Kate

Conclusion: everyone was wrong and everyone was right.

And I don’t know how I feel about it. I’m honestly convinced a lot of people got brainwashed by how good the last few episodes were, to believe this drama is a true masterpiece, when at the same time most of us agreed that the whole mid section was quite meh.

Here’s the thing - by the end of the drama I kind of wanted everyone dead. Personally, there wasn’t really a character to root for. Everyone was hypocritical and painfully frustrating. On one hand, this was one of the aspects that made the drama objectively good - complex and flawed characters. On the other hand, it left me with no emotional stakes - I couldn't care less about what will happen to all these people. And I’m a character driven viewer: I can watch a boring plot, as long as I like the characters, but I get bored with an interesting plot, if I don’t vibe with anyone.

It started strong. Sure, I disliked fans’ favorite - Bang Won, but I adored a lot of other characters: Sam Bong, Boon Yi, Bang Ji. All characters had distinctive personalities, motivations, and moral values. But the closer to the end we’ve got, the less interesting the majority of the characters became. Some were just stagnant with little to no change or development, some completely lost any individuality and felt a bit too like plot devices. Sure, Bang Won and Sambong were great, dynamic, driven, smart, but also amazingly flawed. But it’s “Six Flying Dragons” not “Two Flying Dragons”.

All that said, Six Flying Dragons for sure had one of the most fulfilling endings of all dramas I have seen - everything just made sense and I could clearly see how all the events and characters led to that conclusion. It was just satisfying and I might have cried just a little bit.

The performances were amazing. I know many people are not on board with Shin Sae Kyeong, but for me, she did exactly what the character demanded from the actress. She was not supposed to be this charismatic and badass fighter, she represented the normal people and for me, her delivery matched that energy well. Objectively speaking I know Yoo Ah In did an amazing job, but I disliked Bang Won so much, it’s hard for me to verbalize what was good about the performance - it for sure made me feel a lot of different emotions… Best performance though: Park Hyuk Kwon. Being able to deliver both Gil Tae Mi and Gil Seon Mi, and make them feel like truly two different people was a phenomenal job done.

As for production - impressive. The fact that even after 8 years the drama does not feel dated at all is surprising. The styling, production value and budget for dramas changed so much in the past few years, achieving this level of quality in 2015 could not have been easy. Best part? Fighting scenes! The choreographies were truly pure perfection. Some I rewatched good 10 times.

Overall, it’s a great and addicting drama with a bit too much filler plots in the middle part.

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By the end I was filled with a feeling of emptiness…

And I honestly do not know how to explain what it means. I just wanted to feel a little bit more, understand the characters a little bit better, connect to the story a little bit deeper, but it all stopped right before it hit the spot.

How to put it… every new revelation made me disconnect from the plot more and more. Soramame started as an amazing and relatable character, but then was stripped from that mundane context that made me love her so much. Oto stayed frustratingly consistent throughout the show, but by the end some of his choices just made me roll my eyes - why so dramatic? Why can’t you act like a normal adult?

While I enjoyed the mutual pining and I have no issue with slow pace plots, the fact they were able to build misunderstanding on already existing misunderstanding was one step too far. The story focusing on chasing their dreams also lost its charm the moment we found out both leads some really unique skills that most people do not have. Not exactly motivational storytelling if you ask me.

I liked the show a lot, but I also liked it a little bit less with each episode I watched, and by episode 10 I had too many conflicting feelings about it.

Writing aside, the acting was great. I loved how the whole cast was able to deliver such unique and vibrant characters in such an approachable way. Hirose Suzu did an amazing job especially during the more emotional scenes. With that performance you can truly relate to the saying sometimes some of the happiest people are hurting the most.

Directing and editing was great. Loved all the shots during the sunset/dusk and how warm the tones were during them. The set designs were also to die for, made me want to live in the house with the leads, enjoying each day and anticipating what the next one will bring.

Overall, it was an enjoyable drama, but I cannot stop myself from feeling like something was missing.

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Detailed presentation of a complex situation.

I’ll be honest with everyone - the only reason one should watch this over a director's cut (which for me is a 10/10), is to later watch the director's cut and appreciate it even more.

Memoir of a Murderer is a story about simple characters in a complex and convoluted situation - both internally and externally. The addition of dementia is such a fresh and fascinating take on the typical serial killer story. What happens when a “reformed” serial killer starts to lose himself in the past, regressing to immoral behavior and not being able to control his urges that were tamed for years? Add another layer of him trying to catch another serial killer while struggling to remember all the encounters and identities of people around him - what a horrifying, but also captivating scenario.

What the movie does perfectly well is confusing the audience - what is reality? What is just a fragment of imagination? What was a lie and what was a forgotten memory? No matter how much you might pay attention, you cannot differentiate between the real and the fake, unless the movie itself wants to tell you the truth. How did they achieve that? Smart directing, amazing editing, trusting the audience and one aspect that made the director's cut better - the conclusion that actually makes sense.

Sol Kyung Gu as Kim Byung Soo? Perfection. The range of emotions and expressions, the chilling narrations and that eye twitch… The performance that somehow made me sympathize with a serial killer, even feel bad for him. Disagreeing with his murderous nature was obvious, but the fear of losing your identity and years of life and memories is such a horrible vision, it was hard not to feel anything while watching the movie.

Overall, probably one of the best serial killer movies I have seen in years, easily top5 of all times. Personally preferred the director’s cut, so if one is not up to watching mostly the same movie twice, skip the theatrical release.

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10% of the writing and 90% of fluff.

It's the most digestible show I have ever seen with close to zero stakes, almost none evil or mean characters, no long term conflicts, every character starts more or less already good so you don't get stressed out by how bad they are and how much they have to improve and since their flaws are so inconsistent, they don’t create much tension either.

That said, it does have a lot of truly good elements. First of all, the relationship between the leads evolve in a really natural and entertaining manner. The bickering is always lighthearted and Lu Si Cheng is for sure not one of the mean main leads. The interactions between the team members are heartwarming at times, and even the relations between different teams made me smile more than once. I also loved the female friendship between Tong Yao and Jin Yang.

One of my favorite things about the show was how it truly did address the toxic fans culture - the idolizing people fans don’t know, seeing them as flawless, trying to control their private lives, living in a delulu land they created in their heads and then getting paranoid and angry when the unrealistic bubble shatters. But, and it’s a big but - I truly disliked how they did not present the same stance towards all public figures. Lines that went similar to: I’m not an idol, I can date, gave the message that idols do not deserve the same level of privacy and personal life as, in this case professional gamers do.

Another straightforward, but fairly well presented issue was the discrimination of women in certain jobs and social groups. They did not shy from showing the unfair treatment Tong Yao had to face especially in terms of the public's opinions and reactions.

Production value was great. The game scenes looked amazing and I loved the design for the in game characters. On a technical aspect, I think they did a perfect job with opening each new episode - added enough scenes from the previous one to make a proper set up, but not long enough that you want to just skip it all.

Performances were… questionable. I was slowly losing my mind with each and every Korean scene. The dubbing was so awful I wanted to cry. The fact that Chinese characters spoke better Korean than Korean characters was just the cherry on top. Cheng Xiao had a few glimpses of potential in a few scenes, but overall the whole performance was mostly a surprised hamster.
Xu Kai was honestly not much better and there was only one scene when I went: oh, acting! That said, I still enjoyed his handsome face in each and every scene.

Overall, the only thing this show had to offer was cute fluff, but sometimes this is all one needs to be happy.

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Logic left the room, but the friendship was nice.

This is such a feel good show, you will end up puking rainbow by the end. When they started to recycle all the trash, all the suspense and anticipation said its last goodbyes and died. They basically told you they are going for a Disney ending and nothing will stop them.

Is that a bad thing? Depends what are you expecting to get out of this drama. Anyone who thinks this drama has good writing, is lying to themselves, but at the same time, I honestly don’t think a good writing was their goal. This is a show that is supposed to have generic motivational messages, generic saint like leads, generic conflicts and generic resolutions and it all presented in a perfect, light, fun and addicting manner that invites you for the binge watch.

There is honestly close to nothing to say about the leads. Both Ji Xiang Kong and Qiu Ying are good, hardworking, friendly, honest, passionate - so perfect it’s boring. Luckily we get some amazing supporting characters to add spice to the mix: Pei Xi, who was the literal MVP of the drama for me. I adored his character and the surprised complexity he presented. Another character I appreciated a lot was Luo Tian - on a rather low key, but he stole every scene he was in.

Story wise, it’s the underdog fighting to get to the top for both leads. They follow exactly the same path - working hard and being passionate, but always facing issues because of the jealous rivals who play dirty. For some strange reason everyone was painfully informant about the dirty tricks and no one cared to actually run a business and bring profits. My favorite unrealistic part? The internal investigation lasted weeks, but consisting only of questioning 4 people, no one knows what tracking IP address is. What I am trying to say - to make the conflict last longer and feel that screen time, to make the leads journey more meaningful, as they have to face more hardship, all the characters in the show - be it good or the bad guys, had to stop using their brains and make all the dumb decisions possible.

As it’s always the case with shows like this, the best aspect was the friendships and partnerships. The number of fun and heartwarming interactions between various characters was a blast to watch. My favorite pairings were Pei Xi with everyone (but especially Qiu Ying and Ji Xiang Kong) and Qiu Ying and Luo Tian. Friendships and mentor-mentee relationships between female and male characters are so underrated in dramas.

The production value was fine. On one hand we had a great set design for different locations, on the other hand, unfitting styling for the characters. One thing I truly cannot stand in dramas is dolled up female characters even if the setting makes no sense for it. Why did both Qiu Ying and Lu Yi Yi look like idols ready to go on stage no matter the circumstances?

Acting wise, I don’t have massive complaints. Taking into consideration the writing, I don’t think anyone could give a better performance.

Overall, it’s a fast-food of dramaland - nice, addicting, something we crave from time to time, even though it’s not exactly good.

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Covid driven horror stories? I guess it can work...

Bad luck is a bitch
I think the first story had the most confusing message. What was I supposed to get from it? Don’t always help people who claim they are in need because they can screw you over? Don’t break covid isolation restrictions by letting strangers stay at your home?

It was fun and wacky and the emo teen magician shaman boy got me dying from laughing, but I’m just not sure what the writer wanted to tell with this one…
Also, excuse me, but why was this story so dark? Damn, I could barely see anything.

Nothing beats meat
Decent story, but I’m not sure I like the black and white aesthetics. It was also way too short to have any meaning or impact. Felt a bit like an ad break. I understand it’s linked to all the fake covid medication and how not following the actual doctors’ advice and listening to random people with their great healing stories can screw you over, but… it kind of felt flat in presentation.

Shit happens
I did not think the title would be literal… I need a white truck of doom to give me amnesia asap. Oh gosh… why? When I thought it couldn't get any more gross, guess what. It got more gross.
The message is there - mistreatment of patients, overworked medical staff, desensitization to other’s suffering - great and strong messages, but why did they have to literally cover it all in shit?

HM?
Job insecurity during the pandemic was a big problem and the consequences are still here and with the current market, I don’t think they are going away anytime soon. The desperation of trying to earn money in any possible way is something many people could relate to. I’d say this story had the most clear direction and storytelling. When you feel like you won’t be able to even feed your child, you would ignore potential dangers with the hope of getting that coin.

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A few too many boobs shots.

That’s your typical, dumb and sexualizing women comedy… That is not funny. Such a dumb jokes I don’t even know how to comment on them.

I was watching and I felt my neurons dying and IQ decreasing. I’m not even against dumb parody movies - which this tries to be. The execution must be good though and the jokes take a jab at the well known cliches in a clever way. This had none of it.

I guess the best part of the movie was the relationship between the brothers. It was well established, had some nice moments and a solid conclusion. The acting was also decent. Not from all the actors, but the main cast did fairly well.

That would be the end of compliments I have.

Sure the scenery and views were pretty and the makeup for zombies was not that bad. But it also was not good enough to recommend anyone to watch the movie.

Basically speaking - you won’t miss anything if you skip this movie.

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While the twists were interesting, the idea behind the movie is not quite clear. Who was the true instigator of all the bad events? How did they even happen? How was the supernatural element present? There were many questions that I feel like got confusing answers.

While the story itself was quite interesting, presenting some twists I did not see coming at all, and making me question which characters are involved and who is the bad guy, I wished they gave us a little bit more detail.

It was a fun and interesting watch, the performances were good, characters; motivation was vague at best, ridiculous at worst. The overall reasoning of the events happening did not have that much reason in it.

Overall, I don’t regret watching, but it’s not exactly something I would go around recommending.

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Horror elements that ruined the movie.

This would be such a good thriller mystery, but the extremely cheap horror ruined it. Samara meets Sadako and the killing hair. The effects and the ghost design were so bad I honestly wanted to skip all their scenes.

That said, the story itself was quite compelling. The writer was able to form a close connection of the tragic story for the female lead and the main victim of the events from the past. The story had quite a few layers and the pacing of showing them one by one was rather well executed.

It’s for sure more of an investigation than a horror though. Majority of the movie is just the detective work and solving the murder cases happening.

Arang, by the end of the runtime, presents a good, unexpected twist (tho if it was that unexpected I am not sure, since I might have just not paid that much attention to figure out the plot for myself).

The acting was great - given for such a cast.

Overall, someone should make a cut version of this movie, removing all the cheap on budget Ring moments.

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Confusing motivations…

I did not really understand any of the characters - the ghost included.
It does have a semi interesting start, that sets the tone for the rest of the movie - desperation and cheap jump scares. Sometimes this is all you need in a horror movie. Why was the female lead so invested in that uni movie was stupid though.

I get that she needed a horror story for her own movie, but with all the effort she put into the “investigation”, I’m sure she would be able to write something herself. Not to mention, was she both screenwriter and the director?

Then there is the ghost lady- why did she do all the shenanigans? They did not really explain if it was curse, vengeance… Sure, I can explain it myself with my little theories, but the movie did not, and that’s my point.

What I enjoyed - build up tension. Honestly believe cutting out all the jump scares would actually make the movie scarier. They ruined the atmosphere with how comedic they were… The pure investigation moments had me invested, but then a typical black hair lady jumped on the screen and I could not stop myself from laughing.

Performances were great. Loved how Seo Yae Ji’s character was so unaware how abnormal her behavior was, calling others crazy, when she herself acted in the most irrational way.

Overall, it was a decent watch. Would be better as an investigation horror game.

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There is nothing truly wrong about it… but it’s not right either.

This should not have 24 episodes… but it also should have more. It makes sense in my brain, truly. On one hand, the show was simply boring because of the lackluster storytelling and constant time jumps - nothing was established well, which resulted in me not caring about anything, so why make it so long? On the other hand, giving it more episodes could potentially make the show better - making the pacing more even, not skipping a few years every 5 minutes of screen time.

What was that “each episode starts a few months later” deal. They literally kept starting from new moments in lives, with no closure to the previous ones. You will literally have to write 80% of the plot in your head yourself, fill all the gaps. It's literally like a YouTube compilation of the drama highlights... but it's actually the whole drama.

The thing is, I would rather watch 24 episodes of behind the scenes, than the show itself. Last few minutes of the last episode, showing some NGs, was truly the best part and I could not stop smiling and laughing.

The characters? I don’t even know. Heon was all over the place, but I blame it on Yo Han’s delivery. At the same time, there were few moments that truly made the character awful… But Sol-i? At some point she is 30 in the show, but acts like a middle schooler. There is no development nor maturing with her character. She acts exactly the same in the opening episode in high school, and fully grown up in the last episode.

Who I liked? Ha Young and Jin Hwan. They were so adorable and entertaining to watch. Seo Ji Soo also did not get enough screen time. I would not mind her becoming part of the friend’s group. She would fit perfectly.

Onto the acting. People think playing an emotionless, cold male lead is easy, but it’s not - it’s an art of its own, and sadly Yohan did not master it. I guess one could say the acting is actually quite balanced - So Ju Yeon was overacting…and Yohan was not acting at all, barely reading the script.

OST wise, except for the intro cover, which was loveable, great and always made me happy, I don't remember even one song.

Overall, it’s just painfully mediocre. It’s basically fast food entertainment.

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When the villain is miles ahead of the heroes.

Saying it was not an exciting watch would be a lie. Saying it was more fun than frustrating and anxiety causing would also be a lie. It was a thrilling ride, but can I say it was enjoyable?

I honestly loved all the characters that were part of the Avalanche. Perfect mix of skills and personalities. Their interactions were genuine, emotional and fun. They were the driving force that made it possible for me to finish the show. What I also liked was how I honestly questioned some of the characters’ motivations and the possibility of them betraying the team. The storytelling was strong enough to make that a realistic twist that could have happened.

Avalanche had also one of the strongest villains I have seen in a show. Truly always a few steps ahead of the team. While it was a good point about the drama at the beginning, at some point I got exhausted with how weak the heroes seemed in comparison. “Can they even win?” was a legit question I was asking myself. The stakes kept rising, and the conclusion left much to desire.

Last two episodes had many turns and twists, for me, maybe a few too many. No denying it was exciting, but a bit more exploration of the aftermath would be appreciated.

The performances were phenomenal. Watabe Atsuro as Oyama Kengo? So evil and so punchable. Great actors know how to make the audience hate them.

Ayano Go and Kimura Yoshino aced the roles. Habu was a fascinating character with so much emotional baggage and how much it affected him was all slowly revealed through the acting. On the other hand Yamamori Michiyo was a character with just as much personal stakes, yet so much harder to read. Kimura Yoshino's portrayal of the head of Avalanche could not be better.

Production wise - great. It was visually pleasing, but not over the top, where the visuals become distracting. I appreciate rather realistic blood and injuries make up.

Overall, it was a tense and thrilling show, but the unbalanced fight between the good guys and the villain made it impossible to to enjoy it at times.

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“It’s the unwritten first page of my story.”

Our Unwritten Seoul is a story that will make you reflect on your complex past, face your everchanging present and hope for a beautiful future.

Different paths that present inspiring life lessons ⇢ the characters and their struggles.

As the Korean title states - it’s Miji’s story. Story of her lost dream, fear for the future and overwhelming present. It’s hard to describe in words how perfectly her character was written. How complex and realistic was that portrayal of her anxiety and depression, how longlasting the effects were. How one can look happy, but suffer inside. How healing is a process that at times might feel like it will never end.

I loved how Mi Ji was not this strong and confident woman with no fears. She bravely helped others, while also feeling deeply insecure about her own shortcomings. She stepped up for others, and backed down for herself. But she changed, at her own pace. What the character shows is that there is no time limit for growth, it’s never too late to start over. It’s never too late to start moving forward.

On the other hand Mi Rae was one that did not know how to stop, take a break, hit the pause. From a young age she felt responsible for acting as the backbone of the whole family - feeling the responsibility, not wanting to disappoint. I honestly loved the contrast between the two sisters - one did not know how to move forward to find herself, while the other could not find herself, because she did not know how to stop.

Then we have Ho Su with his fear of being a burden to others. But what interested me more was where it came from - his egocentric thinking that was at least partially caused by guilt. It’s so human to overestimate the effect we have on people, to see every situation from our point of view and not accept there might be different perspectives. With Ho Su everything started with “I” - I don’t want to burden others, without really thinking if he actually is the burden. What I also really liked is how he never truly grew out of that egocentrism, he just learned how to ask questions and listen to people around him instead of making his own theories and conclusions. I appreciate how the characters did not really get rid of their flaws, but rather learned how to cope and make them affect them less.

Sadly I would not say the writing for them was flawless, though the issue lies in the structure overall, and is a problem in all Korean dramas. Notice how I wrote nothing about Se Jin? That’s because he was painfully underdeveloped compared to other main characters. Why? Because by all means this show does not have four main characters. It has one - Mi Ji. Mi Ji who is the main hero. Then we have Mi Rae and Ho Su who are second lead characters and Se Jin who is just a supporting one. We need to move on from the idea that being a "love interest" to a main character makes you one too. It does not. That said, it’s not a unique issue for this drama - it’s more of a labeling problem. It might give viewers some false expectations though. It did for me. I kept wishing to see more of Se Jin’s story, to understand him as deeply as I did the other three. It never happened.

Hurt people hurt people ⇢ the relationships that highlighted larger issues, but also the glimpses of hope

Starting from Mi Ji and Mi Rae and how uneven parenting can cause trauma. Mi Ji felt ignored - the lack of expectations placed on her made her not even attempt to move forward. Mi Rae who had all the attention on her, feared disappointing others so she just pushed forward, bore the pain in silence. Often dynamics like that cause resentment between siblings (glad it was not a case here) - one being jealous of the love and attention, and the other being jealous of the freedom and what might seem like trust to always manage and take care of themselves.

On a larger scale, the parenting issue did not start with Ok Hui and how she raised Mi Ji and Mi Rae. Dynamics between her and her mother give a good representation of what generational trauma might look like. How can one become a good mother, when they did not experience what good parenting is as they were children? Where one learns from? How to not make the same mistakes our parents made? But also how not to overcompensate which leads to its own issues...

One relationship I wished to see more was Ho Su and Chung Gu - there was so much more meat here, potential, depth to be explored. The way the characters mirrored each other, but also were a complete contrast. Their interactions, but also the relationship between Mi Ji and Ho Su presented a clear lesson - take your own advice, care for yourself like you care for others, don’t see the traits you appreciate in other people as your flaws. The way we as humans often have way higher standards for ourselves than we have for others - instead of being our own best friends, we turn into our own enemies.

There are different types of love ⇢ romance driven dramas can be more.

Our Unwritten Seoul is for sure leaning more towards the Life over Romance genre. Don’t get me wrong - there is plenty of romance, but it’s never the core of the drama. Romance? No, but love for sure is: love between parents and their children, step parents and their step children, siblings, friends, colleagues. The variety of human interactions, how acts of kindness can change someone’s life.

I loved how they did not segregate the characters into pairings that should only interact with each other. I loved how Ho Su was an important part of Mi Rae’s life. I appreciate how Mi Ji interacted with Se Jin completely outside of his connection to Mi Rae. Everyone was one way or another connected to each other, it did not feel like different plotlines living their own lives never crossing the paths.

Personally, I like that some of my favorite relationships were not romantic ones. Friendship between Kim Ok Hui and Yeom Bun Hong? Amazing. Mentorship between Ho Su and Lee Chung Gu? Food for thought. Kim Ro Sa with Mi Ji and Ho Su - heartwarming. Even Mi Ji and Mi Rae’s interactions with Gyeong Gu and Park Ji Yun were interesting to watch.

What’s more, one has to appreciate the lgbtq representation Gyeong Gu as the clear one, and Ro Sa and Sang Wol a vague (not so vague) one. Personally I think it was clear they were in love with each other and were living as partners not "roommates"...

Bringing the character to life ⇢ acting that never disappoints.

Can Park Bo Young chill a bit? How is she so good? The way she portrayed two characters in a way I had no issue differentiating between them, without making them caricatures of contrasting traits? The way Mi Ji and Mi Rae were so different, yet so alike in many aspects. The way she presented complete heartbreak, but also silent pain. The way I could see the boldness, but also hesitation. The way each scene seemed so natural. I have to give props to the whole production team - be it writing, directing, acting or editing, they managed to bring these two characters to life on screen and it did feel like two real people interacting with each other.

Then we have Park Jin Young and I’m amazed with the level of vulnerability he was able to present as Lee Ho Su. Ryu Kyung Soo managed to bring comedy as Han Se Jin, without turning the character into just a comic relief - his character, as funny as he was, was also clearly one of the more mature and wise ones and it showed.

Beauty in simplicity ⇢ production value that compliments, but does not impress.

Here’s the thing - I’m not even mad this show does not stand out in terms of its aesthetics. It’s your typical high value production kdrama with some pretty shots, good lighting, great set design, clean camera work. It works, it compliments the story without being distracting. The writing was so strong you do not need some innovative and creative editing to make it better. Was I especially impressed by any shot? Not really. Sure, I did take a number of screenshots, I did whisper “that’s pretty” a few times as I watched the episodes, but if someone asks me in a month, or even in a week to describe any scene that visually sticked in my mind - I won’t be able to name any.

Perfection does not exists ⇢ what I did not like

I already wrote how unbalanced this drama felt in terms of development, depth and care put into presenting what they claimed were four main characters. It just made me want more and sadly feel a bit disappointed when I did not get it.

The “vague” bit of lgbtq representation. Personally, I do not understand why they could not be more straightforward with it.

The main romance between Mi Ji and Ho Su. Here’s the thing - I really liked their teen romance phase, and I like where they ended. They were losing me a bit during the “misunderstanding” phase of the plot when Mi Ji was pretending to be Mi Rae. On one hand I understand why it was important for them to go about it the way they did, on the other, it was frustrating to watch and a bit inconsistent with how Ho Su was written.

Justice for Se Jin. Did Park Bo Young have it in the contract that she can only kiss one male lead? Did they fear viewers might seem uncomfortable with her kissing both, even though she was playing two different characters? We've got an amazing hug, but damn I was waiting for that kiss in the last episode.

Random thoughts to close the review:
Ryu Kyung Soo looked especially hot in his “rich boy in suit doing business” takes.

Overall, what a journey. I feel like I honestly wrote down maybe 20% of my thoughts and feelings about the drama. What it teaches you is: it’s never too late to learn from your past. It’s never too late to improve in the present and it’s never too late to work on your future.

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The will to live is not always just our own.

What a pleasant surprise this show is. Though pleasant might not be the right word to describe it. Touching? Heartbreaking? Hopeful? Enlightening?

What started as a fun eerie monster flick, turned into a deep and enriching exploration of the meaning of life, will to survive, depth of connections and consequences of choices. In just 8 episodes the drama presented well structured, well paced stories of 12 unique and relatable characters. We’ve got the answers, but we are also left with questions that reach beyond just the plot - questions about our lives, experiences and ideas.

What’s even more surprising, how detailed the lore of the afterlife was. Light Shops being the borders between life and afterlife - shop keepers being the guides for souls. People who are still alive become a sort of ghost in the afterlife, seen only by people who are not willing to move on and accept their death. Delirium after near death experience is nothing else, but the memory of the life in the afterworld - memory that keeps you connected to the afterlife that will let you see the ghost in the “real world”.

The shopkeepers help the dead move on, or the alive to wake up. Those who decide to not forget their memories from near death experiences can become helpers in the living world - either dealing with ghosts like Yang Sung Sik or guiding the lost souls like Kwon Yeong Ji.

With all the vague clues and more questions, I was honestly doubtful they would be able to explain all the mysteries. What is this place? How do people get here? How can they leave? Where are they leaving? Who can live? What choices do they have? What are the consequences of said choices? I honestly feel like I’ve got a proper answer to all of these. But it also left me wondering about the actions of the characters, their choices and what I would do in their place.

❔How much we are willing to sacrifice to protect people we love.
Jung Won Yeong the shop keeper who was willing to give up the peace of afterlife to help his daughter survive. A character that seemed stoic to the point of feeling emotionless. Initially I did not know how I should feel about him. Ju Ji Hoon can deliver quite an emotionally rich performance so this role seemed to fit below his capabilities. Little did I know he would deliver scenes utterly devastating and heartbreaking. The way he broke down after finding out he died and his daughter is left alone. How desperate he got to help her. How he was willing to sacrifice himself to make sure she could make it.

❔How once being lost can lead to us finding the right path.
Kwon Yeong Ji found her calling after her near death experience. With her newly gained knowledge of the afterlife and the struggles one can face to find their way home, she put it on herself to become the guiding presence helping others find their light. Similarly Yang Sung Sik after losing everything, was able to gain new motivation. Combining his expertise as detective and the ability to see ghosts, he took the role of a guardian - keeping the balance between the world of living and dead.

❔How sometimes other’s will to keep us alive is more important than our own.
The question that kept coming back during the first half of the show is: what keeps them alive? The answer, as heartbreaking as it was, it also became one of the highlights and most touching aspects of the drama.
The visual presentation of Lee Ji Yeong sewing Kim Hyun Min back being compared to keeping his heartbeat, keeping him alive. The determination she went through to make sure he can survive. The hope that he will remember. Jung Yu Hui who kept sending her daughter for new light bulbs with hopes she will be able to find her one light in the process. How Park Hye Won tried to do her best to make Yun Seon Hae leave the house, because only if she leaves she can find the light shop. Seung Won carrying Heo Ji Ung on his back, Kim Sang Hun guiding Yang Sung Sik.

All these stories broke me to pieces. I cried with every new revelation. I cried with every new person waking up. I cried with every goodbye. Honestly, the whole second half was just a crying fest, and I’m happy I was able to experience it.

❔How not every situation can have a happy ending, and sometimes the negative consequences will haunt us forever.
Lee Ji Yeong at the end became a vengeful ghost. The sadness of being forgotten by the man she loved, by the man that she died for was too much to handle. When I watched where her and Kim Hyun Min ended, I kept thinking: maybe her determination to keep him alive was just a selfish act? Maybe he should have died? Maybe them staying together in the afterlife would be their happy ending? Now all that’s left is pain and regret.

Then we have Ju Hyun Ju - what seems like a good resolution, weirdly feels incomplete, without the closure for the teen. Being separated from her mother, when she desperately wanted to stay in the afterlife with her makes me question if she even can live a normal life. Not getting treated for delirium she lives in a constant state of confusion - what is real, what is not. She is in a daze, not being able to connect with the people around her, she refuses to connect. She lives in her past memories that block her from moving on. I sadly struggle to see how she can reach the point of living a normal life.

❔How sometimes the choice we make can seem like giving up, while for us it’s starting over.
Yun Seon Hae chose to die. She found the shop, she found her light and then she made the choice to destroy it. There was nothing waiting for her in the world of living and there was so much she would lose if she left. She decided to stay with her girlfriend Park Hye Won and somehow it felt like they truly started living only after their death.

At the end of the day, Light Shop is a tale of love, care, devotion, desperation, regret and choices. Brilliantly acted, stunningly shot, perfectly directed (cannot believe this is Kim Hee Won’s directorial debut) and carefully crafted in any and all areas. It’s a story with many twists and surprising cohesiveness. Giving you the sense of hope, dread, sadness and happiness. The true portrayal of what it means to live, to die, to survive and to give up.

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This is what happens when the side characters and the couple are more interesting than the leads.

Itt and Pai just acted like children, when whatever misunderstanding was going on, could have been solved with one conversation (which was also proven later in the series). Like, why is a university student acting like an elementary school kid bullying his crush? Their plotline was simply not interesting, especially if we compare it with Pure and Folk.

This could have been better if either we got Pure and Folk as main characters, or if they didn't give such an interesting backstory for Pure. But what we've got was a simple main plot that felt like filler, and a complex underdeveloped side story, which felt rushed because of the lack of screen time. I truly believe there was something interesting going on with Pure. It could easily be a series with the premise of "your past mistakes don't define who you are right now, as long as you learn from them". There was some depth in his character that could have been explored more.

One thing I for sure liked is the clear message about safe sex. I truly appreciated all the "sex talks" we've got and that the characters actually went to the hospital when they thought there might be a problem. This should not be a taboo and I loved how straightforward they were about it.

The acting was... meh? Again, I was not convinced by the main couple. At some point I was sitting in front of my laptop watching an episode and said "wow... They are about to kiss. They hadn’t kissed before... had they?". I literally did not remember a kissing scene in a romance driven show, which tells me I was not convinced by whatever was happening on the screen.

Truth to be told, I dropped the show, but after some time I saw a few screenshots of Pure and Folk and picked it up again for them. Do I regret it? Not really. Do I think I would miss something if I didn't watch it? Nope. Do with that information whatever you want :)

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