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Fun and Frustration of Dating and Relationships!

This is a fantastic series that attempts to put things into perspective regarding dating and relationships. Anyone who has dated or been in any kind of a relationship will almost surely find himself/herself relating to one or more of the six characters (three men and three women).

The series is mostly light and humorous with some occasional serious tones. Fortunately, the series is so deftly told that it easily transitions from "comedy" to "drama" without batting an eye.

As anyone knows, dating and relationships can be fun and exciting when they begin, but soon grow into frustration and turmoil the longer they go on. As one character points out, "Relationships are like wars. Easy to start. Difficult to end."

The series is filmed like "The Office" in which a small documentary team follows the characters around and asking questions such as, "Is it possible to have a positive break-up?" or "What does the word "first" mean to you?" The answers are often compelling as well as humorous.

The characters begin to realize some deep truths regarding relationships. Most people enter them to prevent lonelines or because they don't like themselves, and they expect someone else to fill in the "gaps" and "holes" that they feel are dotting the landscape of their lives. Of course, entering into relationships for these reasons means that the relationship is already doomed to fail. Why? Because unless you love your Self first, you cannot possibly share what you do not have with someone else. And the other person soon realizes how unfair it is to be pressured into being the sole source of happiness for someone else.

To be in a relationship means to accept your partner as they are. Eun Oh Lee makes a truly provocative and wise request to Jae Won. "Can you accept me for who I am? I'm a mess, and I have a long way to go before I find myself." Acceptance and awareness of dysfunction is probably the ultimate key to having a successful relationship. After all, relationships aren't about filling gaps and holes. They are about sharing. And ultimate sharing cannot be experienced until absolute vulnerability is attained.

The series is masterfully done, and the actors expertly handle their characters like prime jockeys handling their horses. They bring tears and laughter to a subject that has befuddled nearly every person in every culture since the beginning of time.

My favorite scene is Rin-Yi standing up for herself after her boyfriend basically tells her how he's ashamed of how she lives her life. Shame has no place in any relationship. Don't let people use "shame" to tell you how to live your life. The only real shame they feel is for themselves.

I have seen more and more of these types of series coming out of Korea where the writers are virtually crying out, "Let people be who they are! Stop trying to control everyone and everything!"

Along with the characters, you'll likely find yourself sharing in their laughter, fun, and frustration as Korea continues to churn out the best shows in the world, in my opinion.

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Carrying the Weight of the World!

The magic of this series actually doesn’t rest in the romance. It rests in the magic of how a little boy decides to bear the weight of the world upon his shoulders and carry that burden into adulthood.

There are many aspects of this series that we’ve seen countless times. A rich man who ends up falling in love and courting an ordinary woman. A rich man who lavishes her with bought out amusement parks, boat rides, restaurants, and so on. There is still the arcane belief that happiness lies in a relationship with a wealthy person, unfortunately, usually the man. It’s been said that money can’t buy happiness. It also can’t buy love, as true love has absolutely nothing to do with wealth.

Lee Young Joon is the Vice-Chairman and partial owner of a massive corporation. He’s also a bit of a narcissist. If you look up the true definition of a narcissist, Lee Young Joon only fills some of the boxes, but not all of them, which leads us to believe that he’s conceited and full of himself, but he’s not necessarily a narcissist in the typical sense. Yes, he’s bossy, overbearing, demanding, and he must always get his way. However, buried underneath is a man who is capable of deep feeling.

Enter, Lee Young Joon’s secretary, Mi So Kim. While Lee Young Joon is very smart and capable, it’s obvious that the person juggling and taking care of all of the balls in the air is his unwavering and loyal secretary. However, after reaching her boiling point in having to work for nine years for the self-centered Lee Young Joon, Mi So Kim decides that it is time to pursue something else, thus leaving Lee Young Joon in a quandary.

However, there is far more than meets the eye when it comes to the relationship between these two, and it’s here that the true heart of the story takes off. As children, Lee Young Joon and Mi So Kim were kidnapped by a deranged woman and kept inside an abandoned building. Cable ties were used to bind their hands and feet. Mi So, who was only five, has spent years trying to find the “mysterious” boy who not only saved her life, but also did all he could to prevent her from seeing the nightmare images from that fateful event. It's endearing and heartwarming to find a young boy who takes on that kind of responsibility.

Lee Young Joon feigns memory loss of that day, and even goes so far as to deny that he was even the boy who was with Mi So, thus opening the door for his jealous and envious brother, Lee Sung Yeon, to believe that he was the one who had been kidnapped, due to the amount of guilt their parents placed upon him. Too often, parents forget how lashing out can create deep psychological scars and even manipulate memories.

Rather than confess to Mi So that he was the one who had saved her, Lee Young Joon decides to deny it in order to prevent her from reliving that horrible past. In short, he does everything in his power to protect her, even from those memories, and we find out that Lee Young Joon hasn’t suffered any memory loss at all, but is simply bearing the brunt of it, even to the point of suffering horrible nightmares and scars. This is how we learn that Lee Young Joon is a truly noble and loving person because, just as Mi So has been looking for him since she was little, Lee Young Joon has also been looking for Mi So.

There is an absolutely adorable scene shortly after Lee Young Joon takes little Mi So home after the kidnapping, where she professes her love and even proposes marriage to him. Sometimes the most profound memories are those we have as children, and in this case, even years later, their dreams come true.

The series is essentially wrapped up by the 12th episode, and as another reviewer pointed out, the last four episodes contain mostly filler stories. One of the things that hurt the series was that too much attention was given to the romantic relationship between the co-workers. Frankly, while there were some hilarious and silly moments, I really didn’t care because I wasn’t invested in them. Anyone who has been involved in a workplace romance will readily tell you that they are a bad idea. Even the awkwardness created by the relationship between Lee Young Joon and Mi So, should be enough to give anyone pause before entertaining one.

The performances between Park Seo Joon and Park Min Young are first-rate, even if their chemistry was a bit inconsistent at times. Park Seo Joon’s crowning performance is still in “Itaewon Class,” and I felt that Park Min Young gave a better performance in “Her Private Life,” mostly because she had better chemistry with her male lead in that series.

Most of the humor is provided by Park Seo Joon as we see how silly and awkward he makes Lee Young Joon, especially when he’s praising himself or telling Mi So how great he is. He does have a few cringeworthy moments when he crashes Mi So’s vacation, or when he tries to plan out their wedding, even going so far as to pick her dress for her. His friend was correct: he’s like a bulldozer. However, it’s hard to escape Park Seo Joon’s charm, which reminds me a little bit of Michael J. Fox as Alex Keaton in “Family Ties.”

Overall, this is a good series that would have been great had they cut it to twelve episodes. However, don’t let that sway you. The last four episodes are still good, but they just don’t quite hold up compared to the rest of the series.

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Power of Love and Healing!

The series works because it doesn’t try to be anything else than what it is. Too often, especially in romantic dramas, the writers always attempt to introduce some new conflict to keep the story going rather than simply let the characters guide them.

The series is about love and healing. This is a touching and sweet series that endeavors to demonstrate that sometimes what we remember isn’t always what really happened, especially memories from childhood.

The series starts out with Seong Deok Mi, who is a curator at an art museum by day and a fangirl by night. Perhaps we get a glimpse of what it means to be a true fangirl. She and her best friend, Lee Seon Ju are obsessed with K-Pop singer, Cha Si An. They are both the masterminds behind Cha Si An’s biggest fan website, “Road to Si An.” Seong Deok Mi does her best to be wherever Cha Si An is in order to take pictures and then post them on the website. Her apartment is literally littered with pictures, drawings, and even pillows with Cha Si An’s face.

Enter Ryan Gold, a famous art director from New York who is brought in to take over as director of the art museum when the owner is caught in a scandal. He’s a bit stuffy and uptight, but he’s a good person. He also has a special interest in a series of bubble paintings by the famous painter Lee Sol. Ryan was abandoned at an orphanage at seven years of age, but he’s inexplicably drawn to these paintings, which seem to unlock pieces of memories with his mother.

In order to protect Seong Deok Mi from a personal scandal, Ryan Gold agrees to pretend to be her boyfriend. We’ve seen this set up numerous times, but it still works, as it’s obvious to everyone that despite the staged relationship, they’re drawn to each other despite not really liking each other initially.

The first half of the series is about how Ryan and Seong Mi become closer and finally enter into a loving relationship. However, the more compelling story is in the second half of the series when Ryan begins to discover who his mother is and how the paintings by Lee Sol help him to connect the dots from his broken memories. I’m not sure there is anything more painful than a parent who loses a child. In a compelling discussion, it’s pointed out that there are terms for spouses who lose one another, or for children who lose their parents, but there is no term for a parent who loses a child, perhaps because it’s simply too painful.

As the viewer, we wonder how a mother could possibly abandon her own child, and yet, we soon discover that things are seldom what they seem to be, as Ryan was left waiting at a playground while his mother went to a meeting nearby. She never made it as she was involved in a serious accident. Of course, Ryan doesn’t realize this until he finally meets his mother, who turns out to be Lee Sol, and that the bubble paintings were actually of him. This was an incredibly sweet reveal, which serves to remind us that a mother’s love never dies, even when it seems to be the case.

We also learn that Seong Deok Mi and her family her unwitting participants in how Ryan was left at the orphanage. The series is about love but also about healing and forgiveness. Ryan could have easily been resentful and bitter about what happened, but instead, he realizes that, despite the contrary, his mother never forgot him. The reunion between them is a powerful element of the series. People often forget that the only way to truly move forward is to let go of the past, and to realize that parents are people and that they often make mistakes too.

Once Ryan and Seong Deok Mi are together, and we also realize that Cha Si An is actually Ryan’s half-brother, it just seems a little creepy that Seong Deok Mi’s apartment is still filled with Cha Si An’s pictures to the degree that you wonder if Seong Deok Mi’s fangirling is pushing the boundaries, especially given Ryan and Cha Si An’s relationship to each other.

There were only a few things that I didn’t care for. First, Seong Deok Mi’s best friend, Lee Seon Ju just isn’t a very good friend, especially when it comes to giving relationship advice. Given her own marital problems, she’s the last person who should be giving feedback and suggestions. She was the only character who just didn’t work for me. A wife who cares more about being a fangirl than a wife is someone with a problem.

Second, when Ryan tells Seong Deok Mi that he has something to tell her (when he’s about to confess his feelings), she tells him that they should end their “fake relationship” and then stalks off without even giving him a chance to say anything, and also when Seong Deok Mi hides behind her brother when Ryan comes over to see her because she’s in her fangirl outfit, she behaves like a kid instead of a 33-year-old woman. Those scenes just made her appear cowardly and immature.

Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook turn in stellar performances, and it’s largely their chemistry that makes the story work so well. Park Min Young has an absolutely captivating smile, and Kim Jae Wook has real charm. My favorites were Kim Mi Kyung, whom I’ve seen in a number of series, and this veteran actress just never disappoints! She’s so good in everything she does. And even though she had a smaller role, I also really liked Kim Sun Young as the quirky and self-absorbed museum owner. She’s another actress who is fantastic in everything she’s in.

This is a warm and sweet series that doesn’t go overboard. It says a lot when the last eight episodes are more intriguing than the first eight. A series should get stronger as it progresses, and this one does just that. This was definitely one of the better romantic dramas that leaves you with a warm feeling in your heart.

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Easily One of the Worst Romantic Series I've Ever Seen!

100 Days My Prince? Even 10 days is far too long to have to deal with two of the most pathetically unromantic people I’ve seen in recent memory. Screenwriter Noh Ji Sul must have had a brain aneurysm when she put this farce of a story together. It’s about as “romantic” as watching an automobile accident. And that’s what this entire story feels like: a bad accident.

I have to wonder about Korean history as it seems that nearly every single K-Drama I’ve watched involves a king who is an absolute incompetent moron. He has no guards. He has no support, nor does he even know how to utilize the resources that are so obviously at his disposal. Conversely, there is also always some “First Minister/First Premier” who craves power and seeks to undermine the king. Is this truly the only scenario that Korean writers see and use for such stories? Repetition quickly becomes tiresome. And Noh Ji Sul’s feeble attempts are beyond tiresome!

Here, we have a somewhat ridiculous premise: Prince Yi Yul is summoned to a rain ritual (yeah, don’t even get me started on that one!), and, of course, he’s ambushed. He conveniently strikes his head on a rock and his found by Yun, a local villager who nurses him back to health in order to fulfill a silly edict, issued by the Prince himself: all bachelors and spinsters are required to get married or get flogged 100 times. Now under the guise of Won Deuk, as he doesn’t remember who he is, the Prince is forced to marry Yun’s daughter, Hong Sim, who is a noble woman also living under another identity after her father was murdered years ago by the current First Premier, Kim Chae-Eon, who is the mastermind behind all of the manipulations that are going on.

Won Deuk and Hong Sim live a precarious life together as a forced married couple. Never mind that they don’t sleep together (after all, the integrity of both must be kept intact until the final reveal), and they scarcely act like a married couple at all. Nobody in the entire village catches onto Won Deuk’s obvious noble upbringing in his speech and mannerisms. The only one who knows is Yun because the Prince was in his bodyguard’s attire when he was found. Meanwhile, Hong Sim is searching for her brother, whom she hasn’t seen in years, and the Crown Princess happens to be pregnant with another man’s baby. Of course, Kim Chae-Eon is trying to keep all of these “balls” in the air while trying to remedy the mess. The last thing he wants is for the Prince to come back, and when he does, after finding out about his lost memories, hopes to use and manipulate him.

It isn’t difficult at all to piece this shabby puzzle together, as we already know that Hong Sim’s brother is the father of the Crown Princess’s baby. The whole thing plays off like a bad episode of “The Young and the Restless,” leaving the viewer to wonder what else can be thrown in with the kitchen sink.

Perhaps the silliest gimmick used was during the final episode when the reveal comes out. Finally free of Kim Chae-Eon, the Prince finally has Hong Sim, right? Of course, not! Why would things be wrapped up too soon? Instead, she begs him to forget the past, as she feels responsible for all of the pain and turmoil he’s suffered. However, she conveniently chooses to NOT let go of the past herself. Such is the sound advice of a truly pathetic hypocrite and a coward. Don’t worry, it gets worse. The Prince, after a year, returns to the village to try and convince Hong Sim to marry him again, and again, she refuses. He asks her to find some books that he conveniently dropped and to return them to him. Of course, these are his diaries, and, of course, she sits down to read them. So, I guess what’s written down is far more important than a man’s spoken word? I was already tired of this silly escapade when this drivel came around! And, of course, she finally accepts him in the most pathetically ridiculous manner I’ve seen in a long time. I guess Noh Ji Sul really had no clue what she was doing.

We also get another ridiculous premise. One of the Prince’s closest allies, Jung Jae Yun conveniently suffers from “Face Blindness,” and yet, he’s always able to recognize the Prince under his guise of Won Deuk, even when Won Deuk doesn’t speak?! The stupid gimmicks for this series just kept coming, which is always indicative of a poor writer. The series is literally riddled with such poor plot devices.

When Hong Sim’s brother is finally killed by assassins, Hong Sim goes to look for him, and yet, she somehow (without being told) knows where to look for him?!

It’s bad enough that the story and plot are carried out so poorly, but then you have two of the worst acting performances to make sure it’s even worse!

Doh Kyung Soo is obviously trying to give the Prince a very haughty and high-mannered personality. However, what we get is a man who speaks robotically without any personality whatsoever! The trick is to make an arrogant character likable, and he fails miserably! Take TV icons like Sheldon from “Big Bang Theory” or Alex Keaton from “Family Ties.” Both were extremely arrogant, but the actors knew how to make those characters likable. Doh Kyung Soo succeeds in giving us a vain, rude, and overbearing Prince with virtually no redeeming qualities at all. The man needs acting lessons!

Nam Ji Hyun is almost as bad with Hong Sim. She’s got to be one of the most undesirable women ever put to screen. She acts like a little girl half of the time. Even Nam Ji Hyun’s voice sounds like a 12-year-old girl speaking! It’s unnervingly irritating! She rarely smiles, and she’s never grateful for anything at all. It’s bad enough that her father whines and cries like an old woman in just about every scene he’s in. It’s also a fact that Nam Ji Hyun and Doh Kyung Soo have absolutely zero chemistry together. They’ve also got to be the worst kissing couple I’ve ever seen. If you don’t like doing kissing scenes, then pick projects that don’t have them! Hong Sim is also a cowardly hypocrite, which makes her about as appealing as a piece of used tissue paper.

Han So Hee is a vastly superior actress, and she should have been given the role of Hong Sim. And conversely, Kim Seon Ho is also a much better actor than Doh Kyung Soo, and he should have also been given the lead role of the Prince. These two would have been an infinitely superior job, given that they both outshone the lead actors (not that that was hard to do!) of this series. The only actor who stood out was Cho Seong Ha (Kim Chae-Eon), whose masterful performance was wasted.

This is easily one of the worst romantic series I’ve seen in a very long time. Trust me, you don’t want to spend even 1 day with this farce of a series!

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People Are Not Possessions!

When you cage a lion, it no longer is truly a lion. The same can be said of people. People are not possessions, and too often, we live vicariously through others, for others, and make them responsible for our own happiness. Each one of these things is like a cage.

Hiroto Komori and his brother, Michito, come across a small boy left outside of their home. They don’t know where he came from or even who his parents are. When asked what his name is, he responds, “Lion!” It’s his favorite animal, even carrying a stuffed lion with him everywhere he goes.

Hiroto works a city job in which he helps people on welfare. It’s quite obvious that he doesn’t really enjoy his job. It’s a means to an end. After all, he feels responsible for his younger brother, Michito, who has Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Every day is a routine, which is what most autistic people require. Anything that deviates from the routine can be very disruptive. Hiroto walks his brother to the school van every day. And every day, he picks him up and they walk home together along the sea as Michito enjoys kicking a stone.

We find out that Hiroto and Michito also have an adopted sister, Aoi. In flashbacks, we find that she was an especially unhappy teenager, who was abusive toward both brothers as well as being ungrateful toward their parents. However, despite the abuse, she remembers that Hiroto always treated her well. Fast forward to the present, and we find that Aoi fakes her death as well as that of Shuuto (Lion) in order to try and escape from the clutches of her abusive husband, who beats both Aoi and Shuuto. Much of the series is spent in watching Shuuto grow closer to his two uncles, as well as them trying to help their sister.

Aoi is also being assisted by the somewhat mysterious Mr. “X” who comes up with the initial plan for Aoi and Shuuto’s escape, also furnishing her with burner phones so that they can communicate. It’s through Mr. X that Hiroto finds out why his sister seems to acting so recklessly.

The series is a touching one, in which, perhaps for the very first time, Shuuto is able to enjoy a positive, family dynamic with his two uncles. There are many humorous and light-hearted moments as Hiroto and Michito attempt to alter their lifestyles around their new houseguest.

Aoi’s husband beats her and takes off with Shuuto, but Hiroto is able to track them down. I was pleasantly surprised that we didn’t get the typical “fist-a-cuffs” but instead, Hiroto tries to explain why Aoi’s husband’s abusive nature is doing more harm than good. Her husband explains that he can’t be alone and that Shuuto is all he’s got. Even among family members, possession always brings about negative repercussions. That is where resentment and anger tend to flare up, and her husband finally backs down.

However, throughout the series, we find that Hiroto has never truly lived for himself. His entire life has revolved around Michito, and after much soul-searching, he realizes—that for the good of both of them—he needs to finally venture out and create a life for himself. While it’s challenging for Michito to understand, he finally gets it, and it’s beautifully expressed in the black-tailed gull that he paints as a mural, and understanding that a gull has to be free to fly. In fact, that is the true nature of every, single soul: freedom.

Overall, the series is a strong one, but at only a eleven episodes, it didn’t quite reach its full potential. I was hoping for more interactions between Hiroto and Aoi. She never properly thanks him for getting Shuuto back, and given their tumultuous upbringing, I was hoping for a nice heart-to-heart. I also felt that Hiroto’s two friends, Mio Makimura and Youta Sadamoto, were relegated too much in the background. I would have liked to have seen even more scenes, demonstrating how deep their friendship truly is.

We also had a couple of side-character that could have also used more screen time, such as reporter, Kudo Kaede, and the police detective she’s clearly in love with, Takada Kaji. I won’t say that the series felt rushed, but rather, it could have delved even more deeply than it did.

Young Sato Tasuku is absolutely adorable, and he’ll easily find his way into your heart as soon as you begin watching this series. The young actor has a very bright future. Yagira Yuya plays a very calm, reserved Japanese man, and he plays it well. He perfectly captures the introverted but pained Komori Hiroto. And, of course, Bando Ryota is stellar as Michito.

This is an excellent feel-good series that should be a lesson to us all: don’t treat others like possessions. Let them be who they are. This is especially true and necessary among family members.

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Trials and Tribulations of the Insecure

This short series attempts to put into perspective the trials and tribulations of people suffering from low self-esteem and tremendous insecurities. However, the series isn’t very effective in convincing the audience that it’s most important to love yourself first before you attempt to love another. The characters are people we should ultimately be sympathizing with, but we don’t because they don’t learn from their mistakes, nor do they evolve, even though the writer attempts to make it seem as though they have.

Katagiri is a college student involved in a long distance relationship with Osanai Sachi, a girl he’s been seeing for five years. There is little chemistry between the two, and it’s clear that the relationship isn’t balanced as Osanai clearly has deeper feelings for Katagiri than he has for her. He is rather distant and aloof around her, and it’s theorized that this might have something to do with being abandoned by all of the women in his life. However, the writers never take the step or time to explore this more deeply. Instead, it’s glazed over like a train flying by a station.

Osanai adores Katagiri and sends him letters regularly. However, the letters sit in Katagiri’s apartment unopened, and he never replies. Instead, he finds some kind of solace in his next door neighbor, Shino. She’s a married woman seemingly trapped in a loveless marriage. What’s interesting is that she is just as distant and aloof as Katagiri, but for them, the sexual relationship enables each to feel something. So many people in this world take to food, sex, drugs, alcohol, or anything else that either helps them to feel some sense of pleasure or to escape from their problems. The real problem is that all pleasure is short-lived and never lasts, and escaping from one’s problems is also only temporary as those problems are still there once the effect of the “drug” wears off. No wonder there is so much misery in the world!

Osanai is an innocent and rather naïve young girl. She’s nineteen but often acts like she’s thirteen. She simply has no idea how the world works, and she also believes that her love for Katagiri can overcome their distance and their problems, which she never realizes until it’s too late. Naturally, she finds out about Katagiri’s affair with Shino, but rather than getting upset, she tells him that it’s okay with her, as she feels responsible for initially turning him down during a past attempt at intimacy. Katagiri assures her that he feels nothing for Shino, which somehow, is okay with Osanai, at least, at first. Osanai is much like a leech who believes that a painful relationship is better than on relationship at all. She’s so incredibly insecure that she can’t bear to be without Katagiri, and she makes the popular mistake of making him the center of her universe.

After they finally make love, Katagiri starts to come out of his shell when it comes to Osanai, but Osanai begins to realize that she can no longer overlook his transgression, and she eventually breaks up with him instead.

The series takes a very strange turn toward the end when Shino’s husband, who has been wire-tapping his wife’s apartment, finally comes forward and confronts Katagiri, and blackmails him into paying damages for the affair. Shino’s husband, rather than talking things out with his wife, simply plays the voyeur as he sits and watches Shino and Katagiri. This made no sense at all. I don’t know many husbands who would do this unless they took pleasure from the voyeuristic act, which is never even brought up by Shino after she finds out.

What we ultimately have are four very cowardly and immature characters with virtually no appeal at all. Katagiri cuts himself off, using his past as an excuse for his lack of feelings for Osanai. Osanai makes Katagiri her whole world. Shino battles boredom and loneliness by seducing Katagiri (even though he’s just as responsible), and Shino’s husband sits back and watches while his wife carries on with an affair because he’s too obsessive and possessive for his own good. By the time the series ends, we end up rooting for absolutely no one. The only character who shows even an ounce of integrity is Osanai when she realizes her mistake and moves on from Katagiri but not before she condescends to make love with Katagiri, not because she loves him, but because she fears losing him, which is never a good reason for sex.

This isn’t a very enjoyable series to watch, and frankly, I’m not sure that it’s supposed to be. But, what we are hoping is that Katagiri, the main protagonist, might actually grow up and face his insecurities. Sure, he pays off Shino’s husband, but that has nothing to do with facing your insecurities and learning to love yourself. That’s simply making up for getting caught. The only thing that I was relieved about was that they didn’t try to put Katagiri and Osanai back together again. That would have been ridiculous, and so that aspect of the ending was at least believable.

This series played out like a bad soap opera, and I’m thankful that it was only twelve episodes at only 20 minutes for each one. It was barely tolerable at that.

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Castaway Diva is Mostly a Cast Away Series

Castaway Diva is a good story that does a lot of things right, while overlooking and dismissing a lot of things throughout the story. In many cases, a 16-episode story arc can run too long. This is a case where the series would have been better served with 16 episodes rather than 12.

The premise is a good one, in which Seo Mok Ha finds herself stranded on an island for 15 years, after trying to escape her abusive father. I didn’t know that there are over 3,000 islands within the Korean Archipelago, a fact that should have been mentioned to give the viewer some idea of why Seo Mok Ha was so difficult to locate.

Some suspension of disbelief is required for this aspect of the series. Unlike in the movie “Castaway,” which was well researched by Robert Zemeckis, Seo Mok Ha has suffered no psychological effects from being isolated. She isn’t suffering from malnutrition, and her teeth are perfectly white. Also, that far north, Korean winters can bring cold weather, even on that island, and yet, she somehow survives this without any ill effects as well. It plays out more like a Disney movie than anything resembling realism. And yet, despite all of this, I was interested in seeing more of “island” Seo Mok Ha and some explanations about how she survived and got through a day. The series spends little real time on this aspect.

We know from the beginning that Seo Mok Ha has aspirations of being a famous singer, just like her idol, Yoon Ran Joo, going so far as to send Yoon Ran Joo a demo with the hopes of taking her first step toward a possible singing career.

One of the themes of this series is child abuse. It’s a disturbing crime, no matter the form it comes in. It was difficult to watch Jung Ki-Ho holding off Seo Mok Ha’s abusive father, as he’s being pummeled on the dock. It was far worse seeing people standing and watching while doing absolutely nothing about it.

Jung Ki-Ho relates to Seo Mok Ha’s plight as his own father—a police officer—is even more sick and abusive. 15 years later, we find that Jung Ki-Ho, along with his mother and brother, have found a way to live a new life away from Jung Bong Wan (their father) with the hopes of escaping the abuse.

There are many parts of the series that work well, but there are also many parts that are severely overlooked or just don’t really work at all. It was as if the writer had either forgotten or simply didn’t take such logic into account. As a result, the story suffers.

I was waiting for a conversation between Seo Mok Hal and Jung Ki-ho after his identity is finally revealed. I was waiting for Seo Mok Hal to ask him all about what happened on that fateful day on the dock; to find out what had happened to him, and all of the questions a close friend would have had running through their minds. No conversation takes place. They move on as if nothing had happened.

Jung Ki-ho goes to great lengths to expose his father for the abuser that he is, including setting up equipment to use as evidence against him, particularly when his father beats him yet again. And yet, when the evidence may be crucial in bringing Jung Bong Wan to justice, or at the very least, used to demonstrate to the prosecutor the nature of Jung Bong Wan’s character, the evidence is suddenly nowhere to be found, nor is it ever mentioned again.

Also, with the number of charges brought against Jung Bong Wan, how is a man like that allowed to roam freely? No explanation is offered regarding this either. It was as if the writer chose to dismiss these things in order to make the plot work---which is always a mistake, by the way.

I love Eun Bin Park. I think she’s one of the best young actresses in the business, but after “Age of Youth,” Hot Stove League,” and “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” this is my least favorite performance of hers. It was as if she couldn’t find the balance between the innocent, young girl stranded on an island, and the driven young woman striving to fulfill her dream! In short, she often overacts in a number of scenes, and at times when it’s just not warranted at all. It sounded forced. I like that Seo Mok Hal is a strong woman who is loyal, but her transition from stranded island girl to an ambitious singer was so fast that it was as if she’d never been on the island at all!

Another problem is that the chemistry between Eun Bin Park and Chae Jong Hyeop is literally nowhere to be found. The little “romance” never took off at all, not only because the two actors had no chemistry, but also because the amount of screen time devoted to them together was miniscule at best. There was nothing built up, nor was there anything taking off from when they were in middle school together. Frankly, the chemistry between the two actors portraying Seo Mok Hal and Jung Ki Ho in middle school was far more appealing!
Also, there are just too many times when characters quickly dismiss a conflict or problem and then it’s just magically resolved. The biggest glaring example of this was between Seo Mok Hal and Park Yong Kwan. They have tremendous friction between them, and he refuses to let Seo Mok Hal use his song. But suddenly within the space of a day, he does a one-eighty.

The songs are well sung in this series, but frankly, none of them caught my ear. That’s always been a thing about basing a movie/show on music. If the music doesn’t work, then it hurts one of the key elements. I can’t think of any musicals that I liked when I didn’t care for the songs or find them appealing.

Castaway Diva is not a bad series, but it’s not a great one either. Its sloppy writing and lack of chemistry prevented it from being a great series. There was more chemistry between Seo Mok Hal and Yoon Ran Joo. Perhaps if the writers had focused on that aspect more, the series would have been much better. If you spread yourself out too thin as a writer, you end up coming up short on all of your storylines. Castaway Diva is a perfect example of this.

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A Love That Trancends Time and Space!

This is a series that transcends both time and space. It reminds me a little bit of the movie “Somewhere in Time” in which a man finds out that he’s had a romantic relationship with a woman from over 70 years ago—but from his viewpoint, she is the only one who knows it.

What we have here is Ban Ji Eum, a woman who has the ability to remember her past lives. In this case, she remembers 18 of them and is currently in her 19th lifetime. Interestingly enough, her 18th life touches on people around her and carries over into the 19th because she dies at the age of 12 in a mysterious auto accident that we come to realize was no accident at all which also yields to a present-day mystery involving her as well as Moon Seo Ha, a boy she knew from her 18th life and is now infatuated with in her 19th. Don’t worry. It sounds more confusing than it actually is. What we end up having is a very endearing and touching story.

Each time Ban Ji Eum reincarnates, she not only remembers who she was in previous incarnations, but she also remembers the things she’s done. In short, she also brings the skills she’s learned in the past into the present—everything from a trapeze artist to a flamenco dancer to a master bowman. We also find out that she’s also been both male and female as well. Her strong desire to reunite with Moon Seo Ha is what causes her to reincarnate in this current lifetime. Of course, Moon Seo Ha has no idea that Ban Ji Eum is the same girl who tragically died protecting him (Yoon Joo Won), and he’s still traumatized by the loss of his only friend—a friend that he obviously loved very deeply as well.

People obviously have different ideas about reincarnation. Most people in the West simply do not believe in it, despite several subtle references in the Bible as well as other texts. People in the East are far more likely to believe in it. For the story to work, it really doesn’t matter if you believe in it or not. There have been documented cases of people who vividly recall past incarnations. For most people, it’s a place they remember. An Indian man toured the Tower of London and remembered a door in a specific place. The tour guides all told him that no such door existed. He insisted it was there. Reluctantly, they checked it out, and sure enough, the door was where the man had said it was. They were naturally astounded and wanted to know how he knew. He simply said, “I remember it being there.”

There’s a reason why people are not necessarily meant to remember past lives. The primary reason is that it would overload you with unnecessary memories that are best left forgotten. Imagine remembering all of the suffering and grievances of your past lives and the toll they would take? Not to mention all of the suffering and grievances that you may have inflicted upon others as well. No, it is actually a gift to not remember, and in the end, it would serve no useful purpose. Even now, most people dwell on the past or the future, and not on where their attention needs to be: the present.

While it may seem fascinating to remember so many lifetimes, we quickly find that it is a great burden for Ban Ji Eum, as she attempts to find out why she’s one of those very few people who is able to remember. She knows there must be a reason, and Kang Min Ki is a mysterious archaeologist who holds the key. We all carry things forward—especially harsh grievances which must be forgiven and let go. This is the wisdom that Kang Min Ki tries to help Ban Ji Eum realize. This is also why forgiveness is one of the most powerful methods of letting go of the past and allowing oneself to move on.

The story takes some unexpected twists as Ban Ji Eum confesses who she is to Moon Seo Ha and also to Yoon Cho Won—her sister from her 18th life. Of course, they can scarcely believe her at first, but then Ban Ji Eum knows things—details—that only Yoon Joo Won would know that helps Ban Ji Eum convince them. These bring some incredibly touching moments, and people can also take solace in the fact that our loved ones are never truly gone or taken from us. They simply change form for a new role.

The only aspect that didn’t quite work for me, was the end. It made no sense that Kim Ae Kyung (a niece from Ban Ji Eum’s 17th life) and her survival depended upon Ban Ji Eum undertaking a ritual that would effectively wipe out all of her memories of her past lives, including those she’s interacted with in her current life. It would have made more sense if the ritual simply removed her memories of her past lives without affecting her current one. I understand that the writer was probably trying to find a more dynamic and unique way to end the story, but it didn’t work very well. Also, remembering past lives isn’t something that’s going to necessarily bring harm to those closest to you. However, I can understand Ban Ji Eum’s desire to remove the burden of remembering so many incarnations. Had they gotten the ending right, this would easily be a perfect “10” series for me, as it keenly held my interest from start to finish.

Performances are astounding, especially Shin Hye Sun, who never fails to impress me. She’s like a Korean Meryl Streep. She can literally do anything put forth to her, and she always turns in amazing performances. She is currently my favorite Korean actress. Everything from a thriller (Stranger) to comedy (Mr. Queen) to historical romance (Hymn of Death) to this one demonstrates that the mastery of her craft is varied and diverse.

I also really enjoyed Ha Yoon Kyung who is also a fantastic young actress! Everything from “Hospital Playlist” to “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” to this drama demonstrates that this young lady’s got a bright future ahead of her. And Cha Chung Hwa (Kim Ae Kyung) is one of the best character actresses in the business. Ahn Bo Hyun (Moon Seo Ha) was fantastic as well.

If this story based in reincarnation tells us anything, it’s to get things right the first time, although people rarely do. There are two types of relationships: dharmic and karmic. Dharmic relationships are those where you have a natural, easy connection with someone. You are together simply for the joy of it. Karmic relationships are those that tend to be strained or have much conflict because there are issues that still need to be resolved. Obviously, our task—as we move in our circles—is to transform those karmic relationships into dharmic ones. So, why wait until the next lifetime, when something can be done about it now? Such is the power of forgiveness, which is the central theme of this series. Let go of the past—grievances and all.

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LIfe Is Choice

This is a wonderful character-study series that demonstrates one of Life’s great truths: Life is choice and you determine how you react to what goes on around your and the experiences that you have. We are given two characters with very polarizing ways of living. One embraces what happens, no matter what it is, and learns how to let go. The other plays the role of the victim and is constantly running away from life and the problems that inevitably come. By the end of the series, the viewer should be left with one question to answer: which path do you prefer?

Mok Hae Won is a very lonely woman who flees her job and life in Seoul for the small town in the countryside. Her upbringing is filled with unhappiness, from a father who abused her mother, a mother who is so cold and distant that she rarely sees her. And when she does, her mom barely says anything at all. There are no loving words or even the hint of a smile. The same is true of Hae Won’s aunt, who is just as cold as Hae Won and her mother. In short, we find very quickly that this is not a pleasant family to be a part of. They keep their distance from others, mostly because they are so content in their own bitterness and unhappiness, that they don’t even want to take a chance on something better. These are three very miserable women who hardly have anything appealing about them at all.

Im Eun Seob is a young man who is quiet but steadfast in how he lives his life. He’s loving and never hesitates to help someone who is in trouble. He gives no thought to his own safety, nor does he ever ask for anything in return. His own family abandoned him, and he was left with a family who took him in and raised him as their own. This family is warm and good-hearted, and they aren’t afraid of trials and tribulations. In fact, they face things head-on.

This is especially true of Eun Seob’s little sister, Im Hwi, who is a young high school girl full of life and zest! She may be a bit conceited, but she also never fears expressing herself, no matter how it may offend others around her. Despite not being popular, Im Hwi never allows that to affect her. She’s a very strong, young woman who’s already mastered one of Life’s great lessons: it doesn’t matter what other people think of you. One might wonder how Hae Won might have grown if she’d had a friend like Im Hwi when she was in high school.

It's easy to blame our parents for our shortcomings and even problems and failings. But the truth is that we never need to look further than ourselves when things don’t work out. Hae Won is a weak woman who enjoys playing the role of the victim. And people who play the role of the victim are always cowards because they are intent on blaming everyone else for their problems. What is even worse about Hae Won is that she has no forgiveness or tolerance for the imperfections of others. She fails to realize that nobody is perfect, not even our parents, but we must learn to forgive and look past the flaws and imperfections that everyone has.
Hae Won holds a grudge against her high school friend, Kim Bo Young because of a mistake that Bo Young made. Yes, it was a mistake, and even Bo Young acknowledges it, but toward the end of the series Bo Young points out to Hae Won that most people have cracks and problems that make them imperfect. Still, Hae Won cannot see past her own pain.

Of course, a romance brews between Eun Seob and Hae Won—who Eun Seob has loved since high school, unbeknownst to her. He runs a small bookstore in the small town, and it’s clear that he loves his life, despite living a life that seems boring and ordinary. Eun Seob loves Hae Won completely, despite her flaws and imperfections, and he also realizes that as soon as winter is over, she will leave. Some people are fair-weathered people. They only stay until real problems arise, and then they flee. Hae Won is such a person, which is why the viewer already knows the inevitable.

The romance is sweet and touching, and the chemistry between Hae Won (Park Min Young) and Eun Seob (Seo Kang Joon) is real. But the romance runs together with the mystery of who killed Hae Won’s father, and how she will deal with the truth of the past. We already know that Eun Seob is a man who can deal with pretty much anything. He has a mountain cabin where he can go to collect himself and be with his feelings. He’s also quick to forgive as well as express himself to others without fear or reservation. He knows that Hae Won is not built like that. While both characters endure much suffering, especially in their childhood, we see how each character has chosen to deal with their adversity. One deals with it, and the other finds a way to run away from it. Eun Seob already realizes one of life’s truths: the quickest way out is always through.

Eun Seob also knows that true love is not about holding on, but about letting go, which is why –despite how painful it is—he lets Hae Won go because he also knows that she has to learn to deal with the past as well as find herself.

The world is full of Eun Seobs and Hae Wons, and it’s up to us to decide which one we want to be. We can embrace and endure what comes, or we can play the role of the victim and wallow in pain and misery like Hae Won, her mother, and her aunt.

I loved the simplicity and beauty of the piano music that went with this series. I felt it really added to the atmosphere and enhanced the story.

Performances were first-rate all around. I have to say that one of the standout performances for me was Kim Hwan Hee (Im Hwi) as Eun Seob’s sister. She had such a command of the role as the tenacious and loving Im Hwi. The best scene of the series for me is when Im Hwi tearfully begs Eun Seob not to leave when she believes he’s going to leave with his uncle, and never return. It was such a touching scene, especially as Eun Seob—being the loving man that he is—buys and replaces Im Hwi’s bike seat with the one she’s been wanting. She also pretty much stole every scene she was in. I hope to see more of this talented young lady!

Some people hate winter (analogous to difficult times) and can’t wait until spring arrives. Others embrace the cold and find a way to navigate it. Such is the path of human lives in dealing with life. This series was one of the best character studies that I have seen when it comes to how to deal with life. Remember, life is choice. So, which do you choose?

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The Joy of Doing What You Love!

If you are not doing what you love to do, then by the time your life is winding down, you may look back with regrets because of how much time was wasted. Kobe Bryant put this to his listeners once during a conference. He said, “If you aren’t doing what you love, then why are you doing it?” I think very few people in the world do what they love because of so many factors: money (usually assuming a lack of it), what people will think (family, friends, society), or even because you don’t believe in yourself enough to take the chance. Let me point out something about people like Bruce Lee, Kobe Bryant, and others. They never rested on talent alone. They put in the work so that they could be the best that they could be. And, yes, that is what it takes.

Quartet is a lovely story of four misfits. I call them “misfits” because they feel that they are outsiders who don’t seem to fit in anywhere. However, they all share one passion: the love for music. Three violinists and one cello player find themselves at a karaoke bar—seemingly by happenstance, but I think by the end of the series, we realize that it wasn’t an accident. One person sharing a joy is one thing, but it gains even greater power when four people combine their passion and talents.

Beppu is the leader of the group. He not only has a talent for the violin, but he’s someone how knows how to get things done. However, he doesn’t rule with an iron fist—unless it’s about taking out the garbage! He has no problem listening to the others and gaining their thoughts and feelings about something. His family owns the villa in the countryside where the four choose to live together and perform nightly at a local restaurant. The venue may seem small, and perhaps insignificant to some, but that’s not the point. They’re doing what they love.

Maki is the heart and soul of the group. A woman with a mysterious past. First, we’re left to wonder what happened to her husband, as her mother-in-law recruits Suzume to find out, as she believes Maki has killed him. We also find out that not is all as it seems with Maki, and will her dark past find its way into harming the group?

Iemori is easily the funniest member of the group with his quirky logic when it comes to identifying and discussing seemingly insignificant things. He’s always a source for a laugh, but make no mistake, he’s got a big heart. He’s almost childlike and in a good way.

Last, but certainly not least, we have our cellist in Suzume. A lonely young woman who loves playing her cello on the streets for whatever money she can get. She also wears her heart on her sleeve. It’s pretty clear early on that she truly loves the other members of the group, especially Maki. Perhaps this is the only true family Suzume has ever had. And when she begins to shed tears, it’s hard to hold back ourselves. She’s a little clumsy and has the propensity to sleep anywhere! Under the coffee table, slumped over chair, it really doesn’t matter. She will also do whatever she can to protect and help the other members of the group. We find out, very quickly, that she is not at all comfortable spying on Maki for Maki’s mother-in-law.

The group’s four members are endearing as they get to know each other throughout the series. Only one of them has a real job when the series begins. The other three are either unemployed or are about to leave their respective jobs. Of course, they begin to question the rationale of simply being a quartet. Even friends and family find it difficult to understand the logic of essentially doing something for very little. Toward the end of the series, it’s Suzume who answers this question when she talks about seeing the smiles on people’s faces or those rare moments when they get some feedback about how happy the listener is because of their music.

We also see the sad lives of those who are not living their passion and dreams. Arisu is a petty, vile young woman who works at the restaurant where the quartet performs. All she cares about is getting out there and finding a way to make a quick buck or perhaps find someone wealthy to take care of her. At one point, she schemes to steal Maki’s violin when she finds out how much it’s worth. She’s extremely self-centered, doesn’t care about anyone else, and it’s easy to see why she’s such a miserable woman. Even she finally finds her rich husband at the end, we also know two things: it will never last, and that type of happiness is always fleeting.

We also find a letter in the last episode from a musician who clearly didn’t make it as one. The person unloads their own frustrations and unhappiness at the group, unable to understand why they continue to play when they don’t play well. Of course, anyone who listens to this group can see that they play just fine. They may not be on par with some of the elite, but they can play! And the point is that they never gave up. They don’t let anyone or anything discourage them from doing what they love. This is showcased beautifully in the last episode when a can is thrown at them as they perform on stage, and many of the listeners get up and leave in the middle of the performance. However, what is truly magical is that none of these things prevents the quartet from continuing to play with smiles on their faces for the few who’ve remained behind.

In the end, if you are doing what you love to do, you don’t care if you’re doing it in front of a thousand people, a few people, or even none at all. You’re doing it for yourself, which is the most important thing. You don’t care if it brings you millions of dollars, a few dollars, or none at all. The joy of doing it is its own reward. And that is the beautiful message of this lovely series!

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Korea's "Romeo and Juliet!"

As I write this review, I am listening to “Only My Heart Knows” by Sohyang—the greatest female singer on the planet--which is the most eloquent way and expression that I can think of to captivate what I’m feeling after finishing this extraordinary series. Sohyang does for “Hymn of Death” what Celine Dion did for “Titanic.”

Romeo and Juliet is considered one of the best romances ever written. Of course, it was also a work of fiction. Jack and Rose were also considered a great romance, but they were fictional characters in a historical event. Yun Shim-Deok and Kim Woo Jin is about real people back in the mid-1920s whose lives abruptly ended when they committed suicide together by jumping off a passenger ship. Now, to some, this may seem to be a tragic romance. As with so many things in this world, it really does depend upon your perspective.

What happens when oppression and suffering become so great that they make a person feel trapped? Let me point out that those who commit suicide or consider it an option are feeling trapped. They feel that there is no other way out of whatever situation they are in. Whether or not you agree with the act doesn’t matter. It’s what they are feeling. How do I know? Because it was something I attempted once myself.

Yun Shim-Deok was a woman well ahead of her time. She was outspoken and wasn’t afraid of being bold and going against a system she didn’t agree with. For the 1920s, this was more of a rarity than most people realize. Coming from a poor family, she was essentially the family’s sole means of making money. She was also given the responsibility—albeit unfairly—to also make enough money to pay for the education of her siblings. But, at what price?

Kim Woo Jin is a writer from one of the richest families in Korea. His father expects him to forsake the foolishness of being a writer and run the family business while being married to a woman who is more about duty and doing what his father wants than being a supportive, loving wife.

Both show incredible talent in their respective fields. Kim Woo Jin is a gifted writer of poems, plays, and criticism—not to mention his love letters to Yun Shim-Deok. Yun Shim Deok is able to captivate audiences with her beautiful voice. And yet neither is allowed to pursue their passion. Kim Woo Jin’s father won’t allow his son to write, and the Japanese attempt to use Yun Shim Deok for their own, sick and demented reasons, caring nothing for her singing talent.

It's been said by many that there are few things sadder than wasted talent. What does it do to a person to not pursue the life they want? What does it do to twist someone’s talent to the point where it’s no longer what it is supposed to be?

Whether you are simply using your son or daughter to carry on family obligations, such as running a family business and having them marry whom YOU want them to, or using your son or daughter by holding them hostage under the “family obligation,” for financial reasons, the result is the same: you are using your children. You are treating them as property, and children are not property. And if you are unable to support your children in helping them pursue their own passions, then you are not fit to be a parent. No, it’s worse than that. You have no right to even call yourself a parent, any more than the parent who is indifferent and neglects his/her children.

This series is powerful and eloquent in depicting two souls who loved each other so much that they refused to leave each other. Not even in death, as they left this life together. It’s beautifully done with incredible performances by Lee Jong Suk and Shin Hye Sun. They have incredible chemistry, which is obviously necessary in order to make this series work. My only very small complaint is that I wish a singer had helped Shin Hye Sun train as a singer. Even if it wasn’t actually going to be her singing, she doesn’t open and move her mouth as a singer would.

The series is short at only six episodes (three via Netlfix as they combined each episode into pairs), but it’s not a series that is easily forgotten. It stays with you from the opening moment of the first episode when you see the two pairs of shoes on the deck of the ship to the moment when Kim Woo Jin and Yun Shim Deok are dancing and then slowly begin to walk to the deck’s edge. And I can’t help but think that the real Kim Woo Jin and Yun Shim Deok are smiling somewhere together.

Most people look upon death as horrible and tragic. That isn’t always the case. And I can’t feel that way about Kim Woo Jin and Yun Shim Deok. If nothing else, I hope this series makes people stop and think, especially parents and how they treat their children. No one has the right to take away another person’s passion and happiness. Those who do so—those who attempt to live vicariously through their children—are the vilest and most selfish people I can think of. Therefore, love and support your children in whatever endeavors they choose. Just remember, that their lives are not yours. Their lives are theirs! And for better or worse, they have the same right as you do to live it as they see fit. Every human on earth was given the same, greatest gift: the freedom of choice. The very nature of “Hymn of Death” cries for freedom! Freedom to live and to love.

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It Actually Is A Wonderful Life!

The last Korean series I finished was “Missing the Other Side” which I thought was one of the most heart-warming, thoughtful, and provocative series I’d seen yet. It tugged at the heartstrings in a very profound and meaningful way. I had no idea I would get more of the same here with “Tomorrow.”

Someone recently asked me why I watch Korean shows and not much else. I used to watch American shows, but I’ve dropped all of them. I said, “Because Korean stories are character and plot driven. And most of these shows always have food for thought, or a message to make you think about how we can make this world a better place.”

“Tomorrow” is about Grim Reapers who exist in a different plane of existence. They are broken up into various departments, but the department that is the focus of this story is the Risk Management Team, comprised of two members (soon to be adding a third). Their job is to seek out souls who are high risk for committing suicide and to try and prevent that from happening. The team is led by Goo Ryun, a woman with a mysterious and troubling past. Im Ryung Goo is her partner, another member also tied to a soul from the past. They soon add temporary member, Choi Joon Woong, a young man full of life, whom the Reapers accidentally put into a coma while trying to prevent a suicide. Woong is given the choice to join and help the Reapers for six months or stay in a coma for three years. Naturally, he chooses the former. Of course, being absolutely “green” Woong has a hard time initially fitting in and doing his job, but he brings two distinctive qualities to the team that the other two senior members lack: empathy and compassion. Woong is a young man who wears his feelings on his sleeve. He has a difficult time understanding the coldness of Goo Ryun, and the two often clash.

People may not realize that Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. And the series addresses the most common causes of suicide. Bullying, the loss of a loved one, someone who views their own life as a failure, people suffering from things like eating disorders, assault victims, guilt, or drowning in a wave of public criticism. Each case spans 1-2 episodes, and each one is just as profound and thought-provoking as the last. This is another series you want to keep a box of tissues handy!

Of course, as in most cultures, suicide is against the law and in most religions, a mortal “sin.” It really doesn’t matter if you buy into the somewhat religious belief system that governs the Reapers. That isn’t what is important. What is important is helping anyone to see what a beautiful life they have, and why suicide should never be a last resort. Suicide only brings more suffering and pain than what you are already experiencing. It follows you.
The cause of suicide is unhappiness, and the feeling of being trapped in a reality you feel you cannot escape from. But the root cause of all unhappiness is this: lack of love for yourself. If you love yourself, you will not allow bullies to persecute you. You will stand up for yourself, no matter what. If you love yourself, you will grieve but feel immense gratitude for those loved ones who have moved on. If you love yourself, you will never see your life as a failure, but as a success. You will realize the truth: a single life touches so many. If you love yourself, you will never mistreat your body with eating disorders or unhealthy ways of living. You will take care of yourself as best as you can. If you love yourself, you won’t feel guilty about anything you do to others or anything you do to yourself, for you hold the tool for letting go: forgiveness. If you love yourself, even if someone beats and torments your body, you know that the body is not who you are! You will be able to say the most powerful words ever spoken: forgive them, for they know not what they do.

There is a lot of love in this series that cries out for people to see just how wonderful and valuable their lives are. They are not something to be callously thrown away. But perhaps the central theme of this show is this: there is only one person you ever need to save, and that is yourself. It also speaks to not giving up on yourself. Life is a battle, and you have to keep on fighting. Life will knock you down. Pain in inevitable but suffering is optional. How much you suffer is determined by nobody else but yourself. I’ve used this quote in several reviews, but it’s so powerful given the subject matter of this series. “The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!”—Rocky Balboa. Anyone who is contemplating suicide should really look long and hard at this quote.

And while we are not responsible for what others do, we do have influence. People really need to stop and think about how they treat each other, whether it be through words or action. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and think about how what you say or do might affect them.

This show has some of the most powerful scenes I have ever seen in ANY show! The Korean War vet being escorted by ALL of the Reapers was incredibly powerful and eye-opening about how war veterans are treated. Such people deserve our undying respect and gratitude. The story of the Comfort Women of World War II was especially poignant. People tend forget about the atrocities committed during that war. It’s always so much easier to lay blame upon others without knowing the facts or circumstances. If you don’t believe that, READ the quote above! Those women had undeniable courage and deserve the highest accolades for what they had to go through. That episode had me in tears at the end when the three women are there to comfort each other (thus, the comfort women!) and remind each other that no forgiveness is necessary.

Performances all around in this series were impeccable. The cast was tremendous, and the storyline between Goo Ryun and Park Joon Gil from their previous life in Joseon is very intriguing, as we unravel the mystery of the connection between these two, and why they both have opposing views regarding suicide victims. Goo Ryun believes they must be helped. Park Joon Gil believes that it’s pointless to help anyone who already has their mind made up, especially when it comes to suicide. And the bridge between them is none other than Choi Joon Woong. Because what is sorely missing from both is empathy and compassion. Judgment and criticism are counterproductive.

This series should be required viewing—and not just by Koreans—but by everyone. Perhaps you know someone who’s down and unhappy. Whether they might be contemplating suicide or not, use your own empathy and compassion to give them a smile, a kind word, your company, or anything to remind them that they are valuable and loved. For what other job is more important than that?

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One of the Best Thrillers Out There!

This is a brilliant Korean thriller that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat—possibly literally! While it has very good writing, it’s the performances—especially from Lee Joon Gi (Do Hyun Soo) and Moon Chae Won (Cha Ji Won) that truly captivates the viewer. I am not sure I’ve seen two performers dig so deeply into their feelings and emotions, and I believe that a big reason for this is their obvious chemistry. If I didn’t know that these two were acting in a show, I’d have sworn that these two truly love each other. That is how believable they are. Now, I have seen other performances that come close, but these two may be the best I’ve ever seen in 45+ years of watching movies and shows. It also depicts the worst parents I have ever seen in all of my years. Man Woo Baek and Mi Ja Gong are unconscionable. I really don’t care if it’s their son. To knowingly help a man kill other people is absolutely no excuse. None. And I had absolutely zero sympathy for such deplorable people who turned out to be as monstrous and sick as their son.

Do Hyun Soo is a man living with a horrific past. The son of a serial killer, Do Hyun Soo is diagnosed with Anti-Social Disorder. However, after reading up extensively on Anti-Social Disorder, I will argue that he is misdiagnosed. Given the lack of empathy, prone to violence, and especially substance abuse, Do Hyun Soo doesn’t really fit the bill. I believe that due an obvious lack of love, affection, and the ability to simply interact with others, he’s more like someone who has simply cut off that part of him that is capable of those feelings. That is, until something—or someone—provokes a response. He’s unable to identify various feelings, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have them. It’s clear in his smile, his warmth, and also his love, that he’s more than capable of those feelings. He’s simply like a foreigner who can’t read or identify things. His character is captivating, harrowing, and heartbreaking. And the absolute anguish that he feels when he believes this Ji Won is dead, was raw, powerful, and conveyed everything I knew I would feel as well.

Now, the best thriller I’ve ever seen is “Stranger” which was a show a bit more taut and well-written than this one. It also deftly depicts a man who is incapable of empathy in Hwang Shi-Mok, and that actor gave a very real and stellar performance of such a person. And while Hwang Shi-Mok wasn’t diagnosed with Anti-Social Disorder, he’s much closer to being someone with that disorder than Do Hyun Soo. You really have to take into consideration the amount of abuse and trauma that Do Hyun Soo undergoes in his life to truly grasp what a person might be like coming out the other side of it.

Cha Ji Won may be my favorite female TV character of all-time. I’m not joking either. Now, it may be due to personal bias, because she encapsulates everything that a woman should be—to me, anyway. She’s strong, fiercely loyal, dependable, loving, compassionate, dedicated, and someone who is everything any man would ever want in a companion. I don't know how any sane man would ever let her go. My only issue with Ji Won is in how the writers depicted her as a police officer. Frankly, Doona Bae was far superior because she was smart, competent and held her own with anyone. Here, we find out that:

Ji Won is a terrible driver, allowing a cab driver to knock her car off the road by throwing the meter against her windshield?! Come on! Any seasoned cop would never react that way because they are trained to deal with those kinds of situations. Now, if she’d been forced off the road, that would have been believable.

Ji Won leaves a suspect alone. Now, she actually does get chewed out for that one, but it’s still a very big “rookie” mistake that someone like her isn’t likely to make.

Ji Won can’t remember Do Hae Soo despite meeting and speaking with her not long ago? Police officers are trained to remember faces. That one made no sense.

Ji Won is unable to secure a suspect. Another rookie mistake when she lets Yum Sang Chil escape and nearly kill her. Again, she doesn’t follow standard police protocol.

In episode 15, it made no sense that Ji Won wouldn't answer her phone. She knows her husband is out there and that he might try to contact her. This was another mistake on the writer's part in order to make the plot work.

I’ve said it before: never sacrifice character for the sake of the plot. The only big vice I have with the series is at the end of episode 13 when Ji Won suddenly suspects her husband of killing the housekeeper. Now, I understand that Do Hyun Soo doesn’t help his case by not telling her the truth, but Ji Won has already been through several of these scenarios, and she’s always realized that her husband isn’t capable of murder—until now? Plus, Ji Won never bothers to ask herself—what motive would Do Hyun Soo have to kill the housekeeper? None of it makes sense, and frankly, I felt deeply for Do Hyun Soo when he cries out in disbelief, “How do you not believe me? How do you not trust me?” Now, I know this was done to for the sake of the plot, but it was also a mistake because now you’re sacrificing character for plot. In other words, you’re making the character suddenly do something that goes against their character! For me, this is the only really glaring flaw of the series. “Stranger” and “My Name” had better scripts because they never deviated from or sacrificed character for the plot.

Now, the series is masterful in how it makes you suspect Do Hyun Soo for the first few episodes. You aren’t sure of what to make of him. This was genius! Then, you began to wonder, who is the “other accomplice” in the next set of episodes. And finally, you wonder how they are—not only going to catch the accomplice but do so where Do Hyun Soo is not only exonerated but can finally live a real life.

Outside of “24”’s Jack Bauer, I can’t think of another TV character who’s put through so much suffering and torment. Jack gives his all for his country, and Do Hyun Soo gives everything for his family. And perhaps that is also why I wasn’t entirely enamored with the ending. First of all, using the whole “killer grabs the policeman’s gun” ploy is a plot device that has been overused so many times in so many movies and shows, it should literally be retired and never used again! And I didn’t like the gimmick it used to suddenly rob Do Hyun Soo of his memory. How much more does this guy—and Cha Ji Won too!- -have to endure?! It felt like one step too many. However, the writers did their best to give us “hope” for Do Hyun Soo, that he might ultimately learn how to love his wife and daughter again. Except for Jim and Pam from "The Office" I don't think I ever cheered so hard for an on-screen couple more than these two!

This series is unforgettable. There’s no question that once you start, you can’t stop. It also has unforgettable songs and music—the track “Flower of Evil” is something that I’ve listened to so many times, that it’s literally in my head when I go to sleep. Don’t get me wrong. Despite the few issues that I have with this series, it’s still a great watch! And if I could ever personally meet Lee Joon Gi—and Moon Chae Won especially—I would give them my utmost thanks for giving us one of the best “couple” performances I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch. When they smile, you smile. And when they begin to shed tears, you can’t help shedding a few yourself. That is what true art as an actor is: making us feel what you feel. I will look for these two in future shows to watch!

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True Family and Friends Are Forever

The central themes of this series are friends and family, and what exactly makes someone family. In many cultures, biological parents--no matter what--are given unlimited respect, even when love isn't present. As it was stated in "Boyz and the Hood:" Any fool can make a baby, but only a real person can be a parent. Of course, I'm paraphrasing, but that is the gist, and there is a lot of truth here.

There are still those that might feel that adoptive parents can never be real parents. This is a lie...as much of a lie as saying that a biological parent is the only requirement needed. Mi-Jo's mother and Seon-Woo's father are despicable people who can never call themselves a "mother" or a "father."

Frankly, there are a lot of people who shouldn't be parents; those who are incapable of accepting the responsibility to love and be there for their kids. We see several examples of this throughout this series.

The series centers around three women, all of whom are thirty-nine, and have been best friends since high school. We quickly see just how involved they are in each other's lives, how much they love and care for each other. The strength of that bond is put to the ultimate test when one of them finds out that she is terminally ill.

While this may seem like a melodramatic plot, it really isn't. I am constantly amazed by Korean series and the actors and actresses who are able to simply "be real" in these types of situations. It's not too much and it's not too light. Perhaps that is why they are able to make the audience feel what they are feeling so acutely.

The three leads have undeniable chemistry as three besties! Chan-Young (Jeon Mi Do from "Hospital Playlist), Mi-Jo (Son Ye Jin from "Crash Landing On You" and Joo-Hee (Kim Ji Hyun). There is laughter, teasing and light bickering, joy and tender moments when these three are in a scene together.

What impresses me the most about this series is how family and friends are always there for each other through thick and thin, and it feels absolutely genuine, and this is tested when the time on this Earth is going to be cut short for one of them. We see how this affects each person who's intimately involved.

There's no denying the acting strength of the entire cast, but Joo-Hee (Kim Ji Hyun) was my favorite. She's the somewhat shy and slightly aloof member of the trio. She gives us grace through soft, warm smiles, and it would be a mistake to perceive her as being weak, when she, in fact, has a quiet strength. The scene at the department store with a very rude customer is a testament to this.

The other performance that impressed me was that ofJin-Seok (Lee Moo Saeng) as Cha-Young's love interest. When his voice cracks and goes high-pitch with raw emotion in several exchanges with Cha-Young, made me choke up a few times.

I also loved how these characters never gave in to abuse or intolerance. Mi-Jo's confrontation was a thing of beauty; nearly as impressive as Seon-Woo's showdown with his father.

The last episode will be a tough one to get through. Even when you know what's about to happen. That's the hallmark of great writing and storytelling; when you know what's coming, and it gets you anyway.

I dare anyone to get through the brunch scene with a dry eye, or the video message that Cha-Young leaves for Mi-Jo. Both were absolute scenes of beauty.

There aren't enough shows out there that truly showcase the power of family and friends; that demonstrate that love and being there for each other are the pillars of true relationships. If you don't already have such people in your life, this show may make you wish that you had. It will also challenge you not to take your loved ones for granted. We never know how much time we have with them. Spend it with love and devotion. In the end, Cha-Young is correct: quality is always more important than quantity!

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Exciting, Moving, and Hilariously Funny!

I've been watching TV shows for over 45 years. I've been watching K-dramas for the last four. And frankly, the Koreans seem to be masters at combining humor and drama, deftly shifting from one to the other. Nobody else does it better.

"The Fiery Priest" sees a Catholic priest--Father Kim--, who has no compunction about laying down some serious whoop-a** on criminals and those who seek to harm others. Of course, not all is as it seems as we learn about his backstory.

The series is about murder, political corruption, religious corruption, and the power of the underworld's influence on exploiting the weak and helpless. At our center, is Father Kim, who has a temper to match his fighting prowess. I think if Father Kim lives to be an old man, he'll likely die of a heart attack.

Detective Gu soon becomes his sidekick. Initially Gu is an inept coward who can't seem to do anything right. Caught up in the corruption, he finds himself to be a shell of a cop in name only. Gu reminds me of a Gilligan or Stan Laurel...someone who causes more trouble than he resolves. Much of this is done for comedic effect, and you'll likely split your sides laughing at the antics of Detective Gu.

We also have the fiery Prosecutor Park, also caught up in the corruption, who quickly finds that she has a special place in her heart for Father Kim, even though they act more like a old, bitter married couple.

Once again, to masterful effects, this drama is very story and character driven with fun and exciting action sequences. In many ways, this series has something for everyone.

The humor is off-the-charts, and it's always extremely effective. I don't recall ever laughing so hard throughout a K-drama.

And yet, at its center, the story is about justice and caring for those few people within your inner circle. People who end up having your back and loving you no matter what you do. It's also proof that, despite the trials and tribulations, criminals and evil-doers never win in the end.

If you're looking for plenty of action as well as a series that is outrageously funny, you really can't miss with "The Fiery Priest!" Looking forward to Season 2!

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