Review – Queen In Hyun’s Man

/ Lady Divine / 3 Comments

Review – Queen In Hyun’s Man

Though the first two episodes of this drama are notoriously slow, this is one of the most interesting (and romantic) time traveling between Joseon Era & Modern Times shows out there.  Why?  Because the two main leads are so interesting (and romantic).  They feel fresh… even though it’s not a new show (it came out in 2012).  Ji Hyun-Woo plays the thoughtful scholar who snickers at jokes, explores the new world with a reserved wonder, quietly observes situations before taking action, and is totally hard for his modern companion and doesn’t hide it.

Ji Hyun-Woo and Yoo In-Na are crackling with chemistry.

Yoo In-Na plays our leading lady, an adorable ditzy actress who’s won over by her time traveler almost instantly… oh the way he talks, she mutters.  Their banter is so refreshingly real.  It feels like an actual couple, not some k-drama construct.  She’s lying through her teeth, flirting, trying to show off, and he’s teasing her, testing her.  They make this show.  There’s really no other reason to watch it.  The plot is decent, but it’s watching this 300 year time gap couple cuddle in the library that makes this show stand out.  It literally made me feel like a giddy school girl every time these two were together, starting about episode three and kicking into full gear by episode four.

You will be helplessly charmed.  It’s not cheesy or gimicky or cutesy.  These are two grown people falling in love, just… head over heels in love.  And it’s magnetic.  Check it out if you’re in the mood for lots of PDA and heart melting romance.

Overall Rating – 9/10.  Dear God, Let Me Be Reincarnated As Yoo In-A In My Next Life.

Review – Legend of the Blue Sea

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Review – Legend of the Blue Sea

A profoundly unspecial fantasy romance.  Oh, how I wanted to love this show!  But every little thing about it was so enormously contrived and flat.  The “romance” was just a nonstop series of cliches and ridiculousness.  Just like in the show Tomorrow With You, the writers and director seemed to think that putting two attractive people opposite each other is all it takes for everyone around the world to collectively sigh.  Well, this gal groaned.  Loudly.  And because I wanted to like it, it just made it worse.  It was like forcing yourself to enjoy a treat way past its expiration date… it was just dry and a bitter reminder of all the other dramas that have done this better in the past.  You know, the fresh ones.

Plotline, basic version:  A mermaid comes to land following her one true love… but if she doesn’t win his affection in return, she will die.

Overall Rating – 5/10.  A Can Of Anchovies When You Ordered Fresh Salmon.

More Grumbling and Ranting and Spoilers follow….

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Review – Remember

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Review – Remember

Wow.

Seriously.

One of the best shows I have ever watched, ever.  Anywhere.  And it seemed kinda “eh” starting out, but a few episodes in and I was hooked and then… I just ate it up.  The characters!  The plot!  Honestly, the last episode was so emotionally draining (good and bad) that I think it may be a while until I can write up a decent review.  So for now… I just wanted to put this placeholder in, saying:  WATCH IT.

This is a finely crafted work of art.

Plot Basics:  A young man’s father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, is accused of murder and sentenced to death row.  The young man, who has incredible photographic memory, dedicates his life to clearing his father’s name.  Add to the mix one of the most memorable villains of all time, and you have this amazing show… that just keeps getting better as it goes.

Overall Rating – 10/10.  The Truth Does Not Speak For Itself.

More about the characters and mild spoilers follow

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Review – Jealousy Incarnate

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Review – Jealousy Incarnate

This show really shouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was.  The plot was kinda lame, the territory worn… but due to the amazing cast, it somehow managed to still be an enjoyable show for 20 something long episodes.  I think the reason this show appeals to people is because the premise is appealing.  Who hasn’t had a crush on someone who just didn’t feel the same way?  And how awesome would it be if they suddenly changed their mind – at the exact time someone as equally awesome came along and also liked you?  And… let’s shoot for the stars… how incredible would it be to date them both, with their permission, and even set up house together while they generously allow you to figure out your feelings?  Geesh.  It’s so ridiculous! It’s the realm of fantasy generally reserved for fan fiction, which is exactly why it was entertaining for twenty episodes.

The love triangle is really the only reason to watch it.  There are better shows about broadcasting (Pinocchio) and there are better shows about cancer (Padam Padam), though I will admit the male breast cancer angle was interesting.  The side story about the warring moms was funny and I enjoyed their love triangle as well.  The side story about the teenagers, eh.  I have a serious crush on Choi Hwa-Jung, who played the rich guy’s mom, Madam Kim, so I loved watching her prance around,trying to reign in her empire and heir… oh my God, she was rockin’ in this show.  Her stylist deserves a special award for fitting those curves to perfection.  Damn.

Overall Rating – 7/10.  Two Boyfriends Are Better Than One.

More musings…

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Review – Angel Eyes

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Review – Angel Eyes

A perfect, classic romantic melodrama!  I say classic in that it got everything right – the pacing, the tropes, the love triangles, the side characters, the mysteries, the music (was stellar, great soundtrack), and the sigh inducing love story.  Just…  Achingly romantic story of first love… overcoming an obscene amount of obstacles – just thrown at them one by one.  Oh, the drama!  Oh, the tears!  Oh, the ridiculous joyously fun circles of coincidence and fate and connections.  God, I love melodramas.  It’s my favorite genre, so when I find a great melodrama it’s like a gift addressed to me.  Romantic melodramas are my favorite of course, because then you have the painful separations, the smoldering, the aching between two people as they are yanked apart over and over.  Sigh.  I ate that mess up.  Plus this drama balanced out all the sadness with lots of light hearted moments, comedy, exciting work stories, side stories, and more.  It was so well rounded!  I adored it!

This drama had two attractive leads:  Lee Sang Yoon was mesmerizing as the die hard for love… it was impossible not to fall head over heels in love with this guy… and Gu Hye Sun was adorable, plucky, and proved she could also bring it to the melodrama table with some outstanding emotional performances.  I also loved the teen versions of these two, whose story took place in the first two episodes.  Kang Ha-Neul and Nam Ji-Hyun were sooo cute together.

Overall Rating – 10/10.  Organ Donors Are Confidential For A Reason.

More About Angel Eyes and Why It Is Amazing (with spoilers spoilers)

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Review – Circle: Two Worlds

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Review – Circle: Two Worlds

A well done, high concept sci fi show about memories, responsibility, and identity.   The story revolves around two twins who discover a mysterious woman in the woods when they are children.  Is she an alien?  The woman disappears from their life, only to reappear again when they are in their early twenties.  At the same time a string of questionable suicides start occurring at the Health and Science College.  Who is she?  And how is she connected to these events and the lives of the twins?  Rotating between 2017, our time, and 2037, when the country has been split into “Normal Earth,” a wasteland of pollution and dust, and “Smart Earth,” a clean environment where all the citizens are on modified mood controllers and live peacefully.

There are plenty of spectacular twists in this drama and the plot was so unconventional, I had no idea where it was taking me from episode to episode.  The acting was incredible, especially from Yeo Jin-Goo… wow, that boy has an expressive face, does he not?  Murder, mystery, secret experiments, missing persons and aliens!   Who could ask for more? (Uh, I could!  sequel, please?)

As with all mystery shows – I won’t do a lengthy review since mystery shows are best enjoyed with the full mystery unraveling as you watch.  So… do yourself a favor and check it out.

Overall Rating – 9/10.  Blue Worms Are Not Your Friends.

When K-World Loves You & Takes Requests

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I’m on summer vacation – which means unlimited time to binge tons and tons of dramas.  I had just finished a rewatch of W – Two Worlds, and was thinking to myself… what next?  What next?

I texted my best friend.

Me:  “You know, I may watch some American stuff for a bit.  I’m in the mood for sci fi.”

Bestie:  “There’s no sci fi Korean Dramas?”

Me:  “Not really.  I mean… sorta kinda some fringe dramas, but nothing like Fringe, you dig?”

Bestie:  “Uh, no.  I don’t watch K-Dramas.”

Me:  “I’m in the mood for aliens.  Space ships and robots and futuristic worlds and such.”

Bestie:  “Ah.  There’s some shows on Hulu, I think.”

So I went to go dig around.  I poked about Hulu.  I looked around Amazon Prime.  I stuck my toes in the murky waters of Netflix.  But kept returning, like a faithful dog, to Dramafever.  I looked at my que of shows and sighed.  I rummaged around a few minutes then noticed…. like a beam of light from the very heavens of K-World…

SCI FI!  And aliens, no less.  And the show was almost complete, too… only two episodes haven’t been uploaded.

It was a sign!  K-World graciously smiled upon me and said, “You wanted what, super fan?  Oh… here you go, my little pet…”

Needless to say, I started it immediately.  Three episodes in and I am loving it thus far.  Full review to come.

But I just wanted to let you know that if you sacrifice your time to the K-World Gods…. sometimes they smile upon you and take requests.  So… just keep it in mind.

Review – Let’s Eat

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Review – Let’s Eat

This is a unique show focusing on food (oooh so much yummy food in ooooh so much detail) and how it brings people together.  The main character, Lee Soo-Kyung, is a divorcee who lives in a singles apartment complex and works as a legal secretary at a law firm.  I loved this character – her suspicious nature, her bristly demeanor, her begrudging acceptance of her single fate – she was strong yet vulnerable with a great personality.  Most of all, I loved her love of food.  She took pleasure in food the way children take pleasure in their new toys on Christmas morning.  It was divine to watch her eat, moaning and grinning and stuffing her face.

Around Lee Soo-Kyung are her best friend, a stay at home mom with two rambunctious children.  Her best friend’s husband, who is also a legal aid at the same firm.  The two lawyers who run the firm, the hysterically delusional Lawyer Oh and the petty, gloriously geeky Lawyer Kim.  We also are introduced to Lee Soo-Kyung’s two neighbors on either side.  One is a young lady whose father has gone to prison, her family fortune lost.  She’s naive, optimistic, good-natured, and was (in my opinion) the weakest link in the storyline.

The other neighbor is our second lead, Koo Dae-Young, an insurance salesman who is also a foodie.  I also really loved this character.  First of all, his job is interesting.  An insurance salesman?  He’s someone who knows every illness and disease and spits out scary little fun facts with a pleasant smile during conversation, ever the salesman.  He’s charming, carefree, and seems to just glide effortlessly through life.  When he does get himself into sticky situations – such as girls falling for him left and right – he’s actually quite mature in handling it face to face with no drama, setting things straight.  I also loved when people would set him off on one of his food rants – “What?!” and he’d go into a soliloquy about the history and beauty of some questioned nature of the meal.  It was hysterical and eloquent and just made an already cool guy ten times cooler.

This show decided to develop all its characters before it even bothered to get started with a romance, which was unusual.  I think we were about ten episodes in before any real flirting started.  And yet… I think that improved the plot greatly.

Overall Rating – 8.5/10.  Unique Characters To Be Savored.

Final Thought – I loved the main female’s dog, Vara.  Only our quirky female lead would chose to name a tiny Pomeranian dog after Che Guevara.

Review – Oh My Ghostess

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Review – Oh My Ghostess

Can I just say now right now that my favorite thing about this cute little show was the epic girl-friendship between the professor the shaman?  How adorable were they?  I loved that we had two older women coming together as friends with no common ground whatsoever other than the fact they were both lonely and needed a buddy.  Sometimes that is all it takes.  Their friendship made the entire story better, like having home made icing on a cake instead of store bought.  Sure, we were gonna eat that cake regardless… but now it’s just so much yummier.

Oh My Ghostess was a cute, supernatural romance about a shy young girl who gets possessed by a horny extroverted ghost – which both makes her life better and worse.  The horny ghost is convinced if she can lose her virginity to man of vitality, then she will let go of the grudge keeping her from crossing over to the next world.  When that man of vitality happens to be the shy girl’s boss and secret crush, hilarity ensues.

“Oh, Chef!”

Park Bo-Young was so adorable and funny in this show – jumping back and forth between a wide eyed innocent and a shameless rambunctious hussy with ease – that’s great acting prowess, right there.  Cho Jung-Seok played the male lead, a persnickety chef who’s a bit of a narcissist but also a surprisingly sweet romantic at heart.  His character transformation over the show was as just as impressive as the female lead.  Throw in a bunch of playful restaurant coworkers, a gigantic cop with a little boy’s smile, the dead girl’s family, and a murder mystery or two… and you’ve got a nice way to spend sixteen hours.

It was a fun little romance and I can see why so many people have recommended this show over the years.  Add me to the list.  I recommend it too.

Overall Rating – 8/10.  Don’t Die A Virgin In Korea.

Review – Bad Guys

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Review – Bad Guys

This show asks the question… are we humans or are we beasts?  Clearly we’re a little bit of both and it’s a delicate, fragile balance for a lot of people.  Especially the people in this show.  The plot is basically this:  Three hardcore criminals are let out of prison to help track down hardcore criminals.  They are lead by an ambitious young detective and a hardened old detective nicknamed “Mad Dog.”  Much violence ensues.

It’s a short drama, at only 11 episodes, and keeps up a consistent pace of action throughout.  The actual narrative of the story revolves around the death of Mad Dog’s daughter – and how these three criminals may be related to her demise.  I admit, I kinda loved the whole bloody festival of butchery and tears.

Overall Rating – 8.5/10 – The Beasts of Seoul and How to Catch Them.

More about the beasts of Seoul… with no real spoilers this time…

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