ColourMePurple

A gem!

I didn't expect to love it so much.

It's a very simple series about two people struggling with mental illness and the friendship that forms between them. It gives one insight into how people feel and how leaning on another can make things a bit easier. You also get to see how their families are dealing with their own issues.

The actors did a good job, especially the male actor. I really understood how he must have felt with the circumstances he was dealt. He did a great job emoting. There is a little bit of humour in the show as well which is cute.

I really loved the title and the message this show is trying to send. I hope this show finds more viewers!

Read More

Left me confused

I have to admit, Grid started off really strong but towards the end, it lost it's steam and the ending was just confusing. I'm all for mysteries but the audience should have some understanding of where the plot is going even if you want to end on a cliffhanger.

Grid is an electromagnetic field around the Earth created to protect life from harmful solar winds. The mystery surrounds a "Ghost" woman who appeared out of nowhere and created the shield just in time to save humanity. However, in the process, she left a man dead by burning him with a futuristic device leaving his minor son in trauma. Decades later an Administration Bureau is created to monitor and maintain the grid. Behind the scenes, the team has also been investigating the "Ghost" and trying to capture her throughout the decades whenever she emerges.

This series is slow-moving for the most part with the story being revealed in bits with every episode and revealing more about the Ghost. By the 8th episode, the story starts moving at great speeds but fails to explain a lot of things by the finale leaving you to come with with theories about what could be happening. In a normal mystery it is fine to do but in the case of a sci-fi, time travel story, you, the director, have to provide at least some clues to build a basic level of understanding for your audience. Instead I am left with more questions and confusion wondering if I missed something because of the incorrect translation or if it was the series itself. If I find a satisfactory explanation, I might upgrade my review.

Just a plus point to the story were the visuals which is what attracted me to the show to begin with. I also enjoyed the acting of the main cast overall. The problem more or less lies with the progression of the show. I hope season 2 will release soon and will redeem this series.

Read More

Strong Start But Flawed

A goddess chooses to be by the side of an immortal man in possession of a divine artifact. There is a lot of like and dislike about the drama so let's start with the positives.

What I liked:
- The plot, though not exactly unique but it was enjoyable. The set up was good I was and sold instantly.
- Strong Female Lead. I love when women are depicted as wise and strong and being able to handle themsleves.
- The cast. I can't say there was a dull character. Boring moments perhaps but as characters go, they were all interesting in their own ways. Leads especially were quite good.
- The action scenes were extremely enjoyable especially in the final few episodes.
- I usually hate slow burn romances but I didn't feel too bothered by it in this drama. I understood why the FL cannot confess her feelings.
- The OST is quite nice.
- The slight humour. I wish there was more to properly appreciate. It is not enough to call comedy so i'm surprised people were appreciating it when there is so little of it. It is mostly quite serious.

What I disliked:
- There is a trend in wuxias/xanxias that the gods/immortals will commit the worst crimes and this drama is no exception. The gods are selfish, useless, or have essentially checked out. Towards the end, their existence is next to none which was the most ridiculous part of the story and put me off the most
- The story started to drag in the middle and that is where I started to use 1.5x and 2x speeds to watch the drama. If I do this for most of the drama, then that drama has lost a high rating from me.
- I do enjoy dramas with adventures involved but not when it goes on and on and characters are stuck in one place too long then it gets frustrating.
- Worst was that I fell asleep watching and just skimmed the episode. And yet I didn't miss anything of the story.
- Second Female Lead being too afraid of the Second Male Lead seeing her true form. Get over it already. He already knows everything.
A Moment But Forever commited all these sins.

The ending was ok. I neither liked or disliked it.

Started off quite well but was slow for most of the middle of the drama and the final few episodes had great action. It had potential and I could forgive it for being slow if they didn't make the gods so ridiculous. That is where they lost me completely.

Read More

Will Keep You Hooked!

I have never had so much fun watching a drama as I did with this one. It has such a high entertainment value!

From the moment the female lead wakes up inside the script, the comedy begins. Then with the intro of the male lead who has a villainous portrayal in the story also creates quite an intriguing as well as comical pairing with the female lead with their antagonistic nature.

There are moments where you will find characters being annoying or frustrating but everything is worth it. Especially the angst. Maybe except a couple episodes, the story was quite fast paced and there was always a lot happening. Every episode ending makes you crave for more and more!

There are many cool plot twists towards the ending and the writer director must have had a lot of fun with those scenes.

Besides the comedy that was entertaining, I also loved the action. The costumes, set designs, and OST are also super incredible. The supporting cast also get really great dialogues and elevated the show as well.

Unpredictability is especially the best aspect to the drama. Especially if you can avoid the spoilers.

I highly recommend this drama even if this genre isn't your favourite.

Read More

Gets Progressively Worse

Disappointing is an understatement for this series. It starts off interesting and you enjoy the bonding of the 4 main characters but slowly you start to lose your patience. It became hard to watch and I had to leave half the episodes for the end to binge which I watched on 2x and it still felt too slow.

There really isn't much for me to say about this show. It doesn't have comedy but maybe a few moments that make you smile. Romance is barely there. It's best not to pick up this show for that reason. The mystery isn't really worth watching for either. There aren't any extraordinary fight scenes. The leads are charming. The only other good thing is watching their friendship and bonding in the first few episodes of the show.

The ending was okay. I wasn't blown away by it nor did it redeem the second half. The chips just coincidentally fall into place.

The OST is alright.

There is a suggestion that there might be a second season but I really hope they don't bother. There is nothing left to be told that would be of any interest.

Read More

Under Awful Circumstances

I have seen Win in F4 Thailand and Enigma but this might be his worst body of work. The dialogues were cheesy and clichéd. The acting was pretty bad from both leads. It somewhat gets better in the second half but only for a little bit. I was really not buying their chemistry. I couldn't understand why Parin was getting drunk instead of looking for his mother. And what kind of hotel has a suite but does not have a concierge service? Or at the very least, a male staff should be the one to assist a drunk man to his room? And expecting your female staff member to take care of a drunk guest and be at his beck and call all by herself is not only unethical but also putting her at risk of harassment. No wonder they are understaffed. Who would want to work in such conditions?

I'm not sure if this was a low budget production or it was just so bad that it comes off that way.

The ending is also very clichéd and disappointing. I found it pretty boring to watch. Clearly it wasn't a movie for me.

Read More

Worth The Watch

The title was what caught my attention at first since I enjoyed the kdrama Sell Your Haunted House. Haunted House For Sale has some similar elements but it's not the same story. If you'd prefer some details on the similarities, I have added spoiler free ones at the end.

This series is about a woman working at a real estate agent who is asked to work on selling stigmatised properties (places where a death has occurred). The male lead who is undecided on what to do in life decides to join her team. One thing he doesn't mention is that he can see ghosts.

The series has a decent mystery element introduced along with multiple cases attached to each property visited. As a horror, the show is very mild. The CGI effects are alright. The main selling point is the plot and the characters. The leads do a great job portraying the characters. Didn't feel bored at any point. The OST is lovely. There is some romance but it is not the focus of the show. Don't let this be your main reason for watching or it might feel disappointing.

If you'd like to know how it's similar to Sell Your Haunted House, the female lead in both are the main character and both are the serious type, the male leads are more jovial and the mediums, we learn about each ghost and in both series there is a mystery surrounding a parent of the FL. There is also a similar CGI effect in both which I found interesting. SYHH is probably a bigger and better production so it's definitely a better show in terms of CGI and horror as well as the plot development but HHFS is quite entertaining and hopefully the kdrama fans will enjoy this one as well.

Whether you've seen the kdrama or not, I hope everyone gives this series a shot.

Read More

Pulls at your heart strings

A slice of life drama that almost doesn't feel as one so it's perfect for those who dislike this kind of genre or feel like it won't appeal to you. You'll be surprised!

The story is about a mother who first loses her husband and farm and raises her son alone is then forced to look after her adult son all over again when an accident not only debilitates him physically but also sends him into his childhood mentally. This plot might feel depressing but the beautiful way in which it is presented, it actually has more light moments than you would expect. And one of the reasons is the naughty twins and their little interaction with Kang Ho. The series is not trying to get you to cry but to show how people live and enjoy life despite their circumstances. We also get two unlikely funny characters that work for the bad guy and their scenes make you laugh.

As the title suggests, there are many moments where you feel that Kang Ho's mother is horrible to her son, both during his childhood and when he is unwell. But you also understand why she is the way she is. And with their interactions you understand the bond between these two characters which you fully feel towards the end of the show.

There is also a revenge plot taking place but it is not the focus of the series. It's just enough to keep you hooked till the end. Though there isn't much romance, you certainly won't be starved.

I picked up The Good Bad Mother for Lee Do Hyun and am glad I did. The show is quite uplifting and beautiful. I have not yet been disappointed by the project Lee Do Hyun picked that I chose to watch. He manages to become each character in such a perfect way. A man of many many talents! So if for no one else, watch it for his portrayal.

Read More

Misunderstood

To be honest, I nearly dropped this series. I thought I was misled into thinking it's about aliens when it wasn't. Also, the first two episodes didn't hold my interest much as it progressed very slowly. And the third was interesting but not why I was watching the series so for a month I didn't continue until I finally decided to and I am really happy I completed it.

The story begins with the female lead seeing what she understands as hallucinations. She is seeing an alien in a green helmet everywhere yet no one else seems to notice this alien. She is also struggling in her relationship. Her boyfriend wants to get married and despite showing disinterest, the pressure from her boyfriend keeps rising until she finally breaks up with him. Shortly after he disappears and when trying to retrace his steps, she experiences a strange phenomenon that leads her to belief he was kidnapped by aliens. Her desperation to find him and figure out what is going on with her lead her on a strange journey.

The thing about this series is that although there is a connection with aliens, there is a long journey to any answers. To be fair, I thought the plot was interesting in hindsight. What ticked me off in the third episode, turned out to actually be a clever twist. If you are expecting a story filled with aliens, unfortunately that won't be the case. Instead it is a journey of ordinary citizens trying to make sense of what they know/experience and how easily people can be misled by scrupulous people.

I would urge viewers to not give up midway. The end will be worth it.

Read More

Watch for the character Jayden Lee

I can honestly say I enjoyed the start and the end of the series the most. The show slows down a bit towards the middle albeit I won't say that it's bad but at didn't excite me during those times and I was not eagerly awaiting the next episode.

Basic plot summary:
Han Yihan is a cardiothoracic surgeon and an exceptional one at that. Unfortunately for him, the head of the hospital uses him for his son's ghost doctor secretly when he is in trouble in the operating room. One day a patient that Han Yihan operated on tragically dies the next morning due to questionable circumstances. The hospital decides to place the entire blame on Yihan under the accusation of medical negligence. With no one on his side and no proof, he is forced to accept blame and his medical license is revoked. 4 years later he emerges as a lawyer who specialises in medical malpractice. This is where our story truly begins.

Review:
The plot has a very strong start but the story might seem a little cliche as revenge dramas go. But, the true hero of the story is this mysterious character by the name of Jayden Lee who adds unpredictability and spice into the show. Where Han Yihan's seriousness and lack of charisma can lead to detachment from the character and the female lead (prosecutor) leaves much to be desired, Jayden brings drama and suspense. No one really knows or understands his motives. Is he a good guy? Is he pretending? And it is also because of him and the dilemma that he adds that you feel more supportive towards Han Yihan.

There is no real romance in this drama from the main leads but Jayden and the second female lead, Im Yoona, have a fun chemistry. Add some jealousy to the mix.

I won't give away the finale but the last two episodes, in my opinion, were edge of the seat entertaining. And that is part of the reason why I am willing to give this show a 9. Shows like these deserve an ending on a high note.

I don't usually comment on the OST, but Freedom is a nice exciting track. I enjoyed it. Didn't listen to the others.

Regarding rewatch value, I would probably speed watch the show or select some of the major episodes to watch. It's not that high on my priority list. Then again there has only been one revenge drama I've seen twice and that is Taxi Driver which I love and there aren't many shows I would actually watch as of now. I would still recommend Doctor Lawyer at least once for Jayden Lee.

Read More

Magic, mystery and plenty of music

The series reminded me of the musical Mary Poppins but instead of a nanny, Yoon Ah Yi meets a mysterious magician who keeps trying to get her to believe in magic whenever she's at her lowest thereby alleviating a little bit of her misery.

Yoon Ah Yi is a highschool student struggling to look after herself and her younger sister after her parents abandoned them when they were children due to debt. Ah Yi is a meek child who longs for the return of her parents or to grow up. Due to having no guardian in her life, she is forced to work odd jobs while trying to do her best at school. In trying to pay the rent and provide for herself and her sister, she lands herself in trouble and makes uncomfortable deals.

The positives:
- Her classmate and also the topper, Na Il Deung, begins to have feelings for Ah Yi but finds it difficult to express them. Those moments and the ups and downs of their relationship is interesting with cute moments.
- The magic depicted has both stage level magic and fantastical elements. So when the magician asks, "do you believe in magic", you want to believe him.
- The mystery element added as a side plot is intriguing.
- Unlike Mary Poppins, there are some very nasty natures of people depicted and it's very realistic and a contrasting element.
- Several good messages are shared throughout the series especially the end.

The negatives:
- The story slows down several times throughout the show. Some episodes have a lot happening and are enjoyable but other episodes seem to be dragging.
- I generally enjoy the soundtrack of shows. Unfortunately didn't enjoy this one as it's quite slow and brings the story to a standstill many times and I had to skip ahead.
- The idea that parents can simply abandon their young children and leave them to fend for themselves in their home is infuriating. There is no explanation how Yoon Ah Yi survived all these years. She seemed under 10 years of age and her sister might have been 3-4 years old. It was bizarre storyline.
- There is no explanation of what happened to the mother.
- Bella, the parrot. Watch till the end to understand why.

Overall, I liked the drama but with so many dramas releasing, I would probably not come to this one except maybe to parts of the last episode as I enjoyed some of the dialogues. Very meaningful.

Read More

A complete package!

I loved watching Undercover High School so much! It was an absolute delight! The entire cast did a fantastic job and not just the main leads. I always love me a strong and smart female lead and Sua is definitely one along with being a compassionate person. Haesong is just too cool in every way. He has managed to portray action, comedy and deep emotions spectacularly. The team was just a delight. The students were also talented and bring life to the show. Loved the bromance and sismance. The chairwoman's character is also wonderfully portrayed and made a great villain.

The most enjoyable moments for me were the action and comedy scenes. It is rare that I truly enjoy the comedy because everyone has their own niche preference of what makes them laugh. I believe Undercover High School's comedy would have mass appeal. It's subtle rather than over the top. There is both physical comedy as well as dialogues that will make you laugh.

The plot itself is simple yet perfect. An NIS agent is on the mission to find the rumoured hidden treasure at a high school. In order to access the premises, he has to disguise himself as a student and face challenges that other students also deal with in high school. They do not waste time with him solely building inter-student relations. It very much revolves around his mission and introduces various characters in the process.

One can also get a taste of multiple genres like mystery, horror, historical, youth, besides action and comedy. As for the romance, it is mostly in the form of acts of service and bucket loads of chemistry. I would hope people still watch it for the cuteness of the two leads.

The show has great pacing and not a single moment is boring. I would probably watch this show all over again which is extremely rare for me to do!

Perhaps the OST is the only thing that didn't stand out for me (maybe because I was so immersed in the series) but I didn't dislike it either. So overall the show is a 9.5/10! Highly recommend it!

Read More

Action, Rage and Friendships

What a powerful series! I heard of it only a week prior to it's release and when I started watching, I couldn't stop. I binged the whole show in one sitting!

Don't be put off by the bullying and high school storyline. This is more than the average revenge drama. There are many layers to our 3 main characters. The story revolves around 3 students, one is a studious kid, the other sleeps through most of his classes and an excellent fighter and the last a transfer student. The three end up forming a deep bond over the harassment by their class bullies. I found myself cheering for them with every obstacle that they encountered. The action scenes are incredible. Some are a little gruesome. You really have to wonder if bullying in Korean schools really as bad as the claims are.

The show is not all dark. It has it's sweet moments as well as moments that make you sit at the edge of your seat in excitement.

I genuinely loved the series but I have to deduct 0.5 simply because of what happened at the end. It was extremely frustrating and upsetting for me to watch.

The acting of all the actors (including bullies) is simply top notch. Although there were a few times when I felt like the storyline defining the characters was a bit extreme. I didn't pay much attention to the music but whatever I did hear, it was quite enjoyable. I hope people give this series a try and I hope you will be pleasantly surprised just like I was.

Read More

Not much content in the story till the end

When I first started watching, I really enjoyed the show. Finally a couple that was more mature and not acting silly. Then they introduced the second couple who started acting like children. Can't stand them together. Also there doesn't seem much to the story. No progress episode to episode means they have left everything for the last or last 2 episodes.

To be honest, I don't really care much for the main couple's slow burn romance either. I do like all the cast members as individuals. However, the romance is not depicted well. Only the last few episodes of their romance was decent.

Another frustrating aspect was that the detective brother keeps preventing the female lead from remembering anything or doing anything. Nor does he do anything. I didn't understand why. The female detective is so underutilised.

I'm glad this is only 12 episodes long but perhaps the story could have been wound up in 6 - 8. After the first 4 episodes, it would be better to just skip to episode 10. Story picks up from there and gets a bit interesting.

The drama is okay for a one time watch.

Read More

Great start with an unintentionally funny (derogatory) ending

S Line is going to be another show to fade into obscurity because of a disastrous finale. But before I talk about the good and the bad, I ought to warn you - this show has several triggers.
Depiction of self-harm, rape of a dying man, suggestion of gang rape and child sexual assault, school bullying and violence, to name some off the top of my head. Everyone has different tolerance levels so I would suggest to read about their depictions. There is also female nudity and depiction of sex.

What I liked:
The concept of S Line was quite unique and I was certainly intrigued. I went in blind so every revelation was a surprise including what S Line means. Nonetheless, the mystery was great (until it wasn't).
The characters were great and I enjoyed the introduction of the glasses and what it meant for each character. Although, most used it in a similar fashion.
A certain reveal in episode 5 was shocking but also exposed the realities of the world.
In episode 6, there is like a split dimension which was cool for a brief moment.
The opening theme song sets the perfectly dark mood for the show.
The actors did a decent job. I like Arin's character the most. Lee SooHyuk's was interesting too.

What I disliked:
Death of a certain character. The reason I dislike it is because they don't reveal if it was an accident or caused by something or someone else. I don't know how it drives the plot forward. Did they really need to be killed off? Bizarre.
My biggest gripe is with the 6th episode which let the entire series down. I don't have answers to (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD LISTED AS POINTS):
- Who was Gyu Jin? And who is Hyeon Hop?
- Who were those people dressed like cult members?
- Why was another dimension created and why was Ji Uk a part of it? Were those people really killed?
- Where was Hyeon Hop's mother all this time?

So episode6 not only made me wonder what on Earth was happening but also laugh out loud at the way scenes were depicted. It felt like the episode was inspired from Dr. Strange and a bunch of sci-fi and cult films and not in a good way because things where all over the place! Post-reveal world was also quite silly. You can't expect things to be that calm.

Not only were the main characters involved not explained. We also didn't get any reason deeper than "because people want to know" which is quite lame. It ruined the whole show and makes you wonder if a follow up season could possibly fix this garbage ending.

Since it has 6 episodes, it can be watched provided you don't get too irritated by the ending. For a decent 5 episodes, I'm handing it a generous 7 star rating.

Read More