the_sapio_nerd

A ''product life cycle graph" drama -_-

So basically this kind of graph picks up a lil low but suddenly rises up, goes on stably for a lil while and then again suddenly declines to it's lowest point just to keep up at the same level until the data is over.

The first and foremost reason I came to ONE THE WOMAN was Lee Ha Nee. I have loved her acting for a long time and the plot saying the drama is a female centric got me even more excited. I don't watch anything ongoing so what got my attention later was the overwhelming response to this show in Korea for an internationally less talked Kdrama. But I came here to only be disappointed and frustrated.

Lee Ha Nee got a double role character in here playing both Prosecutor Cho Yeon Ju and a conglomerate DIL Kang Mi Na of Hanju, who are lookalikes. Mi Na suddenly disappears from an event on an usual day but in her stead Yeon Ju was found severely injured at the same venue. She loses her memory due to amnesia and everyone takes her as Mi Na. Confused by everything happening around her, Yeon Ju tries to adjust into the completely new environment but unable to control her rough & outspoken behaviour. Han Seung Wook (Lee Sang Yoon), Mi Na's in-law cousin and heir to the largest share at Yumin, comes forward to Mina and tries to protect her bcs she was her first love. Together, they try to resolve the issues in both Yumin & Hanju and also dig into the mysteries of both past & present while unveiling astonishing truths about themselves.

There are in fact many familiar faces in here which is another reason to look forward to this drama though it failed to a great extent. Kim Chang Wan ahjussi as Noh Hak Tae, Hanju's legal head yet great supporters of lead couple, Kim Won Hae as Ryu Seung Duk, the chief prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecution, Jun Gook Hwan as Han Young Sik, Hanju's chairman and Mina's FIL, Ye Soo Jung as Dir. Kim, the house manager for Han family, Lee Won Keun as Ahn Yu Jun, Yeon Ju's only friend at prosecution and Mina's older SIL are some major roles. Sorry couldn't help but mention all these names bcs in fact they're good actors.

In other minor characters were, Jung In Ki as Kang Myung Guk, Yeon Ju's father ,Na Young Hee as Seo Young Won, Mina's annoying MIL, Song Won Suk as Han Seung Woon, Mina's husband, Jin Seo Yun as Han Sung Hye, Song Seung Ha as Han Sung Mi, Mina's younger SIL. The 1st 2 are very good but are minor roles here. I am particularly disappointed with Song Won Suk's acting though his outfits were all aesthetically beautiful.

It's visible that the writer is a rookie. I mean there are few jakka who at least deliver a good piece without much to complain about but there are some others who fail from many angels, that's the case here. Even for the most major character of Lee Ha Nee turns one dimensional after first few episodes and started exaggerating her role . She would have been doing more while bearing 2 identities at the same time but rather she sticked to one thing and absurdly ignored the other in an entire sense tsk tsk tsk. I will never complain about the ML's passive character because I always think both ML and FL should have the same essence in a story, but I don't think Lee Sang Yoon's character wasn't at all futile. They made fun of neuroscience in many ways and not to forget, of psychiatric and psychological treatment methods. The middle portion was infact full of illogical elements which can be laughed upon.

The basic plotline isn't anything new; it felt like the writer took inspiration from 80s-2010s Indian movies bcs the storyline is exactly the same as many Indian movies with a taste of Kdramas to it. The plot development is extremely awful in the 2nd half of the show. The first 2 introductory episodes were a bit uninteresting tbh but I hoped they'll do better, which actually happened. The show picked up the perfect acceleration from ep3 and made me look forward to the next. However, it again became slow & boring from the 2nd half of the 7th episode. I was hoping that'd be temporary but it stayed the same till the very end. Now read my first paragraph and you'll realize what I wanted to explain. Well, I got very bored from 8th episode but forced myself into it till 11th and then fast forwarded it at 2x till the end.

There's no consistency in setting up the scenarios in the drama either; the director did a poor job in that regard despite their experience. For first 7 episode it was full of family drama (not on the makjang level tho) then till 11th it was an investigative melo and for last 5 episodes it became a power trip between the chaebols. I would have been a lil more pleased if it were evenly distributed throughout.

The best thing about this drama was the comedy elements and 1st-7th episode is full of that only; may be that's why I wanted to continue with the drama despite the 'not at all new' storyline. Especially, it was Ha Nee and her responses & expressions, my goodness; I enjoyed it so so much, like she could carry the entire drama on her own. I wish it could last till the very end, but alas. In fact Kim Chang Wan ahjussi and his annoyed self was soooo cute plus funny. The family melodrama scenes had me laughing crazy, I swear.

The romance storyline for the drama started off really well. It was interesting and the revelations, tho cliché, were well executed. The gradual development ended somewhere around the interval and I as expecting something nice but it wasn't of any use, other than momentary tease party and kisses. Somehow, it can be an unique way if you see but for a drama meant for entertainment I couldn't find anything out of it.

One thing I can't deny is that the last part issue of revealing all the truth behind the 14yo incident involving all the major characters, were quite well written though the execution could have been better.

Overally, One The Woman can be either a n one time watch with fast forwarding the 2nd half or used for trash watch. I wonder why it was breaking records in Korea but it's not even anywhere near the average ratings for cable dramas, i.e. 7-8% (?). Thankfully there isn't much hype among the international fans and I am not gonna recommend this to anyone. I didn't have much expectation or whatever but given that the possible potential was wasted collectively by thw cast & crew, I have to express my utter disappointment.

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"Melancholy is the happiness of being sad."

Edgar Allan Poe in one of his anthologies says, "And so, being young and dipt in folly, I fell in love with melancholy." Knowledge of the soul boundlessly make s us gloomy if the pros of feelings fail to keep us cheerful and vigilant. Melancholy leads to doubt which in turn results in despair and ultimates cultivates wickedness.

"Melancholia (멜랑꼴리아)" is a journey of desolation, dejection and despondency with fruitful meanings and worthwhile outcomes but what's different? It's mathematics. Yes, the most hated subject in the world, haha. The drama uses a different approach to promote the mathematical perspective of life through the characters who are devotedly peruse mathematics.

The drama have more than a dozen of flaws, even to be called good. It's purely an average piece and can be easily skipped though I can't exactly say it's bad and deserve to be treated as a complete trash, and I have many reasonings for it as well.

Note: There is no paedophilia or cheating involving the leads of the drama. It's just stupid perceptions of some narrow-minded people who jumped into conclusions without watching the drama.

Based on 2 different time periods with a gap of 4 years, the story is almost equally divided into 2 parts; a past story of 2017 and a present narration of 2021. Ji Yoon Soo (Im Soo Jung) and her most favourite student Paik Seung Yoo (Lee Do Hyun) falls victim to a conspiracy of intentionally set up scandal that frames them of having unsound relationship. Owing to the constraints, both of them fail to prove their innocence and fall apart, just to find themselves in misery. 4 years past the tragedy, both of them cross paths and unite to bring to surface, the corruption, conspiracies and the big faces behind it, in the school, of the past and the present.

Yoon Soo, morally upright and endearing woman, is a highschool math teacher, who is aware of the art of steadfastly making someone fall in love with the subject. She's all the qualities to be a perfect teacher but her sense of righteousness gets her in trouble. Paik Seung Yoo, born genius and immensely attracted towards math, is a highschool student after dropping from MIT which he joined at very young age. After a tragic experience, he shows no interest in studies, tho he has all the capabilities to conquer.

Im Soo Jung is an amazing actress and a movie person, rarely opting for dramas and very selective in that regard. She must have seen some potential in this though the execution went shabby. Lee Do Hyun is definitely the best in acting, among the rising Korean actors and his performance was good as well. Other than the leads, there are in fact many familiar and good actors in the drama and I will refrain from mentioning them to keep it short. But special applause for Jin Kyung who played Noh Jung Ah, the Principal of Asung High though she's the main antagonist in here. She definitely created an impression with her character dynamics and we are aware of her acting skills.

Plot development.....umm..... It's inconsistent and unremarkable though it had scopes and rooms for improvement with the episodes; like given the basic plotline and the mixture of 4 genres (romance, highschool, slice of life and corruption reveal), it could have been a lot lot better to finally come forward as a decent melodrama but, alas! I wasn't really that bothered while watching the initial episodes with the slow pacing, but the later half consequences made me realize that that the speed was totally inaccurate to begin with.

As a story, it isn't actually a trash as some people will tell you, or even below average. I would say it's just ordinarily average and the ratings can lie somewhere around 6.5 bcs Well, talking about episodic progression, From ep1 to ep8, i.e exact till the first half, it's a fair watch and didn't feel like skipping or fast-forwarding. The show starts going downhill from the beginning of 2nd half with the repetition of some events and constant push & pull between the characters over one thing. To reach the ultimate goal, i.e. bringing forward the truth, they particularly start dragging from the 13th episode and that's clearly visible. Tbh, I started fast-forwarding from 9th ep at 1.5× and kept the same till the end.

The script could have been squeezed into 12 episodes or even 10 by increasing the pacing and removing all the dragging they did in the last 4 episodes. However, I must admit that the ending sequences in the last 2 episodes were good.

Kim Sang Hyub is a producer of extremely popular yet qualitatively mediocre dramas. His dramas blow up bcs of good-looking cast and the story he adopts are usually typical cheesy romcoms. But this was a different approach, i. e. not a romcom and cast ain't dominated by good-looking young mass. Moreover, the slice-of-life elements along with mathematical pov; all these things are not his forte and he couldn't even execute them experimentally, which is quite visible. The direction was poor, the pacing is unnecessarily slow for a corruption-reveal drama. The slow screenplay could have been manageable only if it were a warm pure romance genre but that's not the case.

Kim Ji Won is known for only one of her scripts, that's Doctor John, which was in fact a good drama. I haven't followed other 2 dramas of her so can't really tell about her skills though I can assure whatever she had to offer for Melancholia, that didn't work to a great extent. Can't cite the script a total failure but it surely had the potential to be a good and likable one-time watch. I have already talked about the plot development above, so let's move on.

OSTs are very good indeed. Park Se Jun is quite a talented composer with the experience of working in uncountable numbers of dramas and the 4 OSTs of this show are the proof. I loved all of them. 2 of them are in English and other 2 are in Korean.
"All I Need" by Jemma is a ballad of comfort. More than love, it depicts solace, relief and assurance. The vocals of one of my fav singers Sunwoojunga in the soulful and longing song "Darling" questions one's faith in love. "Lilly of the Valley" by Band Nah, a popular indie trio is actually a cover of the song with the same title by Daniel. It's simply a beautiful melody that expresses gratitude to the essence of love. "Let Me Know" by Cheeze is a melancholic call in true sense; it has the feels of an authentic Kdrama OST.

The most notable thing about the drama is mathematics. I am a bio major and wasn't that fond of mathematical practises but I, for sure, knew that it's an interesting subject and studying it can be enjoyed though not everyone can accomplish it with utter amusement. The writer has tried to connect mathematics with life, love and living in a beautiful way. Mathematics here is not just a mere subject of academia and profession, it's much more than the mystery of the universe and one's pleasurable experiences.

There is very short-lived romance or you may take it as almost little to no romance, but sure there is development of chemistry, there ie comfort and there is undisplayable emotions that constantly blooms despite all the odds they have to pass through. This is not romcom and you should skip it, if you're actually expecting some romance. Even so, this buildup is worth it, in my opinion.

Bullying in highschool, corruption in admission process, unfair and unequal treatment to students in the same school, illegal & phoney favors, creation of unnecessary competition among students, parents negligence to children as well as leading children towards wrong paths, etc. are the factors used in the drama. I love how the writer has put emphasis on the ways of nurturing a child and their future, both in home and school along with the mistakes in the process that can ruin them. It also addresses the ways in which children are wronged by adults.

In short, the drama had too much potential with a good plotline, good actors and good premisea but what ruined it are choppy script, poor character dynamics, shoddy plot development, superfluous pacing and expendable characters of no significance. But personally, it was watchable for reasons like: mathematical interpretations of life, resolute leads, acting of the major characters, up to par basic plotline and so on.

I don't believe in completely discrediting something for flaws in some parts of it. If something specific has convinced me, I should def be fair with mentioning them. On that note, Melancholia, overally, is not a bad drama though it has a lot of flaws which could have been easily avoided. The major reason to watch the show is the mathematical frame of reference and utilization of that outlook in the drama. I came here, as expected, for LDH and ISJ and several other actors whom I like, and yeah, I loved their performances even though the drama didn't interest me to a great extent. So on a final remark, you can either skip the drama entirely or watch it in leisure when you have nothing to watch.

P. S. All of these in my review are very personal. I loved the drama but I didn't; i would like to describe it like that. For me, this drama was actually very difficult to judge; it'a not really very bad and not very good as 2 different groups will claim but I guess 7.0 is fair enough considering all the aspects. I thought it's important to put a unbiased, fair and balanced review. Some might agree and disagree with both my contents and ratings but I'm okay with constructive arguments.

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"A life without love is like a year without summer."

That's a Swedish proverb in my title. I am a winter person, but what good is the cold of winter, without the warmth of summer to give it sweetness? Summer means happy times and good memories as well. One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter in order to remember the warmth that life as well as nature provides you with.

"Our Beloved Summer (그 해 우리는) [2022]" is a story of such warmth, enthusiasm and vehemence; a love story that's worth telling and worth witnessing. It's about the growth, the progress and the upswing of a relationship that thrives even on the verge of vanishing. This is definitely an unique tale that'll bring all kind of emotions out of you and make you experience numerous amount of perspectives of life.

Kook Yeon Soo (Kim Da Mi) and Choi Woong (Choi Woo Shik) were highschool batchmates, persuaded to film a documentary portraying the first and last students of the class together. The documetary goes viral and by the end of the filming, they fall for each other and start dating, which lasts for next few years until they breakup for unknown reason. After 10 years, as they end up working together for a while, they have to film again showing their current situations. How will they cope up with the lingering feeling for each, as they move forward in their lives individually? Well, for that, you have to watch the drama by yourself.

Choi Woong is an Innocent, ingenuous and artless teenage guy whose free-spiritedness has made him the last student of his class though noone has been able to recognize his skills & intellect and what his future beholds. Kook Yeon Soo is a brilliant student, though self-centered and a lil unkind. Despite everyone's assumptions about her she lives an honest life by adapting to her reality.

Kim Ji Woong (Kim Sung Chul) has been the closest friend to Choi Woong since elementary who has now become a documentary PD. NJ (Roh Jung Eui) is a super-successful Idol star who is very honest and kind-hearted. Go Eun Ho (Ahn Dong Goo) is a friend to Choi Woong and his manager. Lee Sol Yi (Park Jin Joo) is the only friend of Yeon Soo and a pub owner. Jung Chae Ran (Jun Hye Won) is the Asst. PD at SBC.

Some old, familiar and experienced faces among supporting character are Seo Jung Yun (Lee Yun Ok) and Park Won Sang (Choi Ho) as Choi Woong's mother and father respectively. Cha Mi Kyung (Kang Ja Kyung) as Yeon Soo's grandmother. Jo Bok Rae (Park Dong Il) as the main PD at SBC.

The child actors for Choi Woong and Ji Woong, Song Ha Hyun and Kim Ji Hoon also did a great job. They were so cute and were able to portray demanded emotions aptly.

Special mention to Lee Joon Hyuk and Kwak Dong Yeon who played guest roles with badboy characters which actually felt like guest roles.

The plot development is steady though it doesn't look like it bcs of longer reminiscences from their highschool days and some flashbacks from their childhood. At the beginning of each episode, they show the progression of the 3 main characters when they were immature teens; combining them won't seem like a consistent tale bcs there are 3 different pov-s for each of them, which is fairly balanced. Also, some of the episodes in the later half, exceptionally, has the pov-s of the current timeline, one of which is given to NJ. Similarly, the ending of each episode is accompanied by epilogues to provide the audience with references.

The pacing is the only problem that lies with the production and editing. It isn't consistent; somewhere slow and somewhere fast. This could have been avoided but it was manageble for me ngl. Talking about the episodic progression, It took me 2 episodes and a half to be hit by the mood of the drama. The furtherance was good, 4th was a bit off in terms of substances, I felt. The ending of 6th felt like an ending of a story itself, I mean ep1-6 somehow felt like a show. And I was wary about what more is left. But to respond my questions, they provided me with a unhurried, warm and beautiful journey while the two parties go on a quest of love and attempt to eradicate all the odds on their way.

The finale week (15th & 16th) came as a surprise. Just when I thought they've forgotten about few things and are gonna end the show with cute moments and jolly fillers, they slapped me with the most important topics to be considered. I am so so so happy they didn't forget them. Honestly, I think those 4 episodes could be better executed but fine. The last 2 episodes are like truckloads of sadness and pain, they got many peak moments and tend to be gloomy for most of the parts. All loose ends were wrapped well in there and even though a lot of things happened in the last episode, it didn't feel rushed.

This is the directorial debut for Kim Yoon Jin PDnim who was, in fact, the producer for one of the 2020 best "It's Okay to Not be Okay". Despite that fact, the job he has done in this drama is so first-rate that it proves all the competence his skills behold. The screen editing, the screenplay management, the storytelling method and the overal execution is well taken care of. The pacing was perfect for the genre providing apt vibes; it's not exactly a warm pure romance but the painfully beautiful vibes wouldn't have been felt without the moderately slow screenplay. The cinematography is perfect; given the genre, mood and messages the story wanted the audience to catch, it was quite successful in doing that. It is beautiful and particularly the warmth could be felt through the camera lenses.

I honestly didn't know about Lee Na Eun jakkanim before watching this drama but given her experience in writing only one short webseries prior to this, she has done a fabulous job, no? I am very much willing to read the original webtoon now. Notably (for those who don't know yet), the drama is a sequel of a webtoon written by the same author and the same title (그 해 우리는 - 초여름이 좋아!). Simply, the webtoon is a prequel for the drama involving the highschool documentary days. I love how she has focused on the character dynamics of not just the 4 leads, but also the seemingly minor supporting characters. I particularly loved Ji Woong and NJ's backstories. The method of storytelling, the monologue notes during the backstory remembrance, the narrations and most importantly the plot development... everything is so good, I swear. I also loved how she has made the characters interpret various thoughts.

Nam Hye Sung PDnim is a super familiar name among the Korean composers and has composed for so many dramas, on the top of that for many excellent ones. There are 13 OSTs in total (by the time I write this) and I seriously love all of them. I usually cite my most fav or top 2 but I wanna mention more than that...

#1 "The Giving Tree" by Lee Seung Yoon is my most favourite. The soft beat song with pleasing vocals is about reminiscing the sweet memories of the past whose warmth is still heartfelt.

#2 "Drawer" by 10cm again is again about reminiscence but with a romantic and aesthetically beautiful tone which could make you cry. 10cm never fails to do his job.

#3 "Our Beloved Summer" by Kim Kyung Hee is the theme song for the drama which is a refreshing harmony and pleasant call for love.

#4 "There For You" by Kim Na Young is a soulful and emotional song, which is known to be her forte. It strikes out one's insecurities in a relationship. I particularly loved the rhythms.

#5 "Summer Rain" by Sam Kim which has the softcore melody that makes your heart flutter, no doubt he is proficient vocalist. The song is a very comforting one.

#6 "Maybe If" by BIBI is a song of 'What-Ifs'. It narrates various possibilities while dissecting the decisions of past to pick out the regrettable ones. BIBI's pointed vocal is so on point.

#7 "Christmas Tree" by BTS V is an eulogy to love. It perfectly depicts the art of loving and the feelings of being loved. Taehyung's vocal is like cherry on the top for this track.

Other OSTs are...
"Squabble" by Ha Sung Woon
"I Will Make You Happy" by Jang Beom Jun
"Even Now" by Yang Yoseob
"Home" and "Why" by Janet Suhh
"Red String of Fate"by Kim Kyung Hee

"From a philosophical pov, love is all about giving; it's what you give, and not what you take." This is an anonymously quoted line that we all know of but lemme assure that Our Beloved Summer goes beyond all the definitions and breaks all the barriers, in order to come forward with its own interpretations. I will try my best not to spoil while explaining this and please note that the next few paragraphs are descriptions relating to the show's scenarios.

For the world to become beautiful, the golden precepts to live by are mutual understanding, respect, tolerance, forgiveness, and love. OBS signifies how important these 4 factors are, in love. Love is love, no matter what but one must be aware of how to love and be loved, and to acquire that knowledge, we must be willing to learn each and every day out of it. OBS also shows how important its to learn despite the pacing and time period taken, bcs what matters is when you come back with full comprehension.

The feelings of not being loved anymore leads to insecurity which works like a poison in a relationship. Even in the strongest relationships, the fear of judgement by your partner is the mark of guilt and the burden of insecurities. Self-esteem, ego and reasonable pride are some elements contributing to it and I'm glad they didn't forget to sort out the lil knots left to untie at the end of the drama, even though it was late.

Honesty is the best policy- as you've heard, but my friend! It takes immense courage to be honest in a relationship. We often forget that we are mere human beings, and not magicians who can read others. So it's important that we tell things to others and also become a good listeners. Hiding is like lying to your own and it accumulates to further treachery. At the same time, opening up to your partner not only relieves the pain to some amount but also comforts your soul. This is another factor they've emphasized in the drama.

"Because nothing would happen If I don't do anything" is a line from this drama which implies that our choices or decisions are what shapes our future. It doesn't matter whether we joy over it or regret it bcs it's already too late to go back. We might have another chance to set things straight but that again depends upon the others involved. Because In the end, that was the choice you made, and it doesn't matter how hard it was to make it. It matters that you did.

"Please keep loving me." was a desperate call from one of the characters in this drama. We all wish to be loved for only ourselves and nothing extrinsic, but what exactly is the necessity and is that entity sufficiently reserved to elicit love alone? Well, the answer lies in our hearts with some reasoning left for our brains to do.

There is a great gift in conflict that is resolved heart to heart—it’s a deeper understanding. You just need to be willing to do your part to dive deep for the pearl. That's the greatest message "Our Beloved Summer" gives away to it's viewers. It simply is being deeply in love than being crazily in love. This drama truly brings out the most basic thing about a dating relationship.

I think I could be the only one but It somehow reminded me of Yumi's Cell. They're not similar in any way but the fact, that both of them are about processes and not constant or regular outcomes, is what makes both of them unique. I came here solely for Choi Woo Shik, Kim Da Mi and Kim Sung Chul bcs I have always loved their performances. Not having read the webtoon, I wasn't expecting much when the drama was still in making but when the hype about it started going up the hill, it took my level of anticipations with it and I am proud to announce that, it has exceeded whatever I thought It'd be.

Final remarks... Our Beloved Summer will remain in the top 10 list of Kdramas based on youth life essence for many years to come. The drama is character-driven and each & every aspect of this drama gets an near perfect score and the credit must go to the entire cast and crew. Couldn't be grateful to all of them for this beautiful piece of art which is thought provoking and very heartfelt. This is definitely a must watch. My ratings reflect how much I loved it and tbh it had it's own flaws whicu are in fact negligible but to be fair, I can't give 10/10 haha.

P. S. Might comeback sometimes to edit bcs I feel this is a bit disorganized since I had a runny nose while writing, hehe.

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"You're not dead until you die"; an ode to death and demise.

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. Someone who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." The quote from Mark Twin might be too philosophical for some but it is equally meaningful. This also reminds me a quote from Harry Potter that says that death is like an adventure for the well-organised mind. On that context, death only ends a life, not the relationships, so knowing that you're gonna die soon is more hurtful when you think about the ones who'll be left behind.

Every single day of life is moving forward towards your death and the drama beautifully brings out the essence of one's life, no matter they're on the verge of death or have a long to live. Death might be an enemy for the living but embracing it with grace when there's a call for you to bid goodbye, is considered an act of wise, thereby making their lives meaningful.

Produced by KeyEast and broadcasted on JTBC, "The One and Only" is written by Moon Jung Min and directed by Oh Hyun Jong. The production had to halt filming thrice because of staff members testing covid19 positive at different times, but they could wrap up well despite the delay.

"The One and Only" is a story about a woman in her late twenties getting admitted to a hospice for receiving care after being diagnosed with a terminal illnesses, having only few months to live. There, she shares the room with two other, with contrasting natures. Their lives get entangled with a contract serial killer who ends up falling for the first woman and the story is all about the investigative murder case, the individual lives of the three women and at their days at the hospice as they await death.

Pyo In Sook (Ahn Eun Ji) who has been brought up by her grandma, works as a scrubber and is mostly expressionless. At a young age she turns terminally ill and chooses to stay at a hospice. There she meets Kang Se Yeon (Kang Se Won), an ordinary housewife who has never lived for herself and Sung Mi Do (JOY), a social media influencer, deprived of love and a lonely young girl. All three on an usual day encounter Min Woo Chan (Kim Kyung Nam), a hitman, following which these 4 people get intertwined with a mysterious serial killing incident. All these people delivered amazing performances in their respective roles.

Yook Sung Ja (Go Doo Shim) and Pyo Kang Sun (Jang Hyun Sung) are experienced actors who played In Sook's Grandma and Father respectively. The Regional Investigation Unit comprises of team leader Hwang Ma Jin (Lee Bo Ryun), lieutenant Cho Shi Young (Do Sang Woo) and Detective Oh Jin Gyu (Jang In Sub). Gu Ji Pyo (Han Gyu Won) played Mido's boyfriend and LE group's hier.

Other familiar faces are So Hee Jung, Sung Byung Suk, Han Kyu Won, Ahn Chang Hwan, Choi Young Woo, Lee So Mi, Yoon Bora, Lee Hang Na and Joo In Young. The 2 child actress Seo Yoon Woo and Kim Soo Hyung were good too.

About plot development... I've mixed feelings about this and this is the only thing to complain about this drama. The overall story reminded me about "You are my Spring" and "When the Camellia Blooms"; obviously the vibes are different but the overall story felt similar: a feel good romance with plenty of slice of life elements accompanied with a murder mystery plot. Well, the difference is that this drama indulges a coherent investigative plot, unlike the other two where there were lots of other things; the entire script works around one single murder leading to others. Personally, I loved the progression for most of the parts (1-11th); the introductory episodes were perfectly impressive, though it might take some time to get acquainted to the mood. The furtherance was nice.

The life at hospice of people awaiting death was a beautifully emotional journey. It also includes scenes of Insook halmieone and her povs as a family to someone who is fighting death, and I would give a plus point for that. About the investigation plot, it started off really really good but somewhere around 10th, they started dragging it which became plainly visible from the 11th episode. The murder mystery thingy didn't have any pothole but it could have been wrapped up very easily way before than the finale. And the rest of the drama could have been about the hospice and other beautiful elements that made the drama unique (just saying if the case was that they thought the script will have nothing interesting left bcs everything other than that were better, i loved them). It was stretched till the finale week to an extent and I can't ignore it.

Despite all that, I ended up loving the ending sequence. The drama wasn't supposed to be realistic to being with even though it's a slice of life genre for most of its parts, but there were few things I didn't like or thought could've been better not done. The ending was full of life, agony, misery and sadness; I found myself crying and choking multiple times. Even so the script ran out of substance, making the script draggy for a while, it was a matter of relief getting back to track in the finale week. The intended messages were perfectly delivered.

Oh Hyun Jong PD is quite experienced having some hugely acclaimed dramas im his resume and it was reflected in this drama as well. The pacing of the drama, in my opinion, was very apt; the drama is basically slice of life genre and warm pure romance and hence needed the pacing to be slow and steady. The screenplay management and execution is up to par. The cinematography with the pale hue and yellow pallettes were very beautiful.

Moon Jung Min PDnim is quite a rookie and has had 2 qualitatively flop scripts before this drama but I see a great jump in her skills here which made me satisfied. I can't say it's something great but judging from her previous dramas, she's improved more than expected. The screenwriting is incorporated with many essence of life, death and struggle for survival, making it very meaningful. The mystery thriller plot which is equally emphasized had a very good basic outline though the execution of it went a lil draggy, but I think it was not that bad, in fact manageable. The character dynamics are well painted with some potential of improvement for few like Min Woo Chan and Ko Ji Pyo, which I think could have been better. The narrative and messages the story wanted to deliver has been accomplished, totally!

Composed by Lee Joon Suk, the OST album has total 4 number of tracks all aptly suiting the mood and vibes of the drama. There was no need of extensive background editing, neither with OSTs nor with different scores; it was a wise choice. "STAY" by SLAY & Avin is my most favorite among all which is about possibilities in life. "Happy Ending" by Yangpa is a song with beautifully written lyrics about cessation of pain and beginning afresh. "The One and Only" by msftz and "Your Name" by JOY (ReVe) are other 2 tracks.

The pacing felt perfect to me given the narrative and method of storytelling. The flux of conversations and shift in moods were aesthetically pretty. The way the characters were learning to love what they were becoming, was a pleasurable treat. It wasn't exaggerated at least.

There are numerous povs (about 10?) to look forward to. Although the story mostly revolves around the major characters as usual, the writer has tried to subsume perspectives of seemingly minor characters at parts of the story, thereby helping the viewers to relate on a larger range and understand their feelings in a deeper sense.

The trio friendship of Insook, Seyeon and Mido is another thing to anticipate about in the drama. They came from different backgrounds and had difference in their mindsets, yet the way they blended with each other and consolidated their friendship on a robust base, was an overwhelming watch.

The long conversations were my most favourite thing about this drama and let me tell you, you'd encounter that quite a lot in here. The simple yet very important topics discussed were heartening enough to jerk tears. The way the characters express their emotions was wholesomely gratifying.

The bucketful romance is surely satisfying if not something very new and has some cliché tropes. I am sure warm pure romance is not everyone's cup of tea but I wish people become fond of it. In Sook and Woo Chan as couples were both adorable and fierce; their chemistry was up to par though not very extensively portrayed, and I think it was intentional and also feel it was of appropriate amount.

Final Remarks... "The One and Only" is a drama of unique mood. It's hugely a story for those who are admirer of quiddity lf life, slow pacing, long conversations and warm romance. I absolutely loved it but given that I can't ignore the technical aspects I would have to reflect the shortcomings in my ratings too. I would definitely recommend you to give it a try.

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Execution is all that matters.

Produced by 'Arc Media' and distributed by 'Disney+', "Kiss Sixth Sense (키스 식스 센스) is a semi-fantasy plus office romcom drama adapted from the hit Naver webtoon of the same title authored by Gatnyeo (갓녀). Written by Jeon Yu Ri and directed by Nam Ki Hoon, the drama has 12 episodes in total.

The story follows two people who have special abilities of sense, which rooted from a single event, falling in love during the course of time as they work together in the Planning Team 1 of Zeus ad company. Hong Ye Seul (Seo Ji Hye) is an aspiring employee who has made it upto to remarkable positions through her noteworthy work. She has the ability to see the future when her lips touch anyone. Cha Min Hu (Yoon Kye Sang) is chief of the team and Ye Seul’s mentor who is strict and is known for picking on others. He can hear even the quitest voice from distance and has issues with getting intimate with anyone. As their lips meet once accidentally, the story takes to the journey they share to be united and bring happiness in their lives.

Lee Pil Yo (Kim Ji Suk) is an acclaimed Ye Seul’s ex-boyfriend who comes back with the intension of getting back with her. Lee Joo Yeon is a famous actress and Min Hu’s childhood friend who crushes upon him. Other familiar faces in the drama in major roles are: Tae In Ho, Kim Ga Eun, Hwang Bo Ra, Late Kim Mi Soo, Kim Ki Doo, Yoo Jung Ho, Kim Jae Hwa, Kim Hee Jung, Uhm Hyo Sub, Lee Han Hwi. Park Seung Geun and Jo Hee Bong. Also, there are many known popular actors as guest characters in the drama as well.

Plot development is very good. Ngl, the pilot episode and the furtherance in the next were extremely bland, a bit hard to get into, with confusing introductions and unrelatable flashbacks to past. But somehow things started to make sense as soon as the ep3 started with major confrontation events plus the way the advertising tasks kept playing out in a goal-assigning manner. With the beginning of chemistry development followed by romance (not gonna say when), the show became even more interesting and in all that, was paralleled a tiny mystery plot involving the main characters which shares the minimum screentime with not-so-very-deep essence and very well utilized as a subplot. The unveiling of mystery as well as the romance recital were handled smoothly though the former could have better fates but anyways, the final outcomes were beautifully presented. I loved the ending sequence as well and yes, the pacing was near perfect for a 12eps show.

With the experience of only one basic romcom 4 years ago with average reception, Jeon Yu Ri jakka-nim probably made a good choice by opting to adapt the novel as a way of learning. The genre is old, the story is basic and the concept isn’t noteworthy, but the elements are gratifying, the development is refreshing and the execution is amazing, which I must say was unexpected on personal level. The character arcs have been beautifully built up and I loved how the writer has emphasized on untypical possibilities to the ending of relationships (as in by the drama ends).

Having worked in multiple genre dramas on equal levels, Nam Ki Hoon PDnim is a familiar face in the industry known for his good sense of bringing out the best from the most basic scripts. The drama surely doesn’t require very good skills but the fact that the production value of it has resulted in good quality indicates the work of the director.

The scenario set up, being held equally in and out –side of the office was nice. Also, the screen-editing is up to par with sumptuous sound production; not just the OSTs have been well-incorporated but the accessory background scores are well-composed, particularly the continuous whistle tune was alleviating. The cinematography work is not proficient, ngl, but the plain and calm hue of office and the contrasting nature with vivid colours were all pleasant to witness.

There are 8 OSTs in total…
"You're Like Americano” by Yuju
"Even If You Can't Have It” by Zia
"Kiss Sixth Sense" by Lee Jun Hwa
"Fantasy" by Suran
"You Make Me” by Woong San
"Stay With Me" by Grizzly
"Give You Everything" by Na Yoon Kwon
"Here We Are" by Jay Yeon (SWAY)

What I liked…
# Monologues by Ye Seul were both inspiring and thought-provoking; the conflicts she had with her own heart was poured into beautiful and warm words and you can take few notes about dating relationships as well.
# The sensibility to the characters through mistakes and learnings were nice to watch as the characters chose to make themselves freer of whatever was holding them back. The original webtoon writer and the drama screenwriter should be credited for painting and panning out them respectively.
# Seo Ji Hye’s acting was natural in here, the character’s soft yet confident gesture makes her likable. Similarly for Yoon Kye Sang, his firm accent and proficient dialogue delivery clearly speaks of his experience.
# The love story is mature and there is apt amount of romance between the leads as well as the screen-time provided to the 2nd couple. In fact the way the characters handled their relationship and the mandatory accompanying elements were realistic. They have put particular emphasis on transparency.
# Hwang Bo Ra who played Yeonhee (Seul’s bestie in the office) is very suiting for funny comic roles and I am happy to see her again in another office romance drama and also with short hair (again).
# The mystery plot has been given the appropriate exposure and the way it panned out in the series with a a standard ending, I’m quite satisfied. Well, they make it obvious about the culprit with good intentions but the utilization did result well.
# Limited amount of fantasy did eventuated well imo though the basis of the show was fantasy only. I love the fact that they didn’t rely on it much.
# Probably the thing I loved the most was how the makers saw it fit to explain that every relationship, despite of their kind and span of existence, deserve a sorted fate and sufficient time for the good of both the parties. I’m happy they gave this a good amount of exposure.

What I didn’t like…
# I am not really disappointed with the mystery plot ending on a rushed note or felt lacking as it becomes a connecting point for the leads but I somehow feel they could have bring out better results.
# One thing that I would have loved to see was more to the characters of the office staffs. I, in no way, mean that anything was off but it could have been better. But again, the show has only 12 episodes and they have done their best. Admittedly, they successfully showcased the works in an advertising company in detail with apt workplace environment.

Additionally, the factors that I believe the writer was able to portray through the actions of the characters were really something other creators amiss. While confessions and confrontations are important in a relationship, its only demanding to be able to acknowledge your deeds and learn from mistakes. As individuals, thinking and self-reflection could make us better human beings and Ye Seul was a stupendous flag-bearer of that throughout. Mis-predicting future or things going differently from expectations which was made to
Fiinal Remarks… Well, the drama is pretty basic and you won’t be surprised with quite a lot of things but the story is surprisingly well made and awfully sweet and refreshing, at least for viewers like me who crave for cute and straightforward romance once in a while. For me, it was a short and appealing and delightful watch for it an endearing loveline and winsome relationship, decorated with a standard fantasy and good mystery. Will definitely recommend.

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Drag drag and drag...

I think the writer of the drama wanted to make a daily soap out of the script but then they faced some production issues and for the sake of just making it they had to squeeze the whole thing into a 20 episode drama, even when they didn't want to.

Let me get to my point straight, I didn't like it. Not like I hate it, but I hust couldn't bring myself to like it. On that note, my review will be short as well, which is more like a rant.

"The King's Affection", originally titled as "연모" (Affection) fictional sageuk drama which is primarily based on the typical gender-bender concept where the female lead disguises herself as a male and the male lead anyways falls in love with a man, just to realize in the end that he had been loving a woman. Well, I don't hate that concept but it's already been outdated and also experimented in historical dramas before. Moreover, given the basic plotline the execution is not up to the par; I mean it could have been a decent price if they had not Incorporated all kind of typical sageuk elements into the script.

Let's get a simple plot. The Crown Prince's Consort gives birth to an identical boy-girl twins but citing it an ominous sign, the King orders the girl child's death, since only the boy can climb up to the throne. The consort however sends the baby far away who somehow ends up in the palace as a maid after a decade. The siblings come across each other and adms the Prince one day is in the girl's disguise to sneak out of the palace, is mistakenly gets killed. At the same time, the girl in the Prince's disguise remains in the palace and to hide the late Princes demise, she continues to grow up as the Crown Prince, upon her mother's advice.

She shuts all the door to her heart in order to become strong but her starts to waver as she meets her childhood first love whom she had met in the palace as a maid and had a beautiful encounter. The person not knowing the king-to-be is actually a girl and in fact his first love, grow fond of her with time. The story is about their journey of love, affection and struggles on their way to togetherness. It also involves the usual period politics, conspiracies, secret revelations, fightings, unusual deaths, etc.

Park Eun Bin plays the girl Dam-i/Yeon Seon who is in the disguise of her late brother, Crown Prince Lee Hwi. Rowoon plays Jung Ji Woon, a great scholar & Royal Inspector General's Son, who is also Dam-i's first love. Nam Yoon Su plays Lee Hyun, Prince's cousin and son of the previous king. Lee Pil Mo plays King Hyejong, Dam-i's father. Yoon Jae Moon plays Left State Councillor Han Ki Je, Prince's Grandfather. These are the major characters who are also known for good acting; Pil Mo and Jae Moon ahjussi infact the veterans. I (have) loved Park Eun Bin's acting and Rowoon has still a lot to do though his performance was up to par. Nam Yoon Su is amazing as a rookie actor. Lee Il Hwa is also there as the Queen Dowager, the Prince's Grandmother. There are in fact many good and familiar actors in playing key characters of the story.

Special mention to 3 actors...Baek Hyun Joo playing Court Lady Kim Sang Gung whose delivery was nice and her firm voice :0; Go Gyu Pil playing Eunuch Hong Bok Dong whose expressions were very funny; and Choi Byung Chan playing Prince's Bodyguard Kim Ga On, ofc for his visuals.

The thing about this drama I loved the most is the childhood love story of Dam-i and Ji Woon. The way they encountered each other and became friends gave off immense romantic vibes. Them spending time in Hanyang and gradually growing fond of each other in just those 2 episodes, really melted my heart. In fact when they met each other after a decade as The Prince and the tutor, their longing hearts trying to find each other made me cry so much. It was difficult seeing the ML struggling with his sexuality but also mesmerizing the way he was falling for the King-to-be not knowing his real identity.

The old Korean poetic verses, philosophy and the characters deciphering those is another thing I loved about the drama. Obviously yes, all the historical Korean dramas have this element but I particularly liked the way the writer in here has accurately used and related to life and their situations.

The problem with the drama is it's plot development, content and the thorough execution. The first 2 introductory episodes are good enough to keep you hooked, in fact the best episodes of the drama though you'll have to cry every now and then. After 2 leaps of 10 years each, when the characters appear in their final stage, it becomes more interesting. The premise is gradually set up by intriguing screenplay methods and the romance between the leads begins with initial tease-party. Simultaneously the politics sector of the drama develops steadily. Despite all that, the drama seems to be lacking a specific destination with which it is supposed to end; it becomes unclear where exactly the drama is heading to.

However, everything goes smooth for a while. Somewhere around the 9th episode, the drama starts to be uninteresting with the beginning of crude romance between the leads, which is very typical and don't spark any good chemistry any longer. Events happening for the romance plot of the drama becomes repetitive and unnecessarily dragged to a great extent. Also, the love triangle of the story doesn't create any firm impression on the viewers; like I don't get why was it even there in thr script? Great waste of Nam Yoon Su's skills, ngl.

Starting from the 2nd half, i.e. the 11th episode, the drama becomes a greatly typical sageukk with the cliché elements like power struggle conspiracies, Ming Envoy visits, corruption among ministers, revenge game among families, etc. Given that the drama has 20 episodes and it already runs out of substances right at the interval, It didn't interest me at all to even finish it and I was forced to watch the rest at 2x speed. They try to send the plot to peak several times by incorporating twists here and there but it was clear, they were trying their best to drag it to make it a 20 episode drama. The script didn't even deseve 16 episodes to being with, forget about 20. Simply, it could have been a decent drama at least, if they had planned for a 12 episode set.

Writer Han Hee Jung seems to have not improved over these years. Among her works, the only thing I liked was "Gunman in Joseon". "Clean with Passion" was a wasted potential too. She was the reason I didn't have high expectations from this but I was hoping she might have bettered than before... well, meh! Given the basic plot, the script is totally exaggerated in the 2nd half and the main problem is with the lenthy writing and many unnecessary plots as well as characters. I wish it were a 12 eps drama.

Director Song Hyun Wook is actually experienced and have produced many good dramas but I guess for the reason that it's his first sageuk (historical) drama, he couldn't prevent the flawed outcome of the drama. Screenplay is average given how it runs out of substance sooner than expected. Cinematography is quite well handled, I should admit. The natural elements as well as architectural aspects were taken care of properly. Screen-editing is also good but the dragged script makes it uninteresting and difficult ti keep up with.

I loved almost all of the OSTs. The composition by Tae Keun is very good and he's been able to produce such beautiful tracks, perfectly fitting to the mood of the drama. My most favourite is "Shadow of You" by SuJu K. R. Y; it's soulful and gladdening. They're my favourite trio in the world of Kdrama OSTs. "One and Only" in heart-wrenching vocals of Lyn is another favourite. Baek Ji Young's high notes in "IF I" are very emotional. An Da Eun's "I Believe" felt like a classical sageukk OST. "Hide and Seek" by VROMANCE is a jolly track TT. "Full of You" by Hae Yoon is a modern romantic song and very likable; it's also covered by Vromance. Loved Rowoon's smooth vocals in "No Goodbye In Love" which also makes me cry so much.

In overal, The King's Affection felt like an exaggerated version of Lovers of the Red Sky. I can't help but compare these 2 because they are produced around the same time period. The former is obviously a lot better than the latter but still the amount of dragging the script to produce more episode is the same. Also, the ratings of both the dramas are hugely influenced by the cast and not the quality, everyone is aware of that.

I still wanna insist that I love the basic plot line but the script is pretty mediocre and around the average. Yes, I am disappointed even though I didn't have very high expectations. The cast was obviously the reason I had anticipations but the flaws of the drama amounts to my disappointments, hence I won't recommend this drama to anyone, even for an one time watch, unless you want to give it a try for the visuals.

P. S. I ended up writing a lot anyways haha.

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Not the KBS School series I know of.

It's good but it also bad; it'd pretty average. I have things to complain and I got things to praise about. To sum it up, the cons of this drama outweigh the pros and I couldn't avoid to notice them. Let's go.

School 2021 is the latest drama of the KBS School franchise which was meant to be School 2020 but covid19 caused the production to delay and they had to postpone. Although there were uncertainties about starting it in 2021 even but thankfully, they aired it, even so it now ends in 2022.

There is no solid plotline. It's simply is a mixture of many subplotsz keeping the romance plot at the center. Corruption reveal, friendship, bromance line, love triangle, family relationship, etc. are a part of the story. They probably wanted to make the highschool corruption the central plot but it was inconsistent and didn't work at all.

The key difference between previous dramas of the KBS School series and this one is that, the school isn't an ordinary one, rather a specialized skill-based school where students are trained in particular vocational curriculum. It actually could have been a better show if they had made a script about different aspects of such schools, but duh! The thing is, this script could have been any other highschool drama but it didn't fit the concept of the KBS franchise, it didn't have anything that we see in the School series.

Again, no solid plot and hence no steady development; the mixture of different element, makes the overall story messy. The first 2 episodes didn't make any impact as introductory pieces, it wasn't bad but not something to keep you on it. The next few episodes were smooth and gave off an impression of an average show, and I, somehow, wanted the show to retain the same quality till the end but even that was inconsistent. I admit, I somehow got myself emotionally attached till 6th just to get myself disappointed after that. I pushed myself to finish till the end, only because I am bad at giving up , otherwise I could not find a single reason to motivate me to keep watching. It went downhill in the 2nd half and the blame goes to the writers for getting lost within their own script.

Gong Ki Joon (Kim Yo Han) is basically a looser but got character development and his acting improves with episode though it stayed pretty average till the end. Jin Ji Won (Jo Yi Hyun) is a determined and hardworking girl but very typical and outdated of a classical Kdrama FL though her acting is up to par. Jung Young Joo (Choo Young Woo) is a terrible actor and he never improves, adding to it, his character in the drama was such needless and stupid one; he deserves minor roles and not SML.

Special mention to the SFL Kang Seo Young (Hwang Bo Reum Byul) who despite the least experience did the best among the younger cast. Not just her character was was a potential strong FL, she did a splendid role in playing it.

Ji Ho Sung (Kim Kang Min) and Go Eun Bi (Seo Hee Sun) are the 3rd couple with shoddy backgrounds and stupid plots.

Lee Kang Hoon, Park In Hwan, Kim Gyu Sun, Lee Ji Ha, Kim Min Sang, Jo Seung Yun, Kim Soo Jin... are some of the very good actors in this drama but it's such a waste of their talent and time as they didn't have the scope to showcase their skills. The overall acting department, hence, is a big turn off and another reason to drop this.

Kim Min Tae PD a comparatively lesser experienced director but the only 2 dramas he produced before this were actually moderately good shows, Idk what went wrong with the direction here. The screenplay and it's organization were one of the major disadvantages. The pacing is equally messed; both unnecessarily slow and fast at times. I didn't know about Dong Hee Sun jakkanim and I can't really judge from her previous work since I haven't seen any of the 3 movies created by her. But judging the script of this drama, I am sure she had a difficult time writing a drama script, which is a lot different from a movie script.

There are plots of many types which needed a lot better execution but those rather ended up being puzzled. The distribution of plots and elements should have been fairly distributed but they're rather dispersed unmannerly. They either concentrate one subplot too much or forget about that completely. Same goes for the characters, who, in fact, have no solid dynamics to back their personalities. There is no impressive character development either. Simply put, so many unnecessary subplots and so many unnecessary characters.

OSTs are moderately good but not really memorable. I liked "Way to you" by Rosanna the most of all, followed by "Recently" by uri Yohan. "Dream on" by Na Go Eun is the only track that matched the drama, others are mostly romantic songs, and very unrelated to the drama. "Absently" by SWAN and "Can't help loving you" by OMG Mimi are tracks with the vibes of classic Kdrama OSTs.

Things I liked...
# The 2nd Female lead's acting... She was the only one among the younger cast who could act and not just acted, but did very well. In fact her character was the only one with amazingly painted arches; the only reason I went through the ending.

# The love triangle here isn't a mess. It doesn't last long, or turn into a toxic pull and push game between the main cast.

# The first Male lead wasn't very flashy unlike other highschool Kdramas where the FFL is some sorta genius who can do everything; the one here was a loser and we saw a character development for him with each episode though it wasn't really impressive.

Things I disliked...
I have a long list :3

# the 1st Female lead needed more exposure bcs she was supposed to lead the show. I didn't completely dislike the character but it needed some background and a character development method.

# There were relatively less school scenes for a "School" series drama and that too the school scenes were very unappealing.

# There are way too many characters than needed. Not just in School series, also in almost all highschool dramas, there are many students in the supporting characters, but here, there were less than 10 students directly involved whereas others were absolute fillers with 0 contribution to the story.

# Honestly, no romance could have been okay given the genre but I don't really complain about it's existence. The thing that made me off was the overal plot of both the couples. In terms of chemistry, the 2nd lead couples were better but neither of them were really good.

# The mixture of lots of plotlines was a bad decision and in the end, they were missing out on the development of each of the plots on a great deal.

# The not so cool "boys let's punch and make it up" kinda bromance did cut off some points.

#The stupid and entirely unnecessary plot for the 3rd lead couple s, which absurdly funny and could have been avoided.

I came here for Yohan as he's a sweetheart to me. Plus I was excited to watch a drama of School series after 3 (4) years. Another reason that had my anticipations up was the fact that it was delayed a lot. But all my expectations have been crushed and I am left disappointed by the results. I don't at all mind average dramas and okay with a drama not having typical stuffs but it should be a decent watch, which School 2021 wasn't. Even if you don't compare it to previous dramas of the series, this one as a light drama by itself is a failure. I have seen better light themed shows to give this a pass.

Overally, it's pretty average, in fact below average in terms of production values, acting and more importantly, the the entire outcome. I wonder why this show was even made. They should have skipped the entire script or made another highschool drama bcs KBS School franchise is a different thing in whole together and it's a shame this drama let the essence down. I am disappointed and I will suggest you to drop it without even starting.

P. S. Gave it 6.0 only because it's not very bad and I think I am being generous.

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Eww! What is this?

This will be a short one.
You don't have to watch this drama, I mean it's always wise not to waste time. Not bcs it's not even slightly average, it's one of the worst that's ever been produced. I am describing the reasons throughout (without spoilers ofc), though only those who have watched will be able relate. But for several reasons, if you haven't started, drop this off, for it's not even worth.

Produced by IWill Media and created by Studio Dragon, "A Superior Day (우월한 하루) [2022]" is an OCN original drama (though it didn't feel like one at all). Written by Lee Ji Hyun and directed by Jo Nam Hyung, the show is a live-action adaptation of the popular webtoon of the same title, authored by Team Getname that include Kim Carnby (Sweet Home) and Aurani (Meloholic).

The story follows Lee Ho Chul (Jin Goo), a responsible fire fighter, who lives with his small family of wife and a daughter. One day his daughter gets kidnapped and soon follows the order from a stranger who wants Ho Chul to investigate and find out out the culprit of a serial killer. The chase leads him to unforeseen situations where he finds himself and his family entangled between the stranger and the culprit.

Detective Choi Jung Hye (Im Hwa Young) plays Ho Chul's wife while Lee Soo A (Cho Yu Ha) is their daughter. Ha Do Kwon plays Bae Tae Jin, an ex-convict whereas Kwon Shi Woo (Lee Wo Keun) is the family's next door neighbour. Some other familiar faces in the show are: Park Min Jung, Song Young Kyu, Na Chul and Lee Seo Joon.

I don't wanna talk about the plot development, for its of no use, but let me bcs everybody needs to know. This could have been a decent chase thriller but the plotline given, however, the screenplay writing was choppy and not up to scratch. It's so bad I can't even cite it as an average show. The introduction didn't create any firm impression but by the end of the 2nd episode, I was looking forward, but then, came the 3rd episode. It suddenly became off, which I took, as momentary inconsistency. However, it never improved further. The kidnapping and taking hostage stuff was so funny lmao, it felt like two table tennis players were tossing the ball against their opponents (I will start crying). It gets extremely frustrating by the 5th episode and then everything just feels duh. I finished it just for the sake of having a closure, ngl, I can't leave anything unfinished, even so I have to watch them at 3x. For this, I watched the 2nd half (5th-8th) at 2x and finished them in one go.

I have always emphasized that it's not always an easy task to turn a book/webtoon into live-action adaptation and it's been many debutants doing an amazing job has been evidenced. However, Kim Ji Hyun jakkanim failed to do so, quite miserably. There are more than dozen of flaws which are unarguably too many for a 8 episode show. The responses to the drama should be a lesson to them for bettering themselves.

Director Jo Nam Hyung PDnim, as well, needs to work more on his skills. The direction was shoddy and substandard for most of the parts. There seemed no space for improvement, nor the efforts to fix what was already been ruined in the initial demo.

What I liked...
There is not a single that that's likeable, so this is it.

What I didn't like...

# The biggest turn off about the show is it's plot development. What didn't feel any impressive in the pilot episode, does pick up interest in the next, but again, it immediately goes downhill midway through the ep 3, and there is no going back; it keeps getting worse worse with each further episode.

# A firefighter, a serial killer, a contract killer, police investigation, full-time chase: all these that might excite you, are elements often seen Kdramas, nevertheless, proper utilisation is what matters, which the show could not do at all.

# The reasoning and the deals made on it were laughable and stupid. The number of times people change their sides makes it nothing less than a dumpping bin.

# There is very little context to the story, telling which, the show should have been a decent 2 hours movie, provided how it turned crap just after 2 episodes. All that they do for the rest of the show is unasked exaggeration and uncontrollable dragging of the tiny plotline.

# The latter half is miserable as a story; the number of times they repeat 2 or 3 events indeed frustrates the viewers and the show ultimately feels useless.

# The acting was bad per se. Obviously, there are actors who are hugely talented, but what nourishes and shapes the acting they do for a particular character, is the direction and the understanding for the roled they are gonna play. I feel it's hugely the direction and editing that reflects in the under-standard acting of the actors. Jingoo has disappointed, and so has Lee Woo Keun (he couldn't play a proper...... not spoiling).

# The police investigation was as useless as a ruptured protection. I mean why make it a part of the show when there was zero significance. I admit, not all show has to have extensive investigation and stuffs but the cops over here were committing absurd deeds and have been portrayed as completely incapable. The team leader, the chief detective & the partner and the new detective aka Jung Hye who was expected to play a major role as thd ML's wife, all of them had zero contribution to the show.

# Why would they indicate another season at the end of the finale? I guess the webtoon has more but provided that this one is awful, another season should be avoided at any cost.

# Lastly, this doesn't even qualify as a chase thriller. I would rather sit at one place than running around idly, like the ML does here.

Final Remarks... Overally, A Superior Day is one of the worst Korean shows ever made with not a single factor to look forward to. So don't watch. Okay bye.

P. S. Was so frustrated after finishing, ended up writing it in 10 mins -_-

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Fantastic throughout but slipped in the finale

There could have been no better project than this for Lee Jong Suk to make a comeback through. I wanted to anticipate a lot but I had also in my mind that this could be another regular thriller drama with typical elements and development. However, by the interval (better late than never), I came to realize that this is way above the standard and is actually unique of a script. It might not be a masterpiece but it is admittedly is an excellent piece of thriller.

Developed by ‘Studio Dragon’ and Produced by ‘AStory’ & ‘A-Man Project’, “Big Mouth (빅마우스)” is a hardboiled crime cum legal drama. Directed by Oh Choong Hwan and broadcasted on MBC, the drama was written by debutant writer Kim Ha Ram under the guidance of ace scriptwriters Jang Young Chul and Jung Kyung Soon. Made with 30bn won budget, it was also distributed by Disney+.

The drama keeps at center, Park Chang Ho (Lee Jung Suk), an infamous attorney with low success rate, who is known to distribute huge & empty promises, but fails to do anything, hence being named, ‘Big Mouth’ from his school days. Despite being an orphan, he has been lucky enough to have Ko Mi Ho (Im Yoon Ah) in his life, who is a skilled nurse at a famous hospital. One day, he gets a proposal from the Gucheon city mayor Choi Do Ha (Kim Joo Hun) to handle a mysterious murder case, solely because of his incompetence.
However, during his attempt to unveil the truth, he finds himself being framed as the notorious conman ‘Big Mouth’ who has been uncaught after scamming thousands of billion won sum. As every wind turns against him and his life changes overnight, he prepares himself within the Gucheon Penitentiary to fight his best to get out of it, while Miho too pulls strings to help solve the mystery surrounding the case and get to the root of it.

Other familiar actors in the drama playing major roles are: Lee Gi Young, Kwak Dong Yeon, Oh Ui Shik, Yang Kyung Won, Jeon Guk Hwan, Yang Hyung Wook, Ok Ja Yeon, Kim Jung Hyun, Jung Jae Sung, Jang Hyuk Jin, Kim Sun Hwa, Lee Yoo Joon, Oh Ryoong, Yoon Suk Hyun, Park Hoon, Kim Dong Won, Hong Ji Hee, Song Kyung Chul and Yoo Tae Joo.

Plot development is top-notch and the progression is definitely untypical of what ypu usually see in Kdrama thrillers. The pilot episode did a good job in establishing a background of both the story and the protagonist’s history, describing as to why he was called ‘big mouth’. The follow-up was steady and smooth showing how the protagonist tries to convince a mass of people as a part of his grand plan. Introduction of various elements and untwisting many knots further develops and builds immense interest of the show and I guess the ratings and popularity were hiked. There are several twists and peaks in each episode to hold the suspense and there was not a single sequence of events that lost its way. More than once, the show has such turning events that changes the entire dimension of the then situation of the show. The finale sequence would have been a pleasure and if you see it’s not really messed up but there were things that could have been avoided and there were things that could have been done better.

The two creators are pro-gamers in the industry and undoubtedly their tips have worked but in spite, it amazes me to discover that the main writer is a debutant, and this is not even an adaptation from where one can refer to for screenwriting. In short, the new jakka-nim has hit the spot proving their skills. From setting the stage, to enabling smooth and well-paced flow and from nurturing the characters to producing exciting outcomes, the show was thoroughly entertaining. Different plot elements served as a great deal of engagement. The dialogues and the momentary monologue narrations, particularly for the male protagonist, were very striking.

Making his comeback after 2 years, the maker of many popular modern dramas, Oh Choong Hwan PDnim has again been successful in implanting the entertainment factor within the audience. Owing to his directorial talent, this drama was excellent from every aspect. The very execution of screenplay has done wonders in a way that this will definitely be something the Kdrama stans will remember for long. The scenario of the Gucheon Penitentiary was well-planned and the setup meant to give off noir and shady vibes with a sense of darkness suited very well. The screen-editing with different types of sequence organization plus the sound production, made the experience even more thrilling and exhilarating.

Composed by Park Se Joon and written & sung by Justhis, “Brand New” is the one and only OST in this drama which is a rap song that was introduced at the end of the 8th episode, i. e. exactly at the interval, where a major twist takes place. I swear the vibes of the scene with the initial rap-lines were so gripping and rip-roaring that it instantly gave me goosebumps.

A case of mistaken identity escalating to a fight for survival is not new for Kdramas but what makes the drama to stand out is a unique storyline and stupendous execution. To be very honest, the theme and the overall mood of the drama are not that shabby and dark for the noir genre, instead the script is also decorated with lighter elements, which comes as a must for Korean dramas, that includes the individual arcs as well as various relationships between two and among two. I was particularly touched by the bonding between Chang Ho and his father-in law Ko Ki Kwang (Lee Ki Young), who were also co-worker at Changho’s own law firm. We can say that among all the chaos and misery he had to experience inside the prison, those moments worked like strength for him to prepare the road ahead.

Lee Jong Suk has taken up this chance of playing a character than his usual taste to challenge, learn and nurture his skills and he has visibly aced it. The range of dynamics he covers actually takes a lot to carry out: from a witless lawyer and fulsome family-man to a savage leader and wise survivor, who has to choose between life and death. Whereas the drama serves as a vehicle prepared for his comeback and he was not really exceptional, it was still appealing as a whole.

Contrastingly, Miho is lovingly yet perceptive lady who knows her strength and limits and acts with a calculative mind. Yoona is already a splendid actress and she carried out Miho very well. The medical conspiracy subplot that was portrayed through illegal and inhumane research projects done in secret and indulging Miho as the key-rider in unveiling it, was surely interesting but it somehow felt like the medium of giving Yoona more screentime, when it didn’t really relate with the main plot at times and lacked plausibility.

Kim Joo Heon as a main character is an exciting news for me, he has been a favorite actor and once again, he’s proved how fantastic skills he possesses. His firm facial expressions are the best aspect about him and the way he has utilized it throughout the show was compelling.

Yang Kyung Won’s performance as an antagonist was entertaining for sure though I had issues with accepting and adjusting with it in the initial episodes, but he improved quickly. I guess we have been so used to seeing him in the comic roles that it resulted in the awkwardness albeit his fierce negative role in a recent drama.

Romance is limited so expect the least if some of the initial sequences give you the idea that there is a lot of it in the drama. In a way, this fact serves as a strength for the overall development and quality. The love between the leads is limitless though, for the way they communicate and exchange emotions even though they don’t share much time onscreen together.

The antagonist side unlike others is very strong in the sense that, they are not very radical and know their limits and how to work with that. The hierarchy among them has been portrayed accurately with a prey-predator concept, as they are constantly pushed to pursue the leases of one another. The order of unveiling the evil was likable ngl, and then, the shift in influence was quite interesting.

The makers should be applauded for the plot elements, development and execution; all these resulted in building up a good amount of suspense. Given the usual trend in such thriller dramas, the chapter by chapter progression has been sketched in a way that, it was not at all easy to guess few things even by throwing stones into the dark. The kind of myriad twists and turn of events in the latter half of the show, especially the last four episodes, had me at awe; there were times it gave me goosebumps and had my eyes opened.

It was interesting how the drama has adapted innovative approaches in order to tackle simple subjects, by completely turning it around for which the outcomes always look much refined. A lot happened in the first episode, in the finale and in between, as well. The story and the premises entirely grip you before you realize it and the slow & steady transformation in Changho, i. e. his character development is beguiling for sure.

I am particularly upset with the ending because I was manifesting a lot. The elements there were actually caused and rooted in previous episode so we were assuming something like that might happen but when it actually did, I think it did feel a little off. the sequence of events felt rushed for sure and then the huge blow I was expecting didn’t happen at all and the manner in which things took turn were a little underwhelming. I am sure the writer must have thought it through before adding this particular event for a major character but I wish it didn’t happen.

Final Remarks… Big Mouth offers a wide range of ingredients of entertainment ad enjoyment and is actually a good thriller that should be tagged in the must watch list. With high production values and amazing performance, it results into appealing and satisfying outcomes even though there were aspects that could have been avoided from a critical pov. Please go ahead and watch it and you will realize that it has everything that pulls you in and holds you back. It was a easy 9.0 until the finale happened, so yeah!

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“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”

MY NAME, as the name suggests is indeed a game of names. Reminds me a quote by Homer that said, "How vain, without the merit, is the name". The impact, influence and inemancy that a single name can bring in the world, is quite evident in the history and the present itself.

The mini series by Netflix Korea is undoubtedly the 3rd best action thriller Kdrama of the year after Taxi Driver and The Veil, in terms of action of course. Revenge thriller plots and female fighter element is not something new for us, however, "My Name" stands out because of putting only a single girl at the center of the story who seeks vengeance at any cost.

Yoon Ji Woo is highschool girl who's bullied bcs of her father's deed and right on her birthday, see witnesses Yoon Dong Hoon, her father and only family, being killed through the peephole of the door. Despite resenting her father, she tries to give him justice but ends up at Dongcheon, the biggest drug ring of Korea, where she knew Dong Hoon worked. With the help of Choi Mu Jin, the leader of Dongcheon and Dong Hoon's closest friend, she prepares herself to avenge her father. Later she joins the police force and subsequently to Narcotics Control team on Mu Jin's conspiracy where she's partnered with Jeon Pil Do, a righteous and hardworking detective. The team is led by Cha Gi Ho, an old enemy of Mu Jin and can do anything to catch him. Jung Tae Ju is the most loyal subordinate of Mu Jin who controls everything in Dongcheon.

Talking about the story, it wasn't something wow for me. Can't say it's predictable bcs despite a common basic revenge story plotline, the screenplay and multiple chaptered elements of the script is actually well put. But again, avid thriller fans can point out or at least assume the main culprit of the story and that was my case too so I wasn't very surprised at the major revelations either, hahaha. Considering the entire thing, I am not very pleased. It started nice and expectedly kept the thrill up till the halfway of 5th episode but after a peak scenario that happens around it, the story started going a lil down and became somewhat uninteresting (?), yes! The ending? I'm very disgusted with how they shitted on the last episode. Well, the turning point at the beginning of the finale can be accepted considering some people actually change their stances under the influence of virtue but then they had to ruin it again in the same episode. Very disappointed bcs it could have been a lot better with the original plan but the writer seemed to have struggled to make it extraordinary, just to mess it up in the end, oof.

Well, will give brownie points for acting though the characters are not that wowish except for Han So Hee whose character also took a bad turn in the finale.. She as the central character did a very good job. I don't think she has struggled much in the industry with the number of dramas she's done but this sure should be a booster in her career. Kinda felt absurd when the character gave in to the ML in later episodes, when she had been the strongest being all her life. Ahn Bo Hyun finally getting attention? Yes! Well, glad seeing his improvement over years. His character was poorly written for someone as a ML and didn't leave any impact for me but fine. Park Hee Soon ahjussi, the master actor, surely won over with his performance & charms, plus his fighting skills. Lee Hak Joo has done his job just perfect all these years and it's evident from this as well. Do I really need to say about Kim Sang Hoo ahjussi? His existence is what we assures about the drama's quality haha.

Overally, the drama is dominated by Han So Hee and Park Hee Soon who are the most major character. The story greatly revolves around their relationship, trust build-up, loyalty, care, hate and finally to a downfall.

The direction is pretty amazing and it had to be bcs the person behind it is Kim Jin Min PDnim with a record of good and familiar titles. Cinematography work is notable too which is the signature mark of typical dark and shady Netflix Korea original series of it's kind. Background score setting and screenplay editing was on point along without the sound production. There aren't many OSTs in it but all of them are in English and quite catchy with a touch of modern pop that also fit with the mood of the drama and it's development. The lyrics wasn't on rhythm but at least made sense and was kinda enthralling to the ears.

Please note that comedy and romance are not the elements of this story so be prepared to be thrilled continuously throughout the drama. There are slight dark comedy adjusted here and there. And at first the partnership between Han So Hee and Ahn Bo Hyun felt like a subtle romance but what happened in the last ep was very absurd to me. That was unnecessary for the build-up. Also the ML's fate at the end was very stupid.

Finally, let's talk about the best thing about this drama, i. e. ACTION. YESSSSSS! This drama is entirely a power-packed thriller full of action and violence, even to the point of drastic bloodshed. In fact, the story is set up in the dark underworld universe of drugs business and mafia culture where fight for power, wealth and position is very common and a required element. You'll witness dreadful fights throughout; sometimes gangsters fighting in groups, one to one face-off, several beings ganging up on one or vice versa. The fights are not just the show-off of physical power and fighting techniques, they involve dangerous weapons, power-arms and sometimes, drugs. The one who dominated everyone else in the drama was Yoon Ji Woo (Han So Hee) who survived every single fight, proving herself the strongest in the race though that was not very realistic. Then it was Park Hee Soon (Choi Mu Jin) who was very good at fighting and was almost undefeatable. Watch it with a major TW if you're sensitive to brutality bcs there are a plenty of it, especially the group fights where people get killed in numbers like insects.

Han So Hee obviously needs a standing ovation for her performance. Her acting was nice but what makes everyone notice is how she she managed to good job in learning and showcasing her fighting skills throughout the entire thing, proving her determination.

OKAY! Overally, MY NAME is not something very fabulous but it surely is an interesting and enthralling watch which successfully keeps up the interest till the end even with an inconsistent graph. Only if the final outcome were a lil better and unnecessary events wouldn't have took place, I'd gladly mark it at 8.5/10. Ain't gonna discredit the entire work because of the ending, but yeah, I am displeased with it. Anyways, it's worth the one time watch, go ahead!

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As good & thrilling as the main drama.

Moebius: The Veil, also carries the same message as the main season, The Veil. Human's own conviction of truth and righteousness is something that can either raise them high or destroy them for good. And when it comes to to loyalty, what harbours, nurtures and strengthens it is trust upon each other. The 2 episode short spin-off, had these things to convey.

Plot is nothing but the back story of the main series, keeping Seo Soo Yeon (Park Ha Sun) at the centre. How & why she ended up in the NIS and during his mission he discovers astonishing facts about the agency and at the same time gets involved with Chang Chun Woo (Jang Moon Sung), the black agent who has been cornered by his own agency years ago. They develop a close bonding between them and the story ends with a mission and it's subsequent results.

This also is a proof of how personal greed, power trip and high ambitions ruin an organization, putting the life of people working in it, in danger. Lies, conspiracies, greed for wealth and power, etc. bring hazard to intelligence agencies like this.

The production value is again very high. The direction and screenplay are intriguing. The short yet intricate & exciting development within 2 episodes with awe-inspiring twists and revelations, truly amazed me. Action scenes and the characters' skills and performance has been delivered well, which is worth looking forward to. The writer didn't forget to showcase human emotions and psychological behaviours this time either. The melancholic elements with the shady tracks and bg scores will melt your heart.

We all craved for more because the main series has only 12 episode but thanks to this pre-planned spin-off episodes that was on the productions' mind all along, we got another treat of a superb action thriller, yet again.

Also, some were mad about Seo Soo Yoon's insignificant role in the story, but lil did we know about how significant her character was, that laid the foundation of the entire thing years before. Her character makes so much sense now. This was much needed.

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Sing when you can not dance.

Uncertainties of life that should help us come out of our shells, often end up holding us back, and what life demands us to do is, put some efforts and liberate ourselves out of the incertitudes. After all, we do not notice that we are chained until and unless we move. What we are repeatedly reminded throughout our difficulties is that, real liberation is not achieved by burnishing and covering the painful memories, rather by experiencing it to the entirety. The drama is a reflection of numerous paths of liberating yourself, on your way to eternity and fulfilment.

Jointly produced by 'Studio Phoenix', 'Chorokbaem Media' and SLL, "My Liberation Notes (나의 해방일지) [2022]" is a 8 billion won budgeted slice-of-life Kdrama. Reuniting writer Park Hae Young and director Kim Seok Yoon after 11 years, the show was broadcasted on JTBC and internationally distributed by Netflix.

The show takes place between the contrasting vistas of a quiet countryside, namely Sanpo of South Korea's South Gyeongsang Province and busy metropolis of Seoul. The show follows the life of three 'Yeom' siblings who are enervated of the sameness of adult life and their mysterious neighbour 'Gu' who is always by himself. As life happens to these people and the ones surrounding them, they set out on a prolonged and endless road, seeking liberation and eternity.

Yeom Gi Jung (Lee El), the oldest of the siblings, is huffy & short-tempered who always complains about everything, making silly judgements; yet wishes to find love and fulfill her life. Yeom Chang Hee (Kim Min Ki), the middle sibling, is awfully outspoken who despite of his crave for better life doesn't really have a goal and spends his leisure meaninglessly. Yeom Mi Jung (Kim Ji Won), the youngest, is faint-hearted and introverted who feels unfulfilled in her boring life, coveting to escape from all her worries. Mr. Gu (Son Suk Ku) is the closest next-door ahjussi who has recently moved to the neighbourhood and a drunkard who talks less and prefers to remain by himself.

Chun Ho Jin (Yeom Jae Ho) is the siblings' father while Lee Kyung Sung plays their mother Kwak Hye Suk. Ji Hyeon Ah (Jun Hye Jin), Oh Du Hwan (Hang Sang Jo) and Suk Jung Hoon (Jo Min Kook) are closest neighbourhood as well as childhood besties of the siblings. Cho Tae Hun (Lee Ki Woo) and Park Soo You (Park Sang Min) are Mi Jung's colleagues. Other familiar faces in the supporting roles are: Choi Hee Jin, Yang So Min, Kim Ro Sa, Jung Soo Young, Kang Joo Ha, Choi Min Chul and Kim Min Song.

Plot development is not a thing when you talk about slice-of-life genre and the show had the same case, for it doesn't indicate a particular direction or destination, that the characters must reach in order to imply an ending. Well, MLN is not feature obvious, with a gripping conflict or larger-than-life charactes. But them, their everyday desires, their disappointments, their emotions and their actions & reactions to what's (not) happening around them has been beautiful sketched and well developed. The show is quite for most of it's parts but still interesting, engaging and most importantly eternally healing, which makes it worth the time invested. The major characters go through a slow burn process, i.e. they don't change over the course of time, some, nor by the end of the show, but it affects us, the viewers, and that's the miracle of MLN as well as other slice-of-life shows.

There are times, when the conversations are very deep; people in duo or group talk about things that is deep-rooted in their souls, affecting their lives in ways that they didn't expect it to, and then the next moment, it turns into a talk about utter bullsh*t, about some stranger narcissistically screaming on the street or some chocolate teapot or a sack full of hammers (metaphorical). To put in simple words, sometimes it moves your heart but the next moment it's stupid and doesn't make sense. But all of these boils down to the very fact that you enjoy, relate and relive it and don't you think that's only "life" ? About the ending, it's pretty sorted and greatly satisfactory. Letting aside my personal feelings and rationalizing have the same results. I can't call it an open ending since it's a slice-of-life show and the ending of such always implies that our lives are continuous and life goes on even when the show comes to an end. You can pretty much draw your own conclusion, very easily.

Park Hae Young PDnim is one of the most respected names, who, with her relatively less created pieces, have been able to win hearts through her skills of storytelling in slice-of-life vignette. MLN has been a transporting story, with the ability of transcending into both beauty and disaster at the same time. Utilizing realism, jakkanim has attempted to examine small & ordinary yet powerful narratives of daily life. Mr. Gu's part of sure is a bit wilder for such genre, but you know, what? There is no such rule that a devil and it's tale can't be a part of a coming-of-age story (He ain't an evil man, if you're guessing so from the statement. It's generalized.). In an overall sense, jakkanim brings out the best possible characters, with their compelling environments or spaces they tend to, by drawing scenarios that allows us to relate the pieces with our very own experience.

Director Kim Suk Yoon PDnim with the fair share of experience of working in both thriller and softcore genres, including MLN, have been able to evince his skills through various dramas over the last 'half the decade'. The primary motto of the drama, i. e. the emphasis on the very moment, with the intent of focusing the audience on that moment rather than using that moment as part of a narrative, has been accurately executed, with lots of sense. The incorporation of touchy monologue notes and the flashbacks of foregone days, are of great interest with their ability to stir up both joy and misery, at the same time. The screenplay attempts to triumph over emotions by means of creating a still, tranquil and taciturn mood, and I must mention that this makes the show unique.

The framework of the drama is not set up in a colourful and fascinating setting yet something about the characters' environment will make you feel riveting & compelling throughout, hence proving once again, how it's a perfect example of living upto it's genre's essence. The pieces & elements of the drama offer insight into the small, common moments that might go unnoticed in bigger stories. Indeed, it has many conversations, actions and reactions that might feel unavailing, but it's a matter of time, you realize that you're living the moment, seeing yourself in the characters and have been a part of such discussions. The contrasting features of Seoul and Sanpo will often change thd vibes it radiate, while allowing you to capture the beauty of different realms.

The cinematography is beyond pleasing, I can't be lying. The art of storytelling through stills and visuals of this kind is definitely not new in Kdramas, however, MLN chalks up to recreating a narrative of idiosyncratic judgements. The makers attempt to enable the audience to live the essence and the way the presentation is drafted through vehemence is praiseworthy. Witnessing characters through refractive lenses (of the audience) by fetching and fluctuating camera angles, often from one's face, to a nearby glass frame were both palliating and allaying. The obliquely focusing camera, often alters into unorthodox minds of ingenious thoughts.

The two words the drama emphasizes on are: liberation (해방: haebang) and worship (추앙: chuang). Mi Jung's greatest force for personal liberation was her decision to widen her periphery of compassion as well as leniency, moving from focus on service to focus on self, which might seem contrary to what life demands, however, self-care has been of greatest value over years and we should be admiring the way she disenthrals herself throughout. Her portrayal constantly reminded me words from Paulo Coelho, "The beauty of truth: whether it is bad or good, it is liberating." Humble heart is the true contribution to worship, and to worship someone is powerful device that is able to dismantle every shackle and its able to breakdown every wall, of own and of the one you put at centre of your heart. Mr. Gu proved himself to be a good worshiper by enabling Mi Jung's life to be found settling within his soul. Robert Webber rightfully quotes, "Worship is an it-is-well-with-my-soul experience.”

Yeom Chang Hee and his life hacks; his agressive and loudmouth talks which can come off as rude and annoyance, is always contextualized, no matter where you see him. This guy, that guy, the talkative guy who always tries to shove knowledge into others, ends up making them realize that he actually makes sense. His facial expressions always imply that he's good intentions and that he really means what he's saying. Even with these, the way he strives do better in his job is commendable. His failures to achieve something might have let him down, but he immediately finding relief in little & meaningless things, have comforted me each time. Coping up with results in way that brightens your spirit, is what you must learn from him.

Yeom Gi Jung and her love interest; the one who might be picky and hasn't been able to find anyone to be able to love despite her age, ends up crying at the end of the day for being so miserable. With the guilt of committing wordily mistakes, she constantly tiptoes around people. To her surprise, when she falls in love with someone unexpected, she finds herself in a complicated situation where she has no path to chose, but remain at the same point. However, the way her life takes a turn, bringing immense happiness to her feet, it is alleviating to witness her tears of joy. Sticking to your persona and being patient can result in fruitfulness is what you can take home from her.

Yeom Mi Jung and her misplaced emotions; not like she hasn't tried, but then, not like everyone succeeds even after multiple and constant attempts. Time doesn't heal all wounds. In a family where emotions are not transparent, in a workplace that doesn't appreciate and in a friend circle that doesn't understand, she must have feel suffocated and wronged. So, it's actually coherent & lucid, why she wishes to break free from everything and run away as far as the road takes her. The constant urge to become liberated from all her worries has made him into a cold-hearted woman. Consistency, straightforwardness, know-how and maturity are what you should be able to receive from her.

Mr. Gu and his mysteries; aahhh! What a personality and what a development. The way he walks, carelessly and as if it's tiresome to even move, the way he stretches his entire body & neck in order to avoid what's happening around him, and staring up the sky aimlessly, and his facial expressions, that includes reactions to what he's told; I am mesmerized how all of these transcend into a feeling of admiration and respect to this character. He was indeed full of mystery; talking less, remaining by himself and drinking all the day, it was crystal clear that he bears something heavy in his heart. Yet, stupefyingly, he inspires others, makes others think mighty of him and uses no effort in allowing everyone fall for his aura. Take as much as he offers. And on that note, Mr. Gu is the new crush of millions" including myself; I had seen him before, but the difference persona and his character are what aroused my heart.

"My Liberation Notes" in many ways establishes and emphasizes various forms of friendship. The very fact that we vibe differently with different people at the same time, even within the same group, has been beautifully demonstrated. ''The things we share with our friend A, we can't spill that to friend B' " sorta feelings. From neighborhood buddies to workplace collegues and from school classmates to long lost acquaintances, MLN throws light upon both the importance and complications of each.

One of the many silliest means of liberating yourself, that has been portrayed through the acts of the characters, throughout the drama is "moving your feet"; be it a tiresome walk or a simple strolling or a breathless running. As you walk/run and think at the same time, the worries and burdens might evaporate away little by little, if not entirely, and that actually helps. As you watch the drama, you will realize that there are actually plenty of scenes where the characters are only moving forward with monologue notes accompanying them, and those were actually gratifying and alleviating, or in the words of the writer, "liberating".

Chang Hee's admiration for Mr. Gu, the way he looked upto him, him calling 'hyung' and was able to extract out inspiration from Gu's life, was quite an intrigue. Even with no definite bromance, MLN showcased a meaningful non-romantic bonding between two men, who despite of their personal conflicts, were able to unbar the ways to relief & salvation. I can go on about how I felt looking at Chang Hee's eyes & emotions for Gu-shi multiple times.

Composed by Kim Tae Sung PDnim, there are 12 OSTs in total, including one which has both male & female versions. Most of the songs are soothing and assuaging, which depicts the slowburn theme and realistic essence of the show. I can't say the entire album is my favourite but sure, I like all of them.

# "A Kind of Confession" is my most favourite track which has both female and male versions, sung by HEN & Kwak Jineon respectively. It reflects a realistic love that is unpredictable and full of uncertainties.
# "I Think I Know" by Isaac Hong accompanied Gi Jung's love story as an appreciation to souls that heal each other.
# "Here We Are" by Kim Feel is a song about the wary of life delineating melancholy and I believe it was dedicated to Mr. Gu.
# "Deeply" by HEN, as it's title says, is about deep assessments of the events of our life.
# "To be together" by Lee Jung Hyung reflects the warmness from the embrace of love. The prelude theme of the track is used as the intro of the show.
# "Laggard" by Shin You Me is a track meant for Mi Jung and her introverted spirit that urge to come out of the shell.
# "That Day" by The Orchad is a mildly jolly song about the brightful days of expressing and experiencing love. It was for Gi Jung.
# "Be My Birthday" by Ha Hyunsang was a soulful rendition about all the first time that you get to live after falling for someone.
# "We Sink" by SWAY is an upbeat composition about the thick & thins of life, that bring forward variable opportunities, which in ways, emphasizes on Chang Hee.
# "My Spring" by Lee Soo Hyun is a softcore track about the feelings of times spent with your soulmate.
# "Diamond" by 9duck is another jolly track which radiates admiration for the one you love.

One of the many moving elements in the drama was Mi Jung's desire to be able to reminisce about past where she herself is be-seated by her younger self's side, enjoying the views she really loved and Mr. Gu suggests her to remember the very moment and remind it when she turns old, because by then, the present time would be her younger version. Similarly, I would like to mention few of short yet relatable and favourite dialogues which aren't actually spoilers...

# "I feel scared of being honest."
# "Suddenly, I feel lovable."
# "You should know who you are."
# "Now we can say, we have watched stars together."

Before I sign off, I would have loved to talk about "my liberation diary" and the "haebang (liberation) club", the most motivating idea of the drama that puts Mi Jung at the centre, but I truly want all of you, reading this, to witness and experience it by your own.

Final Remarks... Ahhhh! That's how you express yourself with drama that could imply to a plentitude range of emotions and thoughts, throughout. Coming to the last part of my review, I am not sure whether or not I was worthy of writing this piece, for it is so beautifully contented which not only took the characters in the journey of liberation, but also helped the viewrs learn how to liberate themselves. With great production values, fascinating script, fabulous execution and beautiful outcomes, this is one of the best slice-of-life Kdramas ever produced even so it didn't have a noteworthy viewership record as it aired. I wish it could reach a lot more people but I also believe, good things always find their ways to those who deserve. With this, I must not forget to express my gratitude to the cast and crew and everyone plus everything that's involved in bringing out "My Liberation Notes" to me. Thank you, so very much!

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Catching up with life.

I don’t think we need another review for the 2nd season of “Yumi’s Cells”, so this one will be me casually talking about the parallels, the changes and the newness of the show which will also include few complaints, ofc. And it will contain spoilers for obvious reasons, so to know about the quality of the show, please refer the reviews for the season 1 bcs it’s almost the same in this season.

DON'T READ AHEAD IF YOU'RE NOT DONE YET.

# SO, It begins with the B&W face of the person that we loved in the s1 with all our heart. The pain in those eyes though, very heartfelt.

# We have to go through a ‘moving on’ era and process the breakup, with whom? Obv, with Yumi and her cells. The various tactics she pulls to get rid of her feelings and just forget, the time she takes to get over everything and let go, all of them were sad.

# I am glad they remembered the fried egg umbrella.

# Book as a sign of love and book as source of comfort, truly liked that.

# The rainbow music player device is still there. Gays are winning AAAAAA.

# Ruby remains annoying but the writer-nim put some sense to her character in this season and that made her very likable. She’s cute anyways.

# Was hunger cell always that calculative? I mean I knew it was clever but the way Yumi ordered stuffs in that restaurant along with that free stuff was clearly jaw-dropping.

# They continue to present some of the conversations between the cells as chats as the character thinks about stuffs during confusion.
# The fan and anti-fan war between cells for Babi was so cute man, I enjoyed till it lasted.

# I honestly was not sure about Babi at first and the reason was obv Woong, but by the end of ep4, I realized that he was a charming man.

# The recycling garbage dump of Yumi was a creative thing for sure.

# Yumi slowly falling for Babi with the confusions she held and with the fears she possessed was a rough yet sweet journey.

# A lot of things felt like déjà vu, bcs we were again falling in love, may be in a different manner, but feelings were regardless the same.

# There were contrasting paralles between the two relationships that we saw in the 2 seasons and I loved how they were represented by the makers, even so unintentionally?

# Yumi having reasonable suspicions in every matter following her fallout with Woong felt very real.

# Babi’s cells welcoming Yumi’s ‘SARANGH SEPHO’ was one of the sweetest things, I cried.

# Embracing newness and changes that come along is what life demands from us, was the moral of Yumi’s responses in her new relationship.

# Changing profession so as to honor your passion is a fulfilling feeling. Yumi qutting her work and becoming a writer was a witness to it.

# Aurora as the new lights and the turning points in the life, a reasonable method of relating.

# The blackout in Yumi’s village when she gets drunk was so funny.

# Rationale cell’s voice is worth falling for.

# The naughty cell had a blast this season, my gosh.

# The 40kg lingering feelings behind the trunk of the pride’s car put by conscience was also another relatable idea worth of appreciation.

# Woong appearing at the end of ep 4 and that thing continuing in the next episode was painful and heavy. The 5th episode that started with misery, I found myself relieved by the end of that episode because of the way Yumi dealt it. Woong was at least given a perfect closure, I was glad.

# I am so happy they didn’t introduce new OSTs and used the ones from the s1, indicating a perfect continual flow, However, it was also a lil sad for it reminded me of Woong too.

# Introduction of many other body parts as cells, like tongue cells, hair cells, foot cells.

# P. O. as Control Z (read Control JEE) was the cutest. I honestly didn’t know about his role and seeing him was so joyful. Then he was made to stay longer, and I was so happy.

# Surprising was Control Z and Ruby falling in love and dating, and I guess it was for all of you too, haha.

# Babi and Yumi’s relationship was smooth and sweet for a long time, very likable. The way it was shown definitely played a big role in making the audience want for more when, in fact, Babi isn’t as significant in the webtoon. Nevertheless, we all fell for Babi.

# What happened to their relationship was not expected but was I surprised? Not really! Was I mad? May be but not that. Bcs I knew Babi wasn’t the man for Yumi in the webtoon and how Woong and Yumi ended up, I learnt a lot from it. It also taught me endurance.

# Long Distance Relationships are not easy and for most of us, it’s a myth. It was bound to be shaken one day and by any means, which happened to be a third party disturbance in this case, which was again natural. Not justifying it at all but getting swayed towards your colleague when you’re away from your partner is real so it’s upon the person to have control over their emotions, at which Babi failed.

# We have all the rights to be extremely angry bcs after all, Yumi is our primary concern and her feelings matter more to us than anything else.

# Yumi’s response to this was also natural and one of the two options she had left to do and she chose what her then emotions and impulses demanded. She could have stayed and given Babi another chance but with furiousness she simpy chose to walk away.

# Again, again, again, it was only natural how upon meeting Babi after a long break and being confronted, she melted like butter despite her efforts to resisit. It was because they were away for a while and seeing each other again made them realize that they were not over each other. So the time asked them to get back together and they did.

# I will never understand people who lowered the ratings or started shitting on the show bcs the show didn’t have a lovey-dovey relationship entirely as shown in the first half rather it turned rough and realistic. It’s only natural to be mad on the characters but this is stupid.

# The process of Yumi becoming a writer was an ecstatic journey. We saw her spending carefully, thinking through a lot, being calculative at everything and manage her love life at the same time. But the way she bloomed into an artist and flew with colourful wings by the end of the show, I was so happy for her and for the fact that she got what she wanted and rightfully deserved.

# The editor in chief’s character was super funny and so was the scenes written for his cells but those ugly ass weird cells made me so angry, I mean why would you make his cells like cylindrical human beings? TT

# Woong coming back to screen, and that time with a fair possibility to get back together with Yumi, had made me so so so happy but why in the world the writer had to bring him back with the intention of hurting harder??? I was very mad, ngl.

# I was never happy with the 2nd innings of Yumi and Babi, not bcs they made choices to do so, but Woong’s comeback had me excited. And as expected, they were clerly not completely happy with whatever was happening though thankfully it never turned toxic.

# Well, but the ending of the 12th episode somehow felt rushed and abrupt, I mean the way they decided to get married out of impulse did bother me, bcs I was assuming they’d break up for the 2nd time then.

# Okay then, I was expecting a blast to result from that scene in next episode or at least in the finale, which didn’t happen, rather things were wrapped up smoothly and ig I am not mad about it.

# The metamorphosis card thingy was relatable wow.

# The cold virus and it's fight with the throat cells were so aptly presented, also with the ginger molecules, haha. The way the immune cells were acting up then was very biological.

# Ahn Dae Young and Yi Da??? let me cry bcs they were also cute.

# The fat cells were so cute, I'll kms.

# I liked how things were processed between Woong and Yumi’s in the finale, which obv made me expect things but atp, I think everything happens for a reason (honestly I cried about it not happening).

# About the ending, I am satisfied and happy about the way it ended. It was the best possible closure to me. Yeah, It was confusing a bit and we can say we are gonna have another season where Yumi finally meets her soulmate but I will wait.

# The guy whom we saw in the party, i am sure people are going crazy to know but first of all, I want them to announce the renewal, then I want to know whom they are gonna cast and that will probably happen few months before the season airs.

# As much as I wanna know who the actor will be, I think it will be a huge huge huge surprise if they introduce him right in the 1st episode of the s3.

Not gonna list out the complaints but lemme rant a bit. The plot development was not shoddy or anything there are definitely some plot elements that felt off. I can completely dismiss my criticisms if I think of it as a realistic option, but I am still unconvinced on personal levels. Few of the screenplay felt a little off and slow which should not have happened for a 14 episode show with multiple short and long time leaps.

Adding to it, I would have love some elaborate explanations about few things involving their relationships which didn’t happen here, and which was very much prelevant in the s1. The faster flow could be to blame but I guess they also wasted time on focusing on some additional characters, so why not this?

Will there be a season 3? Well, I am both uncertain and optimistic about the possibilities just like I was at the end of s1. So, it might or might not happen, which we’ll know within few days if we are lucky, but as much I know about the webtoon, there is definitely more to the story and personally I would love another season. But I will also be okay if they don’t plan to make one. Considering the original work and the buzz, its more likey to be renewed though. Anyways, I want one, so please.

As I am come to write the ending note, I urge everyone to realize that the relationship in the season 1 was a realistic one where the one in the season 2 is a idealistic one so the appreciations and complaints will differ in a varying degree, basing upon personal references but rationally speaking, I am still standing on a neutral stance. I liked both of them for different reasons albeit the fact that I liked the season1 better, regardless, I think there is no firm requirement for comparing the two for they’re the same continual drama.

Final Remarks… Overally, “Yumi’s Cells 2” was again able to make us feel different and had crucial influences on our hearts and minds. The show retained its originality by once again proving that the story is about the cells and not human beings. It had some rough points technically and the makers could have worked on it, but it is still good and I am sure that, if you’ve been reading through, you loved it too, haha. Will eagerly wait for the season 3.

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Alchemy of Everything...

Honestly, I was a little excited because of So Min and Jae Wook when the news broke out, and that was fair, but that’s it. I thought I’d check it out when it drops. When it premiered and the response was huge, including in my circle, I wanted to try out soon. Very happy to announce that it went beyond my expectations. Such a well-made drama with mind-blowing plot development and intriguing elements. If more of such dramas are made in Korea in future, this will definitely be in the top 5, along with “Arthdral Chronicles”.

Produced by ‘Studio Dragon’ & ‘High Quality’, “Alchemy of Souls (환혼)” is an adventure fantasy, set in an alternative period drama. Written by Hong sisters (Jung Eun & Mi Ran) and directed by Park Joon Hwa, the drama ran for 10 weeks, originally on tvN and internationally distributed by Netflix. The principal photography was done in the filming set worth 5 billion won, constructed in Maseong-myeon city of North Gyeongsang Province.

The show takes place in the backdrop of Daeho, a fictional country, and follows a tale of the mages protecting the world against the evil that is trying to bring back a legendary object that will be accompanied by chaos and destruction. ‘Alchemy of Souls’ is a prohibited process used to switch souls between bodies. It keeps at center, Naksu (Go Yoon Jung), an elite mage with unbelievable power, who gets trapped in the body of a mysterious girl, Mu Deok (Jung So Min), and loses her power. Then she meets Jang Uk (Lee Jae Wook), a young master who is in search of a master to learn spells as he was prevented to do so immediately since birth. Together they try to gain and regain their power, as they keep discovering the intertwined fate, they were in bound to come across.

Daeho have different lineages of families of mages, each of which play specific positions and are connected with the leadership of the royal family. Seo family owning Sejukwon the grand infirmary and hub for hospitality, Park family owning Songrim, the most influential space training best of mages, Jin family owns Jinyowon, the place of rarest items and host of powerful priestesses and Jang Family, the hire to the Danju of Chunbugwan , the record keeping organization.

Seo Yul (Hwang Min Hyun) and Park Dang Gu (Yoo In Su) are Songrim mages with ParK Jin (Yoo Jun Sang) as the leader. Heo Yeom (Lee Do Kyung) is the leader of Sejukwon and Maidservant Kim (Oh Na Ra) is the housemaker at Jang Family. Jin Ho Kyung (Park Eun Hye) is the leader of Jinyowon with her daughter Jin Cho Yeon (Arin). Jin Mu (Jo Jae Yoon) is the Asst. Danju at Cheonbugwan. Go Won (Shin Seung Ho) is the crown prince, whereas Go Soon (Choi Kwang Il) and Seo Ha Sun (Kang Kyung Heon) are the King and the Queen of Daeho. Ju Wol (Park Soo Jin) is the leader of Chwiseollu, the place of gisaengs.

Plot development is amazing, very balanced at that, with fair share of twists, peaks and revelations in each episode, that are well-explained at their due time. The connecting plots have been arranged and embellished in a way that it intrigues at each point. The introduction itself was gratifying, indicating an appealing journey ahead, and the furtherance in next few episodes was smooth and engaging. The plot elements get intertwined soon after and everything seems intricated, as intended by the makers and the paced revelations of key facts is what makes the audience to keep going with the show throughout.

Hong sisters never disappoint. Just like their previous dramas, this was amazing and probably their career best, for the story and concept is unique, the elements are intriguing as well as overwhelmingly outstanding, the plot development is pleasing and the twists plus revelations are astonishing to core. Some facts were a bit assumable but considering the number of key elements and lengthy runtime of the drama, that’s very low. The characters have been built-up with great care and have fair shares of depth to themselves and the development of the ML Jang Uk was visibly very gratifying. The process of unveiling the mystery bit by bit was entertaining and satisfying.

Park Joon Hwa PDnim for the ace he is, has come back stronger after 3 years with the drama, which prolly is his first period fiction even though its an alternate fantasy; this should go to one of his best dramas list. The amount of time taken for the production is definitely worth seeing the outcomes, both the quality, the experiences and the response of audience, i. e. the popularity. The scenario setup for all of the major places were aptly done, along with the maintained and regulated changes to the actual culture. Both the CGI & VFX work were well-incorporated as necessitated which should be sufficiently commended. The cinematography also deserves an A+.

Composed by Nam Hye Sung PDnim, the show has a good set of OSTs
# “Scars Leave Beautiful Trace” by Car, the Garden felt like a force of motivation to me than a confession of love. The lyrics is beautifully coded to empower someone’s willpowers and is my most favorite for the way its been used in the drama.
# “Aching” by Kassy is soulfully melancholic song about foregone adversities that have caused immense pain until achieving prosperity. The notes of the chorus is gut-wrenching.
# “Just Watching You” by Jung Se Woon is a touching divulgence of sweet memories to create with someone you are in love with. The lyrics is very well-versed.
# “Raindrops” by Gummy is heartfelt rendition of one’s emotions of being loved at times of odd.

The other 3 tracks are…
# “You’re Everything to Me” by Shin Yong Jae
# ‘Breath” by Kim Na Young
# ‘Love Letter (with you)” by Big Naughty

The concept of alchemy and controlling earthly elements with the flow of energy, rather than citing it as just magic tricks, came as a very fresh illustration of fantasy in Kdramas and the idea od ice stone as well as the process of performing soul-shifting were as beguiling. I loved how this basic aspect were incorporated throughout into an interconnected and intricate narrative, involving the characters and to ease the murkiness in the ambience, we got moderate comedy, teen romance, heartful confessions and everything else that we see in modern drama.

The drama and its alternative world gave the makers the advantage of altering and introducing aspects historical without any hesitation, hence bringing out unique propositions, from outfits to cultures and from architecture to laws of the land. The modification of hanboks into solid and designed clothes, while preserving the basic outlines plus the various hairstyles and dyed hair, and then the simple accessories, all of them felt very fresh. I particularly loved them not abiding to the strict-law formulas, that we often see in real sageuk dramas, which also included no class differentiation among people though there were poors and riches.

I came to admire the narrative surrounding the mighty “ice stone” and how both Jang Uk and Mu Deok utilized their knowledge to decipher the underlying meanings and take actions as necessary. The idea of defining it as a medium for the flow of energy between the sky and the earth, in an indescribable form than a mere stone of ice, did strike me to core. The use of elements like Gwigu and ‘Word of Hearts’ as props were very well-handled. The legend of Master Seo Gyeong and the charismatic acts of Master Lee plus his discovery of certain other elements were both entertaining and enticing.

The storytelling was able behold everyone’s interest for its way of defining characters, elements and sub-stories, all combined into a beautifully appealing script. Hong sisters got wise about dividing the entire development of the current time with multiple narratives: the 200-year-old chaos, the 10-year-old misfortunes, the past of Naksu and Mu Deok, the current tragedy, Jang Uk’s journey, Jin Mu’s pans, etc. The careful establishment of connnections between different subplots and explanations for each suspicion have been very adequately done.

The incorporation of the swords and using it as a part of casting spells, controlling energy and performing different tricks was another intriguing element that I loved the most. The way the sword demanded the master’s competence to get activated and their appearances as in the designs sketched over were beautiful. Every duel between the mages were absolute treats with the well-organized actions. The performance of “alchemy of souls” and the graphics used to represent were bewitching to begi with and Naksu did it the best, be it in her own body or in Mu Deok’s.

Jung So Min and Lee Jae Wook chemistry will surely be a favourite, for the manner in which the relationship between them developed with two dimensions was an amazing experience. It was like two people altering their moods on two sides of a sheet in the same room. The way Jang Uk’s mood changes from Seonsaeng-nim to Mu Deok-ah in just seconds, I could not help but laugh until my stomach hurt. I guess those unsettling boundaries made them fall in love without their conscious and I particulary loved Uk’s way of showing his emotions.

Jung So Min is actually talented and I really hope she gets to play roles of different spectrum from now on. The duality she carried in two contrasting moods, Naksu and Mu Deok, was tremendously delivered; I can say she has improved a lot in a decade and this will be one of his best performances. Escalating the country-style habit of speech to behavior of Mu Deok to the solid and steady manners of Naksu, and vice versa, wasn’t really that smooth of a task.

Jang Uk had evidently the best character development among all bc of how his character was built-up from the scratch; from a guy with no power to turning a powerful mage who can outrank everyone else easily, we saw a engaging jouney, with Naksu obviously. Idk what but I presume it was his love for Mu Deok that also nourished him to be a thoughtful and wise man and made him carry out tasks that nobody thought he’d do or be able to. His expressions are something else; one moment he’s too serious and then he becomes an innocent puppy; his playfulness around Mu Deok were admirable. Lee Jae Wook deserves all the praises and appreciations for his acting, I hope his era is finally here.

Shin Seung Ho as the Crown Prince was developed with good amount of attention and honestly his character grew in an unexpected direction; be it his bromance with Jang Uk or his tease-party with Mu Deok, I loved his interactions with others, when I thought he will not have much to do in the story. But at the end, I ended up admiring him so much. Arin and Min Hyun as rookie stars did deliver nice; Cho Yeon had limited time but she appeared so geaceful and Seo Yul as a handsome and talented mage, might not have much importance in the story, but he shined very bright within his character. Yoo In Su as Park Dang Gu was a great source of humor and his presence in the scenes did lighten the mood, for sure.

Final Remarks… I don’t think I have much left to confess about the drama but I can say with confidence that everything about the drama has influenced me a lot, in various ways and various points. The fact that most of aspects from writing to direction and acting to outcomes, have been a good experience, we must appreciate the team for their efforts in making a nearly flawless piece of art. I also wanna commend them for bringing this amazing cast together and it will stay in the memory forever.

If you are fan of sageuks or fantasy or alternate realities and adventure, this is a very good compilation of all of that, presented in a gratifying manner. There should be no doubt in starting it if you are still in the dilemma due to the longer runtimes and 20 episodes bc the time invested will be worth. I am happy they cleared the air about the possible 2nd part with confirming its arrival late this year, before finishing this one, so I will be eagerly waiting for my new year treat, hehe. Also, its needed bc the original script is that long and the makers had already decided on it, even before beginning the project, so no complaints.

PLEASE WATCH THIS!

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I lie to myself all the time.

A famous quote by Virginia wolf goes like, "If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people." Just because something ain't a lie doesn't mean that it ain't deceptive for a liar knows that they are a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction. This drama and the original novels are quite vocal of it, that you'll realize as you set out on a journey alongside Anna, a woman who made choices out of bravery yet found herself in an endless pit.

Produced by ‘Content Map’ and edited by ‘Studio Briv’“, ANNA (안나)” is a mini Korean web drama, based on the full-length novel “Intimate Stranger (친밀한 낯선 사람)” authored by Chung Han Ah. Lee Joo Young takes charge of both screenwriting and direction of the drama which is the 2nd venture for ‘Coupang Play’, an emerging and rising OTT platform in South Korea.

ANNA follows the story of Lee Yu Mi (Bae Suzy) who lives a life full of lies that resulted from her aspirations to do big but inability to make it up to anything. In short the story keeps at centre a woman who has Ripley’s Syndrome. I think this is enough for a drama with only 6 episodes and less than 50 minutes runtime. The MDL bio says nothing of the story, nor can the show be described with a particular plotline. This can be considered a roughly 5 hours long movie.

“Ripley's Syndrome” is an antisocial personality disorder that causes patients to believe lies about themselves. Sometimes, these lies even urge patients to commit crimes. The condition got its name from Tom Ripley, a con artist and serial killer in Patricia Highsmith's 1950 psychological thriller novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

Many familiar faces other than Suzy that you see in the drama are: Jung Eun Chae, Kim Joon Han, Park Ye Young, Kim Jung Young, Kim Soo Jin Baek Ji Won and Woo Ji Hyun. There are also some known faces in guest roles.

The story and plot development of the show (won’t say is not for everyone) will be likable among viewers who appreciate cinematic values and are avid movie fans. The beginning sequence is intriguing for sure; starting from 1986, i. e. from Yumi’s early childhood to her late-30s in 2022, the chronicle is a portrayal of what kind of life she has been leading. As the story begins with her getting involved with a lady of knowledge and receiving life-lessons from her as a barely 5yo kid, the furtherance takes us to different phases of her life, showing her ‘the then’ status with year stamps.

Her journey is not a smooth one, as she thought it would be, until she messes up with something and ended up getting abandoned. To save herself from miserable judgements and due to personal insecurities, she starts lying and to cover one lie, she lies further and further, she didn’t look back or she couldn’t look back? Well, there lies all the confusions and criticisms, giving scope for reasonable debates and a horrible yet beautiful in-depth character analysis, which I won’t do in the review in order to keep out the spoilers.

Creator and Director of the acclaimed 2017 movie “A Single Rider”, Lee Joo Young-nim might still be a rookie but possesses great creative cinematic skills, which is in fact adequately reflected in this miniseries. The performance of the actors in their respective roles, particularly the central character Anna, and the insights put into the arcs and the overall outcomes, say a lot about the ideas of the maker incorporated with sumptuous sense of creativity. Well written and well directed, in short.

Cinematography by Lee Ui Tae is of great essence, which is quite unexpected but as evidently showcased. The time-shuffle in a sync through years and ages accompanied by growth, was gratifyingly presented. The definite structures in hazy premises and plain tones of the backdrops were of appropriate for what the maker wants to narrate through the story. Additionally, the background theme and composition of various scores is good and did blend well with the show's essence.

The delivery from the rest of the character was up to par as expected albeit Suzy did shine extra in the show; definitely not her best performance but surely stands out as a unique one and I'm certain she did her homework of understanding the character Anna well.

The central character is flawed and radically unideal but who says the devil can not have it's own story? It's always welcoming to witness different perspectives of and particularly the portrayal of a character like Anna with reasonability to her circumstances, is pretty much delivered.

Greed, money and power make us egoistic and arrogant and the through Anna, the writer has done a detailed analysis of how arrogance has the ability to become our prime characteristic feature and can land us in misery, from where, it's sometimes difficult to turn back. Greed also makes it easier for us to give a nod to everything that's offered to us without hesitation even with the realization of guilt.

Loved the manner of storytelling by the creator and the amount of naturally and realness she has decorated in the narrative with the intentions to put forward the shades that we often forget/deny to acknowledge.

Two of the most striking dialogues from the show are...
"Remember! The poker face!"
"Even the way we breath has some meaning and we can get evaluated on it."

Final Remarks... "Anna" is not something not extremely intriguing or exciting as it might seem from the synopsis but it surely has insights of truth and reflections of reality, that help you dissect characters and their psychology, in a manner that might not feel realistic, but makes you realize by the end of show, that lies require commitment and to fulfill it you must sacrifice one thing or the other. It surely was an interesting watch for me and would like to recommend to those who are into movies or are suckers for intellectualism.

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