causes them to agonize even more over that final choice, I mean if your choice is between two equally amazing people you would be all the more worried you may make the wrong choice.

One of the most heartwarming moments with the detectives/celebrity panel was at the end of episode 10, they did a little “After Signal” and brought some of the singles into the studio. Some of the panel were beside themselves and absolutely starstruck. Knowing all the detective/celebrity panel are famous people themselves it was so cute to see them overcome when they saw the singles. It shows how intense we all feel for the singles as we watch them and feel like we know them. The odd thing is we know them from what they show us but they don’t know any of us at all. They at least might know the panel a little but we, as viewers, would feel the same emotions and could you imagine if you saw any of the singles and reacted to them like you were old friends. So, it is a very odd situation in that way for us viewers as well. We get to know these singles and their personalities better than we might know some of our own friends or at least their is the illusion that we do (people who know they are being filmed and in the context they are in are unlikely revealing all of their true selves). I, for example, was surprised when Kaiwen was acting so shy when introduced t the detective/celebrity panel. What I remembered of her from her interactions with the other singles, was she was fairly outgoing. But I had to remind myself of some things. First we all present ourselves differently depending on the social situation. We don't present ourselves at work typically the way we act at home. It’s not fake, it’s an adaptive way to respond to different environments. For Kaiwen, she was meeting people she considered to be celebrities without realizing they were reacting to them like celebrities (they were on more equal footing than they realized). Plus, she was rather shy to the others in her earliest times at signal house but then got more outgoing the more they all became like friends. So she was more of an ambivert than one might think going off the last impression. It is very much an illusion that we know any of the singles with any depth, we are seeing how they are in one highly unique situation. Which is why I understand they go pretty private after the show could you imagine having that may people that feel a friendship like connection with you and might want to fawn over you when they spot you in public? Celebrities deal with that a little but usually they are acting in a way or playing a role that is not them. Reality television participants are being themselves (well whatever version of themselves they might display in such a public format).

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Very dark with surprising twists

8.5/10 is my rating. This is South ean thriller thriller drama that runs 132 minutes.

Two worlds collide when members of a poor family struggling to make end meet go to work for the wealthy Park family. In the same genre of dark twisted tales as “Basic Instinct”, “Gone Girl”, “Pacific Heights”, “Momento” and “The Game.”

Kim Ki-taek, Mr Kim; (Song Kang-ho)
Head of the down on their luck but looking for their next mark Kim family. He poses as an experienced chauffeur to gain employment with the Parks.
Park Dong-ik, Nathan (Lee Sun-kyun)
ERned his wealth as a successful business man and mostly allows his wife to manage household affairs including hiring household staff.
Choi Yeon-gyo, Madame (Cho Yeo-jeong)
The easily manipulated wife and mother of the Park family.
Kim Ki-woo, Kevin (Choi Woo-shik). Ki-woo’s friend approached him as he was leaving to study abroad and wanted him to fill in his tutoring job and keep other boys away from the girl he is tutoring and likes (he is waiting for her to get older). While Ki-woo does not have credentials he has studied for and taken entrance exams enough that he has gained expertise. He is the first member of the Kim family to be employed by the Parks.
Kim Ki-jung , Jessica (Park So-dam) Upon mention the Park family is looking for an art teacher, Kevin says he might know someone who can appreciate the Park son’s unique art style and introduces Jessica (secretly his sister who also has phony credentials).
Chung-sook (Jang Hye-Jin). Matriarch of the Kim family her other family members work behind the scenes to get her hired as the head housekeeper (all the while pretending not to know each other)
Park Da-hye (Jung Ji-so) High school daughter of the Park family who is being tutored to prepare for entrance exams.
Park Da-song (Jung Hyeon-jun) youngest member of the Park family. He receives art lessons from Jessica.
Son of the Park family, who is obsessed with Native Americans.
Park Seo-joon as Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon) Ki-woo’s friend who gets the entire Kim family in the door (unintentionally) by recommending his friend, Ki-woo to replace him as
Da-Hye’s tutor.
This was a very dark story in that the wealthy family was conned into giving the entire Kim family positions which they were not qualified for. Through careful manipulation and deceit they were able to eliminate existing staff and obtain high paying jobs with the Parks. At one point the Kim’s collected information on all relevant personal and financial details leading to the conclusion rather had something even darker in mind. Things took some very unexpected twists at the end. I liked this movie and it reminded me of some very dark American dramas I have seen over the years. i felt like the change from one up man ship to murder happened more quickly than the situation warranted and felt it would have added suspense if things had built to that point a bit more slowly. It is a very good movie in this genre and I understand why it gained recognition.

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Not very interesting

This is a 2019 South Korean romance movie about a young couple who first meet when the young man takes a temporary job in the young woman’s bakery. Cha Hyun-woo (Jung Hae-in) shows up one day at Kim Mi-soo’s (Kim Go-eun) bakery which she has ran with her family friend turned family since her parent’s death. Just when Mi-soo and Hyun-woo grow close, Hyun-woo disappears. Mi-soo knows there is something mysterious about his past and is relieved when, several years later their paths cross again. Fate has them crossing paths and separating multiple times. Will Mi-soo discover the mystery from Hyun-woo’s past? Will fate eventually lead them back to each other?

Spoiler 🚨 This one could’ve been so much more. I did not feel like they were together enough initially for the two to form a deep connection. So as he went and they later got back together it just did not seem like there was a whole lot of depth in their relationship. It was boring in parts and I found myself struggling a bit to get through it. It’s not horrible just not really great.

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Revenge of the Chaebols

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic drama series with 16 episodes approximately 65 minutes run time each.

First I provide a synopsis then I will review

Synopsis

Choi Sang-Eun/Jamie (Park Min-young) becomes the spouse for single men in need of a partner for events or so their family will quit forcing relationships on them. She has been divorced many times as a result but never had a serious relationship. As a chaebol she was raised to be the perfect bride and feels she is using her skills to help others who are trapped by societal rules as she was. Her goal is complete emotional detachment but she find that hard with one long term client, Jung Ji-ho (Go Kyung-pho), a painfully introverted man who is drawn to the spunky and vivacious Sang-Eun. Kang Hae-jin (Kim Jae-young), fell in love with the girl he knew as Jamie when he observed her reject the chaebol lifestyle in a very visible manner. He also hated being a chaebol and used her as inspiration to break away and become a very successful actor and businessman in the entertainment sector. But she disappeared so he never got over his first love. He was so enamored that he even named his beloved cat after her and he talks to the cat like a girlfriend sparking all kinds of fan rumors of a live in girlfriend. Scandal follows the chaebol turned hallyu star as when he is not accused of having a live in girlfriend, he is categorized as gay since he never dates. He moves into a building where Ji-ho lives and does not realize at first that the girl he could never forget, Jamie, has a long standing contract with Ji-ho and he thinks she is now married and living right next to him. He ultimately figures out what she is actually doing. When his family grows tired of the scandal they bring up an arranged marriage, Hae-jin implores Sang-eun to accept him as a client. Sam-eun thinks she has love and life all figured out and is perfectly positioned to counsel and help others but the mirror is double sided and she finds, through these close interactions, she has a lot to learn. As she draws closer to the two men on a much more personal level, will she discover that love is possible for her as well?

Review

I found her job very interesting because it seemed to run so counter to what I know of South Korean culture. Love and marriage are taken very seriously so her being a "single helper" seemed like a very bizarre thing for a cultured young lady to do. I also wondered how she thought, in such small social circles, she could take pictures and leave other traces and not have future friends and relatives recognize her from those past relationships. In the USA the only job similar to that would be an escort but that has cross over with prostitution and is very marginalized. There were a couple of times when the stigma associated with what she was doing was brought up, typically from questions from those closest to her and she acted very offended that people viewed what she did as something less than helping and a service to society. I thought she was a bit unreasonable to think others might not view her activity in a favorable light. But it was interesting, and definitely different, and added a unique spin to the story. Overall it was a well paced, interesting and heart warming story. I liked the characters, there was great character development, and it ended well.

Spoilers* I had serious second lead syndrome in this one. Hae-jin sacrificed so much for Sang-eun, to protect her and because he was completely loyal in his love. I thought they were a very good match as they understood, all too well, each other's motivations in the way they currently lived. He was so kind to everyone around him. There was such a deep sadness in him I wanted to see him fully happy. Ji-ho's ex-wife ultimately becomes Hae-jin's close legal counsel and it is suggested they may develop a romantic relationship but I never found her character very redeeming. Ji-ho apologized to her but I found, in what they showed of their relationship, she was emotionally cruel to him. I wanted Hae-jin to find someone who would shower him with the kind of love he never had and she was not the type of person that would ever be able to offer that. So I was disappointed they implied a romantic connection developing there. There was another relationship between Ji-ho's gay roommate and Hae-jin's manager where a relationship implied but never explored. I thought they would have been a good couple and they indicated they would team up as talent and manager but not much beyond that. I liked those character so much I would have loved to have seen that fully developed. I felt rather than have Sang-eun go through this "I don't know if I am worth it period" they could have spent that time giving us more to those stories.

In general Park Min-young rarely disappoints. Her character was cute, pretty and compelling. The wardrobe they put her in was very pretty and she has such a perfect form pretty much everything looks good on her. I was not a fan of Hae-jin's sloppy looking shirts that were high fashion. But it did fit with what is considered fashionable. I am just not a huge fan of that over sized look. I would have liked for them to officially claim her as a daughter of the conglomerate because it felt like she had more than paid her dues in terms of the training she went through for the "Jamie project." I loved the double proposal at the end. I affectionately called Ji-ho little robot because he struggled with the emotional aspects of having relationships but he was so pure and cute about it. So, his proposal was surprising but very heart warming. Sang-euns proposal was just like her and I think was a great way to show her deep love for Ji-ho. I would recommend this series for those that like Romantic dramas and would say this does have a unique twist that makes it a bit more compelling than the ho-hum.

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I loved the friends like family aspect. A little disappointed in the softer focus on romance.

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean comedy drama with 12, 70 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis and then review.  The synopsis is provided as many synopsis, particularly for Chinese and Japanese series, do not provide a very detailed description.  If you are not interested in a synopsis, please scroll to the review which is labeled as such.

Synopsis

Han Jeong-suk (Kim So-yeon) would not have dreamed her life would end up as it did.  Married to her high school sweetheart, Kwon Seon-soo (Choi Jae-rim), her marriage is a disappointment with a deadbeat spouse who can't keep a job who also neglects the important aspects of their marriage.  Once a beauty queen Jeon-suk has to turn from doing odd jobs to support her family to something with a more solid and promising income.  The opportunity to sell adult fantasy products falls practically in her lap and she finds she has a talent for directly marketing.  As the business picks up speed her acquaintances turned friends, Oh Geum-hee (Kim Sung-ryung), the classy socialite; Seo Young-bok (Kim Sun-young) who has a large loving family, and Lee Joo-ri (Lee Se-hee) a bubbly, beautiful young single mom/salon owner all join for their own reasons.  The four women become fast friends and business partners as they face a society that is not fully ready to accept this type of business without social repercussions.  Jeon-suk finds an unlikely ally in detective Kim Do-hyun (Yeon Woo-jin) who finds himself constantly rescuing the sweet, beautiful and guileless Jeon-suk.  In such a hostile environment can the four determined women make this unlikely business a success?

**Review**

This was a very heartwarming story about friendship, perseverance, and romance where the friends are more or less family. I highly recommend this for those who enjoy slice-of-life elements, overcoming the odds, and romance.

**Spoilers**

The story ends well, with most major plot points resolved and the main characters and side romances appearing to be on a path to being together. However, it's not perfect. For instance, there's no clear statement of long-term commitment between the main leads (ML and FL), though it seems they are heading towards a lasting relationship. As someone who's in it for the romance, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of a heart-fluttering confession and really disliked the separation trope. The main couple was apart for four years, and there's no indication of how or if they kept in contact during this time, making their reunion feel somewhat like a restart. This approach might have been intended to show the female lead's strength in rebuilding from nothing on her own, but it somewhat diminished the potential cuteness of the romance.

Ms. Moon nearly stole the show, with so many major plot points revolving around her. She establishes her independence from her husband, gains some equality in her marriage, supports the FL with her business, and there's the whole subplot about her son. I loved her character, she was nearly a co-lead.

Another romance that felt underdeveloped was between the hair stylist and the awkward, nerdy son of the real estate mogul. Their relationship had all the makings of something super cute, but the narrative focused more on their breakup than their reconciliation. In the ending, it was clear they were back together, but we don't see what happened during their time apart.

The initial emphasis on the FL's horrible ex-husband was significant, only for this storyline to be dropped later. His threats seemed to lead nowhere, and his son's interest in seeing his father was oddly abandoned when the ML came into the picture. Usually, there would be some confrontation or closure, but none was provided here.

The "breaking up for your own good" trope was also used, particularly with the hairdresser and her boyfriend, which I find unappealing. He's supposedly going back to school to become a photographer, possibly to cut the purse strings, but the outcome of this decision remains unclear.

Having the business destroyed and essentially starting all over and four years later she was just then opening a store? And with all the protesters again that ruined it for the previous CEO the viewer still does not know if it will make it.

We did not get to see ML reunion with FL son after four years. Did they see each other at all during that time? Separation tropes are lame.

All in all, my desire to know more about everything signifies how much I enjoyed the characters and the story. The technique of leaving things unfinished for the viewer to fill in the details isn't one I personally appreciate; I prefer a fully told story. This is my only critique of what was otherwise a highly enjoyable series.

#AVirtouosBusiness  #KimSoYeon  #YeonWooJin  #YeonWooJin  #KimSungRyung  #KimSunYoung  #LeeSeeHee

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One of my new favorites

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2020/2021 South Korean fantasy, mystery, thriller series with 16, 70 minute, episodes.

Set in the fictional city of Jungin in South Korea, a group of Counters are charged with ridding the world of evil spirits. The evil spirits posses human hosts who have either committed murder or are evil to the extent they would be willing to. Being possessed by the evil spirit compels the human host to kill and “consume” the spirit of the victim making the evil spirit grow increasingly strong and more difficult to extricate and send on to the spirit realm. The Yung, God like inhabitants in a realm that exists between Earth and afterlife, team with people who are in the half living state of medical coma and allow them to live if they agree to fight the demons. The Counters are not only restored to health but also are given supernatural powers and superhuman strength. Ga Mo-tak (Yoo Jun-sang) is an older male Counter who is much stronger and more forceful than the other counters. As a former detective he is also able to use his investigative skills to hunt down the murdering spirits. Do Ha-na (Kim Se-jeong) has the ability to sense when a human hosting an evil spirit enters the Counter’s territory. Choo Mae-ok (Yeom Hye-ran) is able to heal others and as an older woman is motherly and nurturing. To cover their real purpose, the counters run a noodle shop around their busy demon hunting schedule.
In the beginning of the series, there was a fourth Counter Jang Cheol-joong (Sung Ji-ru) but a super powerful Level 3 (Level one being weakest) evil spirit kills him and consumes his spirit. His Yung companion spirit, Wi-gen (Moon Sook) has to quickly find another partner spirit and winds up drawn to and pairing with a young, non comatose, teenager, So Mun (Jo Byung-gyu). This unique pairing leads Wi-gen to believe this young person, who is slightly crippled on one side, has something unique to offer. To convince the young man, the team offers to heal his crippling injury and allow him to talk to his parents who were killed in the car accident that injured him when he was only 11. Soon the team finds that they desperately need the help of this young man who proves to be the most powerful and diverse Counter of them all. As the team fights many battles together, their bound grows into that of a close knit family. They find that tragic events in their past also tie them together and compel them to risk everything to send perhaps one of the most powerful and evil spirits they have ever encountered to the afterlife.

Spoilers*. I am a huge fan of supernatural and action dramas. I like strong male and female characters a complex yet easy to follow plot and lots of character development. This series had it all. The main character was such a cute and likable young person it was easy to understand why the group would so quickly and deeply take to him. The action scenes left me wondering if the actors were doing their own stunts because they were amazing and very fluid. There was a little romance sprinkled in although that was in no way a central focus. The central character’s growing skill was fun to watch. We were immediately drawn in and hooked to the last scene. It ended well (not sad) and plot points were wrapped up. There will be a second season but do not think that means this one did not wrap up. It stood lone well yet has some elements that would nicely carry to the next season. Highly recommend this series.

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Perfect for my inner science fiction nerd that also likes a little romance

10/10 is my rating. I really liked both the male (Seo Kang-jun) and female (Gong Seung-yeon) leads in this drama. This 2018 South Korean drama spans 36 episodes (although most places you watch it the episodes are combined with 18 episodes with a "split" in the middle and they wind up being about an hour so equivalent to most that would just run 18 episodes). It explores the very complex issue of when robots become so complex that they are virtually indistinguishable from humans can humans develop feelings and relationships with them. Dr. Oh (Oh Laura) is a mother and a robot scientist well ahead of her time. When her husband dies/commits suicide/is murdered (that is part of the mystery) the grandfather takes her young son who will be heir to the family business and fortune. He puts mother and son (Nam Shim) in a position where neither feel they can subvert the grandfather's wishes without harm coming to the other. Still grieving over the loss of her husband and her separation from her young son, Dr. Oh develops robots to mirror the image of her son as he grows. When tragedy strikes she has the robot stand in for the real Nam Shim to hold his place in the line of succession.

spoiler 🚨 Nam Shim's female body guard (Kang So-bong) and many of Nam Shim's co-workers try to figure out why the son seems to undergo a dramatic change in character (for the better). Slowly the body guard begins to develop feelings for the robot thinking, at first, he is human. When she discovers his secret you wonder if her feelings will change. The male lead plays both the human and the robot so masterfully they really seem like two distinct characters. There is not so much a chemistry between the male and female leads (that would be a bit weird) as there is just this sense of two that perfectly complement each other. There is a villain, of course, who tried to kill Nam Shim once (which is the reason he is in a coma) and threatens to kill and/or remove anyone who gets in his way. I really liked this one because it is like a window to the future and questions what it means to be human. It was not hard to understand So-bong's feelings as many of us develop some emotional attachment to objects in our life such as our car or maybe our electronic vacuum. And those are simple and cannot respond back to us. I liked this drama the entire way through and was sorry when it ended as I so enjoyed my time with these characters. I thought it ended nicely and all of the major plot points were wrapped up. This is up with my all time favorites and I highly recommend it.

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If you just think of it like a stage play it is less disappointing

My rating is 8/10

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is an entertaining and amusing historical drama with a fresh twist, blending time travel, palace intrigue, and a heavy dose of culinary flair. The 12-episode series kept me engaged throughout with its lighthearted take on familiar tropes, offering comedic elements that set it apart from typical historical dramas. The romance between Han Yu-ri (Kim Seo-ha) and King Lee Chan (Lee Je-hoon) isn’t particularly sizzling, especially in the early episodes, but it builds to a satisfyingly sweet conclusion. The show leans heavily into cooking, particularly in the first half, making it a delight for fans of period dramas, time-travel narratives, and cooking shows. While it’s not a series I’d rewatch endlessly, it was a fun one-time watch that I’d recommend to those who enjoy period settings with a quirky, culinary spin.

 Spoilers

The show requires a bit of a stage-play mindset, as some plot points stretch historical plausibility. Han Yu-ri’s (Kim Seo-ha) brazen, disrespectful speech toward King Lee Chan (Lee Je-hoon) and other royals would’ve been unthinkable in a real palace setting—other royals would’ve never tolerated it, even if Lee Chan himself was unbothered. Yet, she faces no serious consequences, which feels unrealistic. Lee Chan’s early brutality, like imprisoning Yu-ri in stocks, makes it hard to buy her quick forgiveness and budding feelings for him. His initial unlikability is intentional and well-executed, but with only 12 episodes, the turnaround to a believable romance feels rushed and less compelling.

The show leans heavily into the “magic” of Yu-ri’s cooking, which borders on fantastical—her food convinces reluctant eaters and nearly heals the crown prince, which feels exaggerated even for a comedic drama. The cooking competition, while a fun centerpiece, is blatantly forced but works if you embrace the show’s playful tone. Yu-ri’s character, while a talented cook, comes off as foolish in other areas, especially her ignorance of royal etiquette despite being in a palace. Her lack of shock at time-traveling to the past is odd, and her obsession with finding a book to return to the future feels illogical—she has no evidence it’s a two-way trip or that she could bring others, yet she clings to this idea. And not in a just “this is my only chance” type mindset but it seems she thoroughly believes it to the extent she acts as if she can just bring others along.

The ending has highs and lows. The climactic fight where Lee Chan battles his uncle is tense, but Yu-ri’s inaction—standing there fixated on the book while he’s fighting for his life—feels frustrating, though she redeems herself by throwing herself in front of a sword. Lee Chan’s arrival in the future is a sweet touch, but the show glosses over how it happens, leaving it to a vague “missing page” in the book. My daughter, who watches dramas with me, felt the writers deliberately trolled us by raising the question of how he time-traveled and then dismissing it without explanation. It’s also disappointing that history still records Lee Chan as a tyrant who mysteriously disappeared. While he did harsh things early on—understandable given constant assassination attempts—his later redemption makes the tyrant label feel unfair, and I wished the show had shown history altered to reflect his growth. He could have willingly stepped down after restoring his name.

The reincarnation of past characters as identical modern counterparts is another unanswered question, adding to the silliness. How did that happen? Other reincarnation tropes always have them with the same “soul” but their bodies typically look different.

The 12-episode length suits the story’s light, whimsical nature, but it limits the depth of Yu-ri and Lee Chan’s romance. While sweet by the end, their connection doesn’t feel like they’re utterly devoted, making it less emotionally gripping. Still, for what it is—a quirky, cooking-centric time-travel romp—it’s enjoyable, if not a masterpiece.

A huge round of applause from me that Netlix, for once, did not throw a bunch of “woke” elements in this time. Maybe a tiny bit with her “I am woman hear me roar” sassiness in the beginning but it wasn’t overt like they do a lot of times when they throw in something that is either inaccurate for the historical frame or just doesn’t fit the plot. At least they didn’t do that this time.

Synopsis

Year: 2025

Number of Episodes: 12

Runtime: Approximately 1 hour per episode

In this delectable fusion of time-travel fantasy and historical romance, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty transports the ambitious modern chef Yeon Ji-yeong (Im Yoon-ah) from the cutthroat kitchens of contemporary Seoul to the opulent yet treacherous Joseon palace during a tyrannical king's reign. Thrust into the role of royal cook after a solar eclipse mishap, Ji-yeong must blend her French culinary flair with Joseon staples to appease the volatile King Yi Heon (Lee Chae-min), whose discerning palate could mean life or death. As forbidden sparks ignite amid palace conspiracies and jealous rivals, Ji-yeong's innovative dishes not only tempt the king's heart but also unravel the mysteries of his tormented past, forcing her to choose between rewriting history and savoring a love that defies eras.

Major Characters

*Yeon Ji-yeong (Im Yoon-ah): A fiercely talented French-trained chef from the present day who time-slips into Joseon and becomes the king's personal cook, using her modern recipes to survive court dangers and spark an unlikely romance.
*King Yi Heon (Lee Chae-min): The brooding, tyrannical Joseon ruler infamous for his explosive temper and exquisite taste buds, whose icy facade softens through Ji-yeong's flavorful innovations, revealing a vulnerable soul haunted by betrayal.
*Kang Mok-ju (Kang Han-na): A scheming and envious palace consort driven by ambition, who views Ji-yeong's arrival as a threat to her status and orchestrates plots to undermine the new royal chef.
*Prince Je Seon (Choi Gwi-hwa): The king's cunning and power-hungry uncle, a key antagonist who manipulates court politics and family loyalties to challenge Yi Heon's throne.
*Queen Dowager (Seo Yi-sook): The formidable and tradition-bound mother of the king, who wields subtle influence over palace affairs and scrutinizes Ji-yeong's "foreign" ways with a mix of suspicion and reluctant admiration.
*Seo Gil-geum (Yoon Seo-ah): A kind-hearted palace maid who forms a fast friendship with Ji-yeong, providing loyal support and insider knowledge to help her navigate the treacherous royal household.

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Knew better than to expect happy but an ending would have been nice

Review with Spoilers

My rating for this third season is a 7/10.

After the relentless tension of Season 1 and the slow-burn rebellion of Season 2, I dove into Squid Game Season 3 expecting a climactic endgame—a moment where Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) would finally topple the sadistic machine behind the games. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk hyped this as a “devastating conclusion,” and he wasn’t kidding: the season is a blood-soaked descent into despair that makes the earlier seasons feel almost restrained. But devastation doesn’t equal satisfaction. Season 3 cranks the gore and psychological horror to soul-crushing extremes, introducing a newborn baby into the carnage and pushing moral boundaries past the breaking point. Yet, it sacrifices coherent character arcs and narrative payoff for a bleakness that feels more exhausting than profound. Seong Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) near-catatonic guilt and baffling choices left me frustrated, and the finale’s hollow sacrifice only deepened the disappointment. It’s a visually stunning, thematically raw story that mirrors society’s moral decay but stumbles over its own cynicism, leaving me desperate for a mental cleanse.

When Season 3 hits, it hits. The production value is jaw-dropping—every frame drips with dread, from the neon-lit arena to the island’s claustrophobic bunkers. The new games are nightmarish inventions: the knife-filled hide-and-seek traps players in a maze where “seekers” wield blades, turning every corner into a potential slaughter. The jump rope game, played with a massive cable that crushes instead of trips, is a grotesque spectacle, its rhythmic thuds syncing with the players’ screams. The “Sky Squid Game” platform challenge is a final blow in an already emotionally gruesome cadre of horrific one upmanship. You sort of know the outcome as the "Os" have already shown they were psycho before they got there. No sidebars between them and horrific murderous acts has not improved their characters.

Thematically, the season is a brutal mirror to our world. The inclusion of Jun-hee’s (Jo Yu-ri) newborn is a stroke of twisted genius—her labor during a game forces players to protect her while dodging death. The baby’s cries become a haunting motif, symbolizing innocence crushed by systemic greed. The murder of their friend who had protected them to that point, by the baby's father was stunning. I thought I couldn't be more shocked after all we viewed in the other shows but I was. The mother-son duo adds another layer of heartbreak; their desperate alliance unravels as the games demands betrayal. These elements elevate the stakes beyond Season 1’s cash-driven desperation, exposing how far humanity can fall when greed and survival trump morality. The VIPs, now more prominent, are cartoonishly vile yet chillingly plausible—think tech billionaires wagering crypto fortunes on human lives. Their masked revelry, sipping champagne as players bleed, feels ripped from headlines about untouchable elites.

But here’s where my frustration kicked in, it with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). His performance is magnetic—those hollow eyes scream a man broken by guilt—but the writing traps him in a mental fog for way too long. After his failed Season 2 rebellion, where a trusted ally (revealed as Player 001, Il-nam’s successor, played by Gong Yoo) betrayed him, Gi-hun is paralyzed by self-blame and obsession with that traitor’s role in the collapse. He’s convinced the failure was his fault, yet also fixates on Il-nam’s lingering shadow, muttering about how one man’s greed doomed them all. This internal spiral renders him nearly comatose for the first half, sleepwalking through games while others die. As a viewer, it’s maddening: Gi-hun was our beacon of defiance, the one who dared to fight the system with a plan that could’ve saved hundreds. Seeing him reduced to a passive observer feels like a betrayal of his arc. One scene has him staring blankly as Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri) begs for help during her labor, and I wanted to scream, “Snap out of it!” Lee Jung-jae sells the trauma, but the script overplays it, sidelining our hero when we need him most.

The detective subplot with Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) is an even bigger letdown. You’d think a seasoned cop would be sharper, but Jun-ho’s arc is a masterclass in narrative faceplants. His mission to infiltrate the island and unmask the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), his own brother, sounds thrilling—until it isn’t. Jun-ho blindly trusts a shady captain (a new character, Kang Min-soo.

Did it end? It sure did not feel like it. We see they are still recruiting. None of the orchestrators were brought to justice. And there are a bunch of untied loose ends. The North Korean soldier woman is headed to China to potentially find her baby. The detective is given a baby and some money. Is he going to raise the child? It seems the structure still exists and we don't see any authorities rushing in and finding evidence. It felt very unfinished. And the one person who truly wanted to end the game is now gone. The Mr. "Why" detective seemed only interested in going to the island again and shouting why at his brother. Not sure what that accomplished but he sure did not seem that determined to end the game. So what? That is an end? It felt like a pause.

Synopsis

Season 3 finale released on June 27, 2025, with **6 episodes** averaging **60 minutes** each, delivering a disturbing crescendo of psychological horror and societal indictment that dares you to qestion your own role in the spectacle; if the first two seasons' thrills hooked you, this one is a bit of must watch as it does tie up some things

With the rebellion crushed and alliances in tatters, a broken Gi-hun awakens handcuffed in the players' dormitory, his quest for vengeance now a desperate bid for survival in the final, most sadistic iteration of the Squid Games—where floral fields hide lethal traps, VIP spectators wager on human frailty, and a newborn's fate hangs in the balance amid escalating betrayals, including a traitor in the detectives' ranks and a shocking international recruiter who seals the saga's grim reflection on complicity.

**Major Characters:**

- **Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) (Lee Jung-jae)**: Tormented by self-blame and the weight of lost allies, the once-idealistic survivor channels raw fury into a last-stand infiltration, his unraveling psyche blurring heroism with madness as he confronts the games' architects head-on.

- **Hwang In-ho / The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun)**: The iron-fisted overseer, haunted by his brother's dogged pursuit and his own faded ideals, enforces the endgame with chilling detachment, his fractured family ties exposing cracks in the unyielding facade of control.

- **Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon)**: The rogue detective, now leading a fractured team plagued by internal betrayal, risks everything in a high-stakes island assault, his unyielding quest for truth clashing with the lethal cost of proximity to the organization's core.

- **Park Jung-bae (Player 390) (Lee Seo-hwan)**: Gi-hun's loyal bar-owning confidant, thrust into the arena by debt and friendship, whose steadfast camaraderie provides fleeting hope amid the carnage, only to underscore the games' toll on unbreakable bonds.

- **Kim Jun-hee (Player 222) (Jo Yu-ri)**: A resilient young mother-to-be entangled in the new games, her fierce protectiveness over her unborn child fuels cunning alliances and moral stands, turning personal stakes into a poignant symbol of innocence at risk.

- **Hyun-ju (Player 120) (Park Sung-hoon)**: The bold transgender ex-sex worker, hardened yet hopeful, leverages her street-honed instincts and vulnerability to challenge biases and forge solidarity, her arc a defiant cry for dignity in the face of systemic erasure.

- **Jang Geum-ja (Player 149) (Kang Ae-sim)**: The sharp-tongued granny con artist, blending maternal grit with sly manipulations, becomes an unlikely matriarch of the survivors, her foul-mouthed wisdom cutting through the despair like a knife.

- **Park Yong-sik (Player 007) (Yang Dong-geun)**: The anxious, gadget-obsessed gamer boy, saddled with familial debts, whose nerdy ingenuity shines in tech-twisted challenges, evolving from wide-eyed panic to reluctant backbone for the group's underdogs.

- **The American Recruiter (Cate Blanchett)**: A commanding, enigmatic femme fatale who lures high-profile marks with icy allure, her brief but magnetic presence amplifies the games' global reach, delivering a dramatic capstone on exploitation's borderless hunger.

- **Captain Park (Oh Dal-su)**: The duplicitous police captain harboring a treacherous secret within Jun-ho's squad, his oily charm and hidden motives unravel the investigators' fragile unity, embodying the rot of corruption from within.

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"The Notebook" level of sad, such a harsh slice of reality yet beautiful and masterfully done

Review

9/10 is my rating. This is "The Notebook" level of sad. "Marley and Me" and any other sad show you can think of that was super good, well written, engaging but really sad. There is nothing wrong with it. I just am not a fan of shows that are so real they are sad because they match the sad aspects of reality. I watch shows to escape the sad reality. So this show was masterfully done. The love story is heart warming. It is well acted. Well scripted. Everything about it is amazing. But I probably would not watch it again. Not because it wasn't good. But because one time on that emotional roller coaster was enough. I would recommend it with a warning label. If you are someone that doesn't like sad then maybe think seriously about watching this one.

Spoilers

This is "Notebook" level of sad. I loved her mother so much that I was super sad when she died at only 29. I mean, come on, 29. And then main girl is an orphan. And no one really wants her. That is horribly sad. Then, she grows up a little, still without really much of anything and clings to the one lifeline she has which is main guy. And they have this beautiful love story and you hope their lives will get off to a good start. But no. First his mother and grandmother are horribly abusive to her. And then he finally takes her out of that situation and they have their own place. Only they are starving. Then he is horribly abused and winds up disfigured from the ship captain who was jealous of him. And then they tragically lose their child. Yet they keep bouncing back and finding ways and through it all is their very strong love for each other and their kids. Then the kids grow up and are horrible to them. Say the most hurtful things. And then they finally have just a little bit and he has cancer and dies. And now she is all alone without him.

Real? Yes. So real. I grew up poor and can say that desperation and hopelessness are a thing. Losing a child? Lifetime devastation.

Scroll down for a unique synopsis

Synopsis

We don't often see Jeju Island in its earlier days, but this one is set on the island in the 1960's. Things were not the same for women back then particularly not impoverished women who lost their father at a young age, with a mother who remarried. So, Oh Ae-sun's (IU)'s life starts off difficult. Despite the challenging background young Ae-sun dreams of going to the mainland and becoming a literature major in college. A series of unfortunate event occur to Ae-sun starting with her haenyo (diver) mother, Jeon Gwang-rye (Yeom Hye-ran) dying at the young age of 29. And now she goes from being a child with only one parent to being an orphan. Her friend and fierce admirer, Yan Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum) has always been there for the spirited girl, feeding her fish from his families business as a show of love. Her dream is to become a scholar; his dream is her. Be prepared for a story that is not linear in anyway it flashes forward and back and from location to location. It is an emotional roller coaster. You might laugh and cry at the same time. It takes a deep dive into the life and the culture of that region at that time through the eyes of a young woman trying to forge a different path.

#WhenLifeGivesYouTangerines

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Answers all the questions and beautifully continues and nicely ends the story

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022/2023 South Korean Action, Fantasy romance drama with 10, 69-87 minute episodes

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then review

Synopsis

If you watched the first season and experienced the cliff hanger and tragedy that was the ending, be reassured season two will resolve all that. One could just let things end where they did but why? This continues the story. Jang uk (Lee Jae wook) survived but is now dressed and acts in a very dark manner (shadow). As the most powerful mage in Daeho, he is charged with hunting down and executing soul shifters. Doing so takes an additional emotional tax on him as he is able to see who that person was before going “wild” and erects rock cairns to honor the departed. His nights are spent being “haunted” by wraiths and the memories of his love he lost. When chasing a soul shifter into Jinyowon leads to a chance encounter with Jin Bu yeon (Go Youn Jung) the recently found daughter of Jin Ho Gyeong (Park Eun Hye), the two form an unlikely alliance. Bu Yeon has spent the last 3 years locked in Jinyowon to hide her true identity from the other mages. Jang uk knows that if he can get rid of the ice stone his life will end and he believes Jin Bu yeon will be able to do that. Jin Bu yeon wants freedom as her mother’s plan is to keep her locked away yet have her marry and produce offspring to continue the Jinyowon.

Season two continues the story with all the characters and you find out what happened with them in the three years since the events that happened at the end of Season 1.

Review

I loved this series. I highly recommend it and will watch it again. I am a huge fan of Star Wars and Star Trek and other such otherwordly shows so the complete other world built in this seres greatly appealed to me. I was concerned that the main actress in this second season was different than the primary actress in the first but in the context of this show it makes perfect sense. It did not disrupt my like or feeling for that character at all i just found myself waiting for the aspects that were Naksu like to emerge.

Spoilers

I seriously liked the complexity of the soul shifters in this series. In Season 1, Mu deok (Jung so min) is a character unlike either her original self, Cho Yeong, the assassin Naksu (Go Youn Jung) nor the soul from the body she inhabits, Jin Bu yeon. It was so skillful both in the script and in the way the actresses portrayed these characters how you could, at times, see aspects of each of those souls and, other times, see a individual that was all of them and none of them. Finding out, towards the end, that because Jin Bu yeon lived and didn’t die as a stillbirth only because Seol ran, the original and very powerful priestess actually controlled a lot of what happened with those souls. It is why Bu yeon was born blind as Seol ran was blind, and also why she was more powerful than any of the priestesses in her blood line.

It was my fond wish that others would learn the truth about Naksu and I was very happy that it was revealed that she was tricked into being an assassin and then used as a murder weapon through sorcery by Jin Mu (Jo jae yoon). There was so much hatred toward even her memory that I found that incredibly tragic. I was sad that Seo Yul (Hwang Min-hyun) had planned to kill Bu yeon when he discovered she had the soul of Naksu as his view on the situation was so cut and dry. It made sense for his character to thin that way and actually was the reason I felt less sad he never got to be with the girl he loved. He was one of the few loose ends in the story as it would have been even better if he would have found someone who loved him enough he would get over Cho Yeong (young Naksu).

I have to commend Do Sang-woo the actor who played the soul shifted Jin Mu. The expressions on his face and even his voice transformed to Jin mu and that took a lot of acting skill to carry that off so well. He was an annoying side character as Seo Yun oh that was power hungry and arrogant and was able to kick that up to the level of Jin mu’s evil sorcerer level in a very believable way.

The friendships that developed were such a wonderful part of this series. Jang uk was already close with his childhood friends Seo Yul and Park Dang-gu (Yoo In-soo). But, as the series develops his relationship with Crown Prince, Go Won (Shin Seung ho) becomes closer and friend/family like (and he is sort of the cousin of the Crown Prince depending on whether you consider the father the soul or the body. Go Won seems destined to befriend Naksu as he is intrigued by, and befriends her, in her many forms.

I really liked that he became the King and that Jang uk wanted him to be the king and fully supported him. The writers and creators had an well executed twist when they led viewers to think that Go won had joined Jin Mu’s dark plans.

There are a lot of flashbacks that seem unnecessary and disrupt the flow of the show but that is just Netflix. When these shows are created or sponsored on any of the streaming platforms I expect there will be certain deviations from the formula that has made Asian dramas so successful. There will be flashbacks galore (that does happen in the Asian shows but it is an order of magnitude), the scenes with kissing or skin contract will be a degree more risque and it will end with question if there will be additional seasons or not. I read that the Hong Sisters themselves indicated they did not plan beyond Season 2 so I think any indicators of a Season 3 are likely rumors. There is so much they could do with Daeho, prequels and side stories, but I hope they let the main story remain completed as it is.

I could continue on about this excellent series but will stop there. I just finished Season 2 and miss Daeho already.

#LeeJaeWook

#GoYounJung

#AlchemyofSouls2

#ShinSeungHo

#DoSangWoo

#JungSoMin

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Very comedic yet maintains a serious and engaging plot

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020/2021 South Korean Historical Romantic Comedy with paranormal elements. There are 20, 70-90 minute episodes. It is also known under the web comic name "Go Princess Go".

In the modern age Jang Bong-hwan (Choi Jin-hyuk) was a star chef at the Blue House until one of the dishes he made was dangerously sabotaged and he was nearly arrested. While escaping arrest he falls into a swimming pool and wakes up to find himself not only in the Josean era but in the body of a woman. And not just any woman but a woman who, in days, will become Queen. Queen Cheorin (Shin Hye-sun) somehow wound up in the lake and part of Bong-hwan's goal is to get back to the lake and get his former self and life back. Only one problem - the lake was drained after the incident under the Dowager Queen's order and she is not immediately willing to refill it. Luckily Bong-hwan/Queen Cheorin is able to use her cooking skill to win favor with the dowager to get the lake refilled. Bong-hwan had not heard good things about King Cheoljong (Kim Jung-hyun) from the history books and figures he will be easy to manipulate. However, it seems there are reasons why history recorded him as a weak king and a prolific womanizer. Things are not all they seemed from history and Bong-hwan/Queen Cheorin have their work cut out for them to sort through the mess and make it back to the future. There is more to King Cheoljong than meet the eye and keeping your friends close and your enemies closer seem to be the rule of the day for Bong-hwan. Will Bong-hwan be successful in returning to his own time/body and will the sparks that fly between King Cheolijong and his curious and spirited wife become something more?

I laughed so hard in the beginning of this. His horror at being in a female body coupled with him trying to submerge his head in every bit of water to “get back” was funny. spoilers***
At first I really liked her cousin as second guy as he seemed sweet and caring but his character got darker as time went on to the point I no longer wanted to see her with him. The historical information the chef knew about the king was interesting. According to the modern time history books he was not a very good king and was only interested in women. Queen Cheorin originally found that she was supposed to be only there as a convenient marriage to keep a power structure in place and the king was not at all inerested in her because she was associated with a very corrupt and powerful family. The king’s love interest in the beginning was his concubine and since the queen was now actually a man in a woman’s body she was perfectly fine with him directing his attention elsewhere. Ironically the fact that she was so disinterested in him was something that piqued the king‘s interest. The queens somewhat bizarre behavior and interesting antics wound up endearing her not only to the king but to a lot of the palace servants as well. I liked how the relationship between the king and the queen evolved over time and each character had a lot of character growth and development throughout. There were some truly villainess and evil people in the palace and they were constantly after the king and also the queen to take as much power for themselves as possible. In fact when they discovered the king was not the convenient figurehead they thought he was it became their goal to get rid of both the Royals. The queen discovered why the king was the way he was and that in reality he was very capable and working behind the scenes to try to take down the evil and corrupt family behind the royal structure. The entire series held my interest from beginning to end. The only thing I did not like was the chef left the queen‘s to return to modern times and it felt like the queen was not fully the person the king had fallen in love with. Also now the chef is back in modern times and you assume he returned to his previous lifestyle which did not seem all that good. It felt like you spent a long time getting to know the queen who was a combination of the girl and the modern day chef and even though they tried to illustrate that she still remembered a lot of how he was it still did not fully seem like the same person. To me it felt like both the king and the chef were cheated out of a relationship they developed. Since the he was in a she body then it wasn’t like a male to male relationship it was like a female to male relationship with a female that just happened to be a little more masculine in her thinking. It seemed to me that they returned him to modern times leaving the body fully to the queen just to avoid any to male to male overtones. Love is love so I did not see any gain from having the queen changed at the last minute to being only partially what she had been when the queen king fell in love with her. The chef’s return to modern times also meant he could look at history and see it changed but that would have been obvious even if he stayed in the past. Overall it is still very good and I would highly recommend it as one of the funniest and most engaging Korean dramas.


i

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Harsh Reviews a Surprise. One of my favorite tropes and it is relatively rare.

My rating 9.5/10

This is a sweet, compelling story about two people who get thrown together to raise a child that isn’t theirs. The romance feels completely believable, the leads have fantastic chemistry, and the toddler is just adorable. I really appreciated that the show doesn’t make you get super attached to the parents - it's sad but not devastating because you really do not get too attached to them. It’s the perfect mix of heartwarming moments, realistic co-parenting struggles, and slow-burn romance that leaves you smiling by the end. If you love forced-proximity tropes, unique parenting situations, or just good old-fashioned thrown-together romances that feel genuine, this one is an easy recommend. It’s not perfect, but few are, but it is that unique show where a toddler gets a lot of center stage. So, the cuteness alone is worth the watch. The fact that it is a heartwarming romance is icing on the cake. I would watch it again and would recommend it to other fans of these types of series.

Spoilers

I loved how it started with Woo Hyun-jin and Seon Tae-hyung not really liking each other at all. He was also pretty indifferent to baby Seon Woo-ju at first because of his complicated history with his older brother Seon Woo-jin, but he’s still a decent guy at heart, so he steps up to help her anyway. Reluctantly at first and on a case-by-case basis. But then his apartment plan falls through, so he selfishly decides to stick around for the co-living arrangement, and it all fits his opening character so perfectly.

I was afraid it would be sad knowing that the parents die but I appreciated that we didn’t get overly attached to Seon Woo-jin and Woo Hyun-ju before the car accident took them out. Their presence in the story was relatively brief - not enough to get so attached that it feels personal when they die. Instead, it kept the focus on the two leads and little Woo-ju right from the jump. Since we already knew about the baby from the previews and synopsis I wish it would have shown him a bit more with his parents. It made it feel like he just came out of nowhere.

All the characters were super well-developed, especially the little found-family group at Yu-seong Villa. Those apartment complex neighbors really came through in the clutch when the custody/guardianship drama kicked off and people were trying to claim Woo Hyun-jin didn’t deserve to keep Woo-ju. What I thought was kind of odd, though, was that Seon Tae-hyung didn’t also apply for guardianship himself. I kept waiting for some dual-guardianship setup, or for them to realize marriage would make it official. The ending makes it pretty clear they’re together now, which is sweet, but I’m the type who loves a little more permanence—I would’ve eaten up an engagement or something concrete! And her threat of losing guardianship would have been an obvious push toward having a permanent relationship and more settled home environment for Woo-ju. I honestly thought that was where it was going.

The one big thing that bugged me (and I know a lot of viewers felt the same) was how much screen time they gave to the second guy, Park Yoon-seong. They almost built a whole side romance between Woo Hyun-jin and her college senior/first love. I get that she was uncertain and this was her first chance in years to reconnect with someone from her past, but after that much time apart, it just doesn’t track that you’d suddenly catch feelings stronger than the ones for the guy you’re literally surviving daily life and raising a toddler with. It started feeling like a real distraction, and yeah, I was sitting there worried she might actually end up with Yoon-seong for a minute. As a viewer who came for the co-parenting cuteness, I would’ve much rather had more scenes of Woo Hyun-jin, Seon Tae-hyung, and little Woo-ju’s adorable everyday interactions. Every time Woo-ju was on screen I was happy to see him - cute baby fever hit hard! The unnecessary focus on her relationship with her first love, and the duration of it, also came off a bit dishonest because it felt like she was stringing both guys along for a while.

Her almost losing guardianship was crazy yet real. The mistakes Woo Hyun-jin made were totally normal new-parent stuff—not everyone realizes how fast an almost-two-year-old can get into trouble. For someone who had zero experience, she was actually doing an amazing job overall. If anything, she was a little more prone to those accidental slip-ups than Tae-hyung just because she was still adjusting to the “mom” role, but nothing was ever intentional and she was always devastated when it happened. The lost in the mall happens to the best of parents. When you have multiples where it is literally impossible to keep all the babies in sight - that point gets driven home even more. I used to help my cousin with her twins and, when I babysat, I would have to pick a twin at times Both are headed for something, and you are one person. They actually portrayed the child protective agency stuff pretty accurately (at least compared to how it works in the US)—sometimes they come down hardest on the people who are genuinely trying their best. I was surprised the guardianship wasn’t more automatic, especially since Korean dramas usually show moms giving up babies so easily, yet here you have two people who clearly love Woo-ju and are doing everything right, and they still got grilled. They were even nitpicky about the leads working, which felt backwards—like, don’t you want them earning money to support the kid?

The situation with Tae-hyung’s dad, Seon Gyu-tae, wasn’t a huge shock. Crappy parents rarely do a full 180. They took it slow and cautious, which felt realistic, and I liked that Woo Hyun-jin owned up to feeling guilty for pushing Tae-hyung when he should’ve just trusted his own instincts.

The backstory with Seon Woo-jin was played so beautifully. Yeah, Tae-hyung had been giving him the cold shoulder, but the reason was totally valid—he was trying to protect his little brother all along. As a kid who felt abandoned, Tae-hyung’s reaction made complete sense; you’re not thinking logically about hidden motives at that age.

So, my only major criticism is that whole detour into the almost-romance with Park Yoon-seong. It just felt unnecessary given this romance is about four episodes shorter than what used to be traditional k-drama length dramas. I would’ve traded every bit of it for more of the cute trio moments between Woo Hyun-jin, Seon Tae-hyung, and Woo-ju. I couldn’t get enough of those!

Overall, I’d recommend Our Universe to anyone who loves romances with forced situations, unique parenting setups, or “thrown together and slowly falling for each other” vibes. The romance is genuinely cute and heartwarming, the baby steals every scene, and it wraps up happy.

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Mastered what few can was exciting and thrilling yet deeply emotional and romantic

Speed and Love is an absolute standout for me. There were a couple of very minor elements that weren't entirely to my taste, but they were so insignificant that they didn't impact my rating at all. This is easily one of the best dramas I've watched in recent years, delivering a perfect mix of high-energy action, heartfelt romance, and nuanced family drama.

One aspect that impressed me in particular was the extraordinary work by the hair, wardrobe, and makeup teams in portraying the characters at different ages. It was hands-down the most convincing de-aging and aging I've ever seen in a drama. Esther Yu as Mu Mu looked so convincingly youthful in the early episodes that I genuinely thought they had cast a younger actress, despite recognizing her from other projects. The transition to older versions felt completely natural—huge credit to everyone involved.

Some viewers have critiqued Esther Yu's early portrayal of Mu Mu as overly cutesy, silly, or clingy, but I feel that's missing the cultural context. In many modern Chinese dramas, characters in their early 20s are shown as still very sheltered and childlike under heavy parental influence, which reflects real societal expectations rather than any acting misstep. Esther Yu perfectly captured a character who is both intentionally youthful and younger than the actress's real age. I have seen other series with her in them such as "Ski Into Love" but I expect a certain percentage of women would be that way in reality in a cultural context where young women are expected to remain pure, be careful about interactions with the opposite sex, and so that "cutesy" behavior aligns with that well. I think you either don't mind it or you do. For me, so far, I have liked many of the series she has been in so she must pick good roles.

The chemistry between Mu Mu and the male lead was electric—truly sizzling without ever feeling gratuitous or overly sexualized. I also adored the friend group; the male lead's best friend was especially endearing toward Mu Mu. He clearly could have been romantically interested in her if she wasn't his best friend's love interest, but that just increased the romantic tension. The whole garage crew treated her like a treasured little princess in the most charming way. The stepmother was a refreshing standout too—genuinely kind and supportive without being pushy or overbearing, which is rare for that archetype.

The early adrenaline-fueled sequences involving boxing and racing brought thrilling excitement, giving the first half a distinct high-octane energy that complemented the more emotional second half beautifully.

Mu Mu was a wonderfully balanced female lead who asserted herself firmly when needed without ever going overboard, while the male lead's growth made it clear he would become a devoted partner who had truly learned from past mistakes. Their shared thrill-seeking streak shone through in a hilarious, perfectly fitting ending that felt earned and true to their personalities.

This drama has it all and executes every element with heart and polish.

Spoilers

One slight disappointment was the choice to have the family and the male lead's best friend withhold the truth about his condition after the accident. The "we're doing this for your own good" trope isn't my favorite, but it was thoughtfully redeemed later when Jin Zhao stressed that true partners face difficult things together rather than alone. The only small missing piece was Mu Mu directly confronting the others and receiving proper apologies, but that felt minor in the grand scheme.

I thought it was a bit odd the relationship between her besties wealthy cousin and Jin Zhao was interesting and I could never quite figure out what the cousin's intent was. It was clear he admired Jin Zhao and wanted to race him. Or have him on his race team. But he almost seemed romantically interested in him. Which was weird because early on they said he was a playboy. And then for like a second he seemed interested in Mu Mu. He became a close friend with Jin Zhao but there was definitely something strange with it because they never showed cousin being a playboy after that, nor having a relationship, just seeming a bit jealous when Mu Mu and Jin Zhao were first back together.

I appreciated that Mu Mu didn't grant instant forgiveness upon their reunion. She gave him some much-deserved emotional distance—what my family calls "pickle jarring" him (from Lilo & Stitch, where she punishes friends by trapping their dolls in a jar)—for all the pain his absence caused. He earned that brief cold shoulder, yet she didn't drag it out unnecessarily, which kept it realistic and satisfying.

It was touching to see Mu Mu genuinely try moving on with other dates, only to realize no one else measured up. I also wished for more explicit scenes of her father and stepmother fully embracing the couple's relationship, given the layered but ultimately positive dynamic around the father's alcoholism (portrayed compassionately as a disease rather than a moral failing).Mu Mu's evolving bond with her younger half-sister felt authentic—starting with understandable jealousy (especially over the sister's easy closeness with the male lead) before warming into genuine affection. The Canada arc was pure emotional gold. Seeing the male lead decide he wanted to marry Mu Mu and travel there for his mother's blessing was beautiful, especially after the early heartbreak of his mother initially distancing herself and only staying involved because young Mu Mu expressed interest in him. The moment she finally acknowledged projecting her resentment toward his father onto him and embraced him fully as her son was profoundly heartwarming and cathartic—one of the most gratifying payoffs in the entire drama.Once the male lead fully committed, his growth into a thoughtful, devoted husband was unmistakable. I also loved that he channeled his thrill-seeking nature in safer ways without returning to racing, while the final motorcycle getaway—"eloping" after their wedding party got too drunk and slept through their planned wedding—was both hilarious and perfectly in character. Denying everyone the big fancy ceremony as playful payback was such a fun, fitting capstone to their arcs.

Finally, to address some viewer discomfort with their living arrangement feeling quasi-adoptive (the father treating him like a son, Mu Mu viewing him as an older brother figure), and thus weird later when they became romantically involved. They were not blood related. And he was never fully adopted into her family. Her father treated him like a son, she acted toward him like he was an older brother and he treated her like he would a younger sister. It was more friends to lover vibe to me. Especially since they were not even living together for many years after the parents split. I thought it was handled appropriately and never crossed into anything inappropriate.

Everything came together so well that this drama remains a 10/10 for me—highly recommended!

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A Hidden Gem - not often at the top of must watch lists

Rating: 10/10

I passed over watching this multiple times before getting to the spot where I did not have a lot of preferred content and I was willing to give it a chance. I am glad I did. I almost considered it more as a 9 or 9.5 out of 10 because there's a strong thread of sadness running through this drama that really hit me hard—but I am an empath and so it had me in tears more than once. But, even though it was more of a tear jerker than I expected, the story and the romance were nice enough that it was forgivable. The main couple, Lin Zhi Xiao and Gu Wei, have one of the sweetest and most believable romances. Their chemistry feels natural and genuine, and it's the kind of feel-good love story that warms your heart. There is a gentle balance in dramas, end too abruptly and it feels like they expect you to complete the story, drag on too long and you feel like you are riding side car on their whole life. This one struck just the right balance it did not feel rushed nor did it feel slow or padded. Thus I highly recommend this one for anyone that likes a mostly feel-good romance drama with emotional depth. Some people actually find the cathartic sadness healing, but even if you're sensitive like me, the happy ending and uplifting romance make it worth it in the end. The only minor thing that bugged me was one family plot point that felt unnecessary and a bit too heavy. It didn't ruin the show at all, but I think the story would have been just as strong (maybe even lighter) without it. Overall, this drama left me smiling through the sniffles—super sweet, and heartfelt.

Spoilers

The part that almost made me rate it lower was Lin Zhi Xiao's father dying. I really didn't think it was necessary for the story. He could have stayed in remission, and the emotional weight of the cancer storyline would still have been there without the full tragedy. It added such a deep layer of sadness that lingered. It hit me at a particularly rough time in my own life when several elder family members and friends had passed away. So, there is enough of that in real life I don't want it in my entertainment. I am not entertained by being sad. It was lightened up by just the right amount of post-wedding glimpses which showed that Lin Zhi Xiao and Gu Wei were still going strong and happy years later even after suffering the loss of her father. That was just enough continuance on their story to leave you satisfied without overdoing it. But the story centered so much on the cancer, and Lin Zhi Xiao's parents close relationship that I wish we'd seen something about how Lin Zhi Xiao's mom was doing seven years later. She must have been absolutely devastated after losing her husband, and it would have been so comforting to get even a small glimpse or mention of her being okay, maybe finding some peace or happiness. That was the only very minor flaw for me—the show wrapped up the main couple perfectly with those sweet after-wedding details and their life together (love the family they built!), but leaving her mom's outcome hanging felt incomplete. Still, the romance between Lin Zhi Xiao and Gu Wei is so pure and believable that it carries everything. The way it was foreshadowed and built made the sad elements predictable enough that they didn't blindside me, and the happy, loving payoff made it okay even though I don't normally prefer series that have such a heavy and sad element.

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