K-Drama

Review – Remember

/ Lady Divine / 2 Comments

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

/ Lady Divine / 4 Comments

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

/ Lady Divine / 3 Comments

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.

Review – Let’s Eat

/ Lady Divine / 2 Comments

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

/ Lady Divine / 4 Comments

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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Review – Bridal Mask

/ Lady Divine / 1 Comment

Review – Bridal Mask

Bridal Mask is one of the most epic, emotional, action-packed, gut-wrenching shows I have ever watched.  It takes place during the 1930’s, when Japan had colonized the country.  The hatred between the local “Joseon” people and the Japanese is palatable.  Though some have been striving to live and work in peace, overall it is a volatile time rife with government, military, and police corruption.  The plot centers around a young Korean man who has betrayed his people by joining the Japanese military to help them end the rebellion, in particular catch the infamous masked crusader known only as “Bridal Mask.”  He is despised by his own people and distrusted by the Japanese, with the exception of his best friend, a kind-hearted elementary school teacher.  A series of tragic events lead both of these men into their terrible fates.

Overall Rating – 9/10.  When Elementary School Teachers Embrace The Dark Side… (also known as:  The Problem With Eye For An Eye Is There Are Always More Eyes)

It would be a 10/10 but I confess it could have probably cut about ten entire episodes and not suffered from plot loss.  More discussion (and spoilers!  sorry, I can’t help it) follow.

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Review – Cheese in the Trap

/ Lady Divine / 7 Comments

Review – Cheese in the Trap

What an awesome character study!  Hong Seol and Yoo Jung may be the most interesting couple I have watched fall in love in a K-Drama.  I thought this was going to be a cheesy college romantic drama, but it turned out to be complex study on individuals coming to terms with their own personalities by observing the actions of the people closest to them.

Overall Rating – 9/10.  Sociopaths Make The Best Boyfriends.

Let’s talk about the main characters! (spoilers follow)

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Review – Secret Love Affair (a PG Rated Erotic Tale)

/ Lady Divine / 3 Comments

Review – Secret Love Affair (a PG Rated Erotic Tale)

I avoided this show for a long time due to the “noona romance” but finally gave in when I saw it pop up on Netflix.  I’ve read a ton of reviews on it, raving about how sexy it was, how divine, how romantic and beautiful and so on.   And it is all of those things.  But it’s also incredibly demure.  This show is such a tease!

I enjoyed Secret Love Affair.  But I didn’t love it.  I loved the music.  I loved the cinematography.  I loved the writer’s for leaving a great deal of the performances “unspoken” and giving the actors a chance to emote with their facial expressions.  The husband, in particular, became more interesting due to his actions and reactions of the affair.  What a complicated man.  And yet I found most of the characters very unlikable.  And tedious.  And boring.  And though our lead couple shared a connection through music, I couldn’t really understand what either of them saw in each other… except for the obvious cliches associated with a relationship with such a vast age difference.

Plot:  Unhappily married woman in crappy job finds solace and escape in the arms of a struggling young piano prodigy.  Both their lives become more complicated because of it.  Subplot and perhaps moral of the story:  Rich people are mostly jerks, but since a lot of people will do unethical and crappy things to get money, can we really throw stones in our glass houses?  And do you even like your glass houses or have you just bought the lie?

Overall Rating – 8/10.  A Major Musical Seduction and a Minor Romance in B Flat.

Full titillating review follows (including spoilers and X-Rated commentary)

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