MinJi23

light-hearted, funny, with a well-known storyline

first of, it's nice to see a classic rom-com n the midst of all the bullying, torturing, high violence and crime dramas that were rather predominant in the past months.

This one seems rather a classic rom-com, with decent casting and actors, carefree music and a classic storyline too.
That said, - after watching the first two episodes - it is all pretty known concerning the story and the way it's constructed.
Although there were some rather funny scenes in yet both episodes, I did find myself thinking aw, they stole this part of the story here or there. The whole plot with her accidentally thinking he is a pervert? Saw that in 'suspicious partner'.
Her having this kind of girl clique where all is rosy all the time between three women? Saw that often elsewhere. And so on. So yeah, we all knw all the cliche K-drama scenes, and yes in this drama they used all of them once and again.

I was waiting for this drama mainly because of Lee Jun-ho, as I found him to be brilliant in 'the red sleeve' and really good in 'rain or shine' too. I get the idea of his role here is the brooding/sad and rather arrogant chaebol heir, and after a bit of a slow start concerning the actual acting, I do see the idea of his character after episode 4, and it's quite light-hearted and funny to watch him (and please don't beat me, I just think Lee Jun-ho is too thin now, he looks gaunt to me and not healthy. I know it's the trend for male Korean actors to achieve that but for me, at a certain point, it starts looking bothersome and I find myself thinking 'jeez he does not look healthy there' while watching).

The character of Yoon-ah is likeable and cute, and slowly getting a bit more substance after the first three episodes. The interaction between her and Lee Jun-ho is easy-going, it's nice seeing the characters bantering all the time and it's obvious both actors have known each other for a long time and probably like each others company.

The plot remains well-known from many other dramas (episode 4 just had the typical 'sad in the rain, he brings the umbrella'-scene) but it's enjoyable anyways, even if it's yet pretty clear what's probably coming next.
Right now I'm just enjoying that it is light-hearted, funny and carefree entertainment taking my mind off the day and any kind of worries. If you are looking for this kind of show, this one might suit you well!

EDIT I:

After having watched 10 episodes:
a big thanks to the creators of this drama for one specific thing: thank you for showing a young couple newly in love ACTING like couples do when they are head over heels. They gaze at each other, they want to touch each other and they want to kiss and seek every chance to spend time together. And I think it's a first that in a drama a couple kisses in a frequency that I'd consider normal at that stage. And even more, it's real kisses both want to share and it's shown like that.


EDIT II:

After episode 15:
how unnecessary was this episode ending? I guess I know what the writers are up to in the last episode (She meant quitting the hotel, not the relationship), but this last scene was sooo unrelatistic. She would never have just said these sentences without any context. She came to that restaurant that evening, even saying and remembering how they ate there for the first time on her birthday etc, seeing and knowing he planned something special for the night, him being nervous etc. So if she would really call it quits with him, totally out of the blue at that moment? She'd be a total psycho contradicting every single aspect of how her character was portrayed yet. So really, writers, was that necessary and in such bad style?
So, given I am right with my idea of what she actually wanted to say about quitting - her hotel job -realistically she would have said something like: 'I have to say something important too. I am very grateful I could work in such a high position in the hotel and I have given it a long and good thought. But I feel misplaced. I hope you understand and support me when I want to do something new.'


EDIT III

After the final episode:
ok, that last episode was like pure sugar coating, nothing but sugar, I even found myself laughing out loud. =D
I think this was the most unrealistic positive drama I have watched yet, everything that happened in this episode has absolutely nothing to do with reality - but that was the whole idea of this drama, and if you want TOTAL reality escape with everything fluffy and nice - that's what you should watch on steady repeat =D

I don't know where to start: apart from the MANY product placements, even in slow motion (common, the chaebol heir wears Dior 'sauvage'? Never would someone like that wear a cheap drugstore perfume - just as an example...) - sadly, people are not like that (or maybe my rather longer lifetime taught me otherwise;). That bitchy sister of Gu Won? She would never change. People who are that evil and nasty, remain that way, and when they get older it gets worse, never better. His father? Would have NEVER accepted his choice of a wife, ever. In reality the son would have probably lost his heir status, he would have never gotten the leading position in that hotel. And his father would not have shown up at the wedding and wished him well.
His mother would probably not haven shown up again in his lifetime... and so on, and so on. In the real world, most people are selfish, nasty, and they do not change. So, this drama really over-egged the puddig concerning unrealistic, but I enjoyed it exactly because of this =)

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surprising twists for a change

This one surprised me and in a positive way.
I watched it because I am a longtime fan of Park Hee-soon and was glad to see a new drama with him in the lead role.

What is it about? Well, secrets, lies, denial and the ever same muddy downpath of politics.

We get to see a rather shy female lead character who is married to an obviously really nice and considerate husband. He started in politics and for her personal reasons the fl asks her husband for him to keep her out of it and the limelight. He believably promises to do so.

The rather idyllic family picture gets first scratches when their student son is suddenly found dead. We just get clues what could have happened to him but can't be sure. Then, out of nowhere for the couple, the gilrfriend of the son shows up at their doorstep claiming to be pregnant from the deceased. Unwillingly they take her in, also to prevent any image damaging scandal to get out.
Rather slowly, step by further step we find out about the fl's past and what is haunting her, and understandably why she is shy and wants to stay out of the limelight.
Around episode six I was fully sold to the ml being a nice and caring husband and even felt angry towards the fl for not just talking to him and telling him her problem. At that point I couldn't understand why she would not confide in this caring husband of hers. I fully fell for his ways and believed him.

But slowly things start to feel uncertain concerning the ml. Is he really that caring and trustworthy husband? Until epsidode12 I started to feel torn, just like the fl, I was sure he was dishonsest, (and in many ways, especailly _EXcluding_ being unfaithful to her!) I got angry with him and when she confronts him once and again he is so convincingly sad, sounds so truthful and gives such heartfelt explanations that I doubted the feeling of mistrust again Oo

Only in the last four episodes things become clear about the motives and background ties several people have, and it was a first in a long time that I sat in front of the screen being so surprised about the story twists and revelations that come up I even said 'no way! No he did not!' out loud.

Like most I am used to knowing rather fast into a drama who did what, who lies, who betrayed whom. But here I felt so unsure and I was genuinly suprised what happened in the late episodes of this drama, especially concerning the ml who succeeded in luring me in and making be doubt my momentary impression again and again. I just wanted to believe him.

The whole story is also about how rather often women and girls experience vioelence, especially sexual violence and assault, and the rather sad fact that still in many countries the victims are made the guilty ones by society and even police and courts.
The name of the drama 'trolley' is explained quite in the beginning, and in the end makes perfect sense, showing you can only do one good for the cost of another, but never save everyone without losing someone else.
It's a bitter ending with lots of pain, and hurt feelings and some sparks of hope at least.

I highly recommend this if you like dramas that are not obvious and where you won't get everything spoonfed with a verbal explanation. If you are patient enough this drama gets very tense and at least I was not able to pause watching the last 5 episodes, I just had to know what happens next.

I also was (once again, but I might be biased ;) impressed by Park Hee-soon. I first saw him in a movie called 'the scent' many years ago, where, in a completely different setting and mood, he had that ability that although he betrays and does questionable things, I am willing to forgive his character. Same, in a starkly different setting again in 'my name' where in his role as Choi Mu-jin I defintely know he is dangerous and brutal, he still drew me in and I felt sorry for him. This was now the third time, here in a setting as believably caring and loving husband where I just wanted to believe him and even in the very end, after knowing what he did, still felt sorry for him and kind of liked him.
Seems like he as a special psychological thing going and working on me to fall for this and throw my rightly warning ratio overboard.

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A nice watch for a change

after I've been ranting about the bad quality of newer dramas lately, a big yaayyy, 'good partner' is really nice to watch.
Yes, it's a typcial law drama, but a good one.
I had it on my watch list as I watch anything with Nam Ji-hyun. She was the lead of the first drama I ever watched ('suspicious partner' - another partner-title and she was a lawyer too) and no matter what I've seen her in yet, she is a great actress, I really like her vibes, I like that she also chooses non-vain roles, and same goes for her social media - I can't put into words how refreshing it is to see any Korean actor or actress on Instagramm who posts non-filtered, normal human pictures for a change. She does often, she has two normal cats (not the typical tiny white dog), well, in short, I really like her.

This drama started interesting, the actors are all quite good, the cases are interesting concerning emotional aspects as well as showing some specific tricky sides of the Korean law system. It also shows how difficult it is wanting professional success in your field on the one hand, and your conscience intercepting on the other.
Each case has been interesting enough for me to watch the whole episode without ff-skipping or just leaving for five minutes because it wouldn't matter if I missed them - as I sadly do often these days with other dramas that lack quality.

This is for you if you like this kind of law-setting in general and if you like to use your brain a little as it requires you actually listening, thinking and just having a love for the beauty of special field language. As I like all these things if they are delivered through good acting and storytelling, I really enjoyed every episode so far.

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Why?

I really don't get it. There was a time when one fantastic K-drama followed another, and these days, all I get is really good starts for the first few episodes, only to find myself annoyed and disappointed at around episodes 5 and after.
Same here.

This started promising, with rather nice and heartwarming storytelling, an idea of what might happen after death, and it had some great takes on what might come.
I first liked the idea that the writers acknowledged that pets might go to heaven too. I started to be bothered though as they only ever showed dogs, just once or twice a cat too for 30 seconds but there was never a follow-up. When they showed the rainbow bridge there was also only dogs, no cats, no other loved pets either.

Now having watched up to episode 7, it gets nonsensical for me. So, as there is talk about heaven and hell, and in that heaven there is only what seems to be a Christian church with a priest ( but nothing for any other faiths like Buddhism (which would make sense particularly for a Korean heaven) or any other possible faiths people might have followed while alive). Yet now we hear something about reincarnation doors. Not only does that not make any sense for the Christian faith, it also doesn't make sense to me that pure souls like those of dogs or cats would have to reincarnate , and they are told that they have to do so to one day become humans on earth themselves. In my personal opinon that would be a regression actually.

I also didn't like the fact that the dogs and cats in heaven had adult human form. If at all in human form it would suit the spirit of dogs much better to be shown as little, carefree childen, if at all in human form. So while there were some few good messages to actual pet owners watching this drama about their responsibilities, it just didn't ad up for me where they lead that part of the story meanwhile. And why would dogs have to go to human therapy sessions to be taught that natural dog behaviour is a bad and wrong thing?

Now for the humans: I get that this boss in heaven says that heaven is just a stage (which again contradicts that solely showing of this heaven being a Christian heaven) But our main FL having to meet her terrible mother-in-law again? How did an abusive mother-in-law get into heaven at all in the first place? Doesn't make sense to me. Also in the beginning they say that for meeting someone in heaven both parties have to consent to meeting each other prior, and our FL is now not asked and confronted with her terror-mother-in-law again even in that so called heaven and gets treated awful again? That is not heaven for sure. Also it totally contradicts the sequence in hell, where some schoolbully boys, (at least youngsters in their teens who, at least having the excuse of being very young and immature) go straight to hell for their bullying and burn in the everlasting fires, while a long adult, nasty bullying mother-in-law, who bullied her daughter-in-law all her adult life and enjoyed it, goes to heaven? Ok then ...Oo

Also the part of the story with Som-I? They drag it for way too long and now even start making it a potential cheating/affair story with the FL's husband? While before they say there is a special hell for adulterers? Also, how did Som-I get into heaven at all with no memory? How did she actually pass through that first office round where they ask everything (your name, your date of birth, and how old you want to appear in heaven) How did she get past that without answering anything? Who set her age for her if she didn't go through the first office? And she must have arrived there as the FL's husband was with her on the train, so she arrived at the very same spot all arrivals from the trains arrive. Some suggested Som-I is just a younger version of the FL - well, if so, why would her husband not have recognised her face in the train? Why would Sonya, the cat not have known immediately that Som-I is the very same person as the FL ? And so on... really sloppy writing from there already.

All in all though what I miss basically is the idea that in heaven (if there is such thing no matter for which faith) the souls, or spirits (or whatever you might call them) who go there should actually exist in some kind of elevated spiritual realm, where there is a higher conscience that frees them of human weaknesses and the miseries those weaknesses cause in humans' earthly lives.

But the way they show it there now is just no difference to earth at all, except for actual disadvantages in many aspects. Again, that would not be any kind of heaven I would imagine in any faith.
To me it seems they had some good initial ideas and started with those, maybe for the first few episodes, and then they started to just write along whatever came to them, maybe under time pressure, and not thinking about if it makes at all sense to what they set as frame in the first good few episodes.

I'll watch episode 8 tomorrow to see if they at least try to get back on any track with the storyline. If it gets even worse than episode 7 it'll be yet another drop for me.


Update: I drop this after episode 8. The storyline is totally ridiculous now. Christian churches and priests in heaven and then a boss of heaven who babbles about many lifetimes and reincarnation.

Not only that, the idea of reincarnation is showed so simplified and actually blames victims of any crime instead of the perpetrators. Following the logic of this show, it simply means (for example) that a 2-year-old girl who gets raped and brutally murdered by her own father is to blame herself because she did something bad in a prior life and so deserves this fate. I'm quite at a loss of words about this logic. Also this idea that blood-related families will have to meet over and over again in new life cycles - what a horrible thought for those children who have to endure careless, cruel, violent abusive and murdering parents. What a horrible thought that in this depicted 'heaven' they get only told that they have to meet these deranged foul souls over and over again, and there is no chance for them being reborn into good surroundings with DIFFERENT family member souls around them, an absolute, never-ending nightmare vision, that lacks any logic on top by the way. How should there be any possibility of progress in several life cycles, if a tortured child is reborn to the be the torturer instead? Which would mean, in the next life cycle the same soul would have to suffer terribly again for sinning in the last life and there would never be a possibility to break this negative cycle for anyone included.

This show should even have a severe trigger warning for people with PTSD, traumatic family histories and depression caused by family matters. What a load of....!

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one of the worst

I have no idea why this relatively new drama got such a high rating. It's one of the few that really annoyed me and got me angry even, - which is rather hard to accomplish. Here is why:

1. The male lead: So, who is this guy? He is supposed to be quite younger than the female lead, has just started his job more or less and he goes home into his house which obviously is in the most expensive area of the city, with probably 300 sqm, two story with galeria and a Zen garden outside, and which probably costs a silly fortune to rent let alone to buy. So how exactly does he get to have this house? Is he a Chaebol son born into immense riches? We don't get to know, he just has thta hyper fantastic home for the sake of it, - seriously?

2. So he falls in love with his female boss. Ok. But what he does is not ok. He has extreme stalking tendencies, immediately obsessive in a sick way for me. All of those rating this so high, could you do me the favour and just imagine for a moment that this guy does not look like Ro Woon but let's say he is a short, overweight creep guy with a balding head, greasy rest of hairs, yellow teeth and bad breath? Still so appealing that he keeps no distance, suddenly starts this ' I am very protective'-stuff, totally overstepping any personal boundaries, following the female lead around where ever she goes? Still fine, he aggressively steps into her private life and private relationships? Just think about it for a moment with a very different guy and if you'd still find this so lovely?

3.the female lead: Ah it's a pity really. I actually like Won Jin-A, she has a supercute look and face, a beautiful smile, a lovely deep speaking voice, I like all these things. Problem is, I don't think she is a very good actress. I saw her in three different dramas now and she is always acting the very same way, there is no variation - at all.
Secondly, she never has chemistry with the male leads. I know that most K-drama kisses are fake of course, but she makes it so fake it's hard to watch. She hardly ever moves her lips, or her head even, mostly looking scared and shocked like a rabbit in front of the slaughhterhouse. Why? And not only with the first kiss, it remains like that until the last episode. It's very obvious that she does not want to kiss the actors.

It was pretty much the same in 'just between lovers' - a bit better though, and it would have been the same in 'melting me softly' if Ji Chang Wook wouldn't have totally thrown her off guard which was rather obvious in that shower scene.
Here now we are supposed to believe she is a self confident modern woman on the one hand, having a secret ongoing affair with her boss and sleeping with him regularly for quite a while, and on the other hand she is not able to normally kiss thet new lover like an adult woman. Instead she acts like a 12-year old girl, anxiously not knowing what to do? What exactly did she do with her boss then all the time? A round of knitting together?
I do wonder why she would take on romantic roles if she has such obvious problems kissing her counterpart actors every single time? In this drama though there was no chemistry between her and Ro Woon AT ALL, it was just awful watching them.

4.. There is no backstory to the characters. I earlier mentioned the expensive house such young man owns without explanation. But also his character is like a flat sheet. Where does he come from? Why is he so obsessive on the one hand , and so totally unbelievably patient and almost asexual on the other hand? What else does he do in his life other than obsessing and following a woman? Does he have no other life? How creepy is that?

5. Totally unrealistic dialogues: again, the male lead acts like a saint without hormones or reproductive organs - no young man in his 20s would act like that, especially none who is so aggressively obsessive on the other hand. All this ' I will accept that you treat me like a trash bin, thank you, it's all ok for me as long as I can see you like this, and spend some time with you, or just look at you bla bla' and being all calm and smiles? No way!

6.The female lead is rather a unlikable person for me. She enjoys all the attention and treats both men like her puppets although it might look differently. I stopped watching when there was like the 50th scene with her then former lover. He for the 50th times asks her why she dumped him and she does not say why? Why does she not just tell him the reason? It really drove me crazy and made her character look weak and immature once again, totally contrasting to that self confident business woman thing the writers actually wanted to sell.

I gave up after 10 episodes because all this got me really angry, and I seriously do wonder how in 2021, they would produce such a badly written and acted drama with male and female leads going down the totally wrong road concerning many behaviours.
I was just thinking about that last real stalker case in South Korea some few months ago, where such obsessed sicko killed his former work colleague in a subway toilet room. I don't want to see this kind of stalking obsessive guys in K-dramas, not if t is nont shown in a critical way but instead selling this as desirable positive relationship. There is NOTHING to idealise or enjoy about this.

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What happened?

So, I made it to episode 8, and I think I'm done. What is this? How is it possible to have quite a great cast, huge names, actors I really liked in the past and to eff this up so much?

I normally love Jung So-min, my most favourite drama ever ('because this is my first life') is with her as the FL. I also liked Jung Hae-in in the past, he was great in 'Snowdrop', in 'one spring night', you name it.

But this? Where to begin? I didn't really like the first episode with all the 'funny' farting intro. Not funny. But I kept watching.
There is no, and I mean none - chemistry between the leads. It all seems so acted and cringe, I can hardly watch it.

So we have two mid-thirty people. One is a rich son, with his own business and for Korean standards he looks super attractive. Yet he steadily acts like a 7-year old boy. We are meant to believe that apart from this one relationship he had in the past with this self-confident but oh so friendly and well-meaning ex (unrealistic to the brim by the way) that is steadily showing up for no real reason, he was a virgin-and childlike boy in the body of this now mid thirty man waiting for his childhood girly to return and otherwise staying abstinent? Common. A guy like him, looking like that, being rich and having his own business? He would have lead a very different life if she had been gone to the US for years, and we all know it.

Same goes for our FL. She acts and dresses like a child. Concerning her relationship with the ML she acts like a clumsy little girl that didn't have her first kiss yet, but we do know she lived in the US, and was engaged and thus had an adult relationship with a man, so she knows how things go. Yet, we have this setting in the house of the FLs parents, who by the way are supposed to be poor, while the very rich son of a doctor and a busniesswoman, somehow has lived across in almost the same house? How? These two families are of completely different financial background and they certainly never lived in the same neighbourhood even, also not in the past?

Next thing? I really don't like ANY of the characters, they all annoy the hell out of me. Jung Hae-in? He is not funny, it's not his area of acting, at least not in such badly written drama, no one could make this seem remotely funny. It seems staged and almost exhausting for him to do these supposedly 'funny'lines, it's so obviously not him and it's unwatchable for me as I know he is a really good actor in other settings.
The FL and her constant screaming and nagging and physically attacking everyone? Not cute, not romantic, not anything, just annoying. Same goes for her mother, screaming all the time and physically attacking people.

Then the storyline, was there any way to make this any more unbelievable. Not only does or ML wait until forever for that girl that steadily beat him up and screamed at him, no, when he finally decides to tell her he likes her (again, like two 12-year-old would act, not like mid-thirties), out of nowhere, in exactly that moment, the even more unlikable ex fiancee stands there blablahing something staged about wanting to get back together with the FL. I laughed out loud at that scene, how ridiculous, who wrote this?

Not enough, our FL, who is screaming and attacking people at random all the time does not say anything to anything. The ML confesses - no reaction, no answer. And no, that milk bag scene with the expiry date was not funny. Why not just talk like adults? It's all Kindergarten. Why? It's not cute, it's so annoying. Same with the even worse situations when both men are 'fighting' over her. The ex-fiancee can just stalk her and show up at any time with this psycho grin and she always lets him talk instead of just finally telling him off. She does not decide anything at any point which contradicts the aggressive and loud character she is otherwise supposed to. And now, to add insult to injury they even come up with a cancer story? Come OOOON!

I think this is the worst drama I tried to watch in a longer time, and there were several bad dramas in the past two years as my impression is the quality of storytelling and writing has been going down the drain in the past two years compared to years like 2016, 2017, 2018, where there were several brilliant dramas per year.

So, no, please South Korean writers and drama producers, you can do better. Not even generally good actors help anything if it is just unwatchably bad.
I give the 2,5 instaed of 1.0 for the acting of the FL's father, as I think he is really good and actually the only one I find credible in his role.

Dropped, and I mean dropped out of a skyscraper in this case.

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A joy watching all 12 episodes - rare these days

First thing: I do NOT agree that this storyline has any real similarity to 'breaking bad'. Yes, there is someone with cancer, and yes somone else is starting to sell drugs out of desperation - but that's about all the similarity there is.

As for the story so far: a middle-class housewife with a teenage daughter and a office type husband finds herself in sudden misery as it turns out her husband has not only used up all money that was there, but also indepted the family without telling her. Not enough, she then finds out her husband has cancer, he has known it for at least a year and used all that money to pay his medical bills but things went wrong when he specualted with bitcoin and lost everthing.

Their house is soon up for auction and her daughter threates to leave school while all family and aquaintances are not willing or able to help out financially. Accidentally, a drug dealer on the run leaves a bag full of crystal meth at her house. She first doesn't know what the stuff is, but seeing the news she realises it's drugs, but does not want to make use of it.The woman is desperate and starts to work as cleaning lady in a hip night club. Out of desperation she tries to find the local drug dealer there to sell the crystal to him to get the money to save the house and her husband. It turns out the drug dealer in the club is her daughter's art teacher to both parties' surprise. They make a deal so she provides the drugs and he sells them to the club customers.

I watched the frist two episodes and wasn't bored at any time (rare meanwhile). I really liked (as often before) Kim Young Kwang in this role as he is able to switch from friendly arts teacher to precise and calculating drug dealer without a problem. He is also able to deliver the role of the drug dealer believably. (I am saying that because there were several dramas in the past two years with drug topics where otherwise good male actors just couldn't pull these roles off believably).

The preview for the thrid episode showed that there will be conflict between the FL and ML and that he even threatens to kill her. Again, I can't really see much similarities to 'breaking bad' - the storyline seems to unfold very differently as of yet.

Kim Young Kwang is totally carrying this drama, his acting is fabulous and it's even a joy to watch him losing his temper, - and comparing his acting here and in 'call it love' - I'd dare say he can play any role and I'll fully believe he is the respective character.

The story has a nice tempo, and I laughed so much at the end of episde 3 realising what stunt the FL has pulled 😆...not a boring second in this,

Several rather unexpected twists came up, and what the writers did is they kind of condesed all the tentacles drug dealings can have, how they might affect even more remote people who either do not want to be involved or don't even know they are involved.


So after the last episode aired today, I can say I enjoyed all these 12 episodes until the end. There was once again a really nasty plot twist in the very end, and the writers left an open ending to maybe follow up with a second seaon? We'll see...
My final vote for this is 9.0. While I enjoyed the whole show, the last episodes had some minor weaknesses. The baddy police guy? He would not have survived that long. The ML hit him full force with her car and he would at least have had a broken pelvis, broken legs a broken back if he would have survived that at all. It started getting unrealistic concerining this character when he walked out of the hospital after this car hit two days after this happened. No way on earth.

He didn't really have time to recover and in the final showdown later he is hurt and bruised all over, he limps, and he gets beaten in the face and head severely and - doesn't go down! The guy is 50+ and one hit like that to the head would send him unconscious. Instead he gets up over and over again like the terminator, he even gets deeply stabbed in the thigh tiwce or thrice and he STILL walks somewhere - nah, they really overdid it concerning this for the sake of creating a longlasting showdown scene. He would have been dead for ages at that point.
Also, in the same scenes the other police act like fools all the time, letting him get away over and over again. That being said, the rest of the show was so good, I can overlook this weakness (as it is one happening very often in K-dramas with lots of action scenes)

Several actors delivered really strong performances, Kim Young-kwang naturally, but also side characters like the daughter, the cancer-stricken father and the totally crazy druggy CEO were really good.

I have to admit I did not know Lee Young-ae before from any other roles, but once again it bothered me for the sake of the actual storyline ( a more low-income housewife and mother living the rather simple and humble life and helping out in a supermarket for small money out of necessity) that an actress has her face to frozen by b-tox etc, that she actully has no mimics left. It was so very obvious that it didn't fit the role actually -a woman with that life history would never have the means to steadily have such procedures done. And there were many scenes when she was either (trying) laughing, crying etc, and her face and features did not move at all. So, again, I don't even know her from anything else or earlier, but this often bothers me watching actresses playing roles in their end 40s or even 50s, and they simply have no mimics left which flaws their actually great performances otherwise. I really wish there wasn't so much pressure for actresses to go this far, I'm sure Lee Young-ae would look fantatsic and even better without all this. (and I know what I'm talking about, I'm 46 myself and I know about the inner pressure concering looks when they slowly start to fade)

Conclusion: I really enjoyed this drama, it's an interesting and probably quite current topic in many countries, including South Korea, and the writers did a good job writing an interesting storyline that kept me hooked for the full 12 episodes. I would definitely watch a second season if there was one to come and I seriously hope Mr. Lee Gyeong changed his final mind and instead decided to just curse his fucked up family to hell.

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Same problem as so often...

This started rather funny and easy to watch, with nice visuals, music and at first an interesting storyline about someone who suddenly suffers from face blindness - which probably is rather irritating and devastating - at first at least.
The second episode is really funny and again Kim Young Kwang stands out to me with his acting abilities as he can even do comedy stuff - he can play a total psycho (Somebody), a depressive, silent businessman (call it love), a nasty deity, he can convincingly cry his eyes out in front of the camera, you name it, he can do it all.
But once again the writers are so sloppy with the storytelling - and this drama here is no exception sadly.

So, yes, the ML suffers from face blindness, but how does he also suffer from not recognising distinct individual voices of people? Especially his secretary, who deceives him with claiming she is Veronia Park? Her voice is so distinct and sometimes screeching even in both characters she plays, and he doesn't realise it's her? Not credible. Same goes of course for many other people around him. You normally recognise people not only by their faces, but by their voices, walks, scent, soooo many things. So dragging this blindfold-story for about 10 episodes without him realising it is just nonsensical.

That said, I have another problem with this: It really bothers me again and again that the female leads are portrayed like 5 year-old girls, totally naive and never taking action.
So here, given she deceives the ML, when he finds out and is so hurt? She apologises, but never tells him how she really feels about him. Then the ML has got to crawl back to her and apopgise and understand her and HE confesses his love, when she does not even then tell him that she likes him too? And it goes like that until the very end, he is almost lovedrunk, babbling the most over the top romantic stuff, and she still just silently looks like a shocked deer in the headlights and like she does not even know what's happening? Why does it always have to be this 'helpless, clueless little-girl-portrait of adult women? With this pre-story, and her being in love with the ML for so long? If he confesses, an adult woman would react differently for sure?

I just can't get used to that image of women like that. And they dragged this for sooo many episodes, I even ff-ed from episode 7 to the end then to just see when they will finally get together. And even that was then underwhelming because she even then can't bring herself to simply say to him 'I like you too'.

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really bad

in short:
this was not a season 2 following up a very good season 1 of this show.

-they kept the original characters just as a strange framework on the edges, instead about 40 new characters were introduced, none of I cared for at all.

-it seemed like they writers sat together just making up ever new gruesome scenes ( oh oh, and let's do some kind of a zombi bride, we haven't done that, let's add to too!!)

-no real storyline, instead lots of torture porn (with what is going on in the real world? I really don't want to see little toddlers being hunted with bows and being shot in the back - just NO! Unnecessary for the story and just to show crass content for the sake of it)

-almost nothing of the actual main character Song Kang? He is not really in that show, oh except for these few porn-leaning scenes fighting bare'backed' and soaked in blood in slow motion.

-the only original character that had more screen time was Eun-yu. Character development: zero. She is just running around looking broody and cold and kind of like a knock-off tomb raider. I also didn't really get why so much of the storyline was hung up on her desperately wanting to find her brother- the same brother she actually hated through all season one and as they were siblings not even remotely close anyways. And now she suddenly risks her life and that of others to find him, or what is left of him. Didn't make much sense to me.

result: I'll stick with the brilliant season 1,and I certainly won't watch season 3, as there is no way to make a sensible storyline of the mess that was supposed to be a season 2.

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this couple doesn't work for me

first off: I am a huge fan of Lee Jun-ho as an actor, he had several really good roles in the past, and he totally blew me away in 'the red sleeve' - one of my all time favourites.
I also liked him and Yoona in 'king the land' - their chemistry was fantastic, and every scene was such a joy to watch, no matter if serious, funny, romantic, it was just so good. And I guess that's one of my main critical points for 'Typhoon Family' - the two leads have no, and I really mean ZERO - chemistry. I have seen Kim Min-ha just in one other role, in 'Light Shop', where I thought she was really good, particularly in that role because of the love story shown there. She played that part very convincing and touching. Here now, nah, I just don't buy any of it. I even made the effort and looked up promo-videos of the these two on youtube, and it's the same there. They are friendly with each other but there is zero chemistry, no idea why.

Why only a 5.0? Also the rest of the storyline is comparably weak. It's just an endless adding of cliche-scenes everyone has seen a million times, but with the visual 90s setting to create some nostalgia. Doesn't work for me either., because they plot is just too weak. I have a good Korean friend who experienced the late 1990s in South Korea, and when this crisis hit, it was such an awful time for many people, so awful that there was a sharp rise in suicides, and my friend told me there were people even jumping from ski scrapers, because they had lost everything. My friend's family (and many others who could manage) fled South Korea to the US, Canada or Australia at that time. This show here doesn't really depict the mood back then, the seriousness of this situation. In the first episodes it does show that some cleaning and office personell is let go etc. but it's all too soft and friendly, the whole mood of the show is. There was real desperation on a large scale there back then and I can't feel any of that in the show. There is 'funny' trips to Thailand, there is always street vendors and plenty of food everywhere etc. I get why they did that, but it's just not at all what happened back then.

Another problem: I don't really care for any of the characters because - again - they seem created and unreal to me. Lee Jun-ho plays his role good as always but it doesn't help this time in that setting. Also Kim Sang-ho, who I mostly know from funny and friendly roles, is fantastic as evil and mean antagonist, and I was impressed he could convincingly play someone so unlikeable and evil. But it just doesn't help for the rest of the story. I made it to episode 12 now, but only with skipping lots of the last 8 episodes and fast forwarding all the time. I now just watched episode 12 and found myself moaning at the end thinking : yes of course, now they very artificially create an acute life in danger situation, one of the few cliche-parts in the 'how to build a simple storyline' - book Oo.

And lastly, apart from the absolutely missing chemistry between the lead couple: their 'love' story is just not credible to me and meanwhile it annoys me. He is running after her for the past, I don't know, 6 episodes, looking, smiling, complimenting her all the time, they kissed once (only after he had to do a mountain of effort to realise that kiss with her), now he suddenly even told her he loves her - and every single time the reaction is a full frame of her staring, mouth open, eyes wide open, just like the deer in headlights? I get that she'd stare once after some kind of confession, but seriously, he confessed now what feels like 15 times, so why the face? And still she spends all her off work time with him, but at the same times tells him she isn't interested. I find that annoying, and I find that as a woman even Oo


Result:

They would have had a chance to create a really great drama, which combines nostalgia (which people long for these days more than ever) and at the same time really captures the seriousness and sheer desperation of that financial crash time in 1997 in South Korea. They could have given it a way more serious approach and in it create a credible, strong, adult love story. Sadly, for me, they did the opposite. These two leads together were the wrong choice for my taste, and the storyline just walks through from one cliche scene to the next, they even seem disconnected at times. All tinged in that nostalgic light and clothes, and adds, and cars- but that's not enough to conceal an uninspired, flat storyline.
As Lee-Jun-ho is one of my absolute favourite actors meanwhile I hate to give such low rating, but I really can't say anything better this time =/

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how it could be...

this series is something for the heart, and for following the thought of how it could be in a world where most people care, are considerate and willing to be selfless for others.
It has a serious undertone as the topic of death or imminent death is the main subject of the show, but with the idea of fulfilling last wishes of dying patients it manages to produce many heartwarming and touching scenes with final goodbyes.

As I said in the headline, it's a version of the world where people would really care with all their heart to guide dying patients until the very end, to fulfill their last wishes, to give them the most positive farewell possible in that situation.
It's what most of us would wish for and mos of us know in hopsitals and even hospices the reality is a different one (most of the time at least)
Here you can watch how wonderful it could be in a different version of reality - I really enjoyed that!

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Good start, no follow-up

Oh well, first off, I really like Lim Yoona, I think she was exceptinoally good in 'King the land'. One of her qualities for me is that she dares to play comedy roles, something most beautiful Korean actresses rather don't do as it often isn't elegant as a given. She does play comedy, and given a good storyline and director, I think she is doing it very well.

So, I started to watch 'Bon Appetit', and the first two episodes didn't disappoint, it was funny, the slaptstick wasn't too much, and the banter between the FL and the ML was interesting.
So, taken into account that this of course is a fantasy drama with time travel, I don't feel the need to look for historic accuracy in this and watched it for fun.

Sadly, from epidose 3 on, I realised that the actual very thin plot of this show after the good intro episodes is just 'there is a cooking competition in every episode'. There is modern dishes filmed in food porn style, and there is historic figures tasting the modern delicious stuff and having orgasmic experiences every single time. That .- is funny once, but if that is all that happens in every episode that's just not enough.

It's also a bit absurd that the writers created these unbelievable stories over and over again why the FL has to compete in cooking in every episode. I took it when she had to compete against the former royal cooks, ok. But now some Chinese royal is there and things are actually about trade dealings and all of a sudden it's a cooking competion again because the Chinese guest said he doesn't like Joseon food? So what? That doesn't have any gravity for the trade dealings, but they somehow managed to absurdly build a plot where the future of the Joseon empire lies upon the FL and her cooking. Nah, sorry, that's just nonsese and flat storytelling with no creativity and no real plot.

And, not knowing the ML at all, I have to say he is not good enough an actor to carry this historic role for my personal taste. His acting actually seems a bit forced and has no depth as I can hear he is acting and is not able to give the historic Korean lines naturally. Maybe I am biased though, as I had just rewatched 'the red sleeve' where the ML was absolutely convincing in his historic ruler role and even brought me to tears.
So sadly, I'm dropping this, I'd rather rewatch 'king the land' again, where Yoona could shine with her comedic talent placed in a good storytelling.

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not sure about this...

so, as my favourite male actor is Park Hee-soon, I was waiting for this drama quite eagerly.
Also several other great actors on the starring list, so I started watching this and...
...I don't know... story is known from other formats before with some variations (x men etc.), the story starts veeery slowly, and I was just waiting for something to... happen really? I have seen 8 episodes yet, not Park Hee-soon in sight? Is he really in this drama?
Not sure about the storyline either, so genetically gifted people have genetically gifted kids and they try to hide and protect them from the evil forces of the North? I will give this another chance and watch some more episodes, but as of yet I am a bit underwhelmed.

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This is good!

I am generally not even a horror fan, but this series was so thrilling and tense I was glued to the screen through all 10 episodes without a second of being bored or even remotely thinking about fast fowarding. (which I have to admit happens more often lately, when dramas have a good start, and quickly go downhill either with storyline, dragging etc.) I also found it remarkable that (after I have watched several 'end of the world/zombie apocalypse etc. shows in the past years) in this show they at least didn't shy away from the fact that in such circumsatances also the worst in humans comes out and things like rape would happen. Other apocalyptic shows go on for 10 seasons and never even mention it, like it wouldn't happen - and it would!

I do not know the webtoon but I can say pretty much everything in this adaption is perfect for my taste. The storyline, the actors, the soundtrack (phenomal), the production, the lighting, the sets, the special effects, and especially the whole atmosphere created in this huge building - really got me and I felt like I was sitting motionlessly tense watching, only interrupted by really well done monster sequences that got me shrieking out loud.

Still, in all the horror story there are serious and good single stories of the main characters.
It even managed to get me crying at one point when Jung Jae-Heon sacrified himself with his spirit true to the very end in all that dystopic mess of a world.

if you generally like the genre I'd say this is yet one of the best shows I've seen and from the first to the last episode.

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well, you get what it says ;)

so, I got to find this comparably older movie from 2014, because I lately finally watched 'because this is my first life' - yes, real life is crappy these days for many and a friend highly recommended this drama as one with the perfect 'everything is good, poeple are good and all will be fine in the end' dramas - so I watched - and - saw Lee Min-ki for the first time.

I liked him in that drama, but not exclsuively because I (really) liked this specific drama, but because I really liked his vibe, which is rather edgy and dark in a restrained way. Even in that friendly role and unintended.
I thought that all the time, and I really enjoyed that although the script writers tried hard, he just never looked like the typical babyface , unrealistically nice and 'no intentions' guy, but instead very classically manly.
So, I checked what else he has done, and seeing the 'emperor' movie in the list plus seeing Park Sung-woong in it too, I checked further.

The description said dark, classical gangster flick, lots of blood, brutal, and adult content.
So firstly, for all those complaining here: please read the description first. If you don't like this kind of content don't watch it instead of complaining afterwards.
But now, to the movie finally:

Movie:

So, I expceted a certain setting but I was utterly surprised after only five minutes in. Yes, there is lots of blood, knives, rather nice cinematography with the flickering lights in the dark. And then there is real adult content? In a Korean movie? Real passion, real kisses, and - you know, - the real stuff, like poeple really do it at times? A woman making the real sounds, not that fake high pitched mouse squeeking stuff? I almost fell off my chair, - in a Korean movie? I really did not expect that and found it to be a nice surprise for a change.

That said, the rest is also what the description said - it's a noir gangster movie set in Busan, ( if you speak Korean it's nice hearing the actors speaking with that accent as in this gangster setting, this accent gives the right vibe)
it has all the cliches, games and betting, brothels, gangster bosses in big cars and expensive suits, lots of minions willingly going into rather unrealistic knife fights with lots of bloody action.
The music seems fitting as it felt a little dated, almost 80s like with that synthi-sound. ( so seemed Lee Min-kis hairdo with that perm, but also this fitted that role)

The whole movie seems just like a glimpse into this kind of gangster world, which, in the end, is a shark tank, the one on top always has to fear to be killed so another one can take his place.
It's all about money and yes, women who, in these settings ( and that sadly is realistic) are nothing but convenience used and abused and trying to survive somehow.

And no, it's just not the movie where you start with feministic ideas, it's simply the truth for many women in many countries who for whatever reason, find themselves in such (or way worse) life settings. I found the actress played that part convincing, having to do things she hates, using what means she can, always being threatened, and of course being sad and unhappy.
Still she at least finds short passion with Lee Hwan, they transport that first moment immediate (almost animal-) attraction feeling very convincingly. And no, there is no happy end for neither of them, in such settings there is no place for happy endings, at least that was realistic.

As for unrealistic parts: the knife scenes where nicely coreographed but far from reality. Even further from reality is the idea that a lanky ex baseball player like Lee Hwan suddenly has self defense abilities topping the best gangsters, him being outnumbered by 15 large blokes with knives and he takes them all down - yeah, no way of course, but, again, typical for these kind of movies.
There was dialouge, yes, cliche dialogue, but good enough to watch the whole movie. ( and this goes SO much worse, and in newer productions, please go watch 2022 'project wolf hunting' if you want the worst ;)

Result:

knowing what I will probably get I enjoyed this, and watched the whole movie without fast forwarding (which I did many times with actions flicks worse that this)

I was impressed by Lee Min-ki, as he can convincingly play that cruel, cold, psycho guy with a death stare one might still feel drawn to .
As I said he gives off that very reserved and restrained vibe, but there is some little dark intensity underneath, (also in interviews) which I find rather appealing and interesting in a very classical, manly way. I meanwhile saw another drama with him ('liberation notes') with yet another completely different acting vibe, so he for sure can play very versatile roles, and is obviously brave enough to simply not be yet another polished 'little boy' actor.

So, if you can just enjoy these kind of movies - brain off, - with all the typical stuff, gangsters, fights, dark vibes, - give it a go.
It's not brilliant, nothing for your intellect, it's just what it is and says to be and for that comparably enjoyable.

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