kentv

Watched because Somin was in it

Somin is the reason I decided to finally watch this series and I enjoyed her role, which to me was that of the main/central character. I would imagine that when this series ended in 2022 that the last few scenes, especially the one where Mu Deok / Naksu is seemingly being lifted up from the depths of the lake, offered the hope of a continued role for Somin. How disappointing it must of been (and is to me now, having just finished Episode 20 a few minutes ago) to learn that Somin wasn't going to be a main character in Part 2. While Part 1 of the series was entertaining, I doubt I'll be watching Part 2.

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Hit The Spot

I wouldn't put this series in my top 10 or even top 20, but it did deliver a couple of episodes of what I'm looking for in a Kdrama. I've suffered through too many "real life" type of endings and enjoyed this one where the ML and FL end up together. As is now my norm I watch all episodes at 1.5 speed and managed to watch the last 9 episodes in one lazy day. While I know on one level that I'm watching actors, I still experience joyful emotions when the leads are in love and things are going well. In my 44th year of marriage I'll admit that my wife and I rarely share the kind of looks and emotions that are presented in this new made-for-tv relationships. So to relive those emotions vicariously is very enjoyable and the main reason I liked this series. I liked the symmetry of having the roles reversed at the end and the FL seeking to convince the ML to be in a relationship for a change. There were plenty of things I could complain about, not the least of which was the 3 year gap in the action while the FL was in Europe. It's like everyone goes into suspended animation and then we pick up the story again. I can't imagine many couples in the USA agreeing to try a remote relationship for a couple of years. Overall, this series just made me happy at the end.

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Three Cheers for Team 2!

I just finished binging this series and my overall reaction is reflected in the 8/10 rating that I gave it. It had been a while since I had watched season 1 and I didn't remember most of the story arcs for that series, but I did remember the members of the police team. I like the interaction between the cops and could see them in an American style series with a new story line each episode. I got bogged down in the middle of this series, and based on the audience numbers I saw, mine was a common reaction. I'm glad that I stayed with it, not so much for the reveals, but there were some very good moments in each of the later episodes that I enjoyed. With so many portrayals of conniving characters, it was refreshing to see the good behavior of the Mr. Jung character. As much as I don't want to believe that South Korea (or the US) is full of despicable people like those depicted in this series, I want to believe that there are many more who are like Mr. Jung.

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Girl Power Done Well

Normally I am turned off by girl power scripts where the women are all winners and the men are all losers. Had I watched the finale first I might not have watched the series in the first place, as the girl power underpinnings (and gay rights) are finally laid bare in the last minutes of the series. Yet, having binged through the episodes, with frequent fast forwarding, I felt that these women had earned their results and weren't just given them capriciously. It was only after reading some reviews that I bothered to look up the director and writer and saw they were both female. There were a few hints along the way that it was a feminine hand on the tiller, but not those hands were not as heavy as I might find in an American production.

Sure, the male characters were killers, adulterers, and generally inept human beings. But I didn't feel that the women in charge of the production were bent on indicting ALL men, merely highlighting the foibles of THESE particular men. There really wasn't much to applaud in regards to the male characters. The Young Master was let off the hook a bit and given a participation trophy for rising above the barriers of tradition in order to date and marry a maid whom he barely knew and who certainly didn't seem as much fun as his arranged fiance. (Or maybe the writer was dissing him for his unwise decision. Hmm)

And I'm not sure I would have watched the series if Lee Bo-young wasn't so darn attractive. I guess that's why they cast pretty people. I enjoyed the over-the-top presentation of Grandma and can't remember another series where they purposely allowed a main character to have food on their face while eating or showing an open mouth full of food. My own mother was quite dramatic and given to outbursts at times, but the cultural behavioral expectations of Americans and Koreans are much different. How would a Korean view Grandma's (or her daughter's) bombastic episodes?

Fortunately the ending of this series broke the string of unsatisfactory ones that I've experienced recently. Though I wouldn't categorize the ending as great or romantic. I would have enjoyed an epilogue set several years in the future instead of just 6 months. Let's see how well the young couple is doing. Bring in some new romantic interests. Alas, not enough there for a second season, so I'll just have to make up my own story lines.

And as always, the product placements were blatant, which I find a bit humorous.

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There Really Is Just One Key Moment

I think that this entire movie was built from that moment backward. The fight scenes, the corporate drama. even the use of AI-driven combat soldiers. In a sense these scenes make up the exoskeleton of the movie. It fleshes it out while setting up the key scene. It didn't matter to me that there were big logical holes or tons of unanswered questions. The core of the the movie was merely a daughter forgiving herself and her mother. The cleansing of a lifetime's worth of anger resulting in a rebirth by robotic proxy of her mother, unburdened by concerns about her daughter, now set free to live however she desires. I believe that's what the writer wanted to display. That is the mind/heart/soul of the movie. The rest is just a shell, a conveyance of an idea. It doesn't have to make sense. Just like a robot missing a limb or two, it just has to get the job done.

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Well, What Do YOU Want From a KDrama?

I've watched enough of these series to have formed an idea of what I want to see and why. With that in mind Dynamite Kiss delivered, even if I had to fast forward through the unnecessary parts. I suspect there are many older male viewers who share my expectations / hopes for a series: Attractive women, reasonable romance, and not too many sublots. Standard romcom fare. Sure, the cliches are bound to be there...but I don't care. Whether I'm watching Lim Yoon A, IU, Jung So-min, Ahn Eun-jin or a dozen other lead actresses, the quality of the story doesn't matter as much as just enjoying their performances. I'm certainly not a qualified judge of their acting ability, the music, the plot (unless it's terrible to even a casual viewer like me) or any of the other critiques that reviewers on this site engage in. Almost all of the series include totally unbelievable plot elements that require suspending reason and common sense. But I'm not there to watch documentaries. Sure, in Dynamite Kiss the whole accident--memory lost--memory returned idea is hardly a new...but that didn't mean that that 45 minute detour was a total waste when we finally get the re-enactment of the original dynamite kiss. The vicariously enjoyment of those moments are worth the twists and turns and for me, at least, outweigh the flaws that seem to bother the experts. And I thought the "victory lap" / cast bows was done if a fun way. I'm not going to find that kind of romance (fictional as it may be) at my age but I certainly want to be hanging out with people who are having that much fun. (I should note that I'm writing this while listening to / watching KARA and MOMOLAND music videos and want to have the kind of fun they seem to having, too.)

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This Series Ran Out Of Gas

Netflix started showing a bunch of older series and I watched bits of some of them but this is the only one so far that I finished. And it barely made it to the finish line, staggering and gasping for air. Not DOA but certainly not the promising show it started out as. It would probably make a better movie. Other reviewers have pointed out the obvious logical flaws and inconsistencies, so I won't list them. I liked the FL and would have liked to see her elevated in status, either in the office or her personal life. The younger sister role was fun and had more room for growth. The blind brother didn't really add much. Mildly entertaining when there isn't much else one wants to watch.

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I Threw in the Towel after Episode 7

OK, well I did watch parts of episode 16 to see how they resolved things. I recently watched the FL in My Man Is Cupid and enjoyed her role, yet didn't like her character in this drama. I didn't see much chemistry between the leads and I guess I just got bored. Or, as I'm also watching episodes of When Life Gives You Tangerines and Potato Lab, it might be that this drama was just overshadowed by those. I didn't mind when the ML disappeared as by that time I had mostly disappeared myself. Normally I don't like these type of endings, but I was OK with it as IRL there are many folks who deeply love someone but due to circumstances are not able to live with them for years and years. When that relationship ends while both participants still love one another it can remain in one's memory as a beautiful chapter in life. Maybe that was the message that the writer was hoping to convey.

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Redemption is slow in coming but does eventually arrive

It finally made sense in the last 10 minutes of the 16th episode, even if it meant enduring some slooooow moments. I would venture that this story was reverse-engineered from the ending. I thought the majority of the last episode was over the top and made me wonder if the writer had personal experience they were drawing upon. I didn't see much chemistry between the ML and FL, and the ML's uncle was particularly annoying. But not as hateable as the ML's ex or her mother. The priest might have been the most likeable person in the show. And the bad guy cries way too much. Regardless, there were enough entertaining moments to justify watching it...once.

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What about Alice?

I'm sure that there are many folks that loved Season 2 of this series. I liked it and was mostly entertained. It had been a while since I watched season 1 and I likely missed some of the tie-ins from that series, but generally the show delivered what I expected. I felt it bogged down a bit in the last couple of episodes as it seemed to move away from what I felt was the more satisfying aspect of the show, that is, finding the bodies. And then there was poor Alice, and a bunch of other unanswered questions that would normally indicate a 3rd season was planned. I would have preferred things to be tidied up nicely. If I want reality I'll watch a documentary.

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This was a hidden gem!

I don't usually venture into Jdramas as I am biased towards Kdramas, but I've seen most of the Kdramas that Netflix currently offers. The title of this one and the initial preview got me started on it yesterday. And as I have read in other reviews it was the same for me as I finished the 10 episodes (my preferred length) in just over a day's time. There weren't many distracting subplots and it was a small cast, so the storyline didn't wander too far afield. Many of the reviews I've read say "heartwarming" and for good reason. The characters are likeable and their sadness and happiness are well blended. The restaurant scene near the end of episode 10 was a nice way to bring the cast together and I would have ended it there. Candidly, much like the feeling of having dined on a great meal, this series left me with a similar well-fed reaction. Many people will be able to relate to some aspect of missing a loved one and the hope that this series exudes should gladden many hearts. Unless you're made of stone, expect to need something to wipe tears from your eyes on many occasions.

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I didn't realize how old it was

I just clicked on it on netflix and settled in, watching at 1.5 speed with liberal fast forwarding. The intro music drove me up a wall. One of the standard elements to the kdramas I have watched is beautiful female leads and Song Hye-kyo certainly was good to look at! While watching it I was thinking about the fight scenes and how they were of lower quality and attributed that to an intended style when it probably was normal for 2013. It was a cold, windy, and sometime wet day today and I hustled through the last 8 episodes with just a few breaks. Nice and comfortable. Candidly, I didn't really like the male lead but then I don't think I was supposed to like him...at first. But we got a relatively happy ending amidst cherry or some kind of blossoms, so at least back in 2013 these writers were still formulaic and delivering what audiences want to see.

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