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This review may contain spoilers
Bitter & Sweet
The Beginning of the Sea (2024) is a really tender and moving Jdrama about a young man who finds out he has a daughter by a past girlfriend, but he finds out only after her untimely death. By this time, he has already moved with someone else and yet his memories come vividly back to him, causing him all sorts of new emotions."A love story depicting the connection between parents and their children in various forms."
This series is quite well-made and very watchable but also very emotional and tragic at times. Highly recommended for fans of complicated love stories, tender slice-of-life dramas, covering a painful range of topics such as death, loss, grief, abortion, parenthood, and ultimately, family.
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Dark Fantasy Drama
GHOST BRIDE (2020) is a really well-made Taiwanese / Malaysian drama. The story was very unique with elements of drama, romance and paranormal fantasy horror. While not very accurate to the book the show still has a eerie atmosphere and is very watchable. The characters were all interesting and the plot very compelling. The visuals are really stellar."In 1890s Malacca, Li Lan finds herself in the afterlife and becomes mired in a mystery linked to the sinister, deceased son of a wealthy family."
I really appreciated seeing the city of Malacca, Malaysia in the 90's era portrayed in a drama. The drama is a really good watch and great for fans of fantasy paranormal horror. Definitely glad I gave it a chance.
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…Let the Games Begin!!
SQUID GAME (2021-2025) is a dark, twisted and thrilling kdrama about poor people who find themselves in financially horrible and hopeless circumstances, by means of debt, scams, gambling, and bad life choices etc. and are each invited to a mysterious challenge to participate in children’s games for large ammouts of money. Prepare to be thrilled and disturbed.This series is visually appealing, and exciting. The concept is a bit twisted but very compelling as well. The sets, costumes and effects were all next level.
A mysterious organization invites the most down and out people to something called The Squid Games, a twisted spin on children's games, where desperate adults can participate to win a huge cash prize and hopefully have a second chance in life, but not everyone can make it out alive.
"Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes: a survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion-won prize at stake."
Overall, "Squid Game" was a violent yet philosophical series, that thrills as much as it makes one contemplate. It ask some very deep questions such as the value of human life, the nature of poverty, the goodness of humanity. This show is exceptional yet extremely violent. Not for the faint of heart or stomachs. A great watch!
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Cute Contract Show
BUSINESS PROPOSAL (2022) is a Korean romance drama. It is heart warming story about two unlikely characters who find love, but the friendships in this show were some of the sweetest kdrama portrayals, and although the family relationships often took back burner, the family dynamics were sweet as well.This show was a romantic drama, but is often very funny and laughable. Some of the side characters are very colorful and enjoyable, especially Ha-ri's bestie and coworkers.
While at times this series does have some controversial aspects with regards to female treatment by males, it's not something viewers won't expect or find too extreme either, though I did lower my rating a bit.
"In disguise as her friend, Ha-ri shows up to a blind date to scare him away. But plans go awry when he turns out to be her CEO - and makes a proposal."
Overall, this is a touching, heart-warming show that is also very short (only 12 episodes) compared to the usual 16-25. Definitely worth a watch for fans of romance and kdrama.
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Introverts & Social Anxiety
SHY BOSS (2017) is a pretty funny KDrama rom-com about an incredibly shy man, an introvert with extreme social anxiety that hires a outgoing employee.The series is pretty fun and entertaining though it certainly has its moments of heaviness. The show can be quite moving at times, especially as its main topic concerns the common misunderstanding of people struggling with mental health issues.
"The quiet life of an extreme introvert is thrown upside down when his company hires a cheery and outgoing new employee who's not all she seems."
Overall, this drama was a pretty fun one. While at times it could be over the top, this show also gets a lot right. This one is definitely a good watch.
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Teenaged Rom-Com
BOYS OVER FLOWERS (2009) is a now classic (and iconic) teenaged romantic comedy / Kdrama.It is my personal opinion that this drama was one of the drama's that caused Kdramas to become so popular and more mainstream in the West. This drama is one of the few that started the craze.
While I appreciate it now, there are a few times I found things to be cringy or controversial. Nevertheless, "Boys Over Flowers" is a near iconic rom com in the realm of dramaland.
"Geum Jan Di gets a scholarship to the elite Shin Hwa High School. She is picked on by Gu Jun Pyo, one of the richest and most popular students, but soon Jun Pyo finds himself attracted to her."
Overall, this was one of the earliest Kdramas I've watched. It will always be somewhat special to me.
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A Quirky Fantasy
HOTEL DEL LUNA (2019) is a really fun and quirky Kdrama. The cast are all very colorful and interesting, the acting is good as well. Sometimes the story is a bit odd but usually pretty good overall. Very interesting storyline."When he's invited to manage a hotel for dead souls, an elite hotelier gets to know the establishment's ancient owner and her strange world."
Overall, "Hotel Del Luna" is a very quirky and memorable Kdrama about a mysterious and mystical Hotel by the same name. The show has a little bit of everything in it including drama, fantasy, comedy, romance, mystery, horror and action. The vibe is very original and very memorable.
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An Interesting Rom-Com
STRONG WOMAN DO BONG SOON (2017) is a sweet Korean drama with silly yet thoughtful portrayals of gender and gender roles. While it is a romantic comedy, it certainly has its tender and sad moments as well."Do Bong-soon is a woman born with superhuman strength that comes from the long line of women possessing it. When Ahn Min Hyuk, the CEO of ainsoft, a gaming company witnesses her strength he hires her as his personal bodyguard."
Overall, this was a cute drama. It was funny and sweet, and at times touching. Recommended for fans of romantic kdramas and outrageous comedic situations. Cute and funny!
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Killer Monsters
SWEET HOME (2020-2024) is an original spin of the traditional zombie horror story, (based on the popular Manwa) but here we have unpredictable and bizarre creatures rather than hordes of the same-old same-old zombies.This series isn't perfect but the characters are all memorable and unique, the atmosphere of the building is very intense and the survival aspect are very well portrayed.
"Hyun, a loner high school student who lost his entire family in a terrible accident, is forced to leave his home and has to face a new reality where monsters are trying to wipe out all of humanity. Now he must fight against all odds to try and race against the clock to save what is left of the human race before it's too late."
"Sweet Home" is a really cool series especially if you are a fan of dark and gorey Kdrama's, horror shows and monster fighting genres. Definitely an exciting watch! Lots of action, drama and thrilling moments!
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A Kick*ss Drama
WEAK CLASS HERO (Weak Hero Class 1) despite its corny name, was a pretty baller Kdrama. I went into this one not really expecting a whole lot, keeping my mind open, but ended up deeply intrigued.This was a pretty cool kdrama. The series is in the action / thriller genre and was very exciting! The characters and story make this series a very compelling and memorable one.
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A Romantic Tragedy
ONE AND ONLY was a great Cdrama, especially if you like historical period and costume dramas. I admit, I had a difficult time getting into this one at first. I had a few false starts and dropped it several times before going back to it, due to the seemingly predictable and generic romance. It really did develop and pull me in.Once I finally got going however, I discovered it was a really good show, and quite short in terms of average Cdrama length (24 eps instead of 60-80+ eps). I noticed it used flashback scenes, not overly frequent, but perhaps more so than other dramas in order to condense the storyline. While I do enjoy the longer series (as they create a depth and deeper emotional bonds), but this was a nice change of pace.
" A young man determined to become a general takes a mute, ill-fated princess as his disciple, forming a forbidden bond amid palace power struggles."
The actors were all very good in their roles, and the characters were all very likeable as well. The story was a bit slow starting, focusing on the friendship and blooming romance aspect rather than on the rest of the story, but gradually became more interesting and compelling, especially as villains and other main characters stepped into play. I really enjoyed the music as well, it was very fitting.
Overall, ONE AND ONLY was a great watch. I recommend if you like historical romantic Cdramas. Must warn, it is tragic and emotional.
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A Feminist Thought Drama
PALE MOON is a K-Drama that features blended elements of both the romance and thriller genres. While quite a bit slower in terms of pacing, (especially for a thriller!) it is a shorter series than typical k-drama series (10 episodes as opposed to 16 + episodes).This series is a female centric series and can be considered a bit of an examination of feminist school of thought, with main themes such as the trodden housewife / middle aged woman seeking new life purpose, learning new skills and advancing herself, finding worth in herself; a woman developing herself to be independent and professional, seeking her own desires and identity; a woman under the control of her husband that struggles to break free despite the societal constraints.
While the characters choices are morally and ethically gray and debatable, the psychological aspects made this an interesting process and excellent food for thought, as well as a conversation starter.
This is the kind of drama that could have done without the romance plot, in my opinion. I understand they wanted that dimension, a love interest, but I felt it wasn't truly believable, interesting or even all that necessary.
Aside from the fact I’m not a fan of infidelity, on screen or otherwise, I do feel it slightly detracted from the impact of the other aspects of this series or perhaps the chemistry was lacking, rather than having the FL find love, strength and happiness on her own and in herself, becoming independent first (and then romance later on, if necessary at all). Also, it does tend to make it difficult to root for any MC (male or female) that practices infidelity.
However, I was happy to see a middle-aged, slightly older female lead and romantic interest. In many other dramas, the middle-aged female in this age range usually turns out to be some kind of villain archetype.
Overall, this was a refreshing change of pace from some of the more overplayed romance drama themes out there, but I do feel like it could have been a bit more of exciting (for a thriller series) as well as adding much more depth, on the psychological and emotional levels as well. This series was still a very well made show and worth the watch. Glad to see drama's switching things up.
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A Time Travel Mystery
ERASED (2017) is a sci-fi, mystery J-Drama series. It is about a man with abilities to time travel, episodes that he calls "Revivals", and he ends up going back in time to when he was a child in fifth grade, and when three of his classmates were kidnapped and murdered, in order to prevent the tragedies. The series is really well-made and acted, especially by the younger cast. It had a gripping premise and keeps you guessing and wondering."After finding his mom killed, Satoru's time-traveling ability takes him back 18 years for a chance to prevent her death and those of three classmates."
This was a great series, based on the manga series by the same name, that builds up with suspense and keeps you on the edge. Recommended for fans of anime, J-Dramas and short (16 eps) Netflix mystery series.
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Taipei in the 80's
LIGHT THE NIGHT is a Taiwanese Drama, and was a really well done series, albeit much different than the usual crime dramas out there. It was very slower moving, and at first a bit hard to really get into it, but this does improve with time and patience. I must say that the era of the 1980's in Taipei made for a very interesting setting. Actress Ruby Lin, shines bright, as always."In the red light district of 1980s Taipei, women at a popular Japanese night club navigate jealousy, heartbreak, friendship and love."
The quality of the series is evident and the acting is top tier as well. The story, while a bit slower paced initially, gets pretty good. Overall, this was a very well made series, very intriguing.
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Friendship & Revenge
ITAEWON CLASS (2020) was a fun, fast paced revenge drama filled with quirky characters, with humor, action, drama, friendship, business and teeny bit of romance. This series was really well made and well written, although a bit predictable in some ways (love triangle etc). I watch a lot of series / dramas and find some similar storylines among many of them, especially in revenge dramas. However, I really like the diversity of characters, as well as the bonds of friendship featured throughout."An ex-con opens a street bar in Itaewon, while also seeking revenge on the family who was responsible for his father's death."
Overall, this was a fun Kdrama, and definitely worth the chance. It had heart-warming aspects, as well as humor and drama. Somehow both heart-wrenching and light-hearted. A fun watch & great to see more of South Korea's city of Itaewon in a show.
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