Addicting!
I will always love a crime kdrama, and this is no exception. I was especially looking forward to this one since I loved Ji Sung's performance in the Devil Judge, and he did not disappoint! Connection told such a compelling story of interwoven unsolved cases, and I was HOOKED! If you like crime dramas at all, you have to give this one a shot.Jang Jaegyeong works in the (very successful) narcotics unit. Him, along with reporter Oh Yoonjin, begin investigating a new drug that has been spreading called lemon mulberry, which gives the user great focus and concentration at the cost of live-threatening withdrawals and quick-building tolerance. Basically, it's the perfect recipe for maximum addiction. At the same time, an old friend of Jaegyong's named Junseo tries to reconcile with him over events from high school that ruined their friendship. After another pleading attempt, Junseo continues to get nowhere with Jaegyeong. One night, Jaegyeong is kidnapped and drugged with lemon mulberry with no memory of what happened; around the same time, Junseo's body is found at a construction site and is tentatively considered suicide. Jaegyeong begins simultaneously investigating the potential murder of Junseo and the rise and spread of lemon mulberry, and starts connecting the cases together.
This show was genuinely so much fun to watch, especially if you pay close attention. While there are a lot of characters you need to know, all of them play such interesting roles in these murder and drug cases. Plus, as a viewer, you can try to start piecing together everything yourself alongside the detectives, which I always love. I find I have a hard time getting into shows when the viewer knows a lot more than the characters, but this was the perfect balance of trying to lead the viewer to make conclusions with small pieces of evidence while also making sure the detectives are competent and are putting things together. I also felt like the twists in the plot were built in perfectly - no twists that didn't make any sense just for shock value, but the way things came together was still unexpected. Truly, this was a really well thought out crime drama that keeps you wanting more episodes!
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Desperately needed a throughline
I know that this series was meant to be a collection of short stories. However, because they all have a central theme, I kind of expected there to be SOME kind of overlap between the stories. In general, the stories are about using some kind of supernatural means to get what you want, and oftentimes these attempts backfire. Each story has its own characters, own director, and own themes that somehow relate to this. Still, I think it would have been WAY more fun if there were characters that popped back up, whether that be in the form of cameos or having the same fortune teller/temple/etc. come back into play. Instead, these are seven totally separate stories, some of which are not worth watching at all. Because this is technically one show, I'm only reviewing it here so here's the breakdown of what I would rate each storyline:"Hi" by My Luck - 7/10
Not My Father! - 8/10
Diva Deva Mata - 1/10
Fist Foot Fusion - 1/10
Hello, Is This Luck? - 3/10
Love Lock - 7/10
Love Me If You Swear - 9/10
I'm sorry, but some of these could NOT keep my attention. In the case of Diva Deva Mata and Fist Foot Fusion, I could not bring myself to care about these characters nor their problems. It was too goofy, and not at all enjoyable for me. I know, I could have just skipped these storylines because again there is no real throughline here and I wouldn't miss anything; still, for completeness I did want to watch them all. If you're wanting to watch some of this show, PLEASE just pick the storylines that sound good to you - there is no reason to watch all of these, and you will not miss out on anything by skipping one (or multiple). Plus, whoever decided that this should air once a week for TWENTY-EIGHT weeks??? Come on now. You should've aired two eps a week minimum for something like this. I will say, the good ones are GOOD - I really enjoyed the cult plot of Not My Father! and REALLY loved Surf and Java as rival gang leaders in Love Me If You Swear. Unfortunately, the high highs were paired with some really low lows. I absolutely do not recommend watching this show in its entirety; read each storyline plot first and then decide if it's worth your time - some of them definitely are, and some are definitely not.
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GREAT bones, lacked time
If this show was double or triple the length, it would be incredible. The story was so interesting and so engaging, and the characters were complex and truly grew throughout the show. But whoever thought that 15 min episodes were a good idea should be fired. If each episode was 30-45 minutes and they could truly showcase everything, even with the exact same plot, this would have been AMAZING! The male leads had fantastic chemistry, and I did not expect the twists in the story. Even though it's short, it's still worth watching.After Li Jianwei's entire family is murdered, he narrowly escapes and vows to avenge his father by killing the assassins. To do so, he infiltrates Ghost Valley pretending to be a lost young traveler, and they take him in. The young master, Chen Xiaoxi, and Jianwei end up becoming very close, all while Jianwei is secretly plotting revenge on him and the rest of Ghost Valley. Hiding his identity, Jianwei continues to learn about the members of Ghost Valley - but between the secrets that have been kept from him and his feelings towards Xiaoxi, it is unclear whether revenge is truly what Jianwei needs.
I LOVED the idea of Jianwei infiltrating Ghost Valley and pretending to be someone else, and I really enjoyed watching the struggle between him and Xiaoxi as you could tell the identity reveal was getting closer. I thought their relationship was really well done. There were a LOT of places in this show that would benefit from extra time - a lot of the plot points seem to end abruptly, or scene changes don't seem to make sense because it seems like they cut something out for time. That being said, the story is still wonderful to watch.
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Incredibly....fine
Peach Trap was a show that I seemed to forget about every week. While I did enjoy watching the three potential love interests fight over the mc (and frankly, was surprised by who won him at the end), this show REALLY lacked any character development, ESPECIALLY for the mc! He had three men fighting each other trying to win him over, and he is the most BLAND character ever.Doha is wrongfully fired from his job. His supervisor feels bad about this and tries to help him get a new job, while also flirting with him. Meanwhile, Doha's childhood best friend has been secretly in love with him for years, and the barista at Doha' favorite coffee shop has been crushing on him too. The three men all try to win Doha's heart, while Doha tries to find a job.
I still cannot understand how three men are all SO in love with the mc. Doha truly had no personality besides a couple of tears shed here and there. The only character trait he really had was "unemployed"! That being said, I really enjoyed the three love interests, and was pleasantly surprised by how it ended. However, with not enough time to give any characters real development, and a main character that's boring as hell, this show didn't really do it for me. Not the worst watch, but not the best.
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Great Chemistry, Too Short
I had heard a lot of good things about this show and put off watching it simply because of my dislike for the Korean BL format (why are they always so short!), but I finally decided to give it a try and it did not disappoint! As always, things felt a little rushed, and major conflicts felt too fast and too late in the series, but I still really enjoyed watching it.Jiwon is a former Olympic gold medalist who retired from gymnastics, but is still too well known by the public for his liking. Now at university, he tries his best to hide from the spotlight, but ends up befriending Jeongwoo, the university's top basketball player. While the two of them start off as friends, it seems they both feel something more, but aren't quite willing to admit it - both because they're scared of the response, and because the relationship could ruin their reputations.
Overall, this was a fun and cute drama. I never know what to expect with KBLs in terms of chemistry (I've watched enough old kdramas with horrible kiss scenes....I don't need any more) but this one knocked it out of the park. The main actors did a fantastic job. I especially loved how both characters really had their own, conflicting inner struggles that played out over the course of the show. My biggest complaint is that the conflict in the last few episodes felt a little rushed and I wanted more time after it was resolved to see the two main characters together, but that tends to be the case with this show format. Still, it's definitely worth watching.
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Cutie Vampires!
I watched this show like a movie (which isn't hard, considering how short it is) and quite enjoyed it! I thought the casting was great, and the storyline wasn't overly complex and managed to fit everything into the short time that they had. Did I want a proper neck bite? Of course. Do I love domestic found family vampires? Also yes.When Dongha signs a lease for a shared apartment, he has no clue that he's moving in with four vampires - in fact, he doesn' even know that vampires are real. Three of his new housemates seem thrilled that he's there....perhaps a bit too thrilled, in fact. However, the fourth roommate, Joowan, is not nearly as welcoming. Dongha is determined to get on Joowan's good side, but Joowan is adamant that Dongha move out. As Dongha and Joowan grow closer, Joowan's cold exterior melts away.
This show was super cute and sweet without drawn out conflicts. It was predictable but fun, and the actors did a great job. If you want basically a bunch of cutiepie vampires living as a little family, a cold vampire x sweet human romance, and a heartwarming gay story? This is a fun time. Don't go looking for anything much deeper - just enjoy the fun!
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Good, if you're already a fan
I watched the Given anime awhile back, and figured I may as well give the live action a try. I'm not sure WHY they thought they could condense the already short series into something even shorter, but I was quite disappointed with how much nuance of the original story you miss out on by watching this version. I definitely didn't dislike it, but I think the only reason I enjoyed it was because I was thinking about the anime the entire time.If you're already a fan of the manga or anime, I'd say give this a watch if you want something fun and fast to remind you of it. However, I would advise people looking into watching this to watch the anime instead - it's not much longer, and it's significantly better. The ending of this show was so....nothing. Plus, I think the best part of the story is Mafuyu's backstory, which you get some of, but not nearly enough to truly understand his character. Plus, with such little time, Uenoyama came off as way more rash and jealous in this version. Trying to ALSO tie in Akihiko's storyline felt like they were just adding easter eggs for people that were already fans, because there wasn't enough in this version to put together any cohesive storyline with that. Overall an okay show, but not if you're unfamiliar with the story.
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A Shining Political Tragedy
Shine was so much more than I expected it to be. I think the best way to describe this show is a tragic political drama - not because there wasn't romance, but because the romance feels secondary to the building political tensions throughout this show. I think my only complaint was that Mile and Apo's roles and romance as Tanwa and Trin felt almost unnecessary to the larger plot, but it was still an incredible watch. Plus, the directing and music were outstanding.Economist Trin (Apo) travels back to Thailand from France after the loss of his love in French protests. There, he begins to get involved in politics, as well as work as a professor. He meets Tanwa (Mile) first as a laid-back musician, son of a politician, and then as a 10th year college student. The two opposites slowly attract while working together. Meanwhile, Trin's uncle Krailert (Son) is a colonel, and in charge of some major political deals. Political reporter Naran (Euro) has been digging up dirt on him in an attempt to reveal the corruption in the military and their politics. Unknowingly, the two start communicating via newspaper column music reviews, and when they finally meet in person, the chemistry is undeniable. The political opponents fall in love as a rebellion is brewing, and being on opposite sides of a country nearing war is never the right place for love to thrive.
Truly, Son and Euro STOLE THE SHOW! The TENSION and the heartache was incredible - what's more heartbreaking than a love that seems impossible? In my opinion, some of their scenes were....unnecessarily long and explicit, but the directing was so wonderful I can't even really complain. The politics involved in their relationship was absolutely incredible to watch, and their backstories only added to the complexity of their relationship. The biggest downside of this show in my opinion was that they weren't the main characters. While I love Mile and Apo, their relationship didn't seem all that important; particularly, Mile's character seemed to play very little role in the plot besides being Apo's love interest. Their relationship was still great to watch, though I think the fun in it lied much more with Trin's slow realization that he was into Tanwa than with the relationship itself. Still, this show is absolutely worth watching, and props to beoncloud for making a show that is so unique!
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Rushed Ending
I was really intrigued by the beginning of this show where we got a bunch of episodes that each explored a different character, showing the highlights and downsides of their special ability. However, as the show progressed I felt like we were rushing the later plot points.I honestly did not mind the ending, but I felt that the climax happened too late. That being said, it was still a fun watch. I just think if they sped up a couple of the middle episodes, or extended the show 2-3 more eps, it would've felt much more complete (and frankly, wouldn't need a s2).
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Circumstance Determines Fate
"Good people aren't always good, and bad people aren't always bad" seemed to be a very central theme to this show. While I appreciated the nuance it tried to have, I found that the drawn out timeline and poor character development took away from it. As the show went on, I liked it more and more, but I found the beginning to be overly drawn out, and eventually felt like I didn't really have anyone I was truly rooting for. I liked this idea of two brothers who, when treated totally differently by their father, end up on opposite paths - one a cop, and one a criminal. However, I felt that the execution left some things to be desired.Win (Perth) and Korn (Ohm) are brothers. Korn was born during a hard time for the family, and his father thought him a jinx that could only bring bad luck; Win, on the other hand, became a golden child destined to bring good fortune. Their father constantly abused Korn while praising Win, though the two brothers managed to have a good relationship with each other. However, as time goes on, Korn ends up involved with a drug smuggling gang, and Win follows Korn's original dream of becoming a cop, putting the two brothers on opposite sides of an investigation.
I thought Perth and Ohm did a good job in this show, but I just felt that the writers could have done so much more. I wish we got even more on Film's character Rung, who was important to the brothers' relationship, because I feel like her arc was super important but lacking details to make it stand out. I know that the entire premise revolved around this idea that no one is truly the "good guy," but I honestly wasn't really rooting for either brother. I felt that this took away from a lot of scenes where the two of them have these kind of stand-offs with each other - I wanted to feel so much more for them than I did! That being said, I still enjoyed watching this show, but mostly because I liked the cast.
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A Perfectly Paced but Short Mystery
Dalah: Death and the Flowers was a super fun watch because of how well paced the murder mystery was. While it wasn't the most complex story, I thought that for a 6 episode show, it was super nicely done.As Dalah prepares the floral arrangement for a wedding, she meets the bride Narisa, daughter of a wealthy businessman, and the groom Ohm, the soon-to-be prime minister. The marriage seems like a perfect transaction - and from the outside, the bride and groom actually seem fairly happy. That is, until the day of the wedding when the groom is found dead at the floral studio. Family secrets on both sides unravel as the case progresses, and no one can seem to figure out how Dalah is involved in all of this.
I thought that this show was a super engaging watch! I LOVE some rich family drama, and this one sure did deliver. I genuinely was surprised by a lot of the twists, and while the ending reveal wasn't unexpected, it was still a super fun watch. I thought that the way the viewer was walked through the twists in each episode was super well done, and the way it unfolded was done so well over the course of the episodes. While some things were left a little open ended or slightly unfinished, I felt that they did a great job for the time they had. Absolutely worth the watch.
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Fun characters and fights, but missing something
Study Group takes a much more fun twist on the classic kdrama plot of high school gangsters. I was pleasantly surprised by how light they managed to make the show feel considering how heavy the themes are. While I wouldn't consider it the best drama in this category, it was still a super fun watch.Yun Ga Min's goal is simple: he wants to study and get good grades. However, he sucks at it. In hopes of moving towards the top of his class, he transfers to the worst school he could find - full of gangsters that spend all day fighting instead of studying. But still, he can't seem to make any progress towards becoming a better student. He decides to start a study group, and even though at first no one wants to join, he eventually is able to pull together some students to join him; this does, however, put a target on their backs. Luckily, Ga Min is secretly the best fighter there is, and uses his seemingly superhuman fighting skills to protect his new study group friends.
The fight scenes in this show were surprisingly fun to watch, not because they were realistic, but because they were so over the top and dramatic that it made me laugh. I was hoping for a bit more depth on the characters' home lives and some of the trauma that was alluded to in the show, but the characters were still super interesting to watch. I do think that Ga Min was a bit too perfect, in the sense that we never really got to see him crack the way I wanted to. Not to mention, all the study group members clearly had issues with their families, but only a few of these were actually touched on. Still, it was a fun watch, even though I wish they could've given me a bit more from the characters themselves.
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Excellent for the time they had
Wow. I always worry about Korean BLs that are so short because so often they try to do too much in too little time. A Breeze of Love was the perfect amount of character and relationship development for the length of the show!When the basketball team is in need of a forward, the team manager scouts Dongwook to play for them. However, Dongwook and the team captain Dohyun know each other, and don't seem to be on good terms. The show plays out in a dual timeline: Dongwook and Dohyun's current "enemies" to lovers college relationship builds as you get flashbacks of their high school relationship that ended in a bad falling out.
I love the way that instead of telling the story in chronological order, you get bits and pieces of what happened between them in high school as you move through the show. Also, I'm really glad they didn't try to do too much with Dongwook's insomnia, and kept it simple considering the length of the show. All in all, this was a lovely movie-like watch that was cute, comforting, and worth giving a shot.
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An Episodic Suicide Prevention PSA
I went in to Tomorrow with an open mind, excited for the idea of grim reapers that don't actually guide dead souls, but instead prevent them from dying in the first place. However, I found that the mostly episodic nature of the show ended up making it feel repetitive and uneventful.Choi Joonwoong (Rowoon) nearly dies when preventing a suicide - a suicide that was supposed to be prevent by the Risk Management Team of grim reapers. While in a coma, his soul enters Jumadeung, a company in the afterlife filled with grim reapers. He is told he can work with the Risk Management Team for 6 months and then return to his body in the world of the living. Joonwoong then spends his days preventing suicides alongside other grim reapers on the team.
I felt like I was always waiting to get more back story on the grim reapers on the team, as well as get more drama from within Jumadeung. While we got to see glimpses of it, it felt like it came way too late in the show. Instead of dragging on a single case for multiple episodes, I wish we got to see more of why the other reapers hate the Risk Management Team, the stories of the other reapers and how that affects them, etc. but they didn't truly flesh that out until the end of the series. I understand they wanted to portray these different suicide cases, but it started to feel a little heavy handed with the suicide prevention psa. I think if it was more balanced between grim reaper drama and the cases themselves, it would've been a much more well-rounded show.
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Coming of age without enough time
With a cast like this, I knew I had to watch Summer Night. It was a very fun show to watch and while I enjoyed watching it weekly, I would guess it's better watched in a shorter period of time. I wouldn't call it slow, but it did feel like a lot of conflicts were drawn out a little too long, especially when it's obvious who Star will end up with.Lune (Phuwin) has always been a loner . After getting bullied at his last school and then transferring to a new one, he's become fine with this fact - and is also fine with simply admiring his crush Star (Parn) from afar. That is, until White (Dunk) decides he'll do whatever it takes to get Lune to join his friend group. Lune starts becoming closer with White, Star, Ivy (Lookjun), and Jewel (Ryu), but when White reveals his secret crush on Star, Lune feels obligated to hide his feelings. He feels even more obligated to do so when it turns out Star might have those same feelings for him. Faced with either losing a girl or his new best friend, Lune tries to please everyone and ends up doing quite the opposite.
I really enjoyed Lune's arc in this show, even when he was a bit stupid at times. However, I felt like the relationship between Lune and Star could have been so much better! It felt like there were so few scenes with them being happy together. Plus, the overly drawn out jealousy plotline got annoying real quick. With all the characters in the show, it felt like they were trying hard to balance out screentime, and it got the best of them. Honestly, if this had been a 12 episode series instead of 10 they might have been able to do a bit more, but it just felt like some things were rushed while others were too slow. But still, the cast was great and it was definitely enjoyable.
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