porkman

Ep 3 hit many right notes. Nostalgia, friendship, experiencing disappointment in adulthood. The show is showing an exponential improvement with every episode imo. It also went a bit in depth on Samdal's family dynamics with some obvious lack of communication between the mom and daughters. Looks like the focus of the show is coming into view now, it's about reconnecting not just the romance, but also familial ties and friendships. Maybe also about re-finding your self-esteem. I wasn't the biggest fan of the way the show made Samdal come back to Jeju, but I like where it's going.

Just completed it, and I found part 2 to have gone a bit haywire and not as engaging as part 1. Nevertheless the actors carried the plot and the ending was considerably satisfying, I guess. 7.5/10

I wonder why some people were expecting so much from this show? It was literally marketed as a childish, funny countryside rom-com on the netflix front page and we got, well, a childish funny countryside rom-com lol. I mean the first two episodes are not fantastic or flawless, but they're entertaining as a character set up. I didn't expect much and enjoyed it. And it doesn't seem to have any serial killer nonsense which is a plus.

As a dude, the t shirt and sweatpants are literally what I wear at home lol. Just that I look way slobbier than her. And that was a realistic interior for an old middle class Asian home. What a breath of fresh air after seeing way too many chaebol houses in these dramas.

Second episode was cute as hell. The sisters and sweatpants scene are completely childish and ridiculous but come on, it was funny lol.

I really liked the first episode, mostly because of SHS who goes all out when acting. But it wasn't perfect, since the string of events that made her go back to Jeju are a little contrived. Though I guess such a situation isn't completely impossible since people like the mentee do exist in real life. Maybe better decision-making on Samdal's part, like being less lenient or sacking the assistant early on could have avoided the mess. Anyways that's just the set-up and the real story is just about to start. The coming episodes should be more light-hearted than the first, so I'm looking forward to that.

The suspense was done very well and having seasoned veteran actors definitely helps in keeping you immersed in the story. I have to say the taxi driver started as an endearing character but is flawed (dumb) to the point of being borderline frustrating. Yes, he was at a breaking point but he made the worst decisions at so many critical moments that I couldn't help but sigh. Not sure where the story can go from the ending of ep 6 but I'm curious to see what happens next.

I liked it quite a bit more than I expected! Maybe because I didn't have much expectations from that questionable poster. But it's a straightforward movie about bringing out the courage in yourself, simple and predictable plot but enjoyable nonetheless. The comedy is tastefully done and action quite decently executed. It's one of the very few korean movies this year I watched without feeling bored lol.

One thing it could have done a bit better was to connect the comical/exaggerated and serious parts more seamlessly, as I could see how people might be a bit uncomfortable with the way it presents the subject matter (though the directing and music make it very clear it's a webtoon adaptation). SHS as always makes a loveable and nuanced protagonist while Lee Junyoung is a very convincing villain. The bullying victim stands out as well. 8.5/10

Unfortunately, I'm the type to be more picky with my dramas lol. Also I've also stopped trusting writers as they're prone to slip ups, even the well-known ones. E.g. Revenant is quite well received here but I went in with certain expectations because of the writer and it didn't meet them. The main reason I'm putting this on hold is because I can't shake off the feeling that "it should be better than this". It feels like wasted potential, especially when they cast PEB for the character.

That's an interesting perspective that the isolation was better than the abuse she suffered for years and was a time to heal her wounds. But I still don't think the show managed to show any of these qualities in her character so far. It hasn't managed to stir much emotions in me after episode 2 and doesn't seem faithful to the premise it set up. Or rather, it isn't the show I want it to be.

My issue with this show is how they're dealing with what FL went through on the island so superficially. Being isolated for 15 years can be the grounds for an interesting psychological analysis, like how survival instinct has made her almost worship the 2FL to keep her sanity. Instead of exploring these character traits in depth, they are being tossed aside in favor of show business drama and the totally unnecessary "Who is Kiho?" mystery. I can't help but feel these elements don't mesh well together, and as a result reduced the FL to a caricature. I'll put this on hold because sadly this is becoming "Cast Aside Diva" for me.

I think I'm interested in this but that sci-fi tag is making me a bit apprehensive. I think it's safe to say SK doesn't do sci-fi well at all. But if it's more about the creatures with a little chemistry logic in the background a la Kingdom, then I'm in.

Lmao, this reminds me of some meme long ago that all her characters either almost die or end up dying, and to top it all off her last character was dying and reincarnating repeatedly 😂 At least this character doesn't have to worry about that... hopefully?

Oh damn, they bagged big stars to play each of the reincarnations. I didn't even notice until I looked at the full cast list

Come to think of it, isn't this her first "normal" character in quite a while? Apart from her movies she seems to do a lot of fantasy dramas. Nice to see a more down to earth look here.

That's good to know, hope it lives up to its potential.

A couple of eps in and the show wasn't really what I was expecting it to be. After adjusting my expectations, I think the effort to give insights on mental health and societal issues while making use of visual effects is commendable, though only somewhat at surface level, but at least not reductive. But I'm finding the humor in the ML's scenes to be very out of place and honestly not funny at all. To a lesser extent, the romance arcs are also pretty redundant imo. I know they're trying to lighten up the show and it's also a matter of personal taste, but there should be ways to incorporate these elements more seamlessly. Nevertheless it's an above average drama so far so I'll continue. Also I think PBY is very convincing as a nurse and I'm liking her and the 2 senior nurses' characters.

Exactly. I mean, I myself thought of HCCC when I saw the promos for this when ironically I never even watched it before (apart from short clips on social media and when it pops up on my netflix). It's not just the setting, it's also the title's font style and just me personally finding SHS to slightly resemble SMA. So if even I get the same vibe, you can't really blame others who watched it for saying the same lol. Besides, it's not a bad thing to be compared to a popular show since it'll attract some of its following.

The teaser looks more comedic than I expected, seems like a theme for recent JTBC dramas.

Korean movies are performing very poorly at the box office, and a sequel film usually does less numbers than the original... Hoping the best for them.