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Completed
A Good Day to Be a Dog
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 5, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Whooo's a Good Dawgyy? You Are That's Who!!

If you are in the mood for a fantasy/generational curse/reincarnation drama with some really cutie pawtootie (paw--get it?) dogs as part of the cast, then this is your drama.

Basically, a Josean royal who is a devotee of the Mountain God for most of her life (supporting female lead), marries someone else who is killed as a traitor so the officials come after her. She is saved by her faithful servant girl (female lead) and lover (male lead--who is also a palace guard??? or someone high ranking) who run into the mountains and is protected by the Mountain God (supporting male lead). The mountain god has fallen in love with his long time devotee. The servant girl's lover is caught, imprisoned, and set to be beheaded. The servant girl is carrying their child and in a moment of weakness reveals to the officials where her mistress is hiding in order to save her lover. Back to the mountain we go where a pursuit and fight ensue. The mistress, her servant girl, and the lover/palace guard are cornered on the side of a cliff. The mistress chooses this moment to end her life using the sword of the palace guard and falls over the side of the cliff. The mountain god sees only the bloody sword and his love falling to her death and mistakenly blames the servant girl and her lover. In a rage, he curses their unborn baby with a canine twist which is passed along to future generations.

As the drama starts, it is present day. The descendent of the servant girl is now a high school teacher, living a low-key life as her family suffers from this curse. Whenever they kiss someone, they turn into a dog by night, person by day. They have 100 days to have the person they kissed kiss them back as a dog in order to stay a human. Otherwise they stay a dog permanently. The reincarnation of the guard is a handsome, but cold and dorky math teacher at the same school. She accidentally kisses him while drunk, and the curse springs into action. Now she has 100 days to get him to kiss her as a dog. The twist is, he is afraid of dogs. The high jinks she goes through to finagle this kiss out of him is quite funny, and my favorite part of the drama. In the process the two fall in love again, the curse is lifted and for a while all seems well. Here is where the second twist comes in.

The mountain god is also a teacher at the high school, and he has been the one to bring the two together, watch the curse play out, and watch them suffer. After the curse is lifted, he plots to make them suffer more. The reincarnation of the mistress is one of the students who has shamanistic abilities. She is drawn to the mountain god/teacher, and begins a quest to figure out what happened in the past to make the mountain god want these two to suffer. This is where the historical back story plays out and in the end the mountain god realizes his love's death was not the fault of these two.

The story was cute, mysterious, dramatic, and hilarious all rolled into one. The end was a bit anticlimactic but still cute. I know most watch for the male lead played by Cha Eun Woo. He was superbly beautiful in every scene, and did a nice acting job of being scared of the cutest small dogs in the world. The rest of the cast played there parts well too. This is a nice fantasy drama. Don't go into it with any high expectations. Just some silliness and fun, and you'll enjoy the ride. I guess I could say it was bark-ah-licious..........too much?

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Completed
Love to Hate You
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 29, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

Typical but Not Typical Rom Com

It was the typical girl meets boy, they can't stand each other in the beginning, boy has some sort of issues to work through, they are thrown together through an "arrangement," and end up falling in love.

It was not typical in the female lead's character. Strong, independent, a fighter, she doesn't just take on the role society has deemed she should have. Her character is what kept me going through the series. I loved Kim Ok Bin's Mi Ran!!! Feisty, stubborn, physically talented, a brain, witty, always there for the underdog. I loved this character. She wasn't unsure, lacking confidence, overly needy, or any of the other stereotypical female roles that you usually find in rom coms.

Also good in the series, the supporting characters, although I think their storylines could have been expanded. It was a really good, funny, feel-good, all-around enjoyable rom com, and I would highly recommend it. The actors all did well in their parts.

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Completed
Twenty Five Twenty One
0 people found this review helpful
Mar 15, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

Youthful Angst Meets Adult Wisdom

This was a coming of age story with all the happiness, sorrows, ups, downs, and amazing experiences one has with a group of friends that just go through it all together. I like that they diversified the group of friends. Friend groups that are all alike, their families are carbon copies of each other are so boring and cliche'. This group was well mixed. The top athlete/superstar yet whose family is poor and sacrificing everything for her, the fatherless child whose single-parent is so busy providing for their home she is neglecting her daughter (I could relate to this one), the son thrust into poverty by the mistakes of his father yet taking responsibility to care for his brother and mother, the smartest kid in the school and bored to tears by everything, and the kid who fails academically because the school fails to offer him and his skill set anything other than studying for the next test. These kids came together and experienced first love, bullying, pressures from school, parents, life, disappointments, failures, successes, forgiveness, fun, fear, and heartache. They took the viewer along with them every step. I laughed, I got bored, I cheered, I got angry, I cried. The storyline moved me along with the lives of these 5 people just like surfing a wave onto the sand.

I read a lot of reviews that were angry and disappointed at the ending. I wasn't. This is the type of story where you get hooked into the characters and want more. I think the ending was purposeful to provide a second series. Anyway, I hope so. There were some unanswered questions, and information about these 5 characters that could lead easily to another series to fill in the gaps. The writers know how to provide a rich storyline and very developed characters. I do believe they could provide us with another amazing story of Na Hee Do, Baek Yi Jin, Go Yu Rim, Moon Ji Woong, and Ji Seung Wan five or ten years later that would be very satisfying to those of us who loved this story. I hope we will see more.

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Completed
So I Married the Anti-Fan
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 1, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0

A Chip Off the Old Kdrama Romance Block

This drama fits the mold, which must be successful because there sure are a lot of them. "Scarred in youth" boy meets "going through hell" girl and it's hate at first sight. But then they are thrown into an adventure together, which magically causes them to fall in love, psychologically heals the boy's scars of the past, and gives the girl a new lease on life. While the typical-ness of this drama made it mediocre, several of the actors kept me moving through the storyline. I come for the storyline plus the acting, but minus a really good storyline, its usually the actors that keep me watching, and this one did not disappoint. I thought some of the music in it was really good as well. It's a good drama to just turn off your brain and be entertained for awhile. But keep the expectations low.

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Completed
When the Phone Rings
25 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2024
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Wow! Buckle up....You're in for a Ride

Last episode:
I liked the last episode but didn't love it. I thought including the two main leads coming back to each other in a war-torn country was a bit much. I'm not sure that was really necessary. Regardless, the last episode does wrap everything up nicely and gives us viewers plenty of romance between the two main leads. There are three strengths with this Kdrama that I believe made it a hit. 1) The chemistry between the ML and the FL. They were really good, and very believable in their attraction and love for each other. 2) The writer (or the director, or even the actors themselves) allowed the two leads to show us they were in an adult relationship with each other. There weren't any awkward physical interactions that seem to occur in so many of these dramas. This boosted the romance so much, and made their story together that much better for the viewer. 3) Lastly, the intrigue was top notch. The storyline of the parents ambition, the coverups and substitutions that occurred to keep the family image intact, the revenge, and, of course, the 406/phone/kidnapper angle--all came together to give the viewer the suspense needed to keep you dying to see the next episode. A really good Kdrama!! Congrats to all the cast and crew on this one!!! And with that.....I think I'll go watch it again.

Just watched the 11th episode:
#$@% what a story!!! I'm overdosing from the climatic endings and the "what will happen next" cliffhangers!! This is very well written. I am reminded of Reborn Rich which wove an intense and unbelievable plot around all these characters. And, just when you think you have it figured out....bam!!....there is another twist. The twist and turns of this story have kept me glued to my screen. I can't wait for the last episode to see how this ends. One of the best Kdramas of 2024-2025!!!

After 7 episodes:
The major theme--the children of terribly ambitious parents who grow up trying to please these selfish parents but realize how damaging it has been to their lives. In the end, the two main leads try to fix their wrongs into rights so they can be happy with each other. It's a wonderfully romantic story that is set in a thriller/mystery/political corruption drama that really keeps you glued to the story. I love that the main leads are able to express their love for each other in an adult manner. There is no stupid, juvenile embarrassment when expressing affection. It is real, and the actors do a superb job expressing the characters love for each other. I don't know what will happen next, and that is a BIG part of the appeal. The suspense is huge!

After 4 episodes:
I just wanted to post quickly and say that THIS Kdrama is good!! It's got the best hook that grabs you and won't let go. A mystery in the relationship between the ML and FL, with maybe a psychological thriller twist that makes you want to keep watching to see what happens next. Great acting by the cast. They are supremely evil, mysterious, timid, intense, comedic, and all sorts of divinely abnormal. The mothers are vicious. They all roll together to take you on the ride of your Kdrama life. We need to get a poll/wager going on who the real 406 is.

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Completed
The Trunk
2 people found this review helpful
Dec 1, 2024
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

Edge of Your Seat Thriller

It's a romance embedded into a psychological thriller and murder mystery. Raw, gripping, sexy, and even sweet at times. A who-dun-it mystery that will keep you glued until the end. You have to watch it to the end because it will be a surprise, one I did not see coming. The musical score is good and helps with the tense, mysterious, and dramatic scenes. I would say my only complaints are that it shifts between present, past, and future and sometimes it s hard to tell which moment in time you're in. Also, there are awkward transitions between some of the scenes that I'm not sure make sense and add little to the story. Over all though, it was really good. Congrats to the actors--these roles were dark at times and could not have been easy to play--also the production value was outstanding, clothes, sets, lighting, camera angles, it was all done well.

At 8 episodes it's just the right length. I can easily recommend this one.

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Completed
Notes from the Last Row
1 people found this review helpful
Jun 27, 2026
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

A Page-Turning Kdrama that You Can't Put Down

It's a Kdrama that's delivered like a thrilling, page-turning, can't-put-down novel.

Take one dull, burnt-out college professor with a selfish, self-serving, carmudgeonly personality who teaches Writing to college students who could care less, can barely write, and he makes sure they know this....add in a college student who can write which catches the eye of said-professor, mix these two together with a story rife with plot twists and turns, betrayal, possible murder, revenge, and you've got the makings of an excellent drama.

This will take you on a wild ride while you are hanging on the edge of your seat only to be left with "to be continued" at the end of the episode that you vowed would be the last as its way past bedtime, but your mind keeps saying, "One more episode...one more episode."

One thing that especially stood out was the art on the wall in the restaurant scene. Purposely placed as a part of the storyline being played out. I thought this was brilliant.

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Completed
Idol I
17 people found this review helpful
Dec 24, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Is this Drama Taking on a Toxic Oppressive Industry?

I just finished Idol I. It was not what I expected. In the end it was a murder mystery with romance on the side. The storyline was interesting enough and the characters likable enough to keep me viewing each week. No big statement on how toxic the Kpop industry is. Just a likable Kdrama--no fuss--no muss--just regular Kdrama stuff. I left my initial impressions below.

I've only watched the first two episodes. I'm wondering if this drama is less about the murder-mystery who-dun-it aspect, and more about shedding light on the toxic music/idol industry. Our ML is an anxious/ paranoid idol who doesn't seem very happy doing what he is doing. He appears trapped in a system that continues to oppress him whether it's the perfectionist expectations of the music label and his fans, his fellow group members who seem to despise him for succeeding out on his own, or the fans who stalk him making him paranoid and his life miserable. None of this surprises me about our ML.

I've watched too many You Tube videos of former idols who are now away from industry and speak about:
1. Excessive control by the music label
2. The pressure to always be perfect
3. Live secret personal lives to keep up an illusion for their fans
4. Physical and emotional abuse
5. Sexual harassment and abuse - this came from former female idols about unwanted attention from groping CEO's of labels.
6. Toxic fans, unrealistic fan expectations, stalking, online harassment

I'm a Kpop fan, but only listen to the music. I really don't follow the idols mainly due to the scary fans. I also have a hard time with what the music labels make these idols do all for the purposes of making money, especially all the pretense...all for money.

Is this drama taking on the toxicity of the Kpop industry? I think there is more here than at first glance? It's worth sticking with the drama to see.

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Completed
We Are All Trying Here
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 4, 2026
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

For All The Reviews Where I Criticized the Writing

If you've ever criticized a Kdrama saying the writing was bad....well here is a drama showing you the torturous lives of these writers. Whether its being pressured to just write it so its finished, working through extreme writer's block, taking the blame from everyone (but especially the actors) for bad reviews, trying to be creative when you have to work to pay the bills.......this drama gives an inside view of the lives of entertainment writers in the movie and TV biz and they are by no means glamorous.

I couldn't help but feel a little guilty (how many reviews have I written that stated "just couldn't finish it, the writing was that bad"?)) as I saw the agony these tortured souls go through in doing their craft. I wondered if Park Hae Young , frustrated at criticisms on Kdrama writing, decided to show the viewers the reality of being a writer in the Korean entertainment industry. Is she guilt tripping us??

Whether my musings are true or not, the story is so much more. This Kdrama does not fit any of the usual Kdrama tropes, nor does it have any Kdrama memes. It stands apart from the genre as it is a realistic take on the ups, the downs, the successes, the failures, the excitement, the sadness, and even the very ordinary-ness of being an entertainment writer.

What I liked about it the most is how real the characters were, how easy it was to relate to them, and how real the storylines were. A lot of the drama was about attaining and/or maintaining success. Success is subjective because even a successful person by society standards can, in reality, be oh so miserable in their personal lives. Success can be fleeting, can be slow, can seem to never happen even if someone is working their butt off. Success isn't fair. It can happen to one person right out of the gate, while another works and works without anything to show. The entertainment industry can be cruel. You can work hard on something that another person takes credit for. You can constantly come under fire doing your job well because it doesn't fit your supervisor's narrative. This drama does not sugar-coat the industry, but gives a relatable look at people traversing a not-so-friendly professional world in pursuit of career success.

When all is said and done, the story is about perseverance in the face of failure, always stay true to yourself, and know that relationships with family and friends are the most important even if you aren't always getting along. This is absolutely one of the best Kdramas I've seen. Definitely my #1 pick for 2026 so far.

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Completed
Death's Game Part 2
0 people found this review helpful
May 10, 2026
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Packed Full of Great Acting and A Great Plot

A little late to this superb drama, I just watched this on Prime Video and it had all 8 episodes in one drama.

As a Kdrama fan, I'm surprised I missed this gem and only watched it now....clear in 2026. This drama has everything. All the emotions, suspense, twists and turns, a great love, despicable evil, enormous bravery, redemption at the end. If you are just coming to kdramas for the first time...give this one a look. I always say when people ask me why I enjoy Kdramas..."Because South Koreans are really good story tellers." Much, much respect to Ha Byung Hoon for this great story!! Genius writing in this one.

This drama has different stories for every episode. The main plot is almost secondary to the subplots playing out in each episode. But the writing is so superb that everything comes together in the end, which is so satisfying for the viewer.

The acting is amazing. This drama is full of A-list Korean actors. Park So Dam as Death...she is so good!!!...an Oscar worthy performance. Seo In Guk, Kim Mi Kyung, Kim Ji Hoon, Kim Jae Uck, Lee Jae Wook, Go Youn Jung, Oh Jung Sae, Kim Won Hae, and Choi Woo Jin from When The Phone Rings. So many wonderful actors in this drama, every episode was packed full of them and they really made the story come to life.

All I can say in the end is that this has been one of my favorite dramas to watch. I will enjoy rewatching it again and again.

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Completed
Single’s Inferno Season 5
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 11, 2026
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Season 5 - Brought the Entertainment

I've watched every SI and I always start the season excited, but end feeling let down. This season was no different but I would say the "down" part of it was slightly elevated. I think the best place to start is to just list my likes and dislikes about this season. I will also write some on the contestants and the coupling up at the end. If you do not want to read spoilers then don't read the end of the review.

What I liked:
-Cooking together in a kitchen/eating place was back and I loved it!! Especially in the first few episodes when the contestants are meeting each other and flirting over cutting carrots and making rice.
-I thought the Inferno sets were really nice. The places the couples could hang out and talk looked comfortable and inviting.
-Paradise was enjoyable, which included some activities like bowling. It was nice that some activities were included as just watching couples eat and drink gets boring.
-Loved the couples photo shoot competition, and also the truth game they played.
-The competitions were also good. Matching up with colored balls where the pink ball was the kiss of death. Very funny!

What I didn't like:
-There is a certain amount of SI that just seems so contrived. Like the contestants are given a role to play and then they play it out, only some are really bad at playing their role. There are so many times when it doesn't feel natural with the contestants. But then reality shows are all about putting people in unnatural situations and see how they react.
-Dating is so different from this show. Korean dating is even different than this show. So it's frustrating to have to watch people "date" in an unnatural way. Really the only thing they do is have numerous conversations but they aren't allowed to know their age or what they do, which in Korea forms the foundation for how people communicate to each other, at least until they go to Paradise. So a great deal of this show is watching and listening to all these awkward conversations.
-For the first time, the panelists disappointed me. More often than not, when I was frustrated with the show, the panelists kept me entertained, but not this time. They did well in the first episodes, really funny and entertaining, but the last couple of episodes I found the panelists to be too judgmental. Almost mean. One example was when Hyun-woo made a confession about his feelings at the final dinner. I thought he was sweet and sincere. The panelists just made fun of him, and I thought what they said was quite rude. In Season 3, drama queen and asshole, Gwan-Hee, got away with so much bad behavior and the panelists for the most part excused it. In this season, they were especially hard on certain contestants who were not nearly as bad as Gwan-Hee.
-I didn't like that they cut out the final challenge and winning couple's dinner. We only saw bits and pieces. But they seemed to do this by making the final choice long and drawn out. I would have preferred the challenge and seeing the couple's date.
-It's getting annoying to watch scenes play twice, and lines repeated two or three times over.

My thoughts on the contestants and the couplings: Warning!! Spoiler Alert!! I actually do not believe any of these couples will end up together once the show is done. Let's just be real here. They are on this show for exposure and to inject some life into their careers.
1. Choi Mina Sue and Lee Sung-hun - Mina Sue was this season's drama queen and boy did she bring the drama. She was definitely the contestant everyone loved to hate. Sung-hun was a breath of fresh air for this show. Incredibly intelligent and successful, he didn't play mind games, just brought his calm and confidant self to the mix. He was a favorite of mine. He was really patient with Mina Sue as she proceeded to try on every guy on the island, but in the end they left together hand in hand.
2. Kim Goeun and Woo Sung-min- Goeun ended up being the female that three guys were vying for. She stayed mysterious to the very end drawing out the suspense endlessly in terms of who she would end up with. The panelists were all surprised when she chose Sung-min but I wasn't. She and her 2nd choice, I-geon, knew each other from a mutual acquaintance and I always wondered if she knew something about I-geon that we the audience didn't know and maybe it was a red flag(???). Who knows.
3. Kim Min-gee and Song Seung-il - these two were definitely the two funnest people on the island. They spoke very openly and honestly and said some things were just hilarious. They are the type of couple people enjoy hanging around because they're so funny together. My favorite of the season.
4. Lee Joo-Young and Kim Jae-Jin - they were the "artistic" couple. She a designer and he a dancer. They were really cute, romantic, and adorable to watch.
5. Park Hee-sun and Lim Su-been - a low-key couple that the producers tried to interject some drama into their relationship, but it just didn't work. They were cute and adorable but so very boring as well.
Others that didn't get picked - You can't talk about this season without talking about Jo I-geon. About as hot a guy as you can get. I saw him in the Kdrama The Trunk and he's smoking hot, hot, hot. He was brought on as a game-changer and he didn't disappoint. I'm sure he did this to get more exposure for his career and I hope he gets it. Also brought on as a game-changer was Lee Ha-eun. She got very little air time, but what I did see of her, she seemed really funny and a fun person to be around. Lastly, Ham Ye-Jin, Youn Hyun-Jae, and Shin Hyeon-woo who along with Ha-eun and I-geon were sitting there at the very end not getting picked. I enjoyed all of these contestants who came across as sincere and nice people. And it just goes to show that attraction is a weird and funny thing because sometimes the nicest people end up alone.

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Completed
The Treacherous
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 28, 2025
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

Real and Raw

I'm currently finishing the Kdrama Bon Appétit, Your Majesty and began exploring the story of King Yeonsangun of Josean. This led me to the movie The Treacherous. As a foreigner embracing entertainment that is coming out of South Korea, I have realized much of it is the sanitized Kpop and Kdrama version of Korea. When I find a more realistic story, I find I'm drawn to it. Much like Bon Appétit, this movie is also a fictionalized version of the tyrant king. However, it did not try to cover the tyranny with the fiction. Every country has its shameful history and South Korea is no different. In modern times this king would have been diagnosed and treated for a mental illness where perhaps he would have lived a fairly decent and fulfilling life with medication. In ancient times, his illness was the terror and death of many thousands in his country. The portrayal of this has been superbly captured in the storyline, the acting, and the production of this film. It is a hard watch at times, but the actors portrayal of these characters caught in the grips of tyranny without much support or resources is powerful. It is raw, especially in the portrayal of the sexual appetite of the king. The film did not shy away from the realness of this. It is definitely different from the usual Kdramas I've seen and the unrealistic innocence portrayed, but it has also captured a sense of reality that others have not, and for that, I really liked it. I also appreciate the hard work it took for the actors to do some of these scenes. The madness, the sense of powerlessness, the portrayal of being forced to do something you wouldn't do is very real in the characters portrayed by the actors. I have much respect for those who worked on this film.

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Completed
The First Night with the Duke
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 21, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

A Love Story Based on a Drunken One-Night Stand

I debated on whether I wanted to write a review or not. I had a love/hate response to this drama. So I guess what I'll do is just list my likes and dislikes and you can be the judge as to whether to watch or not.

What I liked:
*The actors and the acting, especially the two main leads. There was chemistry between these two and that made their love story that much more precious.
*There was a little of everything in this story. It was cute and funny at the start, then the writer brought intrigue and mystery into it. The story flowed fairly well and it kept me tuned in every week when new episodes came out.
*The costumes and sets were nice. This kept the visuals of the drama top notch.
*The relationship between the two main leads was one of adults. Their romance was not awkward, and it wasn't full of unrealistic juvenile behavior, which I always appreciate when a writer does that.
*I liked that it wasn't the usual historical romance with rampant palace intrigue with the horrible queen mother plotting to take control. The mystery and intrigue was one I had not yet experienced in a drama. It was something slightly different and I would say that kept me tuned in every week.

What I disliked:
The main thing I did not like is how this great love between Seon Chaek and Yi Beon started as a drunken one-night-stand. Seon Chaek was introducing Josean young people to modern day cocktails and mixed drinks. She drank heavily....really heavily. This was really unrealistic as I think if anyone had drank as much as it showed, she would be dead from alcohol poisoning. Anyway, she drunkenly meets up with Yi Beon, and winds up in bed with him spending the night. It is his first time, and from this he falls madly in love with her. I don't like the impression that this great love can happen from a drunken night of sex. In life this almost never happens. I didn't like the possessiveness that Yi Beon's character displayed because of the one night stand. Rather than love, it seemed more like "you slept with me, now I own you." The portrayal of this just left me with a bad taste. His character softened though as the story progressed so that helped. But really it was because Seon Chaek perceived this possessiveness as love, and loved him back for it. Again, I really didn't like the toxicity of representing possessiveness as love.

The switching up part of the story was weak. I honestly did not understand that two different characters had switched places until the end of the story. I thought the modern Seon Chaek had hit her head and she was unconscious and dreaming the whole thing. Because of this I didn't understand the little boy character when he appeared, nor why they had these strange flashbacks to the modern time. The scene with the two of them together in the modern world, the clock ticking, and having to write the ending was really weird. Seo Hyun's character in the modern world was never developed, and I don't believe we found out why she didn't want to be in Josean anymore. All in all, this part of the storyline was very weak and strange.

Overall what really made this drama good was Seo Hyun and Taec Yeon. They did an outstanding acting job in their leads and it really kept the storyline strong in places where it was weak. Well done to both of them!

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Completed
Weak Hero Class 2
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 29, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

When Enough Is Enough

I'm not one to watch nor like the bullying/fighting genre, but damn!!!....Weak Hero Class just sucked me in. I saw advertisements for season 2, so I binged season 1. I had just finished watching the first season when the second started on Netflix. There are similarities, but they are not the same. This was nice as I do not like watching second anything and seeing a repeat of the first. The writer really made this as a continuation....a "what happens next" story.

The ML, again, powerfully acted by Park Ji Hoon, is not only quiet and. stoic (as in the 1st), but he's also numb with a building undercurrent of anger, and overwhelmed with guilt. He is transferred to a new school, Eunjang, where he is precisely at for about 10 minutes when he again becomes the target of bullies. Beautifully acted. Understated, but powerful.

There is a gang of bullies, trying to get into the Union. The Union is another criminal organization led by a shadow crime boss who hides his organization behind gangs of school-age kids. The head high school gang member is trying to get his childhood best friend, Hu Min, to join the Union. Hu min is another character similar to Beom Seok in that he has an abusive, unsupportive father. However, unlike Beom Seok, Hu Min never turns against his friends. Si Eun, Hu Min, Jun Tae, and Hyeon Tak team up to rid their school of the bullies, help Hu Min fight against the pressures of joining the Union, and finally to stop the Union from existing. All of this plays out in highly choreographed fight scenes over and over again.

The ending is both happy, sad, and gives us a teaser of maybe another season. We get to see an awake but still recovering Su ho which is nice. However, there is a scene where Si Eun is unconscious dreaming that he is sitting in a boxing ring and Beom Seok is with him. So what did happen to Beom Seok? Did his father have him killed and we are seeing his spirit interacting with Si Eun? Or, is this just a teaser to seeing this character reappear in a future episode? Regardless, when Si Eun says he has to go, Beom Seok grabs his arm and cries. It is so sad. Even though Beom Seok's character in the first series was responsible for Su ho's coma, he is such a traumatized individual it is hard to hate him. Brilliantly played by Hong Kyung. We also see the death of Hu Min's childhood best friend, the leader of the Union gang. We also see the possibility of a new leader taking his place and with this the possibility of another season.

Yet another excellent story, powerful and emotional. The only thing I could criticize about this one is some of the students looked way to old to be in high school. But a superb addition to the Weak Hero Class franchise.

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Completed
Gyeongseong Creature Season 2
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 20, 2024
7 of 7 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

The First Rule of Fight Club is You Don't Talk About Fight Club

Not really my favorite type of Kdrama. But if you want to see Park Seo Joon get the s#@t beat out of him every other scene, then this is the drama for you. Same for Han So Hee. It was an action-packed fantasy thriller where the main star were the highly choreographed and graphic fight scenes. I rated this fairly high because I can appreciate the production value and the enormous amount of stunt work that had to go in to all the fight scenes. The acting was superb, The story line, both part 1 and 2 were well written, and the ending (the extra ending past the credits) was sublime. I was not expecting that at all! I also enjoyed seeing Kim Kang Min, a contestant on Physical 100, playing a guest role in it.

The only thing for me that I didn't like was all the fighting which came with lots of blood, and all the crunching and breaking sounds (kudos to the sound engineer). It was just too much. However, I realize it would not be the same without. it. It was a good Kdrama, just not my cup of tea. Out of the two parts, I enjoyed part one better. I enjoyed the historical sets and costumes. There also seemed to be more story than fighting. But, again, this is an action fantasy thriller, and it definitely lived up to that.

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