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Had its intriguing moments but it failed to balance between mysterious and confusing

My rating is 7.5/10

I went into The Trunk super excited because some of my favorite reviewers were raving about it, calling it a gripping psychological thriller with a unique contract marriage twist. As someone with a psychology degree, I was pumped for a deep dive into complex characters and mind games, and I do love a good K-drama that mixes romance with suspense. Did it deliver? Sort of, but it wasn't as great as I expected from other reviews.

The acting is amazing of course—Gong Yoo brings this raw, broken energy to a guy who’s a total mess, and Seo Hyun-jin nails the guarded, emotionally scarred vibe of her character. The visuals are stunning, with a cold, moody aesthetic that fits the psychological tone perfectly. The house was "creepy" just in how dark it was and with the unusual architectural features such as the staircase and huge chandelier.  The story revolves around a shady marriage agency called NM that sets up one-year contract marriages, and things get intriguing when a mysterious trunk shows up, hinting at dark secrets.

I guess if you’re into slow-burn dramas that unpack trauma, manipulation, and messy relationships, you might like this.  But fair warning—it moves slowly. Like, “I need another coffee to stay awake” slow at times. The mystery starts strong but fizzles out toward the end, and the resolution left me feeling meh. As an empath, I found it emotionally draining because every character is so damaged, and there’s no feel-good payoff to lift you up. The romance is there, but it’s not the swoony kind—it’s heavy, complicated, and sometimes frustrating.

I’d recommend The Trunk if you love psychological thrillers and don’t mind a heavy, introspective vibe with flawed characters. But if you’re looking for something light, romantic, or action-packed, you might want to skip this one. It’s not a show I’d rewatch—it was tedious in parts, and I had to push through to finish it. Still, it’s got enough intrigue and stellar performances to make it worth a shot for the right viewer. If you’re torn, maybe watch the first episode and see if the vibe hooks you. There are tons of other K-dramas out there, so it depends on whether you’re in the mood for something this intense.

Why a relatively low rating of 7.5/10 for me. You will see very few that I review that I rate that low simply because I research the shows I watch up front and try to only watch those that others have liked at least an 8 or above by most reviewers. But, occasionally one like this will slip through and my opnion will depart from my stand by sources.  The acting and aesthetics are fantastic, and the premise is intriguing, but the slow pace, unsatisfying ending, and lack of emotional payoff dock some points. It’s good, but not great in my opinion. There is a fine balance between making something mysterious and making it confusing. I felt like that balance was not well maintained and I was confused a lot and some of those confusing points were never resolved. 

Spoilers

As a psych grad, I was analyzing everyone’s behavior like crazy, and boy, did this show give me a lot to chew on.

The Ex-Wife’s Toxic Manipulation was a huge flag for a mental disorder. From the beginning, I clocked Lee Seo-yeon as bad news. To me, she screams borderline personality disorder with narcissistic tendencies. Her whole scheme—setting up her ex-husband, Han Jeong-won (Gong Yoo), in a contract marriage with Noh In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin) while she pairs up with a younger guy, Yun Ji-oh (Jo I-geon), supposedly to “test” Jeong-won so they can reunite—is straight-up psychological torture. She knew it would be emotionally painful for him and was getting great enjoyment out of his suffering. She thrives on control and attention, and it’s clear she’s stringing Jeong-won along because she can’t stand him moving on. Her character is chillingly manipulative, and Jung Yun-ha plays her with this unsettling mix of charm and menace. 

The reveal about Seo-yeon’s past further consolidated my thought that she was classic personality disorder. The fact that she walked into traffic while eight months pregnant, losing her unborn child, was a desperate bid to keep the spotlight on herself when Jeong-won’s attention shifted to the baby.  And she did it when she was supposed to meet him so she had to know he saw the full accident she created. Then she drugged him and installed cameras to spy on him, knowing his trauma would make that unbearable. Those types of actions are next-level cruel. Which was why I was so disappointed when Jeong-won apologized to her at the end—like, what? She murdered their baby and traumatized him, and he’s sorry? That told me he really did not get who she really was at all. Her suicide attempt when she realized he wasn’t coming back was textbook BPD—when control slips, you pull a drastic move to reclaim it. I wanted someone to call her out harder, and while In-ji had some great moments telling her off, it wasn’t enough when Jeon-won's apology pretty much reversed any censure of her behavior she received to that point by apologizing as if he had committed the greater wrongs. Wanted away from someone with BPD is not wrong. He was escaping with the drugs she pushed on him long before he lucked out and she pushed him away. 

The Main Couple’s romance was frustrating (Han Jeong-won and Noh In-ji).  I was rooting for Jeong-won and In-ji to heal each other, but their story left me conflicted. Gong Yoo’s Jeong-won in the begging of the series, is a drug-addicted, anxiety-riddled mess, haunted by his toxic marriage to Seo-yeon. His stockholm syndrome, where he is begging her to come back to him, is just a factor of the unhealthy co-dependence she had carefully fostered. As someone who was abused in the past, he was fertile ground for another abuser and his ex-wife more than fit that bill. He’s so broken that you can’t help but feel for him, and Gong Yoo’s performance is heartbreaking. In-ji, played by Seo Hyun-jin, is a contract wife at NM who’s supposed to be detached but starts catching feelings. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the slow-burn moments where they start to open up—like In-ji creating a cozy home for Jeong-won—are beautiful. But In-ji’s emotional walls drove me nuts. She’s giving and caring on the surface, but when it comes to truly opening up, she pulls back, which felt selfish to me. 

In-ji's backstory was such a letdown. We finally learn her fiancé, Seo Do-ha (Hong Woo-jin), left her five years ago, calling her selfish, but the show never explains why. What did she do that was so bad he vanished without a trace? She clings to his old apartment, which is weirdly obsessive, but the show doesn’t connect the dots. It’s like they wanted her to have this deep, tragic past to justify her contract marriage gig, but it didn’t land. The trauma of being abandoned didn’t seem intense enough to explain her emotional isolation or why she’d choose a job where she stays detached. I kept waiting for a bigger reveal, but it never came, and that vagueness made her arc feel incomplete. And it made her seem selfish, as her ex had accused her of. 

Their ending was the biggest disappointment. After all the drama, In-ji ends the marriage, saying it’s for the best, even though they clearly love each other. It hints that she does it to protect him from her stalker but since it doesn't really protect him anyway it is clear she does it for herself. Jeong-won suggests they give it another shot if they meet by chance twice—and the show ends with them having one random encounter. Really? After everything, you’re leaving it to some rom-com “fate” nonsense? It felt like a cop-out, especially since In-ji’s refusal to fully commit seemed rooted in her own insecurities rather than anything logical. I wanted her to be the heroine who saves Jeong-won emotionally, but her own damage held her back, and the fact that the damage didn't stem from something that made sense, made that frustrating. 

The side couple just added some pointless drama and slowed the plot down even further (Yun-a and Hyeon-cheol). Jeong-won’s friend and his wife could have been a cute heart warming story of a young couple struggling to raise their kids. But, what was wrong with her? She said several times she didn't want her husband or her kids. Post partum depression? I mean her kids were a little old for that but it is possible. But didn't we have enough mental illness to weed through already? Their subplot about her wanting a divorce because she “doesn’t want kids” and needs her “identity” felt so forced. It came off as this weird, stereotypical “modern woman” trope that didn’t add anything to the main story. Yun-a seemed selfish and disconnected, and their drama felt like filler. I kept wondering why this couple was even in the show—it didn’t tie into the trunk mystery or the main romance and just bogged down the pace.

And speaking of the titular trunk I thought it was going to be some huge deal. I mean it is in the title after all. And they way played it up as being expensive and rate. Gotta be something hugely profound about it right? Nope. It had me hooked at first—who owns it? What’s inside? But the mystery fizzles out. There are two trunks: In-ji’s, with her marriage contract and NM manual, and Seo-yeon’s, with baby clothes and toys for her lost child. A creepy ex-NM employee, Eom Tae-seong (Kim Dong-won), steals Seo-yeon’s trunk thinking it’s In-ji’s, hoping to expose NM and ruin In-ji’s marriage. Lots of suspense around him being able to open it or not and it was associated with the mysterious deceased body in the beginning. But it turns into a big nothing burger. They literally were using it like a mobile safe. That's it. No dead bodies. No huge secreats. Just some baby clothes and some paperwork. 

The big twist? The whole thing practically was built on a who dunnit with the trunk, the police taped off scene, the water (and she kayaks) and the viewer spends a lot of the series wondering who the body is and who committed the cirime. Finding out who did it and who the body even was is revealed in quick succession. Tae-seong is killed by Yun Ji-oh, Seo-yeon’s contract husband, who does it because NM asked and because he was the witness to a fellow security guard being murdered by Tae-seong. It’s dramatic but feels rushed and unsatisfying. I mean why him? Our only association with him to that point was just another man who had some weird fixation with BPD woman. 

The nonlinear timeline, jumping between the contract marriage’s start, sometimes into the future, sometimes into the past is cool for suspense but made the story drag. I got bored in parts, especially when the show lingered on everyone’s misery without moving the plot forward. And I got lost in the sauce a lot of times, get bored and blink and you missed that you just time traveled.

I didn't hate it. Not even sorry I watched it. At least now I know. Because it is talked about quite a bit in drama circles. The harsh, cold visuals and the music set the mood perfectly, reflecting the characters’ trauma. The acting, especially Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun-jin, carries the show—their chemistry is the heart of it. I loved when In-ji confronted Seo-yeon; those scenes were electric, and someone needed to put that woman in her place. But the weak mystery resolution, vague backstories, and lack of a feel-good ending killed the vibe for me. At the end of the series, I felt drained by how broken everyone was—Jeong-won’s pill-popping, In-ji’s emotional withdrawal, Seo-yeon’s manipulation. Jeong-won did predictably get better when he got away from toxic Seo-yeon and In-ji was definitely instrumental in him having the strength to break her stranglehold on him.  But there is no catharsis, no moment where you feel like these people are going to be okay. Better? Some of them were. But okay and ready to move onto happy lives? Is that what the cats and dog were supposed to represent? The tearing down of the house? Well, you appear pretty happy on your own.  Lonely? Maybe. But happy. But there is never an "I miss you moment" with In-ji. She goes and sees his show. I guess that was supposed to be an indicator she was missing him. But don't make us guess. We are at the end. Tell us. Let her cold emotional shell finally crack. I was tired of it at that point.

I wouldn’t rewatch it, and I’d only recommend it to folks who enjoy dissecting damaged characters. There are better K-dramas out there if you want something that is tied together a lot better and is still thrilling but ends on a more uplifting and well wrapped up note

Synopsis

The Trunk is a 2024 South Korean drama with 8, 63 minute episodes. It combines elements of mystery, romance, thriller and with psychological aspects. It’s based on a novel by Kim Ryeo-ryeong.

The story follows Noh In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin), who works for a shady company called NM (New Marriage) that sets up one-year contract marriages. Basically, people pay to have a temporary spouse for whatever reason—maybe they need a partner for show, but sometimes the reason is something weirder. In-ji’s latest “husband” is Han Jeong-won (Gong Yoo), a music producer who’s super depressed and stuck on his ex-wife, Lee Seo-yeon (Jung Yun-ha). Their fake marriage gets messy when a creepy trunk shows up in a lake, hinting at some dark secrets tied to NM. As In-ji and Jeong-won play house, they start to actually care about each other, but their pasts and NM’s sketchy business keep things complicated.

This show’s not your usual fluffy K-drama. It’s intense, with a lot of mind games and emotional baggage, digging into stuff like toxic relationships and figuring out what love even means. The first few episodes can be confusing because it doesn’t explain much upfront—like, why is Jeong-won so hung up on his ex? What’s NM really about? But if you hang in there, it starts to come together and gets super addictive. I’m watching it with my daughter, and it’s been a bit much for her because it’s so twisty, but I think it’s worth sticking with for the romance and the mystery. If you like shows that make you think and keep you guessing, give The Trunk a shot. Just know it’s got some heavy themes and a couple of steamy scenes, so maybe not the best for those that like Asian content because it tends to shy away from overtly sexual scenes.

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The "passionately" part of the title is a bit of a misnomer

Review

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a solid, typical modern Chinese romance. I would recommend it to romance fans and would be willing to watch it again if it was on. It is predictable except for the main female character. She is very strong and autonomous. He is considered so handsome he literally has his pick of women. She is also very beautiful and has many admirers. And he hasn't shown much interest in romance until he runs into this woman who seems more interested in getting closer to his mother than to him. They are both so alike and so different at the same time it is easy to see how it works. He is more of the emotional one and she is the take it or leave it more carefree seeming type.

Some reviewers have criticized that there are not very good kissing scenes. While you don't get the close up of them actually kissing and it more often cuts away or shows it from an angle where it could easily be faked, I found that they had great chemistry, and they showed enough it was obvious they were kissing. But if you want zoom in details then you might be disappointed. I don't think the actress or actor had some kind of no kiss policy as several have speculated. I just don't think they saw the need to zero in to that degree. Which was fine by me but others that like the more intimate scenes might find it lacking.

Spoilers

A criticism many have of the series is, despite the title (passionately in love) the scenes where they are physically close either cut away or fall short of any display of passion. It is hinted at. They might even talk about "the kiss" after but there are no true kiss scenes. Which makes it hard to convey the passionately part. I thought it was a good romance and there was enough for me in that regard but if you are going to title something "passionately" then it really should show some passion. So, I get why other reviewers had that perspective.

I thoroughly enjoyed how fascinated he was with her for the simple fact that she did not fall all over herself for him. He was so unused to that, the anomaly alone had him hooked. But, I did get the sense she blew hot and cold as did he at times. They had the volatile temperament that only very young lovers might have. It could be frustrating at times, as one or the other drifted for no meaningful reason, but it was more real that way.

I mean what teenage boy is not going to be interested in a girl that calls a guy out talking smack about you, challenges him to a race, and wins. Forces him to apologize for saying all kinds of mean boy things. She races a motorcycle. That has to be some teenage boy's fantasy. But, beyond that, she provided the emotional security and sense of home he so desperately needed.

I was disappointed he did not ever reconcile with his biological father. His dad was wrong to turn his mother away, but he had spent a lifetime making up for it and regretting. He was very humble, took all the blame, and apologetic. He didn't know what had happened to his son and he was in an accident after all. I have seen characters forgive a parent for much more egregious behavior. So, that was a little disappointing that storyline did not play out to a more satisfactory conclusion.

Scroll down for a unique synopsis

Synopsis

This is a 2025 Chinese Romance drama with 24, 45-minute episodes

Chen Lu Zhou (Anyu Wang) was adopted by a wealthy family and feels like he can never say no. He strives to be the perfect son and never disappoint his adopted parents, particularly his mother. There has not been many occasions when he has wanted anything from himself. Exceptionally handsome, girls have always chased him but he has never found anyone that had attributes that held his interest. That is until he met Xu Zhi (Liu Haocun) who is beautiful, smart and does not seem particularly interested in him. Xu Zhi meets Lu Zhou knowing he is soon to go abroad so does not take the relationship seriously. But as the two continue to interact and Lu Zhou realizes that not only is the girl smart, she is one of the top scorers. Her beauty and brains are very attractive to him but it is also her uniqueness. Not only is she unlike any other girl he has known, she races motorcycles. The two must navigate their promising futures, elders expectations, and their own hesitancy on a winding path of love.



#BePassionatelyInLove #LiuHaocun #AnyuWang

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A mashed up mess of a script. Could not decide what it wanted to be.

Review

7/10 is my rating. If you can overlook the slapstick humor in the first half you might like it. To me this is one where the first half and second half are significantly different. I liked it but didn't love it. Would recommend it for die hard romance fans. It is a bit different. I might watch it if someone had it on but will not ever likely seek it out to watch again. Their chemistry was just okay. Awkward I thought at times.

Spoilers

It had too disorganized of a script for me. I know it was because they tried to make it so comedic, but in ways that didn't make sense, it disrupted the flow of the story.

I thought most of the characters were weird. To me something like potato research is serious business but they trivialized it and poked fun a lot. I like series where I learn something about an industry or whatever and this danced all around the actual research. It was frustrating.

Seriously I don't know many people that would continue to like someone that took part in completely destroying you once and then actively firing you a second time. Him firing her made no sense as he should have been able to tell she was the glue that held the whole thing together. He finally realized that when it was too late.

Him quitting his job made zero sense. Maybe shifting what you did but with everything he invested in that work, quitting was totally out of the character they had built.

Her bestie was weird bordering on creepy. And I just felt sorry for the brother. She was abusive to him. It went beyond sibling harassment to bullying. He was afraid of her.



SCROLL DOWN FOR A UNIQUE SYNOPSIS



Synopsis

This is a 2025 South Korean Romantic Comedy with 12, 70ish minute episodes

Kim Mi-kyung (Lee Sun-bin) is develop new potato varieties aimed at solving grower issues. Mi-kyung is potato obsessed and even developed a new breed she plans to name after herself. Things are shaken up at the rural company when big city Wonhan Retail, a food conglomerate threatens take-over and the end of research. Which sets the stage for her conflict with So Baek-ho (Kang Tae-oh), a Director for Wonhan Retail, who becomes the interim leader of the Potato Research Institute. He has a reputation of being a cold, cut-throat executive which is thinly veiled by his handsome exterior. Sparks fly at work as the the passionate researcher and cold executive battle over the future over the potato research team. A Strange coincidence occurs when Baek-ho books Mi-kyung's guest house setting them at odds both at work and at home. As the two live near and work with each other they begin to see new compelling sides to each other. Romantic tension rises when a previous boyfriend emerges, Park Ki-se (Lee Hak-joo), who regrets his past decision which broke Mi-kyung's heart and caused her to be romantically cautious. As a multitude of events occur in and around the potato research facility, some of them quite humorous, the cold executive softens and becomes the perfect balance for Mi-kyungs erratic ways. Two people who find love amidst the background of the commercial potato industry.

#ThePotatoLab #LeeHakJoo #LeeSunBin #KangTaeOh

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Builds almost too slow for my tase, but the latter half of the series is worth it

9/10 is my rating. What I have found with a lot of the more recent Chinese romantic series is there is a slow build. A long period of time where one or the other main characters is frustrating. Where you are like "come on you know you like them." And that was this one for me. It was very good. Once all the initial was past and the viewer was able to understand why one of the characters was being so frustrating. That was me also in First Frost. To provide context. I think they pace is very similar to that. I think that is the difference in reviews. If you want things to start evolving immediately versus a slower evolution of the relationship. I would watch it again some time in the future. I would recommend it to romance fans. And would sit down and watch it if someone had it on. They had a lot of chemistry and there are few pancake kisses in this one. In fact, I think somewhere this one was rated as one where there is a lot of kissing and that is true.


Spoilers


My biggest complaint was simply her absolute insistence on studying abroad. It was never clear how that would be such a huge gain in her life to sacrifice relationships. Her ex was just an absolute jerk. So, him not wanting to go was just for his own selfish reasons. But she was also selfish at times in her laser focus on study abroad.



I think only the main guy would have had patience for her. She blew so hot and cold. I was frustrated when she decided it was for the best they didn't get involved romantically because she was going abroad. One of my least favorite tropes. Doing it for our own good. Made no sense she did it to avoid heart break but completely broke his heart in the process. That is what made it seem so selfish.

If I had known earlier in the series what an absolute nightmare her ex was I would have felt less frustrated with her and her sometimes cold attitude toward main guy. It made more sense once I realized that yes, they had a seemingly good relationship in college but he turned into a selfish, entitled jerk once they were in a relationship. He totally ignored her emotional needs by ghosting her. Then he comes back and wants to get back together? After he did whatever it was he wanted? And she also knew the father-in-law would be a problem. Wisest thing she did was not take him back. Not even consider it. He was a special kind of A*$hole and those kind are best left alone.


For a unique synopsis, please scroll down.



Synopsis

Shen Xi Fan (Xu Rue Han) is a hard working hotel manager who has been in a seven year relationship with her College love, Yan Heng (Caesar Wu), Xi Fan and Yang Heng are engaged but she has found that has he has changed over the years becoming very cold and distant. While she had thoughts of breaking it off, she decided to make her relationship work but then Yan Heng broke it off with her suddenly. The stress of the relationship caused Xi Fan to become insomniac leading her to the Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic where she meets Dr. He (Zhang Ling He) a very handsome TCM doctor. He is over 30 and experiencing great social pressure to find "the one" and get married. While there is no shortage of eligible women, and mothers and fathers alike try to get him to date their daughters, sister and friends Dr. He shows no interest in romance until he falls for Xi Fan almost on sight. While he works with her to alleviate her insomnia, the two grow ever closer. After some time passes, Xi Fan realizes that her fiancé breaking up with her after seven years may not have been the worst thing after all. It may have opened her life up to experiencing the best thing.

This is a 2025 Chinese romance drama with 28, ~42 minute episodes. It is adapted from Sheng Li's novel entitled "Loving You is the Best Thing I Have Done."

#TheBestThing #XuRueHan #CaesarWu #ZhangLingHe

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Liked the twist of a female being the cold CEO

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romance drama with 12, 64-79 minute episodes.

First, I provide a unique synopsis then review. I provide the synopsis because I find, when I’m looking for a show to watch, some of the synopsis describe the series very well. So the unique synopsis is intended to provid another perspective. If you aren’t interested in the synopsis scroll down, the review is labeled.

Synopsis


CEO Kang Ji-yoon ((Han Ji-min) and Yun Eun-Ho’s (Lee Jun-hyuk) first encounter is not ideal for two people who will work very closely together in the future. As the CEO of a company that “headhunts” and recruits talent, Ji-yoon is after one of the star employees at Eun-ho’s current company. Eun-ho, a Human Resources worker, is under strict orders to guard the valuable employee. A battle of wills ensues, insults are slung, but ultimately the employee is recruited elsewhere. Eun-ho has an abusive supervisor who has been looking for any excuse to fire and black list him. The single father is now out of a job with a grim looking future with the lies his former company told about him. Workaholic Ji-yoon is desperately in need of a secretary but her cold personality and unreasonable demands have made for a dry applicant pool. Seo Mi-ae (Lee Sang-hee) is the company financial officer but has been serving double duty filling in as Ji-yoon’s assistant. She is also Ji-yoon’s friend so she is the only person who, once she encountered Eun-ho and saw his exceptional skill set, could hire him as Ji-yoon’s secretary. At first Ji-yoon does everything to drive Eun-ho away as she still hold a grudge from their early encounter. But Eun-ho’s quiet competance wears down the icy CEO. The duo wind up complementing each other’s skills in business and, as they work together to overcome obstacles their feelings blossom into something more.


Review

This is a twist on the typical beauty melts the beast in that the cold CEO is a female and it is oh so handsome who thaws her heart. I liked it. It was a good slow build romance. Great chemistry between the leads. Just a very good, heart warming romance. It also had good slice of life with aspects of “head hunting.”

Spoilers

I understand it is a different culture but even still it bothers me that people get blamed for things others do. In this case the father saved the male lead from a fire and died. This was when ML was an unconscious child. He finds oit and is afraid to tell female lead and when he does she says she does not know how she can be with him. I did not agree with her blaming her father for leaving her in the first place. He was saving another human. It was not like he intended to die. But she blamed her father for years,

And what was up during that fire? Why, after FL father saves the child, does he basically continue to stand where the fire is? Why didn’t he step to the landing where the firefighters were? Why didn’t they grab him and pull him to the landing?

The ending was good but not all wrapped up. They were not even living in the same hoise. And she started a new company and he started a new job so how much time would they have together? And second couple just started dating. I want engagements or weddings. That is a good rap up to me.



#LoveScout #HanJiMin #LeeJoonHyuk #KimDoHoon # #ParkBoKyung

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A second chance at romance trope more than a hate to love

**7.5/10** is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean Romantic Comedy with 12, 70-minute episodes.

**First, I provide a unique synopsis, then a review.** I provide the synopsis to give another description of the story since, particularly with Chinese and Japanese shows, the descriptions aren't very good. If you're not interested in the synopsis, the review is labeled; you can scroll down to it.

**Synopsis**

Born of two rival families, Seok Ji-won (Ju Ji-hoon) and Yoon Ji-won (Jung Yu-mi) were destined to be enemies. But in true Romeo and Juliet style, they fall in love as teenagers. However, a misunderstanding drives them apart for 18 years, and circumstances reunite them as adults. Now, they not only have their family rivalry but also their own personal grudges to overcome. Can they put aside their differences and convince their families that their love is the key to ending the long-standing feud?

**Review**

I'm actually surprised by how many other reviewers really like this one. Perhaps because I've watched over 300 dramas, I am jaded. I actually like a lot of the tried and true tropes. When I saw this one, I thought it was going to be like a hate-to-love trope. I thought they might try to get one over on each other in funny ways, and that would be the comedy part of it. That would have made it interesting. But it really wasn't much of that playful enemy-type banter at all. Instead, it was a rather uninspired romance. Instead, they were angry with each other over a misunderstanding that had nothing to do with their family feud. They just had these angry bickering exchanges and then all kinds of blocks in the road of their romance. Because they didn't go for some kind of entertaining battle between them, there wasn't much else to it. The chemistry was lukewarm, there were some unlikable secondary characters, and nothing else to pull you in. If you are a romance junkie, it is worth a watch.

**Spoilers**

Yoon Ji-won’s friend, Cha Ji-hye (Kim Ye-won), is the worst kind of friend. Her violating Yoon’s privacy to delete messages and even respond in a way to break Seok and Yoon up was just bottom-feeder low. Then she does something similar again as an adult. They tried for this redemption arc in the end where she admitted what she had done, and her friend forgave her, and they just went on being besties. I had a problem with that as she didn’t admit everything she had done. She just admitted deleting a few emails when they were younger and didn’t tell her she actually replied with a nasty comment back to him, telling him to never contact her. That is a much worse offense than simply deleting some texts (although that is bad enough). And I think she blocked his calls too. She also didn’t tell her she stole her phone again as an adult and did similar. So, if you forgive somebody based on them only telling you a portion of the wrongs, that is not a truthful confession, and the forgiveness isn’t valid. I was actually very disappointed that the main girl forgave her without even telling her off. And then we never even got to see the main lead find out that the snake of a friend had lied to her, not once but twice, and kept them apart, not once but twice, so I never could feel good about that character at all.

Of the battling elders, I thought Seok’s father was not a very likable man. He was abusive to his son. I liked Yoon’s grandfather and was on team Yoon in the "to golf course or not to golf course" battle. Seok's father did have some redemption in the end when he decided to be nicer, but it was hard to forgive him for those early slaps he gave to his son that were just physically abusive.

The other thing I did not like about this one was that as a young couple, they were both top-tier attractive, but then the adults who played their grown-up selves were attractive but not at the same level. It just wasn’t a very good match of the young actors to the older actors.

I also thought it was ridiculous when the elders found out they were together, and they treated them like teenagers, saying they couldn't even be in the same house.

Whoever did the wardrobe for the lead female part put her in the most dumpy, frumpy clothes I think I've seen in a while. It somehow even made her look a little chubby, even though you could tell she was completely skinny. That wedding dress! So ugly! It took me totally out of the moment. What should have been a very romantic moment, when the male lead first sees her in the dress, became a comedic moment. I’ve seen some pretty ugly wedding dresses, but that is now the #1 ugliest. Maybe the female lead should have let her mother-in-law pick it (or maybe she did). The veil was horrible too. It looked like they just plopped some taffeta on her head and called it a day. So he catches a glimpse of her, and it is supposed to be the moment he thinks how beautiful his bride is, and I would have bought it more if he had turned and run from that fashion nightmare. Completely shapeless dress, like she jumped in a big white potato sack. Then, at one point, she moved her arms, and the dress became even more shapeless, which I honestly did not think was possible. And when it showed it from the back, it even made her look like she had a bigger butt. Just a horrible, horrible wardrobe.

It ends okay. The lead couple gets together and are on their way to marriage finally. But I just wasn’t all that invested in any of the relationships. They didn’t show enough of the sweet side of the main girl, even when she was younger, to make you understand why he would like her. And then they had a young couple that were in high school. I guess they were supposed to be similar to the main couple when they were younger, and I thought that girl was extremely unlikable. She was mean to all of her classmates, so I don’t know. Is there this trend where attractive lead guys like mean lead girls? Did he only like her because she was pretty? Because he should have been relieved of that notion with the frumpy mess of wardrobing that made her look less attractive.

**#LoveYourEnemy** **#JungYuMi** **#JuJiHoon** **#KimYeWon**

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Worth the watch for supernatural fans because of the unique deity

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean fantasy romance with 16, 70 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.  I provide a synopsis as with some, particularly Japanese and Chinese dramas, the available synopsis are not very good.  So, I hope to provide another description of the series that might help someone decide whether they want to watch it.

Synopsis

Dr. Han Gye-jeol (Im Soo-hyang) faces many struggles in life. Though working as a doctor, which is her passion, she didn’t excel in her studies and attended a mediocre college. Whenever issues arise—an inevitability in her field—her lack of elite credentials is often brought to the forefront. She is between jobs when she trips and nearly sustains a serious injury or worse, only to be saved by a mysterious man, Do Jin-Woo (Kim Jung Hyun). What she doesn’t know is that this man is no ordinary person—he is an underworld god, known as Kokdu, who was tasked with guiding the deceased to the afterlife after angering the creator. Kokdu (Kim Jung-hyun) inhabits human bodies to fulfill another part of his responsibility: executing immortals who violate supernatural laws. Kokdu inhabits the body of a doctor whom Gye-jeol was working under and, over time, develops feelings for. Their relationship starts out adversarial, but as Kokdu discovers their connection from a past life, he realizes that this unassuming doctor may be the only person with the power to break the curse he’s been placed under.

Review:

The premise was intriguing. I really liked the unique take on this god figure—not a Grim Reaper, but a God of Death who also acts as an angel of vengeance. That was an interesting twist. However, the romance didn’t resonate with me, largely because of the way the female lead character was written. I ended up not liking her much, so I wasn’t invested in her relationship with Kokdu. Despite giving it a low rating, I think it’s worth a watch for supernatural fans, especially for its unique interpretation of this deity’s role. I wouldn’t recommend it for the romance alone—it’s okay and resolves decently, but it’s not the standout aspect of the story.

Spoilers

I can mildly tolerate the female lead being a somewhat incompetent doctor. However, it made no real sense that they chose to make her a doctor with such limited skills, as it had no relevance to the overall story. I’m not sure if they were trying to make a point about elite schools or something, but that aspect just fell flat.

The female lead’s interactions with Kokdu were very frustrating. I get that it would be hard to believe someone was an actual god, so it was easier for her to think it was some kind of multiple personality situation. But when all the evidence was there that he was a god, she never questioned it. When she found out he was a god, her anger about it made absolutely no sense. I thought she was being petty and ridiculous about him fulfilling his duties as a god and killing the bad guys. Even a very basic understanding of gods suggests there are things a deity has to do—things that a higher god or the ultimate god would command. So judging him and making him feel guilty for fulfilling the duties of a god was unreasonable. She had sympathy for really horrible people, like rapists and other evil criminals, whom you would expect a god to judge, jury, and execute. That’s the way of the gods. She was also angry at him for deceiving her, but he did try to tell her the truth. She just never believed him, which was not his fault. So, she was angry with him basically for being a deity, and she acted hostile toward him.

I did not like any of the female characters in this show. The female lead was an incompetent doctor who quit practicing for a large portion of the series, and the second female character was just unlikable. The female lead’s sweet brother falls in love with her former friend, who has always been extremely toxic to her. It might’ve been somewhat forgivable if the friend had come around, but she continued to be a “mean girl” to the main character, even when she was in a relationship with her brother. The second female’s friend was also not very nice. She would give advice to the lead female character, but it was always in a condescending, mean-spirited way. So, virtually all the female romantic partners in this series were not very likable.

It also annoyed me when the female lead insisted on going along when Kokdu was trying to save her brother after he was kidnapped. I mean, if you’re a skilled martial artist or something, fine. But if you’re just going to be baggage, get in the way, and possibly become a hostage yourself, it always seems incredibly selfish and foolish to insist on going. Then, after the explosion happens, she’s shocked when he transports them, and she learns he is indeed a deity. She completely forgets about her little brother and goes off on a tangent about being upset with what he is, and I guess about him deceiving her. She completely stops trying to figure out what’s going on with her brother. So, she was so upset about her brother that she insisted on coming along, saw his cell phone, and got freaked out, but then when something unexpected happened, she completely forgot why she was even there. Was she really that dumb, or just that selfish? Neither quality was endearing.

#KokeuSeasonofDeity #ImSooHyang. #KimJungHyun

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Interesting premise. Lots of unlikable side character though.

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 16, 62-74 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Han So-jin (Jung In-sun) is unlucky in love. Multiple ex boyfriends cheated on her during their relationship. As a genetic research scientist, she normally anlalyzes her partners for a whole range of genetic propensities and has even narrowed down a cheater gene. She has tried romance the traditional way only to be disappointed when they once again cheat. Now she is determined to use her genetic knowledge to pick her perfect other half. Shim Yeon-woo (Choi Si-won) loves women. He is a skilled obstetrician and gynecologist who goes above and beyond to ensure the best health outcome for his patients. Which is why part of his standard practice is to run genetic tests to identify genetics concerns in advance. The primary genetists working with his hospital is So-jin the same woman who drunkenly attacked him for dumping a female associate. Yeon-woo is handsome and wealthy and has his pick of female companions. But he has never felt any connection with any of them. So-jin is not at all Yeon-woo’s type but, on a cellular level they seem to have a connection. Despite trying to stay awy from the DNA obsessed science nerd, So-jin, Yeon-woo finds they are connected socially as well. Seo Kang-hoon (Lee Tae-jwan) has been So-jin’s friend and protector for many years and also happens to be friends with Yeon-woo. So they are connected through work as well as in their social circles. When So-jin finds out Yeon-woo has multiple copies of the cheater gene will that be the end of their groing interest in each other? Seo Kang-soon realizes he has feelings for the woman he thought of only as his noona/friend when Yeon-woo gets close to So-jin. Is Kang-soon, who has always been there for her, her perfect match?

Review

I liked so much about this series It had an interesting premise, a great cast and a nice blend of comedy, romance and suspense. I have liked so many things Siwon has been in and the type of character(s) he tends to play that noticing him in any series is an immediate lure for me. I enjoyed this the whole way through despite what I felt were sme problems with how certain things were written. I may watch it again if someone else was watching it and I recommend it to to anyone that likes the actors, is a fan of romance, or finds the premise interesting. it is definitely worth the watch

Spoilers

This ends happy in that Sojin and Yeon woo reunite and it seems they are going to be back together as a couple. So if the desired outcome was for those two to be together, then it is a happy ending. I thought it was a bit uncertain in that he was working as a small town doctor and she was still working as a geneticist in the city. So it wasn’t clear how they would resolve working in two different places. He did finally say he loved Sojin.

Part of the issue I had with Yeon woo the entire time is I thought he was selfish and it really bothered me that he deceived her with pretending to be her DNA lover and trying to trick her with her telepathy. She had such a strong belief in those things that him ridiculing made him seem less geniune and serious with her. Plus he told Jang Mi-eun (Jeong Eu-Gene) the truth about the DNA mix up which gave Mi-eun ammunition against Sojin as a romantic rival. People do not change a lot. At least not their core personality. So, I never felt like Yeon woo would be right for Sojin because he was so emotionally damaged himself that he was stingy with affection. But, women in reality make the same flawed choice and are, for some reason, drawn to the broken ones.

Sojin’s family was just horrible Yoo Myung-hee (Seo Ji-young), her mother said the most unforgivable thing about her innocent child. She deplored carrying her and equated her with a demon or something like that. When the father was alive she seemed to treat her okay but after Sojin’s father died any warmth she had shown her daughter went with him. She said the most horrible things about Sojin to some random woman she decided to claim as a daughter, Jang Mi-eun, and I disliked Mi-eun for listening to all that and encouraging the mother. You would have to be a little bit of an abuser yourself to listen to al that emotionally abusive language from a mother about her own child and being okay taking that abused daughter’s place in her mother’s cold heart. I didn’t care later whe she had cancer and Sojin had been nearly murderd that she acted like she wanted a relationship. She was just a horrible person. The sister was no better. She said horrible things about her sister to others.

Seo Kang- hoon was the perfect man for basically anybody. He freely gave his time and affection to Sojin and was always there for her. I often get second lead syndrome, like everyone else, but in this case he was so perfect for her it was hard to accept her choice of Yeon woo. Even more disappointing was it seemed he had a relationship going with Mi-eun who I did not like for multiple reasons.

What is it with some of the recent dramas and having a character who is “polyamorous”? I have seen it in several series lately. It made me wonder if this was something that was becoming widespread in South Korea and everything I read indicates it is not. South Korean’s do not approve of polyamory at any higher level of acceptence than do Americans. Which was a relief to me because one of the reasons I prefer South Korean shows over USA series and others is the more moral and wholesome content. I did not like Mi-eun for any of the male characters because she proclaimed she was polyamorous. I detest that notion. It is like saying I am going to tie up someone’s hear but want the option to cheat if I feel like it. There must have been some recognition of this because one of Mi-eun’s boyfriends broke it off with her when she was openly flirting at a dinner with Yeon-woo. It is just wrong think in my opion that results in a lot of people being emotionally hurt. I hope they quit with the putting polyamorous characters in dramas because it detracts from the story.

#DNALover. #JungInSun #ChoiSiWon #LeeTaeJwan #SeoJiYoung

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I dropped it half way and I rarely drop anything

4/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 South Korean Romantic Comedy drama with 16, ~60 minute episodes. Also known under the title "The Man Living in Our House."

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Leading the glamorous life of a flight attendant Hong Na-ri (Soo Ae) and with a handsome fiance, Na Ri feels like she has it all.  But her life crumbles apart when her mother Shin Jung-im (Kim Mi-sook) unexpectedly dies, she discovers her fiance, Jong Dong-jin (Kim Ji-hoon) is cheating with her co-worker Do Yeo-joo (Jo Bo-ah) and the house she thought she inherited went to a step-dad, Go Nan-gil (Kim Young-kwang) she did not know she had. At first Na-ri is started by this stranger/step-dad who is possibly younger than her and definitely younger than her mother.  She doubts his motives and cannot understand why her mother hid her relationship and left everything to this stranger.  But, as the layers start to peel back, Na-ri learns that her and Nan-gil have a much deeper past than she realized. 

Review

I wanted to like this one so much. But, I found very little to like about it. I do not recommend it as there are so many better options. If you are super fans of any of the cast maybe watch for them but I cannot recommend it for anything else.

Spoilers

Did it end happy/well? I have no idea. I made it through episode eight then realized there were eight more and could not do it to myself. I rarely drop a show. Out of the nearing 400 I have watched I have dropped only a few. They had confessed to each other and she broke 2nd guys heart, so there did not seem to be anything of substance for the remainder of the show. I was not at all interested in the mafioso loan sharks. So there was not much if substance left to fill eight more episodes.

I disliked the premise, so it is hard for it to improve from there. I thought the whole him being younger yet her stepdad was weird. When I read a synopsis I thought it would seem like that but turn out he was not married to the mom. It is disturbing that a mother figure would marry her son figure. Then he says for half the show that they have to keep up the ruse to keep the sharks at bay but decides half way never mind we will be together and deal with the consequences.

For me the chemistry between the leads was off. There were no longing looks almost kisses or any of that which shows they liked each other all along. So there sudden kiss seemed weird.

I did not like any of the characters. FL was such an absent daughter she did not even know something so important about her mom. And she was so soft on her ex and cheater colleague it annoyed me. The cheating colleague was just completely selfish. She seemed remorseless about ending a nine year relationship. And so fake. The ex also acted remorseless. He apologized but it was such a weak apology and he never said why. The little sister was a creepy psycho. Bth things she did to main girl could have led to death or worse injury. And she doesn’t think she should apologize?

#SweetStrangerandMe  #TheManLivingInOurHouse  #SooAe  #KimYoungKwang  #LeeSooHyuk  #JoBoAh  #KimJiHoon

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It is a roller coaster of emotions but they are a cute couple

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Japanese romantic drama with 10, 46-60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Asagi Soramame (Suzu Hirose) is heart broken when her childhood friend, Shota Yano (Kaito Sakurai) now her fiancé, breaks it off with her. After having thrown all of her caution to the wind, and traveling from her home in the country to the big city of Tokyo, the sudden break up swept her world out from under her. Too embarrassed to let her friends and family, who were preparing for the wedding back home, know that she is no longer getting married, she decides to find a way to live in Tokyo. However, after going on a bit of a drunken depressive binge, she spends all of her money on a hotel which quickly runs out and now she has nowhere to go. But fate was about to play some tricks and bring a man she had a brief encounter with back into her life. Umino Oto (Ren Nagase), was a man Soramame bumped into when she first arrived in Tokyo. During that brief encounter, they discovered a mutual love of the same music, had a pleasant conversation about music, and then went their separate ways. But Oto felt an instant connection with the beautiful girl he bumped into and was about to go after her only to see her go up to a man who appeared to be her boyfriend. What Oto did not know is that was the last time the pair he saw were together as a couple. Now Soramame is all alone in Tokyo, has spent most of her money, and decides to go to a spa in order to have a place to stay while she gathers her thoughts on where she’s going to live next. But Soramame spends too much time in the hot sauna and winds up passing out and is rescued by a woman who happens to be Oto’s landlord, Kyoko Yukihara (Mari Natsuki). Feeling sorry for the young woman after hearing her story, Yukihara takes Soramame in and offers her a job and place to stay. Her motivations are not completely pure, secretly Natsuki views the beautiful 23 year old as a good romantic prospect for her son Sosuke Yukihira (Yoohei Kawakami). Hoping if the young girl lives with her, and is around her son, sparks could develop. But what Yukihara does not know is her other tenant Oto, and Soramame have already started falling for each other from that first brief encounter. Living in the same house the young pair bother each other like siblings all the while inspiring each other to become their best selves. Will their silly banter develop into something much more romantic?

Review

Don’t expect any levity in this one, it is a pure drama with only minor points where it is lighter or funny. It is a good romantic drama. The leads have great chemistry amd it is well acted. I recommend it for those that like drama, are fans of any of the actors or enjoy romance of any genre. I would watch it if someone had it on and would recommend it for romance fans or for anyone that is a fan of any of the actors.

Spoilers

It ends happy but it does keep you wondering to the very end.

Their interplay when they are harassing each other is flirtatious playfullness. It is fun to watch as things between them evolve and it is evident how they fall in love.

Her fashion gets frustrating because she works so hard to make it then was like, never mind. It was disappointing. At least she does start back to designing for the singing duo.

There were so many near misses with them kissing or telling each other their feelings it became frustrating. I had the timed comments on and others were indicating frustration as well. Some were so frustrated they were like I cannot watch this anymore. They do not get together until the very end so there is very little time to enjoy them together as a couple after so many incidents where they nearly confessed.

The songstress/scammer/liar they just forgive her way too easy. She inowingly and intentionally emotionally hurt someone she professed to love. Thatis so selfish. And they barely react.

#HoldMyHandAtTwilight. #SuzuHirose. #RenNagase #MariNatsuki # YooheiKawakami

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The title is deceptive. It is an idol drama about struggling musicians

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 16, 62-68 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Kang Han-gyul (Lee Hyun-woo) was a bass guitarist in the pre-debut boy pop rock band “Crude Play” and helped make the band successful with his amazing song writing skills. Along the way, he discovered he had more talent as a producer and song writer than a guitarist. With the encouragement of the company CEO, Han-gyul quit the band to focus on perfecting his skills behind the stage. He is considered a genius in his field of music production but his people skills leave a lot to be desired. It does not help he represents his former band members who often resent him for losing site of the people in the product. He was recently in a relationship with popular female solo singer, Chae Yu-na (Hong Seo-young) but she did not feel he was dedicated to their relationship and felt he prioritized his work over all else. He is shocked and hurt to discover Choi Jin-hyuk (Lee Jung-jin), his mentor in the music world and CEO of the company started a relationship with Yu-na after she and Han-gyul had a fight. Devastated by the betrayal and already struggling through conflicts with his friends/former band mates, Han-gyul has a chance encounter with student Yoon So-rim (Park Soo-young). In a moment of inspiration Han-gyul bumps into So-rim in a park amd asks to borrow her phone to record some lyrics that came to him, Later he realizes the young woman now has his chart topping song and tells a series of lies to disguise his identity and attempts to charm her to get it back. What Han-gul does not realize at first is So-rim is a talented, singer and song writer herself. But So-rim fell in love with the talented Han-gyul at first sight. So-rim gets her break in the music industry and it so happens to be atthe same company Han-gyul works with. Despite his rocky romance with his former female singer girlfriend and despite the fact that So-rim is younger than he thought, Han-gyul finds himself drawn to her. Once his lies are exposed will So-rim still like him the same? Will their careers interfere with romance?

Review

Titles can be so deceiving. I thought this was going to be about a con man or someone who was a pathological liar. But this was more like the genius, prodigy musician who told some lies to protect his famous identity. And the story is really centered around the struggles of producing music and being a musician. There was a very sweet romance and it was a strong focus of the story but there still was a heavy focus on music and it was definitely an idol drama. It was good, I would watch it again. Would recommend it to fans of any of the actors as they all acted their roles well. And it ends happy.

Spoilers

I liked that there was not a separation trope because it seemed to be leaning in that direction. There were no annoyingly overdone tropes. Which is always refreshing.

I wish the jealous brat teenage girlfriend, Lee Se-jung (Jeon Yoo-rim) would have suffered more consequences. Some social shaming would have been something. Lee Kyu-seon (Park Jung-hyuk) going after her and comforting her after she was rightfully chastised was disappointing. Call me spiteful but I like to see people who act atrocious out of jealously get some serious karma. At least Chan-young what’s like? How could you possibly think I would’ve noticed you or liked you after what you did?

I do not know why they had So-rim’s childhood friend and band mate, Baek Jin-woo (Song Kang) be secretly in love with So-rim.

The President of the company, Yoo Hyun-jung (Kim Sung-joo) was horrible. She forced Crude Play to fake then was angry when they wanted to tell the truth.

It was a bit of a soft ending. I wanted to see both bands find real success after they chose to be honest in their music. It showed things were “taking off” but not that they arrived. There was also no real ending or resolution with Han-gyul’s father, Kang In-woo (Choi Min-soo) and having his music stolen and all that. And so what President Yoo was in love with him, nothing ever came of it. So In woo who could have made it big, just remains a street

Chae Yu-na (Hong Seo-young) cheated on Han gyul but then turned it around and made it his fault. You made me do this type thing. And it seemed he accepted that because he was not as angry with her as it felt like he should be. Like he was mad for a minute then back to writing songs for her. At least Han gyul’s friend and band mate, Seo Chan-young (Lee Seo won) told Yu-na off about how she cheated.

Seo Chan-young (Lee Seo-won) was a bit ridiculous. He gets his golden opportunity that so few musicians get to play with a band on the eve of debuting and all he can think of is how he is supposedly. I thought he was a huge whiner. Then he selfishly insisted that so rim saying his music when she would’ve more likely came out bigger if she had use the most successful songwriter, Han-gyul. I felt like it was cool he was supportive of all Mush & Co at the end but he was a little bit responsible for them being in danger of being spilt up because they did not debut as well as they could have.

#TheLiarandHisLover #LeeHyunWoo #HongSeoYoung. LeeJungJin #ParkSooYoung

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Well written coming of age, time travel, romance that is heartwarming

9.5/10 is my rating. This is 2023 South Korean Coming of Age, Time Travel, Fantasy romance.  It has 16, 59-73 minute episodes.

 

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

 
Synopsis



Han Eun Gyeol (Reyoun, Go Yoon-hwan) grew up in a household where the other family members, his dad, mom and older brother were all deaf and he acted as the interpreter and spokesperson for his entire family.  It was a large burden for a young person, so he found refuge in the company of a grandfather figure who taught him to pay guitar at a local music shop.  Growing up, he continues to pursue guitar but keeps it a secret as his father, Ha Yi Chan (Choi Hyun Wook) is determined his son become a doctor, or something else, to elevate the status of the family.  Just when Eun Gyeol’s secret is discovered by his father, and they are amid a huge falling out, Eun Gyeol is transported back in time to 1995. A magical music store appears, because it has musical instruments he goes in, sells one of his guitars, then he steps out back in time.  In the past, he encounters the younger version of his father, who is forming a band but is also very interested in a beautiful but icy cellist, Se Keyong (Seol In Ah) who is problematically not Eun Gyeol’s mother.  To get his mother, Cheong Ah (Shin Eun Soo) and father together Eun Gyeol he has to join his father’s band and make it successful.  Will he succeed in uniting his parents in this new past and can he return to his own timeline?

 

Review

I did not fully read the description before starting this series, so I was surprised it turned into a time travel show.  I thought the main element was just going to be a family where most of the members were deaf.  That would have been enough to write a compelling story, so when it switched to time travel, I was surprised.  The switch from a family centered drama to a time traveling drama, would have been okay, but I did not feel they did it well.  It was confusing a lot of times.  The switches back in forth in time were not very clear at times. But then it got really good. It had a bit of a rough start, but the latter half of the series was very good. There were a few, relatively minor, issues in terms of time travel concepts. I liked it a lot and I am not a huge fan of time travel. The romance was not completely central to the story, it was more focused on the family relationships. But there were two very heartwarming romances. I liked this a lot, would definitely rewatch it and recommend it to anyone that likes time travel, romance, stories about musicians, magical content, or are fans of any of the actors.

 

Spoilers

 

I am not a fan of time travel series.  I like things to happen in the order they occur.  Switching back and forth between timelines can be confusing and I felt like this story suffered a lot in that process.  For instance, when the younger version of the dad was first introduced, we were simultaneously following the main guy in the current time and I kept wondering who that character was and how they fit into the story.  We hadn’t yet been introduced to the time travel so I was not considering the possibility it could be a younger version of one of the characters.  After the big reveal on time travel, and I realized that was the younger version of the father, I had to mentally review what happened with that character.  There were times when, rather than just abruptly change the scene to something that transpired earlier, they could have had a character reflect back so it was clearer the events happened in the past.  Instead they just throw a scene in with past events and you wonder if that is present or past. 

 
I found it annoying how oblivious the main character was to the fact that the people, in the past version of themselves, would not know who he was.  I get it would be exciting to come across a young version of a parent, other relative, or close friend but you would have to temper that with the knowledge they haven’t lived the future yet.  If they were time travelers too, sure call someone “dad” or “ajumma” but if you call someone that, who you are a stranger to, they will think you are crazy.  And he didn’t just call them like that once, realize his error, and act like you would towards someone you just met, he continued to call them familiar titles. He persisted even when the person would say I don’t know you or why are you calling me that.   I’m like dude they don’t know who you are.  No wonder he is running from you, you seem crazy.

 
The main character, who is supposed to be super smart, not only didn’t realize people in the past wouldn’t know him, he was also really frustrating in getting practically any point across.  Like when he is trying to convince the younger version of his dad he can play guitar, he doesn’t say let me play guitar and show you.  So, they would be arguing about whether or not he is telling the truth about his musical abilities and there would be a guitar right there.  I am like grab the guitar, and do a riff, that would convince your “dad” way more than any verbal argument.  But they tease that through scene after scene until they finally have him playing and the dad hears him from a distance.  There was the same frustrating situation with the past version of his mom.  She is deaf, and the dad keeps misunderstanding her because he doesn’t know she is deaf, it has to be apparent to her that is going on yet she never grabs something and writes “I am deaf.” In both situations the situation could have been resolved quickly. And I get it is entertaining to have that carrot move as you are just about to grab it, but if you do that too much it quits being amusing and just becomes frustrating. And both were such smart people, it is not credible within each character that they would fail to think of something so obvious.   

A “hole” in the time travel concept was when one of the main female leads traveled back in time and people mistook her for her mother, she let them think she was her. The grand plan was, she wanted her mom not to fall in love with her dad but with someone else. She was suicidal and figured if her “mom” fell for someone else, then she would never be born. But, the problem with that was, people thought she was her mom, but she wasn’t really her mom. Her mom was studying abroad. They never explained how her getting someone else to fall in love with her would have any impact on her mom’s future. So that was an inconsistency, to me, with the theories around time travel.


#TwinklingWatermelon  #Ryeon  #GoYoonHwan  #JungHeyonJun   #ChoiHyunWook  #ChoiWonYoung   #SeolInAh  #LeeSoYeon  #ShinEunSoo  #SeoYoonHee 

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An anti-romance between two very broken people who “complete” each other

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 Japanese Romantic Drama with a run time of 3 hours and 52 minutes. Known under the Japanese title "Honki no Shirushi: Geijoban". This is an adaptation of a 2000 era manga by Fukada Koji that originally aired as a 10 episode mini-series.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Tsuji Kazumichi (Win Morisaki) is in upper management at a business that sells toys and fireworks. His daily existence is very calm, ordinary and too predictable and he has several casual relationships. His life takes a dramatic turn when he encounters a troubled woman and saves her from tragedy. While he could have turned away after his heroic act he is drawn to the little bit of chaos that surrounds the beautiful and intriguing stranger. What follows is a tumultuous, and at times dangerous, romantic interlude that leaves them both forever changed. Prior to his encounter with Hayama Ukiyo (Kaho Tsuchimura) he spiced up his existence with romantic interludes with a couple of his office co-workers. He has a flirty relationship with his 24 year old Minako (Fukunaga Akari) and allows his more steady friends with benefits co-worker, the older woman, Ms. Naoko Hosokowa (Kei Ishibashi) to play housewife.

Review

This film was ranked among the top foreign films so I thought it would be heart-warming or at least an emotionally compelling romance. But you wind up asking yourself what you just watched. Early you may form an impression of Ukiyo as a damsel in distress and Tsuji as a knight in shining armor but that does not characterize either of them well. So you start out thinking you are watching one kind of movie and, mid-way, you realize it is not what you originally thought. It is an emotional ride but not, in my opinion, in a good way. I would not watch it again nor would I recommend it to anyone that likes romances or dramas on the lighter side. It has been termed an anti-romance and I would agree with that assessment. Some people like the darker content, exploring difficult topics, and/or experiencing many different realities. If you are okay with weighty emotional content and fractured personalities, you may like it. It just wasn't for me. I avoid these types of movies when I can as I am an empath, so I absorb a lot of the emotions. Which is okay when it evokes light-hearted emotions but not so good when it elicits darker emotions.

Spoilers

From the title you might think that Tsuji is going to move from the rather shallow relationships he has been participating in, to a deeper, more genuine connection. But you would be wrong. Actually, the bond between Tsuji and Ukiyo is toxic as neither of them turn out to be as noble as they first seem. They play this long push and pull game that is often as frustrating as it is un-nurturing. There is nothing wholesome or heart warming about the two of them together. I do not like dramas or sad movies and this is very dramatic and it is actually sad to see two people who are broken in so many ways bring out some of the worst aspects of each other. The movie attempts to show that only the two can truly understand one another as they come from a similar mental place but, from a psychological perspective, that type of relationship is always unhealthy.

The portrayal is the main characters are the users, but a closer examination reveals that the other people take advantage of the vulnerability of the two. This is alluded to when others say Tsuji is "too nice" and how Ukiyo is always compliant and apologetic. Tsuji and Ukiyo are both damaged in that they do not know themselves well, allow themselves to be steered by people and events, and are not happy in their current lives.

#TheRealThing #WinMorisaki. #KahoTsuchimura #FukunagaAkari.

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I had high expectations from other reviews but found it slow and drawn out

7/10 Season 1. 8/10 season 2. This is a 2020 South Korean medical drama with 12, 73-113 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

The series centers around five doctors who have been friends since medical school. Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung suk) is balancing a busy career as a general surgeon and medical professor with the demands of single fatherhood. Despite the many challenges in his life, his magnanimous personality makes him well liked by fellow doctors as well as patients. His son, Woo joo (Kim Joon) is growing up well in the extended family he is experiencing among his father’s close friends despite the absence of his mother. Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon seok) is an assistant professor of pediatrics but his real passion is Catholicism. He is considering focusing on the clergy as he has a difficult time dealing with patient suffering. Chae Song hwa (Jeon Mi do) is a brilliant neurosurgeon and her amiability and pleasant disposition often draws the group together. Kim Jun wan (Jung Kyung ho) is admired but his austere domineer also prompts fear, particularly among the interns. His career is on the move as he achieves the head position in cardiothoracic surgery. He has known and been friends with Ik jun since childhood and is also close to Ik jun’s pretty and energetic sister Ik sun (Kwan Sun young). Yang Seok hyeong (Kim Dae myung) is also among the divorced. He is perceived as cold and distant because he is quiet and shy particularly compared ti his more outgoing friends, but he is a very caring doctor and professor of obstretics and gynecology.

Review

Comtrary to a lot of other reviews, I found it slow and I forwarded every time they did the band practice. In the first season it really just goes from one tragic medical case to another. They often had good outcomes but it still was emotionally a bit of a downer. The friendships among and between the five doctors were nice and heartwarming and it was clear their mutual support is what helped them weather the emotional storms to excel in the areas of medical expertise. But their romances were less believable as the focus seemed so strongly on the friend group you did not see full development of the romances. So when they started having a romance it felt abrupt. Woth the exception of two of the couples but there were still some aspects that felt unfinished where there would have been more time to develop aspects if so much time was not spent on band practice. I am glad the second season was out when I watched it or it would have been a sudden and incomplete end. That is why liked season two better, it at least wrapped up loose ends.

Spoiler

Jeon won and Jang Gyeo-ul (Shin Hyun been) become a couple but there was no lead up of significance. She confessed and he at first rejected her feelings. Then he basically had his friends and his mother Jung Ro-sa (Kim Hae sook) say they would be a great couple which I guess made him reconsider. Then he suddenly reconsidered, and when she confessed again, kissed her and then they became a dating couple. But it was like she confessed the first time and then he goes back and hangs out with his friends and it doesn’t seem like much developed between the two of them and then later he’s like “oh wait a second you’re right I do like you” and then they are together. It just seemed weird.

Jung Kyun ho (Kim Jun-wan) and Lee Ik-sun’s (Kwak sun young) relationship also felt just out of the blue. He had a girlfriend he broke up with because she seemed to have alcohol issues. Then what felt like all of a sudden he expressed interest in Ik sun. There was no build up. Just, bam, suddenly he is really into her. I got angry with her when she selfishly broke his heart because she decided her illness and the distance thing were too hard on him. Since she told him she was in love with someone else, she lied to him about her real reasons. They seemed to be dating again in the end but they were never fully back together which made the whole relationship seem pointless. Ik jun obviously came to know one of his best friends and his sister were a couple but neither of them ever talked about it to him. It was weird and also felt like it did not reach a logical juncture where one of them would have “come clean” to Ik jun.

Song hwa was my favorite and it was easy to see how someone like her would be loved by her patients as well as her students. It was also believable that two of the men in her friend group had feelings for her beyond friendship, and why all her male friends looked to her for companionship, comfort and advice. That was why I absolutely loved her and Ik jun’s romance. They were perfect together and made so much sense. It was sad they liked each other all those years and had their early romance derailed because of their mutual friend, Seok hyeong’s confession to her. I wish they had further closed the loop by showing Woo soo’s reaction to Song hwa and Ik jun becoming a couple. Song hwa and Woo Soo already acted like mother and son so I think he would have been very happy to have Song hwa as a stepmom.

I was suprised that I very much liked the romance between Seok hyeong and his intern, Choo Min ha (Ahn Eun jin). She did not like him at first, got to know him and fell for him and then pursued him diligently. It was slow burn and very believable when they finally started dating. His mother, Jo Young hye (Moon Hee kyung) was something else so I wish they had shown Min ha either win her over or tell her off but we did not get the satisfaction of either. And the whole gold digger suspicion his mom had around his ex wife, Yoon Shin-hye (Park Ji yeon) was never resolved. They show Shin hye with this large diamond necklace that could have been from the ring Young hye thought she stole but was it? If it was the same diamond then it would have vindicated Young hye and laid the ground work for Min ha and her to have a good relationship. I did not like that aspect of Young hye’s character, her as a horrible harpy of a mother-in-law. They spent so much time early in the series portraying her as a character we should sympathize with because of her husband’s flagrant affair, that switching our feelings for her as a mean mother-in-law seemed to be an inconsistency in the character. Were we supposed to like her or not?

Overall it felt like there was a heavy focus on the friends. I liked that but did not like there was so little time spent on the romances. And too much time spent on band practice. They did some awesome songs and one or two would have been okay but it was a lot more. And hearing Song hwa sing off key was not enjoyable at all. I know it was supposed to be comedic and it was, the first time, but they had her sing off key a lot.

They spent a lot of time playing music. I found we fast forwarded a lot not because we did not like the music but because we wanted to watch the drama content.

#HospitalPlaylist #JoJungSuk #YooYeonSeok #JungKyungHo # KimDaeMyung #JeonMiDo #KwanSunYoung #MoonHeeKyung #AhnEunJin #KimHaeSook

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Good but not great but the mix of cultures carries it

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 Japanese Supernatural Romantic Comedy drama with 10, -45 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Yuri Motomiya (Fumi Nikaido) does not know why an accident years ago gave her a unique telepathic ability. Being able to read the thoughts of others is both a blessing and a curse. She has learned how to use the thoughts she hears to help people. However, she finds it impossible to fall in love with anyone as she inevitably hears unkind thoughts. At 30 she is beautiful and successful as a CEO of her own company. Yoon Tae-O (Chae Jong-Hyeop) is moonlighting as a delivery man while studying to be a biologist. He has a very outgoing and bright personality and is able to break through Motomiya”s social introversion. Because Tae O speaks Japanese as a second language, all his internal thoughts are in Korean. Since Motomiya cannot speak Korean, he is the first person she is unable to read. Which is only part of the reason she is attracted to him. Things chill down when 26 year old Tae O starts an internship at Motomiya’s company. Her co-owner has a strict no mixing business with personal life rule and now Tae O is Motomiya‘s subordinate. She tries to push him to a distance but fate and love have other plans for them.

Review

It is a cute, predictable romantic drama with the cross cultural element adding some additional intrigue. I would watch it again if it was on and would recommend it if someone was looking for a relatively simple plot. It is good and ends happy.

Spoilers

There were a lot of problems with the story. Why and how exactly did she gain the ability tipo hear thoughts? Yes she almost drown but a lot of people nearly drown yet do not develop a supernatural ability. How did her father become so seeverely paralyzed? We know he saved her and was in a coma but neither of those things alone explain his paralysis.why is she a CEO but her friend and partner would be able to fire her.

Two break ups? Really? I dislike one breakup but two was really ridiculous. I seriously dislike the I cannot be with you because someone likes me and I do not want to hurt them trope. If the other person waited until someone else liked you to declare their feelings how deep and genuine are those feelings? In this case he was afraid she would reject him but new guy wasn’t. So that break up was ridiculous. Then they find out some book says if she stays with him he might die and they all buy it? Why? How? It did not even make logical sense they would all believe what it said in a picture book.

I found it interesting how each had to learn aspects of each other’s culture and thought it was heart warming she made an effort to learn Korean.

#EyeLoveYou #YuriMotomiya #ChaeJongHyeop

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