InspectorMegre

Trash. Fake kdrama. It is Hollywood with asian actors. A big STEAMING pile of script

This drama is a fake kdrama. it is a hollywoody Idiocracy mutt
FL and Hiro are excellent actors. ML sucks.
The drama is a BIG STEAMING PILE OF SCRIPT.
it lacks all elements of a kdrama - warmth, communication, inner work, redemption arc, sharing, family, lightness, humor, compassion, ...

it is about isolation, sleeping around, FL kisses 2ML, etc etc It is western isolation and miscomunication of egoistical ppl. And they re rich and feeling entitled.

The start of ep 1 gives the preview of what it is going to be like - a very TOXIC drama - an immature selfish FL and a very cold ML who covers up for her.
Then she had an accident and evrything changed and for like 2 episodes it looks like the drama might take off. It was fun to see different countries and actors from various countries. BUT IT WAS JUST A GIMMICK, to make up for lack of content and plot...

By ep 4 or so, THE DRAMA DIPS INTO DOODOO.
It quickly gets super boring as the characters keep getting stuck and nothing moves forward.
They never communicate. The dialogues are ... weird...
The drama time is taken by scenery and trivialities, instead of CONTENT. Nothing really happens.

BY ep ... 6? IT WAS DEEP DOODOO. I JUST FAST FORWARDED THROUGH EVERYTHING TO THE END AND IT WAS COMPLETELY CRAZY. I fast forwarded to the end just to make sure I did not miss a U-turn to sanity and could evaluate to the end.
The drama became completely totally crazy. Literally. It looks like a nightmare of someone on something. and actually a lot of it *is* a nightmare or anxiety memories and "hallucinations" - ML talks forever with the imaginary character of his FL, etc. IT IS LITERALY CRAZY

It starts looking very Hollywoody as everyone sleeps with everyone, seems like, ... FL kisses 2ML.... nobody communicates... and nothing is resolved....

THIS IS NOT A "NORMAL" KDRAMA AT ALL
this is ... a drugged nightmare about very unruly lives of several young people doing all kinds of things. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH KDRAMAS

And I am really thinking this guy was 100% correct
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1_j6izmEX4 How Netflix killed kdrama

I was thinking - what is the goal of Netflix with releasing all 12 episodes at once? so that only Netflix drama is watched?

I think Netflix, Disney and other non-korean kdramas are a lot worse that Korean kdramas, they just LACK CREATIVITY
Disney's Made in Korea is a sinister brainwashing into the power of evil

This drama is ... ??? what is it?? A SENSELESS NIGHTMARE OF REALLY WEIRD PEOPLE

I this continues, kdramas will be dead very soon. Koreans are going to lose their creativity and freedom, they cannot address what they want but have to follow american $$$$ and do as their slave master says. kdramas will not be Korean, but american made with some Korean actors.just like this drama was. This is the death of Korean culture too

For someone tired of Hollywood cesspool, this drama could even look nice, but this is not a kdrama. It is ... a slightly less of cesspool Hollywood.

I feel like I wasted time to check this drama out, but I had to check it, before I made a decision NEVER to watch anything Netflix or Disney made ever again. THIS DRAMA IS A WASTE OF TIME.

you can watch a travel program yourself and see Canada, Italy, Japan, etc

and then watch some real kdramas, made by Koreans in Korea.

======

Technicalities:

Th filming is WEIRD, they go back and forth in time and th whole drama has a nightmarish "look"
For the first several episodes, it was bearable bc there were enough "normal"scenes and it was not too difficult to pick up th plot.

I really liked the acting of FL actress and Hiro actor. Hiro is so real, it is fantastic! The actor totally nailed a Japanese spoiled brat. To the tee... . ML's brother is my fav actor from Discovery of Love and he did his part great too. I like the character of FL's manager and their relationship.

ML actor cannot act and is utterly boring to watch, the same face and demeanor from start to finish. ANd I remember seeing that exact ffacial expression and "acting" in another drama. Get him OFF.

Read More

Cute rom com - this is teenage drama but the plot is the same as for adult dramas

The drama is again a fantasy that some really weak insecure woman magically attracts some amazing man who is her sugar daddy and totally devoted to her... and takes care of her, for the rest of his life, regardless of how shi##y she is. THAT IS THE PLOT OF MOST KDRAMAS. In adult versions, ML is often cold and cruel too, and woman is poor and powerless, and he somehow controls her financially and otherwise.
it is fascinating how this same plot is reused just with slightly differnt characters....

***** It is very stale at this point. It is the plot for long gone past - not year 2025. *****

This drama is a milder version of it... This drama is more easy to watch and unique, fun and cute bc ML is super fun, kind, bubbly person. Yes he is vain and immature but he is very open, communicative, straightforward, rambunctious, fun loving and just FUN, and he is filmed so well - scenes with him in his pink sleeping bag, dancing on the stairs when they first met in the restroom, etc it is all great comedy... Bc of him, the drama is so fun and charming, and special and unique.

And I really enjoy that actor, he CAN act and in this drama he acts..... I saw him in a recent college drama where the script killed him, the script was so boring and made him a passive quiet poker face slimey SML. What a waste of his acting talents. He is very talented.

FL is nothing special, as usual. The role is boring and flat, the acting thus has to be limited, and the plot generated by FL stupid actions is STUPID. In this drama, ML saved the day with his cheerful bubbliness and upfront mischief and huuuuge efforts. From what I can see, ML did all the work in their relationship.

SO IT IS TIRING TO WATCH A WOMAN WHO KEEPS KILLING THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE MAN WHO KEEPS TRYING, esp since that kind of scenario does NOT happen in real life often.... so the drama is kollywood, feeding some airhead fantasy to the audience.


I am watching this after the drama finished, and while Dynamite Kiss is airing. DK is a rom com that SHOULD have been a teenage drama; or in other words, the plot o this teenage drama is the same as in DK - an insecure timid FL that does nothing for the relationship but lie, cheat and run away; and a very active strong smart conident "in conrol" action-oriented ML who takes care of everything.
Very often, dramas have cruel controlling ML, like in DK, and even sexual harassment portrayed as "being hot" like in DK.

SF is such a cute drama to watch bc ML is a bubbly fun personality.... ML starts as super entitled and vain... and luckily he is a kind loving DECENT person. That is the only reason why he and the drama was so watchable and fun. ML is a super nice young man really without too much flaws. yeah he is vein and immature but he is a soft, outspoken, caring, fun-loving person. ML is *fun*


DK is irritating bc the audience sees nothign wrong with it. SF is like the training ground.... Luckily SF ML is not mean. That aspect of ML controlling FL as he has more power is often an additional component in kdramas... like in DK/
DK plot in essence is THE SAME as SF plot... except that DK ML is cruel mean autocrat.... and just adds the additional layer of adult life - work - since ML is the boss of FL and in act sexually harasses her at work. DK is a super inappropriate drama. Real "ancient history" drama. The scenes are appropriate for a saeguk, not a modern drama, as the ML puts himself very physically close to FL, touches her, tries to kiss her, pushes forward although she says no. ML in DK is a rather mean controlling person who loves toying with people. Ideal character for a gangster. SF at least did not do any sexual harassment.ML just asked to kiss and she said no and he did not push, at least in first 7 episodes.

Spirit Fingers ML is active and always chasing her but he is luckily not a mean or controlling guy. He is cute, lively and bubbly and the drama was worth watching for his antics LOL He is that really lively obnoxious teenage boy, a good kid but very rambuctious. I really enjoyed him. If would love to have a son like that.

and I loved ML actor in this role... I saw him briefly in a college level drama recently that I dropped, he was 2ML and always soooo serious and passive and quiet... it was a waste of his talent. In this drama, he gets to ACT and he is totally hillarious.

I loved how ML was filmed, all his dancing on the street, climbing stuff, etc he wrapped in the pink sleeping bag, ... He was HILARIOUS and adorable. His long legs dancing on the stairs when they first met in the restroom was so cool...

FL is frustratingly passive and weak... I was thinking omg she is a teenager but is the same type of FL character like in adult dramas... Insecure, hiding, lying, not communicating... It was unsufferable. It is just ... too much...

So when FL kept messing up, I just stopped watching. Ater ep 7, I just could not take it anymore, it was enough. Then I just fast forwarded through ep 12 to see how it ends. I saw that FL had an episode of insecurity and dumping ML in ep 10... !!!!!


It was fun to see the villain actor from One High Shchool heroes,,,, he acted the same here and there :( Not talented... ?

Mint Finger is an alcoholic... I hope she stopped. That was not a good message to the youth audience...

I like that SF trid to address home and family situations. I saw the scenes when dad came home...

Read More

Has potential but misses to show character growth

I am interested in Love Me bc it starts with a very fascinating situation - a lulled family that maintains the illusion of 2 "good parents" trying to act as superhumans.. which creates 2 spoiled brat kids - but on the surface, they are a great "nice family" ..... Until mother and daughter's toxicity creates an accident and results in them hating and blaming each other for 7 years.. and dad and brother exposed in their toxicity too... So this setup had a lot of potential. Like american movie Ordinary People...

========
WRITTEN AFTER EP 4:

But Love Me does not work out the issues... MAGICALLY as soon as the mother dies, all these characters become open and fluid.. literally almost overnight... Hello... ! They are lucky they find more open and loving lovers, but still... there is no showing of their own inner growth.... They grow so fast and effortlessly, and it just does NOT compute...

The drama is filmed in the darkness, they need to use more light so that we can see actors' faces and facial expressions

Read More

So fun! I love this drama! And yeah there is the thriller creepy....

Really nice and really fun LOL when the small town entered into the picture, that's when I started LOVING this drama, it is HILARIOUS and it is very heartwarming

The thriller part is there and it is really scary

I like FL and ML characters they are really great people and also match as a couple
I love the makjang of the Principal, even the village bully rapping his lawsuit LOL

I love the little kiddo, he is the cutest ever

There are sooo many scenes that are filmed in a very cool way... like... the swimming pool scene - water, then high heels in red, then black male shoes... That was cool ...

FL and ML getting together at the end of ep 6 was really cool and very different ..... very ... powerful

FL actress is amazing!!! so skilled!!!

ML actor was not such a great actor in early episodes..., very often it is obvious that he is pretending instead of BEING the character
and, I have a desire to shorten his bangs, I want to see his eyes
After ep 5 or 6 he is acting better and is starting to be convincing

Read More

Masterpiece worth 10 stars IF it did not have 2 minutes long lazy skimpy cheesy ending

If it were not for those last few minutes in ep 16, the very very very end of the drama, this would have been 10 stars drama. It ends badly, in a way that does not make sense. I thought ML Osu was smarter than that. So that is why I cannot give it 10 stars.

I understand that ML Teongsu chose to be the caked frozen Lucifer to the end. That is totally understandable. But Osu made so much progress and became a very wise person, and then... messed up, in the same childish way in the last 2 minutes of episode 16, in the same exact way as 12 yrs ago in episode 1.

Common, Osu!!!! You were supposed to be better than that!!!!! WHY are you the ML in a kdrama if you cannot hold your sh#t for 2 minutes????
Seems like the script writer was just lazy and/or dumb. Or a little Lucifer or YeongCheol... .

I was't sure how Osu would continue with his life ater ep 16 though, bc there was so much strife and grief that the other ML introduced, but I did have a realistic hope that Osu can pull it off...
so I hope that Osu's last mess up was NOT just a LAZY SCRIPT to avoid showing how he continues. Please script writer dont do that.
If Osu ending was inteed an intentional message, then this is 1 star drama, for brainwashing the audience into stupidity.

I watched this 2007 drama in December 2025, because there was not much current dramas that are worthy of watching and some just drove me bananas with bad trashy negative messages.
For example: 2025 kdrama Dynamite Kiss is like going back to 1950 to endorse sexual harassment at work by an overbearing CEO, towering over a stupid dumb weak poor female employee. That drama is SO TRASHY - everything about it - plot, acting, music, the audience, ... everything

So I detoxed with this drama. The title is .. hm... not great but illustrates the point. Someone who thinks they can outdo God and run the show as they want....

I LOVE this drama because the ML Osu is a real character and the actor is not a plastic pretty boy with skinny legs, and the actor ACTS... so well... He is alive, he is that character...

Unfortunately Osu stayed too dumb at the end. He had a chance to make it and did not... Such a waste of script and his life. I am angry at the ... dumb script writer.

THe pretty boy who does not act - the villain - could exist in the drama bc there was contrast and so much aliveness so one dead actor did not make the entire drama boring. The poker face flower boy was not dragging the drama down because the Osu actor was acting so well and in such ALIVE manner. So pretty face in permanent poker style was bearable - but boring :)

Modern kdramas put a pretty boy face as ML, and so many of those cannot act. they cannot even smile... they are some kind of model or something and can show only an arrogant serious face.... SOOOOOO B O R I N G !!!!! and most cannot act and it is stupidly unbearably boring. I am thinking recent drama Would YOu Marry Me - that ML was cute but after like 2 episodes, there was nothing to wach since he had that "let's get over this acting thing and go home already" bored arrogant look.

And most FL are pretty and cannot act - and often the script makes them into total dumbos so the only two faces they need to show is pain OR confusion..... maybe they trepidly smile once in a blue moon...

and these days, actresses are also dangerously skinny. Just seeing those starving children clunking their knotted knees and their O-shape legs out of malnutrition, just makes me scream for some food donations to make them HEALTHY and STRONG they are just ugly unhealthy skinny, no muscles on them.
Men area also forced into that skinny look, I notices their legs look so skinny and they really do not bulk up anywhere. A man should have LOTS of nice muscles, he should be buff enough to haul a deer or fish home... !!!!

The FL in this drama was a delight bc she was not a skinny skeleton like modern kactresses. I enjoyed seeing her butt and chest and a plump heatlhy face.

I loved ML physicality, he looked like .. a soccer player, strong legs and strong arms and body. He was not tall, he was not a pretty flower boy, but he was incredibly handsome and MEMORABLE and FUN to watch, he **** acted **** so well.

I LOVED this drama bc it has actors without a ton of white makeup on their faces. I enjoyed seeing their real skin, acne scars and everything. I LOVED seeing black hair, all shades of black, no bleached brown.
I LOVED the asian eyes and no plastic to make big western eyes

I cannot stand seeing asian actors trying to look white to appease to western audience and western MONEY. Please. Do NOT.

Osu actor is incredibly handsome and his very asian eyes are AMAZING, piercing like fire, attentive, alive EYES with INTELLIGENCE, I dont care what color or shape, I just care to see a LIVE INTELLIGENT HUMANE BEING behind those eyes
aka a human being.
I loved that ML Osu had no fancy clothes, and that he looked totally real, with musclular soccer legs, with a funky fashion, with a nerdy hairstyle, and SO REAL, the BOY NEXT DOOR whom you can ask out. He is that real.

I totaly loved the real life quality of this drama

I loved the positive messages of FL and Mr Cha... changing Osu's life... and not having an effect on Lucifer LOL

I did like that FL and Mr. Cha focused on little darling Lucifer and bringing him back.... however, they were too polite and totally skipped the fact that their little darling literally planned and pulled in 5-6 people to kill 5-6 other people and destroyed and used so many people. Little darling Lucifer is a MONSTER.... but nobody is saying it except Osu. The dumb chick FL and Mr. Cha kept giving l the message "oh poor little darling you were so hurt when you were young... and honey i disagree with your decisions since then .... and please just be happy from now on." Nonsense. The "decisions" are KILLING ORDERS. That is monstruous. Mr. Oh is a MONSTER turning other people into monsters and doing massive killings. The fact. So call the spade a spade.

IT SEEMS LIKE THE DRAMA WAS WRITTEN BY SOME DARLING OR WANNA-BE DARLING LUCIFER.

I loved the character growths, th redemption arcs, ... everything so deep and wise. I watch kdramas for stuf like that.

SO it was a huge letown that Osu did not pass the test and got stuck with that gun and doing stupid proud testosterone kind of stuff AGAIN... he grew so much and became someone I truly admired ... and then.. botched it. he did THE SAME THING he did 12 yrs ago and caused all this trouble. THE SAME THING!!!!!!!!

Too bad!!! Hence, a low rating from me. If it were not for those last few minutes in ep 16, the very very very end of the drama, this would have been 10 stars drama.

Also, FL was the typical dumb woman. Not as dumb as some others, but dumb. She fell in love with the QUIET POLITE CONTROLLED GUY IN BUSINESS SUIT, a poker faced guy in a nice white shirt, tie and business suit..... bc he seemed to be more impressive and also less threatening as he seemed "under control" at all times, never showing any emotions. HE WAS A ROBOT IN A BUSINESS SUIT and FL and her mother loved that... . FL skipped Osu because he was so rowdy and emotional and dressed so casually. However, Osu was the wise one. He was free and unpredictable and definitely would be more work, however, he was truly kind and wise and a LOT more fun.

****FL and her mother fell in love with a serial killer bc he was so polished****. And FL knew he had severe problems. Her mother had no clue and pushed the serial killer to date her daughter... STUPID WOMEN is the common theme of kdramas... ...

I also see how this drama was copied into Nine Puzzles, The Glory, etc. But none o them are as good as this one.

This one is good because we do NOT have a pretty boy face who cannot act. We have a REAL person, NO PLASTIC, AND 1000% AMAZING ACTING

The script is so tight, I was not bored at all for 20 episodes

Read More

Soapy soap trash drama, tour of dark side of Korean culture, and a GREAT fashion show

THIS DRAMA IS A WASTE OF TIME. IUNLESS YOU WANT TO WATCH A GREAT FASHION SHOW, and even then, the ratio of time at the fashion show is not worth it. I fast forwarded through 15 episodes. THIS DRAMA IS SOAPY SOAP ***** T R A S H *****

This drama is a fantastic FASHION SHOW and that is why I give it 2 stars. ML clothes and FL clothes are super cool!!! and even some others wore some amazing outfits too. A hanbok parade....

If it werent for the fashion show, this is ZERO stars drama. ....

it terms of content and acting, it is totall bologney, a 100% copy of Boys over Flowers... BUT WORSE bc this is also a copy of Playful Kiss, same FL actress, in role of a super dumb clumzy chick who chases the mean smart popular
rich boy who keeps rejecting her and abusing her...
So this drama is a lot worse than BOF, at least the FL in BioF was very smart and capable and was not chasing the ML

Abusive psychotic cruel male and a submissive STUPID pathetic female, who keeps chasing him even though he abuses her verbally, emotionally, physically, and even CHEATS in her, ... dumb FL,

FL actress who cannot even act, just puckers her lios and opens them and looks anxious and surprised... so many female actresses are forced to act like this and it is UTTERLY DISGUSTINGLY BORING

Yeah FL is cute but she is supposed to be 19 and there she is on super high heels and mini skirts, AT HOME...

PATHETIC STUPIDITY

and PATHETIC PATRIARCHY - the princess gets kicked out literally the next day after she walks around with some guy, meanwhile the prince is photographed kissing his ex and taking her around and then meeting her and talking with her, MANY times.... phew disgusting. That dude kept taking her on dates and flirting with her and meeting up with her AND IF SHE HAS GRABBED HIM, HE WOULD GO. The only reason why it stopped is bc his mother sent her overseas. The prince would have kept a side mistress forever as a "friend" he can go on dates any time he wants.

ML was a super coward, so weak, egoistical, selfish, etc

and FL was written as an enabler, as a doormat who was making him even bigger snowflake

and that impossible magical story used for brainwashing - IF YOU CATER TO YOUR COLD CRUEL MAN FOREVER, ONE DAY HE WILL BECOME NICE TO YOU. WHat trash. The Queen tried to love His Majesty for 20 years to find out he loved another woman that entire time.

This snowlake Prince was so super rude crude abusive and never spoke the truth and always got out, he deserves .... something drastic to shake his pants and get him standing up straight....

Overall, a super disgusting drama, A TOUR OF KOREAN DARK SIDE
this is totally opressive stiffling limiting and overall pathetic piece of "art" aka BRAINWASHING into some super disgusting societal prejudices

Whoever gave it that 7.8 rating is a destructive force
There is absolutely nothing positive about this drama, it teaches sheer bologney

Read More

How much is just westernization and tropes, how much is real? still there is genuinely Japanese

This drama reminded me of Bon Appetit Your Majesty, with all the food preparation videos... I was watching the last several episodes after dinner and I almost wanted to throw up seeing all that food.

That aside... The story yes is pretty much the tropes and a mix/repeat of Tastefully Yours and Bon Appettit. I was thinking - ah, the Western audience on Netflix, just interested in sex and food and some killing... just like 2006 american movie Idiocracy predicted... yeah the usa does live that way...

And then the Asian tropes - the loser FL, anxious, incompetent, unable to live unless some guy protects her, etc etc etc All the scenes where FL agonizes bc her mind is fogged up and her anxiety took over - those are TYPICAL SEXIST SCENES that are the staple plot of most asian dramas... that is suuuuuuuuuuuper disgusting... Just like typical scenes of lewd sexuality of FLs in western shows.... The same disgusting sexist put down, just two different extremes.. In both cases, showing women as brainless, incompetent PAWNS.

Watching this FL for the ENTIRE drama being a clutz, not being able to operate in the world, not able to communicate, and always anxious - SOOOOOO MANY FL IN KDRAMAS AND CDRAMAS LIKE THAT - IT IS DISGUSTING, QUIT IT FINALLY !!!!!!!! IT IS LIKE WATCHING A PATIENT FROM THE PSYHCH WARD!!!!! GET OVER YOUR SOCIETAL SEXISM!!! A woman like that is not cute, she is DUMB. and that is precisely why dramas are like that. They promote dumb women. So that men can rule over them. It is super extra **** disgusting *****

So I started watching this drama with a rather flippant attitude.
I wanted to see what Japanese copied from Koreans, too. Because all Japanese dramas I watched - were not good, except "Only for the married" bc of the main actress, who is PHENOMENAL.

So this j-drama felt a lot like k-drama because acting and plot were stronger and there was warmth, it was totally like a kdrama but in Japanese, with Japanese customs. But still.... it was different than a kdrama.

First, I noticed that the pace was slower and the plot was a lot more simple. Not so much backstabbing and games, more honesty and team work. No rushing around. The conversation was deeper.

The slow plot made it possible to LOOK while you are watching. The deep and rather short, to-the-point conversation forced me to focus.

Male actor was acting like an american actor, which also captured interest because he was showing A LOT of emotion and he also was a lot more thoughtful, expressive and soft than I ever have seen in a Japanese male, young or old. I was perplexed bc I have never seen a Japanese person behave like that. So I was watching wondering WTH is going on. WHAT THE EMOTION??? FYI that is the new slang after the kdrama about working out, based on the main character, a crazy personal trainer. SO instead of WTF or WTH you way WT_____ whatever you are commenting on. In this case - what the emotion?? on a Japanese male???

So then I first noticed that ML had pitch black hair and slightly brownish skin. He also has big eyes and I wasnt sure if that was plastic surgery, like Koreans do, .... but his shiney ***beautiful*** hair was certainly not k-drama trope. Koreans are racist or shall I say, white-$$$$-kissers, and try to put white powder on their face and try to bleach their hair brown, and do plastic surgery, to look as white as possible. Thick lips, big eyes, small noses, ... I am not sure if there is any natural face in kdramas anymore... ? And the good guys in kdramas have brown hair and bad guys have black hair. I cannot stand to see that.

THIS ML WAS NOT TRYING TO LOOK WHITE. His beautuful hair was pitch black and shiney, and just beautiful. Did they put some shine into it? It was SHINY BLACK. ANd his skin and face with some wrinkles was real. This is one really good looking *real* guy.

I LOOKED AT HIS HAIR WITH ADMIRATION, TO ME HIS PITCH BLACK HAIR IS A SIGN OF REBELLION. OF RESISTANCE TO WESTERNIZATION, A SIGN OF STICKING TO JAPANESE, not kissing up to white people.

I am not sure if ML actor is trained in the West though, bc his facial expressions were quite.. ahem.. american, I think. He looks like he is acting in an american drama... I dont think a Japanese person is THAT expressive...

It doesnt matter. His pitch black shiney hair was definitely like carrying a Japanese flag on him, and I totally totally totally ADMIRE that courage to be themselves.

Down with trying to look white. Africans, Arabs, some Indians, and kdramas and c-dramas try to look white, and that is just disgusting.

This ML was a totally beautiful representative of Japan :) He is very handsome. And unusually buff. Other Japanese actors really lack muscle and look like urban people who never exercise. So it was nice to see a male from Japan who is athletic.

Also, the women in this drama were normal looking. Korean actresses can be SO SKINNY that you just want to put them on a feeding tube and send them hunger relief charity packets.... They look like starving kids in Africa, but dressed in nice clothes and put on a pedestal and worshipped as "fashionable." In reality they are just super unhealthy, I was so pleased to see some legs and arms and butts in this drama. Real women. Not skeletons.

But I digress.

So anyways, I kept watching, CURIOUS as to what will happen.

It was very slow for what I am used to and I was in a hurry to get to work, and it was quite tropey, and the female lead with her anxious behavior was the TYPICAL asian drama trope, FL who is just mentally ill and incapable of living her life properly and MUST HAVE A GUY TO BABYSIT HER,
luckily he too had handicaps so he wasnt the typical he-man for incapable chick, and also she was very competent professionally and taking steps to deal with her mental illness, and he was very kind and expressive, so overall... it was not too sexist and disgusting as is many kdramas....
Still it was quite tropey ... Luckily some tropes were skipped, like ... asian families owning their kids, ML did not dominate or order FL around too much, etc.

but there was something that was different than k-dramas.
This drama was simpler and easier to understand... as I have seen in Japanese dramas before - they are too simple, like the audience is little kids, the plot is too obvious...
But ... although some parts were too rosey childish, there was dialogue that was waaaaay too much deeper than a kdrama ...
and the pace that was so slow and everyone TAKING THE TIME to pay attention to each other and CONVERSE IN A MEANINGFUL WAY...
It had the feel of a Zen encounter kinda :)
and also... it was more healing. The conversations were a lot deeper than in a kdrama.
Also, it was real life and some details were not rosey - he offered an umbrella, then took it back LOL she cussed back at him LOL He learned Korean to learn what she was cussing LOL

Where I really started paying attention is when the therapist entered, and very compassionately offered some insights. The gentleness and SANITY o what she was saying, and a helping hand with gentle warm insight, made me really pay attention.

IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE TIMING AND COMMUNICATION PATTERN IN THIS DRAMA WAS ON ANOTHER LEVEL, ON A DEEPER LEVEL THAN I HAVE EVER SEEN IN A KDRAMA.

That's when it hit me that I was watching something slow and hypnotical that sucked me in, bc it was DEEP. It is like looking at a lake, doing nothing, and then falling into very deep "water" into a different gear of your brain.

It was more .... sophisticated and gentle and deeper than a kdrama. I guess we got the best of the Japanese style.

I am not even going to mention cdramas, which imo are very crude and rough and feel like a military drill most of the time, and are super high on "drama" and hype to the point I cannot stand, and also have no humor, no lightness, no real joy, and often look like super cheap fake obvious imitations of the west. Cdramas are just .... like life in China LOL

But this Korean-Japanese mix was something classy... Although this is a raging rom com trash, with all the tropes and product placements, ... stil... it was elegant and wise.

THE CONVERSATION WAS CRISP AND HONEST AND TO THE POINT. I really appreciated that.

Somehow the whole show was elegant. And very warm adn WISE.

As a student of shiatsu, as a lover of coans, haiku, onsens, nature bathing, Zen and Japanese fashion and art, etc etc etc I felt like I finally experienced it in a tv drama.
It was gentle and deep and very considerate.

I still wonder if this is how people really ARE In Japan, and how much of what I have seen is just "asian hollywood" aka fabricated scenes that do NOT match the reality of daily life AT ALL. American movies and tv series are totally totally not like everyday life, Everything in there is made up fantasty to make you "feel good".

In kdramas, I have no idea what people really look like, since everyone got plastic surgery. I have no idea how ppl live, since so much of the drama is written for product placements.

So I still have my doubts about this jk drama too.... How much is real and how much is just a show that esp caters to grabbing $$$$ of the western audience.... The chocolate, the bricks restaurant, the wedding dress, the Catholic church wedding, etc etc etc So much westernization.

That is one more reason why I loved the pitch black hair of ML. At least his hair was somewhat real :) He had black hair and it was not hidden.

Even though ML was acting americanized and I wondered WOULD a real japanese male act like him?
I suspect he is someone trained in Holywood or by Holywood or spent some time in the USA but is really Japanese -
Why do I think that? bc he cannot smile LOL it is clear smiling is not something he does often LOL Also, he has not straightened or whitened his teeth That is very Asian too. Also, drinking tea or big city water stains teeth. That is very Asian too.

So I do not know how much of this drama is just a japanese version of a western fantasy ...

But the little snippets that got put in the drama have Something that is definitely a Japanese contribution and definitely a gift for all of us.

A little bit of WISDOM, in a very quiet deep way

I really appreciate that thoughtful, considerate, warm, meditative, deep feeling of Japan, that certain elegance and "Zen" feeling

That ability to be super deep in a very simple and elegant way
No drama
Just efficient warm handling of things in a considerate and honest way

very Japanese at its best

I love it

Read More

Ok but unfortunately not a masterpiece

Nice to Not Meet You is kinda fun but it is not a masterpiece. I am sad about it. I am a fan of FL actress, she acts so well. She is a perfect nerdy reporter in this drama.

But the drama tries to showcase the ML actor, who is OK but too much of his character on the screen ruins the drama by imbalancing it, imo. Also, ML actor's acting abilities are limited, he does not seem able to relate to many situations and emotions to be able to act them out properly. He can be a great comedian, I totally loved his dodging of the Evil Actress trying to kiss him while filming Kang Pil Gu LOL He is also great in being a smooth player. But he cannot act vulnerability, honesty, etc He stays on the surface.

And the script is just .. not great. ML is a whiney snowflake diva, and FL is a love-clueless nerd, and the two just never interact enough and properly to advance themselves and their love.. and their misunderstandings are just NOT fun for so long.

The show is ending in 2 episodes and things have not moved forward enough yet.

Read More

Masterpiece in the making. The communication and teamwork is amazing

This drama is not soapy at all... I love it.
I love the communication between ML and FL, e.g. start of ep 3. Everything is said, and it is said in a ... polite and sophisticated way, to the point. They are both smart and observant

This drama started so fluffy, flaunting the good looks of ML, but it turned into ... well.. how to call it? psychological melodrama or psychological thriller is not the right word ... there is no sticky feeling in this drama... ... This drama has a HEALTHY vibe ....

This drama is about ppl communicating honestly, using the communication to learn something about the other and about themselves! being self observant and realizing how they feel and think, and saying it and acting on it

it turned into an extremely deep drama about how people communicate and grow

I love ep 3 it is so meaningful and so deep, the script is great, and acting is stellar.

Read More

Ah what a treat!!!! A real script with real acting!!!!

I love this!!!! so real... !!!!
This is such an interesting script, complex characters, and such interesting ACTING by female actors embodying those COMPLEX characters
IT IS SUCH A TREAT TO WATCH THESE AMAZING ACTRESSES BRING THESE COMPLEX CHARACTERS TO LIFE!!!! FINALLY!!!! ABLE TO SEE GREAT FEMALE ACTING!!!!

such a nice RELIEF from the typical dramas esp rom coms with anxious weak snowflakey young women who are so boringly FLAT - always anxious or worried or sad, ... soooo flat... boring... the only interesting scenes are flirting with cute guys but there is practically nothing related to interesting character, good acting or interesting plot

YAY this drama is a gem!!!!

And also it is nice to see true friendship between women. That is the adult part :)

And unfortunately we also get to see women stabbing each other. That is the reality :(

I am sorry to say that their men are such doozies... from ep 1, I am 99.99999% sure one is either gay or cheating, the other one is very likely cheating, and the young one is definitely cheating - all confirmed in ep 2...

But I think it is put in here to show that men have not caught up to the female equality and it is not easy for women to find and maintain loyal husbands. So I am looking forward to see how the drama will resolve it.
All the pairs lack communication... and effort ......

The women in this drama have to change too.... . Honestly, those two married ones are not doing much to maintain their marriage and I myself would leave them if I were their husband, and the third woman is just liking a gigolo so of course she will never find a real man.

Thinking about it... A Dream Life of Mr Kim is actually a continuation of this drama.. what would happen with those married women IF they stayed with their no-good husbands.... I hope this drama resolves their issues so that Dream Life of Mr. Kim never happens to them :) THe wife in that drama wasted like 30 years on a very bad marriage...

Seems like these women are going to resolve their lives quite soon :)

So this looks like a very promising drama to address the issue of new era relationships and marraige. I totally love the scenes with lots of kids, that was soooo cute!!!! the kids of one of the women are too spoiled, seems like, it is clear their father did not help much. A woman who lies to her mother about her marriage and lets her husband skip her bday is a woman who is having a bad marriage and a bad life... Let's see how she solves it!!!!

The one with the impotent husband is so aggressive, and he plays her like a kid with his mommy.... I am not sure WHICH man could do well in bed with her, she is just scary nasty.... nothing appealing about that... and the third one loves to be in control and own her man, and wants only fun, so finding an equal man will be interesting.

All three have potential and ideas and I am sure they will work it out!!! I am looking forward to it!

Read More

Well done!!! ML should get an award for this role. FL is great too

Ji Sung acting style is to exaggerate ... He acts the inner hidden feelings of his character, he shows what a normal person WOULD behave like if there were no limits, i.e. how they would LIKE to behave if they could, but they cannot so they restrain themselves to honor the social norms... He behaves to show the inner emotional state, so it is always amplified over the top acting and it creates comedy

for example:
I will always remember him sitting on the sofa next to his evil fatjher in law and fidgeting and rolling his eyes in fear... LMAO

====WRITTEN AFTER EP 2: ====
ML is an amazing actor and has lots of time on the screen. He should get an award for this role. FL is written very well and the actress is amazing too. I am looking forward to seeing more of her. So far she was very secondary although her influence was critical.

The script is tight and there are so many nuances, it is worth rewatching this. Let us hope it continues for 14 episodes!
====

This drama (TJR) might look similar to Again My Life (AML) or Lawless Lawyer (LL) or Devil Judge (DJ) dramas , but it is very different.

AML, LL, and DJ are about always-good MLs chasing bad guys.
TJR is about a guy who was both good and bad... He is an ordinary "good" guy who willingly became a bad guy, caused death and destruction, his conscience nagged him, he willingly turned good and went against his former accomplices.
The common thing in all 3 dramas is that a woman helps the ML.

>>>> Again My Life and Lawless Lawyer are revenge dramas about low status, righteous lawyer/prosecutor without power connections, going against high ranking officials who run crime to keep climbing up to the top government positions.
In AML, ML is naive, and he is given a chance to try it again. In LL, he is not naive LOL he was raised by thugs and uses all kinds of dirty tricks to revenge his mother.
TJR resembles AML bc an inherently good person has a chance to come back to life with all memories intact and do it right the second time around; and resembles LL bc this "good person" uses dirty tricks to win.

But:
TJR ML intentionally became a high ranking government official - a judge - who helped major evil do significant damages, so he is a deep, self-made crook. AML and LL heroes are always good guys. They use dirty tricks but never too dirty, they never were crooks, never did major bad stuff, never harmed anyone; they are just slightly mean
You can say that all three male leads somewhat resemble each other after TJR ep 2 :) But TJR hero is a LOT meaner and more criminal LOL if the running over the criminal at the end of ep 2 is not a fantasy. AML and LL heroes would never do that. They resolve everything legally.

>>>>Devil Judge is a thriller about fighting and exposing a well-camouflaged evil elite who is loved by the public but runs a crime ring and has grandiose evil goals about seizing control (like the villains in Lawless Lawyer and Again My Life, who are sooo well camouflaged sociopaths/psychopaths, it is chilling to meet them on the screen. Judge Cha and assemblyman are sooo creepy, esp. Judge Cha is a villain whom you will remember... !!!!! totally horrifying yet always 100% polite).

In comparison, TJR ML is an amateur... he tries to look good but his corruption is very obvious and known by everyone for a long time...... .... You can say that TJR ML resembles LL and AML villains in ep 1 bc he pretends to be good but is doing bad :) but TJR ML has conscience and is a lot smaller scale crook that those three.

>>>>The Judge Returns drama is about cleaning up bad karma, about the redemption arc of a basically good ordinary person who succumbed to greed and INTENTIONALLY AND WILLINGLY became the slave of the corrupt power circles. His only intent was to gain a cushy life, but it came with a price he was not willing to pay.... As he climbed high and went far .... too far... .... did sooooooooooo much bad... he WILLINGLY experienced remorse and WILLINGLY started anew in good way .... but he was naive... and was given a chance to came back to fix his misdeeds and do the good stuff.

Read More

Flashy catchy bombastic story but mostly without meaning

I watched ep 1-7, 14 of Judge from hell and it was mostly a waste of time, I had to fast forward through most of it, it is not a masterpiece drama in my opinion. It is a little too ... cheesy and gory. It lacks good dialogues. It is flashy catchy stuff but not so ... meaningful. It raises some good questions but the way is too bombastic and sensationalistic. Yeah, FL and ML nailed their roles, but still, ML role does not show him off as well. The drama is made for FL to have fun acting LOL

When I watch something, I ask myself: what am I learning?
and for this drama, I cannot say that I learned anything

It is "fun story" drama without much if any meaning

Read More

Wonderful uplifting inspirational story; true friendship of women; some sexism

I have mixed feelings about this drama after all. At first, I loved it. Then, it got too sexist for my taste. Then it got very deep and insightful. ANd then it got super idealisitcally rosey... So...

. It is not perfect ... Quite often - but not nearly as much in many other asian dramas - FL is shown as clumzy clutz naive and does not communicate... but at least it is less than in most other asian dramas.... FL has some common sense. 2FL is shown as a typical kdrama female, totally at the 6-yr old level... until the very very end.... and even then.... FL is not a very intelligent .... she is not a common sense and capable woman... She tries... from her position of poverty, inadequate upbringing, insecurity, and LACK of social skills, thinking skills, physical skills, common sense, and connections....

So I feel pity for Korean women to be portrayed still in ways that show blatant sexism. At least there is some progress and this drama shows it.
There are very deep insightful moments in this drama and it is overall very inspirational, taking us from the bleak sexist corporate situation today to a better future.
SO LET US GO WITH THAT....

I didnt watch it while it was airing bc the writeup made me think it was about some teenagers starting up and that it was too fluffy :(
My loss...

The drama is super cute in many ways. In some ways it made me cringe bc of clutzy loser female leads... and in some ways, it was very deeply insighghtful as "self help" advice for women who want to become more independent, happy and fullfilled and standing on their two feet.

A very valuable thing was to see women helping other women and being true friends. That is rare for women, since women are conditioned to fight for attention, status and MEN who will bring then that status and presitige and privileges. "A woman is nothing without a man" forces women to fight for male attention and it gets really really ugly in real life...
And in this drama, there is ONE snake like that. That was great, the snake is 10000% realistic ....

The FL was the FL in Potato Lab. but this drama is not mostly mindless stupid stuff like Potato Lab. FL in this drama is still somewhat clumzy and stupid though... but not as much as in Potato Lab. Episodes 9-11 are quite stupid, for most part... hiding her dating, etc... Especially when FL does not communicate about the sociopath bully.... That is UTTERLY DUMB.

It is not funny to see an adult woman so clumzy and stupid, like ... pushing a cart uphil with her friend on it and then letting go of handle and letting her friend roll downhill - and DIE. Seeing mindless stuff like that is NOT cute. It is utterly DUMB and horrifying. Qualifies FL for a psych ward for being mentally disabled. And for some kind of award for being physically disabled, not able to move without tripping and breaking something...

Luckily that kind of stuff does not happen all the time in this drama :) FL still has some common sense and more on her feet. ANd still very cute and pretty and charming :) She is a great actress. Well for this kind of role though :) Potato Lab and this are same acting :)

The plot is overall just ... uplifting
Very realistic work situations...

and a wonderful true mature friendship between 3 women

The ending is ... hm... I would want to see another 1 yr out... how did she work it out with a singer who works mostly in the West.... and makes drunk mistakes with fans... with his good looks and veins popping in his forearms and his lovely dovey love songs.... and fans sending flowers etc. Musicans are known for promiscuity... So .. how did this story go ... ? She was seen in Korea afterward, so what happened.... ML was a little overly goody goody LOL it is very rare to find a man - young or old - who will be that dedicated...

So the story is a little bit of fantasy, to think that a woman can get all that attention and totally dedicated guy even if she keeps pushing him away, even though there is NO communication or very little at best. etc.

Mr. Oh story is also a little bit of fantasy :) esp the way that "little 6 yr old girl" was ... Doting on her for a year and a few before that with Wei Lin... ?

So I take this drama as a little bit of hollywood, a little bit too rosey and WHAT YOU WISH HAPPENED

but it is ok, it is a good start in the right direction

THe thing is not to overdo the fantasy and thus make it seem like something bittersweet and actually feeling hopeless because it IS a fairy tale :) All Hollywood leaves that taste - you feel like you were drunk or something, dreaming about something totally unreachable bc everything happens by "luck" and without real effort, it is clearly a mind-fogging brainswashing lull-to-sleep addictive material

There SHOULD BE dramas that talk about solving problems for real.

Many kdramas have at least some of that flavor and that is why they are so popular
But if they become too... roesy cheesy soapy then.... it is not worth watching

Read More

AMAZING! so well done.... until ... ep 6... then you realize this was a collywood delusion

It is really a horror movie in disguise. It is scary and has quite some gory parts. Luckily not tooooo toooooo gory, you can easily skip the gory parts. It is hard though bc they are shown quite fast. Be ready with the fast forward button.

I really like use of makjang acting to act scenes about topics that do not matter, and "acting like in real life" to show topics that DO matter. It makes the drama go fast.

The movie plays on some Chinese / Taiwanese stereotypes that I am not familiar with. Clearly, it is a culture steeped in superstition. There must be some delulu in this drama based on some play on what is true, but I am not familiar to say exactly what.

Like in Western movies, where families are broken and everyone is separate and single and lonely, isolated, depressed; and it is a consumer society where everlasting personal satisfaction happens super fast without any effort, there is this delulu idea of getting all happy bc you found the right person who loves you - and then INSTANTLY AND FOREVER your life becomes supper happy and everything is great for you. This delulu consumerism plot manipulates the true, genuine human need to love and be loved by others.

A good movie might showcase true things that are now considered mystical, like the kung fu powers etc.

So what Chinese delulu AND / OR truth card(s) is this drama playing....?. I dont know. It seems to emphasize the magical power of caligraphy. Which... is true :) and I am not sure about delulus. Perhaps - the power of beer to unite ppl... ? the "masters" are all grumpy... ?

For the first 5 episodes, I thought it was a great drama. Then ep 6 was super cheesy copy of kdramas - going to an amusement park and playing on the claw machine (to claw out a prize out of a glass box full of prizes). I ALSO NOTICED THEY ADVERTISED THE BEER... the dad and son and mother and son drink beer together...

And the story got pretty cheesy... All "help me cases" were obsessions of live people...

Soooo at the end of ep 6, I fast forwarded to ep 12 and found the (dead) dad encouraging the son to drink beer... THAT was a sure sign this drama was totally a trap...

And then I quit. I got tired of ML actor ONLY grumpy face, of drinking beer by manipulation, etc and I quit this as Collywood.

Written after ep 1: this drama uses makjang exaggerated acting to show things that are not important, and "like real life" acting to show what is important. It saves so much time!!!!
Only one half of episode 1 was enough to totally set the background story of ML's life.

The story is well done and the acting is well done for the first 5 episodes. ML is young but that actor is excellent.

But he never smiles and stays super grumpy or the entire drama. One time he smiles, it is visible he has bad teeth. Too bad. He is a handsome guy and a phenomenal actor, he needs to fix his teeth so that he act roles with smiling too. And of course, for his own health.

I got tired of watching his grumpy face all the time. He needs to change facial expressions... imo.

Read More