RomanceNovelist Reviews

The Interest of Love (2022– )

MISERY LOVES COMPANY

[6/10 · 2 June 2024]

This show is about people NOT getting what they want in life. These are people who get in the way of their own happiness and unfortunately, there's no pay off for the audience at the end because the couple hasn't learned anything about themselves and the audience hasn't learned much from them either. The pay off of the coupke winning is also absent so the audience is left feeling as though they just wasted 16 hours of viewing with zero pay off.

The only characters who get a happy ending were the 2 least deserving characters on the show, Mr. Ma and Ms. Bae. Two very minor side characters who spent most of the show gossiping about others and making nasty comments about the lead characters. It seemed like the show went out of its way to ensure that the central characters were miserable under the pretense of sounding deep or comolex.

This made for a joyless experience. I only kept watching waiting for something good to happen or perhaps hoping something good would happened to these characters. The good times never materialized.

The actors and actresses were great but the characterization, not so much. Loved the lead actress playing Su-Yeong in True Beauty. But i found her character in this kdrama unlikeable. She struck me as hard-hearted, unforgiving, and inconsistent...especially in her shabby treatment of her father, Mr Ha and Mr. Jeong. It was as though she hated any man who loved her, except her deceased brother. The stunt she pulled with Mr. So that badly hurt Mr Jeong and pretty much ruined his life and all she sacrificed to help him reach his goals is where her character became unredeemable to me. The plot existed to devastate Mr Ha and Mr Jeong for what purpose? To free herself? The sacrifices she made for the job, only to quit without explanation? She was rubbish.

The lead character Mr. Ha was redeemable. His unrequited love for Ms. Ang was tiring at times and his inability to communicate, frustrated.

Mr Jeong, the security guard was too insecure and pathetic to make me root for him. He was just unreasonably miserable.

Ms. Park was lovely and was such a nice person but overly clingy and needy to the point of being so annoying i could not feel compassion for her... partly because I am so bored of these irrationally clingy girlfriends or women who want a man, can't have him, but refuse to let go. They are far too obsessed and mentally unhealthy for anyone to root for them.

This story was desperate to seem deep and complex but it was simply joyless and thus, pointless.

Atlas (2024)

Neither good or awful, ripped off TitanFall video game plot and visuals

[6/10 · 26 May 2024]

This movie was okay. It was neither good nor was it awful...it was just there. The special effects were handled very well and I think that a lot of the dialogue was very cliché. The very first few minutes of the movie made me giggle because it was a horrible, "...no one will work with her... she's difficult but she's brilliant," conversation between two military men.. LOL I mean that's as cliche as, "...turn in your gun and your badge." I think the actors did a decent job and I really like seeing Sterling k brown and Mark Strong. My only problem with the acting is that Jennifer Lopez spent most of the movie grimacing and cringing angrily or in frustration. This is not her fault, this is just bad writing. They didn't give her character much depth beyond the mission so you spend the entire movie watching her grimage and cringe impatiently with everyone around her the entire time. This can make for a fairly tiresome experience.

I can list the number of plot holes. How are they able to travel to the Andromeda Galaxy in a matter of hours or days and not hundreds of years because it's literally hundreds of light years away. Did they been there through a wormhole? How is it that everyone gets shot out of the air before they even made it to their destination and she's the only one who survives. There's no logical explanation for this and she was essentially a sitting duck. One thing I can't stand is when a movie is testing my intelligence and the limits of my ability to suspend disbelief. Harlan's plot was so obvious that the moment they started heading there to Andromeda I already knew that Cascan was just a Trojan Horse and that information was planted, and it was all set up to get them to go to Harlan.

One of the military women who saved her mid-fall died because of Atlas' refusal to put on the neural link.

What surprised me is that they gave her more time grieving an AI than a moment to reflect on the human who sacrificed his life so that she could escape.

Madame Web (2024)

"Bad movie" thing greatly exaggerated.

[7/10 · 26 May 2024]

A woman gets into an accident and becomes psychic, unlocking dormant powers given to her at birth. I like Dakota Johnson. I think shes charming, smart, feminine, but also strong as a heroine/actress in her movies roles. The young people her character was supposed to protect... meh. Theyre the same as all zoomers in movies today... stilted dialogue that is neither hip and tries oh so hard to quip and act tough. Hollywwood does not know how to make zoomers likeable and that's the problem with why their movies aren't selling. They write these zoomer characters as if they are basing them off of social media personalities like X or Ticktock. They seem unrelatable.

The reviews completely tanked the movie so when I watched on NF I went in with my expectations set to low. Surprisingly, the reviews claiming this was the worse movie ever were greatly exaggerated and it just goes to show how people are easily influenced by what other people are saying. Was it Shakespearean? No. Was it the worst ever? No. The plot wasn't overly bad. A tad cliché as a comic book action movie but not worse than something like Electra or Wonder Woman 1984. I think this is a case of, the public needs to start thinking for themselves before they decide that something is awful. I did not love it but I did not hate it either. Monkey see monkey do. It's okay to not like it, but always judge something for yourselves first.

Queen of Tears (2024– )

Exhausting...when everyone is stupid.

[7/10 · 30 April 2024]

I enjoyed the show, the excellent acting and performances but found it exhausting. I mean, how much can they throw at Hyun-Woo? He's been beaten up, shot, poisoned, kidnapped, hit by a car, put in jail for a month on false murder charges, wrongly divorced, lied on and maligned, framed for murder, framed for corruption, demoted at work, humiliated and fired from his job...what more can they throw at this man?

The main family -- how stupid are they? Do they know how to put up a valid argument? After they had been locked out of their own home, after getting it back, they tell the person who kicked them out and stole their money and company to leave and she simply says, "you can't make me leave, I'm a resident here," but she was able to put them out of their own house without warning? Please. What really irritates me are shows where the villian gets away with literally everything and they are completely unstoppable. And as Hae-in goes in for surgery that will erase her memory, not one person said, "let's make a bunch of videos so you can remember us and your life when you wake up!" Noooo, she writes notes in a journal that the bad guy simply burns.

There are so many stupid or unrealistic moments thst i can't list them all. I was entertained but annoyed by the plot holes at the same time.

My ID Is Gangnam Beauty (2018)

Beauty is only skin deep

[9/10 · 13 November 2023]

The characterizations in this one was truly intriguing. I will start with the male lead. Do Kyung Seok is a stoically rigid but handsome young man who can't take a breath without someone lavishing him with praise because of his handsome face. He also comes from a wealthy family, so combined with his good looks he can pretty much get away with anything, including being brusque and standoffish to others. Because he is handsome people seem to forgive his shortcomings very easily. Despite those shortcomings which includes being mostly nonverbal and short-tempered, he is actually a good person. But Do Kyung Seok is always in an irritable and unhappy state due to people being enamored with him for superficial reasons, and also because of abandonment issues caused by one of his parents. While people look at him and see someone handsome on the outside they don't see how lonely, sad and unhappy he is on the inside. Because he is not superficial he falls for a classmate, Mi-Rae, who is not traditionally pretty while still in middle school. He falls in love with her for who she is on the inside, because she is funny. Mi-Rae is unfortunately stricken with extreme insecurity because of her looks and believes that he is one of her bullies and resents him. They meet again in college, and after sorting through the misunderstanding they become friends.

Do Kyung Seok is protective of Mi-Rae and even put her bullies in their place. What I found hilarious about Do Kyung Seok is that he would get so angry about any bullying of Mi-Rae that he "could only use his fists." The story doesn't focus on this much but he was just a little bit crazy and a little bit violent. I found it comical and shocking that each time, he dragged her bullies into a bathroom and pummeled them into submission, silently doing so without offering Mi-Rae or anyone else an explanation as to why he did it. He is stoic, protective, and bound by his own code of honor. He does everything he can to make his affection for her clear (other than verbally communicating his feelings due to his stoic personality.)

Despite this, Mi-Rae misunderstands his intentions due to her own insecurities. Mi-Rae is stubborn in her own self-abnegation. I found her stammering,slow speech, self-loathing and cringing annoying at times. I enjoyed her character most when she stood up for herself and stood up to any bullies. There are obstacles between her and Do Kyung Seok, that she placed there as a result of her own deep-seated insecurities. Mi-Rae was the obstacle and no one else. In fact, I felt she often judged him because he was handsome and never gave him a fear chance. I felt Mi-Rae went easy on people who were trying to harm her at times. Enter Sua.

The character I found most frightening was Sua. The way she easily and carefully manipulated others with a smile on her face was truly frightening. She was a psychopath. I wonder what motivated her to do these things. Whenever a young man showed interest in a different girl she would intimate that she likes him to distract that young man from liking someone else even though she has no interest in the young man. Why was she like this? The story is about how shallow society can be and how often society judges someone on by how they look. Sua was it good example of someone who is attractive on the outside but ugly on the inside while Mi-Rae was beautiful on the inside but often called ugly.

This is an interesting story and I quite enjoyed it. But if I had a penny for every time someone called Do Kyung Seok "handsome" I would be a trillionaire. Literally every single scene he is in, someone mentions that he is handsome. The writing is excessively shallow in this aspect. We get it, the young man is handsome and easy on the eyes. But it started to irritate me, hearing people explain how handsome he was in every scene. He was called handsome to the point where it was nauseated. And I wondered if the writers lacked self-awareness.

You have a heroin who is told she is either ugly or plastic or even pretty in every scene and a male lead who was told he is handsome excessively.

Mi-Rae seemed comfortable with everyone except the one person who accepted her before she had plastic surgery. The one person who had made it clear that he liked her regardless of how she looked and that he did not think she was unattractive at all. This was the person who left her constantly cringing and insecure. Mi-Rae was frustrating.

I liked the character Woo Young the TA. Very handsome and also kindhearted. I also really liked Mi-Rae's roommate and how good of a friend she was. I like that the story highlights good people, bad people, and the ones in between. Great characterizations and story.

True Beauty (2020–2021)

Except the girl isn't ugly at all

[9/10 · 7 November 2023]

This was a fun romance with a fun love triangle. The two guys vying for the affection of one girl was a lot of fun to watch. But when the love triangle involving the girls arrives, that's when it gets vicious and cruel. At the Crux of it all I feel like it's girls being jealous of other girls. This is a story about self-esteem and inner strength. And also loving yourself for who you are no matter what.

The part that confused me about this show is that the central character was it ugly at all. She wasn't ugly without makeup and she wasn't as beautiful as they claimed she was with it. In fact I thought she looked better without the makeup. And I'm not just saying that. I thought she looked too much like the other girls with the makeup. The way they were carrying on you would have thought she was a monster and even without makeup she was prettier than most of the other girls in the school. What she was lacking was courage and self-esteem. So for me I found it hard to suspend belief that a pretty young lady is supposed to be ugly simply because she has pimples on her face. Or that it is criminal or even deceitful to wear makeup. But the show is handled well and I think it has a good message with the protagonist caring about her no matter how she looked. Su Ho is a guy who sees beyond the superficial unlike everyone else. To me he was mature in a well-rounded character despite his mood swings and struggles with his past. Also Seo Jun sees beyond the superficial because of the tragedy with their friend and their own history with seeing what bullying does to another human being.

I felt the mother of Im Gyeong was very insensitive to her daughter. There is no way I would allow anyone to say that my daughter is ugly or unattractive. I would probably bite their heads off. Her mother did not create empowerment in her daughter by allowing people in the community to point out her features and call her unattractive. So the girl never really learned how to defend herself. Other than those quibbles the story was also a lot of fun and had a lot of hilarious moments that I enjoyed. I typically don't watch any shows centered around the lives of teenagers. I tend to find those shows very annoying. At times the kids on the show were hyperactive so I took breaks between binge watching so that it didn't wear on my nerves. But I would rank this show in my top 10 kdramas.

I really liked how the two young men were very supportive of Im Gyeong throughout. The bullies were all ridiculous and despicable. And I really wanted them to have a severe comeuppance. I wanted Im Gyeong to stand up to them and grow a spine. I enjoyed the subplots and other love stories.

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020)

A cute slice-of-life with a horrific ending

[7/10 · 16 October 2023]

I really enjoy this story. And I think the male lead really made this story fantastic. The strong silent type who is overprotective of his lady love and simply wants to provide for her. Unraveling his mysterious background and his story made this love story all the more appealing. The lady love Ra-ra was ridiculous. She was ridiculous because she was below average intelligence. And that's putting it nicely. Her lack of intellect was so off-putting but she had a charm about her which was sadly quite infantile. Still, I was able to enjoy the story for the main male lead actor and the second male lead actor were both appealing gentlemen. Rara and the teenage girl were a bit annoying at times but overall, I still found Ra-ra somewhat likeable, I just found her dumbness annoying. She had zero life skills and it took a young man who is her Junior and significantly younger than her to help her survive. Which really was pathetic but at the same time romantic. In one scene he even indicates to one person that his lady love wasn't that bright. But she was bright in spirit and talented , which cheered everyone up who was around her.

The last half hour of the final episode was horrific. And I mean this is the worst ending in kdrama history. I doubt very seriously that there is another show that could surpass how absolutely abysmal and how utterly dumb the ending was. The show has its charms and I would have given the show and eight, possibly higher, but I deducted a point for that ending. I was so appalled. I noticed that k-dramas have a tendency of not ending their shows well but this one took the cake.

Destined with You (2023)

Seemed more fated than destined

[9/10 · 16 October 2023]

I'm going to be honest here. I feel Mr Kwon is a more suitable mate for Hong-Jo. He was mature, solid, never acted impulsively, and seemed to have a genuine interest in Hong Jo. He is also good looking. While he initially turned her down at first, because he is a very measured person who considered the consequences of an office romance and the importance of keeping things professional, I liked that he came around and started to like her and I was actually rooting for them as a couple.

Sin-yu is a decent sort of guy but I felt he was lousy for pursuing Hong-Jo while he was in a relationship. No matter the circumstances it simply did not sit right with me and he seemed to be unable to turn his clingy girlfriend away. If he is too weak to break up and make it a clean break with his girlfriend then he should have left the heroine alone. If he wanted to pursue Hong Jo he should have ended the relationship with his girlfriend instead of trying to have his cake and eat it too. The way he went about it was pretty lousy and when the situation affected her at work he made things worse by acting impulsively and making a big scene. He also was careless with how he managed the girlfriend and protecting Hong Jo from her meanness. He never seemed to look at her with any suspicion at all. This bothered me significantly. And hong Jo never seemed to tell him what his girlfriend was really like and that also bothered me too. I am on episode 11 and haven't finished the series yet but I'm working on it now. It's an interesting show so it is fun to watch. By the way, by episode 5 the bloody hand seemed to just disappear from the story and did not pop up again, for only a split second in episode 11 or was it 10? I like the side love story so that's fun too.

I do like the love triangle aspect and I'm hoping that Mr Kwon hangs in there. While the men bicker they are still civil with each other. Although Sin-yu is tall and good looking, it's hard for me to root for him because of his careless emotionally heedless ways and because he does not prioritize Hong Jo and protecting her from gossip and other pitfalls of that comes with dating him. Mr Kwon is the exact opposite. He always puts her first. That to me says that he was the better man. With all the problems that comes with dating Sin-yu, it feels like their relationship is fated rather than destined. Sin-yu also feels like he's a bit obsessed. He has a deep fixation on the heroine. And that also makes him a bit troublesome.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021– )

A lovely slice of life romance

[9/10 · 10 September 2023]

This was a cute story about 2 people rebuilding their lives in a sleepy harbor town. You have an uptight dentist and a knowledgeable do-it-all handy man with a dark past. The actors were all very likeable, especially the side characters who brought charm and life to this story. From 3 elderly women, a former singer, a shy police officer, a divorced couple, a married couple with kids, and three fussy youngsters. The male lead is very likeable and has great energy. I have seen him in other shows but would like to see him in more leading roles like this one.

There were a few parts that dragged on, like the melodrama with the lead male actor. He was great and has such a warm smile. I was less interested in seeing him in tears , especially with a smile that brightened up the screen. I like that the romance between the lead characters felt very grown up, even in the hinted at romantic intimacy. This show deserves all of the hype. Well done.

Behind Your Touch (2023)

Comically Ingenious plot, fun leading actors and supporting cast

[9/10 · 10 September 2023]

I started this show unsure if I would like it, but the plot is so devious and unusual, that it makes me giggle. The comedy is fresh, not too zany, but strikes the right balance. It feels a bit like a slice of life story with characters (including supporting characters) that by episode 3, you start to care about. The female lead has a funny likeable energy, as well as the male lead, Lee Min Ki. I've seen him in a few kdramas, but the most memorable role for me was his role in, "Because This is My First Life," which is one of my favorites. I also saw him in Monster where he played a vicious serial killer who was so scary I didn't realize it was the same actor, which speaks to his range and acting abilities. In "Because This is My First Life", he is very restrained. His character in this role he is so different and relaxed. Oh and I also saw him in "The Beauty Inside" as the romantic lead, which is absolutely worth watching. I've seen the heroine in something else but I will have to put my finger on what it was, but I do like her.

This story, with its weirdness could have easily failed, but because of the lead actress and actor's acting abilities, the story shines and feels fun. Great job all around with the warm supporting cast.

The story left me suspecting everyone as the potential serial killer but I was not disappointed with who it turned out to be since I had suspected him all along on and off.

At times I felt like they killed off characters who should not have been killed off. So that was a disappointment. My only real complaint is that the last episode was completely nonsensical in every sense of the word and if the actors were not so charming they would not have been able to pull it off. The plot and the writing in the last episode was abysmal and all over the place. I could not believe how bad the last episode was. They managed to resolve the serial killing about 3/4 ths into the episode but there were so many things that was nonsensical about how the police officers and the violent crime division handled finding the killer that that I can no longer suspend disbelief. Still, in all it is a fun show that really made me laugh so I still enjoyed it overall.

Alchemy of Souls (2022– )

Ugh. Why build a sweeping and epic love story just to throw it away??

[7/10 · 2 September 2023]

I wanted to give this show a 1 out of 10, because the ending of episode 20 actually ruined the entire show. But that would be unfair to the actors and actresses who all did a phenomenal job. The writers however, do get a 1 out of 10 for the garbage ending. This is the first time I've ever felt an ending was so bad that it ruined an entire show in retrospect.

I really enjoyed season 1 of the show. Season 1 gave it's viewers a lot of magic, lore, world building, and plots that stretched credulity, a lot of near misses and a lot of drama that allowed us to see the heroes escape with barely the skin on their backs. There was this feeling that goodness will always prevail and conquer evil. Then the last 30 minutes of season 1 happened. Why on earth would the writers ruin everything they built?

I won't go into too many details but why give your viewers a sweeping and epic romance, where Love and sacrifice conquers all in every episode only to rip it away from your viewers' hearts at the end of the season? Suddenly I felt like I wasted my time watching the show and regretted the 20 hours I spent watching every episode because the end result was so unfulfilling, made even more unfulfilling because they completely abandoned this great love story in season 2. I could live with ep 20, if the original love story had been resurrected. (Edit to note, I finished season 2 after the initial shock of of the bad ending of S1 and enjoyed it despite the nonsensical storyline).

I was hoping this was one of those situations where the heroes would overcome evil. The fact that the royal family and all the mages would even listen to the bad guy after all the evil he had done was extremely bad writing, all the while punishing the good guys for every single thing that went wrong. Even giving one character who had been honorable the whole time, a bad or dishonorable funeral for one mistake while forgiving the bad guy who engaged in many egregious and highly unforgivable acts.

When the writers throw away something, like a love story that they spent an entire season building, only to rip it away from their viewers, is it because the writers think they're cool because they tried to write a Shakespearean level tragedy hoping their viewers will complain about how much they miss the character? If so, it is the height of arrogance. We don't just miss the characters, it makes us hate and resent the show. It really irritates me because these sort of tragedies are not fun or enjoyable to the viewers. I watch for happy ending, or at least the characters ending up together even if they're not fully happy with everything. The viewers have stopped caring about your characters and stop caring about the show because they've lost the whole reason why they were watching it in the first place.

I really detest shows where a bad guy keeps getting forgiven for every wrongdoing they have done and no matter how egregious their sins are they are forgiven but if the heroes make one mistake they are punished severely while the bad guy continues to get away with murder. I felt that the heroine was not treated properly at all and as a result neither were the viewers. I would say that the writers even betrayed the viewers because the story feels like a sadistic lie. I could not focus on season 2 because of the new female lead and of course she is a beautiful and lovely young lady but I feel that is why they wanted her there, for no other reason except that she is younger than the heroine of season 1. They took a great character and replaced her with a very generic young beauty which is just boring. I started season 2 but I doubt I will finish it. I'm already scanning for a new show. I think the male lead, playing Jang Uk is fantastic and I watched mostly for the energy he brought to the show. The way their characters were treated in ep 20 was just awful. What a disservice to him. The lead actress in Season 2 did grow on me, and I grew to like her eventually, to her credit. I did want more from the romance aspect of the story, to hopefully make up for the shock of season 1 ending so poorly, but id grade the romance somewhere in the middle for season 2. The lead male actor was also very good in season 2 but he somehow managed to look even taller and more ganglier than he did in season 1, probably due to some noticeable weight loss.

Crazy Love (2022)

Sadistic but fun

[8/10 · 13 August 2023]

The first four episodes were absolutely brutal. In fact, I would call this story downright sadistic as far as how these people treated each other. The romance was handled very very well and I enjoyed the romance and the growing love very much. Initially, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the male lead, Mr. Gojin, because his personality was so ruthless and uncaring to others. But I knew that the story would likely make him a better person in the end and that there was going to be a lesson in this for him. But he was so callous I started to think he may just be unredeemable. Lee Sina, his long suffering secretary was no better. I wanted to root for her but I could not understand why she refused to leave despite his horrible treatment of her. But when she finally gets the nerve to stand up for herself is when she learned some bad news and figures out that she has nothing to lose anyway. So she sets off on getting revenge and boy is that revenge brutal. I couldn't believe that I actually started to feel bad for Mr Gojin. I started to look at Lee Sina in a way that she was not redeemable herself. She treated Mr Gojin horribly when he was at his weakest. To get revenge of someone when they are at their most vulnerable, to me, is an act of cowardice. But when he finally gives Lee Sina the truth and gets his own revenge on her I was floored by how sadistic he was. My sympathy went back and forth between them. His revenge on his secretary, was much funnier than her revenge on him. Both actors did a great job. For the first five episodes I could not root for either of them. But by episode 6 I was rooting for them and rooting for them as a couple. I enjoyed the romantic tension and the growing understanding for each other's situation. This was against my better judgment because they had been so horrible to each other and at one point they actually have a physical altercation in which they hit each other. It doesn't matter if they were hitting with pillows there was anger behind those blows a.d they were hitting each other hard. As the story progressed I started to feel very sympathetic towards Mr Gojin. A lot had happened to him that he simply did not deserve. What I found perplexing was how everyone managed to blame Mr Gojin for everything. I don't know if it's because he was a handsome ,wealthy, and successful genius, and they were just jealous but no matter what went wrong in their lives they blamed him for it. Even the main villains blamed Mr Gojin for mistakes that he did not make. It seems like everyone was blaming him for no reason at all for their own shortcomings their own bad behaviors and when the time came for consequences they blamed Mr Gojin for any consequences they had to face. The one lady who had a parent make a terrible accusation against her that resulted in her losing her job blamed Mr Gojin for what the parent did, when he had nothing to do with it. Even though she was aware that someone had made these stories up about her she still managed to blame him. So it felt to me after a while like he was being mistreated for things he was not doing and even set up and targeted constantly. The thing that bothered me at the end was forgiveness. I get that he was trying to be a better person but some of those people did not deserve to be forgiven especially after many of them broke the law in order to harm him.

King the Land (2023)

Don't prejudge: a fun, incredibly romantic story

[9/10 · 22 July 2023]

The first two or three episodes start a bit slow. This kdrama ticks off all of the tropes for a romantic comedy. I really enjoyed this one and at first I thought I might not because the first episodes were a little slow. But as you get further into the show starting about episode 5 it really begins to soar and that's when I really started to enjoy it. I did not like the side characters who worked at the hotel. They were all rude, and meanspirited. After a while it became really irritating to see people at so rude and mean. But things start to improve with some of those characters later in the series.

I really liked Mr. Gu's assistant, who was a lot of fun, but I felt he should have ended up in a romantic relationship with Miss cheon's friend (the one who had the daughter and the lazy husband.) I felt she should have divorced the lazy husband and married Mr gu's assistant, who she seemed more compatible with. They hit it off so well I thought they would end up together. So in the end that whole side plot with the lazy husband was completely pointless. He didn't change a bit. Instead, because Mr. Gu's assistant did not have the standard kpop face and hair, his character was not given a romance like the other characters. And best friends of the central characters. The mother and daughter deserved more than that lazy man. Mr Assistant was available and open to love, so why not? That was a missed opportunity.

I loved the trip to Thailand. That was a fun diversion.

One of the characters I didn't like is the father, who seemed a bit oblivious of his daughter and her vicious antics towards his son. She was just a terrible person. In k-dramas, I am so sick of these really bad people getting away with everything and not having consequences and not being held accountable. Other than that this was a lot of fun. I hope people give it a chance because it's definitely watchable and I could really watch it again. And I'm a tough critic, usually.

This was a very fun very light and very very romantic kdrama and I enjoyed it immensely and recommend that everyone watches it. I was surprised by how mature and open-hearted the male lead was and how romantic the story turned out. Well done.

Are You Human Too? (2018)

Action, romance, intrigue, and great acting in this fun/exciting series

[10/10 · 13 July 2023]

I happened to see Are You Human Too? While in the process of leaving a review for the Third Charm. I watched this series, and I absolutely LOVED it.

This series poses the all too important question, which is, can a robot love? What is it that separates machines who are programmed by coding from humans who are also programmed by (DNA) coding? That is the larger question. What does it mean to be human? Is love what makes us all human? Does hatred make us human?

The actor Seo Kang-Joon did a phenomenal job with this part. He was so convincing, that I actually started to see the two characters he played as two different people. I hated Human Nam Shin because he was unjustly mean and also a bully. I get that he has a villain origin story and all. He was justified in being angry with his mother and jealous of Robot Nam Shin. I get it. But to have this much anger towards everyone and acting like a total jerk was unreasonable. Human Nam Shin did not take his anger out on the person who caused all of the problems in the first place, which was the villainous Seo Jong-Gil (played by Oh Seung-Yu who also did a fantastic job playing the villain). Why would Human Nam Shin not take his anger out on the person who caused this mess? Jong-Gil was allowed to stick around no matter how many times he betrayed the family. That part did not make sense to me, especially when the story has a grandfather as conniving and powerful as Nam Gung Ho. Then there is the long-suffering right hand man Ji Yeong-Hoon who is torn between all sides. The actor, Lee Jun-Hyuk gave an excellent performance and was quite subtle in his acting. He could say so much without words, all with pain and conflict on his face while trying to remain stoic. His heart and eyes managed to reveal his true feelings which was in line with this stoic and loyal man.

Back to the central character...I really liked AI robot Nam Shin 3 to the point where I couldn't stand seeing Human Nam Shin's face while rooting hopelessly for Robot Nam Shin and being excited for his part whenever he was on screen. So to this actor's credit, he convinced me that he was two different people while looking exactly the same in both parts. He embodied everything I imagine a super intelligent AI robot would be, from facial expressions, and how quickly he could change his body language and demeanor, with very subtle things, like the expression in his eyes.

I also enjoyed the heroine, played by Gong Seung-Yoon as Kang So-Bong who was adorable and smart in her role. I did not like the character at first because she was sneaky, and spied a lot on the protagonist, but I really started to like her as she changed her ways and started to care about Robot Nam Shin 3. Her father was really fussy, though! But still fun. This by far, ranks as one of my top three K-Dramas ever.

There are of course, the standard K-Drama tropes. I don't mind them, because I expect them. I think they managed to surprise me with plot twists, which is very hard to do. I love the romance scenes...they were tender and never heavy-handed which lead me to what one very funny character, Reporter Jo was also wondering about as she felt his chest and muscles to see how he managed to look so real... does he have all of his man parts? I know I should not worry about such things, but if Robot Nam Shin and Kang So-Bong are becoming man and woman in their romance, how can the couple live happily ever after as a couple if...? I wondered this throughout. But it did not deter my enjoyment of the story.

My last thought on this terrific show is, is it making a statement about fatherhood? Let's start with robot Nam Shin. His father is David. Robot Nam Shin from episode 2, rejects David out of jealousy and even refuses to accept David as his father even though David, refers to him as his son with each greeting and was his moral supporter and stood up for him throughout the entire series no matter what. David was very loyal but when David made one mistake robot nam-shin became angry with him and disowned him as his father. Was he evolving at that stage to the rebellious teen mindset? It was very easy for him to disown his human dad. Then there is the grandfather who knew that his son was killed by someone, but remained loyal to the person who killed his son, sharing this secret. The grandfather was also quite ruthless to his grandson and son's wife. Then there was the show villain Mr Seo, who became enemies against his own daughter, and daughter against father. Then there is Kang so-bong, whose father was quite harsh with her when she made a mistake although he remains supportive at times he was still very fussy and angsty. The only mother on the show turned against the robot son, even encouraging his destruction. I just thought that the dynamic of Parenthood, especially that of fathers and even bad mothering was a central theme in the show. Not to mention the only mother in the show was the mother of the two Nam Shins. None of the other characters even had a mother, nor did the men have wives. Even Nam Shin's aunt did not have a father for the little boy. I wonder what the underlying message was in this sense.

The Third Charm (2018)

Moral of the story is...

[7/10 · 9 July 2023]

I love all the food scenes. They are pleasant to watch. I love that the male lead goes away to find and discovers himself, returning confident and happy. So why on earth would the story blow such personal growth apart?

My complaint with this story is the characterization. The problem is that the lead characters break up while they are having a very good relationship because they were both insecure. To me it was never made clear as to why they were breaking up in the first place so Im only guessing. This was a huge breakup over very shallow reasons. It was definitely the female heroine who breaks up with the male lead. He eventually meets a wonderful lady but circles back to the woman who dumped him twice in the past, the 2nd time for a man who made it clear that he wanted her regardless of whether she had a boyfriend. He was the reason for the insecurities between them in the first place, so it's a slap in the face to the male lead for her not to only end up with the other guy, but that she got married and had his child.

Why would the male lead go back to her emotionally, leaving the nice lady he was engaged to? This isn't romance, it's emotional torture.

Not only does he circle back to the heroine and tortures himself whenever he sees her, but she's now completely emotionally and spiritually broken. Her circumstances are not the kind a person can recover from and go on to have a super healthy relationship.

The best friend of the heroine deserved happiness. She was beautiful and successful so it didn't make sense that she couldn't find love. The inky couple I was rooting for was the best friend and brother but she went to absolute pain before she could have a semblance of joy.

The sister of the male lead is meant to be progressive and strong, but comes across as childish and selfish to everyone around her. She doesn't strike me as progressive but as someone who wants to have her cake and eat it too. There was no reason at all for her to treat her significant other so harshly and with so little consideration even though he clearly loves her. The characters are problematic, but the parents and the brother are great. The male lead is pleasant to watch, especially , and heroine is pretty. But her character strikes me as shallow. The male lead goes from a happy relationship with someone he can communicate with to a woman he can barely talk to without tears in his eyes. It's all inexplicable to me.

Business Proposal (2022)

Power dynamics / Hilarious but intense workplace harassment

[10/10 · 24 June 2023]

This was one of the funniest kdramas I've watched and is one of the first kdramas I've saw that kicked off my love of romantic kdramas. Tae-Moo reminds me of the male protagonist in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim? Or maybe a reboot where the boss is super mean to his subordinate. The story begins when heiress Yeong-Seo is forced to go on another boring blind date by her father who wants a marital alliance with the rich cheobol family of Tae-Moo.

Yeong-Seo hates the concept of arranged marriages, so she pays Shin-Hari, her middle-class but "in debt" best friend a substantial amount of money to go in her place. The ladies have a history of teaming up and finding hilarious ways to sabotage Yeong-Seo's blind dates, scaring the men off. Unfortunately, they meet their match in Tae-Moo, the handsome, super rich president of Go-foods, who unbeknownst to the ladies, happens to be Shin-Hari's ruthlessly focused, work-driven boss. Tae-Moo has also been forced on yet another blind date by his grandfather, who is demanding an heir. Bored and trying to find a way out of getting married, Tae-Moo is caught off-guard by the crazy Shin-Hari, whose outlandish antics amuses him. Only, he believes she's Yeong-Seo. During the date, Shin-Hari realizes Tae-Moo is her boss, and fearing she will be fired from a job she loves if the hoax is discovered, she ups the ante in an effort to ruin the date and escape. Only Tae-Moo is having none of it. By the end of the date he decides he's going to marry Shin-Hari at all costs, believing she is Yeong-Seo. This will not only get his grandfather off of his back, but Shin-Hari is fun to be around and will liven his life up a bit. Except, Shin-Hari brutally rejects his proposal, even complaining that he looks like a pterodactyl, which really ruffles his err, feathers. Now even more determined to have her, Tae-Moo forces Shin-Hari into a contract relationship after discovering she is not really Yeong-Seo, but an imposter. Shin-Hari's life becomes a hell of her own making as she tries to keep away from Tae-Moo only for him to reel her back in.

Interestingly, Tae-Moo doesn't realize his own feelings at first, using revenge as a motive for the contract and his grandfather's demands.

Now, there is a lot of workplace harassment where Tae-Moo uses his position as president of the company to get what he wants. Tae-Moo is absolutely ruthless, and his antics are cruel to the point where I felt so bad for Shin-Hari. The power balance was completely off, especially since Tae-Moo does not take no for an answer. He really pressures Shin-Hari throughout the series when she refuses him, leaving her a frazzled nervous mess. #metoo much? Tae-Moo said he liked Shin-Hari after their first date because she is honest, but all Shin-Hari does is lie throughout the entire series. Mostly because she is trying to save herself from the mess Yeong-Seo unapologetically gets her in.

There is a subplot and romance between Tae-Moo's adopted brother Sung-Moon, who also works as his dutiful right hand man and Secretary. Yeong-Seo falls in love at first sight but Sung-Moon/Mr. Cha wants nothing to do with the girl who tricked his best friend. Actor Kim Min-Kyu is in top form here, and this is one of my favorite roles for him. The ensuing romance between Mr. Cha and Yeong-Seo is adorable and full of hilarious and often embarrassing hijinks throughout.

Both ladies, Shin-Hari and Yeong-Seo are cute, adorable and fun. It's easy to see why these two very tightly-wound businessmen fall for their polar opposites.

But while this show is a guilty pleasure it is not modern in how the power dynamics play out. You have a boss harassing and forcing a female employee into dating him, vowing to never give up, leaving her terrified to lose her job, and a situation in which a character sleeps with someone when she is too drunk to consent. I was able to suspend modern morals on this for the fictional show and characters.

I rate this show high regardless because it has likeable actors who all did a great job, a fun concept, and great characters. Plus its just hilarious and engaging. I definitely enjoyed the series and recommend.

We Married as a Job Special (2021 TV Movie)

Realistic depiction of the storms of life

[7/10 · 11 June 2023]

This follow up to the 11 episode series catches up to the couple who have been together for about 3 years. They are expecting a baby and coping with the struggles of pregnancy, building a family, work, and workplace discrimination against paternity leave. But it's the depiction of how the covid 19 pandemic unfolded and its impact on families and the workplace, that put its employees at risk of being infected and how that impacted babies, elderly, and vulnerable people. It was almost a little too realistic and for me brought back memories of how that period of time felt. Particularly the very early days of covid before the public decided to just live or die with it. Well done. More serious than comedic or romantic.

She Would Never Know (2021)

Attractive couple, characters and story is lacking

[6/10 · 5 May 2023]

You have an attractive couple but the writing is lackluster, which creates lack of chemistry in the leads. The female lead's main character is too aloof. She's almost even joyless. The problems in this show I blame on the director and writing, not the actors or actresses.

Jae-Shin, her boss is treated unfairly by everyone. He doesn't score many points for hiding his engagement but I feel like his parents were awful, the chairman was awful to him , and even his best friend and fiance was absolutely awful to him. But he was also awful to himself. He was a social climber who allowed people to walk all over him When he walked away it was too late.

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)

A fun, very sweet romance

[10/10 · 28 March 2023]

There's so much to love about this series. The first few episodes are hilarious because of the male lead's, Joon's arrogance. It's so over the top It's almost endearing. I love the way Kim Mi So, just humors his delusions with a smile when he goes overboard with his cocky behavior. The leads, and even the supporting cast had such great chemistry. It is a positive story with a love story that comes full circle with a little trauma thrown in for conflict. After the conflict resolves by episode 13, episodes 14 15 , and 16 is without conflict and focuses on the blossoming love between the leads, Joon and Kim Mi So . In some ways, the lack of conflict hurt the story because there wasn't much for the characters to do except gush over each other. The supporting cast fills the rest of the season with different love stories that develop and resolve quickly. It was so cute and that more than makes up for the lack of conflict in the last 3 episodes.

I do like that there is some intimacy shown between the characters in a realistic way that was not graphic or displayed too much. It was just right. It's supposed to be a sweet romance so it all feels appropriate.

The supporting cast, especially the kids, were fantastic. The kids were super adorable and I just wanted to give them a big hug. Such a great performances. The young child playing a young Kim Mi So , was super adorable, I could not get enough of her adorable little baby face. So cute. Great story, with beautiful imagery and a great happy ending.

Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019)

One of the best love triangles in a Kdrama

[9/10 · 19 March 2023]

This was a very intense love triangle and I was honestly rooting for both men. I liked them both, but I felt the King's (Su's) passion for the heroine more than I felt Hun's passion for her. I felt, Hun's romantic feelings were more obvious until the king revealed himself to him. Then he took a step back and the romance felt less passionate than it was when he was simply holding it all in for a different reason. I was a nervous mess by the end of episode 12 waiting to see how all of this would unfold. There was so much at stake for every single character in the story. I was genuinely torn between who she should end up with. Should it be Hun or Su? Both men were so different and appealing in different ways. Su wore his love and passion so openly and ferociously, while having to restrain himself when at the palace and Hun was forced to restrain his affection because of his moral code, commitment to his career, and possible danger from the King. He also had to restrain his emotions even more carefully because loving this woman openly was a death sentence. I don't understand why they didn't tell her the truth from the beginning because she might have kept her feelings in check had she known the risks everyone she cared about had to take. In some ways, I was rooting more for the king because I genuinely felt his passion and I loved his journey from sweet young black smith to powerful king. On the other hand, Hun was going was risking his life by challenging the king and was willing to risk it all. I don't know, watching I was as confused as the heroine.

This was one of the best love triangles in a KDrama because both men were legitimate contenders for this woman's heart. The noble woman, Ms Kang was evil. I dont understand why one of the guys fell in love with her. She had a very mean-spirited heart. I did not care for her at all.

House Party (I) (2023)

Is this a reboot of House Party or Friday?

[1/10 · 10 March 2023]

I couldn't decide if this movie wanted to be House Party or a reboot of Friday. One thing I was sure of, is that it was definitely neither. It lacked the wit, charm, and humor of both.

The original House Party was about two teens in an urban community, from blue collar families, throwing a house party when a friend's parents go out of time. Hijinks ensues when 3 high school bullies spend the night pursuing the main character, thus neatly keeping him from making it to the party. It was fun. There was the unmistakable innocence of being young. Just normal teens doing what kids do. The kids also had talent (dancing, rapping). The original movie was magical.

The new House party not only lacks the charm of the original, but also lacks dignity. The actors in the roles are okay for what they had to work with. It's the directing and the writing that was abysmal. I found the slang and characters to be completely obnoxious but also unrelateable. There was no joy in the story, just mindless vapidness and swearing. We are living in an era where there's just not enough talent coming out of today's generation, and that lack talent was on full display in this movie, especially when you compare it to the original 1990 release. Kid and play danced and rapped. The ladies were clearly talented enough to hold their own on the dance floor. This new house party had nothing to offer but a bunch of young people spewing flat unrelateable jokes. For a generation that has wasted its prime years online, it almost feels like they dont know what do with themselves in the real world or how to create something other than a meme. They dont know how to be interesting, charming, or likeable. I made it halfway through and then I was done. Makes me wonder if the filmmakers even watched the original.

Mr. Queen (2020–2021)

Excellent depiction of greed, power, and Jealousy (& story flaws)

[9/10 · 26 February 2023]

I liked this show immensely. I really enjoyed the romantic tension and romantic conflict between the central characters, the King and Yong-So/Jang-Bong, and simmering romantic feelings of Kim-Byeong and Yong-So. There was also bubbling romantic tension and conflict between secondary characters like Prince Y and Ms. Ubin, as well as the cook and the elder lady in waiting for Yong-So. The second lady in waiting for Yong-So, and that nice young Kim guy who liked her...these secondary romances were cute but went absolutely nowhere.

The gaping plot holes and failures in the story was that, the King wasn't in love with Yong-So, he was actually in love with the man who was in her body, Jang-Bong. In fact, Jang-Bong was also in love with the king. I feel the king was not in love with the real Yong-So at all, and was cheated at the end of the story because Yong-So lacked all of the qualities that made him fall in love with "her" in the first place. After Jang-Bong left her body, she looked and sounded like ms. Ubin, the woman the King ultimately rejected. She became soft-spoken, showing very little personality. The actress playing Yong-So did a great job embodying two completely different characters. But the writers failed to make us care about Yong-So without Jang-Bong inside of her.

The palace intrigue added other necessary conflict that moved the plot, but was slightly overdone and too long. The comedy and romance was fun to watch. But the when the schemes at the palace grew too dark in the final three or four episodes i was waiting impatiently for the fun and light-hearted romance scenes to come back.

The king was a strong character and you can't help but feel invested in his journey and root for him. The problem was that while the king found the power to rise above deadly schemes and power plays by the squabbling queens and top henchman, he refuses to crush them once and for all...allowing the villains free reign to plot against him again and again, and that's exactly what these characters do. The plotters kill, steal, and lie, yet even when the king is fighting for his life and is in a battle, he never destroys the enemy, he spares them, only for that enemy to try to kill or destroy him later. This was either a weakness of characterization or a weak plot point. Things take a turn for the worse when a jealous Kim-Byeong schemes his way into power and uses that power against the king in order to win Yong-So's heart. Only the more treacherous and vicious he becomes in trying to separate them, the more estranged he becomes from Yong-So. Does he not realize this? Ms. Ubin was also guilty of extreme jealousy, creating problems for the protagonist and heroine.

I also feel that the most vicious characters got off easy at the end, and were still in a position to harm the king. The only villain who might possibly be redeemed because his actions, as horrible as they were, were motivated by love (and jealousy, I know). Out of everyone he deserved a second chance but didn't get one. Even ms. Ubin deserved a harsher outcome than she received. This was an fun story, that turned into a weepy melodrama saga in the final episodes. But overall I enjoyed it, it kept me in suspense. I do wish there were more fun light-hearted moments than a lot of the darkness, or at least, more of a balance. But that's just completely subjective on my part.

Start-Up (2020)

Cute story

[9/10 · 7 November 2022]

I originally wrote the wrong review here. Anyway I am correcting it. The Start-up is about a team of young entrepreneurs who are competing to win an internship at a Google-like company that will sponsor their product and give them an opportunity to succeed. The heroine of the story is a young woman who is abandoned by her parents who had an awful breakup, and is subsequently raised by her grandmother who runs a food stand.

The first male lead is a young software programmer who is determined to get involved with the Google-like company along with his two friends who have worked on the software program with him. The problem is that while they have the skill to write great programs, they lack the business mindset to implement them. This is where they meet and join up with the heroine who has the business mindset but lacks a product. Together they embark on a journey to win this contest. Adding conflict to the story is the fact that the person responsible for moving them ahead is the second male lead. This is a great character and he was also orphaned as a child and had to work for everything he had. This was a very lonely man who led a very lonely life from a very young age.

For me he was the emotional core of the story and the one I was rooting for the most. In his adult life he did become very successful and held the keys that everyone needed to get ahead. I really wanted for this character to find love and companionship but he ended up playing second lead to the first male lead. I felt that this man deserved so much more than he received from the story.

Further complicating the plot is that the heroine is competing against her own sister who was not abandoned, as she left with the mother who married a very rich man. The sister was able to live a good life compared to the heroine who was raised on a middle class income with her grandmother. The odd part about this is I don't understand why the mother simply would not come back for her other daughter. That being said this is a good story with a lot of challenges and conflict. I recommend it.

Run On (2020–2021)

Enjoyed this with a BUT...

[8/10 · 7 November 2022]

This was a quiet sort of kdrama. I enjoyed it but forgot the name of it within a day of finishing the series. While it held my interest, I wanted more passion between the lead characters and honestly, they didn't spend enough time together so I struggled to really buy the relationship. Kdrama has a trope. Boy and girl meet,by episode 5+ they're falling in love,there is a breakup, someone goes away for a few months to five years, then they come back to resume the relationship. This one followed the same tropes, minus the being apart for months. This aspect wasn't necessary since they had so little screen time together anyway. I think this would have been a lot better if there was more passion and longing. For me, the lead heroine's affections seemed to come out of the blue. One thing I really did not like was that the heroines wete always sarcastic towards the male leads and each other. I wanted to see a more genuine friendship.

Something in the Rain (2018)

Great chemistry but disappointing lack of closure

[7/10 · 21 September 2022]

I enjoyed this story but was frustrated by the ending. There was a lack of closure at the end as it was not clear if the heroine actually wanted to be with Joon-Hui again or if she was once again pressured into being with the young lover because he insisted. She never said "I love you" but instead whined about how she felt and pouted when he playfully suggested being in her life again. It was supposed to be cute and cheeky after all of the angst, but to me she never actually said YES. Even at their prior meeting she complained about how the break up affected her and insisted she was over the relationship and Joon-Hui. So why did she take him back? She was more interested in the friendship than the romance.

Everyone acted like Joon-Hui was beneath her but he was actually more successful and more educated than Jin-A, the heroine. A successful digital artist for a video game who is greatly needed by his job and sought after in his industry. How was he below her? Because his father remarried? That was a silly plotline to me. Especially for the mother to have treated him in such a degrading manner.

Throughout the story Jin-A was very easily pushed into doing things she did not want to do and giving answers that appeased the people around her. Including at work, until she decided to fight back. This heroine made a lot of questionable decisions that made her seem less than intelligent. First, she didn't tell her mother that the man her mother wanted her to be with tried to assault her, and also later tried to kill her. Maybe this would have compelled her ignorant mother to understand that maybe money isn't everything. Instead, she allows her mother to dictate her love life and future. The heroine was a 35 year old woman living at home like a teenager and being fearful of her mother. Everyone blamed the "parents" for not accepting Jin-A's relationship when the father was always on Jin-A and Joon-Hui's side. He never spoke against the relationship and even angrily stood up to the mother. So why did Jin-A include the father in all of her rants? That bothered me too. It was only the mother who was acting against them. The mother lacked any redeeming qualities whatsoever and was a terrible person. I felt there should have been more growth, but maybe they were being realistic.

That being said, I wasn't convinced at the end that Jin-A wanted to be with Joon-Hui again. It showed them being together in a happy montage, but I'm just not convinced that they lived happily ever after.