KingC

Second Chances.

I think it's time to admit that some types of mature romances aren't just for me. This was the case with this show.

Miyata Akihiro, a sincere and diligent editor of a business magazine by chance gets to meet his first love, Iwanaga Takashi while working on an article. However, he is still haunted by his previous experience as a teenager with the untouchable Iwanaga sensei, who had bet on their love. Now, as adults, Iwanaga once again expresses his interest in Miyata-san, who is determined not to fall for the easy-going Iwanaga-sensei again.

The characters, particularly Miyata-san is the reason I held on until the end. He was careful and cautious with his words and actions. I was never once annoyed or angered by his choices.
As for Iwanaga sensei... I have no idea about him even after the end. There was so much more to him than what was being shown, but I just couldn't feel anything for his character at all.
I enjoyed the flashbacks, but they seemed incomplete to the story, inspite of giving some glimpse into their past, particularly Miyata-san.
Both the actors nailed their roles, and the overall atmosphere of the drama was pleasant.
It seems to be one of those dramas, which I feel had a lot of potential, but somehow managed to miss me.

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Soothing and Memorable.

The trope of childhood friends falling in love is definitely out of vogue and dramas with recurring themes (often including the same scenarios) fail to impress, and rather irritate viewers instead.
Kimi Ni Wa Todokanai falls in the same league, but with that magical Japanese touch of making the simple seem the most beautiful, this has become one of my favorite dramas ever.

The seemingly quintessential, popular and well loved, yet introverted Ohara Yamato has a deep secret: he is head over heels for his less bright and extroverted childhood friend, Ashiya Kakeru.
He refrains from confessing, but when Kakeru expresses his wish for ‘having someone special’ and actively seeks company along with his friends, Yamato begins to lose control of his carefully guarded feelings.
The shift in tone of their friendship confuses Kakeru and the two best friends are forced to grapple with their emotions.

The trope might be a cliché, but I loved every single episode.
Its concise storytelling, excellent performances and chemistry from both the leading actors, coupled with adequate runtime made this a simple, yet memorable watch.

Also, the BGMs which were ridiculously spot on, aesthetics and a sprinkle of comedy, friendships and sibling relationships made this wholesome.

All in all, I will be definitely revisiting this little journey with the characters once again.

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The Midnight Library.

I was fooled into thinking that this was some isekai style comedy drama, but oh no. It sits right up there with 'Oh no! Here Comes Trouble!' -- dramas which are disguised as comedy when in reality, they hold a much deeper meaning.

The drama opens with a despondent 29-year-old Myung Ha (Lee Tae Vin) in a bar, reading his senior's soon-to-be-turned-to-a-game novel about a couple who finally get their happy ending. He is dismissive about the HE, and points out that Cha Yeo Woon, a supporting character with no 'happily-ever-after' is the one whom he pays attention to. His senior asks Myung Ha whether he would be the one to give him a happy ending -- Myung Ha soon falls asleep drunk and wakes up as his vibrant 19-year-old self... right in the middle of the said game.
His task? Save Yeo Woon within 300 (?) days or face death.
As Myung Ha tries his best to bring a suicidal and lonely Yeo Woon back to life, we slowly begin to learn about who Myung Ha is.

The gaming aspect is strongly welded to Love for Love's Sake -- there is not a moment where I forgot that Myung Ha was not even from the gaming world. What is intriguing is how we discover small snippets of his life through various incidents. Yes, Myung Ha's ultimate task is to unpeel Yeo Woon's various layers and make him choose the things he genuinely cares about. But, what does it ultimately bring for Myung Ha, who doesn't even exist in the first place? And what will happen, when Yeo Woon starts to develop feelings for him?

The answers to several questions were slammed down on my head in the penultimate and final episode, and I still do not know whether to be happy or sad. It was a bitter experience, watching them.

Myung Ha must've been one tough character to play because out of everyone portrayed, he had the most secrets. Kudos to Lee Tae Vin, particularly for the last three episodes because no one call pull of that feeling without understanding the character.
Cha Joo Wan convincingly played the role of a cold tough guy to an honest and strong individual quite well. I liked his sincerity and straightforwardness.

Myung Ha's two other friends and the little sister brought a sense of normalness and 'familial' feeling to what would otherwise have been a rather lonely drama. His relatiobship with his grandmother was what I liked the most -- she was the link which existed in Myung Ha's life, both the virtual and the real one.
[The Midnight Library is a book by Matt Haig by the way. Love for Love's sake, despite it's flowery title reminded me of this book.]

I think for one has to watch this drama by self to experience it -- pretty sure that this is the type of story that is either a hit or miss. Either you understand it or you just don't. It strikes a deep cord and might not resonate with many, but ultimately it definitely is a different story for such a short drama.

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"Follow Your Heart."

Despite the ratings, I think this is one of my favorite short dramas from Japan. I can see why it appeals to only a limited audience -- the leading characters are definitely not the conventional ones. While I'm pretty much accustomed to seeing the 'popular smarty pants' and an introverted silent/chaotic mess, its the first time I'm coming across characters who are both calm and composed. And the overall aura of this series is surprisingly dark/unhappy.

Takizawa Kazuma has just returned from overseas and landed a job in the HR department of an advertising firm. To his surprise, he runs into his former best friend and first love Ishihara Ren, whom he had lost connection with when Kazuma had fallen ill in high school. However, the Ren he knows now refuses to indulge about his past and has changed his surname. They fall back into their old habits and Kazuma keeps his feelings for Ren a secret, even resorting to a friend-with-benefit arrangement, to keep it hidden. But, Ren seems to be hiding something much more bigger than he imagined.

The story has a plot, particularly dealing with workplace harassment. But, the entire journey is worth only for the characters alone -- if they grow on you, per se.
Saotome Ren/Ishihara Ren is one character whom I respect. Not because of how loyal he was to everyone he came across, but how pure he was in his intentions. I can practically hear my parents telling me why I should never fall in love at a young age because that's exactly what happens to Ren.
I enjoyed Kazuma's sunshine like personality; but, I do think that he a bit too naïve when he was young.
[It's lucky that Ren's instincts were correct, otherwise this would be a certain tragedy. ]
I have to say, I was satisfied with both the actors' portrayal of their roles, even if Ren's crying scenes did not have actual tears. But, then again, was it intentional?

The supporting characters such as Ryunosoke and Hide weren't just there to exist, but provided insights about the remaining characters. I liked how we were shown how both Ren and Kazuma saw each other through their own lens'.
The pacing was surprisingly good. The flashbacks from childhood that were interspersed with the current timeline managed to capture my attention and pique my curiosity. Both the child actors were excellent and well casted. I hope to see both of them in bigger roles in the future. [Loved the ending song, One Day, which seems to be more suitable for the darker theme rather than the sunny opening.]

I'm writing this review after quite a long break, so it's already a win that I'm able to recall both the characters' names and their stories. It might not be for everyone, but this was just an almost perfect watch for me.

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Bite Sized Slice of Life Series for Peace.

Following the tradition of those adequately paced, capsule sized, fluffy BLs, Love Tractor is not groundbreaking by any means. However, its charm lies within the characterisation and aesthetics, which were beautifully planned.

Within the first two episodes, it's evident that Yun Sul, an excellent law student, has absolutely zero interest in pursuing law. He rebels against his father's wishes and escapes to his grandfather's village. There he meets the humble and honest Ye Chan, who despite leading a simple life of farming, is happier than most people.

The story has romance as one of its main elements, but what caught my attention was how every character, including the cameo-like In Seong, had a personality and aura of their own. They have a life outside of the bubble, which also plays an important part in shaping who they are.
Yun Seol, perhaps was the most calm, struggling and composed character out of everyone. We see the half of the show from his perspective, while the other half is from Ye Chan's point of view, which was plain hilarious.
Open as a book and innocent as a child, he was smart, but an emotional and confused mess of a kid half the time. An easily likable character.
The comedic timing of everyone in the village was awesome; the village head, Ye Chan and his mom specifically.

In terms of acting, everyone seemed faultless to me. In a manhwa like manner of course! I know there were complaints against the village head, but even he seemed okay to me. The Soundtrack was beautiful - particularly 'Rainbow' by Coldin. (He sang the OST of Semantic Error, last year's breakthrough KBL.)

Mind you, it's kind of a long drama; every episode increases in duration and the final ones were almost half an hour long. I appreciate the team responsible for this as the runtime was sufficient enough to at least attempt to convincingly portray Ye Chan's budding romance. (Ham was more mature and closed off, so I am not sure where and when he fell for Ye Chan.)
The last one I saw, Starstruck, had everything tightly packed into 'exactly' 15 minutes and it was deeply disappointing to see all that potential wasted. Sigh..

All in all, Love Tractor is a beautiful and peaceful watch to cool off your mind.

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The High School for Villains.

This is a 10 episode ride of total insanity, where I witnessed some of the most innocent and meanest students choose the worst decisions in the world in an attempt to overturn their immediate future.
What I liked about this? The characters. I admit, I hated almost every single one during the first three episodes, but slowly began to get accustomed to their ways. Every single one of the students at the school are abhorrent in their own unique manner and I would love to meet their parents.

Oh Ji Soo aka Oji, a paradigm outstanding student has a secret: he is abandoned by both his parents. And to make ends meet, he designs a service... which provides "compensated dating" with a catch -- the clients receive exclusive security if things take a dark turn. However, his secret is discovered by his classmate, Baek Gyuri, destroying his careful routine.

Now, let me start off by telling that I had absolutely no idea what was happening in the first two episodes. I just knew that some really shady business had to be going on based on the users' comments that I had read a long time ago.
But, this might be where the drama's strength lies: it's ambiguity.
Ji Soo might either be the worst or the best character based on how you view him. How is he good?
** He accepts clients who sign up and give them protection along with a blacklist of people who are potentially dangerous. He never forces anything upon them if they are hesitant.
How is he bad?
** He is a pimp. Plain and simple. But, he was also, one of the most careless characters I have seen to date. Dude, if you are doing underworld activities, at least be good at it!
I understood his desperation and urgency. Viewing the world through his eyes, he is doing what he could to survive. Except that resorting to crime is not exactly what I would call the best avenue.
Kim Ji Hoon delivered an absolutely strong performance. I couldn't help feeling bad for him at times.

Baek Gyuri... the infamous female lead as someone mentioned in the comments. She has to be one of the most entitled "brats" I have seen onscreen. Why do I say so? Because purposefully messing up with someone's personal life is heinous. I hear the word being "human" and "real" being mentioned. I accept that statement to an extent, but there is a stark difference between being plain bad and committing something bad in a spur of the moment.
She is one of the well written characters. Out of every single one of them, it was she who was the most calculative and manipulative. But, the little cracks that we see through her brave girl façade couldn't convince me 'why' she had to seek out to be a part of this dangerous job. In the end, I felt that she was deceiving herself to maintain her sanity. The manner in which she handled issues was almost flawless and I liked the strange relationship between her and Oji.

The supporting characters, including Minhee and Kitae, were plain horrible. I grew to like Minhee by the end, once she had actually stopped snapping all the time. I adored her friendship with Mr. Lee Wang Chul (He was my favorite character.) It was one of those moments in this series where I felt that genuine care and affection existed. All the remaining relationships portrayed where plain unhealthy or ambiguous.

I couldn't find a single student in the school who was likeable. At least, whoever had screentime anyway. Is it possible that the whole school was full of bullies and gossip mongers? Why were there no genuine friendships? In the end, it was the home-room teacher, the police woman and the dean who has to deal with all this mess.
The soundtrack was awesome. I loved the main theme "Speak for Yourself".

I do not know how much of the events depicted in this is possible in real life. But, an elder sister I knew did tell me about a thing like this in college where students solicited for money-- often leading to awkward and unpleasant encounters when they encounter their own kind.

I would suggest this to anyone looking for some thrill -- it was slightly dragging and slow upto episode 5, then managed to hold my interest during the last few episodes. Unfortunately, I had high hopes for this one, but I found it a tad bit predictable, considering that the characters kept digging holes the size of Mariana Trench every other episode. The ending was quite fitting, personally. A second season might ruin the effect of the first, which I felt, wrapped up quite nicely.

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If you need to know, this is a 14 minute short story about a boy who has just moved into a new city, Chongqing, and feels out of place. He, by a turn of events, gets to know the "gangster type" dude in his same class. Though, they begin on a not so friendly note thanks to their prejudices, they slowly develop a bond that is hinted to be a strong one.
This was directed to promote members of TNT - Teens in Times, and they did a fairly convincing job. (To me at least.) It was cute, though I don't know what's up with the English title when the native one is a simple "Let's Wait for the Rain to Stop".

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Too Much Sweet With No Salt.

Aah... the age gap returns. Or did it really?

After inheriting his Grandfather's local coin laundry, Minato Akira leads a simple and happy life. His life takes a turn when he encounters Katsuyaki Shin, a 17 year old high school student, who happens to have an intense crush on him. His straightforward advances and innocence enamors Akira, but also digs up unpleasant memories.

Honestly, I really liked the first two episodes, but it sort of descended into boring land very soon. Both the characters of Shin and Akira were beautifully written - everyone had their own fears and setbacks. I loved how straightforward Shin-chan was in particular and it was hilarious to see Akira-san's scandalized reactions. All the actors played their roles well.

Setting that apart, it did have other aspects of friendship, study life and even a sprinkle of Shin-Chan's sister and a few passerby's. Hanabusa Akusa was my favorite, unfortunately. He had a vibe and story that seemed more intriguing to me.

This drama is not a complete waste of time. But, for some reason all that sweetness and tug of war exhausted me and I found myself skipping through the episodes to make it to the end.

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Disgustingly Cute.

That's what I felt about this mini drama. Everything was just so cute.
During his highschool graduation, Lee Wan surprisingly confesses to his bestfriend Kim Shi Tae. Only to run away and disappear without hearing Shi Tae's response. Seven years later, Wan is forced to face Shi Tae at work.

I loved Lee Wan's character a lot, but Eddie (Shi Tae) sort of stole the show in the last two episodes. Lee Wan's justified awkwardness combined with Eddie's witty comebacks was satisfying to watch, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for Wan several times.
Office settings are not my thing unfortunately, and about 90% of this drama is set in the office, which weirdly reminded me of Strangers From Hell.

Another thing? I thought Lee Wan was still in school at the beginning, and Eddie seemed to have been styled in reverse. He looked more like a highschooler in his adult life than in his school days. The actors were definitely convincing in their performance. Even the supporting boss and Sunny.

This is a bit of entertainment I would recommed for anyone who just wants to smile for sometime. Nothing new. Nothing deep.

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Candy with a hint of spice.

That's all I can think while trying to describe this drama because this is the first time I've not felt any connection to the characters.
It could be described as 'meh'. But, they did attempt to show some realistic cases and setting. The extent that reporters go and their dedication towards their duty were portrayed well.
Satoshi was understandable at first, but what exactly was Kaburagi's deal is never mentioned. His character needed time and narrative space for me to understand him. Which the 20 minutes could not provide.
The entire drama is told from Onoe Satoshi's point of view. It was a good attempt, but it totally missed me. Acting was... okay if they had to make do with such a limited time. Their chemistry seemed hot and cold all the time.
I personally wouldn't recommend this to serious drama watchers. Maybe as a quick candy, but not as a major bingeworthy watch.

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Over In The Blink of an Eye.

I wonder how such "tailored for online platform" dramas are shot, because, oh boy... the way the scenes keep shifting from one scenario to another makes my head ache. Each episode is roughly one or two minutes long, so if you are looking for a distraction, this drama might be perfect for you. I suggest watching this part by part, too.

The leading actress impressed me with her expressions, though the Guard Gu barely had any. I don't blame the actor as not enough time was spent on his side of the story. The plot was succinctly conveyed within a very short span of time.
All in all, it's good for a one time experience.

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"Age is Just A Number."

I watched his solely to complete my 52 Week Challenge, but it turned out to be a real fun experience. Although the syopsis seemed plain ridiculous, the story, characters and their inner conflicts were genuinely portrayed.

Nozue-san, an almost 40 year old boss, has always been most cautious with his life. His younger subordinate, Togawa, seeing his internal turmoil, decides to help him overcome his preconceived notions about himself and life in general.

You are never too old to try out new things. This drama depicts this in a careful manner. I loved how Nozae-san was a genuinely nice person, who, despite being seemingly perfect, was hindered by himself. Togowa, at times, appeared much more mature than Nozae-san, yet childlike.
His dialogues at the end of epsiode 4 and 5 are some of the highlights of this show.
It's optimistic overtone was another one.

Overall, it gives you a feeling of really warm and hopeful fuzzies. A solid 8/10 for that.

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"Revenge Is Starting A Fire That You Can't Control." ~ Marty Rubin.

And this drama is a fitting example for this quote.

'My Name' marks my unexpected return to the Crime Organizations/Mafia genre. I should have checked the tags because I was not expecting this to be so violent.

Yoon Jiwoo, a high school student always held a grudge against her father for constantly being absent in her life. Moreover, he was a wanted criminal for selling drugs. But, when he is shot to death and nobody bothers to find the culprit, she seeks out Choi Mu Jin, a crime lord and her father's best friend. Mu Jin takes her in under Dongcheon, his organisation, gives her a new identity and trains her to become a highly skilled fighter inorder for her to prepare her revenge. She joins the Police force with a hidden identity with the only clue she has of her father's killer: a gun that belongs to a cop.

Hats off to Han So Hee for her role as Yoon Ji Woo because she kicked the ball out of the park with her absolutely mind blowing portrayal of a revenge driven girl. This drama would've been beyond boring had it not been for her presence. Her action sequences and training scenes where some of the most intense ones I've seen to date in KDramaland.

Choi Mu Jin, the crime lord, was the star of the show for me. He had such a mysterious charisma that I couldn't help but hope for him to escape everytime. (I should be in jail for saying this.) His relationship with Jiwoo was almost a father-daughter like. He was shady and never a good man, but I loved how we are given glimpses of his life.

The plot… as everyone complained, was predictable. Or atleast the culprit. For some reason, it lost steam after the end of episode 5. I continued watching for the sake of completion or else I would've skipped right to the ending.

Nobody in the Police force made enough significant impact on me to feel for them. (Tae Ju, Mu Jin's second in command had a better impact on me.)
This part of the plot has multiple unanswered questions and I felt that certain points required the suspension of disbelief.

The soundtrack was a treat —- I loved every single song right to the BGMs. The strong soundtrack definitely played a role in several scenes.

The conclusion is fitting the bleak tone of the show as a whole, considering that it deals with a crime organisation. Nobody escapes those unscathed.
It's a pretty solid revenge drama. But, I personally felt that it had a really sombre tone that sucked away my enthusiam somewhere along the latter half, which is why I'm settling for an 8/10.

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A Highly Enjoyable Fantasy.

I am surprised by how this drama turned out to be one of my guilty pleasure favorites. As usual, I had begun it as a 'palate cleanser' following my disastrous experience with 'Hello Monster'. However, I ended up binging the entire thing within two days.

The major advantage that My Roommate is a Gumiho has is it's compact nature of storytelling and a pacing that is 'passable' enough to keep viewers who are inquisitive glued to their screens.

Starting right off the bat with the introduction of the history of a male Gumiho, Shin Woo Yeong, we are taken to present day Seoul with him. Having given up all hopes of becoming a human and now living in an apathetic state of mind following the demise of a person whom he hoped would help him become one, he plods his way around… until an accidental encounter with a college student, Lee Dam, ends up with him losing his beloved marble to her.
Dam, a history student, is beyond terrified of her newfound supernatural being. The gumiho offers her an agreement: cohabit with him until he figures out a way to get the marble out of her… Unbeknownst to her, he has plans of his own.

I loved the performance of the whole cast. Personally, I like Lee Hye Ri in comedic roles as it comes off as more natural. Lee Dam is a character I madly respect. Never seen Jang Ki Young before, but I will surely check out his prior works. He portrayed the 'alive and empathetic, but I'm dead inside' feature of the fox convincingly. Aside from the leads, supporting characters like Hye-sun and Jae-jin stole my attention several times.

I loved the process of how the gumiho and the human slowly began falling for each other. The drama focussed enough on the two of them within the first eight episodes, taking ample time for their relationship to slowly develop into something real. They had a valid reason to fall in love, as Lee Dam herself mentioned. Yes, there were times I wanted to beat up certain characters for their decisions, but I admire the effort that the cast and crew put in to invoke such emotions.
Also the distinction between the 'fox' and 'human' along with their power imbalance was interesting to watch.

Another admirable aspect of this drama is it's beauty. Every scene, particularly some of the ones shot at night were breathtaking, coupled with the scenery and lighting. I was not particularly impressed by the soundtrack, though I do like a couple of tracks.

One negative aspect of this drama was the pacing during the final episodes. The 'supposed' second lead took up a lot of screentime. I did not like this due to another factor that may be a bit of a spoiler. Considering that, a lot of his scenes could've been fast forwarded without much focus.
Another hiccup was the mythical background. I had seen 'My Girlfriend is a Gumiho' right before this, and despite having Disney heavy characters and a much lighter atmosphere, the background was solid enough to make the plot threads and outcomes plausible.

This did not seem to be the case for MRIAG. Although, I can see that some effort was put forth, the story was focussed more on character development and their decisions.
One character in particular supported the entire fictional aspect of the storyline and manipulated it to an unbelievable extent. No proper explanation was given for it's actions.

Despite these issues, this drama is certainly intensely enjoyable. I will certainly be going back to it sometime in the future.

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