An American Remake
I love the Korean Drama Crime Series genre. If done intelligently, one can explore the mind of the criminal and this dramas become great character studies. Of course, these highlight heinous crimes, so the Crime genre is for select taste. Queen Mantis is an remake from a popular and recent American Crime Show, The Prodigal Son. This series has a highly intelligent premise. There is a parent who is a heinous serial killer and the parent has been locked up for years. Their now grown estranged son is now works for the Crime Division. A copycat Killer emerges. This forces the estrange son to have to work with the serial killer parent to find the killer. Killer OSTWas this review helpful to you?
Second Shot At Second Chances
Second Shot At Love tackles a serious plague in South Korea, alcoholism. This is a country where socialization with workmates after long arduous workdays with hard work loads is a social norm. This foster after work drinking to the point of drunkenness. On my visit to South Korea, a walk at night proved to me that after work drunkenness is not just a trope. I saw a T-shirt with the slogan “Drink, Drank, Drunk” on it. While this was the beginning of the night, I am sure it was true by the end.In this drama “Second Shot At Love”, the main focus is on a woman caught up in the fray. So that is different as well. It brings in the woman’s prospective. What is unique about this drama is that it makes it clear that alcoholism genetically runs in families. It shows how enablers can constantly sabotage progress. It shows that a good support system makes the way to sobriety more successful. This is a RomCom. So the talking points are spoon fed to you instead of throw down your throat. There are so many talking points that I love about this drama.
Let us discuss the title. Second Shot at Love. Alcoholics don’t refuse that Second Shot of Alcohol. Why not develop positive reasons to put away drink and take a Second Shot At Love?
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There is a hidden beauty in the symbolism of this drama and the nature of relationships.
The StorySome people are missing the point of this drama, big time. This drama is about interpersonal relationships between men and women and how they communicate with each other differently.
When one interprets, be it foreign language or sign language, the interpreter has to break up the conversation into short segments and release the information they just heard into the language of choice. The interpreter in this drama could listen for three minutes of conversation and repeat back the whole conversation in the language for which she is interpreting. Her record is interpreting 10-12 minute segments of spoken words. That is remarkable. Most people can interpret only 30 seconds of conversation accurately.
What gets lost first with long segments of interpreted conversation, is emotions and intent. I have studied why the mother tongue is the language of the heart and why love and attachment is best perceived when listening in one’s mother tongue. To be able to transfer emotions and intent to another language, after listening to long segments of conversation, is close to impossible. I am intrigue by this subject material. The Chinese Drama ‘Our Interpreter’ sure makes this occupation of International Interpreter look very glamorous. The drama pits a high tech CEO launching a new interpreting application against a real live interpreter. Machine against Human. Who will win? The two were once lovers and they have not seen each other for eight years. Can love be reinterpreted?
What some may fail to grasp with this drama is how normal communication between men and women can get lost in translation. We blame it on the “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus” syndrome. However, the base root of the issue is how emotions and intent are conveyed. Are matters made even worse over time? There is a hidden beauty in the symbolism of this drama and the nature of male and female relationships.
Quote: As a philosophy, it’s impossible for (emotions and intent) to be completely expressed and conveyed with words (When Interpreting). It requires one to feel, understand, and think about it with the heart.” From Our Interpreter.
There is an interesting side note to the Chinese drama ‘Our Interpreter’. There is a lot of English spoken in this drama, as foreign language is rendered into English. For fun, the viewer can listen to the Interpreter interpret the Chinese into English and compare it with the interpreted material in the subtitles. The human interpreter does a way better job, since she is touted to have the ability to interpret from the heart of the language she is interpreting. Someone should have been alert to make sure that the subtitled text was as good as the Interpreter.
‘Our Interpreter’ had me with their opening quote by George Gordon Byron. My mind realized that it would be stimulated. It is an intelligent drama which may not be everyone’s taste. However, this is my kind of drama, pitting two overachievers against each other and giving each a chance to make their best corrections.
Quote: “If I should meet thee after long years, how should I greet thee? With silence and tears”, George Gordon Byron.
Actors Corner
Victoria Song—I have compared her to the Korean Actress Jun Ji Hyun in the past. Her acting skills are most spontaneous and creative. I loved her in Find Yourself.
Chen Xing Xu—Acting since age three, Chen Xing Xu is a veteran actor. He also starred in The Starry Love.
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What can I say?
Frankly Speaking will not win awards for writing and storytelling, but it might win over your heart. It is more that a Comedy Romance, it is a Comedy. I found myself laughing hard at the silly jokes. Frankly Speaking is a lot of fun. The running “dad jokes” type situations may remind some of home.Frankly Speaking is the story of an announcer who has lost his ability to filter his words. It stars accomplished Korean drama and film star Go Kyung-pyo (Marriage in Contract). What can I say about the story? It is stupid. However, I am laughing my rear end off. How do you rate this? I don’t plan to drop it. Frankly Speaking is a great laugh. When you think about it, Go Kyung-pyo was in the great Dark Comedy Decision to Leave. He was the funniest person in this comedy. Do you know how hard it is to act in a dark comedy. You have to pretend that it is not funny when it is funny. Go Kyung-pyo knows the comedy landscape.
Juxtaposition the comedy from Go Kyung-pyo with dramatic dramas Go Kyung-pyo has appeared in like Connect, Chicago Typewriter, and DP. This tells me that he is a great actor.
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Marry My Husband the Chinese Short Way
Her Trajectory is the Chinese Short Version of the Webtoon to drama Marry My Husband. The Time Travel Fantasy Romance drama Marry My Husband is just popular on all fronts. The story is just great. The original Webtoon has made its drama rounds. First there was Marry My Husband Korean, and then the Japanese version came out. Now the Chinese may not have kept the same name, but the story is still the same. I completed the Korean and Japanese version. Both were stellar. I figured that no way could the Chinese Short version of this Time Travel Fantasy Romance drama keep up. Well, I was wrong. Her Trajectory is staying true to the story and keeping up with the Time Travel aspect of the story too.The Chinese brought out their Chinese Short Drama big gun to star in Her Trajectory, Dai Gao Zheng. His costar is Li Mo Zhi. She is more adapted to the Long Version Chinese dramas, but she adapted well to the faster pace needed for the Chinese Short Format. Her Trajectory is a very sensual drama with these two.
If you liked either of the Marry My Husband brand, you should watch all three versions. I am having fun in Chinese Drama Shorts Land. You should too.
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The Adam’s Family Meets The Hallyu Wave (Everything Korean)
All the up front synopsis for the new Korean Drama Atypical Family that I read on the Internet seems to be wrong. The story is not outlined as projected by news sources. Atypical Family did not meet my 15 min “love it or leave it criteria”. However, there certainly was enough hidden back story revealed to let me know that there was enough paint on the canvas to make me stick around. This story is so very complex.Revealed in the first episode, therefore, these are no spoilers.
1. The male lead has superpowers which he feels are a curse.
2. The male lead was married to his wife, who gave birth to their first child.
3. She died in a car accident, which appears to have been caused by her.
4. He could not use his superpowers to save his wife.
5. His mother forewarned him of this pending doom.
6. The death of his wife caused his depression, which caused him to loose his superpowers.
7. The whole family has superpowers, but they all have lost them, because of modern medical diseases.
8. The female lead is actually a grifter. She has been planted into this family by a thievery gang, because the family is rich. Her sole purpose is to steal money from this rich family and to give it to the thievery gang for which she works. She thinks that the information about the family is nonsense.
9. This drama is so weird. It is so atypical from the typical Korean Drama.
10. I see the paint on the canvas and it looks like an evolving masterwork.
Mind sufficiently blown. I can’t even figure this one out. Left very intrigued. I am so excited. Episodes post Saturdays and Sundays.
@ Edit: This is such a brilliant drama, from the mind of someone who got in a perfect lane of thought. I am going to drop spoiler explanations in the comment section below, to help those who might be puzzled. Look for them.
What is a spoiler? It is when the drama is bicycling in one direction and then makes a significant turn to another direction and you reveal this. It is very rare that the first episode will contain spoilers, because the drama has not had a chance to progress forward.
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Uniquely satisfying Fantasy Chinese drama with a huge twist (a twist which I won’t reveal)
Costume & Period, Romance, Time Travel Fusion, Gaming DramaUnique Lady is about a young lady whose life amounts to only playing video games and studying. She is distraught over her pathetic love life, and gets trapped in a video game about “finding your person” in the Sheng-Yuan Dynasty. She has to cosplay play this video game all the way through, before she can exist. She is surrounded by gorgeous men all over the place, falling in love with her. So I thought that this would be a perfect brainless down-time Chinese Drama, with the emphasis on brainless. However, surprise! Unique Lady actual has an extremely engaging and intelligent storyline, which is well written and acted. I should have known that this drama was not run-of-the-mill when I saw the Chinese actors’ firepower lined up for this drama. To add to this viewing pleasure, Unique Lady also has a Season 2. In the 24 episodes for seasons one and two, there is a fan viewing commitment time of less than 18 hours. The same goes for season 2. Therefore, the Chinese Drama Unique Lady is Korean Drama Fan Friendly.
This Drama is taken from Lascivious Lady by Orange Light Game: Adapted from the novel Haose Qianjin by Qing Lanlan
You will get massive Dual Lead Syndrome with these main suitors. I could not choose.
Actors’ Corner
The heroine of Unique Lady is Lin Lou Jing (Played by Zheng Qiu Hong or Jade from Fairyland Lovers). She has four suitors in this dating video game, all four with totally different personalities. There is a digital System Conductor, which helps guide her through her game choices. Lin Lou Jing has only five attempts at finding Mr. Right and she must find someone whom she loves and who loves her, before she can exist the game.
The main suitors for Lin Lou Jing are Zhong Wu Mei (Played by Gong Jun or Simon from Begin Again) and Liu Xiu Wen/[Prince of Qiyu] (Played by Fang Yilun or Alen, who is dead ringer for Hyun Bin and appeared in The Long Ballard).
Gong Jun has an interesting backstory. His first day at University, his teachers took one look at him and told him he should be in Chinese dramas, because of his look. He was able to change majors and was sent to acting school. And the rest is history.
You can include in the mix of people with whom to fall in love, the Third and Fourth Leads.
Jiang Xuan Yu (Played by Yu Kai Ning from Cute Programer) and Hua Ying Chi (Played by Li Hao from Douluo Continent)
Have fun.
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Embrace the Cuteness
Cast—Chae Jong Hyeop (as Kang Hu-Young) and Kim So Hyun (as Lee Hong-Ju)
I think that we are smoldering another big summer hit drama with Serendipity’s Embrace. I love the title.
Ser·en·dip·i·ty —the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not looked for. Dictionary
Serendipity’s Embrace stars Chae Jong Hyeop and Kim So Hyun. I adore this pairing of actors. They look so natural together. I don’t catch these two acting. I feel like I am peeking in on someone else’s real life. There is strong chemistry between Chae Jong Hyeop and Kim So Hyun. Serendipity’s Embrace is absolutely a fun romantic ride.
The story
ML Kang Hu-Young is a “by the books and don’t paint outside the lines” kind of guy. FL Lee Hong-Ju feels free to express her emotions and feelings. They meet in high school, as serendipity brings them together. However, life gets in the way, as Kang Hu-Young moves to the States and becomes a very successful businessman. After 10 years, Kang Hu-Young is still the stoic man who needs to be trained how to love and Lee Hong-Ju is existing a failed relationship. One big huge point of this story is whether your recollection of the past is really to true story?
Absolutely adorable
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Legend of Many Female Generals
The story of Rebirth is stellar. It is a slight disadvantage to have not read the book, but that is compensated by slowing down and reading all the words. Streamed on VIKI and iQIYI, VIKI is always better with subtitles, but IQIYI has enhanced its picture quality. The visuals are so stellar now.Rebirth is the Legend of many Female Generals, as women dominate this story with two male leads.
The main heroine is a mighty Slave girl who has been trained as a Spy and Military General, and who has acute Martial Arts skills. However, there are so many great women parts in Rebirth, even a woman scorned, who wins many bonus points in her attempts to get even.
The opening 17 minutes of episode 1 of ‘Rebirth’ is highly cinematic and powerful. The audience quickly gets a film explanation of the story and the backstory after the dramatic opening sequence (the story comes from a novel). There is so much information given, but the information is necessary to the up-coming action. I had to pause and rewind a few times to make sure that all that significant information being given was registered. ‘Rebirth’ is a very complex story of friends to enemies who are torn apart by love and politics of expedience. The story also is about a savage hierarchy, mystery, murderous intent and deception, and a slave girl who fights the slave system that binds her. One thing I can say is that I did not get bored. Rebirth is adapted from the novel "The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11's Princess Agent" by Xiao Xiang Dong Er. This is the sequel to Princess Agent.
Something else about Rebirth is that like products are “not stealthily placed throughout Asian dramas”, there is plenty of eye candy to keep you moving along. There are many shirtless reveal moments to discover.
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Coming out of the box, The Witch is breaking records.
I have high expectations for the Korean Drama The Witch (2025). It is based off of the Webtoon "Manyeo", by Kang Full. This is the writer who brought us the Award Winning an highly decorated Korean Dramas Moving and Light Shop. The Witch is a delicious Mystery Romance Drama, which is a captivating character study.The story is served up with the refined script-writing of Cho Yu Jin and has great cinematography. Watch how in the opening episode, in one scene, the snow is drifting upwards to the sky and not downwards, casting a haunting effect.
Can persons be cursed? It seems that a young lady (Park Mi-jeong played by Roh Jeong-eui) has the frequent misfortune to witness all those who come to her bravely to express their love meet accidental death or severe injury. This gets Park Mi-jeong labeled as a Witch by many, as her schoolmates ostracize her. Eventually she withdraws from the town and from life.
A Data Miner and logical thinker who is ruled by numbers (Lee Dong-jin played by Park Jin-young) went to high school with this unfortunate girl. Lee Dong-jin always had sympathized with Park Mi-jeong. However, he wanted to find a logical reason for these seeming mysterious coincidences, or are they? Should he risk his life to find out?
Lee Dong-jin runs into Park Mi-jeong several years after graduating from High School. He wonders if the girl is living well in later years. A chance meeting, and he follows her home.
Murphy’s Law
Does Park Mi-jeong suffer from the Murphy’s Law syndrome? It states “ Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. We will find out with the outcome of the Korean Drama The Witch.
Quote from Lee Dong-jin— “The Laws of Death are following her like a curse.”
Cast:
The Witch stars K-pop Idol from GOT7 and Actor Park Jin-young (Legend of the Blue Sea, Reborn Rich) and actress Roh Jeong-eui (Dear. M, Crushology 101).
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The Art of the Deal
In a business world of White and Black Knights, The Art of the Deal (with the emphasis on Art) can make or break a troubled Business Conglomerate, while preventing a takeover. There is a way to conduct business when a Conglomerate is threatened by a takeover or failure, and it is similar to the Ballroom Dance of the Matador, the Paso Doble. You allure the Bull with a cape which may look like protection at first, but it hides a sword. Then you strike when it is least expected. When done right, the business comes out on top with the least damage. The Korean Drama ‘The Art of Negotiation’ is a wonderful ‘Art of Business’ Korean Drama. I love Business Dramas when these are done right.Lee Je Hoon plays “The White Snake”, Yun Ju No
A man steps forward in pristine conservative business attire, down to his shoes, and neatly coiffed white hair. He is nicknamed ‘The White Snake’, because of his ability to aggressively and swiftly attack and resolve a business issue. With the drama ‘The Art of Negotiation’, instead of working out the particulars of the set-up for the drama over an episode, the writer of The Art of Negotiation chose to have a drama conversation between two employees that deep dives into the meanings of everything you are about to see. This helps the viewers, who may lack business knowledge, to get the picture of what is going on right up front. The drama is suspenseful and filled with thrilling, aggressive, action right from the beginning. In The Art of Negotiation, the drama had me in the first 2 minutes. The Art of Negotiation is intelligent, intriguing, and is my kind of drama.
As the story goes, the Conglomerate which needs to be fixed is 11 trillion won in debt. The Business Corporate Resident explains what that means.
Quote: “Someone earning 100 million won a year, could not pay off this debt in 100,000 years. Even if a monkey saved money, while evolving into a human, he could not pay off 11 Trillion won”.
With The Art of Negotiation, the Art of the Deal will be explored each week with different story arcs. Groundwork already has been laid for intrigue, as backstories emerge.
It is funny that I never noticed it before, but business dramas are like Period or Historic dramas in street clothes. Instead of Court Intrigue, you have business deal intrigue. Instead of Kings, you have Chaebols. Instead of sword fighting armies you have business henchmen. Finally, instead of Ninjas, you have Corporate Villains and Traitors.
The Art of Negotiation has a stacked cast of well known Korean Actors, led by Lee Je Hoon (Move to Heaven playing Yun Ju No). This drama promises to be a really big deal. (Pun intended)
Words Defined
Black Knight—A hostile Company whose intent is to take over a struggling company, with the intent to decimate it by selling its parts.
White Knight— A Company you invite in to save your Company from decimation. This friendly Company will take over your business, but will keep the Company intact.
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Political Mystery Thriller Romance
The original expectations for me for the Korean Drama When the Phone Rings (2024) was that this Korean drama would be a Political Mystery Thriller of the criminal kind. However, a huge plot twist has made this drama a sensual killer of the pulsating kind. I have never seen a phone be used for a tool of sensuality. OMG. Male Lead Yoo Yeon Seok will forever be remembered for that incredible first kiss in episode one of Doctor Romantic and the brush of the fingers by a lady’s skirt as he played Bad Boy Gu Dong Mae in Mr Sunshine. He is doing it again in When the Phone Rings. Yoo Yeon Seok is the originator of his signature pulsating glance, the heart has to be forced to stay still.Yoo Yeon Seok costars with Cahe Soo Bin (I Am Not A Robot). Only two episodes in, When the Phone Rings is becoming a fan favorite already, garnering 8.7/10 on MDL. We will see if they can keep this up. 💌💌💌💌
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Crowd Pleaser
Wow! This story is so gripping. I am talking to the TV. The beginning episode of Legend of Zhang Hai (2025) is torturous, as the hero’s family is wiped out before his eyes, when he was a child. There is a tortuous and very ruthless villain. This drama may not be for the faint of heart. Nonetheless, there is thrilling action, while the reason for revenge is set up in this drama. The viewer gets to see extensive training in the mindset for revenge, as the young child grows into a man. It appears that the set for the Chinese drama ‘The Double’ was used for this drama The Legend of Zhang Hai. The story is very mysterious as well.Many will remember the star of The Legend of Zhang Hai from the beloved Chinese Drama “Untamed”. What I like about the acting of male lead Xiao Zhan is that he is always in the moment. Some actors become wall flowers when they don’t have speaking lines in a scene. They stop acting. Xiao Zhan is constantly performing, using his eyes to search the environment, moving his fingers, small motions that don’t steal the focus. The Costar for The Legend of Zhang Hai is Zhang Jing Yi. She has the ability to draw out the best performances of her male costars.
I like The Legend of Zhang Hai. This Mystery Thriller Fantasy Chinese drama is unusual, with a different type of storyline.
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Slow moving, but delicious
Are You the One (2024) is a slow moving Chinese drama, which is listed as a Romance Drama. This drama did not meet my 15 minute ‘Love it or Leave it” metric bar. Something was off. Then I saw it. While this Chinese drama is not listed as a RomCom, there is lots of textured comedy in the production. Mentally, I was looking for a serious romance drama, but got thrown off by subtle comedic cues. I had to do a brain reset. This fixed my problem. Are You the One (2024) is a light Comedy Romance drama. This Chinese drama storyline is using a very popular trope of late, which has sworn male and female enemies at a battle face off and the female meets with an accident, which leaves her with amnesia. The male, understanding that you keep your friends close and your enemies closers, takes in the female into his abode and oftentimes pretends to be her husband. I have to admit that I like this trope very much. It has constant elements of danger present, since the female could get back her memory at any time. However, this trope allows for such a seductive launch base for accidental romance. The story is adapted from the novel "Jiao Cang", written by Kuang Shang Jia Kuang.‘Are You the One’ stars actor Zhang Wan Yi (Lost You Forever) and actress Wang Chu Ran (Fireworks of My Heart). Zhang Wan Yi plays a loathsome character for my taste. He is a self-centered rich royal from the military who does not quite get the concept that some people are human beings. He inconsiderately and uncaringly uses the fallen lady, just seeing and opportunity to get gains and goes for it, no holds barred. Fortunately, there is lots of room for personal growth. Wang Chu Ran plays an intelligent justice fighter, who belongs to a gang of bandits. This gang is at odds with the law as they fight agsinst what they feel is injustice. In addition, she has a very interesting backstory.
Are You The One is popular right now, pulling in 9.7/10 among viewers. This is a drama you may want to add to your list of dramas to view.
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This is the Space for this (Dark) SyFy Comedy Romance
Billionaire MZ Group CEO sends his future son-in-law (Lee Min-Ho) into Space on a Public Private Funded Space Mission. As a OBYN Doctor and the only civilian aboard, the mission of the future son-in-law has something to do with the sperm of his dead future brother-in-law and the egg of the wife of the dead future brother-in-law. I missed the memo. This is a SYFY Comedy Romance Drama. And who knew that Lee Min-Ho could make me laugh this much? He is showing good comedic timing on his joke delivery so far. Hey! When the Stars Gossip is very interesting from this first look. There is light cursing and a short mature scene, however.The cinematography is out of this world. Yes! Pun Intended. The camera angles used make for unusual visuals. There is even dark comedy mixed in. The Science also looks great so far. Another thing that is funny is that the Lee Min-Ho character lived a thug’s life formerly, smart, but a thug. The backstories are revealed in smartly placed flashbacks. Now Lee Min-ho’s comedic performance was in no way expected. Mind blown and tears from laughter flowing.
You have not seen such a stylish Korean Drama like this before. There is so much English being spoken in the first episode, I had to check to see if I had the right drama. This is seriously and All Star Cast. You will recognize so many Korean Actors and Actresses.
Important information to know: Why is vomiting in a launched space capsule dangerous?
The vomit forms tiny floating debris in zero gravity. These droplets can clog equipment and are small enough to be inhaled, causing internal damage.
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