Min Sung-Wook

Review – While You Were Sleeping

/ Lady Divine / 3 Comments

Review – While You Were Sleeping

A perfect 10.  Same writer that gave us Pinocchio, also a perfect 10 show.  This is drama that managed to mix comedy, romance, thrills, and fantasy into one episode after the other of pure entertainment and joy.  Lee Jong-Suk plays a young prosecutor who is learning the trade, stumbling hysterically along the way but still admirable due to his strong sense of justice.  It was so refreshing to see a young man play a young man for once – naive, goofy, lounging about in a messy home as he sorts out his feelings and career.  Bae Suzy plays a reporter who has quit her job because of an ominous dream.  She’s carefree and yet complicated, her constant dreams of the future have crippled her ability to bravely face a world she believes she can not change.  When Lee Jong-Suk’s character causes one of her premonitions to alter, she realizes the future isn’t as concrete as her dreams might imply and begins to climb out of her shell.

The entire cast is a goldmine of lovable characters with unique personalities and back stories.  Each of them gets their moment to shine as this drama unfolds, allowing them all a chance to win your heart.  Even the antagonists, in typical K-Drama style, are oddly sympathetic and though you will be cheering for justice, you’ll also feel a little bad for them too.  Touchingly sweet moments full of sentiment and genuine affection were sprinkled throughout the show, nicely balanced between the intrigue and humor.

This will probably be my new choice for “First K-Drama” recommendation.  I can’t imagine anyone not being charmed and compelled by this amazing story.  If you haven’t seen it yet – watch it immediately!  It’s currently on Viki.

Overall Rating – 10/10.  Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This.

Character Breakdown, Spoilers, Thoughts and More follow…

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Review – I Remember You / Hello Monster

/ Lady Divine / 11 Comments

Review – I Remember You / Hello Monster

I will remember this show… until I’m dead.  I am a sucker for sympathetic villains and this drama featured not one but TWO.

Plot:  Basically, two young brothers are separated in childhood after one is kidnapped by a teenage serial killer.  The story is what happens when they are reunited in adulthood… including the reunion with the serial killer.

To say that I loved this show is an understatement.  I love a lot of dramas.  If I didn’t love K-dramas, I wouldn’t bother with this blog.  There are tons of great K-dramas.  And for every K-drama, there is one that seems made… if you can find it… just for you.  As if K-World read your diary, said, “Oh, you like this, eh?” and created a drama and wrapped it up like a present, tied it with a bow, and put your name on it.  This drama HAUNTED ME.  The romance and the cop shenanigans and the mystery plot lines were all awesome, but the center of this story is about nature vs nurture.  Do we create monsters or are they born?  Can they change?  Can they learn?  Can a monster evolve into a human being?

I’m not even using poetic license when I say I had dreams about this show.  I literally had dreams about this show.  

Overall Rating – 12/10.  Monsters Make Their Own Families.

Much Much Much Rambling, Character Explorations, Themes, And Massive SPOILERS follow… so, you know, you have been warned.

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Review – Six Flying Dragons

/ Lady Divine / 11 Comments

Review – Six Flying Dragons

This drama was outstanding.  It’s about the end of the Goryeo period and the beginning of the Joseon period – in particular, the revolution leading from one to another.  And it’s the best historical Korean Drama I have ever seen.  Ever.  After the second episode, I was pretty sure it was surpassing my favorites.  And after the epic 3-Prong Rescue Sequence from the Biguk Temple in Episode 6… I was hooked.  By the end of the loop to the opening scene in Ep 1 closing in Ep 10, I thought… wow… holy crap… that’s extremely good writing.  It’s by the same writing team that brought us Queen Seonduk and Tree with Deep Roots… this male/female team, Kim Young-Hyun and Park Sang-Yeon, know their stuff.  And they have been perfecting their craft.  Tightly woven plots in each episode, building on each other throughout yet changing enough to keep you enthralled, extremely complicated but fulfilling character development, action, historical significance, and even some romance.

Seriously.  BEST HISTORICAL DRAMA I HAVE EVER SEEN.  Just… mesmerizing.

Overall Rating – 10/10.  The View Is Only Better From the Moral High Ground If You Don’t Look Down.

More about characters – spoilers spoilers spoilers – thoughts and more…. please watch the show before treading into these waters, you don’t need to muddy up your experience by reading details first.

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Review – Circle: Two Worlds

/ Lady Divine / Leave a comment

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.