Cheesy And Typical Tropes To Be Expected, Yet Oddly Heartwarming In Parts...
Novice screenwriter Yoo Song Yi and director Lee Hyun Suk tackle the renowned theme of time travel within their storyline with a conglomeration of staid cliches and tropes, plot holes as well as a mixed bag of characterisation. Nevertheless perhaps one thing which should be said is that even in the world of cliche K-dramas, the premise of “Hello, Me! “is pretty out there .The drama centralises its upon the main protagonist 37 year-old Ha-Ni ( Choi Kang Hee). Once a stunning beauty and popular in her teens, Ha-Ni’s life has hit rock bottom after a tragic event in her life. By a whim of fate, Ha-Ni ends up encountering her 17-year old self ( Lee Re) who has somehow travelled twenty years into the future for reasons unbeknown to both Ha-Nis. As the current Ha-Ni struggles to juggle between keeping the appearance of her younger self from her older sister Ban Ha Young ( Jung Yi Rang) , mother Ji Ok Jung ( Yoon Bok In) and grandmother Lee Hong Nyeon ( Kim Yong Rin), Ha-Ni’s life may just hide a blessing in disguise with a new opportunity coming to rise. In addition to this, the mysterious involvement of younger conglomerate heir Yoo-hyun ( Kim Young Kwang) and actor Anthony ( Eum Moon Suk), reveal their mysterious links and feelings through their shared pasts with Ha-Ni .
The cast of the series were fairly versatile in talents. Whilst main actress Choi Kang Hee admittedly did feel slightly out of place within the series at first, she was able to deliver a brilliant performance which allowed viewers to become attached and feel moved by her character. Arguably, actress Lee Re did feel slightly questionable within her portrayal of Ha-Ni’s younger-self due to certain line deliverances, however, during more angst-ridden moments of the series, the younger actress did capture certainly more heartfelt moments behind her onscreen persona .
Admittedly , Kim Young Kwang and Eun Moon Suk weren’t entirely dire within their performances and did have some genuinely heartbreaking moments onscreen , however as their characters were played more for comedy and as the “ love interests” of the drama, their performances were restricted slightly towards their respected moulds as the “ male lead and second male lead” of “ Hello, Me!” . However, this is not entirely the fault of either actor, as whilst the scriptwriting should be commended for tackling convoluted and realistic subject areas such as bereavement, family , friendship, mental health and the prejudice and difficulties of ageing in South-Korean Society , certain characters felt respectfully moulded into prosaic roles over the course of the series which were hard to renounce.
In particular this can be seen through the younger Ha-Ni. Ha-Ni is supposed to highlight a stark contrast against her older counterpart by her fractiousness , optimism and self-confidence in given situations due to still being young . On the other hand, Ha-Ni respectfully felt overly immature and benign for a 17-year old by her impulsiveness and lacking rationality at times over the course of the series. Whilst admittedly the older Ha-Ni did confess that she was fairly sheltered by her mother and doted on by her father Ban Ki Tae ( Kim Byung Choon) during her younger years, it still felt oddly out of place for a character exposed to social interactions and academic expectations ( which were never really touched upon the series) in high school to not learn to mature slightly as a consequence.
However, over the course of the series and her interactions with her older self, the younger Ha-Ni does learn to become more altruistic by helping others, as well as encouraging the 37 year-old self through acceptance than her earlier snide comments towards older Ha-Ni’s appearance and circumstances. ( Taking “ self-depreciation ” to a whole new level in the beginning of the drama.)Yet this still seems to lead to two possible conclusions; Ha-Ni should have been written as a slightly younger character ( perhaps someone nearer her mid-teens than 17 years old ), or preferably she should have been given more time throughout the storyline to learn to mature slightly from the influences of her older-self.
Naturally, this leads us onto the older Ha-Ni. Whilst the younger Ha-Ni is by default the same individual as the older Ha-Ni, screenwriter Song Yi notably places an emphasis upon the 37 year-old version of the character being strikingly different than her younger counterpart. The current Ha-Ni is more taciturn, lacking in self-confidence and was hinted by her mother and sister to have struggled with depression and loneliness in the past. Annoyingly whilst the series did enjoy placing comic relief upon Ha-Ni’s “ unfortunate circumstances” in the beginning of the series and her naivety for the latter part with the feelings of Anthony and Yoo-Hyun towards her, the older Ha-Ni admittedly did have a lot of character growth from low self-esteem initially towards a more self-assured individual who learns to pursue her dreams in the process.
However, her pairings with the male leads often felt slightly disjointed in the grand scheme of the series. The pairing between Yoo Hyun and Ha Ni felt more fortified admittedly than the more complicated relationship between Anthony and herself ( both younger and older), however, this often resulted in the series struggling sometimes to portray Ha-Ni’s affections and feelings towards either male lead outside of expected plot line and setups.
Perhaps the one element that was tackled well within the drama occurred with Ha Ni’s interactions with her mother, sister and grandmother over the duration of the episodes , shown to grow and developed from slightly estranged ( due to her circumstances) towards more affectionate and trusting over the course of the series. It would have perhaps been slightly more intriguing to have touched upon Ha Ni’s interactions and complications around her grandmother. Although primarily this did serve a major part of the story ( without any spoilers) , this did feel a little underdeveloped towards exposing the more emotional difficulties and challenges ( especially with her mental health ) for the 37 year-old Ha Ni. Nevertheless, it was a refreshing and heartwarming dynamic by the presence of Ha Ni’s interactions with her family allowing her to grow to some extent as an individual, rather than merely an asset for “romantic” plot development.
On the other hand, the two male leads of the series are a little more complicated to address by their debased characterisation in parts. “Anthony” arguably had the most wasted potential as a second male lead and his respected involvement in Ha-Ni’s life due to his “ feelings” for Ha-Ni often being played for comical gags rather than exploring his more complicated reasons, personality and past. The drama did attempt to bring up Anthony’s past haunting him again nearer the ending of the series by this particular storyline (as well of course his earlier interactions with the younger Ha-Ni), however, Anthony never truly felt like a worthy contender of Ha-Ni’s affections due to being severely limited within personal growth and screen time with the main character.
Arguably, against his initial cliche archetype as the “ immature, younger rich male lead” Yoo- Hyun was more well-rounded by his reasoning behind falling for Ha-Ni as well as his primary growth as a character . Without revealing too much about the storyline , there are expected tropes which revolve around Yoo-Hyun over the course of the drama. However against some of his more annoying flaws being his childishness and immaturity at times ( as noted by his father ), he was an incredibly kind-hearted and altruistic individual, making his interactions with the older Ha-Ni fairly sweet. Similar to the older Ha-Ni, however, it was refreshing that the series did touch upon Yoo-Hyun’s heartfelt relationship development and complications from childhood with his father Han Ji Man ( Yoon Joo Sang). Although his relationship with Ha-Ni was undeniably sweet, it did feel underdeveloped for a major proportion of the series, often resulting in their relationship being more “ friendly” than having “ romantic undertones”. Nevertheless, their bond did serve to provide warmth and sincerity into the series.
The side characters of the series were honestly a bit of mixed-bag with genuine development besides our main protagonists. Perhaps the most interesting side character in the series who had notable growth from her initial introduction in episode 1 manifested in Oh Ji Eun. The estranged best friend and shadow of Ha-Ni from her younger years, Ji Eun’s position is reversed in the present by being a successful director as well , in a fairly happy relationship with fellow managing director Yang Do Yoon ( Ji Seung Hyun). However, there’s a lot more than Ji Eun struggles behind the scenes from her initial introduction by struggling with guilt over how she left things with Ha-Ni after they ended their friendship initially, and walking around eggs shells with her mother in law and one of the arguable “ minor antagonists ” of the series, Han Ji Sook ( Baek Hyun Joo).
Whilst it is prominent to see why Ji Eun was forced into the mistakes she made in order to hopefully win the approval of Ji Sook, it felt slightly poorly-tackled how the show left things with Ji Eun. Additionally, the other side characters of the series were mostly played off giggles or to lighten up the mood over the course of the series such as kitchen staff Kang Geum Ja ( Kim Mi Hwa) and Cha Mi Ja ( Kim Do Yeon) , the “ obvious secret couple”, Bang Ok Joo ( Go Na Eun) and Kim Yong Hwa ( Kim Ki Ri) as well as of course the duo Park Jung Man ( Choi Dae Chul) and Min Gyeong Shik ( Kang Tae Joo) consigned as Anthony’s managers also.
On the other hand, the ending for “ Hello, Me!” was fairly appropriate for the genre; predictable, yet nonetheless enjoyable.Ultimately, “ Hello, Me!” was a fairly heartfelt, uplifting fantasy, family story and romantic comedy about self-love and learning to lean on others. It was not a flawless show and some notable implausibilities of character development, a sense of overarching purpose and cliches did ultimately detract from more intriguing aspects of the series. Nevertheless, it was a fairly enjoyable and easygoing watch, perhaps something to easily binge-watch when bored or looking for something to fill-out during a lazy day, holiday or weekend.
Was this review helpful to you?
Is it “ So Not Worth” Watching This Drama?
In between the badly-timed laugh tracks, sound effects and sporadic comedy jokes in dialogue and screen titles ( often accompanied by outdated hashtags) , “ So Not Worth It” ( written by screenwriters Seo Eun Jung and Baek Ki Hyung ) attempts to offer a “ fresh” take on youth culture in South-Korea with a group of international students. However whilst the show did present some intriguing messages towards recognising diversity and fighting against prejudice stereotypes in South-Korean society, “ So Not Worth It” often failed to hit the mark by struggling to reach its full potential.
The acting is admittedly a mixed-bag. As the majority of the cast are comprised of novice or first-time actors, it is undeniable that the acting quality varied a lot. During more heartfelt moments of the show, the cast were able to give dynamic performances, however, comical elements surrounding their characters was a little questionable to say the least.
As characters, the show often reimbursed into going into extremes of being over-the-top stereotypes. Teaching assistant Se Wan ( Park Se Wan) was arguably less overtly flamboyant than the other characters in the series due to her down-to earth personality and constant need to have other part-time jobs in order to survive. Consequently , this was closely followed by Hyun Min ( Han Hyun Min). There seemed to be a lot that the series was trying to address with Hyun Min’s difficult lifestyle as a student as well as annoyingly being mistaken as a foreigner. By far, there were certainly some interesting and funny moments with Hyun Min’s interactions around sister Han Hyun A ( Choi Yu Jin) and his mother, however, more controversial issues which were prominent with Hyun Mom’s character were often swept under the carpet .
The series enjoyed playing and milking on the comedy elements a lot also. It is therefore no surprise that clueless and klutzy Korean- American Jamie ( Shin Hyun Seung) soon began to predominate screentime with his predictable pairing with Se Wan. Refreshingly as we progress we do learn a bit more about Jamie outside of the comical moments regarding his complicated life, however, it did feel at times this portrayal was a little lacking. ( As the series could have even helped to portray difficulties for Jamie trying to adapt to a different culture.)
The other supporting characters such as Korean - Australian Sam ( Choi Young Jae), Hyun Min’s roommate Tetris ( Tetris Brown) and their roommate Hans ( Joakim) were often used to generate quick farce moments in the show rather than being used to reach more poignant moments .
It was evident to a lot of watchers just how much this show had been tailored for western audiences. This isn’t a surprise considering the popularity of K-dramas in the west, however, the stereotypes in order to appeal to ‘ westernised audiences’ were incredibly enforced such as Thai K-drama fan Minnie( Minnie)’s constant references to K-drama quotes or actors in order to make the show " appealing ”. ( Including a cringeworthy moment when Minnie is visiting an army barrack and begins to reference ‘’ Descendants of the Sun ".)
Then there was the American international student Carson ( Carson Allen). As viewers, we admittedly did get to see some brief glimpses into Carson’s love-life which helped to sketch her out more as an individual. However, her “ old-man” style of speaking often took away more profound moments of her character by being used as a tiresome running gag in the show.
Of course it is wrong to suggest that ‘ So Not Worth It’ didn’t have some more bittersweet moments either. There was a fairly intriguing element to a group of international students becoming friends which was fortified by standing up for one another at different moments in the show. When Carson reveals her Korean boyfriend had an affair behind her back, the ragtag group of friends are quick to rush over to give him an earful. In another scene of this episode, Se Wan and Carson have a fairly sweet moment as friends, whilst in a later episode Hyun Min’s mother makes a profound point that being a mother isn’t just a biological, but having a strong bond with your child ( regardless of whether they are blood-related or not) also . In another heartfelt moment of the show, Carson altruistically plans matchmaker with Terris and her date after cottoning onto to Terris’ feelings . Yet in between the more profound moments of the series, the boorish comedy often took this away in exchange for childish and tiresome jokes and running gags . The ending was arguably left on the possibility for a second season with a feeling for incompleteness for viewers , however, a lacking sense of fulfilment truly did bring to the question what on earth viewers spent 12 episodes watching .
So is ‘ So Not Worth’ it “ worth ” investing time towards ? If you’re looking for a quick series to binge-watch then this sitcom is the answer to your dreams. However, the desired attempt to present a diverse cast evidently targeted for a “quick fix” to attract western audiences was strongly apparent over quality. There was a certain glamorisation over more subtle issues in South-Korean society with numerous one-dimensional characters in an attempt to heighten poorly-written farce moments.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Use For My Talent; Sweet, But Unremarkable ...
Let’s be honest for a and disregard the " Korean vs. Chinese version" argument by openly confessing that neither version will ever be a " masterpiece". Of course, this is not to say that both versions of the show were "unwatchable". Both cast and production values in the dramas are good . However, the screenwriting? Well, that’s another issue entirely.
For those unaware, the Chinese version follows the same basic premise as its predecessor; successful male lead and owner of a cleaning company Gu Ren Qi ( Jasper Liu) suffers from Mysophobia as a result of trauma. Through a series of strange events, he ends up meeting and employing female lead Shi Shuang Jiao ( Shen Yue), however, she is his polar opposite by her unkempt and blasé nature towards dirt . Ultimately this leads to a complicated rocky road as Ren Qi discovers himself falling in love with our female lead.
Cultural changes aside, there are a couple of things which did work well in this version ; the male lead seem a bit more paved out as a character with his backstory, and he did not have the same accentuated reactions ( as his Korean counterpart) to a piece of dirt. However, ultimately Ren Qi did suffer the same fate as a" staid male lead". His backstory (rather than being used for development), is played upon the " tragic trope” card with few defining reactions or emotions outside of chasing the female lead Shi Shuang Jiao.
Shi Shuang Jiao was also your archetypical " prosaic heroine". There was nothing inherently wrong per say with Shuang Jiao as a female lead. She was sweet and a kind-hearted person,however, if you could put an evident sticky label on Shuang Jiao, then it would certainly read; the ‘“quirky and cutesy” female lead who is" stuck in the middle" between Ren Qi and the " boy next door" Lu Xian’( Dai Yun Fan). After all, Shen Qiao only truly existed in the series as the " love interest" rather than an individual in her own right.
Of course, then there’s the pairing between Shuang Jiao and Ren Qi. Admittedly, whilst there is certainly emphasis in the Chinese version of Ren Qi and Shuang Jiao sharing "mutual ground", this is also where the series hits a bit of a rut also. This is because whilst it is implied over their shared " traumatic pasts" helping their relationships to develop, it is hard to truly define what either Ren Qi or Shuang Jiao truly saw in one another ( apart from this) in the first place.
The side characters of the series were a little forgettable . Second main lead Lu Xian did have the potential to be intriguing , however, his ineffable desire to " chase after the female lead" and not truly having a life outside of wanting to win her affections put any possible character development down the drain . The other two pairings of the show between Zhu Yan ( Su Meng Di), Shi Jun Jie ( Yanan), Li Dong Xian ( Charles Lin) and Wang Qian Qian ( Huang Si Rui) were arguably more entertaining at times than our main leads, though they were certainly nothing to write home about either with cliche setups.
So, what’s left to say about " Use For My Talent" and is it worth watching ?The Chinese adaptation wasn’t inherently "bad" per say. It did have a really good cast and an incredibly sweet pairings. For fans of cutesy romantic dramas then this is right up your street, however, just don’t expect great character development either.
Was this review helpful to you?
Is There A “Trace” Of Hope With Actually Trying To Watch ‘ Tracer’?
Procedural dramas, particularly ones revolving around mundane subject areas such as tax evasion or bureaucracy, can be a bore for viewers. However whilst ‘ Tracer’ is still not unable to evade its more tedious moments, under the directing reigns of Lee Seung Young ( ‘ Voice 2’, ‘ Missing Noir M’) and the writing tutorage of Kim Hyun Jung ( ‘ Who Are You: School 2015’), MBC’s ‘ Tracer’ possessed a surprisingly rigid plot motive from beginning to end.
The drama focused primarily upon male lead Hwang Dong-Joo ( Im Shi-wan). Formerly a disreputable accountant with his own personal vendetta , Dong-Joo ends up working as an investigator for the National Tax Service (NTS). However instead of ending up in a reputable and prestigious department of the NTS, Dong-Joo ends up being sent to division five; a dumping ground for undesirable and difficult cases by other departments.
Alongside the help of team investigator Seo Hye Young ( Go Ah-Sung), Chief Oh Young (Park Yong-woo) and his extensive knowledge into the field from his past , Dong-Joo is determined to stop at nothing in order to enact his own personal justice.
Kim Hyun Jung’s screenplay is notably dark in parts as well as primarily fixed upon the objective of the storyline. Whilst there are admittedly moments where certain overblown dialogue exchanges , Hyun Jung’s personal touch towards the series’ notably heartfelt plot moments and subject areas was surprisingly subtle, yet effective.
Arguably one of the star attractions of ‘ Tracer’ came through the casting choices. Im Si-Wan ( ‘ Misaeng: Incomplete Life’, ‘ Hell Is Other People’, ‘ Run On’) is particularly brilliant onscreen as main lead Hwang Dong-Joo;adding a surprising touch of charisma towards his role as the antiheroic main lead.
Costarring alongside Si-Wan was Go Ah-Sung ( ‘ The Host’, ‘ Snowpiercer’ and ‘ Samjin Company English Class’ ); a hesitant yet virtuous individual in the NTS, Park Young Woo (‘ Ditto’, ‘ My Scary Girl’ , ‘ Hwayi: A Monster Boy’ and ‘ Late Spring’) took on the part as the ridiculed yet talented Chief Oh Young, whilst Son Hyun-joo ( ‘ Tazza’, ‘ Secretly, Greatly’ and ‘ Empire Of Gold’) played antagonist and director of the Central Regional Tax Office, In Tae-Joon. All of the main cast were brilliant as our main leads; helping to flesh out and add a dynamic charm towards their onscreen personas.
However within the execution of ‘ Tracer’, the pacing could notably present a pitfall also. The drama’s attempt to stimulate the storyline’s narrative could often leads to the motives of characters, or the roles of key players rarely feeling elucidated. Perhaps this was also a consequence of a nonlinear narrative; rarely allowing certain moments for viewers to sit back and take in in the events of the storyline.
However perhaps one of the saving graces for ‘Tracer’ came through screenwriter Kim Hyun-jung’s ability to intertwine niche and predictable setups against moments which allowed opportunities to explore the wider scope of Dong-Joo. Whilst Hyun Jung could sometimes fall into a slightly cyclical pattern of a “ new dilemma” forcing Hyun Joo to keep on his toes, this did highlight diverging writing niches of characters being merely plot devices. Instead Hyun Joo and the supporting characters of the series were involved and attached towards the events and processes of the storyline; allowing opportunities in order to explore certain elements of character depth.
The dialogue is admittedly overblown in parts. However Hyun Jung did include some surprisingly witty and sardonic responses for Dong Joo, helping to personify his unpredictable nature to audiences throughout the series. The comic relief present in ‘ Tracer’ is notably an odd mixture between ferocious insults and name calling, as well as lighthearted and somewhat benign exchanges also.
‘ Tracer’ isn’t a series that will suit everyone’s personal tastes. However whilst ‘ Tracer’ focuses upon a notably mundane and simplistic formula, the execution of the narrative is surprisingly tactful. The acting performances are brilliant and solid throughout and whilst the finale helped to setup events for season two, ‘ Tracer’ is notably not without its more evident writing flaws here and there. Overall the first part of ‘ Tracer’ is notably a dynamic mixture of revenge, angst and wit in order to create a surprisingly entertaining drama along the way.
Was this review helpful to you?
Kim Soo-Hyun’s Sublime Return To Thrillers…
Remake dramas can often go down two selective routes; diverging from the originality of its predecessor, or offering viewers a production en par with the original. Thankfully Coupang Play’s first series led by director
Lee Myung-woo, ‘ One Ordinary Day ‘ ( a remake of the original BBC series ‘ Criminal Justice’), offered viewers a fairly knockout adaptation with arguably darker explorations of the criminal judicial system, an intriguing setup as well as a brilliant cast lineup ( most notably A-list actor Kim Soo-Hyun as the main lead).
The series focuses upon seemingly “ model student” college-student Kim Hyeon-soo (Kim Soo-hyun). In an effort to apparently gain popularity Hyeon-Soo decided to hook up one night with Hong Kook-Hwa ( Hwang Se-on); a mysterious yet beguiling troublemaker. However Hyeon-Su’s fantastical night is cut short as he wakes up to a horrifying sight. Seemingly framed for a crime he didn’t commit, few seem to believe his plea for innocence- apart from gruff lawyer Shin Joon-Han ( Cha Seung-won). Alongside soft-spoken novice lawyer Seo Soo Jin ( Lee Seol), Joon-Han is determined to prove Hyeon-Su’s innocence yet as further problems arise in the case, the true question of justice begins to become more clouded along the way…
‘ One Ordinary Day’ delivers anything but mundanity for viewers - its heavy-going and macabre themes upon murder, crime, prison, corruption and injustice will likely not appeal to everyone. Whilst the first episode admittedly offers viewers a fast-paced and adrenal-infused episode, the latter episodes do hit a slight rut at times of struggling to maintain the same alacrity. ( Admittedly whilst some of these scenes were necessary for slowing down and building -up setups and characters, they’d sometimes disengage episodes from keeping viewers captivated by moving at a quicker pace.)
Casting top-actors in a lesser-known and more mature production can always be a gamble for both the actor as well as the company. However Kim Soo Hyun does not disappoint bringing forth a gut-wrenching performance as the main lead . Hyun-Soo is the ultimate enigma for viewers- a bright student and seemingly a kindhearted son, but his myriad of reckless decision-making causes him to start his hellish journey throughout the series. Naturally whilst the storyline never wanted to give too much away about Hyun-Soo’s ultimate final verdict , there were admittedly moments in the series surrounding Hyun-Soo which felt as though they could’ve been shown in more intrinsic depth. ( Including further insight into his relationship with his parents , his experiences with peers during his younger years ,Hyun-Soo’s college life as well as about his fight for survival in prison.)Even if the drama had offered these some of these moments as merely “Red Herrings” it could’ve allowed for more opportunities to have seen a multilayered onset for Hyun Soo as a character.
Alongside Kim Soo Hyun is costar Cha Seung Won who played the role of the unkempt lawyer with an air of rugged charm. Yet admittedly whilst there were intriguing elements to Seung Won as a written-character, the deuteragonist could often lack some greater and definitive focus on his backstory. Of course this isn’t to say that Shin Joong Han is a poorly-written character by any stretch of the imagination; the male lead is far from being a perceived as an impeccable guardian angel and instead nearly plays devil’s advocate in the courtroom - he has his own demons to deal with, personal motives for taking on his clientele for and is widely dismissed by the inner-circle of judges and prosecutor as being “ third-rate”. However the storyline could’ve admittedly been smoothed down more if the drama had given opportunities to understand more about his past.
Combined together with the vivid cinematographer of Lee Myung-Woo of vivid neon night shots against the mundanity of the court room , ‘ One Ordinary Day’ becomes a suspenseful reverse-psychology series where versatile themes surrounding corruption, drugs and abuse were played carefully with the murky lightning of flashbacks presented a moody and unsettling atmosphere against the lucid mundanity of tension. Inter played when necessary with the spine-tingling OST, ‘ One Ordinary Day’ was surprisingly masterful when it came to delivering some of its impactful scenes for viewers.
Naturally this brings us onto one of the greatest downfalls for ‘ One Ordinary Day’; the ending. Naturally the ending wasn’t inherently rushed with a notably slow-paced speed weighing down a major proportion of the final episodes in order to build-up towards the finale. On the other hand whilst the ending is certainly surprising for viewers and did seem to present a powerful statement message towards the unstable corruption of the judicial system in South-Korea, it did admittedly feel slightly anticlimactic for viewers with certain original links and questions remaining unanswered even by the final episode.
Nevertheless whilst the series could sometimes struggle with attaining constant and steady pacing as well as shaping out certain subplots, ‘ One Ordinary Day’ was a fairly thrilling and gripping series which offered brilliant performances by our cast and especially Kim Soo-Hyun as well as Cha Seung Won. The ending was admittedly slightly unexpected and failed to wrap up some more quintessential loose ends for viewers, but did undeniably deliver the reminder for audiences that ‘ One Ordinary Day’ was harrowing within its portrayal of the judicial system.
Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet Home, Where The True Monsters Reside With Your Head...
In the gory dystopian Japanese classic Battle Royale (2000), the style of ‘ fighting until the last survivor’ has created a lasting legacy upon numerous western franchises ( consider movies like the Hunger Games and Saw) and video games as well, whilst series like the American graphic - novel based and Zombie show the Walking Dead (2010-) have established an interest in contemporary dystopian dramas and franchises. Yet, as dramas go, Sweet Home doesn’t entirely stand out at first amongst the multitude of ‘ race- for- survival’ - style movies and dramas out there.
Most webtoon readers will probably argue, however, that the one thing which the drama does do well in regards to divulging away from past dystopian tropes in a similar manner to the eponymous webtoon , is being able to maintain the archetype that the monsters aren’t created by some pandemic or freaky lab accident, but the human psyche’s repressed fears and desires. This is one of the main focuses of the show and one of the main obstacles for the main protagonist Hyun ( Song Kang) in order to confront ( both literally and metaphorically) his own demons over the course of the drama.
On the other hand, whilst it is important to respect both a webtoon and “ based-upon” drama as standalone productions in their own rights, it is undeniable with the great legacy of the original webtoon to notice where the drama fell short of expectations at times. ( With all due respect the drama did maintain some of the impactful themes of the original webtoon such as mental health, murder, smoking and violence).
The greatest of the show’s flaws came from character development and interaction throughout the series.
For those who don’t know, one of the critically-acclaimed features of the original webtoon ( sans the fighting scenes) was the ability to show how the numerous characters of the webtoon with different personalities, backgrounds and beliefs were able to develop bonds, alliances and friendships throughout the events of Sweet Home. That’s not to say that the drama didn’t achieve this at all. To some extent, we got to see this interaction en par with the webtoon through the first meeting of Hyun and Lee Eun Yoo ( Go Min- Si) in episode 1 and their interactions over the course of the drama, as well as the humanity of the most unlikely character, the gangster Pyeon Sang-wook ( Lee Jin Wook) through his heart-rendering backstory in later episodes. Apart from this, there seemed to be little dedication in scenes to actually focus upon other and more intimate character interactions.
Yet whilst the show arguably does not have the time to cram in 142 chapters of character interactions into 10 episodes alone, there were still endless opportunities to explore and humanise other important characters in the drama in order to make their backstories and their events such as Yoon Ji- Soo ( Park Kyu-Young) and Jung Jae Hyeon ( Kim Nah Hee) more impactful by allowing them to grown upon viewers.
This ironically moves us onto the second problem of the drama; the CGI effects of the monsters.
As it happens there was something more sinister in some regards to the effects of Hyun’s eyes turning demonically- black in scenes than the bloodshot appearance in the webtoon, and the nightmarish forms of the “ Half- Headed” and “ Protein” Monsters will certainly leave goosebumps for viewers afterwards. What is hard to understand, however, is how lazy the CGI could be at times within this show, with several scenes such as the “ Seoul Apocalypse” appearing more like a 2000s cheap horror movie than a drama released this year. It seemed only adding to this effect was the single shot style frame typically employed for romance dramas which felt oddly out of a place in a horror drama where inventive styles ( even slow-motion) or the feeling of distortion ( which have been employed to portray Hyun’s nightmares) would have been better suited for theme of Sweet Home.Additionally one of the biggest of the drama had to be the OST. Whilst hearing Imagine Dragon’s Warriors during a fight scene or the ironic energetic K-Hip Hop artist BeWhy did add a level of pacing to the ending, it soon became repetitive and lost impact to hear these songs again and again without a change of pace. For a drama which has a main character as a musician, there was so much wasted potential to not have a wider range of genres, styles and (respectfully )more Korean and international mainstream and indie artists throughout the show.
Perhaps Sweet Home’s one saving grace had to be its varied and brilliant cast. By far several of the best casting choices of the show had to be between choosing Lee Jin Wook as a gruff gangster, Go Min- Si as a foul-mouthed teenager with a surprising streak of kindness and of course casting Kim Sang Ho as Han Du- Sik , the much needed comical relief of the drama.
Yet the casting choices of our main leads were by far the most surprising. Knowing that Song Kang( who played one of the cheerful leads in the romance hit-drama Love Alarm ) would be cast to play the suicidal and angst-ridden teen Hyun, seems a strange fact to grasp with for most viewers, yet, Kang’s portrayal added a surprisingly level of humanity to the irony of playing a character fighting for that very sake. In a similar manner, Lee Do Hyun was fairly unrecognisable in a guise of glasses and a more mature role as Lee- Eun Hyuk than a certain “ Ahjussi teenager “ in the romance- comedy 18 Again , yet like his costar, Do- Hyun was fairly good in the drama.
Overall, Sweet Home has certainly been one of the better dramas of 2020 with a fairly good and original concept ( although it does fall down on several factors), difficult themes (such as murder and suicide) being tackled in an appropriate manner and a stellar and diverse cast. My only other complaint is with the ending already trying to build its way to another season ( or leave on a “ dramatic” cliffhanger) and therefore consequently trying to stray away from the original storyline. Apart from this ( as we are still yet to see if there is another season or not) , Sweet Home ( although not flawless) is definitely worth a watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
An Easily Forgettable Show...
A collection of short series revolving around the mysterious and unexplained, the show had undeniable potential to be an original and chilling ensemble of horror tales. Instead, we got Goedam. A show filled with repetitive storylines, gore horror cliches and lacking characterisation. To put in more simple words, Goedam is the sort of show which you can watch in a short space of time, and easily forget about anything in the show, the day afterwards.
Yes, I’m not forgetting that the episodes did average upon less than 10 mins in length. As a consequence ,it was clear from the -get go that the episodes weren’t going to be in -depth stories about the traumas of the human soul . There is still a lot a story writer can do , however, in a short drama regardless of genre ( whilst not a personal favourite , note Bing Goo, as an example of a “short drama” with a creative and controlled flare)
without falling short upon generic cliches and story archetypes as shown as Goedam.
For a horror drama, there was nothing which delivered a particularly spine-tingling aftermath for viewers. It became apparent that the show relied lethargically upon the gore and body horror trope for virtually every ending resulting in a death or a blood bath for the character/ victim of the episode. Besides only a couple of episodes scratching the surface of Asian horror, it would have been more entertaining as a viewer, to have seen a more episodes focusing upon elements of traditional Korean horror or at least varied tales, urban legends and creatures for a reflection of a more sinister and memorable Horror show.
Was this review helpful to you?
Did Love Alarm Season 2 Ring Another “ Alarm” Bell For Bad Story-writing?
With a nearly two year gap between season 1 and 2, an additional director Kim Jin Woo onboard, anticipation from drama fans about the fate of Jo Jo ( Kim So Hyun)’s love life, and high expectations about the overall production value , it may surprise a lot of reviewers scrolling through some of the top reviews, how many fans have scored the drama with adequate ratings. Some of these comments tend to argue along the same ineffable and biased notions that it was a “ bad ending” and “ not as good as season 1”, however, how does the story actually play out through an objective criticism in terms of characterisation, coherency and storyline in season 2?
“ Love Alarm Season 2” picks itself up during the initial time-skip of season 1, with previously “ high school” characters now ensuing careers or studies; Jo Jo is a university major, her current “ complicated ” boyfriend Lee Hye Young ( Jung Ga Ram) works as a technician at JoAlarm ( the development company for “ Love Alarm”) and former flame Hwang Sun Oh ( Song Kang) is becoming a famous national model and endorser for the app, however, Jo Jo has been hiding a secret about her app that allowed her to cut off the signal in order to inhibit her true feelings from Hye Young and Sun Oh . With the desire to reveal her feelings again, Jo Jo decides to pursue the mysterious Brian Cheon in order to unlock this feature.
Before addressing anything about the show, it is probably most prominent to point out the confusing chronology at times within the opening of season 2, by not initially “ leaving” off from the cliffhanger of season 1. Although it is understandable that a wide gap between seasons could have left viewers a little cloudy upon events and thus starting on a different storyline wasn’t “ too illogical”, it was a little head-scratching that screenwriters Lee Ah Yeon and Lee Na Jung didn’t attempt to even address or explain this suddenly “ different” storyline from season 1’s ending. This naturally left a massive hole within story development, not least for our main trio and their previously poorly-tackled characterisation from the past season.
Kim So Hyun wasn’t entirely “ unwatchable ” within her role as Jo Jo, but her performance did feel a little lacklustre due to general line deliverances. In terms of Jo Jo’s character development, there were a couple of more notable traits for Jo Jo than her season 1 counterpart , by actually acting out upon her emotions rather than remaining “ obliviously unaware” as well as a fairly traumatic backstory. On the other hand, Jo Jo still failed from breaking her initial mould as the “ prosaic heroine” of the series due to the same ridiculously staid personality traits imposed onto the character by screenwriters Lee Ah Yeon and Lee Na Jung.
The most evident example of this being Jo Jo’s “ complicated” feelings between Hye-Yeong and Sun Oh, which whilst evidently used to “ heighten” the tension of Jo Jo’s love life, still seemed fairly cruel by Jo Jo’s similar indecisiveness as the first season at times, by not forthright addressing her affections rather than leading on both male leads in such an immature manner . ( This is advocated by a later plot development which proves Jo Jo’s true nature.)
It is important to address this factor of immaturity, due to the evident age difference from different seasons often allowing a character to develop and mature as a consequence of their experiences. Instead, Jo Jo seemed to make the same mistakes as her past self by making ridiculously stupid decisions questioning how on earth she lived so long, let alone pass her exams to get into university. This is exemplified in an early scene of the series when she is working at the convenience store and hears a love alarm go off and her stalker’s uncomfortable actions towards her, Jo Jo’s first thought is to walk home by herself, talk to her stalker and then proceed to run away without thinking to call the police or at least her friend Mon Soon ( Bae Da Bin) in order to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again. Whilst this scene was used to “ drive tension”, it did seem to gloss over the uglier possibility of what could have happened to Jo Jo as a consequence of her stupidity in reality as well as the more “ romanticised” tones of emotional and physical abuse appearing in the series.
This naturally draws us onto the biggest elephant in the room since season 1, the “continuously brooding” ( and “ preferred” love interest by many devoted fans of the series ) Sun Oh. Similar to his costar, Song Kang is a fairly good actor, however, his performance consisted mainly between stoic, constipated expressions and furious yelling for a major proportion of the series.
Arguably there were some better insights than season 1 into Sun Oh’s fairly estranged relationship with his mother Jung Mi Mi ( Song Sun Mi) and his unhappy family life, however, rather than screenwriters allowing this to gradually mature or allow Sun Oh to develop from his inferiority complex in season one, his personality is still written off as fractious, immature and egotistical within his portrayal in season 2 by often storming off, breaking things and hurting others in the procedure. In particular, this is seen through how Sun Oh interacts emotionlessly his “ girlfriend” Yook Jo ( Kim Shi Eun) and often manipulating her overt feelings towards him, as well as his interactions with Jo Jo.
With his unrequited love towards Jo Jo since high school becomes the main highlight of their “ possible pairing” for many fans and whilst it is understandable why Sun Oh felt anger or upset towards Jo Jo not replicating her feelings, it does not excuse some of his terrible actions towards our female lead. Sun Oh’s actions of publicly embarrassing Jo Jo in front or her classmates , kissing her without permission whilst she is respectfully dating Hye-Hyeong and then throwing another temper tantrum by flaring up in Hye Hyeong’s face without accepting or apologising for his mistakes , made him an incredibly difficult individual to truly romantically pair with Jo Jo by his lack of respect towards her feelings ( and his former best friend Hye Young).
This naturally draws us to the lovelorn Lee Hye Young, who viewers are made aware early on in the series that he is aware of Jo Jo’s ambiguous feelings towards him in their relationship , yet nevertheless does not force or implicate Jo Jo to give him an answer. Whilst Hye Young remained the most respectful towards Jo Jo as an individual and as a love interest, his obsequious beliefs that “ one day she will love me too” seemed a little questionable towards Hye-Young’s fairly hot pursuit of his own feelings towards Jo Jo in in season 1. Consequently, the introduced relationship between the two characters felt more “ obliged” in order to keep the “ storyline moving ”, than intricately complicated as it should have been with Jo Jo’s feelings. In addition to this, there still remained many unanswered questions towards how Hye-Young landed a job at the company as well as more realistic insight into his qualifications at work whilst presumably not in full-education.
Perhaps the one actual interesting element of the second season remained within the mysterious appearance of Brian Cheon ( Ki Do Hoon) who makes the characters ( most notably Jo Jo) wonder if he is actually their “ dead” classmate and seemingly former developer Duk Gu. Whilst this is an overarching storyline in parts of the episode, the ending result felt incredibly letdown and lacklustre by lacking development or screen time as well as wider development for second female lead Park Gul Mi( Go Min Si), rather than in favour of the heroine’s questionable romantic pairings.
As a consequence, the pacing of the show felt oddly imbalanced between moments of genuine interesting development, and dragging scenes of puppy dog eyes by Hye Young and Sun Oh towards Jo Jo from a distance creating many notable plot inconsistencies . The ending of the series was more a matter of opinion that particularly “ bad” or “ good”. Diehard fans who haven’t really acknowledged the direction of the plot, may feel disappointment, yet whilst still undeniably half-baked in comparison to the initial premise introduced in the show back in season 1, it was not an entirely “dire ending” for the show as well .
Ultimately, “ Love Alarm Season 2” did initiate more mature themes and backstories behind our characters, however, lacking character development, inconsistencies, a coherent and riveting plot line in a fictionalised reality and rushed development in parts, made the second season feel more like a surreal dream phase, than a coherent and complete finale for “ Love Alarm”.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Drama Which Certainly Doesn’t Have A “ Shining” Charm…
‘ Shining Like You’ is one of those dramas which upon paper sounds brilliant. It isn’t particularly original concept of “female lead goes to art school behind her parents’ back” and the “potentially handsome love interests” but there was still a lot of unlimited ground to explore messages, character growth and social themes. However the end result of ‘ Shining Like You’ is a mixed bag of wasted screenwriting and character writing potential with poor-editing and a discordant buildup.
On a positive note the acting is decent enough ( aside from a few questionable line deliverances) and the drama is a fairly lighthearted watch. The premise isn’t overly complex and follows typically obsequious lead Lu Qi Yi ( Wang Xi Xuan) rebelling against the wishes of her parents to attend a course in foreign languages at university by instead enrolling in arts school. However due to her more timid nature Qi Yi soon finds herself an outcast by struggling to fit in amongst the more expressive and extroverted personalities on campus. After an initial awkward meeting Qi Yi soon attracts the attention of outgoing and popular art student Fang Yan ( Simon Gong).
So if the concept and the acting aren’t the drama’s major problems then what exactly lets down ‘ Shining Like You’? Ultimately the downfall for the show can be found through two main factors; character writing (one of the drama’s major cataclysmic letdowns) and of course plot coherency. To address the former issue it is important to establish that plot coherency is crucial within dramas for viewers to make sense often of a storyline or setup . Of course sometimes screenwriters can purposefully make plot coherency more enigmatic for viewers with the intention of reflecting themes or messages ( dependent on the plot or storyline ). However , in “ typical” romance dramas such as ‘ Shining Like You’’s plot coherency is nearly always quintessential to helping viewers root for certain characters, understand developments of relationships and keep us intrigued with events that are soon to follow .
Naturally ‘ Shining Like You’ isn’t devoid of a basic plot but its descent can be found as a consequence of a mismatched narrative and timeline as a consequence of sporadic subplots , arbitrary jump scenes and disjointed patchy editing. As a consequence a quintessential moment could suddenly be skipped by a sketch scene or an arbitrary moment, which became confusing for casual and devoted watchers alike to keep up.
This brings us onto the second dilemma of ‘ Shining Like You’; the characters. One of the biggest elephants in the room is evidently our female lead Qi Yi. Our main female lead is the epitome of a carte blanche female lead. She’s used by the screenwriter to move the plot along when necessary but she rarely has more definitive characteristics or traits to make her feel sentient. For example considering that it was one of the major focal points of the entire drama, there’s little explanation or depth given to her her goals or raison d’être for applying to the arts school in the first place . Arguably she does make a quick passing comment towards “chasing her dreams” yet it’s hard to really understand or relate to Qi Yi’s drive or exact motives for hiding her attendance from her parents, when the drama has rarely delved beyond the surface of her goals, past or exact motivations.
There’s naturally a big dilemma with the female lead’s “ personality” also. Qi Yi is intentionally supposed to be an “ introvert” but it often felt as though the series was never sure how to present her entire character persona. Introverted main characters can often be tackled in versatile ways by screenwriters from being simply “reserved” to “antisocial”, but opportunities for characters to grow, develop (or at least be explored in more depth) are often key to shaping out an introverted main character as an individual.
To some extent ‘ Shining Like You’ desperately tried to do this with Qi Yi and her “ difficultly to fit in” and “ reserved nature”. She’s supposed to be “shy and sweet” but it was hard to truly feel as though our female lead was seemingly struggling or suffering as a consequence of her personality. Qi Yi was often surrounded by allies or at least close acquaintances and therefore never really felt on the “ edge” of social exclusion ( as the series was desperately trying to make out in the beginning ), she was never really singled-out or excluded particularly by a greater majority of her peers( sans the cliche “ bully group” who picked upon more than just Qi Yi) and when she did exhibit “ antisocial” moments during the series her attitude was often petulant and childlike rather than moody or aggressive. Whilst the drama does try to offer a turn around by Qi Yi suddenly becoming “ prettier and more outgoing” , this was often ineffably unexplained.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad if the series had offered that Qi Yi’s immaturity at times was a byproduct of the way her parents have treated her or her upbringing . However instead of at least giving Qi Yi time to mature or explore her feelings, the female lead was treated in a similar manner to a rag doll ; an object of affection for the male leads , whilst happily obliging to having her emotions torn apart by not just her potential love interests, but not putting her foot down against a fake friend in plain sight also.
This also brings us naturally onto the discussion of side characters in the drama. On one note the show does really shine through at times with how more unlikely characters have difficult pasts or can prove themselves to be true friends in time of need. However like a lot of cliche romance dramas ‘ Shine Like You’ and the dreaded “ best friends formula” is torn apart from “ friends to enemies” with the creme de la creme of cliches; “the dreaded love triangle”.
This brings us onto one of the biggest flaws of the drama between the actual lacklustre romantic series between Qi Yi and Fang Yan. Respectfully the chemistry between Wang Xi Xuan and Simon Gong is hardly passionate, but it is not where the major flaw of the series lies .
Whilst trope-worthy, screenwriters and directors can often strike gold by using time and scenes to allow characters to know one another or feel conflicted with their feelings. In ‘ Shining Like You’ it’s hard to really define one particular moment where these two characters really develop their relationship beyond being classmates or having early impressions of one another. There’s the evident side argument about their gradual feelings and helping one another out when it was necessary for the exposition, but this rarely allowed for more definitive writing opportunities.
Consequently it was bitterly ironic that it is was easier to root for who we were supposed to “ dislike” (as viewers), second male lead Du Ang ( Zhou Cheng Ao) , as he had more initial interactions and chemistry with the female lead. Of course rather than using this as an opportunity for the series to allow the male lead to come to terms with his own feelings or develop interactions between the main love interests, the drama enjoys using this time to make Fang Yan the typical “ moody, short-tempered and jealous potential love interest”. The ending consequently felt disappointing by failing to wrap up some major plot points.
So what is the ultimate takeaway from ‘ Shining Like You’ and is it actually worth watching? ‘ Shining Like You’ tries hard to create a “ lovely and cutesy love story” between our main leads. To an extent the series flourishes with satisfactory performances by our main cast and some more insightful side characters having their own backgrounds and pasts. On the other hand the series has a patchwork approach to storytelling and narrative with a feeling of discordant coherency between characters and the actual storyline. Slow pacing and sporadic plot jumps lead to poor and lacklustre character building and interactions between our main leads. Ultimately whilst ‘ Shining Like You’ might not make a bad binge-watch drama, there are certainly more entertaining, well-written, engaging and classic love stories in dramas to watch than this one.
Was this review helpful to you?
The Nine-Tailed Fox Tale With A Romantic Twist…
Admittedly whilst the quality of these fantasy dramas are often variable upon screenwriting ,‘ My Roommate Is A Gumiho’ surprisingly hits most of the marks by portraying well-rounded characters, strong chemistry between the main leads and an intriguing premise which felt enjoyable and surprisingly heartfelt for viewers.
Taken from the eponymous webcomic and adapted by screenwriters Baek Sun Woo and Choi Bo Rim , " My Roommate Is A Gumiho” revolves around Shin Woo Yeo( Jung Ki Yong)- an ancient nine-tailed fox ( Gumiho) who yearns to be human. Woo Yeo must turn his fox bead marble blue before reaching his 999th year, otherwise he will never be able to attain this possibility of becoming mortal . However, nothing ever runs smoothly for supernatural beings in K-dramas. When young and feisty university student Lee Dam (Hyeri) swallows his bead, Woo Yeo soon finds himself battling between his desires and a new obstacle of affections for Lee Dam…
Starting off his performance on a slightly lacklustre note, Jang Ki Young soon proved his talents to animate the sagacious and mysterious onscreen persona as Shin Woo Yeo to life through his surprisingly heart-rendering scenes of Woo Yeo’s complex past and sweet interactions with Lee Dam.
It is surprising how underrated Lee Hyeri’s acting talents are by truly delivering a resonant performance as headstrong Lee Dam. Lee Dam ( as a character) is arguably an evidently "down-to-earth heroine" than a lot of K-drama female leads out there- deadpan expressions, shamelessly honest comments and straightforward priorities ( not least the fact that she was more worried about not being able to eat fried chicken again with the bead) helping to epitomise this.
However to be more brutally honest with Lee Dam’s characterisation, it was evident to see some nuanced problems here also. This didn’t mean her sentience as a character was non-existent. Early on in the series, Lee Dam established she was no pushover when calling out the sexist remarks of second male lead Gye Sun Woo ( Bae In Hyuk)’s friendship group upon her body. She comments defiantly that she is a human being; ” not an object" in a moment which truly brought forward the taboo issue of misogyny in South-Korea . ( Kudos as well for screenwriters Baek Sun Woo and Choi Bo Rim for having addressed this issues overtly than burying them under the carpet also.)
In addition to this the screenwriters also used the opportunity to explore more with her interactions outside of romances alone, with her two best friends; Do Jae Jin( Kim Do Wan) and Choi Soo Kyung( Park Kyung Hye) . The " best friends" archetype in K-dramas is often used to present “animosity”( either through love triangles, lies or relationships) or as “unnecessary” ( they are used to fill-in time or for comical relief). At times, the duo were manipulated into both roles in order to heighten drama, however, they was something oddly sweet here ; they genuinely cared about Lee Dam.
However, the biggest problem occurred sometimes in between this development of " comical" and " serious" Lee Dam scenes, there was a opportunity to use this time to sketch-out more about Lee Dam’s sense of identity . Admittedly , this also fuelled more tedious interactions between our main leads in the beginning as we had little to truly grasp ( as viewers) about their characters.
Arguably, however, it this was necessary to foreground who are characters were as individuals and to get to know one another first. This seemed to remain evident in later episodes with a more fortified pairing feeling refreshing, gradual and healthy-both for the characters, and the logic of the plot without having to define Woo Yeo merely as the ‘ supernatural and inhuman’ character of the series for angst and tension. Although some viewers have risen red flags about the “ improper” relationship between Woo Yeo and Lee Dam’s addressed name to him ( “ Elder/ Sir”) in Korean, there was undeniably something well-matched about the chemistry between these two characters. The storyline could’ve presented Woo Yeo as a “ callous” or “ disruptive” towards Lee Dam, but the male lead was fairly respectful towards our female lead and likewise with Lee Dam towards Woo Yeo. Their relationship was undeniably slow-burning but built upon gradual mutual respect and symbiotic feelings, rather than the stereotypical causes which often reduced the main pairing in fantasy dramas being there “ for the sake of plot”.
The supporting leads were in a similar boat. Second female lead Yang Hye Sun ( Kang Ha Na) was an absolute delight with her wholesome friendship with our male main lead . There was initial fear that perhaps Hye Sun would go down the stereotypical ” female animosity” route due to her close-knit relationship with Woo Yeo ( due to her established " vixen-style and mischievous ”personality). However, thankfully the show allowed Hye Sun to steer clear of this route. Instead Hye Sun is paired together with an unusual side character which you won’t see coming . Now, without spoilers ( to either the drama or the webtoon), there is a particular reason why the storyline paired these two polar opposites together, however, first-time viewers will possibly feel disconcerted with this pairing choice due to the more ” comical" approach taken on at first. (Although admittedly there are some surprisingly heartfelt moments between these two also.)
Our second male lead Gye Sun Woo ( Bae In Hyuk) was a little bit of a curve ball. Bae In Hyuk was undeniably delightful as our main lead. However although the series did attempt to present Sun Woo as the “ forlorn lover with unrequited feelings” towards Lee Dam, lacking character growth and missed opportunities to use Sun Woo’s egotism in order to explore more about his backstory, truly derived from the screenwriters’ intended desire of presenting him as this sentient individual rather than merely a story writing trope.
On a more positive note the ending was fairly well-matched for the series and did leave a sense of completion towards the overall events of the drama.
So aside from the seeming abundance of high ratings for this series giving it “10/10”, is “ My Roommate Is A Gumiho” actually that good? Well, the drama undeniably has its flaws in parts. Whilst it hits the mark with good acting, prominent messages and brilliant relationship chemistry between our leads, the fresh spins upon tropes are sometimes mismatched against more tiresome cliches particularly with later storyline developments, slower pacing in parts and evidently the character development of Sun Woo. On the other hand, “ My Roommate Is A Gumiho” was an entertaining watch with chemistry which sparked alive onscreen and will definitely win the heart of any avid romance fan.
Was this review helpful to you?
‘ Business Proposal’; The Revamped Rom-Com Formula With A Few Tricks Up Its Sleeve…
It is likely that most K-drama viewers can agree that the late 2000s to early 2010s was an era in the world of K-dramas predominated by melodrama and angst . Indeed for better or for worse, ‘ Business Proposal’ attempted to capture that in its rom-com formula.
‘ Business Proposal’ focuses upon Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-Jeong- ‘ School 2017’, ‘ I Wanna Hear Your Song’ and ‘ Uncanny Counter’), a relatively new researcher at one of South-Korea’s top conglomerate enterprises, GO Food. Ha-Ri has always had an unrequited crush on Lee Min-Woo( Song Won-seok- ‘ Swan’, ‘ Switch’ and ‘ Never Twice’), a close friend since their university days. However after having her heart broken once again by Min-Woo, Ha-Ri soon begins to reevaluate her feelings.
Meanwhile Ha-Ri’s best friend and chaebol heiress Jin Young Seo ( Seol In Ah- ‘ Sunny Again Tomorrow’, ‘ Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life’ and ‘ Mr Queen’) discovers that she will soon be forced to go on a romantic date with a rich CEO’s son, much to her displeasure.Asking Ha-Ri to take her place, Ha-Ri agrees to do so in order to pay off a family debt.
When Ha-Ri shows up as Jin Young Seo, she soon discovers that her “date” is with the president of her company, Kang Tae Mu ( Ahn Hyo Seop- ‘ My Father Is Strange’, ‘ Thirty But Seventeen’ and ‘ Dr Romantic 2’).
Kang Tae-Mu is a straight-laced and career-orientated individual, even being labelled by his grandfather and founder of GO Food, Kang Da Goo( Lee Deok Hwa- ‘ Age Of Warriors’, ‘ Suspicious Partner’ and ‘ Hit The Top’), as a “workaholic”. ( Especially after the incident surrounding his inauguration ceremony.)
The “first date” is calamitous for Ha-Ri but unbeknownst to her, Tae-Mu has felt differently. Confiding in his chief of staff , Cha Sung-hoon (Kim Min-Gue-‘ Romance Special Law’, ‘ Perfume’ and ‘ Snowdrop’) that he will marry “ Jin Young Seo” ( aka Ha-Ri) in order to keep his grandfather off his back, Ha-Ri’s ordinary life is soon filled with an assortment of complicated and sticky misunderstandings.
‘ A Business Proposal’ is based on the lighthearted rom-com webtoon, ‘The Office Blind Date’ ( ‘사내 맞선’) by Hae-Hwa. Adapted to the small screen by screenwriters Han Sul Hee ( ‘ Ugly Miss Ae’, ‘ A Love Story’) and Han Bo Hee ( ‘ High Kicked!: The Revenge Of The Short Legged’ and ‘ Standby’), “ will likely appease and dissatisfy viewers of equal measure.
Of course, it is important to specify that ‘ A Business Proposal’ is supposed to encapsulate a certain “easygoing nostalgia” from rom-coms. For the most part ‘ A Business Proposal’ did possess a lighthearted, easygoing and fluffy edge; occasionally tipping into angst-ridden melodrama in order to “spice up” certain events of the narrative and keep viewers intrigued . ( This was particularly apparent with the “clandestine ” events surrounding the main leads’ relationship as well as lingering questions throughout the narrative surrounding the traumatic past of main male lead Kang Tae Mu.)
It is important to point out that the main leads in the series played by Kim Se Jeong and Ahn Hyo Seop were fairly delightful. Indeed despite some strained initial interactions onscreen, Se Jeong and Hyo Seop possessed a surprisingly easygoing chemistry as the series progressed between their onscreen personas.
However their onscreen roles Shin Ha-Ri and Kang Tae-Mu were admittedly not without their writing flaws. As a female lead and the main heroine of the series , Ha-Ri was established to be the “ hardworking” archetype. On the other hand, it is hard to ignore that while Ha-Ri does continue to maintain her hardworking ethos alongside her complicated feelings for Tae-Mu, she could sometimes be passive with her reactions and actions in the events of the series. ( This became apparent at times by Ha-Ri being “ beckoned by the calling of plot dilemmas” rather than character growth.)
For example one of the most noticeable problems of the drama arose from Ha-Ri’s personal drive and motives. Although it is arguable that Ha-Ri may have done so as a consequence from direct and indirect influences by her parents ( although the same cannot be said particularly for her brother per say) , it was hard to truly define or highlight exact causes given by Ha-Ri for entering this profession as a food researcher with sincerity. (Although this may seem like a nuanced and minor background point, it could’ve easily allowed Ha-Ri’s character to possess more definitive edges.) Instead Ha-Ri was often subjugated to the role as the “ thinker”; a brilliant idealist with a multitude of possible projects and new ideas for the company . However even as viewers, we rarely saw some of these ideas being taken further by Ha-Ri chasing her own dreams , or at least attempts by the female lead to become more ambitious with her imagination. ( Of course this may seem like a nitpicked detail but it seemed odd that the narrative would often highlighted Ha-Ri’s dexterous talents as a food researcher and her possible ideas but rarely pushed forward for it to the synchronic with the female lead’s character growth and development.)
Of course, this naturally brings up the discussion surrounding Tae-Mu and Ha-Ri’s relationship throughout the drama. Although as mentioned previously the onscreen chemistry between Kim Se Jeong and Ahn Hyo Seop is surprisingly dynamic, there is admittedly a lot to discuss surrounding their onscreen personas’ relationship.
Perhaps the most evident point of discussion and initial debate around Ha-Ri and Tae-Mu’s relationship can be sourced from one of the trope-induced setups of the series; “the contractural relationship”.
Admittedly Ha-Ri and Tae-Mu have both consented to the relationship and for different reasons. ( Ha-Ri’s motives being sourced for money to help pay off a debt while Tae-Mu’s causes can be found in order to appease his grandfather.) On the other hand it is hard to ignore that the initial treatment by Tae-Mu towards Ha-Ri as merely being a “ cause to an end” for his troubles ( and vice versa to an extent with Ha-Ri) as well as even offering money to Ha-Ri as an incentive to keep his grandfather off his back, could feel as though it was problematic by the narrative rarely pointing this out as a serious issue of discussion.
Of course it would be wrong to suggest that Tae-Mu and Ha-Ri doesn’t grow beyond the roles of the contractor and the contractee. As the series progresses and impassioned feelings grow for one another, the narrative relished within opportunities to highlight the obvious feelings of the “ lovelorn” main leads for one another. In later episodes of the narrative , this would often trigger an onset of misunderstandings and attempts by the main leads to “ cover up” their situations from work colleagues and family alike. Although the series did gradually present their potential onscreen relationship with more overt honesty ( especially with regards to Tae-Mu telling Ha-Ri about his traumatic past), this did often gloss over earlier issues of the series as a consequence. ( This was mainly due to the fact that Tae-Mu and Ha-Ri’s initial problems even for the effect of “ tension” such as Tae-Mu’s attempts to convince Ha-Ri with money, Ha-Ri’s reaction and fake guises as well as later treatment by Tae-Mu, were rarely brought up openly by the characters in order to acknowledge their mistakes and accept all of their faults as a point of further character growth .)
Under the creative leadership of screenwriters Han Sul Hee and Han Bo Hee, ‘ A Business Proposal’ offered viewers with a pacy narrative filled with the events surrounding the main storyline as well as several subplots in order to pad out the drama’s screen time .
Of course, thus isn’t a particularly unusual tactic used by screenwriters. However while this did offer opportunities for viewers to be intrigued and captivated by the events of the narrative, it could often enforce the classic dilemma of juggling a lot of different storylines. This could often lead to some of the minor counterplots of the series feeling rushed or somewhat anticlimactic by the ending of the series.
Perhaps one of the major subplots to discuss within ‘ A Business Proposal’ surrounds the potential onscreen relationship between second male leads, Jin Young Seo ( Ha-Ri’s best friend) and Cha Sung-Hoon ( Tae-Mu’s chief of staff). Young Seo and Sung-Hoon were characters who possessed less definitive storylines than the main leads.
Of course this isn’t particularly unusual per say in a drama but it seemed as though the series often moved away from initial inferences given by Young-Seo and Sung-Hoon’s character arcs to be explored in more depth. ( This can be particularly applied to Young Seo’s family situation and naivety rarely being brought up as a point of character growth, as well as Sung-Hoon’s own familial situation.) Of course Young Seo and Sung Hoon were supposed to play the roles of the “ assets” to the narrative and screen time . ( Although admittedly Young Seo was shown to make an executive decision with regards to her own dreams by the ending of the series, it was rarely given a concise buildup.)
Although Young Seo and Sung Hoon’s onscreen relationship was surprisingly sweet and offered lighthearted respite at times from the angst taking place in the main storyline, it could often feel rushed as a consequence of inconsistent screen time given to the secondary couple. In addition to Young Seo and Seung Hoon’s potential relationship being used as a major subplot, there were also minor focuses to draw out the narrative upon Ha-Ri’s workplace colleagues ( especially in order to highlight the potential onscreen chemistry and jovial animosity between her superior manager Yeo Eui Ju [Kim Hyun Sook] and team member Kevin [Im Ki Hong]), Tae-Mu’s grandfather and his fixation upon soaps and makjangs, Ha-Ri’s parents, Ha-Ri’s old crush Lee Min Woo and his initial jealousy towards Tae-Mu as well as Young Seo’s “ love rival” offered as comic relief, flamboyant and the eccentric Marine Group Director Jo Yoo Jung( Seo Hye Won).
Nevertheless it’s wrong to entirely digress ‘ A Business Proposal’ without acknowledging some of its impressive feats, specifically the directing leadership of Park Seon Ho ( ‘ Birth Of A Beauty’, ‘ Suspicious Partner’ and ‘ My Strange Hero’). Throughout episodes, ‘ A Business Proposal’ displayed some impressively mesmeric and creative touches; differing from minimalist palettes to vivid and slick editing cuts. Although these imaginative touches dwindled in later episodes and instead highlighted minimalist approaches to filming and palettes, it certainly offered an onset of aesthetic shots throughout the first-half of the series. ( One of the most memorable scenes coming from the narrative bringing to life the cover story for Ha-Ri and Tae-Mu’s “ initial encounter”; Ha-Ri imagining a monochrome and drizzly day in New York, before her entire being-quite literally- is brightened up by the sudden appearance of Tae-Mu and a canary yellow umbrella onscreen.)
For those intrigued about the accompanied soundtrack, ‘ A Business Proposal’’s OST is mainly comprised of an array of saccharine, upbeat and lovelorn ballads; some of which were admittedly generic and quick to disappear from memory. However, fast-paced tempo song ‘ You Are Mine’ by VICTON (빅톤), sweet vocal track ‘Love, Maybe’ (‘사랑인가 봐’) by SECRET NUMBER and ballad-style composition ‘ Melting’ by BAMBAM were particularly noteworthy tracks.
‘ A Business Proposal’ offered its audience with a nostalgic sweet and lighthearted topping of angst, cliches and romantic relationships throughout the duration of the series. Although ‘ A Business Proposal’ boasted an unoriginal plot premise with several writing flaws and tropes, the narrative did surprisingly offer several unexpected takes upon the setup, with decent onscreen chemistry between the main leads as well as imaginative takes upon filming and editing. Overall while ‘ A Business Proposal’ may not appease everyone with its niche dilemmas and plot premise, the series will offer a sugary and sickly sweet ride for anyone looking for an updated and lighthearted take upon old-school rom-coms. Overall, a decent binge-watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Where To Begin With One Of The Most Mixed-Reception Dramas Of 2021…
First of all before critiquing " Doom At Your Service"( " DAYS") , let’s address the biggest controversy surrounding the mixed-criticism by viewers . There is the vocal contingency of devoted watchers who loved the series , and then the critics who argue that the storyline was a complete " waste of time”. However, this leaves newcomers on one hanging question; is the show actually worth watching?
Let’s start on an issue which both defenders and critics of the show seem to agree upon ; the casting. Let’s be honest. If you’re a diehard K-drama fan, it’s likely that your immediate attraction to this drama happened to be A-listers Park-Bo Young, Seo In Guk and Lee-So Hyuk staring back at you through the screen. It’s undeniable that these big names don’t disappoint ; Bo Young flourished as our female lead Do In- Kyung, Seo In Guk offered a dynamic performance away from his typical boyish charm roles as Myul Mang, and Lee Soo Hyuk’s baritone-style voice was perfectly suited for delivering Cha Joo-Ik’s one-liners.( Even our supporting cast consisting of Kang Tae Oh [Lee Hyun Gyu],Shin Do Hyun [Na Ji Na],and Woo Hee Jin [Kang Soo Ja ] helped to add their own beguiling charms in the drama.)
So, why has an intriguing drama with a fairly star-studded cast, sparked so much mixed reception from watchers?Well, this problem ultimately boiled down to the screenwriting.
On an arguably positive note , ” Doom At Your Service” does certainly cast its net far by employing the common trope of " misfortunes" to present Dong-Kyung as an “appealing female lead”;an orphan with a fractious younger brother , despising her job and casting ill-fortune upon the world when she finally gives up all hope with her terminal-illness. This leads her to her fated meeting ( literally) with “Doom" ( aka. Myul Mang) and soon peculiar romantic sparks flare from here.
However, it soon becomes apparent in the drama that screenwriter Im Me Ah Ri fell victim to using cliches as a pillar of support for the storyline, rather than an asset. Ultimately this stunted the plot and character growth due to the screenwriter’s lackadaisical investment in these key areas of the drama. (For example, Dong Kyung’s illness was only used as a necessity for "tension" rather than to solidify her sentience as an individual. The series could have explored so much here with her impending fate, but instead brushed this over in order to invest more time upon the “ puppy dog eyes” between Dong Kyung and Myul Mang.)
Similarly this is case and point with our male lead Myul Mang. In between his tedious monologues with "So Nyeo Shin" ( Jeong Ji So), our male lead undeniably was intriguing; a a powerful deity-like being who struggles to comprehend human emotions, however , this is where we hit the biggest rut with his character also; his sudden change of heart in regards to his involvement with Dong Kyung.
Some devoted watchers of the drama argued this was " "beautiful" by the reversal of the male lead’s personality, whilst others just saw this as lazy screenwriting.For those unfamiliar with the plot ( and without decisive spoilers), Do-Kyung wants to make Myul Mang fall in love with her, Myul Mang toys with her affections by manipulating elements of her reality ( but soon comes round to ‘ feeling bad for her ’ after Nyeo Shin lends a hand), then Do-Kyung decides she is no longer interested in him, leading to a whole reversal of chasing after one another and repeat.
This isn’t to condemn the main pairing entirely. Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk had brilliant chemistry onscreen and there were certainly some fairly sweet moments between their characters .However their characters did sadly suffer as a consequence of this lacklustre character development which was particularly certified by the existence of the "contract".
Now, without decisive spoilers , it is pivotal to say that this " contract" played an important role in the exposition of the storyline . Yet whilst it was an intriguing premise, the " rules" surrounding this contract were often ineffably upturned by the actions of Myul Mang. Whilst a later storyline revelation did offer an adequate explanation , this reduced the " contract" to being nothing more than a plot MacGuffin; thrown in to add tension, but ultimately useless towards defining the lore of DAYS’ fictionalised world .
Of course, a storyline does not always have to contain a big battle with the " big bad" or an internal conflict for the hero, however, this is also where dramatic irony became prominent with ” DAYS”. The evident ending goal of " DAYS" ( without spoilers) surrounds the female lead making her final wish. Of course whilst this does become a major plot line throughout the drama, the series often dismissed this problem to play upon the separate idea of the ‘’ paring" of our main leads. ( Rather than interlinking the two more concisely.)
This isn’t to drag the entirety of the series down. There were certainly some enjoyable moments with Dong-Kyung’s brother Tak Seon Kyung ( Dawon), Dong Kyung’s doctor and client Jung Seung Jun ( Lee Seung Jun), the haughty teen writer '' Young Prince" ( Nam Da Reum), and the terminally-ill writer ‘’Dalgona’’ ( Oh Yeon Ah).
Even our second leads had some oddly sweet moments with tight-lipped Cha Joo Ik chasing the affections of our bubbly writer Na Ji Na. Until the love triangle with Ji Na’s former schoolmate Lee Hyun Gyu ( Kang Tae Oh)was introduced into the subplot .
This isn’t to say that their scenes were unwatchable . For the most part, these side characters had the potential to be very interesting. However, at times this made viewers fell as though they were watching very different storylines; a potentially intriguing modern fantasy drama, and then a cutesy slice of life romance show with a ” love triangle". These two plot lines rarely collided and when this did occur, lacking screen-time undeniably made the subplot feel sporadic and disconnected from the main storyline .
However, it’s impossible not to talk about subplot characters without bringing up the problem of "So Nyeo Shin". This character could have easily been one of the most intriguing elements to the drama . However, there were a couple of factors which let us down on this front; lacking character development and then the actress Jeong Ji So. Now, this isn’t to hate upon the actress. Respectfully, she has had a well-established career as a child actress and certainly does have charisma. On the other hand for this performance, Ji So was nearly literally reading her lines in monotone rather than adding something to her tone. Viewers should have felt as though they were watching a godlike being in a human guise , not just Ji So regurgitating her lines onscreen.
The finale of the drama could have admittedly gone down several routes ( and there was evident uncertainty over what would be the chosen ending) , however, the chosen ending wasn’t entirely bad per say, just lacklustre by failing to explain and wrap up some key story points.
So, is " Doom At Your Service" actually worth watching? This entirely depends on what you’re looking for . If you’re a fond fan of a drama with cliche romances , aesthetic cinematography and arbitrary philosophy , then you’ll absolutely appreciate this drama . However, those looking for a well-rounded and profoundly plot-driven drama with intriguing characters , then " Doom At Your Service" will certainly not fit the bill.
Was this review helpful to you?
The Hong Sisters Have Finally Returned To Wonderland..
For most watchers first looking over the drama, Yeo Jin Goo ( Hwayi; A Monster Boy and Moon Embracing The Sun) would seem to be one to steal the show from his legendary roles in numerous dramas and movies , yet, instead, it is IU ( My Mister and The Producers) ‘s role as the angel-faced yet foul-mouthed owner of the hotel, Jang Man- Wol who instead quickly steals the show from Jin Goo in her glamorous frocks.
From inspired attires straight out of Daphne Du Maurier’s gothic modern romance tale , Rebecca ( 1938), to Katherine Hepburn’s little black dress in a favourite film of the Hong Sisters, Breakfast At Tiffany’s ( 1961), IU
truly embodies the mature and complex core of a cynical female lead who is shaped by her own experiences and choices rather than merely love itself.
Yet whilst the casting of the show is fairly diverse with fellow Kpop costar P.O being cast as the giddy hotel receptionist and Bae Hae- Sun as the strict housekeeper of the hotel, some of the roles within the show (especially the storywriting ) felt slightly lacklustre in comparison. ( Particularly P.O and Kang Mi- Na’s romance as their respected characters, which did have some bittersweet moments in particular to P.O’s character, but Mi Na’s character Soo- Jung had little relatability despite her tragic circumstances).
Admittedly this isn’t entirely the fault of the actors as one noticeable flaw which arose in the drama was how the Hong Sisters had added little complexity or emotional value in regards to the respected storylines of some of the other characters (excluding Man Wol of course). The biggest example of this arose with Jin Goo’s character, Gu Chan-Sung.
Man Wol was supposed to be the fiery ‘Yang’ to Chan Sung’s level- headed ‘ Ying’ personality within their relationship, there was little to actually express or delve into Gu Chan- Sung apart from the evident plot roles. His father dies several years presumably after his first scene in a flashback in the show , yet Chan- Sung neither really expresses anguish nor heartbreak at this fact. Whilst there is the arguable emphasis that Chan-Sung is too rational to break down over these matters, this is greatly contradicted within the scene when Chan- Sung simply loses his composure at a bus stop over thoughts of Man- Wol. Undeniably a heartbreaking scene and a moment of brilliant acting from Goo, this scene just doesn’t entirely add with the intended composure of Chan Sung who in several episodes prior, who didn’t bat an eyelid to the return of his mother as a ghost.
This also moves us onto the other problem of Hotel Del Luna; how the storyline played out. Ironically, Hotel Del Luna’s biggest problem wasn’t trying to adhere to the typical cliches, but instead trying to overcome them at the last minute. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with a drama doing this, however, where the evident flaw lies for Hotel Del Luna is that rather than only doing this a couple of times to mark a red herring by diverting the audience’s attention ( and then deliver an actual plot-twist by moving onto the expected becoming the unexpected), the Hong Sisters tried to do this at every given opportunity during the storyline. Without spoiling anything, I will say this. The novelty of the storytelling becomes less effective when you did this too often, and so whilst Hotel Del Luna was certainly interesting within certain character plot-lines ( particularly Jang Wol’s past), some of the show for a major part felt anticlimactic and disjointed in the long run.
On a more positive note, however, Hotel Del Luna’s magic is greatly brought to life through fairly good CGI and storytelling upon this element. Whilst not entirely touching new ground in the face of predecessor shows like Goblin , Hotel Del Luna still brings its own element of dark fantasy through traditional Korean mythology being brought into modern Seoul. From disturbing evil spirits, bartender ghosts like Kim Seon Bi ( Shin Jung- Geum) to deities such as the mysterious Mago ( Seo Yi- seok) with unpredictable plans of fate for our main characters.
Additionally, whilst the finale of Hotel Del Luna has caused a lot of debate amongst drama fans, the bittersweet ending was surprisingly appropriate for the drama . Overall Hotel Del Luna was an enjoyable watch (although perhaps flawed by some elements of the storyline and certain characters’ contributions to the show )-the elements of dark fantasy, traditional mythology and IU’s stellar performance as the twisted and cynical Man- Wol will keep you captivated. Although not flawless, definitely worth a watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
18 Again , A Surprisingly Heartwarming Drama...
For those who don’t know, “18 Again” regurgitates the same fundamental premise of the American movie“ 17 again” (2009’). Yet rather than having Matthew Perry in a rugged business suit moping around for most of the opening of the movie, we are instead introduced to Yoon Sang Hyun ( Secret Garden, I Can Hear Your Voice) playing our very different protagonist, Hong Dae- Young.
In a slightly similar manner to his American character counterpart, Dae- Young isn’t living a happy life- his job as a practical handyman brings in only enough for him to survive, he is in the process of a divorce with his former teen sweetheart, Jung Da-jung ( Kim Ha Neul) and to make matters worse, he has totally lost touch with trying to connect with his two children Hong Shi-ah ( Roh Jeong Eui) and Hong Shi-woo( Ryeoun) since they have entered their teen years . A surprising miracle , however, allows Dae- Young to return back to his 18 year-old self ( Lee Do Hyun) as he attempts to relive his glory days back at high-school.
On the other hand, whilst comical misunderstandings from generation gaps to Dae Young’s best friend, Go Deok-jin ( Kim Kang Hyun) having to pose as his father are undeniably taken from the movie for comical effect ,
where the drama divulges in plot from the original movie is by adding a more bittersweet and crisp level of characterisation and backstory to our characters for viewers .
Whilst Sang- Hyun felt a strange and respectfully mismatched choice as the older counterpart of Lee Do Hyun, it soon became apparent how both actors were able to perfectly mimic the other in a fairly complicated manner. Do Hyun had to juggle between portraying his version of Dae-Young and Dae-Young’s new alias, Go Woo- Young in a mature lighting , whereas evidently Sang-Hyun had to channel the elements of being a high schooler again when the camera reverts Do Hyun back to his “ true-self”.
Respectfully this is also thanks to fairly good characterisation as well- rather than merely writing off Do Hyun as a love struck clown like in the movie ready to win back his wife . The reasons behind Do Hyun’s estranged relationship with Da- Jung and his children are far more complicated as a consequence of his biggest challenge in the drama , being to overcome his personal struggle by attaining an altruistic perspective for others, rather than allowing his past problems to consume his sense of identity .
In addition to this one of the most surprising examples of characterisation in the show had to be with Shi-ah ( Roh Jeong Eui), the teenage daughter of Do Hyun. Although Shi- ah appears in the first few episodes of the drama as a stereotypical teen through milking her father for cash , obsessed with her looks and a rebel at school , Shi-ah’s reasons for doing so are actually a lot more complicated than they first appear. Perhaps my only slightly annoyance with Shi-ah’s character portrayal was the desire to pair her off with the cliche of the dreaded stereotype of the “ goody two shoes” childhood friend ( Choi Bo Min) as well as disturbingly the bully of her brother ( Hwang In Yeop). It wasn’t that Shi- ah shouldn’t have had a romantic pairing in the show, however, it took away a lot of focus away from Shi-ah’s own story and familial relationships as an individual more than anything else.
On one note of appraisal, however, In Yeop’s character, Goo Ja- sung wasn’t written off like his American counterpart as merely just the “ superficial bully” of the story. Similar to a lot of real-life scenarios, Ja- Sung is a product of his own unhappy environment and thus only begins to learn from his mistakes as a consequence of others like Shi- ah and Dae- Young showing empathy towards him. This is perfectly shown is a tragicomic scene in one later episode of the series where after a certain incident, Dae- Young is able to bond with Ja-Sung (despite his initial anger over bullying his son ) over a similar incident also happening to him . Whilst a fairly sad and heartwarming scene, a great misunderstanding by Ja- Sung over Deok-Jin ( pretending to be Dae-Young’s father) leads him to comically claiming that Deok- Jin doesn’t “ seem the type” to do so.
This naturally moves us onto Ha- Neul as Da- Jung. Initially Ha- Neul’s portrayal as Da- Jung came off a bit too headstrong in the first several scenes of her character introduction, however, as the drama progresses Ha- neul peels back another layer to her character as rather than just a comical plot device through her portrayal of Da- Jung as an individual. Da- Jung’s past with Do Hyun from teen lovers to on the brink of a divorce offers Da- Jung new opportunities as a working news reporter and rekindled connections with her children, yet it also faces her with conflicting over rekindling the past by holding onto memories of Do Hyun as well as her friendship with Choo Ae- Rin ( Lee Mi do) or a new interest in baseball player Ye Ji- hoon ( Wi Ha Joon). Initially whilst Da-Jung’s character was fairly strong, a problem which clearly manifests near the ending of the show is the anticlimactic finale- it isn’t necessarily that the actual ending itself needed to be changed, however, the quality of logic by the end of the show or climaxes seemed to fizzle into nothingness at the end of episode 16.
Obviously not entirely touching new ground with the concept, 18 Again was rough around the edges in parts due to anticlimactic storylines, cliches and again an indulgence of product placement later on in the show ( without rhyme or reason in some cases). On the other hand, there’s no denying that overall 18 Again was one of the few decent dramas overall of 2020 with good acting , casting as well as fairly good characterisation amongst a bittersweet storyline . Although not flawless, 18 Again is a perfect drama to watch if you want something which will touch your heart.
Was this review helpful to you?
Revenge Is Sweet…
Screenwriter Kim Ba Da’s revenge-filled drama follows vengeful young woman Yoon Ji Woo ( Han So Hee) who seeks to find and bring to justice by hunting down the murderers of her father ( Yoon Gyung Hoo). Taking up another alias and infiltrating the police force as Oh Hye Jin , Ji Woo’s quest sends her down a dark road with many revelations coming to light.
Whilst the drama does present some prominent messages about corruption and morality both within South-Korean society, the justice system and the police force, the drama itself doesn’t really stray away from the stereotypical reaches of the “ revenge” drama, from Ji Woo’s experiences as an outcast teen to the “ murdered parent” trope soon taking central route before the actual zest of the revenge story crumbling slightly by the midway point . Of course this boils down to the ultimate question; “ is ‘ My Name’ actually worth watching or is it a waste of time?”
One of the strongest virtues of the series came through the acting front of our main cast. Main actress Han So Hee was undeniably dynamic as Ji Woo. Whilst the actress has respectfully formerly come under mixed reception for her role in the controversial Netflix flop ‘ Nevertheless’, Han So Hee reinstates any doubts within her moody, angst-driven and cunning onscreen persona as Ji Woo. As a character, our female lead has two different lives which are both intriguing as one another. On one side it’s easy to understand Ji Woo’s role early on in the series. She’s the “ outcast” and socially isolated from her peers due to her father’s criminal record and past. However refreshingly rather than presenting Ji Woo’s father as a “ heroic figure” in the eyes of a grieving Ji Woo, the series helps to explore more complicated depth to Ji Woo’s emotional state, as well as cunningness and stubborn to enlist help in unlikely places to reenact her revenge.
Helping her along the way comes the merciless and mysterious gangster played brilliantly by Park Hee Soon, Choi Moon Jin. Moon Jin acts both as a major mentor figure and an antagonistic plot foil for Ji Woo by helping to reinvent her identity as Hye Jin as well as hide his own personal motives also . He shares his own reasons for helping Hye Jin / Ji Woo but isn’t afraid to be more brutal or punish those who put a toe out of line.
As Hye Jin our female lead is a talented and a skilled police officer who over the years has not lost her raison d’être for revenge. Her partnership with fellow colleague and partner Jeon Pil Do( Ahn Bo Hyun) presents a great contrast between other relationships in the drama. Bo Hyun plays Pil Do with a laidback yet naturally driven charisma as a hardworking cop. Naturally as he spends more time with Hye Jin he becomes more curious about her identity and motives. Whilst a later plot development was supposed to present a “ moment we’ve all been waiting for” this undeniably felt lacklustre due to lacking screenwriting and bonding opportunities often made revelations between the fall short of plot drive.
Yet ‘ My Name’ isn’t without its more obvious problems either. Pacing could sometimes be a major downfall. Whilst a major drive was evident within Hye Jin/ Ji Woo’s search for her father’s killer, this major plot point felt often rammed into the storyline when it was necessary rather than flowing more coherently within the small subplots which followed in each episode. Evidently another major downfall as a consequence occurred within plot lore and logic with many setups (including early on) often falling short or lacking more depth due to writing and character exploration often falling short. Consequently the ending was overly anti climatic than well-paced or completed with an expected yet abrupt twist which failed to bring a sense of finality or completion overall.
What is refreshing about the series is that it isn’t afraid to trade any punches with presenting brutality in its full glory. Interplayed with moody lightning and a dramatic OST, bloody fight scenes and knife attacks, as well as hallucinogenic palettes of bright reds, purples, blues and golds during drug and dodgy dive raids help to shed a more dangerous and dark presentation of the mysterious underbelly of Ji Woo’s world.
Overall ‘ My Name’ is an odd array of both a highly-talented cast and crew, but often falling short of plot-writing also. The revenge drama was a fairly archetypical approach to the revenge genre; intriguing with many interlaced messages shedding light into corruption, violence and problems in South-Korean society, but sometimes failing to hit the mark with actual build-up . Undeniably a good watch but lacking more finesse in certain areas.
Was this review helpful to you?
