Review – Sensory Couple
First of all… very misleading title image! This is not a fairy tale romance and neither character runs around in beautiful clothes throughout the show. This picture is more accurate of what to expect:
The show about a girl who sees smells (by the seashore) and a guy who feels no pain. Throw in a serial killer and you’ve got an unusual, yet surprisingly cute drama.
READ MORE…
Review – Mask
A delicious melodrama full of betrayal, secrets, and pain! I loved it. Soo-Ae looks beautiful when she cries. Ju Ji-Hoon is marvelous as the mentally unstable heir. And Yeon Jeong-Hun has NEVER LOOKED BETTER. Oh my gosh, no one plays devious quite like this guy… and no one has ever looked so hot when they’re being so evil.
The story is relatively simple. There are two women who have the same face, doppelgangers. One is wealthy and the other lives in poverty and debt. When the wealthy woman drowns, a sinister man sees an opportunity and puts the poor woman in her place. The poor woman goes along with it because Mr. Sinister says he will settle her families debts. Suddenly the poor woman finds herself getting married to a stranger and caught in a web of lies.
I loved it! This is pure melodrama. If you’re feeling rational, don’t watch it. If you’re one of those people who screams at the television “Why doesn’t she just tell him!?” or “Why does she keep trusting him?!” then don’t watch it. These people are going to make the same mistakes several times before seeing the error of their ways. There are lies on top of lies on top of lies. People are out for blood. There is distrust and suspicion everywhere. No one has the common sense to plant an audio recorder somewhere or actually accumulate evidence of any kind. Oh no. These are fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, emotional decision making types. And it’s 20 long episodes of this… so if you’re not in the mood to soak in some moody, irrational stew, then do yourself a favor and steer clear.
If, however, you are in the mood for deception and dark desire and, honestly, ridiculousness… then get comfortable on the couch and clear your calendar. There will be tears! There will gnashing of teeth! There will be anguish and blood and fear and chaos! There will be desperate kisses followed by mistrust and confusion! There will be backflashes to something that happened only ten minutes ago! The house is on fire and no one can see the exits through the smoke… we’re all going down in flames together. And it’s so much fun!
Overall Rating – 9/10. Mr. Sinister Serves Up Some Moody, Broody Blackmail to a Doppelganger.
SPOILERS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
There’s Something About Mary… Review – Mary Stayed Out All Night
This drama has a lot going for it. Two incredibly attractive men vying for the affection of one ridiculous girl. Check! Indie rock music. Check! Behind the scenes of the business end of making dramas. Check! A hysterical disaster-inducing father. Check! Funny friends. Check, Check! Lots of piggy back rides and wrist grabbing… just tick off every box for “YES.” It has all the basics.
And basic is what you get.
A mildly enjoyable romantic drama.
READ MORE…
Review – Goblin – The Lonely & Great God
Quite possibly one of the most mysteriously addicting shows I have ever watched. Despite it’s problems, and we’ll get into that later, it absolutely stunned with witty banter, romance, bromance, mystery, and the supernatural. And the music! What originally seemed like a mish-mash of supernatural mythology worked perfectly in this Korean drama. Gods, goblins, grim reapers, cursed children, and ghosts all wandered the streets together.
If you haven’t seen this show – open another tab and watch it immediately. Without delay. Count up how many candles were lit during the making of this drama…(seriously, they went overboard with the open flames in this show) and that’s how many feels you’ll get.
Overall Rating – 10/10. Everyone Is Okay With Gong Yoo Living Forever.
If you have watched it (probably more than once already, am I right?) then you’re probably itching to talk about it.
So let’s discuss…
SPOILERS FOLLOW
Review- Heart to Heart
The adorably unethical story of a shrink who falls for his patient and proceeds to chase her around for an entire show. This is one of those perfect dramas where six hours passes in what feels like an hour. Your face muscles get a little tired from smiling so often. You genuinely laugh out loud. The pacing is perfect – there is not even a moment of wasted time or character interaction. It’s expert writing paired with expert direction. Not to mention actors that both charm you, amuse you, and feel comfortable walking around your television. It’s easy to believe they really exist so you grow very close to them very quickly.
The last few episodes turn melodramatic, but otherwise it’s a feel great romantic comedy worth checking out. This drama also made it to my Best Kisses of All Time list.
Overall Rating 9/10 – Don’t Fall In Love With Your Shrink Unless You Are In A K-Drama.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
My two favorite leading male stereotypes are the arrogant, self-centered types (for example the male leads in The Greatest Love, Master’s Sun, You Are Beautiful) and the hardened criminal with a soft spot for love.
When I say hardened criminal, I mean the type that you can count on to beat someone bloody on the street for you. Cause… that’s a skill set you might need one day. Especially if you inhabit K-World. I do not mean the psuedo-criminal. I do not mean the sensitive action heroes found in City Hunter or Healer. I do not mean the men who thrill us with graceful acrobatics during a well choreographed fight sequence. I do not mean white collar criminals or cyber criminals or dudes plotting their revenge. I mean bloody knuckle criminals. The ones that can be genuinely scary when they’re not romancing a lady. My heart always goes wonky for the guard dogs, the yard dogs, the junkyard dogs of K-world. The fighters.
READ MORE…
Every drama fan knows you can’t really rewatch your favorite shows too many times. They’re just long enough that you can’t possibly remember everything – even with repeated viewing. A lot of shows get better the second or third time around. A few of them slip down your charts. Not everything can stand up to the test of time. But a good rewatch is needed to fully appreciate K-Dramas. Especially if you’ve been watching mainly new dramas.
READ MORE…
Review – Healer
The definition of awesome sauce.
Our main male lead is an independent contractor who lives alone in a massive warehouse (massively cool warehouse) and dreams of one day escaping to an island paradise. He is known by the codename HEALER. And he looks very good in black. Ji Chang-Wook is a star for a reason. He shines in everything.
Our main female lead is a young street reporter who works for an online news source and dreams of being a more successful reporter. Her father is a coffee shop owner/criminal lawyer. Many of the criminals he helped in his long career have now become his employees and act as an extended family for our young heroine. Needless to say, it can be pretty cushy to have the support of such a clan. And it’s ripe for comedy gold.
Our second male lead is a seasoned reporter, well established and celebrated for his work. He has been looking for the whereabouts of a “child” for many years, who was adopted. She’d be about the same age as our lead female… coincidence? Cough, cough.
Outstanding Supporting Cast all around, without exception. Everyone is great in this.
There is action, there is intrigue, there are complicated but exciting plotlines with many twists and turns. We’ve got people under cover and double agents and secret identities and mysteries of the past mixing up with mysteries in the present. There’s breaking and entering, there’s cyber crime, there’s lots of insanely good choreographed fights. Did I mention murder? Revenge? Childhood ninja training?
The production value is top notch. The music is great. It’s a fun, fun, funnnnnnnn show. There’s also a nice romance and plenty of satisfying flirtations and longing stares to keep your heart racing with the action.
Every single episode is quality. Too good for a major review with spoilers – just watch it. Watch it. Watch it, watch it, watch it!
Overall Rating – 10/10. Awesome In Every Way.
Review – Fated to Love You
This is a romantic comedy that stays pure to its genre. It’s stupidly, adorably romantic and really, really funny. It has the same zany humor, in many respects, as The Greatest Love and The Master’s Sun (though not quite as great as either). In other words, there’s one weirdo and one normal person trying to figure out how to navigate life with weirdo in tow. The weirdo in Fated to Love You is the male lead, played by Jang Hyuk.
Try to make it through the opening scene of this drama… which is incredibly awkward and the reason I turned off this show the first time I tried to watch it several years ago. Let us all collectively wipe the shampoo commercial from our memories. It serves its purpose for introducing the character, his abs, his bizarre personality, and the product that made his family fortune, but it’s just… awkward. The pacing is off. It actually made me feel uncomfortable – both times I watched it. BUT… stick to it. If you do, you will be richly rewarded with screwball comedy and a refreshingly different (and simple) romance.
Overall Rating – 8.5/10. Cheesy, adorable rom com.
Spoilers Follow
Review – Kill Me, Heal Me
Kill Me, Heal Me was a story of a young man with multiple personalities and the woman who loved them all…
That’s the short review.
Overall Rating – 8/10. Why Love One Guy When You Can Love Five?
Spoilers for the Long Review…
subtitledreams 