Reviews

Haunting. Powerful. Taciturn. Unforgettable.

"Sandglass" is a KDrama that relentlessly, sophisticatedly and yet sensitively processes the pain of the South Korean people, that paves the path towards actual democracy. Here you can get a glimpse of a cultural phenomenon: 'Han', a collectively shared sense of painfully experienced injustice (see side note below). "Sandglass" is one of the first KDramas daring to use the medium of television for more than just entertainment. It is also one of the first who could even dare to do so. Here, recent contemporary history is critically targeted from all sides. And at the same time, it becomes a collective vigil for freedom of speech and opinion, for freedom of travel and for the rule of law that have only recently been painfully achieved.

"Sandglass" tells the story of three young people who were friends during the 1970s and 1980s - Park Tae-soo (Choi Min-soo), who actually would have liked to study but made a career as a thug in gangster milieu, Kang Woo-suk (Park Sang-won ), who hopes for the power of the law and thus studies law, and Yoon Hye-rin (Go Hyun-jung), sort of imprisoned within the golden, solid cage being the daughter of the most influential, officially tolerated casino king in the country, who systematically suplies the government with his money from gambling via anonymous bank accounts. Jumping back and forth in time, the fatal emotional bond between the three is unraveled against the background of social events. It is a dramaturgically conscientious reckoning with the military dictatorship, its abuse of power and its crimes against the people. Original film documents were seamlessly played in, i.e. during the staging of the Gwangju massacre. The presentation of the Samchung re-education camp was also staged as realistically as possible on the basis of original photos and documents. The second half of the story then goes through the destinies of the three protagonists in mafioso style: the gangster, the prosecutor, and the heiress to the casino king. The finale is on the one hand the moment of free election for the people (running in the background), and on the other hand the result of the personal (more or less free) choices of the three protagonists, who still share a world in which despite all recent tumult and uprising basically not much has changed...

More than half of the South Korean population watched the 1995 KDrama "Sandglass". It was praised and praised again. Hard to believe, that it is these days hardly available for streaming with subtitles, never mind as DVD. Apparently, those who have a DVD are reluctant to give it away. I can understand, after I actually saw the KDrama myself - first only in the original version without subtitles (wasn't that bad, because mostly there isn't much talk :-) ), then with a time delay also with subtitles (it was definitely helpful :-) ), and by now also knowing a little more about that historic background. "Sandglass" is truly a masterpiece. Yes, it is taciturn, thrives on the acting, on long shots and on purposefully used, deliberately reduced light. It doesn't sugarcoat anything. It wants to let it sink, each and every moment. The camera accompanies the events almost like a documentary. Without comment, sequences, events, moments in time stand side by side. The story unfolds like a suction and draws you in. The soundtrack supports this pull effect. The story takes its course, the course of which is known, i.e. is predictable: Park dictatorship / suppression of democratic aspirations under the pretext of North Korean infiltration / Chun Doo-hwan supreme military leader, commander of the security and finally new president by coup d´état / martial law, Gwangju Uprising and massacre / cleansing camps / June 1987 fight, abolition of censorship, end of military dictatorship / free elections in 1992. Amazing and grandiose that via TV series a critical review of those bloody 1980s was already possible in 1995. It's brilliant, too, how the protagonists with their very different backgrounds, values ​​and goals are fatally interwoven and mercilessly swallowed up by historical events and social circumstances.

A fantastic K-Drama. Completely consistent. first class.
A sad story. Not funny. Not at all. You have to be able to get involved with the dramaturgically idiosyncratic, taciturn handwriting. (The mood should be right, so to speak.)
(And yes, it's an old ham when it comes to production quality. Screen format, picture and sound quality can hardly keep up with the Netflix era - a digital remastering would definitely be desirable...)

Anyone who is interested in the topic but can't get to the KDrama can grab an impression of the Gwangju massacre in "Youth of May" (2021), or a feeling for the time under military dictatorship and for the concentration camps in "Giant" (2010).
However, if you have the opportunity to see "Sandglass", I recommend that you go for it. Even without historical or socio-cultural interest, KDrama has a lot to offer in terms of impressiveness and melodrama.











------------------ HISTORICAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION -----------------------

Admittedly, being able to classify the historic events, helped for me. E.g. at the beginning there are scenes in which thugs and police bus-wise arrive at a building and disperse the opponent party´s event. This was actually the key historical point, marking the beginning of the massive social unrest, which resulted in actual free elections 13 years later. In fact, it was originally a comparatively small strike in 1979, which took place on the 4th floor of the New Democratic Party's headquarters. Around 200 women, workers at the textile company YH Trading Corporation, protested against the closure of their factory. Unions had no place during Yushin dictatorship, however his sit-in-demonstration was actually almost too minor, to interfere. Nevertheless, the government used the particular context at the opposition party building as a cover for a major anti-opposition operation - 'Operation 101'. Around 1,000 police officers in uniform and civilian gangs of thugs assaulted leading party members and 174 of the demonstrating women workers. Union leader Kim Gyeong-sook died while jumping out of the window.

The civilian thugs (fictional Tae-soo in "Sandglass" being one of them), were subordinate to the main money-provider of the regime (here the casino king and Hye-rin's father, who clean-washed his income for political means.)

That factory workers´ trade union action by no means was the reason for the following uprising. However the occasion served as the momentum for what was to come. Against this background, the later (fictive) encounter between Hye-rin and one of those women from 1979 becomes understandable. Hye-rin adores the by now torture-broken woman for her brave fight for democracy back then. That woman, however, never wanted a political revolt, she just didn't want to lose her job. In fact she feels betrayed and instrumentalized in a political fight that she really didn't want to fight and in which she lost everything, even herself, her dignity and self-respect.

Responsible for the politicization of events that had taken on a dynamic of its own, was actually the Park regime itself: it´s attempt to split and suppress the opposition. By demanding the party leader Kim Young-sam and his deputies to resign from their mandate provoked and politicized the public. Since this coincided with the beginning of the winter semester, the student movement, too, took the incidence for a red-hot political profile: demanding the end of the Park government. A corresponding demonstration in Busan was violently suppressed in this context. A few days later, president Park was assassinated by the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA). This assassination had nothing to do with the students and their demands. Neither does North Korean Communism. It just coincided timewise with the Busan demonstration. The military, in turn, took advantage of the political power vacuum situation, imposed martial law on the mainland, installed a far-reaching investigative body and thus paved the way for the meteoric rise of Chun Doo-hwan, who was appointed chief investigator. He used his chance consistently and purposefully. After 8 months of military coup, the country had a new dictator in uniform who presented himself as the savior of the nation.

He repreatedly and systematically declared the pro-democracy drive the enemy by spreading conspiracy and infiltration theories about North Korea's ambitions. Press and public were massively manipulated with so-called K-operations (king´s operations) in order to convince the people by the good of military rule. The credo was: the military and Chun Doo-hwan were the only chance to counter the spreading, communist-manipulated unrest, in creating something like order and security. At the same time, the military units were drilled with the so-called Choongjung (True Heart) training for a particularly aggressive and efficient suppression of demonstrations. New paratrooper units were created as special forces. In addition to physical fitness, the training included the development of a strong corps-spirit and the use of massive violence and targeted abuse.

Against this background, the situation among the military units deployed in Gwangju in May 1980 can also become somewhat more understandable. On the one hand, they were brainwashed. On the other hand, to date it has still not really been clarified who gave the orders for the escalating violence in May 1980 - e.g. orders to shoot and the use of paratroopers. Internal ambivalence and irritation was common at all levels of command. But that didn't help. In the end the corps-spirit was more binding and prevailed. In this respect, the executing soldiers, as perpetrators, somehow became victims in those sad May days, too. The proclaimed enemy - North Korean Communism, which is behind the pro-democracy movement - and the unshakable pillar of power - the military dictatorship with all its arrogance - posed such a strong, effective, powerful threat, so that it was so frightening people in uniform (and without) and made them hitting their brothers and sisters indiscriminately (again, after barely three decades). Because someone had chosen Gwangju as the place of the example. And because the sides there had just turned out that way - those who lived in, studied in or visited Gwangju on the one hand, and those who were doing their military service at nearby barracks at the time. On the other hand, the political vision or just a simple wish, that everybody might finally live freely under fair conditions, seemed hopeless. Suddenly the fight was (rather apolitical) about pure survival and desperate rebellion against arbitrary violence.

Eventually, with "Sandglass" the South Korean population became seriously aware of what had really happened in Gwangju in 1980: a people´s uprising against military oppression, being brutally suppressed. Because of the propagandistic K-operations and the censorship (which was repealed only in 1987), knowledge of these events was never really able to spread. Numerous witnesses had deliberately been put into camps or imprisoned. For the television audience in 1995, these street-fighting scenes must have come as a complete shock, not only because they are terrifying in themselves (regardless of where and when), but because they actually had taken place in such brutal manner and in such close proximity completely without their knowledge. In this way, "Sandglass" also became the trigger for nationwide latest history processing. The TV production paved the way for more critical historical scrutiny in the media and also apparently accelerated the course of the trial and sentencing of ex-President Chun Doo-hwan in 1996. He was sentenced to death. (However, on appeal it was turned into a life sentence. His assets, of course, were safely parked, too. He died of cancer in 2021.)





---------------- Side note: --- NATIONAL SECURITY ACT ----

The National Security Law has been in force in South Korea since 1948 - until today. Its primary purpose was to push through anti-communist propaganda and to control or shut down opposing intellectuals, artists, journalists, students etc.. This National Security Act de facto restricts freedom up to this day and ultimately violates the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1976 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which South Korea had actually ratified. Fatally, it seamlessly continues a relic from the days unter Japanese rule. Several 100,000 people have fallen victim to this law over the past few decades. The verdicts resulted in prison sentences of thirty to forty years, which is among the longest in the world. It has served military dictatorships well, opening the door to arrest and torture countless times. Even after the end of the dictatorship, as late as 1989, obviously an average of 3.3 people each day were arrested, tortured and sentenced to prison under this national security law. To this day, the law is still officially considered constitutional...






--------------- Side note: --- RE-EDUCATION, CLEANSING AND CONCENTRATION CAMPS ---

A unique dubious institution during the Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship were the concentration camps for re-educating unwanted citizens. 25 such camps were set up in the aftermath of the Gwangju massacres. They served to systematically clear the streets of South Korea of ​​unwanted people (and yet mostly arbitrarily as a military demonstration of power). The camps were primarily used for brutal abuse - any dignity was broken, body and soul pushed to the limit.

The detainees were divided into 4 categories: A implied prison; B and C an agonizing time in one of the re-education camps; D a warning. Category B and C inmates often ended up in prison as well, provided they survived the re-education camps. E.g. a former military prison in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi was thus modified according to 'Samchung Plan No. 5'. This location officially was established to fight North Korean Communism: up to 100,000 innocent people may have gone through hell without a warrant - and rarely enough survived.




--------------- Side note: --- HAN ---

Han can be considered a collectively shared, identity-forming cultural pain in the sense of sad and angry grief. This cultural characteristic developed in the course of Japanese colonization of Joseon. There has been, and still is, debate about the extent to which Han can or cannot be considered a collective trait that creates identity. In any case, as a shared painful experience of that time, a specific form of expression of grief developed, while behind melancholy suppressed anger also resonates. Han has found its very unique solemn, deeply and sadly swinging aesthetic in Korean culture, which we can observe/feel in music, film, television, literature, poetry etc. It can be considered a collectively shared state of mind, that feeds on the traumatic experience of humiliation and abuse as a people that Joseon endured so massively at the hands of the Japanese oppressors. Han addresses helplessness in the face of overwhelming injustice. But despite all the pain and sadness, there is also something tough in Han: an inner resilience, a rebellion, that still provides something like strength in the darkest depths.

Han was further nurtured in the post-Joseon era by the separation of families into two antagonized nations. Finally those brutal 1980s, which are revived in "Sandglass" in the sense of a solidary vigil, tie directly to this collective Han - as a basic feeling that continuously and silently runs through (especially) the first half of the KDrama. A collective emotional state from which one cannot escape: the experience of suffering; the ability of suffering; the national destiny of suffering.

In the course of South Korean turbo-capitalism over the past two decades, Han as an issue has receded somewhat into the background among the younger generation. Nevertheless, there is already a new, modified, less beautiful form of expression: ´Hwabyeong´, the culture-specific Korean manifestation of a depressive psychosomatic disorder with characteristic symptoms, that already affects wide circles - as a result of suppressed anger in the face of overwhelming social circumstances experienced as unfair. (e.g. victims of any sort of bullying in school or at work etc.)
(I wonder, whether it would not be better to continue to give Han an explicit, contemporary, aesthetic expression - in contrast to the embellished, perfected facades e.g. in KPop + KDrama culture... but that would be another topic.. .)

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Truly touching. It makes you angry and concerned, too. You will ride in a rollercoaster of emotions.

"Sorry, I Love You" is an early masterpiece of proven KDrama art, which once again juggles the injustices of ordinary people with sensitive finesse in an emotionally draining manner - against the background of a South Korean sensitively reinterpreted Romeo & Juliet love story.

Humiliation, exploitation, devaluation are the everyday life of the socially weak, while the celebrated, influential contemporaries seem to know no shame in their arrogance and haughtiness.

So Ji-sub hauntingly embodies subtly controlled, concentrated, suppressed anger. In the character of the protagonist, hate and compassion, love and indifference are combined in a fatal mixture. He becomes an incalculable time bomb that could be activated at any time.

Of all the early Makjang-infused KDramas, "Sorry, I Love You" is one of my favourites. Even if 'love' is bold in the title, the story doesnt´t romanticize it in a striking and cliché-like manner, yet the KDrama tells the story understated elegantly, but no less touchingly and also sincerely (...and of course dramatically tangled in a complex way.)

There is brother rivalry, revenge, swapped babies, secrets, complicated feelings, accidents, illnesses - the whole program prepared in a new mixture. The KDrama expresses in a concentrated, mostly subtly restrained (and thus even more vehemently impactful) emotional force how arbitrary, mendacious and unfounded it is that some people believe, they are 'justifiably' above others and thus have the given right to make decisions about them.

The KDrama uses a rarely found dramaturgical move to give the emotional force of the collision of two worlds even more power: the protagonist was put up for adoption abroad as a child. So he not only grew up with the feeling of not being wanted, but also with other western socialized (Australian) values. Subservience and humility are not among his strengths. He tends not to respect people in authority, or at least the authority has to prove itself as such first. He often acts disconcertingly strange. In South Korea, however, manners and respect for the elderly and higher ups are everything. Since he's Korean, people hardly pardon his naughtiness (as they would an obvious foreigner).

A touching story that makes you angry and also concerned. You will ride in the rollercoaster of emotions - while one emotional looping has not yet been completed, you are already on the way to the next.



-------------SIDE NOTE: ---overseas adoption of South Korean children---
...is a sad story that began after the end of the Korean War. Since then, around 200.000 children have been adopted, primarily from families in the USA, but also from Canada, Australia and Europe. First they were war orphans, then children from poor families, but then also children from illegitimate or divorced backgrounds. In the 1970s and 80s it became a profitable business. On the one hand, the government imposed veritable quotas on the adoption agencies. On the other hand, demand from western countries was high. Corruption flourished in places - the children were given away to the highest bidder. A halt to adoption in the face of international criticism was followed by renewed liberalization of legislation - as a result of the (lack of) adoption policy of the past decades social system was not prepared for the number of 'orphans' (actually: abandoned children).

Most of those ´orphan´ children have now grown up. There are quite a few, who organize themeselves and advocate for change. They want others to spare the trouble of growing up in a country, in a culture in which they are seen as strangers and bullied for being different and confronted with racial prejudice. In many cases they remain strangers and outcasts, as their country of origin cannot be/become a home for them either. The 'hatred of the homeland' is probably rather high among foreign adopters. In 2004, when the KDrama was released, the mood in South Korea was sensitized to the concerns of foreign adoptions and so a critically discussed topic was filled with 'life' by this KDrama. In 2006, an adoption day was introduced in South Korea and finally, since 2007, the numbers have shifted: there are now more domestic than foreign adoptions in South Korea...

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A must watch healthy relationship

This drama deserves a solid 10 from my perspective .I rarely writes reviews for drama just after finishing it but this deserves exception. . This is story of two people falling in love by understanding each other. So the lead have more screen time than any other unnecessary dramas. This is kind of healing romance with a realistic characters. The actors match the character so well that we can’t imagine anyone else as LZX and YSL.

This drama is an example of how healthy relationship can make a person better. If someone asks a drama on healthy relationship , you guys can show them this for sure. No evil scheming ex-girlfriend or evil parents spectating couple or anything. All are positive people. His ex girlfriend even helped them to get together.

This drama contain romance, comedy and some lessons. The characters are well written. This is just a simple love story between two normal human being we see around ourselves. This drama is like reading a good book. You know reading some book in a chill atmosphere after hectic work , you know what I mean. There is no angst or much drama. The entire focus is on their romance and relationship. They do have deep conversations. Some might say all they do is having lunch and talking but if they listens to their convo well , you will know why they are having that convo. Also in my experience we like someone or develop a relationship by talking with them and understanding each others thoughts, likes and dislikes right?.

Ye Shi Lan(FML) is a paediatrician working in Anxing hospital . She is one of the character many can relate to. She has her own flaws also her own qualifications .She has a purpose for her life, she has a goal, she plans her life with practical way. She wants to fulfil her dream of buying a house which is an influence from her father. She is timid but she is aware of her flaws. She accepts her mistakes, apologise , she tries to correct things. One thing I liked that she was a pessimistic person , when Lu Zhao Xi(ML) gives advise her to think life in a positive way, she actually took it seriously and made herself positive. She is ready to accept the advices if its good. She is someone who we can make understand things. Her relationship with her best friend jiajia is also good. They are not typical best friends you see in dramas. Here they share everything with each other, they are not ashamed to talk anything with each other. Also Jia Jia gives the best advices to her instead of some crazy immature ideas.
I was able to relate to YSL in some scenarios like why she is thinking like that. YSL felt she didn’t deserve Lu Zhao Xi when she felt some affection or like towards him, she saw herself inferior and LZX had so many qualities so that she didn’t find a reason why would LZX like her.

The female lead got the most character development in the show I can say. In first episodes , she seemed unhappy, lack of confident, less outgoing , always keeps herself and always sees things in positive way also she started to get along with colleagues also. Later in episodes you can see, she became more vibrant , active , doing sweet talks with Lu Zhao Xi easily. 

Coming to our ML , Lu Zhao Xi, He is the one of the best ML out there. He is born in a rich family , he got everything but yet he is aware that he is privileged due to his family background . He is not the usual robotic face President/CEO. He is the main reason I got hooked to this drama. He is very considerate , influence people around him positively, respect others, very understanding. You can see in one episode where they were having an event for trying the birth pain stimulator for men and he came forward and gave some good speech there. So such things shows how thoughtful he is . He is a person everyone deserves in their life. He doesn’t misuse his power. He is very playful , easygoing and friendly. He is the standard for a man in girls life. He sees life in an optimistic way. Even when Ye Shi Lan misunderstood him back there in Taoyuan Village, he never took that to heart , he understood why she mistook and never judged her , even he tried to comfort her . When she came to back to hospital he teased her for fun but nothing serious , YSL thought he would take revenge but nothing like that happened. When he was trying to make her jealous but when thing didn’t go as planned he instantly felt regret and depressed because he felt he hurried YSL and affected her mood, he was worried about her. You can see when he realised he liked her more than momentary crush he was afraid to confess not because of the fear of rejection but because he was worried she would feel awkward to face him in future. That much he thinks of her. Lu Zhao Xi is not thunder Leo (usual type). He express his emotions, he express his love , he do a lots of sweet talk. Because even when they become together we will not awkward .


Their relationship is very beautiful. They respect each other , love each other and have a lots of admiration. They never fails to compliment each other and support each other . I love while developing their friendship first, they shared each and everything with each other, because when they become couple they didn't have any big secret hiding from each other. They know most of things about each other.

I watched whole drama with smile on my face. The confession scene was one of the best confession scene I have seen. Only real words, no honey coated promised . During the confession scene, Ye Shi Lan shared all the insecurities with him and I wanted to give a hug to her. LZX understood her worries. And he was able to comfort her.I love how Lu Zhao said, “Though I can’t promise only good things will happen to you in the future, even if something
Bad happens, I’ll try my best to make it in good direction”. I feel this line is good , because no fake promises like I will make only goo things for you in future etc etc. The dialogues are written beautifully , it’s like reading a poem or book. Also the Scenery of Taiyuan village is good.

In short I would totally recommend this drama to anyone. Definitely going to be in my Top list of fav dramas and rewatch list.

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Why should you watch a sitcom (never watched one before) that is 123 eps long? That’s what I asked myself as well before I even thought about starting it…

Story- Yes there are an abundance of episodes but each one is not even a half hour long and they feel so short because the writers did a great job of giving each main character a story line of their own, which fills the time nicely. What I liked about the writing is not only are most eps truly funny but some eps deal with serious stuff so you also get to feel for the characters. Really though the writing was phenomenal cause it kept me watching all the eps without getting bored. In fact they could have continued after ep 123 and I would have kept watching cause I felt like they had so much more story to tell. As for the ending, while not bad like High Kick S2, I would of liked different outcomes for some of the characters.

Acting/Characters- Whats funny is that I came into this not knowing most of the actors, and even if I did know them, there’s no way I would want to watch a 123 ep sitcom just for them. However, after watching a couple eps I realized that the casting was perfect. Every actor whether main or supporting, made his or her characters stand out. I was rooting for everyone to find their success. The main featured family really did feel like they were a family as they had good chemistry. The only loveline that managed to turn into something (Ji Suk & Ha Sun) had really good chemistry and their relationship was just so cute/funny. My favorite character though happened to be Sung Yoon (Joon Sook’s best friend) because he was just so odd but really cute/sweet/innocent. And surprisingly a character that I was completely annoyed by in the beginning (Krystal) became one of my favorites by the end (really good character development for her). There were a couple of characters I just did not ever manage to like (Dr. Yoon Gye Sang, Bak Jin Hee, and Ji Won) their personalities were awful and i even had to start fast-forwarding through their scenes).

Music- Each episode had its own OST, that being said there were too many songs to remember but I remember liking a lot of the songs within various eps.

Rewatch- While the drama is entertaining enough to watch the entire series again, my favorite part of the drama is the second half so I’ll probably stick to watching those eps over and over whenever I feel like a good laugh.

Overall if your like me and had never seen a Korean sitcom, do try this one out because it’s a lot of fun and you get attached to the characters.

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I picked out this movie randomly by looking at the poster. While I expected an immature girl falling in love with her professor, it turned out to be different from what I thought. It was a sweet and touching story. Also, it has its light moments and the rest of it was kind of serious. It was a fairly engrossing film. I cared about the characters and was fairly interested in the plot till the end.

A relationship between a 17 year old girl and a 35 year old guy seems creepy, and if not portrayed correctly it can go terribly wrong. However, this has to be one of the best student-teacher relationships that I have seen. They were very likable together and none of it seemed forced or stupid. Both the older guy and the younger girl had solid reasons to fall for someone so unexpected. I really liked their love. And I was touched by the girl. In the beginning, she is a bad girl. As in real bad- she works as a prostitute and bullies others. When it seemed like she hardly had any redeeming qualities, she changes completely. It's basically about character development which was the focus point of the story. The girl turns into a very nice and serious person. She stops fooling around, studies hard and changes her ways entirely.

The best thing about their relationship was that she changes a depressed, anti-social person to a happy and expressive person. And while she seems so mature in front of her friends, she acts exactly her age with her teacher. She is attracted to his serious side and he falls for her youthfulness. It was very sweet to watch them together.

Another good thing was that we get informed of the incoming "serious" problems beforehand in the first scene itself. I hate when things drop in on the viewer unexpectedly, out of nowhere! I would have liked to focus a bit more on how she became a bad girl because I found that rather interesting.

The movie has a fairly good star cast and I particularly liked the main actress. She was pretty and was able to act well. I also loved the clothes she wore throughout the film. She even made carrying umbrellas look trendy! She had a pretty magnetic personality. I was also happy with the direction of the film. It was not a well written screenplay and there were a lot of inconsistencies with the plot and pace. But that part gets compensated with good cinematography. Even the soundtrack is cool. I loved the songs they played in the background, plus they were in English so I will probably download the soundtrack later.

Anyway, the movie is overall a very nice effort from the director and writers. While it is not THE best, but it is still great and manages to get its point across to the viewer. It made good sense.

I will definitely rewatch it again when I feel like it.

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A good cdrama sequel to the taiwanese original drama

1/ STORY:

It is based on the concept of time space overlapping where an apartment becomes the point of junction of events happening in 2021 and 2022 with a 4 months gap.

The ML from 2022 defends a female friend (SFL) who is divorcing her husband (SML). The case leads to 2022ML being sent to live in an apartment where he meets FL from 2021 from 10:06 to 10:52. The apartment is a point from where they can go to 2022 ML time space using the front door or to 2021 FL time space using the backdoor.

It appears that SFL is ML's friend and SML is FL's friend and their divorce in 2022 leads to tragedy. While 2022ML and 2021FL are bickering and discovering each other, they try to save their married friends from that tragedy. They ask the help of the 2021 version of the ML and they go thought different situations and cases in 2021 which modifies 2022.

2/WHAT I LIKED:

- The relationship between the 2022ML and 2021FL. It starts in a weird but funny way. They are forced to be roommates and to learn about each other. The romance which ensues is very cute and convincing with their fun and loving moments and their moments of doubts. They develop deep feelings for each other. Their Love for the other ultimately requires each of them to make a determining choice.
- The back and forth between 2021 and 2022. I thought the time travel was pretty well made and quite easy to follow. It kept a level of logic that made it admissible.
- The ending was really well made for me with an unexpected turn of event and a soothing time to wrap up everything.

3/WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:

- Usual break up which does not last long in term of story time but too long in term of episodes.
- Cases are a little bit cliché: cheating/divorce, bullying from corporation, gambling problems, sexual harassment...
- The usual lecturing about family, friendship, behaving right, forgiving...
- The ending is way too lenient for the bad guys. They get nothing serious despite their bad deeds.

4/CHARACTERS:
- Loved the leads: 2022ML, 2021 FL, 2021ML.. I thought the three characters and their relationships were well crafted. They are the best part of this drama. The lead actors were convincing too.
- SFL: Bland character who is the cause of everything.
- SML: Bro, just divorce her, have a good divorcee party and find yourself a new gf
- The mistress: Not so bright but funny.
- The brother: A liability
- The rival lawyer: Why so much hate?

4/ OST: The songs were ok. Contributed to the cute romantic tone.

5/ REWATCH VALUE:
Maybe I will rewatch it after some time.

6/OVERALL:
This looks like a remake of Meet me @10:06 but it is rather a sequel. If the original concept of time space overlapping and the early episodes have similar situations, the development of the plot and story is totally different. It is possible to say that the phenomenon happens with a different couple. The story is good and the lead characters are endearing. I will recommend it as it is one cdrama that I enjoyed watching since months. 8.5 /10.

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What I liked the most about this drama is Dong Yi's character, a beautiful and smart water maid of the Royal Palace. Thanks to her intelligence, she has managed to make her way in the difficult politics of the royal court.
Women are the real protagonists of this story, from the wise and kind queen Inhyeon to the terrible villain Jang Hui Bin.

The plot is really interesting, full of intrigues and conspiracies.. a look at korean history and a tender and fresh love story between the king Sukjong and Dong Yi.. It may seem like a never-ending drama since it has 60 episodes, instead it was really nice and smooth..and it seemed to have really followed Dong Yi's whole life..

There were many unforgettable characters like king Sukjong, a wise leader for his people and a skilled politician but also a kind hearted and even funny person.. thanks to Jin Ji Hee's acting^^
I also loved many supporting roles..who can forget the eunuch? XD

Han Hyo Joo is one of my favorite actresses and I don't need to say that she was great as Dong Yi.

I loved the setting of the royal palace, the sumptuous and colorful costumes and the lovely music. The OST gave a nostalgic feeling to the whole drama.

If you want to know more about korean history in a beautiful and interesting way this is a drama for you^^

Ps: sorry for my English

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Could Use A Few More Chickens

This was an overall well done drama that was unfortunately too short to realize its full potential. The material was great, but eight episodes wasn't long enough to fully develop some of the issues presented or to fully develop the relationships and characters. Even so, I did enjoy this drama for the most part, it has some great messages and it does tackle some tough issues with tact.

I liked the concept for the story, how a one night stand could turn into something more. The way Wen helped Jim in so many ways, not just with working at the diner, but also with helping him find closure with his past relationship and heal and move on, was well done. I admired Wen's perseverance and that while he continued to pursue Jim even when Jim had indicated he was not looking for a relationship, he did so relatively tactfully, never pushing too hard, but still making it clear that he was interested and that he thought they could work things out. However, things turned complicated, which was exactly what Jim feared, when Wen's ex-boyfriend who he was still living with, Alan, showed up and threw a wrench in things. Despite their break up, he is still possessive of Wen and hopes that they can patch things up and get back together. Wen, however, is ready to move on, and he is faced with having to do just that and more firmly sever his ties with Alan as he tries to establish a relationship with Jim. And Alan, for his part, is left trying to move on as well and come to terms with the fact that his and Wen's relationship is truly over. Meanwhile, Jim's nephew who he has raised, is a senior in high school and is still trying to figure himself out amidst the limitations of not being the scholarly type and being poor. Jim can be overbearing with him and Li Ming feels trapped and isolated until he meets Heart, a deaf young man his own age and they slowly become friends which then turns romantic. The relationship is a healing one for both as Li Ming finds someone who understands and cares for him exactly as he is and Heart finds someone who treats him as a normal person and actually puts out the effort to communicate with him. They serve as each other's escape in many ways and I loved their relationship in all its facets.

With so many BLs these days sticking to high school or college settings, it was refreshing that this one stepped outside those bounds. I think that opened up a lot more doors for it to tackle issues that it couldn't otherwise. However, because it was confined to only eight episodes and it did try to tackle multiple issues, it wasn't necessarily able to dive into them as deeply as one might have liked. The economy and cost of living were both subjects that were brought up multiple times. Leng, one of Jim's friends and employees, and his girlfriend Praew find themselves unexpectedly expecting, so unplanned pregnancy, the cost of raising a child, and even abortion are touched on, if only briefly. By creating a deaf character, the deaf community was given representation and it was done well. The various ways of parenting is also touched on, how there's not one right way to parent and parents are always learning, even from their children. Relationships serve as a major focus, examining how some relationships simply peter out after a while, unrequited love, and, particularly, moving on from past relationships and how, while it may be painful, we can hope that there's something and someone better out there for us in the future. I enjoyed every part of it, again the only detractor is that I wanted more time to explore those topics.

Probably the biggest downfall of this drama, and I know I've seen others commenting on this, is the miscasting of Earth. Earth is a damn good actor, there is no denying that, but in no way does he, as a 29 year old young man, look anywhere close to 40. I know he's a couple years older than Mix, Khaotung and First but he really doesn't look it, and in the drama, there's presumed to be something like at least a ten year age difference between their characters. Earth is one of those people who looks younger than they really are, but this seemed outside the range of probability to me. Papang, in contrast, who played Jim's former lover, Beam, is only a year older than Earth, but he looks older. I could more easily believe he was in his mid-30's. There's also looking at him next to Lookwa who plays his sister. She's a beautiful woman, don't misunderstand me, and looks fantastic at 42, but they don't look like they are close in age at all. I understand that Earth and Mix are a popular pairing, but if they wanted them paired together, it would have made more sense to change Jim's age to something closer to Earth's actual age. As it was, Jim's age was hammered home so often you couldn't forget it, and there were some scenes that were supposed to be more emotional that just didn't work as well as they might have with a more age appropriate actor.

Jim and Wen's relationship was another issue. The first episode is great. The chemistry and tension between the two is electric and then suddenly, it's just gone and while there are still flickers of it throughout the rest of the drama, it's not quite as strong as that first impression. Wen's feelings for Jim remain clear throughout the drama while Jim's feelings are much harder to decipher. There are moments where it's evident he does feel the same way, but it wasn't always consistent and their relationship felt stagnant at times. Even when things were supposed to be changing between them, I didn't always feel it.

I really enjoyed all the side characters, particularly Alan and Gaipa. Khaotung is such a good actor, I wanted more of Gaipa just so he could showcase his skills more, but also he was so sweet, I just liked his character and I wanted to get to know him a bit more. And Alan, aside from the fact that First is also a fantastic actor, was such an interesting character, I wanted to know more about him and his history with Wen. I felt like there was a lot more to unpack there.

But the highlight couple for me was Li Ming and Heart. Having just seen My School President, I enjoyed seeing them in such different roles. Li Ming is a somewhat similar character to Gun, but much heavier on the teenage angst. But it's not in a bad way. You can feel the frustration Li Ming has with his life and circumstances, and it's justified. Fourth did such a good job with bringing Li Ming to life and bringing such nuance to the character. Heart, being deaf, was a much different character for Gemini to portray. I was so impressed with his ability to emote without speaking a single word and he was utterly believable in the role. He and Fourth have such great chemistry. The build up of Li Ming's and Heart's relationship is so well done and feels very natural.

In general, the romance is not why I enjoyed this drama. Jim and Wen's romance lacked some consistency and while Li Ming and Heart were the highlight couple for me out of those present, what I actually loved about this drama was the chicken rice family that they created. The way the characters all came together for each other to take care of each other and build each other up was so heartwarming. They may not have been related by blood, but that didn't matter, they did what needed to be done even if that cost them personally. And I liked seeing how Wen was welcomed into their family, really without much question, he was just accepted. So if you take it from that angle, rather than a romantic one, it is a very wholesome story. And for me, personally, that is better than any romance.

The production was overall pretty strong. I really liked the sets, particularly the chicken rice shop was just so aesthetically pleasing to me. It made me wish I could go there and visit that place. The lighting was an issue at times. There were a number of late night conversations and sometimes the lighting was too dim and it made it harder to make out faces and expressions. However, one scene that I absolutely loved was the one of Jim and Wen at the beach at twilight. The way it was shot with their silhouettes was beautiful. I do wish they'd translated the sign language as a fair amount of it got missed. There were times when Li Ming would essentially repeat what Heart had said, but a lot of the time I was just left guessing.

This is a drama worth watching at least once. It's short so what do you have to lose? I don't as it's one that I'll come back to which is a bit disappointing because I think it could have been absolutely phenomenal with some tweaking of the story and the cast. And I think this drama really does highlight how important casting truly is. I don't think the miscasting of Earth broke the drama, but it did affect it and its ability to pack an emotional punch. I hope in the future they focus more on delivering a solid story with an appropriate cast than keeping particular pairings together.

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Emotions and their parallel to art: shaping love and searching for a ‘forever’ through sculpture

"How does one become such a great artist?" — "How do you define great?" — "To stand the test of time." — "I wonder if forever exists."

Artistic, pensive, beautifully crafted, and unique in its cinematographic ways—‘Wakatte Ite mo: The Shapes of Love’ explores the vulnerability of struggling, waiting, hoping, and loving. It perfectly portrays the essence of human nature and captures love in its many different shapes under a refreshingly realistic light. It represents these themes through art in a mature and abstract manner, much like the concept of humanity and love itself.

In a world where "there is nothing more uncertain than a person's heart," the story follows the lives of artists who create art driven by their inspiration and their desire to create their own sense of forever. They are ready to put aside their usual composure and values in order to seek the heart of their loved one. For example, Kosaka Ren, the male lead, wants forever. He may seem to act in the opposite manner, constantly changing girlfriends, however this is his way of experiencing his 'forever' by always surrounding himself with the beauty of new beginnings. But when he meets Hamasaki Miu, he's ready to put that habit of his aside and sacrifice the paths he's always safely borrowed in his life to stay by her side. Another lead, Osakabe, thinks it's bad to act on lust, yet his world melts the second he sees his crush’s smile. Lastly, there is Ikushima Ruki, who wants to be with his crush but lets her be with another if it means gaining her trust and friendship first.

Ultimately, the series perfectly encapsulated the original webteeon’s overall message, reinforcing it with scenes and lines that portray its message more explicitly instead of requiring heavy analyses like it was for the webtoon’s Korean adaptation; ‘Nevertheless,’. The shortened run time allowed the leads’ journey to be explored more thoroughly without weighing down the whole series with its heaviness. Additionally, the poetic and inspirational narration made it easier to grasp its concept and allowed for a more direct interpretation of the webtoon’s work—keeping its core themes but casting aside tropes that don’t add to its main focal point.

Through Hamasaki Miu’s eyes, the female lead, Ren is the butterfly—beautiful, attractive, light, and seemingly free—giving her the illusion that he has it easy. The series adds a new meaning to the significance of butterflies: they are thought to be a symbol of freedom, but actually, they just fly the same paths over and over. Maybe the best thing they can do is just enjoy the ride. This goes for both of them because they are both like butterflies, or at least, they both try to carry the essence of butterflies by capturing their fleeting beauty through art. When Ren finds Miu, he wishes to metaphorically capture her, who is like a butterfly to him, but one who hasn't opened its wings yet.

Ren wants to approach her, mostly out of self-interest, intrigued by how she expresses her inner-feelings through art without fear, but also because of a certain fate-like pull that builds up following their many coincidental meetings. However, he is a playboy by nature—flirty and manipulative. He seems more curious about how far he himself is willing to go or devote to her rather than the other way around, not caring about her reactions and staying consistent in the attention that he devotes to her.

His push and pull plays with her emotions; his stance in his affection towards her grounded in unsteady terrain, teetering her back and forth into the territory of hopefulness and then desperation. This constant shift in Miu’s emotions highlights the overall theme of the series, which is that she can't help but hope even if she knows things will come to an end or leave a scar. Nevertheless, Ren constantly ignites these feelings of hope within her, making her want to reach out and seal the faith of their relationship—an impulsive act that mirrors his own tendency to act on impulse.

Kosaka Ren is a rather peculiar character. Since he is not good at sharing his feelings, he uses art to communicate them. Even we, as viewers, don't know him quite well and have been misguided by him many times with deceptions based on what we do see from him. For example, we don't know if whenever he picks up a call, it's his girlfriend. He never clarifies misunderstandings and viewers are prompted to believe he's a player and always the one at fault. However, in the last episode, “I couldn't succeed in becoming the most important person in her life” is a line said in his narration while the screen presents a note his mother left saying she'd be absent for lunch. This shows how he doesn't have commitment issues as is suggested throughout the whole series, but rather that he blames himself for the constant departures of the people around him in his life. Instead of being a playboy, he's the one constantly getting played and letting others tug on him like a puppet.

He's not the butterfly who comes and goes, but the others around him are, flocking to his beauty like butterflies do to flowers—which explains his longing despair for a 'forever'. “Gradually, I got used to giving people what they expected of me.” Ren only mirrors what those around him feel and how they act. He does this because he wants to avoid experiencing pain or loss, and whenever he declines their proposals, or finds himself wanting more, he always ends up getting hurt. And so, he chooses to follow the same paths over and over again like a butterfly with everyone around him, trying to please each one of them while looking for a piece of his own self through their eyes—which he eventually finds in Miu and soon enough, catches himself searching for her instead of his own self. This growth of his is beautifully captured through a certain scene, where he looks at a girl whom he doesn't actually like but plays along as her boyfriend to avoid pain—his usual toxic habit—yet only sees Miu's eyes instead of hers.

Through this endless cycle, where he has the habit of constantly putting himself last, he says he ended up losing his identity. He essentially became a canvas of however one sees him, having different versions of himself through different pairs of eyes, like a piece of art. Like someone interpreting a sculpture, Miu, as well as everyone else, can interpret him, what he says, his actions, and what is and isn’t known about him in their own way. Through Ren, who is like a sculpture, Miu hopes to find her forever. And through her, he sees yet again another chance to find his true meaning and define who he really is despite his traumas and past experiences in life. This is essentially why he leads on and makes so many people try to fall in love with him—because he wants to find the one, his true self, and his forever.

It is said by Miu’s toxic ex boyfriend that the female lead's wings are tied down, leaving only her thoughts to wander. However, there’s another interpretation suggested in the series: that her wings are rather too heavy to go forward—not tied down by external forces and submitted to others, as her ex had suggested through his sculptures of her falling to the ground and begging him to stay—but perhaps heavy because of the weight of their worth and hope, waiting for their reason to take flight in a world that keeps letting her down. The female lead, whose name means "beautiful wings," beautifully encapsulates this struggle of waiting for hope; hope that ultimately introduces itself in her life through the male lead.

From the very beginning of the series, during their first encounter, Ren recognizes this wait for hope of hers through her pleas for her boyfriend to stay. Instead of perceiving her pleas as a desperate and hopeless attempt of begging for something long gone, he sees that all she wants is to hold a promise of a future with someone, and that she has hope for something more than what she already has. This is ultimately what draws him to her.

There are a lot of similarities that the female and male lead share—their fear of abandonment, their wish to freeze a loved one’s heart in time and gain a forever happy side by side with them, and their struggles in finding what they want in life. Though Ren doesn’t express his struggles and desires aloud like Miu does, he addresses them through his fiery art, which tells another story from the nonchalant version of himself that is presented through his character and the aloof image that he lets on—reserved, quiet, and who lets other people make things up and narrate his life.

Despite their seemingly stark contrast, both faces of himself that he puts out into the world stem from the same thoughts and emotions he has. His art paints a strong image of resilience, longing desire, and determination in pursuing what he wants—emotions that give him the impression of being lost and left with nothing but wavering emotions. In real life, these feelings of his manifest through his calm composure that radiates a sense of aloofness and indifference.

This overwhelming desire to find the key to freedom and his true self drives him to act like the playboy type, not knowing who to love or dedicate himself to. His art, on the other hand, portrays his sense of lostness as something fiery and bright and that drives him to maddening lengths, putting him in a fight against society’s typical representation of love and relationships, and forcing him to confront his true feelings.

Ren, in a way, relates to Miu and sees himself in the scene before his eyes, where he sees her for the first time. Through his eyes, witnessing her meltdown opens a window of opportunity. Ren likes to capture that happiness in the brief flutter of color in his world, like a butterfly, so he’s drawn to her strong personality and wants to capture the beauty that lies in the most beautiful and intense human emotion, which is love. From that moment on, he tries to draw that emotion out of her by making her fall for him. He does the same for other girls when he flirts, all to satisfy his somewhat selfish desires to only have a portrait of pairs of loving gazes around him so that he’s surrounded by beauty. At the same time, through this tactic of his, he gets attention from the opposite gender, mirroring his mom’s absence in his life.

Even if Ren’s actions can be perceived as stemming out of selfishness, his supposed attraction to her is also beneficial to Miu because he wants to awaken this strong, powerful, and beautiful feeling of love within her. He wants to make her wings flutter and for her beauty to be set free by expressing her emotions instead of restraining them and staying tied to the past that she’s stuck in. This is vividly illustrated when he guides her to smash the sculpture where she’s begging for her ex to stay. But her perspective of it contradicts his own: he sees her beauty through that sculpture; nothing bad and submissive about it, but instead, brave for not being scared to reach out and try to grasp what she truly wanted—something he doesn’t know how to dedicate himself to doing.

Similarly, just like how Miu struggled to be freed from her painful last moments with her toxic ex that had been frozen in time both metaphorically and literally, Ren also wishes to be freed from his own struggles. For him, the butterfly doesn't represent something light and nonchalant and non-troubled as Miu had suggested, but is rather representative of a small precious thing that tries to navigate through the harsh and turbulent-winded world with its colorful yet light-weighed wings. His desire for freedom and his little efforts to cast a ray of colour in the world manifests itself through his obsession with butterflies. These insects are a recurring motif throughout the series, not only symbolizing change and growth but of which are also a statement of the short-lived but beautiful flutters that can be seen when one pushes through hardships and keeps on flying.

Furthermore, butterflies aren’t the only metaphorical symbol that has been included to better convey the story’s message to viewers. One of Ren’s characterics is the way rainstorms always follow him. These scenes in the rain with Miu hold a greater meaning than just being a rainy day. Despite his messiness, he serves as something stable in Miu’s life, like an anchor among the countless possibilities she has to navigate and the decisions she has to make as she enters adulthood. Since she feels like she doesn't really know herself and has trouble finding the answer to anything when it comes to being subjective, this inevitable journey she’ll have to face stresses her out. Ren’s strong attraction for her never ceases in its intensity, and in this, she finds a harbor in her life.

By diving into the complexities of human emotions, relationships, and the unpredictability of attraction, the series conveys the message that some things just can't be helped. The leads’ imperfect relationship is threaded with flaws and raw with hidden insecurities. The magic in their chemistry lies in the delicate yet profound interactions they share, and the space between them constantly grows wider and smaller, full of hidden meaning and unspoken words. ‘Wakatte Ite mo: The Shapes of Love’ portrays romance as something realistically hurtful and messy, and exemplifies how love is not something that is bound to be constrained to limits. It is everything but simple or straight out of a fairytale. Instead, it is a love story using its own words—not sticking to convenience for the sake of its principal aspect of romance despite the numerous physically intimate scenes.

The show’s beauty lies in its unique perspective and outlook on life that it sheds through this window of two young adults trying their best to navigate their lives. Even though we may lie to ourselves or convince ourselves otherwise, nevertheless is a word that defines us all. Our overbearing desire to act freely against others’ rules and against our own will is the human nature of our essence here on earth. "If you just label yourself as something, it'll just restrict you." is a line pulled from the series that encapsulates its essence, defining how there is beauty to be found in the unknown. As the title suggests, the shape of love looks different for everyone, just like one emotion can be represented through many different sculptures and hold different interpretations through each individual's eyes.

The series is tied up beautifully, its last scene especially goosebump-inducing—Ren knows that forever doesn't exist, and Miu knows that she shouldn't hold out for hope, but nevertheless, they come together and discover that the shape of forever is simply holding on to hope.

12/23/2024

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This was honestly a lot better than I expected it to be. I'm not a huge fan of the "they break up because of stupid misunderstanding and get back together later" plot and so I had been avoiding this, but I ended up really enjoying this one. I should've known the writer of ALSB and PYHOMS wouldn't let me down!

I'm usually a huge friends-to-lovers trope fan and even though I felt for the second lead in this drama, I actually didn't have SLS and I felt like the main lead was actually really soft and proactive, despite being indifferent to other people, he was always really nice to the female lead from the very start and it was refreshing to see a ML so upfront about his feelings to the FL and SFL.

I also have to say that Zhou Xiao is EXACTLY THE KIND OF FEMALE LEAD THAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR, and she's exactly the type of character I relate to — very independent, crazy with her friends, chill about most things, and unassuming when it comes to romance. In so many dramas the female ends up being ditzy when they fall in love and that never happened to ZX. She was super smart when it came to things OTHER than romance and even in a relationship she had so much of her own thinking and independence and focused on friendships.

The big plot point actually didn't bother me at all and I feel like the pacing was done really well. It wasn't blown up into a tragic sob story and was more of a "this is why things are the way they are." The build-up to it was there from the very first episode with his mom's phone calls. Still, I've never been a fan of time jumps and that was no different with this one — I felt like the characters were never the same afterwards.

Also, the sismance was really good! Honestly I could have seen more of it but it was super fun to see how they stood up for each other when romance fell through or when they needed help. It's kind of one reason that I loved the FL so much — she was still there for her friends even after getting in a relationship.

The family aspect was overall pretty good as well. The FL's dad annoyed me a little but ultimately I really liked the little tidbits of humor throughout the drama and how the different family dynamics worked.

I kind of wish that the SML had gotten a better plotline because he could've been a lot more in terms of his own character and not just "the sidekick," and the same could've been said for the studious roommate that never got her own sub-plot. Ultimately though, I really enjoyed this drama and honestly will now watch ANYTHING by this writer!

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A career of the dismantling of a wife´s self-esteem and the almost impossible attempt of recapture

A highly valuable socio-critical study about being a wife, a mother, a granddaughter in South Korea today (actually 2012). The KDrama offers an in-depth (at times disturbing) insight into everyday Korean reality around the hierarchical concept of family and the upbringing of children. There is also a lot of local color about the simple everyday life of the lower and upper middle classes.

The framework is provided by the madness about education, which in South Korea means that mothers in particular are under enormous pressure to perform (long before it really reaches the pupils themselves). The mothers are expected to support their child for the glory and honor of the family in such a way that it later has the best outlook on a professional career. Career in that sense is starting early...

"A Wife's Credentials" puts a critical magnifying glass on exactly this social dynamic. It also puts the magnifying glass on the disadvantage for women who give up (should give up!) their job with marriage/family life. Additionally, the KDrama also spotlights the issue of sexual assault in the workplace, the stigma of a single parent and finally social hierarchy.

It centers on So-rae, a once-creative young graphic designer and children's book illustrator who (one could say rather accidentally) stumbled into marriage and is now forced to prove herself as a housewife and mother in an ungrateful environment. A little bit of sunshine is provided by her son. However, in the end he too might be taken away from her. "A Wife´s Credentials" is basically illustrating the career of the dismantling of a wife´s self-esteem and the desperate, almost impossible attempt of recapture.

More than once you want to shake and shake even more not only So-rae but also many others. Yet, this is all due to family values and the social context in South Korea (...I wasn't aware of its extent the first time I saw the show). The tremendous injustice that So-rae is confronted with from several sides in addition to what she actually allows and gives in to, is rather disturbing and can eventually get on your nerves. For me as a woman, too, (yet being sozialized in Germany) it was sometimes extremely hard to bear.

This social study of a woman´s life (in South Korea) is painful to look at, yet told in a highly authentic manner. Thanks to veteran high-end actress Kim Hee-ae at its best, So-rae's emotional processes are brought to life even more authentically. With the example of her male protagonist facing the same subject - an unhappy marriage and a potential divorce - the dramatically differing social stand of men and women are presented rich in contrast!

The soundtrack stands in fresh contradiction to the sobering subject matter, which repeatedly embeds the events in a cheerful, confident atmosphere and encourages facing the challenges of life optimistically.

The various side plots profoundly round off the picture of contemporary society of that time. (Compared to more recent dramas, society´s expectations in that respect unfortunately doesn´t seem to have changed).


--------- SIDE NOTE --- Divorces ---
... in South Korea are still hardly socially accepted. At least ´adultery´, which was at the time of the KDrama still an illegal issue, that could be punished (in fact even with years in prison) is no criminal act anymore. However, a law is still in force, prohibiting adulterers in South Korea from starting divorce proceedings. Plus, in order for the divorce to be legal, both spouses must agree. And if so, at least significant monetary compensation must be expected. However, this obviously doesn´t help prevent adultery (especially among husbands) to happen. It´s rather a matter of hypocritical morals - a South Korean study in 2015 found that of surveyed men 50,8 percent cheated at least once. It is among men almost considered normal with no consequences for the valued concept ´family´. Whereas among women it was 9,3 percent - and there it seemingly happens more often at a point within the reationship, when the wife might also be prepared to end the ´failed family project´ - but cannot simply do so.
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At last, I deliberately want to mention the relationship between So-rae and Tae-oh, which is told in such a refreshing way that goes beyond the usual clichés. For once, no silly chastity. No romantic exaggeration. Real. Grounded. Not a hero, who would do everything unimaginable for his loved one so that the sun would rise in the west (...yeah, a little bit, though...) ... Instead, an appreciative, loving, grounded, not completely selfless, but patient partner at eye level and at your side, if woman needs him. Not Mr. Perfect, yet a man, who is prepared and willing to grow in relationship (even if it might be bothersome at times).

Finally, the coherently told story convinces with an ending that provides emancipated happiness - noiselessly, softly and with balanced steps.

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A crime novel read!

TWO things have happened: an affair and a murder. The entire story is about answering TWO questions: did he caught? who is the culprit? The narration style is typical of crime novels, often reminding me of Agathe Christie's novel style. All the clues were shown to us and drama tempts us to pick pretences as clues misdirecting us, then showing the truth with right clues making us think "I saw these, why didn't I think in this perspective?" "Ah, Brillant, you outwitted me". And this aspect can come off as hit or miss for many. Taking a look at comments would prove that.

The pacing was in an exponential fashion with initial episodes setting the "mood" very slowly and deliberately with even minor characters given screen space. (It has a mix of all the genres: romance, comedy, drama, mystery, investigation, political, action, thriller. It might have well been a makjang.) The ending was rapid with putting closure to several substories halfheartedly or even open (It reminds me of "Absent in the Spring" novel of Agathe Christie which too has vague ending). I am still wondering if what I had watched was just a big drama adaptation of Kang Yeo Joo's novel (As she says "that's what the audience want" to her assistant) or actual story of Kang Yeo Joo. Yes, even with incomprehensible last 5 minutes the final episode was brilliant. The brilliant narration style and suspense building ( note, it is not the story I'm praising because when all the layers of mystery are removed, it just felt yet another ***-*** character story) has quashed the ambiguous ending. (Now that I look back, the ending was so finely crafted putting all puzzle pieces together that you can't even skip the last episode.)

I can't imagine anyone else other than Cho Yeo Jung playing the Kang Yeo Joo. The aura, the eyeliner, the elegant dresses everything made the character all the more legendary (You would feel she isn't worthy of that legendariness but wait for it patiently.). First things first, I too was initially annoyed by shenanigans of Kang Yeo Joo, and I almost felt like dropping it. But I really stuck around and found she was the most complex character. If the Parasite's Choe Yeon Gyo was "simple" then Kang Yeo Joo is super ultra-complex. There is this scene in episode 6 when Han Woo Sung says he will take her gift to his grave the reaction KYJ gives is golden. That was one of the few moments in early episodes when the poker face of KYJ falters. There are only a few people who can truly understand her and one has to wait till later episodes to know the reason.

Other characters were equally interesting. Go Joon (why late-blooming) did a great job in portraying HWS, I can truly understand why every woman falls for HWS. HWS is truly worthy of his reputation of Nation's Husband. (Even when he is cheating he is thinking about his wife and I didn't bother myself with judging him. We never get to know more about his motives.) Mirae is yet another flawed character in this drama. She can come off as homewrecker but truly her transformation and her past are awe-worthy. I am one of the few people who wasn't shipping Cha Soo Ho with KYJ but the way he looks at her wow! The Umbrella scene reminded me of K2 and how he protects her. I want to see more of Kim Young Dae in future projects. As for all other characters, they added funny elements and depth to stories. But a few didn't have proper closure/development but I'm not complaining. (It would be humanly impossible to deliver both mystery narration and character development perfectly)

Music was good and suited for scenes. Sometimes there was opera style music for hyped/dramatic scenes which I liked. As for OST, OVER by Suran shines out. Rewatch, to make sense of certain things it might require to rewatch. I too wanna rewatch it but it is kinda sad it ended so I can't bring myself to watch it again.

A crime novel: keeps hooked and makes you say "ahh!" and keeps you thinking about it even after it ended.

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Fake it till you make it.

Regeneration is an excellent short suspense thriller. The narrative opens with a reporter He Shan witnessing the kidnapping of her contact Fei Ke. In classic Christie style, five strangers including He Shan are summoned to an island mansion for the reading of Fei Ke's will. They are each asked to share their memories of Fei Ke before the will is read. As implied by the homonym of his name, Fei Ke was not who he appeared to be; he showed a different self to each of them. As they piece together their memories, a complex, disturbing and moving picture of Fei Ke emerges.

Jing Boran delivers a compelling portrayal of Fei Ke as a charismatic, amoral "fake it till you make it" kind of character. I don't think any other actor could have evoked such complex and contradictory reactions. At many points in the narrative when I wanted to absolutely despise his Fei Ke, I found myself searching for excuses for him. Yet when I could have and should have empathized with him, I found myself judging him. All of the characters have many layers that peel off like an onion. Like Fei Ke, they all have at least one moment of hesitation before they almost willfully make a fatal, life changing decision that takes them down the path of no return. By the end of this web of lies, the only story that moved me was that of the two lovers star crossed who ended up as collateral damage. Everyone else reaped what they sowed; even Fei Ke who believed his own lies to the point he deceived himself more than anyone else.

The plot pulled me in from the start and kept me wanting more with each reveal. However, at the point of reversal, changes were deliberately made to the original novel plot, likely to avoid book spoilers. I think this was big mistake. As a result, plot holes emerged and the final three episodes did not come together as well as they could have. In the novel, the group gathered because the main antagonist wished to make amends. That is simple, straightforward and easy to understand. In the drama, they gather as a result of a convoluted and rather far fetched revenge plot. Some of the character designs and motives were changed in to make this work. Some of it just didn't make sense as those parties could have achieved their objectives in more direct and effective ways. This is made worse by the melodramatic storm at the end where everyone does silly things for some cheap thrills.

Even though the ending was overly dramatic and could have been more tightly written it was dark and consequential. All things considered, this is a suspenseful and thought provoking watch with many unexpected twists and reversals. And If you need a shallow reason to watch it, Jing Boran looks yummy in every scene. My rating 8.0/10.0.

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Romantic movie when you need one

There is nothing new here- the storyline has been done before many times. But what makes it really work is the actors’ sweet, intensely romantic performances. The two leads have excellent chemistry. The music suits the movie, the sets work well, the supporting actors have little screen time but handle what time they have with ease. If you need something to remind you about the importance of treating our lovers with great care and romance here it is. Highly recommended for those snowy or rainy days to lose yourself in the feeling of being swept away watching a depth of love we all want to find and keep.

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Did it manage to be my favorite?!!

This series is cute, funny and so addictive. From the characters to the storyline to it's background music and osts. Damn I love all of it so much. Everything blends and complements the whole setting. The time travel aspect has been used nicely. It's not just a trope that's sidelined as the story progresses, it's the plot in itself. Kawi knows the future and he's trying to amend things says a lot. I am actually glad Kawi's to do list didn't only contain mending love life but also convincing his father for treatment and getting back with his long time friend Max. The overall concept of traveling back in time and finding an unexpected love, it sounds cliche but it's portrayed so nicely and it's interesting.

Talking about the characters, Kawii is a confused soul and towards the starting he seemed so selfish but nevertheless he is so cute mahn. Oh damn! the decisions he took made me facepalm myself but then he did feel guilty when he messed things up and he amended it. The way he apologizes, the way he whines, overall the way he behaves around Pisaeng, damn it's filled with cute gestures.

Then we have Pisaeng, this guy right from the very start had my heart. He is such a sweetheart and damn the level of patience he has. He is whipped for Kawii and I am whipped for him. Episode by episode I just liked him more and more. This guy is a walking green flag. He really deserves the world. I can't with both of them. They both manage to shake me up pretty badly T^T. I just can't get enough of them.

And Pearmai, she is sweet, she is friendly, I kind of understand her and she really deserves better. And Max, this guy is the most understanding, reasonable, lovable character plus a great friend and let me add that hairstyle suits him. We seriously need more characters like him. Also the other characters have played their part really well. Like there were so many instances when I wanted to go inside and knock some sense into Knot, sometimes even knock him down. And Kwan, oh my god, I sincerely wanted to see her get over Knot.

And, Yes!! Yes!! this did manage to be one of my favorites. They are so sweet. I love them. The pacing of the story is good, the plot is interesting, the osts are good and so are the characters. Highly recommended!!

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