Shelfleigh

Legal Thriller with a Touch of Romance

I watched this at the wrong time. I wanted something sweeping and deeply romantic, but what I got was a psychological legal thriller with moments of romance.

❤ The best part of the show are the various cases. While the structure was similar to the "case of the week" style popular in Western shows, they did tend to be extended over multiple episodes. I found them all to be fascinating with multiple layers and details. I also really enjoyed the detective work that went into discovering solutions to the cases.

❤ The dreaming sequences were well executed, if a bit repetitive. There were several times when I would get confused between the dream and reality, although I think it was supposed to be part of the equation.

❤ The OST for this series is absolutely outstanding - it truly set the tone between the romantic, emotional, and tense beats. The instrumental music is probably one of my favorite scores ever. If I had one big complaint, it would be that the opening sequence did not match AT ALL the actual show. It always threw me off how whimsical and dreamy the opener was compared to the darker moments of the show.

❤ The poster for the series makes it look like the romance dominates the story, but it truly doesn't. The romance between Nam Hoong-Jo and Jung Jae Chan is super slow burn. It was like watching grass grow in the dessert. Once they finally accepted their feelings for one another, they became a smidge more romantic.

❤ I loved Jung Hae-in as Han Woo-tak. He had such a calm and stoic presence to his scenes. I also loved how nerdy he is, and how it shows in his room.

❤ This is another story focused on "found families" - one of my favorite tropes ever. I love how the three main leads, as well as Jun-Jae's little brother, end up being adopted by Nam Hong-Joo's mom, Yoon Soon-Sun. All of their scenes were such a delight.

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Creepy And Campy

I'm surprised I liked this show as much as I did. I'm not going to lie - the first four episodes didn't really hook me.

❤ I found Bong Soon to be a rather bland character despite her interesting ability. Around the halfway mark she became more of a fully realized person rather than a caricature of a superhero. The show did a pretty good job with her powers, and, for the most part, I felt her natural strength.

❤ God save me from love triangles. They are usually so cliché and tiresome no matter the circumstances. I did like all of the actors so at least I didn't dread every episode, but I much preferred it once the triangle was wrapped up.

❤ The MVP of this show, and probably the only reason I stuck it out initially, is Park Hyung-Sik as An Min-Hyuk. He has to balance between love sick puppy, remote CEO, and slightly crazy anti-establishment asshole. And, my god, does he excel at all three. He completely and totally won me over, and his obvious joy and love for Bong Soon was absolutely adorable.

❤ The side characters are a bit much, particularly Bong Soon's "kids" and the mafia-style antiheroes. Most of their scenes were meant to add levity to a somewhat dark storyline, but it felt rather pushed into the story rather than layered into it. That said, I did enjoy how everyone comes together in the end to stop the big bad of the series.

❤ Finally, I have to comment on the number of placement adds. They are so obvious. It's also interested how the last episode, while giving us a pretty "happily ever after ending," also felt like the showrunners attempting to add as many product placement ads as possible.

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Sweet & Heartwarming

After watching some amazing horror and fantasy k-drama shows, I was hesitant to choose something more lighthearted. I will be forever grateful to my husband for pushing me to giving it a try because it is now my favorite k-drama to date! Below lists all the ways I fell in love with this sweet and heartwarming show.

❤ It’s easy to fall in love with Hong Du-sik (or Chief Hong as most of the residents of Gongjin call him). He’s easy going, intelligent, hard working, and charming. The actor, Kim Sun-ho, shines at creating this affable character without his performance coming off as forced or insincere. You can see how much Du-sik loves his town and the people in it. It’s not till the end of the season that his story is revealed, but the last few episodes really hit home the reasons behind his lifestyle decisions.

❤ It’s a lot harder to connect to Yoon Hye-jin. She is initially portrayed as materialistic, judgmental, and remote in the first few episodes. And yet, when her guard is down, you also see she’s compassionate, driven, and decisive. It’s utterly fascinating watching this woman who has built up walls for most of her life slowly allow the residents of Gongjin into her heart. Kudus goes to the actress, Shin Min-a, who is able to pull off such a complex role.

❤ The romance is so sweet and giddy. When the story starts, it was difficult imaging Du-sik and Hye-jin falling in love as they were complete opposites. The show spends time building up their friendship before any other feelings are expressed. Their romance teeters between giddy and sweet, making for fun moments and memories between the two.

❤ Typically I detest love triangles, but I actually adored the execution of it in this show. The show excelled at creating separate moments for each of these relationships individually and as a group. It created an interesting tension between the three as they began to express their feelings mid-season. I also appreciate the love triangle is quickly wrapped up once everyone is open and honest with each other.

❤ The heart and soul of this town is the relationships between people. While they don’t always like each other, they do put their conflicts aside to be there for one another during times of crisis and celebration. All of these various threads come together to create such a rich tapestry that truly make Gongjin feel alive. I can’t think of one character I didn’t absolutely adore by the end of the series.

❤ This show brings together so many elements to create the perfect and charming small town setting. It had a fantastic score filled with whimsical and lighthearted music, which set so much of the overall tone of the show. Who will ever forget DOS and Yoon-Oh’s songs? Not me, that’s for sure! The snippets of the beach, the docks, the vendors, and aerial shots of the entire town were absolutely gorgeous. I couldn’t help but feel as if Gongjin were a real and bustling place, one I can’t wait to visit (even if it is only on my screen).

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Multifaced Story Within A Story

I cannot begin to express exactly how much I adored this story, but I’ll give it a try anyway.

❤ Dan-O is everything you could want from a protagonist - she’s feisty, passionate, driven, and courageous. You can’t help but root for her as she pushes against her destiny to create her own story.

❤ It’s absolute perfection watching Dan-O and Ha-roo fall in love. Their romance is like eating warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven (the highest of compliments from me). This is very much a “first love” story with a focus on looks and hugs, not kisses.

❤ I 100% could not get enough of the friendship between Dan-O, Har-roo, and Do-hwa. I loved how they supported one another, particularly when they went on one of their “missions” to change their fates. If anything, I wish the other self-aware characters had been more integrated into their story and shenanigans.

❤ This story is multifaceted, layered, and always intriguing. It’s very much a “story within a story” so be prepared for lots of surprising twists and turns.

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Zombies + High School = Good Times

This show combined two things I love - zombies and high school drama! While the middle of the series felt rather bloated, I mostly enjoyed this interesting take on zombie lore with a large ensemble cast.

❤ The opening shot of the show does a phenomenal job of showing all of Hyosan High School’s various locals. And, boy, does it not disappoint in allowing the school to be the showcase of the series. We get to see action sequences and zombie hoards everywhere in the school, from stampeding into the cafeteria to hunkering down in the gym’s storage unit.

❤ While the romances are always secondary to the zombies, they are still wonderfully executed. One love story revolves around an unrequited love between two long time friends, and the other romance focuses on the class president and a former bad boy. What’s not to love?

❤ At the heart of this zombie drama is friendships - both those made prior to the outbreak and those made in the desperate days afterwards. All of the main teams lose party members, and their deaths are impactful because we’ve seen the deep bonds of affection between them all.

❤ Part of the charm of the show is the levity it brings in the middle of all the darkness and despair. I do think it has a rather hopeful ending, but it still hurts. It is, after all, a zombie show so be prepared to lose some of your favs along the way.

❤ Cheong-san showed up and did his homework. The actor, Yoon Chan-young, has made a fan for life. He had so many excellent action sequences, heartfelt emotional breakdowns, and spades of chemistry with all of the cast.

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Amazing Actors, Boring Story

Friends, I have seen most of the actors in this show. They are excellent performers and I know they could have created an exceptional masterpiece together if given a more interesting script. But, honestly, this show was boring. It certainly had interesting elements, but the 16 episodes with extremely long run time pretty much killed any joy or interest I had in the characters or story. It is too bad because I really like the potential exploration of all of these generations coming to terms with themselves as individuals, friends, and family. It did have some wonderful cinematography, which reminded me a bit of the Queen of Tears vibe. Ultimately, I feel this drama wasn't worth my time.

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Bewitching & Bittersweet Romance

If someone were to ask me to describe this series, I’m not sure I could do it justice. It’s about life and loss; joy and grief; hope and despair. It’s about letting go of the past to embrace the present and future; building a friendship with a rival; falling in love for the first time. It is, as Eun-tak says, a “sad love” story. Yet despite this show being an absolutely bewitching and bittersweet story, it didn’t quite work for me.

❤ This show works best when it focuses on the four main leads - Kim Shin, Grim Reaper, Ji Eun-tak, and Sunny. Kim Shin and the Grim Reaper shine whether they are bickering or bantering.

❤ It took me some time to get invested in the love story considering an immortal is attempting to romance a high school senior. I embraced their romance eventually, but it took me some time to get past the circumstances. Eun-tak’s sunny personality mixed with Kim Shin’s awakening emotions were the perfect mixture between silly and sweet.

❤ It’s too long for such a short story. Whole scenes from previous episodes we’re inserted into later episodes to pad it out to sixteen episodes, but it dragged down the pacing dramatically. I think it could have been well executed with half the run time.

❤ The person training to be the next assistant to Kim Shin, Yoo Duk-hwa, was only used as a plot device or the comic relief. The CGI was also pretty terrible, particularly in the earlier episodes.

❤ Be prepared for a bittersweet ending. This is a show that talks a lot about depression, loss, and grief. If you’re looking for a fun and feel good show, you might not enjoy this experience right now.

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From RomCom to Melodrama

The first fifteen episodes of this show were truly amazing - a vivacious female lead; a brooding hero; hilarious sidekicks; fun shenanigans; and an interesting premise. It had enough serious to make the implausible plot seem realistic, and enough comedy to make it delightful to watch. However, the last nine episodes completely turned this lovable crew into the pain train of melodrama. It was awful watching the male lead switch from cinnamon roll to bitter adversary to the female lead. Even worse was the fact these episodes occurred because the two leads refused to be more open and honest with each other DESPITE promising to do just that. Sigh. The ending of the series was also rather a let down. I wish the leads had more time in the real world together than just a short scene at the end.

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Epic Romance with Real Stakes

*The Legend of Shen Li* was EXACTLY what I wanted: a sweeping, romance-centric story about two people deeply in love. Shen Li and Xing Yun are incredibly easy to root for, and their connection feels profound and genuine. The obstacles keeping them apart make perfect sense, and I love that they handle their situation with real maturity. Because they are both so intensely powerful, their union could upset the balance of their world, which makes their initial hesitation to be together completely believable.

The dynamic between them is exactly what so many Western fantasy romance authors strive for, but executed perfectly. You have a genuinely badass warrior woman who can decimate a battlefield, paired with an equally powerful partner who sweeps in to carry her away, care for her, and fiercely love her. Crucially, he does this without either of them ever feeling diminished or unequal in the relationship.

The supporting cast rounds out the world beautifully, and I really appreciated the lack of a distracting secondary romance. The narrative is 100% dedicated to the main couple. While a few of the CGI elements were a bit cheesy (looking at you, CGI birds), the special effects hit perfectly during the massive, climactic moments.

I also absolutely adore that we get an entire episode just to wrap up the story, with the main conflict completely resolved an episode prior. So often, these epic dramas get five minutes or less to show the aftermath, but this show said, "screw that, let's do 45 minutes of wrap-up," and I loved every second of it. Let's normalize that, China!

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Mixed Bag of Romances

I truly enjoyed the main romance of this show. The leads had excellent chemistry together and their romantic relationship progressed naturally as they learned to co-parent together. The child actor playing their son was absolutely adorable and precocious! He should have had way more screen time in later episodes, but he is often not present as the story focused on the workplace drama. Speaking of the workplace drama, the overall story arc and message was positive. It can be challenging watching a story about sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace, particularly if you have experienced it. Min Hui was inspirational, and her teaching other women to stand up to workplace abusers was beautifully executed. It did drag on too long, but I blame the episode count.

My biggest complaint are the side romances - neither were interesting or integral to the story. Which is not to say I didn't enjoy their characters. The addition of Min Hui's found family in Zhou Ruji and Cao Mu brought a certain amount of credibility to the story of a young career woman raising a child, particularly one with heart issues. Their friendship and love for Min Hui and Min Quanquan was enough for me. Rather than padding out so many episodes with their individual love stories, I wish we had spent more time with the core family.

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Cute Yet Forgettable

While cute, this story really didn't have anything substantial enough to make it unique or unforgettable.

❤ I appreciate that Sung Dok Mi never received negativity for being a fangirl, particularly from her love interest. He actively supported her hobby once it was revealed. Love the things you love, people, life is too short to regret it.

❤ Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook certainly had chemistry, and their kiss scenes were really well executed. The other part of their love triangle, Nam Eun Gi, never made much sense to me even if I did like the actor.

❤ The supporting cast was cute, particularly Kim Bo Ra as Cindy. I wish we had gotten more of a romance between her and a certain second leading man.

❤ While the story was interesting, it never quite captured my undivided attention as it got a bit too convoluted in the end.

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Too Much Angst

Eternal Love is one of the first suggestions for those looking for something similar to Love Between Fairy and Devil. While the two dramas certainly had similar elements, I found Eternal Love to be too dark and depressing. It does have a happy ending (for those that need that reassurance), but at what cost? The characters go through some truly traumatic experiences; the villains are almost mustache twirling obvious; and the pacing of each arc felt drawn out and overwhelming.

While I may not have enjoyed the overall plot (or, at least, the way it is told), the acting and OST are top notch. Yang Mi and Mark Chao had some electric chemistry on screen, and their romantic scenes sizzled. Mark Chao, in general, completely impressed me - he played two very different characters in such an effortless and graceful way. I would say give this drama a chance if it sounds interesting you, but be willing to drop it if it doesn't hit you the right way.

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Sad and Depressing

I didn't understand the meaning of a "melo" drama until watching this story. I legit felt sad and depressed watching it despite the optimistic ending.

❤ Won Jin Ah was enchanting in the lead female role as she balanced between the reserved and emotional nature of Ha Moon Soo. Her story was by far the most interesting, particularly her relationship with her family and her grief over the death of her sister.

❤ What is it with male leads pushing away the female lead when they need them the most? The one that comes immediately to mind is Oh My Venus, but this is a close second. It made it hard to root for the main lead couple when Lee Kang Doo continuously rebuffed Ha Moon Soo's compassion and support. I get to some degree part of his story is allowing others to witness his pain, but it quickly became aggravating watching the push/pull between them.

❤ Other than Moon Soo and Lee Kang Doo's family members, the rest of the side characters were uninteresting and one-note. I've seen these actors in other shows so I know they can perform, but they were given very little to do beyond pine for one another or move the plot forward for the main couple.

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Cute Premise, Problematic Execution

While the premise to this story was cute, I didn't love the execution. The biggest problem was the sound editing. It became increasingly obvious as the show went on that the lead actress was dubbed - the movement of her lips and the dubbed voice were just slightly off from one another. I'm uncertain if other characters were dubbed, but it was not nearly as obvious as the FM lead. I also wasn't the biggest fan of her acting. She seemed very stiff and standoffish, particularly in comparison to the ML lead's passion and adoration. It's not an issue in the earlier episodes, but I'd expect her to be less stiff the more they dated each other. All that said, it was refreshing to find a drama featuring a couple with little communication issues. Others may have attempted to come in-between them, but they were committed to each other. If you prefer a couple with drama, this may not be the show for you.

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