ltspada

Has some laugh out loud funny moments, intrigue and romance

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 Josean era based historical romantic comedy with 32, 30 minute, episodes.

After assassins attempt to murder his family, Jeon Nok-du/Lady Kim Nok-soon/Yeon soo (Jang Dong-toon), sets out to find out who sent the assassins and why. He traces them back to a widows only village and disguises himself as widow Lady Kim, so he can remain undercover and investigate. He is provided a room to share with Dong Dong-joo/Yoo Eun-seo (Kim So-hyun) who is pretending to be in training as a courtesan but has her own mysterious reason to disguise herself in the widow town. Dong-joo’s goal is to secure a place in the palace were she will have access to the king. Nok-du’s investigation leads him to the palace as well. With a king, King Gwanghwamun (Jung Joon-ho) who is insane with the need to guard the throne at all costs, getting close to him is no small endeavor. Can the two succeed in their separate yet intertwined quests and manage their growing feelings for each other? Will what they each discover draw them closer or tear them apart?

spoiler alert**. The first part of this series had some laugh out loud moments where he is struggling with all the pitfalls of trying to be a woman. The mystery around both of their pasts is highly intriguing. I loved so many of the supporting characters. I really liked the character Nok-du and wanted to see good things happen for him. When he discovered the king was his father who attempted to kill him as an infant due to some prophesy, I hoped he would come around and be happy his son was alive and had grown to an exemplary person but he never did. Even after getting to know him as a close confident when he did not know he was his son, he wanted to kill him the moment he found out. There were moments when the king was almost a sympathetic character but then he would do something awful again. The ending was happy in terms of the romance but there were disappointing elements. Nok-du winds up back in exile and I would have liked to see him be Prince after all the struggle. He would have made a fine future king as he was kind, brave and loyal. Instead the evil cousin basically got his way and deposed the mad king. I wanted to see the king and perhaps the cousin come around. But both remained evil at their cores. The opening music did not fit with a historical drama and I would laugh at how silly it is. It was very good and extremely entertaining but those few elements kept it from being exceptional.

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They upped the game from season one everything is just a bit more

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2002 South Korean reality dating show with 10, 57-68 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Commentators/Hosts

Lee Da Hee- Model, singer, and actress
Cho Kyu-Hun - Actor and singer (idol). He is a member of Super Junior.
Hong Jin-Kyung - Model, comedian, singer and actress. She owns her own food company.
Jung Han-Hae - Rapper and singer.

Participants

Females

Lee Nadine (age 22) Neuroscience pre-med major at Harvard University
Shin Seoul-Ki (age 24) Piano major at Seoul University
Park Se-jeong (age 26) Model for brands such as BMW and Sony
Lee So-e (age 22) Acting major at Hanyang University
Choi Seo-Eun (age 28) Artist. Crowned as Miss Korea 2021.
Lim Min-su (age 26) model and CEO of online clothing boutique

Men

Choi Jong-woo (age 24) Barista of a family-owned cafe in Gangwon-do
Jo Yoong-Jae (age 31) Investment broker at Shinhan Investment Corp. Graduated with a Finance Management major from Hanyang University
Kim Han-bin (age 32) Chef/ restaurant owner. Won all kinds of prestigious culinary awards.
Shun Ding-woo (age 32) Plastic surgeon. Graduated from Yonsei University's College of Medicine
Kim Jin-young (age 28) YouTuber. Former ROKN UDT soldier
Kim Se-Jun (age 26) Tailor at Ascottage, founded by Season 1 participant Oh Jin-taek

They upped the attractiveness level for season 2. Super fit, muscular men and several of the women were models and/or had been in various pageants. From the 1st season to this season one thing I noticed overall is that many go for the person they are physically attracted to over someone they are slightly less attracted to but would be long term compatible with. They are all young and think about such things as people that age would.

*Spoilers
Lee Nadine is one of my favorite female participants. The fact that she speaks both Korean and English so well is impressive. Her drive and passion for medicine is extremely admirable. She is very forthright and honest which I enjoy. I think she is a great match with Kim Jin-young because they have so much in common. Neither seem to be overly demonstrative with affection. Both are very focused and driven in their pursuits. He enjoys thrill sports and she does too. She was in the army for a brief time and he was a soldier. I sense, in him, some recovery from the soldier life, perhaps some PTSD and I think she could best understand and help him with that. She is studying in the USA but he is interested in spending time in the USA. That being said he is highly attracted to Shin Seoul-Ki as are several of the other male participants. In their interactions I could tell they were both highly physically attracted to each other but could not hold a very long or substantive discussion with each other. He was able to talk to Nadine a lot as they had a lot of common interests and personality traits. I think she knew in the end he was not going to stay with her although his long pause with her made me wonder if he was considering it. I don't know if that was scripted and that was the reason she reacted the way she did or if she really had just moved on. If she moved on, I am proud of her because obviously she was not his first choice. If the show had run longer he might have become more interested in her because I think they were very compatible.

Shin Seol-ki seems very nice on the surface but it isn't a nice trait, to me, when you "string" people along. I thought she turned her attention to Choi Jong-woo as if she was seriously considering him when I really think she was focusing on him just to make Kim Jin-young jealous. Jong-woo was so kind and considerate of her noticing when she didn't feel well, bringing her medicine and just generally watching out and taking care of her. When they interacted they had a lot to talk about and she seemed attracted to him but not at the same level as Jin-young. I don't think he was interested in Seol-ki for competitive reasons or because the other male participants were interested in her, his interest seemed beyond her physical appearance and that he was also drawn to her for personal reasons. But, as young woman often do she would trample Jong-woo's feelings the minute Jin-young expressed interest. Physical attraction is fleeting, but a real connection with someone you also find attractive is rare. Although Seol-ki chose Jong-woo in the end I did not feel super good about them as a couple because I thought she put him through a lot emotionally out of her desire to be the center of attention.

Lee So-e was sweet, but her near obsession with Jo Yoong-jae was over the top. He made it very clear he was only interested her as a friend even before he became romantically interested in Choi Seo-eun. It was particularly frustrating when she debated asking Yoong-jae to Paradise on a sort of forced date after she said she was okay with them just being friends. I was so relieved when she did not follow through with that. I understand the whole being a fool for love mentality but that rarely works. When you have pride in yourself others respect you more. She would have stood a better chance with Yoong-jae moving on and making him feel competitive with other men. I was glad when Kim Se-jun liked So-e and took her to Paradise. He was so sweet to her about his interest and feelings but I felt like she shined him on a bit because she was sill hung up on Yoong-jae. I wanted to sit her down and have her watch the movie "He is Just Not That into You" because that was so much the case in this situation. Even if you manage to turn someone's interest toward you after being firmly friend zoned you wind up being the one that loves the most and that is a lonely position to be in.

I loved Kim Han-bin. His positive attitude was infectious. He was so sweet in all of his interactions with the female participants I was completely baffled they were not more interested in him. He did an amazing job in the wrestling ring for a man who was physically less muscular and a little smaller than the others. And he was having so much fun in that match. I was sorry when they ganged up and got him out.

The physical challenges are a lot of fun to watch. It is surprising who does well and who does not because you cannot always predict up front who will win. I thought for sure Jin-young would win, hands down, the wrestling match. As a former special forces I was sure the other men stood little chance unless they ganged up on him. I was pleasantly surprised how well all the men did holding off, sometimes even multiple other men, trying to get them out of the ring. And Jong-woo's absolute determination to be the winner was an amazing thing to watch. Those matches are so exciting.

Lim Min-su was another one that needed to watch "He's just Not That into You." She took a liking to Jin-young and invited him to Paradise even after she had been rebuffed. He was pretty clear, without being completely cruel, that he was not interested in her like that. With a man like Jin-young becoming clingy is only going to drive him even farther away. He prefers the hunt and the woman that attracts a lot of attention and is harder to get. She is such a beautiful girl and seemed nice enough, she should have moved on and considered maybe Shun Ding-woo or Kim Han-bin. But she got laser focused on Jin-young and did not allow herself to get to know the others at all.

Park Se-joung was a complete surprise. I thought she would be a favorite of the male participants because she reminded me of several female idols. She also seemed very nice and there were several times when the male participants had one on one conversations with her just as they wandered about Inferno. The female participants got along with her well. I think, with her, it was just timing. Had she won some of the competitions and the men gotten to know her better, she likely would have had more interest directed at her.

The commentator/hosts are one of my favorite parts of the show. Cho Kyu-hun is so sensitive and beyond cute when he expresses empathy for the participants. He has such a great read on motivations and very wise insights on what people are doing and what they should do. Lee Da-hee is very intuitive and her reactions to what is happening are very compelling. I love her fashion sense too, just seeing what she is wearing next is part of the fun. Hong Jin-kyung is funny as one would expect from a comedian. She brings such a fresh perspective to the group and I love it when she points things out. Jung Han-hae is quiet a lot of times, but he is introspective, so when he comments about things he usually has another perspective. As a group it feels like watching those show with a group of super fun people, like you are sharing a 4th wall with them. Some of the reviewers expressed negative views about the hosts but I think it makes the show. I don't think it would be nearly as enjoyable without the hosts.

After watching 2 seasons the things I think would improve an already great show. I think it is a mistake to let anyone go to Paradise with the same person twice. As a viewer those dates are boring. They already know each other, we already know about them, and with only 9 days it makes it even less likely they get to know other people. I think the show could run longer than nine days because some are just starting to think about someone else and the show ends. Nine days is not enough time to become interested in someone, get rejected, and move on to someone else. I also enjoy, as much as the time on Paradise, the time spent on Inferno and a longer run would allow more time for the singles to get to know each other on Inferno. I hope they do reunion shows because viewers, based on online traffic, are really interested in what the participants do after the show.

#SinglesInferno2
#LeeDaHee
#ChoKyuHun
#HongJinKyung
#JungHanHae
#LeeNadine
#ShinSeoulKi
#ParkSejeong
#LeeSoE
#ChoiSeoEun
#LimMinSu
#ChoiJongWoo
#JoYoongJae
#KimHanbin
#ShunDingwoo
#KimJinyoung
#KimSeJun

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Underwhelming relative to all the hype

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 fantasy romance drama with 16, 70 minute episodes.

Lee Gon/Lee Ji-hun (Lee min-ho) is the King in a country called Corea that exists in a universe. parallel to the Republic of Korea. As an eight year old he witnessed the assassination of his father by his half uncle who also intended to kill Lee Gon. Jeong Tae-eul / Luna (Kim Go-eun) or her parallel counterpart saved Lee Gon from death and then disappeared. Since that time Emperror Lee Gon has been looking for his mysterious savior with the help of his friend and Captain of the Royal guard, Jo Yeong / Jo Eun-sup (Woo Do-hwa). Lee Gon’s uncle, Lee Lim / Lee Seong-jae (Lee Jung-Jin) killed the former king to obtain a flute that has magical powers including the ability to render the person who possesses it eternal. In fighting his Uncle, young Lee-Gon broke the flute in half with a sword and now has the other copy. Lee Lim opened the portal between the two universes and is reeking havoc along the way. Emperor Lee-Gon plans to put an end to his Uncle’s evil and close the portal between the two universes.

Spoiler***There was so much hype around this one in drama circles that I expected this to be one of the great ones. And, reading reviews, a lot of people really liked this but this is not my favorite role for Lee Min-Ho. I also did not see much chemistry between the two leads - they seemed more like two people that would be great friends. It was hard to see the transition from her more or less being annoyed with him to liking him then loving him. It may have been easier to see that transition if there was chemistry there but with the friend like aura I just wasn't getting it. Netflix also puts a particular spin on dramas that I am not as much a fan of - they Americanize things a bit and I actually started watching Asian dramas because I did not like a lot of what was going on in American dramas. What I mean by Americanize is there is this theme of over the top "strong, independent woman" who is just fine alone. I get that, I do, but I also think many people are overall happier when they are together with the right person.
Most single people I know and have observed are lonely on some level. I also could not get why he seemed so taken with her so quickly I know he thought she had some role in saving him when he was young but that wasn't enough to understand why he would be romantically interested in her. She was not very nice to him in the beginning so for someone with all the options he had to fall for her in particular, it was a hard leap to make. This was a parallel universe/time travel drama and I rarely find that premise compelling so it could be that I am a bit biased and have high expectations. I was often unsure which character from which parallel universe was speaking. That may have been partially my fault as I watched it very slowly as I was having a hard time staying interested. It moved back and forth and between a lot and was confusing at times. The ending where they travel every weekend together to different places and times and that is how they were together has to be one of my least favorite endings but is not uncommon with time travel. Not necessarily traveling together but it is common that they meet infrequently. I think, if anything, traveling every weekend to see the person you love would become tiresome. And you wonder about simple things like - what would they do if they had children. Would they become part of the every weekend travel?
There wasn't much to the plot either just his Uncle was a traitor who wanted to take over the throne and gain control of the magical flute for immortality. I would not re-watch this readily and would only recommend it to someone who is serious fans of either lead or who particularly like the time travel and/or parallel universe them.

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Another great additional to the reality dating genre

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean reality dating show with 11, 56-85 minute episodes

First I provide a unique synopsis then Review.

Synopsis
A group of single men and women live on an island called Inferno which has the basic necessities for survival. The set up is a base level glamping environment and very minimal foods are provided. Through a combination of competition rewards and matching during selections couples are able to go to another island called Paradise. On Paradise couples are able to reveal their ages and occupations and get to know each other in luxury accommodations and with a feast of food items. Singles can also interact on Inferno but are not allowed to reveal their ages or occupations. Friends form in the cabin style dorms and singles interact as friend and potential romantic partners while cooking and going about daily living. During the final episode, the single women are stationed around the island and the men are able to go to the single women if their choice. The single woman then selects by grabbing the hand of the man she chooses to leave the island with.

CELEBRITY HOSTS
Hong Jin kyung Born in 1977. She would have been 46 when the show aired. She is an entrepreneur, model, host, comedian and actress.
Lee Da-hee Born in 1985 she would have been 39 when the show aired. She is a model and actress.
Cho Kyu Hyun (Kyuhyun) Born in 1988 he would have been 35 when the show aired. He is a multi talented musical theater actor, television show host and member of Kpop band Super Junior
Jung Han hae (Hanhae) Born in 1990 he would have been 33 when the show aired. He was a singer and rapper. A Former member of the South Korean hip hop boy band Phantom.
Kim Jin Young (Dex) Born in 1985 he would have been 38 when the show aired. He was a single during season 2 but is returning to join the host panel. He was a member of the Korean Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) soldier has also appeared in South Korean reality shows Game of Blood and Zombieverse. He may soon be taking roles in South Korean dramas.

SINGLES

WOMEN

Kim Gyu ri Born in 1996 would have been about 28 at the time the show aired. Fashion and beauty model Gyu-ri was a runner-up for Miss Korea 2022.
Choi Hye seon Born in 1998 would have been about 26 at the time. A bioinformatics major at the Life Sciences department of Ewha Women’s University,
An Min young . A Pilates instructor who owns her own studio. She also competed in Miss Busan Jinhae 2023 and influencer with over 40k followers prior to the show.
Yun Ha jeong, Born in 1998 would have been about 26 at the time. She is an office worker at a medical clothing company. She is also an aspiring actress and model signed to an agency. A former beauty pageant contestant where she was runner-up in Miss Chunhyang 2021.
Cho Min ji Born in 1998. She would have been about 26 at the time. She was a college student studying to be an anchor. Attended Ewha Womans University. She was a Miss Korea 2021 runner up.
Yu Si eun Born in 1997. She would have been about 27 when the show aired.Freelance model in beauty and fashion. She is an influencer and was the first runner up for Miss Korea in 2022. 

MEN

Choi Min woo, Born in 2000. He was about 23 at the time. He is a model who has worked for several fashion brands and walked in Seoul Fashion week.
Lee Gwan hee Born in 1988 he was about 36 at the time. He is a professional basketball player. He appeared on variety shows such as Running Man. He also does a personal youtube channel.
Son Won ik Born in 1993 he would have been about 31 at the time. He is a licensed realtor and avid marathon runner. Like several of the others, he also has his own youtube channel.
Yun Ha bin Born in 1993 he was about 31 at the time. He is an actor who mostly does independent films, He had a brief appearance in Episode 2 of the recent South Korean drama, My Demon.
Park Min kyu, Born in 1989 he would have been about 34. He is a police officer and rescue diver on the Korean Coast Guard's Sea Special Rescue Team. He was a competitive swimmer in his school years but had to drop out of competition after a shoulder injury.
Lee Jin-seok Born in 1993 he would have been about 31 when the show aired. He is an entrepreneur who owns several bakery cafés in Daegu and Seoul, South Korea.

Review

I liked the first part of the show a lot.  The getting to know each other phase was very interesting. The latter episodes had a lot more conflict that wasn’t about I have genuine feelings but more I feel strongly about this person in a competitive sense.  I find myself disillusioned a bit the more I watch reality dating as I want to observe the progression of a relationship leading to a more permanent relationship or at least dating and I don’t think that is what many of these shows wind up being about.  It is more Mr. and Mrs. Right now and within the game. I think the perfect example of this is one single will become the most desired of that gender and everyone goes for them in a competitive way. Then it seems more like competing than having any genuine compatibility or long term interest. 
 It is good, worth watching, and I would recommend it to others with similar interest. I will not rewatch it but I don’t tend to rewatch any reality shows. Is it sad? Depends on how much you feel for those that exhibit heartbreak or get rejected. I don’t find it sad just because I don’t believe any deep attachments can be formed in such a short time period. Does it end happy? Well, that depends on whether or not you can be happy even if the person does not decide on the one you think is a good match for them.  There are no guarantees that your favorite couple will wind up together. But that is just reality dating shows for you. People, in regular life also often pick based on attraction rather than true compatibility.  Not saying that is what happened but it is definitely a thing that does happen with some of the singles.

Spoilers
 Kim Gyu ri became one of my favorite singles. She was not stuck up. Actually quite the opposite. Her actions proved her to be quite genuine and down to Earth.  And I think that is why her interaction with Choi Min Woo was misinterpreted. When they confessed the start of feelings for each other she was very honest. And she asked him to “stay put” which I thought was clear she was asking him to wait for her.  But after he decided, for no apparent reason, that he was suddenly very attracted to Yu Si eun. I did not think they had enough interaction to warrant that sudden inseparable fated love union the two of them formed.  I could see how Gyu ri would have been surprised and hurt after having come back from Paradise, where she kept her word and wasn’t showing any romantic interest, to find that Min Woo was suddenly all in for Si eun. Min Woo knew what he said to Gyu ri and I thought Gyu Ri’s comment to him that he was being like player Lee Gwan hee was warranted. I thought Si eun knew the situation but didn’t care because she decided she wanted him.  I was disappointed in both of them.  If Min Woo changed his mind that is totally okay in the context but there are ways to let the other person down gently and ways where you are just being hurtful.  I was really glad Gyu ri told Min Woo his behavior was hurtful and wrong because it was.  I was also disappointed in the panel who concluded Gyu ri was too harsh and wrong to scold Min Woo.  She was nice about it really. 
Si eun gave a negative impression from the beginning when she stated she thought she was better than others.  If she had depth of character and a nice personality that certainly did not come through. She was cold to Son Won ik when he expressed his feelings and back stabbed Gyu ri by emotionally manipulating Min Woo late in the show.  Her tears when she couldn’t see him and pouty behavior was extremely emotionally manipulative and juvenile.   I also lost a lot of respect for Si eun when she want and interrupted when Gyu ri and Min Woo were talking. If you think you need to interrupt then you obviously think the two might have some feelings and, since you are the one that stepped in late, it would have been classier to give them their moment.  She was the one that stepped in after those two already had something going. Gyu ri was hurt and yes she was venting and scolding Min Woo a bit but it was the least he could do for going about things the way he did.  Being rejected hurts and being rejected so publicly would hurt even worse.  I didn’t think Si eun and Min Woo’s interactions were cute or romantic at all.  Si eun should have not have essentially rubbed it in. It was a mean girl thing to do.
Lee Gwan Hee’s behavior toward the women was awful.
Lee Jin seok surprised me and wound up being a favorite. Min Young made a series of comments about how she didn’t like that the other singles already considered them a pair and how she didn’t like those decisions being made for her.  He backed off and actually changed his mind.  I respected that.  What she said was hurtful and I am a person that thinks people mean what they say.  He was also very kind, mature and thoughtful in all of his interactions with the other participants. So my first impression of Jin seok was totally off base and he was one of the males on the island I found the most personable and genuine. 
Choi Min ji ‘sbehavior where she was trying to get Gwan hee’s attention on the flight to Paradise was uncomfortable and I thought it was insensitive of her. 
#SinglesInferno3, #SinglesInfernoSeason3, #ChoMinWoo, #LeeGwanHee,#SonWonIk
,#YunHaBin,#ParkMinKyu,#KimGyuRi,#ChoiHyeSeon,#AnMinYoung,#YunaHaJeong
,#ChoiMinJi,#KyuHyun,#Hanhae,#KimJinYoung ,#Dex,#HongJinKyung,#LeeDaHee
,#ChiKyuHyun,#JungHanHae

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I will be the Outlier - I Did not like it

My rating of the two episodes I watched 2/10.

I don't drop many series but I had to drop this one. First, the plot is extremely simple. It is relying very heavily on the trope of the evil boss. Bully childhood friend who actually liked the girl. Frenemies. Destiny. Just a lot of tired tropes. I know sword like eyebrows were a thing not even all that long ago but it was a bit distracting that all the male lead characters had these eyebrows I could not ignore. Being literally allergic to tears is a really hard sell. If they had tied it in as maybe some kind of mixed physical and psychological disease maybe. And the accidental kiss was one of those super ridiculous and unbelievable scenarios where if your lips came together like that it wouldn't be sensual it would hurt. Pancake kiss. That goes on forever. I would have had to get a subscription to watch the latter episodes as it wasn't available on virtually every other platform and I didn't care enough about it in those first two episodes to be willing to pay for it. Too cheesy and just not my cup of tea.

Synopsis:

Love is Sweet (also known as Half Honey Half Hurt) is a 2020 Chinese romantic comedy drama blending workplace rivalry, childhood sweethearts, and heartfelt romance. It has a mix of fluffy romance, steamy chemistry, office politics, and emotional layers—perfect for fans of sweet, enemies-to-lovers vibes with a touch of corporate drama.

Total Episodes: 36

Runtime per Episode: Approximately 45 minutes

Major Characters

Yuan Shuai (Luo Yunxi) — The sharp, undefeated "God of War" in investment banking at MH firm. A seemingly arrogant and teasing boss, he's actually a secretly devoted childhood friend who's harbored a 10-year crush on the female lead. He "bullied" her as kids to toughen her up due to her rare tear allergy, but he's soft and protective underneath—switching from professional wolf to adorable boyfriend mode once feelings surface.

Jiang Jun (played by Bai Lu) — A bright, idealistic young woman with dual master's degrees in economics and psychology. She leaves her philanthropy job to join the cutthroat MH investment firm to honor her late father's wish. Empathetic, resilient, and high-EQ, she navigates office schemes and rivalry with sharp judgment. She's allergic to tears (a unique vulnerability), often seen as soft but proves strong and clever, turning from "rookie" to powerhouse.

Du Lei (played by Gao Hanyu) — Yuan Shuai's intense rival from rival firm GE, excelling in investment banking, car racing, and (initially) romance pursuits. Scarred by a tough past, he's calculating and willing to bend rules for success, but he develops genuine feelings that complicate his schemes.

Xu Li (played by Xiao Yan) — Jiang Jun's loyal, justice-driven best friend who works at a convenience store. She's bubbly, prioritizes love over career, and boldly pursues her crush, bringing light-hearted energy and strong friendship support to the main story.

Li Xiaochuan (played by Riley Wang) — Yuan Shuai's tech-genius cousin and app developer. Serious, hardworking, and hilariously oblivious to romance at first, he slowly warms up thanks to Xu Li's persistence, creating one of the drama's sweetest secondary couples.

Qiao Na (played by Zhao Yuanyuan) — The perfectionist vice president at MH, a "female God of War" who demands excellence. She has unrequited feelings for Yuan Shuai but handles them maturely, adding depth to the workplace dynamics.

Linda (played by An Weiling) — A powerful executive director at GE with her own ambitions and insomnia struggles. She plays a key antagonistic role in the corporate intrigue, often prioritizing self-interest in the high-stakes investment world.

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I could see the "writing on the wall" where it was going

Review

?/10. Can't rate it as I didn't finish it. I started to watch this. Watched a couple of episodes and then quit watching as I had growing concern things were not going to end happy. So, I looked up some reviews and, reading through, decided this was not my cup of tea. I am not in for "tear jerkers" or heavily weighted emotional ones. Life has enough sad, I don't need to watch it. I would say it is probably a lovely drama for those that like that and consider it cathartic. Some reviewers say it is good - well worth the watch. But I just avoid anything that tips too far on the sadness scale as I am an empath.

Synopsis

This is a South Korean slice of life family drama with some comedic elements woven in. There are 12, 62-65 minute episodes.

Lee Ji-An (Yum Jung-ah), is a single mother who has made a living for herself and her daughter by being a construction site manager, an unusual job for a female. Being a single mother in Korea is challenging and she has overcome the challenges with grit and determination. She is proud of her daughter, Lee Hyo-Ri (Choi Yoon-ji), a medical student, as any parent would be proud of their child's achievements. The situation changes though when Hyo-Ri is diagnosed with a brain tumor. That single change causes Hyo-ri to rebel against her mother’s expectations which fractures their close-knit bond. Hyo-Ri even decides to flee to a quaint countryside town in a camping van. She is still newly there when she encounters Ryu Bo-Hyeon (Kim Min-kyu), a warmhearted flower farmer. Love lives in unexpected places and the easygoing Bo-Hyeon warms Hyo-Ri's chilled heart. Upon pursuing her daughter to the countryside, Ji-An’s unexpectedly encounters Ryu Jeong-Seok (Park Hae-joon), Bo-Hyeon’s father and her first love. He has not stood still in his life and is now a reserved architect living a quiet life. New love, and old love emerge set against the backdrop of a close-knit community. Ji-An’s loyal friend Seon-Yeong (Kim Sun-young), remains by her friend's side ever the loyal supporter. Bo-Hyeon's charismatic friend, a surf club leader Tae-Oh (Yang Kyung-won) adds levity. Family dynamics, new love, second chance romance all play out in the course of this heartwarming series.

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I could not get beyond the first episode. Just not my thing.

5/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 South Korean revenge, mystery romance drama with 32, 60 minute episodes.



First I provide a unique synopsis then review. I provide a synopsis as some synopsis do not provide enough information to decide to watch or not. If not interested in Synopsis, review is labeled just scroll down.



Synopsis



Ah Mo-ne/Bok-SoonMo-ne (Lee Da-hae) is ill equipped to manage South Korea’s only 7 star hotel when it falls into her lap as the heiress. Lucky for her it comes with a general manager, Cha Jae-wan (Lee Dong wook) who was raised to excel as a hotel manager.He helps Mo-ne while fulfilling his main goal which is to seek revenge on his wealthy father who abondened him to poverty. Little is as it seems in the high stakes world of elite hotels.



Review

My rating is only on the 1st episode as I was not interested enough to watch any more. It is often harder to watch those more than a decade old because the themes and culture have just moved on. I had watched over 300 dramas when I tried this one. Maybe if I had seen this earlier in my drama watching I could have stuck with it but I am jaded. Watched too many great ones that grab you from the beginning.



#HotelKing. #LeeDaHae. #LeeDongWook

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