Reviews

Vigilante was intense from start to finish!

Vigilante is an intense, high-stakes drama that grips you from the first episode and rarely lets go. The premise—seven strangers banding together to take justice into their own hands—is as intriguing as it sounds, and the execution is sleek and emotionally layered.

Each character brings depth, pain, and purpose to the vigilante group, with standout performances that elevate the tension and complexity. The action scenes are well-choreographed, and the noir-inspired visuals give it a cinematic edge. There’s a strong psychological undercurrent too, as each member’s past is slowly peeled back, revealing how deeply their lives are intertwined.

Where the drama falters slightly is in pacing—midway through, the momentum dips a bit as subplots expand. Still, the emotional payoff and final twist make the journey worthwhile. It’s not perfect, but it’s bold, stylish, and memorable.

Pros:
✔ Unique team dynamic with layered backstories
✔ Strong visuals and action choreography
✔ Gripping psychological themes
✔ Emotional arcs that resonate

Cons:
✘ Some uneven pacing mid-series
✘ A few underdeveloped side villains

Side note: Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing mothers out there. You deserve to be loved and protected, always. 💐

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K-BL Done Right

Enemies to lovers stans, gather around, Semantic Error is for us, haha! I’ve always had a soft spot for this trope, and this series just delivered it perfectly. From their constant bickering to the slow build-up of feelings, I loved every second.

I've watched a bunch of Korean series before, and one thing I always appreciate is how light and easy they are to watch. Semantic Error follows that same vibe, no overly dramatic twists, no exhausting plot points, just a simple, sweet, and satisfying story. Honestly, compared to Filipino dramas that stress me out (in the best and worst ways, haha), this was a breath of fresh air.

The chemistry between the leads? Undeniable. Add in that adorable height difference and you’ve got a recipe for peak BL cuteness. There’s not a ton of heavy conflict in the story, which makes it a super chill binge if you’re just looking for something enjoyable with feels and fluff.

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Grateful that supporting characters exists

It wasn't bad actually, it's just that when you don't like the main characters, you can't really enjoy a drama.

- ML : pretty much dislike him, because he didn't fit with the setting. Everyone was smart, cunning, manipulative and we have the ML who is not matching with the vibe with his naive and selfless character. I just hated the way he was behaving the FL trusting her at 100%, he didn't get angry about her manipulating him even once ? And the other thing I LOATHED about him is that as the head of the clan he should've made it his priority but instead he preferred romancing with the enemy. At some point, I didn't even know why he wanted to pass the 3 trials honestly.
At the end he redeemed himself a little and I feel like he had a development in his character but for me it wasn't enough to erased my bad feeling about him;

- FL : not much to say about her, she felt blank like a side character and not a MC, I'm just indifferent to her, I didn't like her nor did I disliked her. Her fighting scenes were great though.
(Unpopular opinion but I prefer Yu Shuxin with a more bubbly character & with her high pitch voice than this type of character)

- SFL & SML : SHOW STEALER, I swear they were the only one reason I finished this drama. The chemistry, their tension, the bath scene ? I was just so OBSESSED with them, I want to see this couple as main character in an other drama.
Shangguan Qian was amazing but I feel like we didn't see her fight enough, would've loved a lengthier fight scene with Shangjue.
Shangjue was everything the Gong clan needed as a leader but I guess he wasn't that ambitious, I was a little disappointed but it was coherent with his personality.

Conclusion : it wasn't my tea but if we have a S2 I'll watch it since I'm curious about a lot of things (and I want to see the baby 🥹)

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No Starch

I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that this was written by the same person who wrote Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung, one of my most favourite Kdramas. It's true, people are entitled to try to write something light and unserious, however, there's no excuse for writing nonsense. I honestly thought I was watching a webtoon adaptation the whole time, I just checked who the writer was after I finished.

The main issue for me is the "webtooness". The reactions are too frequently over the top, which makes it seem insincere instead of funny or light. If you're going for light, you can't take serious issues and treat them as if they're a discussion about favourite colours. The storytelling seems lazy, things seem to miraculously succeed one another out of the blue, in some sort of magic trick. "uh, we need more potatoes and are now looking for all we can have so we can put the leads together now that they're mad at each other. Uhh the youngest team member is an agricultural silver spoon, so he'll magically solve the issue that isn't needed anymore to make the leads solve a life destroying issue with two words and a sorry".

If they were aiming for something light, they shouldn't have brought up heavy or complex subjects that they didn't intend to respect. There are many examples of this, starting with the elephant in the room, FL forgiving everyone who betrayed her and fucked up her life without a single reason to do so. There's no drive for forgiveness to be granted other than mild regret and tears. A LOT OF TEARS.

She was betrayed by her boyfriend, not only that, he was planning a wedding with another woman while still dating her. She was bullied and lost her job because of that. The person who had NOT ONLY gotten her fired, also had gotten her bullied and discredited was, again, firing her and calling her incompetent.
Her best friend and basically twin, the person who was almost her extension, knew her boyfriend was not only betraying her but planning a whole wedding behind her back was incapable of letting her BEST FRIEND know because then she would be the one to blame for their break up?!?!?!?! WHAT SENSE DOES THAT MAKE?!?! They're presented as soulmates and she was afraid of a mild rage for telling the truth and getting her friend out of a fucked up situation? It doesn't make any sense. That's not lightness, that's lazy writing and stupid. She wasn't an acquaintance, she was her soulmate, she would be the first person to have her back, how could she not have her back in such an important situation? That's a level of betrayal that shouldn't be overlooked. And she only came clean 6 years after! That could ruin a relationship or at least warrant more than some tears and mild regret followed by instant reassurance.

On the same line, you can't say a person who was abandoned and became and orphan at an age that they remember that they don't know what it's like to lose someone. They're the epitome of loss. He had a mother who abandoned him at a train station. He though they would come back for him but they didn't. He lost a whole family and became an orphan. He knows what it's like to lose someone. Even if you don't have a parent, you learn early in life what it feels like to be lacking something everyone else seems to have. Once you're in contact with the world, the world will make sure you're lacking and there will be a hole there that will never be filled. He knows loss.

You can make a drama light but you have to make it make sense. Please!

The main reason I'm making this review is the propaganda. The potato famine was a deliberate strategy by the UK government towards Ireland with genocide as the intent. It wasn't a famine, it was a genocide. On Wikipedia we can read "Large amounts of food were exported from Ireland during the famine and the refusal of London to bar such exports, as had been done on previous occasions, was an immediate and continuing source of controversy, contributing to anti-British sentiment and the campaign for independence. Additionally, the famine indirectly resulted in tens of thousands of households being evicted, exacerbated by a provision forbidding access to workhouse aid while in possession of more than one-quarter acre of land." It wasn't because of a potato infection, it was due to policies that deliberately removed other sources of food from the Irish because, according to the British, they lacked moral character. That is genocide and not famine. The same way they called what happened in Ireland a famine, they're now calling what's happening in Gaza a famine too. It's the same strategy and we can't keep repeating the same propaganda and the same mistakes if we want a just world.

I know this is supposed to be a light drama but don't mention or pick heavy subjects if you want to keep it light.

I'll still be looking forward to this writer's next drama, anyway.

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Mainly a recap of the drama

When I watched My Housekeeper Nagisa-san on Netflix it showed 10 episodes, so I watched 10, or at least tried to. The events in episode 10 began not long after the events in episode nine. It was only when I came to MDL to add the drama to my Watched List that I discovered the 10th episode was a solo affair.

If you don't want to watch My Housekeeper Nagisa-san or you are short on time you could just watch this recap of the drama to get the gist. Most of the highlights of the nine-episode drama were shown. After a negative introduction to the special, the recaps began in earnest. There were a few new mini-scenes that were interspersed. Unless you are a diehard fan that wants to relive the drama, or catch a glimpse into the future for some of the characters, it is definitely skippable. Or fast-forwardable. Or skippable.

11 May 2025

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And the story continues...

Recently I am not much into writing reviews for shows, especially if most of the already written reviews contain what I thought of the show anyway. This time I decided to write one, as a lot of people's opinions differ from mine.

A season 2 always has to contend with the masterpiece that season 1 might be. In this case a lot of people loved and adored Class 1, and Class 2 had to live up to the hype. Many say that if you liked season 1 you will not like season 2 as it is very different. I agree and disagree.

If you liked Class 1 for its characters (not just Si-eun) and the characters duplicity...well, don't hold your breath with Class 2. Class 2 is pretty straight forward with who is who, who can we trust and who will support our main character. There might be a few twists and turns to some characters but...nothing unexpected.

If you liked Class 1 for the character development of our main lead, you can definitely stay for Class 2. The story of Class 2 is like a continuation of season 1. The aftermath of everything that happened and how it affects Si-eun. Since I liked season 1 for the reasons of loving the main character, for the budding friendship and people worrying for each other, and also (and yes, I feel very guilty and very strange admitting this) the scenes were Si-eun just lost it. They were just addictingly good. If any of that is valid for you as well, season 2 will not disappoint.

Personally, I appreciated that for once a show actually incorporated the concept of trauma, a character basing decisions on said trauma, and standing by them. Si-eun tries to learn from what he experienced and works through everything that happened in Class 1. I further appreciate that it wasn't a "let's slowly forget everyone from season 1 and only focus on season 2" thing but that we actually got both of the season flowing into each other, connecting. I mean, Si-eun's new friends understanding how much Su-ho means to him, is just...heart-warming.

I also appreciated that this time there was a clearer difference between fighting styles. You could see that Hyeon-tak was a former athlete, that Baku was just pure strength, and that Si-eun was just...how to say this best? Desperate, calculating and mean? In the best way possible. I liked the differences, as it wasn't just suddenly someone getting great at fighting or someone strong suddenly being beaten up. With the fighting styles you could understand better why certain fights ended a certain way.
Oh and the soundtrack and background music? Absolutely stunning and perfectly placed.

Anyway, I won't go too deep into it, as it might produce spoilers but I just wanted to say: I enjoyed Weak Hero Class 2, it kept the elements of season 1 which I liked but started transporting Si-eun back into society and out of his little grey world which got even darker after how season 1 ended. Good show, will definitely rewatch some scenes.

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Sakurako is a miracle woman!

You might call this a cliche drama- showing that there is something more important than money and that is love. Well it’s true. And there are many things about Yamato Nadeshiko that is refreshing and new. First of all, it’s the heroine Sakurako who’s obsession with finding a rich man and richer man borders on sociopathy when it comes to her behaviors in “relationships.” She really doesn’t get into any real relationships, but more like arrangements with rich men who just fall for her based on her looks and don’t see or want anything deeper than that. Because love is not part of the equation, she has no moral issues with jumping from one arrangement to another, like trying to find a better deal at a store, or more brand name person. She reduces people down to rich or poor, and this harsh judgment is a reflection of how she sees and judges herself. She grew up poor and thinks that is the reason for all her misery. So there’s a wounded inner child that mistakenly seeks out this one thing- money- in order to feel worthy on the inside. Sakurako doesn’t seem to even have an inner life as she just acts through a painted mask that smiles just like an air hostess (literally her job in the movie), so she initially has no awareness of this hurting inner child. She acts like a programmed robot, and I have known people like this in my own life (my own sister) who act like money, brand names, and status is the true measure of a person’s worth. It’s terribly sad to see, but the mask starts to crack as she keeps bumping into Oasuke, the poor man who she initially mistakenly thought was rich, and whom she hates for most of the movie. But instead of just glossing over things and saying “They’re in love,” the series touches on what made Sakurako in an money hungry cartoon character, going to one mixer after another, on the prowl for a richer man.

Sakurako’s obsessive pursuit of wealth isn’t about greed—it’s about survival. It’s the strategy of a deeply wounded inner child who was told, directly or indirectly, “You are ugly. You are poor. You are not worthy.” So she builds a mask to counter that narrative. And the tragedy, is that the mask becomes her identity. She doesn’t even know she’s wearing it anymore. She thinks she is the smile, the brand, the perfect image. It’s interesting to see the mask she puts on when she feels the pain of rejection, and uses this impressive beautiful mask throughout her “dating life” (if you want to call that kind of manipulation dating) as a kind of armor and shield. It’s not explicitly explained through the series- the wounded and vulnerable inner child vs her fake mask and how even the rich fiancé she got to become infatuated with her mask never knew the real her, the vulnerable true self that she hides from the world. It seems like only Oasuke has been able to touch that part of her, the vulnerable inner child that is wounded. I wish they had gone deeper into that and about her emotional healing and maturing process that happens in this relationship with Oasuke. That would have made the series much better in my opinion. It just glossed over that part, but that is crucial in giving the heroine a reason to change- because someone who is that manipulative and narcissistic in relationships to the point where she continues going to mixers to find a richer man even while engaged, and right up to the wedding, such a person would need an enormous reason to change. A true breakdown in their life where all of that illusion falls apart. And to be honest, such a person normally doesn’t change. It just so happened that this woman was a manipulator with a wounded inner child and a heart of gold so she ended up going for the “genuine poor man” in the end, acknowledging that any motives for dating the rich fiancé were false and the foundation was built wrong so there’s no hope in continuing that. But in this world, such people would continue manipulating and destroying people’s lives. So caution to viewers here- this isn’t exactly realistic. My sister hasn’t changed one bit in the decades I’ve known her, and unless a catastrophe happens that dramatically brings down the illusions she follows, her “rich people are better” programming will stay with her till the end. That is the sad truth. Someone like this doesn’t just change because of a nice man. A whole identity collapse has to happen. The ego’s scaffolding has to crumble. There has to be despair, not just discomfort. There has to be a total breakdown before a breakthrough is even possible. And in real life, most don’t reach that point. But I’m glad to see even one example, even if it’s on a show of a person who can change so dramatically like Sakurako. If God wills it, then it may happen.

One thing I didn’t like about the series (and many other J dramas) is that the characters don’t say what they came to say when they meet each other. Instead, they fly halfway across the world, put in so much effort, and then at one sign of doubt, they say “Ok goodbye then!” Without saying what they want to say. Is that pride? Is it fear? It’s so annoying! Sakurako flies all the way from Japan to NYC to meet Oasuke in the end, and says to him that she wants to be with him, and Oasuke’s like “I’m confused right now…” so she puts on her mask and is like, “Ok… goodbye then…” Like wtf? You just flew all that way and packed your suitcase and your whole life just for him and now you say goodbye and toss the conversation into the garbage so easily? Do these people not know how to communicate at all? It’s so frustrating to watch. And then I wonder at the end when they’re married, why Sakurako is not working- she could still be a flight attendant, why does she need to end her professional life that she was so good at just to be with him? It’s like now her whole existence revolves around Oasuke (after living such a different life before.. is that even possible unless you had a lobotomy?) and she’s not working. Wouldn’t her default mode go back to going to mixers since that’s what she’s been doing since forever? How does that programming collapse completely I ask? Or maybe the love with Oasuke is so powerful that it collapsed all that? I don’t know, I kind of don’t buy it, but if Sakurako was such a go getter, why not work to support herself and her husband so she can buy all her Fendi stuff? As for Sakurako dropping her job and changing her life instantly—that part strains credibility for me. Unless… something profound happened. Something offscreen. A total shift in identity, not just behavior. That’s where a slower burn romance can help and some of the newer J dramas do this better. And even then, the conditioning doesn’t vanish. You don’t change overnight. The old conditioning has to be faced, again and again. The desire to put the mask back on doesn’t just disappear. But now there’s something else present: awareness. I cannot imagine someone like Sakurako the way she’s been existing since childhood till now could pull a 180 like that and just live normally with Oasuke. Nobody even knows who she really is. She’s been fake since she was a child so how can she just switch to “being real?” Even she doesn’t know who that is. So I don’t buy that part at all. And even till close to the end, she’s still attending mixers, which shows that she’s still going back to old habits. Unless landing in a new country, she completely has to abandon her old self and live like a totally new person…

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Disappointed

With an all-star cast, I guess I expected more from this movie. Lee Byung-hun was my favorite. He created a very interesting character Dong Seok. However, I do not feel the chemistry with him and Seon A. I don't feel she has feelings for him or treats him like she loves him. She's also not very good at playing a depressed person. Her depression failed to make the viewers understand depression and sympathize with her. She described it as "feeling like a wet cold blanket on you and that everything is dark." That's not enough to elicit any understanding about depression.
Dong-Seok's mother didn't treated him well, offered no apologies or love to her son even towards the end.
Overall, I'm not happy with the various storylines. It isn't interesting enough. I do like the Captain and the Hanayeo story and the 2 teenage kids story. I feel that if the writers wanted to write about the different blues we have in our lives then perhaps there are other more interesting topics. But that's just me.
I didn't get any thought provoking takeaways after finishing the drama. I do love Dong Seok's advertising "frying pans frying pans, tofu, tofu, cabbage, cabbage, etc." LOL

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Resident Playbook has Stolen My Heart

Finished with a bang! Absolutely loved this Kdrama! There is nothing that I can really criticize about it. Nothing irritated or frustrated me. It was just pure pleasure watching it. Well done to the actors and the production crew! I hope, hope, hope there will be a season two!!

After 10 episodes:
First I have to say I have not watched Hospital Playlist, but I've watched clips via You Tube, listened to the OST, read reviews, and with that I knew it was good. I'm also familiar with some of the actors in HP.

With that said....I am enthralled with Resident Playbook!!!

I'm currently up to episode 10 of the series and I absolutely love it!! Each episode are new patient stories, new adventures with the residents, yet surrounded by continuing stories of I Young's family, her crush on Do Won who is also her senior doctor, and the day-to-day "colleagues but enemies but friends" relationship of these residents as they learn and grow into competent doctors.

It's dramatic, scary, funny, heartwarming, and so sad when the medical community loses a life. I've laughed and cried so many times in these few episodes and right now I never want it to end.

I love that they are bringing in surprise guest stars to add to the storyline, and I love it!! But this isn't carrying the story. It's great, don't get me wrong......but the cast is really carrying the story. Great writing, great actors, superior production equals perfection in a drama series. I'm already rooting for the second season.

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Not Perfect, But Still a Good Time

My Dear Gangster Oppa has a pretty cool concept that instantly caught my attention. One of the things I really appreciated was the inclusion of gamer representation, especially the MOBA kind. As someone who used to play mobile games online, that part really hit home and made the characters feel more relatable.

MeenPing definitely carry the show with their chemistry. I have to say, I really like Guy (Ping) in this; he’s such a sweetie and brings a warm charm to his role that makes it easy to root for him.

That said, not all the characters were enjoyable. Guy’s friend, for example… whew. His obsession with Guy was way over the top and honestly just annoying. He really tested my patience every time he appeared.

Now, I’ve always been a sucker for mafia/gang-themed stories, so I was excited to see how this one would play out. Unfortunately, the mafia angle here felt kind of shallow. The fighting scenes weren’t convincing, and the overall gangster storyline didn’t have the depth or grit I usually look for in this genre.

Visually, though, the show is a treat. The cinematography is amazing, with beautiful shots, great lighting, and overall polished production.

As for the side couple… yeah, they didn’t work for me. There was no spark between them, and the pairing just felt forced.

On the bright side, the villain Kenji was surprisingly effective. He got under my skin in all the right ways, so props to the actor for really selling that role.

Despite its flaws, My Dear Gangster Oppa still managed to keep me entertained from start to finish. It’s not perfect, but if you enjoy sweet chemistry, a touch of gamer life, and a sprinkle of mafia drama (even if a bit undercooked), it’s worth a watch.

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