Size15FeetJames

Binge-worthy, but..

Air City has an interesting premise: a drama based in an airport-setting with characters that have different personalities (the story is confusing so it's best not to explain too much, but although the story is confusing at times, at other times it is very fun and enjoyable - I would say the story is stronger in the first half than the second half of the drama however). I was a fan of the stunts and perhaps this played a part of me giving the re-watch value a higher score than I predicted?

Story does lack that little bit of logic - e.g. if you are a secret agent, you wouldn't let that not be kept a secret etc. However, it was interesting enough to kinda turn a blind eye on the lack-of-logic.

Acting was good from nearly all main/supporting roles.

Casting... was great! I was unfamiliar with the FL but I liked her. The two ML's I am familiar with however and they performed greatly once again, no surprise here.

OST was amazing.

All in all, this is more of a drama you should watch instead of read me explaining everything about it.

Do I recommend Air City? Yes. Interesting premise, characters, stunt/fighting scenes. Does lack that bit of logic and the second half is weaker than the first, but I still recommend it!

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Solid

Divorce Attorney Shin is a solid drama that has some great performances from all cast members, great characters, some surprising minor twists to the main story, and addictive OST. I can always tell when a drama is enjoyable when the episodes of 1 hour feel more like 15-20 minutes. The story got me hooked in, and I also liked the majority of the 'side stories'. I also really liked the bromance here especially, and the rivalry between the ML and the villainess.

There are a few things I weren't too keen on. The main thing was a personal pet peeve that most probably didn't catch. But I didn't like the way the children spoke, i.e. they spoke like the adults. I know kids can be smart etc. but the words that came out of their mouth were sometimes so over-philosophical or logical that it took the immersion out temporarily and made me think 'What did he just say? How does he know such a word?'. The other thing I wasn't to keen on was one of the story arcs for one of the female characters, although this didn't hamper my enjoyment too much in the end.

I also wanted to note I was a big fan of the direction. The director knows their craft well. It's a very rare occasion for me to praise directing so well but honestly I think I could probably put this drama as the best directed.

All in all, I do recommend this. My review does look like it should be higher than an 8.5/10. However, despite it's greatness, personally, I didn't get as emotionally attached as I do, otherwise I guess this would have been a 10/10 for me. However, this can easily be a 10/10 for you! So what are you waiting for? Go and watch this!

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Kinda boring, but it does have a few things going for it.

Perhaps I was a little too optimistic when I found this. I mean, if you know me, you know how much I love the sports genre in dramaland. Love On Green necessarily isn't bad, it has many of the right ingredients in the recipe to produce something tasty and memorable. Good production value, good OST, good cast. However, it also lacks the basic fundamentals such as a good story, good characters and good script. I think the biggest reason for this was the length of the episodes, some were hovering around the five-minute mark. So, in that short space of time, I had imagined much more action, especially around the sport: golf, and the golf competition.

In terms of the amount of sport coverage however, I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, the focus on romance was a little too much at points, but it showed enough golf to leave me satisfied. I was happy that scenes regarding golf were done in different ways: such as the different types of gold played. Screen golf, golf via practicing at a driving range, and then playing 'proper' golf as I like to put it. I also liked the golf-related scenes in the office environment which I always think is needed in this genre (instead of working at work, playing sports when playing sports - obviously I understand why this is done, but this is dramaland, not real life!).

Do I recommend this? It's not a definite yes, but if you like watching short episodes at roughly 4 to 8 minutes long, then I think you would like this.

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Short but Satisfying

Monstrous is a short but satisfying drama that is a nice breath of freshness, although the strengths of the drama necessarily didn't come from the story. Instead, it came from a number of different factors: characters, acting, OST, re-watch value, SFX, cinematography. First of all, characters. There were actually quite a few characters, more than what I had expected. All were greatly written and acted. Everyone played their part; it was a great group effort. The OST is small but it's probably going to be high on my all-favourites list, all songs were spectacular and addictive, and were placed perfectly in scenes or elsewhere. Re-watch value is way higher than normal. Even though these were 30-ish minute episodes, I had so much fun with this that honestly the episodes felt only 10 minutes long, and it made me want to keep on watching, it made me so invested. SFX and cinematography in these kinds of dramas can depend dramatically, and thankfully this was a great example of these both.

A few negatives would be the story, directing and dialogue. First of all, the script and the directing were not that good if I am being honest. It felt clanky, awkward, amateurish. If the cast hadn't have performed so well, this would have even more easily had showed, and my overall rating would definitely be lower. The story necessarily is not a massive negative. I enjoyed it, but there were a few things that I wasn't too sure about, a few things I think could have been written better.

All in all, I recommend people to watch Monstrous. It's a great drama when you want to have a "stupid day", i.e. a brilliant drama that involves crazy and spooky sh*t. Think less about logic and just enjoy the crazy ride!

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Wasn't what I initially expected, but...

The Sound of Magic wasn't what I had initially expected when I started watching it, and to be honest, for the first couple of episodes, it was because I wasn't a fan. However, what I realised, was that I had a very pessimistic and thoughtless viewpoint. This drama, to be enjoyed, must be viewed with a drizzle, sprinkle and then big wallop of imagination, imagination, imagination! Even with this, I wasn't still realising the great morals. The morals of The Sound of Magic are the reason why this has scored higher than what I had initially anticipated, too. Morals such as: happiness is most important in life, your problems don't go away until you fix them for yourself, to not take life too seriously. There are more but if I listed all of them, this review would be way too long.

The stronger points of this drama include acting, cinematography and characters. I was initially surprised at the number of characters that do get involved since there is only 6 episodes, but all characters are very well written, and all are relevant and add to the story. Cinematography is absolutely stunning (along with SFX now that I think about it). It's like when a daydream comes to life, I guess. Great cast, around half I had known before and did an exceptional job once again, whilst the other half of the cast that I previously hadn't known about, did great too! I am eager to see them in more dramas.

Never stop believing. The Sound of Magic, thank you for reminding me.

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Not overly bad, but boring

Nail Shop Paris isn't overly bad, but it can be quite boring. It has a lingering slow pace that appears in nearly all episodes, and even more considering this is more episodic based, can be quite a chore to watch through until the end. But there were definitely some positives that made me want to watch through until the final episode (which unfortunately, was the biggest bore fest of them all).

The main positive was the performance of Song Jae Rim, an outstanding actor that, despite given a cold and somewhat 'shaky' character to portray, managed to hit another home run with his excellent portfolio that hasn't missed so far. He was easily the biggest highlight.

Another positive was that whilst I did not enjoy the pacing at all, there were some more serious themes that were handled well, which I was surprised about. I also enjoyed the brief moments of when the FL was visualising her novel into an over-dramatic movie, it reminded me to not take the drama too seriously and try to have fun with it - which is what I suggest you do too!

Negatives include the aforementioned pacing, but also the acting of the majority of cast members (not trying to offend you if one of your favourites is included here - just my opinion), and I didn't feel any chemistry between many of the actors. It just felt like an awkward pay-to-appear gig that sometimes happened at a nail shop, sometimes happened at a restaurant type thing.

Would I recommend Nail Shop Paris? I mean, I would, just as long as you don't mind something that is definitely slow paced most of the time.

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Is it more about the journey or destination?

Surplus Princess is a perfect drama until the last episode. It's a fantastic journey that featured a great and mysterious story that had unique themes and characters, but ultimately led to a failure in the final episode, which was just a complete rushed mess. Unfortunately this drama had been cut by six episodes. If it hadn't been cut, I'm pretty sure my overall rating would be higher. Actually, it definitely would have been higher.

Anyways...the thing I was sceptical about first, when starting to watch this drama, was the mermaid theme. I have only known the mermaid theme to be either cringe, childish, or boring (or a combination/full mix of these three). But for the first time ever, it was neither of these things. Even the "filler" scenes actually didn't feel like "filler" scenes. While all characters (like previously mentioned above) were unique, some could have been written better.

OST was great, although a little overplayed at points.

I've just finished this drama, and I still don't know what to feel. I wish this last episode didn't exist, or at least made better. It just feels uncomplete. The characters are not where they are supposed to be! Well, well. If anyone ever writes an MDL Article titled "When the drama end with the wrong couples together" don't be surprised to see 'Surplus Princess' mentioned!

You'll enjoy the first nine episodes without a doubt!

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Makes you think about what is truly important in life

'Hi Bye, Mama!' is a very thought provoking drama that gives stimulating feelings regarding life as we know it and makes the viewer really think about what is truly important in life, and to appreciate every second you are on this planet. This drama was really helped by the amazing performances of the cast, which helped encapsulate some of the things that perhaps people take for granted.

Now, after reading that, you may wonder why the score isn't a 10/10 for all score rankings. The first criticism I have of this drama is that I feel it could have been condensed down easily. Perhaps instead of 16 episodes, it could have easily been finished in 12. The episodes didn't feel long (which is actually quite a strength considering, before starting this, the stretching of air time was a big potential worry for me). All in all, episodes didn't feel long, but the story was stretched out.

Another criticism I have, albeit quite a minor one, was the story involving the ghosts, specifically the baseball player. It felt quite irrelevant in the end, they were building it up for so long, just for some small screen time by the end.

Like before, the biggest strength of this drama is by far the amazing cast and each of their respective performances. In second, I would say the production value. The directing, the camera shots of the actors and of the nature, were purely amazing. They really know how to set out the scenes for each perspective mood they wanted to make the viewers feel. Thirdly, I would say the characters, nearly all of them likeable, and easy to like.

I would suggest to everyone, no matter what genre you usually like to watch, to watch this. Do not miss out!

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Good, could have been greater

Mad Dog - a drama in which its' plot was built with one too many clichés, but eventually became original enough on it's own to genuinely enjoy. The majority of dramas similar are most likely going to be better but Mad Dog is still a decent watch. I think the greatest thing in regards to this drama was the fact that the cast selection was perfectly orchestrated. This means that you can expect (nearly) all characters to be acted out to an immensely impressive level. The story starts out quite boring but eventually becomes interesting enough, and I would even say 'binge-worthy'.

A few things did bother me, such as some characters sudden and one-time action's not matching their personalities, forced romance (not much romance but you'll understand what I mean if you end up watching Mad Dog), and some over-the-top scenes trying to display the 'emotions'.

I do like the easiness of the story in the sense that it was easy to follow, especially in the later stages where things started to be a good level of 'complex but not confusing'. Oh, and the CGI, especially with the plane crash, was very impressive work, it actually looked real. I don't say that at all when it comes to CGI, so props to the person or people in charge of that!

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Different, mostly in a great way.

Chief of Staff is definitely different, 'mostly' in a great way. It managed to pull of a serious story that illustrated many issues in the world we live in today, with a hint of realism that isn't apparent in other dramas of it's kind (politics genre etc.). I really liked the production, especially in filming and editing of this too, and while, story-wise, I felt like I desired something that wasn't there, I was still impressed from the end. The first couple of episodes are quite slow but eventually by the third/fourth episode you'll get into the story more. Acting was top-notch quality by nearly everyone, accompanied by a great OST.

Re-watch value is normally low for me anyways, so don't read into that too much. If you are a fan of these kinds of dramas, I definitely recommend watching Chief of Staff. If you are new to this genre, of haven't watched a great deal, I would suggest something different for you as it may not be to your taste. All in all, a decent watch.

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Started Slow, But It's Worth It!

While I found the first quarter of episodes rather quite slow, I did eventually find Coffee Prince to be a solid drama with some greatly built characters and OST, which of course was helped alongside an all-star cast. (R.I.P. to Lee Eon). In all honesty, I could have perhaps even given Coffee Prince a higher rating, if one thing was changed - that being the character of the FL. Don't get me wrong, the character wasn't horrible, but I did get a little tired of the same thing over and over. Thankfully however, the story, while not insanely impactful, kept giving little twists and turns which kept it fresh, and the majority of the characters excluding the FL, were enjoyable to watch. I would have in-fact liked more episodes by the end - perhaps like a spin-off that featured more limelight of the supporting characters based in the Coffee Prince café.

All in all, while the start was slow, I still definitely suggest people to watch Coffee Prince. I'm not even the sort of person to enjoy 'contemporary romance/slice-of-life type' dramas, and I thoroughly enjoyed this, especially when it comes to the second half of episodes.

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I'm glad I watched

While the story isn't a masterpiece by any means, 'Feel Good To Die' did two things perfectly: their characters and comedy. This was the first ever K-Drama to make me laugh out loud - in fact I laughed out loud multiple times watching this, so if you're in need in watching something funny, look no further. Another really strong thing going for 'Feel Good To Die' is their amazing OST, which by the end is so catchy and memorable that I instantly recognised the rhythms, melody, flow etc.

There were a few issues, the main issue being the pacing. Some episodes felt really quick and were enjoyable to watch, yet others were a drag to watch and were boring. Thankfully though, the 'boring' episodes were only a few, and were mainly towards the start. (Re-watch value for me is normally quite low anyways so a 4 here isn't the best, but isn't too terrible).

The character of Baek Jin Sang (early version especially) was perhaps the craziest lunatic character I've seen ever, which was a delight to watch.

In short: I recommend this to anyone who likes a good time-loop drama like myself, or who wants to laugh.

Enjoy!

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Simply Lovely

As someone who hadn't watched the trailer before the release and wasn't too sure of the concept when reading the synopsis, Move to Heaven is one of the greatest surprises I have ever had. The story was simply a masterpiece, thought-provoking and makes you really think about life - which I love to think about. I also love the different characters, and how they are with one another. The acting was great, apart from a couple of scenes, but nothing major here. The OST wasn't too noticeable but instead I felt was used very appropriately to hype up suspense or mystery (another great choice here). The re-watch value is high due to the fact that there are only 10 episodes, which some only lasting about 45 minutes (but only feel like 20 minutes or so!).

I highly suggest that you watch Move to Heaven. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did.

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amazing, although some parts don't make sense

While I found some parts of Black confusing, (although this could be due to my lesser experience of watching the supernatural genre) I really loved this. The acting, the chemistry (the chemistry between the two main leads for me definitely took longer than what I thought to 'click' but by 6/7 episodes in I could finally see their great chemistry together too), the OST, the rewatch value, all amazing! Even though some episodes were roughly 1 hour 20 minutes long, they really felt have that amount of time. Inserting the good ole' saying of "Time flies when you're having fun" here!

The first two episodes really made me get involved in the story from the get-go, and whilst I found the third and fourth episodes the slowest out of all of them (but still not that slow), I understand why. These were basically episodes to world build and basically tell the viewer what is going on. I really like all members of the cast here and because of Black I will always remember each and everyone's great performances. Due to Black, I think I'm going to watch more dramas that involve members of this cast, especially the two main leads. Black = Brilliant!

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Great but a little confusing at times

The story of The K2 is great. It's just hard for me to invest in it at times as I'm not sure (with some of the characters) how I'm supposed to feel/who I want to root for. Don't get me wrong, the acting and cast was superb, it was just a little confusing as my emotions for certain characters changed episode by episode. The OST also pointed out to me as quite unique for a drama which at times was very gritty. I liked most of the OST by the end, but at the start it actually quite startled me with the selections of songs/music. I feel like I may have rated my rewatch value too high however as this is another drama I am watching during the lockdown, these dramas have an advantage of a higher rewatch value as I have more time to watch them.

The K2 is definitely a solid drama to watch, as long as you are able to get your head around the great but quite-complex-at-times story.

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