The Reverb of Ugliness: Must the Top Be So Lonely? °6.8° °good°

String theory is the most recent attempt to reconcile traditional physics with quantum physics. It postulates that, on a subatomic level, the universe consists of vibrating 1D strings. Perhaps that's a reason why music, which is glorious vibrations, fundamentally moves us. It connects what's seen and unseen. It blends the dimensions. I believe music and art are divine gifts.

MSoT is a 2023 release that is rated 86 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 12 60-minute episodes. It's a drama, a high-end soap opera, really, about a small orchestra. They've been coasting, not thriving. It's time for a shake up; a reset. Seeum brings many changes with her as she takes the podium, and the musicians don't appreciate any of it. She makes enemies, and soon her enemies are acting out. Managing Hanphil is a handful.

The use of sound in M is so good, it's almost astounding. The show creators have a deep appreciation for music, and they sell it. The soundtrack isn't an afterthought: It's woven into the fabric of the series, elevating it to float with the clouds at times. Classical music fills M, and it fills it on tempo, beautifully enhancing scenes. Low hanging fruit: At the height of the drama they start practicing Beethoven‘s 5th. It's coming to end, by MADDY, and Story, by Kim On Gi, are VG. M, with its attention to detail, is small and tidy, yet it's expansive. I liked M; I didn't love it. As the episodes went on, it diminished, somewhat - they peaked too early. I wouldn't care to see it again as it left me a tad underwhelmed. But I have respect for M and the many moments of blended harmony it generates.

It opens dark and slick. Classical music fuels the energy. These people are at odds. “I hope I never see you again.” “I'll still come to your funeral.” That's the final exchange of another conductor and the woman, Cha Seeum, who briskly returns to her homeland. Less than 5% of conductors are women, but she is among the best of the best. She's also scary as he!!. Her reputation is not one of warmth.

In Korea, she takes the helm of Hanphil Orchestra. The first thing she does is force the top violinist to step down. That he used to be her music teacher and is close to her father didn't help him at all. Call ‘em like you “See-um” is her rule. Emotions are not a factor.

Lee Young Ae is the FL. She is a superb actress that can carry a whole production on her shoulders. In Inspector Koo-8.4, she plays a kook-savant, an investigative genius that is correspondingly poor at self-care. In Saimdang-8.5 she really shines as a modern-day art historian as well as a Joseon era artist. Saimdang was a real person. The show gives us a peak back juxtaposed against a look at the contemporary art scene in Kcountry. They limited the dramatic license with the historical portion, therefore the ending isn't an ending: The show drifts away, which some viewers surely won't like, but it is excellent, nonetheless. In M, Ms Lee's acting is her everyday superb. She IS a conductor. I love how they make sure her hair gets messed up ~just so~ to showcase her energy and state of mind.

Seeum is a loner. So much so, that she's difficult to identify with. This is probably true for alot of exceptionally talented people. They just don't have many peers. She's obsessed with her work to the detriment of all other relationships. She is also one to avoid unpleasantness. Her mother is afflicted with Remingtons disease, a slowly encroaching degenerative condition that is not unlike Alheimers. It rots away the body and mind gradually, over years, and Seeum has a 50% chance of inheriting it. That has her so freaked out that she won't visit her mother.

Kim Young Ah (Hyena, Be Melodramatic-8.7) is her BFF, Lee Hye Jung. Ms Kim is a Competent actress, but she doesn't have much to do here. They don't build up the relationship so she's on the periphery and seems irrelevant. Having said that, let's get the rest of the bad news out of the way. At one point Seeum's talking about resigning from her post and even suicide, when she hasn't even been tested for the horrible disease she might have. She resists being tested over the years, but once she starts exhibiting symptoms, being tested is the only thing that makes sense. We have to suffer through her epic avoidance disorder. As ep10 began, irritation started to well up in me. I would have liked the show a tiny bit more if Ajin would just take her hand off of her stomach. She started to rattle my nerves. The lighting and/or makeup were off in some scenes. I was surprised to realize how distracting it is to see noses, covered with large skin pores, that are 2 shades lighter than the face they are attached to. The villain, and other surprises, don't generate any thrills as the build-up is missing something. That last concert is arguably silly, but even so, it was exciting.

Lee Moo Saeng (Blood Free-8.5) is Yoo Jeong Jae. He had a past relationship with Seeum that she seems to want to forget. He's the opposite: He wants to relive their time together. So he buys the orchestra. Kim Young Jae (Mouse, Mother, Under the Queen's Umbrella) plays Seeum's husband, Kim Pil, or “Phil,” as in philharmonic. Lee Shi Won (Misaeng: Incomplete Life-9.1, When the Camellia Blooms-8) portrays Lee Ajin, the horn player at Hanphil who is a thorn in Seeum's side. She becomes more and more loathsome as the show progresses. It was frustrating to not be able to slap her. Choi Yoon-So (Love to Hate You-8.9, Woman of Dignity) is Go Yu-Ra, a reporter and Yoo Jeong Jae's ex. Hwang Bo Reum Byeol (The World of My 17, School 2021) plays Lee Roo Na, the new first violinist and Seeum devotee. Ye Soo Jung portrays Seeum's mother, Bae Jung Hwa, who is disabled and mostly non verbal due to a degenerative disease. She's a superb actress. Her resume is jammed with hits: Land of Happiness, Stranger, Prison Playbook, Mother, The Worst of Evil… I've seen her in Link: Eat, Love, Kill-6.7, an average show in which she's one of the best things, Black Dog-8.2, Strongest Delivery Man-6.6, the Along With the Gods films (7.2/6.7), Train to Busan-7.8, and as the moral center of Mine-8. She's always an asset. The director is Kim Jung Kwon (Love to Hate You-8.9) and the screenwriter is Choi Yi Yoon of Love Tractor.

“No matter how hard it gets, keep going!” Seeum almost sounds unhinged. That's because her life has become unhinged. Bickering~Plots~Jealousy~Resentment~Gossip~Rumors~Hatred~Partiality~Phoniness. It's lonely at the top. The stage is like a battlefield, Seeum asserts. Talent alone isn't enough. It takes perseverance, hard work and knowing when to give & take, and when to make demands.

Obsession is a string that ties some characters together. Seeum is obsessive about conducting, Jae is obsessive about Seeum, and the perpetrator obsesses over Seeum. I can't say that obsession is always a bad thing. It propels people to do magnificent things - People like Seeum. But obsessing over a person is never a good thing. One-way crushes and obsessions are not only a complete waste of time and emotion, but they are often based on illusion. Most one-way crushes are about a projection of what we think of the person, not the real person. They are a poor substitute for self-improvement. Put Your time and energy into being the best version of you. Love and friendship will follow.

‘Are you capable of doing anything on your own, without me?’ Seeum queries her spouse. At first, Phil seems like the salt of the earth - A decent guy, certainly… Right? Wrong! He's just quiet. As we get to know him better, we'll see that he's actually obsessed with himself. He hasn't composed anything in 3 years. People that are self-absorbed often can't create art that will speak to others as they lack a view of the bigger picture. Kim Pil married a person more skilled and accomplished than him. If he truly loved her, he would be thrilled at her successes. Instead, this egotist only felt smaller next to his wife. Self-focused people don't like feeling smaller. They're the biggest thing in their own little worlds and they don't like their delusions being interrupted. He struggles to find relevance in all the wrong ways. The measures he takes to hold on to his cushy life only reveal how unworthy he is of her devotion. To be fair, it doesn't seem that Seeum is the easiest person to be in a relationship with (though Jae doesn't feel that way). It's a 2-way failure, but Phil has more of the fault than does Seeum. His attitude probably led to her withdrawal. For years he fed the self-monster. People prefer lies to truth, particularly the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves. He believed the lies he told himself about himself, so he failed to learn and grow. When things got rough, he had no core. He had no clue about the right thing to do (not that he would have done it anyway). He implodes. Then he rebuilds himself into a soulless, ego-feeding villain.

There's a romance afoot, albeit a minimalist one. Jae is devoted. Most men would have given up or frozen to death. He's easy to read, but she's an ice sculpture. The closer the viewer watches her performance, the more we get from it. He carries it the whole show, while her expressions morph subtly as the show matures. In ep7, suddenly, these 2 characters start to (unconsciously) match their clothes. There's no true romance until she cracks a smile towards the end of ep11. What they manage to convey in the last scene, by way of minimal dialogue and micro expression, is really impressive. It ends on a high note.


〰? IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 7
Writing 7
Acting 8.3
Romance 5.5
Flutters 4.5
Art 7
Sound & music 8.3
Ending 8

LEVELS
Warmth 3
Action 4
Laughs 1
Tears 4
Fright 4
Tension / Anxiety 4
Gore 3
Thought provocation 5
Snores 2
?7 ?7 ?8.3 ?5.5 ?4.5 ?7 ?/?8.3 ?8 ▪ ?3⚡4 ?1 ?4 ?4 ?4 ?3 ?5 ?2


Age 13+ Violence and scary elements, affairs and pregnancy
Language: relatively rare PG-13 verbiage like @$$h0le, $h!+


Re-?? I'm borderline on this. The music is wonderful as is Lee Young Ae's performance. I think it reduces to a question of time. Due to physical issues, I watch lots of tv now, so M was worth a look. In my old life, my viewing times were limited, and there's a long list of better dramas that would queue up in front of this one which would place it on the back-burner indefinitely.

⛔️SPOILER BELOW⛔️
They never reveal the test results. Seeum opens the envelope, reads them and walks away with Jae. She's moving on with life. She's going to live - and not alone. It doesn't seem like she has the disease.

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day -
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Touch your heart 8.2,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Why Her?-8,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
Misaeng-9.1,
Call It Love-8.4,
Mine-8,
Anna-8.1,
My Mister 9.5
The King's Affection 8.3,

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Lay It On The ♻ Line Time After Time °VG°

Is Tomorrow Another Day After all?

This drama is tense and could trigger anxiety in some - Fair warning. While it could (SHOULD) have been better, I would still say hop on the train and give TWY a ride. True, the ending wasn't that difficult to figure out. Despite that, the director still manages to set the tone with tension being a focal point. The pressure continues to gear up until the very end.

Ma-rin prefers to be behind the camera now, and in TWY her pain is framed explicitly; Shin Min Ah is superb. All the actors did a solid job, and the side vignettes are all enjoyable. Lee Jeong-Eun has such luminosity: She shines once again as Mar-in's mother. She is one of my favs. (Check her out in Oh My Ghost-10; odd title, amazing show - Some of her scenes are astonishing. Her portfolio has impressive depth of field and is jammed with highly rated shows and movies). The villain's storyline works well enough, with the actor delivering a tangible portrayal of his descent from a respected businessman-to-murderer with unfiltered evil saturation. Yes, he was originally a little crooked, but that wasn't in anybody's viewfinder.

I've noticed that Kdramas often show individuals who experience a marked character arc. Often these persons have a skewed aspect-ratio, and are initially cringeworthy in bursts of nervous awkwardness. Since these dramas are mostly 16+ hours, the characters may not start to improve for many episodes. The directors have a long time to build up or distort who the individual is. They can then put the focus on slowly developing protags from black-and-white to full RBG color.

Ma-rin is like this. Her over-exposed childhood kept her adult self shuttered in a darkroom. She had become so insecure that it was actually challenging to watch her in the first few episodes. In time, she has a wonderful transformation from dull to glossy. It is satisfying to see how she develops into the model of a confident and strong woman by the end. One might say she bloomed into a picture-perfect flower.

So-Joon also enlarges as a person. While he's clearly good-hearted, he is also a portrait of immaturity and laziness in the beginning episodes. He later becomes patient, caring, harder working, more responsible, and more loving. Since his time-traveling exploits make operating his business so easy, it's doubtful that his lazy streak will be completely edited out.

The two leads initially display a lack of chemistry. It actually seems that So-Joon is just using Ma-rin. His motives are blurry. He is an enigma, always with a matte look on his face. The director deliberately injected acidity and unease into their relationship so that we can watch it develop. The viewer is concerned for Ma-rin. Eventually, we can be happy for her. By the middle of the show their marriage is the image of warmth and love.

Ultimately, this story, and the love this couple shares, is quite charming. Like a photo in solution, TWY progresses from indifference and hesitation, to warmth, then love, and finally to sharply detailed commitment and intimate love. (Though they are adorably still too shy to strip in front of eachother.)

I adore stories about time travel. They are so much fun, but logically it's easy to encounter under-exposed plot points. The show is not without those. Why So-Joon would go near the subway on the day that he knows he'll disappear is grainy logic. I also don't know why he would take Ma-rin to the fireworks. It's not clear why his focus wasn't to get them out of town, or to not leave the house for a few days. It's a little frustrating, actually. It's understandable for the plot development of a time travel tale. A plethora of miscommunications and a catalog of flawed judgments are practically necessary, and fate always shadows Kdramas. If Mar-in's father, Doo-Shik, had jyst been more candid with So-Joon... if they had each opened their apertures a little wider, it would have been a panacea. I suppose, then, the show would have been wrapped up by episode 8.

The optics regarding time travel get distorted. In some scenes the future is pictured just as So-Joon observed from the past. Seemingly the message exhibited is that the future is set and laminated. In other scenes, though, they manage to change the future, suggesting that the future is a moveable pose. It's also unclear why So-Joon, after recovering from his coma, couldn't get back to the past when riding the subway, or why he was able to run on the tracks and get to the past. It makes no sense, at all, that the two men can time skip, while Ma-rIn cannot.

The very end displays a small snapshot of their lives 3 years hence. It falls flat with a dull thud. I didn't like the tone of their bickering, and how Ma-rin was nagging So-Joon. A little of it would have been okay if they had pushed by it right away. However, it's portrayed as entrenched behavior.

Earlier, when they had been fighting and later separated, Ma-rin concluded that she shouldn't have been so pushy towards So-Joon. She determined that she should reset her meter and back down from her insistence that he not ride the subway. To see her revert back at the close of the show is disappointing. And where's the kids? We were promised 3 kids!!!!! Instead of petty bickering they should have committed the 3 kids to film.

Now we'll point the zoom lens at one of the worst screw-ups. The director left the So-Joon who managed to get to the past hanging there. That tasty mystery should have been a resolved. So-Joon-in-the-past flashed by the screen twice - like a cartoon character - and then faded away. How could they not know that we would want to know how he got to the past! Something should have changed because of his presence there. Since he knows he somehow shot back to the past, it would make sense for him to work harder to get back there as it would have been easier to remedy their situation from the past.

Another thing they left out of focus was an explanation as to why So-Joon was in a coma. Per the doctor, there was no reason for him to be in one. The doctor shouldn't have said it if they didn't intend to explain it. (Shoot, did I miss it?)

As another reviewer so deftly put it: 'It took 16 hours to learn to not run into a busy road.' Mar-Rin shouldn't have been anywhere near that intersection at that time. Since they were there, So-Joon should have been holding on to her. If they had filmed the scene at normal speed, if she stopped and turned briefly when the certificate flew out of her hand, it would have played better. The way they chose to film it makes Ma-rin look very foolish.

The flaws might be more than minimal, but the good comfortably outweighs the bad. If romance is your thing, especially if romance and time travel are among your interests, than TWY should go on your watchlist. My "7" rating translates to "very good." It may not be picture-perfect, nevertheless, there is beauty to behold as time goes by.

IMHO...

?Directing 6
?Acting 8
?IQ 6
⚡Action/Excitement 6
?Romance 7
?Flutters 5
?Warmth 7

Suggested Age 12& up.

Recommendations:

Oh My Venus-7.4 (same FL),
Love to Hate You-8.9,
Oh My Ghost 10 & Our Blues-8.7 (same director & supporting actress),
Familiar Wife-8.5 (time travel),
My Only Love Song -8.7 ~ excellent comedy & time travel,
Mr. Queen 8.5
Live Up To Your Name-7.6 (time travel),
Saimdang 8.5 (time slips),

The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8,
Sisyphus 8 + Tunnel 8.5 + Signal 8.6 (time travel),
Black 9 (time slips),

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Legendary Bore °4.5° °too cold-blooded°

I was watching the show, Unrequited Love-7. The leading couple is teased by being compared to The Legend of White Snake. That made it an easy choice as to what to watch next. Let me make it easy for you: Don't bother. It isn't worth your time given the many better shows out there.

I love Chinese fantasy. It may be the best in the world. So, I went into TLOWS expecting to love it, which carried me through half the show. I ignored irritation after boring irritation until I finally realized that TLOWS is really, really bad. (Still finished it - waste of time). TLOWS is a 2019 release that is rated a too generous 7.6 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 36 45-minute episodes. It’s plot slithers and meanders around without going in a clear linear direction. It's frequently pleasant and the characters are likable, but it's boring at the same time. It stays in the dust and never lifts to greater heights. I never once actually liked TLOWS, despite all the wanting to. I suppose we could say that it goes into snake-like Brumation. The primary couple is simply goodness in silk robes, but they're dull.

The logic is insulting at times. Xu's older sister is often a veritable moron in the way she looks at things. She doesn't seem to understand that Bai and Xu are married ~ Ruyi is not part of their relationship. Xu’s amnesia doesn't change that. Another example is when Bai believes her own presence is the problem. Qing points out that Ruyi is a schemer. Bai shouldn't let Xu stay around her. Bai lamely replies that Ruyi truly loves Xu and would never hurt him. On the contrary! Ruyi's actions not only caused the current mess, but she has done /nothing but/ endanger and HURT others! There's betrayals with too little justification - it all happens too easily and is often the opposite of what was previously established. At one point Xu is focused on Bai and what he thinks is a wrong strategy to deal with a demon oppressing the family. He calls in the monk to help… with BAI, but NOT the demon doing the oppressing? Ridiculous. It doesn't recover from that, slipping from average to below average. There's plenty more examples; they pile up. I started to actively hate it north of ep30, and by ep34 my fangs came out.

Lots of viewers enjoyed it, however. Maybe they hadn't seen Handsome Siblings-8.7 or Ancient Love Poetry-8.6 yet. Now /those/ are good fantasy shows. This show has groundwork for something spectacular but it never leaves the pit. The following is from the notes that I took when it still ‘had’ me.

Per Wiki, “The Legend of the White Snake is a Chinese legend centered around a romance between a man named Xu Xian and a female snake spirit named Bai Suzhen. It is counted as one of China's Four Great Folktales…”

Tim Pei (Miss Truth) is Fa Hai, a fighting monk. His Shifu has foreseen a bad omen: There's a dangerous thousand-year-old evil spirit in Lin'an. He gives Hai two magic weapons: A bowl to catch the demon and an elaborate pixie cane to identify sinister forces. Hai is strictly forbidden to act on anything without a sign from the cane. He wants to eliminate Qing, but the cane loves her. This monk is adorable. Don't get your hopes up. The monk has the potential to be the best romantic lead of the show, but monks are celibate.

Ju Jing Yi (In a Class of Her Own) plays snake spirit “Bai” Su Zhen. She's just cultivated into her human form after a millennia of effort. She is kind. She wouldn't dream of hurting people; she wants to be a Buddhist. Request denied: She must live as a human first. Humans have emotions, and Bai must learn how to overcome emotions. Off to earth she goes, where she gets to experience the most wonderful thing on earth. Love? NO! FOOD!

Early on she meets physician Xu. She knew the doctor's previous incarnation but finds the current version lacking. He notices her, she's beautiful afterall, but she's not impressed. She leaves, unimpressed. Yu Meng Long (Eternal Love-8.3) plays Dr. “Xu” Xuan (he's often called Hanwen). Bai encounters a darling young boy whose mother is very ill and offers to help. Guess who's already treating the woman? She clashes with the good doctor once again at the patient's house. Each thinks the other is a scammer. As attraction builds, though, he ain't gotta chance. One day when she doesn't want him to leave, she conjures a rainstorm. Still, a more willing victim may not be found. In the end, the romance is cold blooded and nearly emotionless, sadly.

In the meantime, Ruyi is also out to entrap Dr. Xu - into marriage. Yu Lang (The Sword and the Brocade-8.6) plays shyster Jin ‘Ruyi’. Selfish Ruyi is the source of most of the conflict in the show. Li Lin (In a Class of Her Own) plays Xu's brother i/l and the police constable. He's one of my favorite characters. Prince Mu looks alittle like Chachi (Scott Baio) from Happy Days.

We haven't even gotten to our 4th lead yet. Xiao Yan (Love Is Sweet) is Xiao ‘Qing’, a naughty snake deity. Qing's exactly what the good monk is looking for ~ to kill. She, by far, is the best thing about the show. The actress is adorable. Asian culture interchangeably translates the words deity and demon, but it's not exactly the Western/Christian concept of demons. In Chinese fantasy, demons can be good, and many are. In TLOWS and many other stories, cultivating power and growing strong is excessively difficult and painstaking. For demons, the same result can be achieved by devouring humans, and who doesn't love a shortcut? Many succumb to the temptation. Demons get a bad name from that. Early on, Qing has clashes with Bai, but that only sparks Qing's interest. Abandoned by her mother long ago, she's lonely. She was cultivating into a man, and so far, she's managed to become 80% woman. When the quest starts (she opts to follow Bai) her cultivation stops, so they are two Sassy-lassies traveling together. Wait. Cultivating into a man is more difficult, and takes more time, than cultivating into a woman? The opposite should be what's true. Given their reproductive organs, women's bodies seem more complicated than men's anatomy. Even the creation story shows man as a warm-up and woman as the final prototype. Jusss sayin…

Most of our protags also clash with a fox demon, Lady Nexin, early in the show. She soon has our 4 protags plotting against eachother. The centipede demon - the really bad monster - is also on the prowl. While the leads are, intermittently, looking squint and wide-eyed at eachother, things are increasingly dangerous. Children have already started disappearing from Lin'an. Soon demons and other bad guys are impersonating our protags casting greater confusion.

“Predjudices are not formed in a day.” “We differentiate between demons and humans with our hearts.” The primary theme is racism. Though genetically human, Ruyi is the actual demon in TLoWS. The monk is the one who struggles with the issue and must ultimately fight the monster within himself before it takes control and changes /him/ into a demon. When Qing helps Monk Hai fight the centipede, Hai is forced to re-examine his presuppositions. “Common people seek benefit, but wise people seek the core…” once Bai passes on her essence to Xu to heal him, she's no longer fully a demon, and he's no longer completely human. As a literal thinker, this is a conundrum for Hai, and he spends a good deal of the show working it out. That's one of the funniest (and most tragic) things about racism. The very word is a lie. What is race? There is only the human race, with its many ethnicities. Ethnic groups are just large, very old families. We all hail from the area that is now the Middle East and Ethiopia. Scientists and theologians agree - we came from one woman. Race and racism are just pride-based lies that we have all decided to believe. It is hard enough to find a decent human being. Limiting yourself to one shade of skin makes the challenge all the more difficult. We also see a person who is indwelt by a demon accuse another person of being a demon. The message is unmistakable: We are all blind to our own stuff, and we are often what we hate the most.

They do have fun clashing up Qing and the monk. Once he realizes he can't kill her, he thinks it's a good idea that she sit and copy scriptures. She's totally flummoxed that anyone would think copying scriptures is a good way to spend one's time. “All the joy in the world comes from one's desire to help others. All the misery in the world comes from one's selfishness. Sadness and happiness are nothing but thoughts,” he reminds her. She reminds him that he has no idea what fun is! What would have been fun is if those two paired up. Monks are celibate, though. Sigh.

There's beautiful shots and lovely action, despite somewhat clunky and antiquated special effects. At the lantern festival they look into eachother’s eyes and everything stops. Next, the background blurs by, while they stay frozen. They have fun showing the deities’ true forms as translucent overlays, particularly in fight scenes. The opening looks like a Maxfield Parrish / Thomas Kinkade collaboration. Costume and design are usually beautiful in a Chinese fantasy piece, and such is the case here. I love the girls’ hairdos, and the wedding headdress is especially nice. Shazamed: A song, by Ju JingYi.

I'll finish with a transcription tip and other fun facts: GRUE. The Chinese, historically, don't differentiate between green and blue. So you might see Qing's snake form referred to as green. The thought of not differentiating between basic green and blue takes me straight to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) in The Devil Wears Prada - “But what you don't know. is that that {Qing} is not just blue. {She's} not turquoise, {She's} not lapis. {She's} actually cerulean.” ;)) Bai returns to Mt. Emei to bolster her power. Mt. Emei is a real place. Located close to the country's center, it's the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. Finally, you might notice swastikas floating around the screen. The Nazis co-opted this symbol from ancient times. Per goog “In Chinese, the swastika is called “wan” which is a homonym for the Chinese words "ten thousand" and "infinity". The character is also a symbol of immortality and longevity, and is used to represent the universe, God's manifestation, and creativity.” It's also fascinating to see the traditional Greek scrolling on blankets and architecture. These are small evidences that we came from a common origin. We're one race.


QUOTE?

A moment of beauty may lead to a lifetime of love.

〰? IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 5
Writing 4
Acting 7
Romance 4
Flutters 2
Art 7
Sound & music 7.4
Ending 6

LEVELS
Warmth 4
Action/ Excitement 4
Laughs 1
Tears 4.5
Fright 4
Tension/Anxiety 6.5
Gore 2
Thought provocation 3.5
Snores 6.5

?5 ?4 ?7 ?4 ?2 ?7 ?/?7.4 ?6 ▪ ?4 ⚡4 ?1 ?4.5 ?4 ?6.5 ?2 ?3.5 ?6.5

Age 12+
Language G0d@mn

Rated TV-PG-13: Parents Cautioned

Re-?? Not a chance, and with the benefit of foreknowledge, I wouldn't watch it for the first time.


In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

Romance -
Find Yourself-8.9;
A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose-9.8;
The Sleepless Princess-9.1


Historical/Period -
Overlord-8.4,
Legend of the two sisters in chaos-7.7
Under the Power-8.6,
The Rebel Princess-9.1,
The rise of phoenixes-9,
K??:
My Only Love Song-8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen-8.5;
My Sassy Girl / Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo-8.5;
The Kings's Affection-8.3;
Mr. Sunshine-9


Fantasy -
Love Between Fairy & Devil-8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain-7.5;
Douluo Continent-9.4;
Love and Redemption-10

Action -
Heavenly Sword-9 (Kung-fu!)

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Mouse & Lighthouse /or/ Never underestimate the power of a good hairdo °8.5° °Outstanding°

“As long as there's a lighthouse you'll never get lost.” Mom is an optimist. Even still, business has been bad and it's on a skid. Hopefully this new location near the lighthouse will turn things around for them. Speaking of lighthouses, not all are mere buildings: Some people guide us just as well.

ALTCFL is a 2019 release that is rated 8.2 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 36 40-minute episodes. It is well directed, written, and acted, and is, hands-down, the best Chinese modern-day feature I've seen, thus far. Simple and gentle piano playing supplements the scenes to soothing effect. The soft techno-pop theme song is good, but none of the soundtrack is Shazamable. Spotify does have the playlist. A project headed up by women, screenwriter Zhao Qian Qian is a force for good with A Love So Beautiful-7 (Korea already adapted it into a Kdrama), Put Your Head on My Shoulder-7.3, and The Love Equations to her credit. The director is Qi Xiao Hui of Consummation. Every element of the show is solid.

That doesn't mean it's blemish free. It has typical Chinese quirks, like when all the characters complain about the heat, yet they don't take off their jackets, smh. Kai’s father falls in the water. In Chinese entertainment, going into the water is treated as a threat of imminent death. Just swim with it as a representation of something traditional rather than an attempt at realism. Small inconsistencies like these can add up, but ALTCFL doesn't have many. What's probably the most subtly offensive is how, when Miao is in her ugly stage, her skin is darker. Asia is under a shared delusion that pale skin is most attractive. Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but just like a sunset is undeniably beautiful, so is a nicely copper-toned skin. For Asia, this isn't really a looks-based preference at all, though. It's an antiquated fashion based on a prideful perspective from the days when fair skin was associated with wealth. Field workers were the ones with the tanned skin. The important people were the pasty ones. Hey, Asia!! - Pasty isn't prettier than a lovely tan.

Lai Kuan Lin (Don't Disturb My Study) plays ML & human lighthouse, Liang You “Nian”. I've gotta admit he's delish - He's sorta perfect. Even his coach seems to have a crush on him. He's kind to kids. He was kind to Miao's sister when he happened upon her. When he says Miao’s name, he makes it sound scrumptious. Think his voice is a rich and woodsy bourbon? He was a pop star before he acted in anything. Call him Mr. Asia: He's Taiwanese, a K-pop star, and is now a Chinese actor. He's also a superb romantic ML. What they did nicely in My ID is Gangnam Beauty-7.5 they do even better here. He sincerely seems to find her cute when she's in her “ugly” stage. The viewer believes he's being drawn into her with his eyes doing the majority of the work. At times he seems more likeable than ice cream… or did I mean lickable? ;)

Zhao Jin Mai (Princess Royal, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love) plays the homely Xia Miao Miao. Her name sounds like “meow-meow”, but she's not a cat, she's a mouse. She's got awful teeth and even worse hair (it looks like a black scotchpad scrubber). She ain't Ugly Betty. UB is a cutie. One can tell Miao’s impy face is cute, but only barely. Miao struggles with math, but she is good at making doll clothes for her sister's enjoyment. (When mom finds out why her curtains keep getting shorter - they've been using the fabric - it's not Miao's happiest moment. Mom is scary.)

Alone at a new school, Miao is transfixed by Nian's beautiful presence. With her new house being on his route to school, they /always/ seem to run into eachother. He is /always/ kind. Miao is seatmates with the surly Lin “Kai” Tuo (Wang Run Ze from Amidst a Snowstorm of Love & Imagine Me Without You, who looks more Caucasus than Asian to me). Kai is particularly antagonistic towards his cousin, Nian. Gruff and often rude, he's got a “thing” for family members: It's love or hate. But even he isn't awful to our sweet mouse who gets into everything, everywhere. The prim He “Xin” (Chai Wei from Justice in the Dark) initially is awful to our mouse, but after a couple random acts of kindness and a couple other brave overtures. they become friends. Xin appears snobishly self-important at first, but she has a warm heart and she's true. Wang Yi Miao is the special topping on this confection as Miao's lifelong friend, Lin 'A Xia’. I'm jealous. I want an 'A Xia’ too. She doesn't get to shine until the summer before college. Mom has a sharp tongue. Dad is warm and quietly content to let mom take the lead but will step up when bravery is required. Miao's alot like dad. Little sister is a touch entitled and bratty but still endearing (she's alot like mom).

Soon, Miao starts to want more from life. She wants to do more, to be more. Like a mouse grabbing crumbs here and there and dedicatedly working the wheel, it all starts to add up to something more, something good. Our little mouse is too cute to be denied. In bangs she reminds me of actress Maisie Williams who plays Arya Stark. Like Arya's journey, this'll take awhile, though. Miao's teeth are even worse than her hair, and the viewer has to put up with them until the end of episode 4, when she finally gets braces. The braces don't come off until ep7. She still has dreadful hair, but she is a cutie-pie without a doubt. Ep7 also sees Nian going to college while the other 4, a year behind, go into grade 12.

ALTCFL is a superb romance. They slow-walk it, yet every moment is delightful. I had just finished watching Zhao Qian Qian's Put Your Head on My Shoulder which starts strong but falls off a tad in the second half. There, they drag out the romance in a frustrating way and don't seem to have enough content for all the episodes. In ALTCFL the director stretches it out perfectly. Nothing feels like filler. Nian excels at everything he does, afterall. So, when it comes to love, we shouldn't expect anything less.

Physical appearance is a theme. Many truths are parallel, being true all-around despite seeming opposite. “There are no ugly women in the world, just lazy ones,” Xin avows. ‘No matter how pretty a woman is, someone out there is tired of putting up with her $h!+,’ on the other hand, is a common saying. People love to complain about the privilege of beauty, but it seems that 90% of us are part of the problem. Going after a person merely for looks is as common as it is foolish, and it's the basis for that harsh cliche about pretty women. Drying up the deep-end, too many people treat beautiful people like collectible figures - shallowness begets shallowness. Be that as it may, we will never stop people from judging external appearance, and looks will never, not be a part of romantic attraction. Protesting it is like protesting the color of the sky. Wrongs, human foibles, and downright stupidity should be called out, but complaining and name-calling are rarely (if ever) the right tactic. Complaining is actually a communicable disease that attacks emotional health but will never change core designs - or innate flaws, if you will. It just drives them underground. You will never complain your way to the top. True, beautiful people have a great advantage in life, but most of us are average. The good news is that confidence is the sexiest thing, and true lasting beauty comes from within.

Too little focus on external appearance, on the flipside, is almost as imbalanced as too much. The physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual are the 4 legs of the table that is humanity. To be a fully developed human, a person should work on each of those aspects and derive pleasure from each as well. Humans, by nature, take everything too far - people aren't good at balance or moderation. I've noticed that many of my fellow nerds refuse to compromise, believing they shouldn't have to change a thing to fit in. That's choosing to believe a lie. We all need improvement, and most people should pay more attention to their physical appearance (even moreso, their health). Don't spend one moment feeling sorry for yourself, Miao teaches us. Just keep going forward. Keep picking up crumbs. Keep improving. Steadily pick up good habits. Life can get hectic and our busy schedules can be murder, but if all your energy is going into your job or being a mom then you aren't a wife or a completed woman. Try new looks: Try a new hairdo (it grows out, don't be scared) - accessorize - put on makeup, pick up healthy habits. If all your energy is going into work, or something worse (like sports or video games) then you aren't a husband or dad. One could even argue that there's a self-indulgent arrogance to neglecting one's appearance, especially if one is married. That person is saying that their mate is not worth the effort.

Don't want to put in the effort? That's a personal choice. Just accept the truth about the likely outcomes of your decisions. Don't carp because things align with the standard profile. “Just because I'm fat doesn't mean that I'm not aware of how society operates,” snaps the zaftig Xia. “I just have a big appetite.” Xia inhabits reality. She understands it. She understands that she must accept it as so. She's made her choice about who she is, what she's about and what she does, and she doesn't complain. She embraces life. She enjoys herself, and she elevates the lives of those around her. She will always be loved just the way she is. She's the healthiest person in the show and the one we all want to hang with. If one looks at a photo of the writer, Zhao Qian Qian, it's easy to imagine that she wrote herself into Xia. I'm a fan of Ms Zhao, so I'd like to think she did. My biggest criticism of the show is that in the second half, Xia devolves into a caricature of herself. She becomes a background eating machine as her character stutters and goes into neutral without continuing her arc. After building her character up, they left her half done.

Finally, don't be part of the problem. Awareness is the key. Attractive people are given more deference and generosity. That ain't fair. Try to ignore looks and treat everyone the same. Don't be the 10,000th person to make a height joke or ask about a scar, birthmark, or some other anomaly over which a person has no control. Can you imagine having to hear the same jokes and comments from everyone new that you meet? What a nightmare. Scripture talks about how when we help a stranger we might be helping angels, unawares. If angels do exist among us they probably do take on the appearance of street people more than movie stars. So be an angel and treat everyone with respect. You never know…

“You never know what the future holds.” The math teacher encourages Miao after she failed the exam. (Only one other student failed, and he's been absent since a serious accident). Her teacher wants her to keep plugging away. Don't give up. That's the theme: Stay on that wheel. Adjust. Try things. Maintain hope. Always be decent. Do your best. No quitting. Soon, YOU will be the lighthouse.


QUOTES?

This is learning. You learn because you don't know it.

Attitude is Altitude

〰? IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 8.3
Writing 8.5
Acting 8.2
Romance 8
Flutters 7
Art 7.5
Sound & music 7
Ending8.5

LEVELS
Warmth 7
Action 2
Laughs 3
Tears 2
Fright 2.5
Tension / Anxiety 3.5
Gore 0
Thought provocation 3.8
Snores 0

?8.3 ?8.5 ?8.2 ?8 ?7 ?7.5 ?/?7 ?8.5 ▪ ?7 ⚡2 ?3 ?2 ?2.5 ?3.5 ?0 ?3.8 ?0

Age 11+ This show can be appreciated by a wide age range of viewers.
There's nothing objectionable. There's little physical contact. The relationship progresses slowly. No kisses until the mid to late eps

Rated- Per IMDB it's TV-G: General Audience and per MDL it's TV-PG-13: Parents Cautioned

Re-?? Definitely

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

♥️ -
C: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
I Hear You ‘19 7.3, so cute but with many flaws
You are my destiny 6.8 ‘20 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K:
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

Period -
C: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

Fantasy
C: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

Japanese lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5

Citeste mai mult

Time To Defend The ⏰ Or Regret Tomorrow °8.5° °Outstanding°

[Any spoliers are are the very end and clearly marked]

Sisyphus is the show that escorted me through the looking glass into the wonderland of Korean programming, and Asian dramas, in general. It explores the claim: "Just because you could do something doesn't mean you should." It's got action, fantastic romance, time travel, & a brainiac that can Macgyver anything. Though not issue free, Sisyphus is an insightful commentary on humanity: We make the wrong choices & then we live with regret the rest of our lives once we are finally honest with ourselves.

Themes explored are selfishness (if we only care about ourselves & what we want, it's radiation poisoning that will destroy society). Also featured are corruption, hate, revenge, & pride - forms of selfishness, all. Messianic imagery is a major player, as are regrets - they follow selfishness. Kindness to those less fortunate is critical, or we will create the monsters that rip into us. Hatred against immigrants & xenophobia is depicted. Sisyphus also examines the False Dilemma argument: Just because someone (especially a bad guy) says you have two choices, doesn't mean it's true.

The title is based on the Greek God Sisyphus. Per Wiki: he "was punished for cheating death twice by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity. Through the classical influence on modern culture, tasks that are both laborious and futile are therefore described as Sisyphean."

The question of whether the future is static is very much alive in the show, Asia Mart's Mr. Park says: "Do you believe you can change things?" He laughs. "You know you can't change anything, right? You can try all you want, but nothing will change." At the same time, Sigma & his minions make references to alternate timelines, hinting at the many times the end-of-the-world drama has played out.

The main protags are the time machine inventing genius, Han Tae-sul (HTsul), & Gang Seo-hae (SHae), who travels back in time to save HTsul & thus, the world. The world needs saving because the time machine will usher in nuclear destruction of the Korean Peninsula.

By the time SHae travels back to present day Korea, the country has been taken over by thieves from the future. They were in prison when war broke out, which served as a bomb shelter and ensured their survival. Volunteering as the 1st test-group that travels to the past, they accumulate massive wealth due to their prescience of lottery, sports & stock outcomes. Soon, they take over all the power positions in the country & set up the Control Bureau, an immigration enforcement agency that prevents others in the future from gaining the advantages they themselves enjoy. CB officers have very few restrictions & are allowed to kill on sight. All of this was crafted by the mysterious Sigma, traveler & villain #1, who is rumored to be the person that starts the war. Everyone in Sigma's circle is controlled by a desire to protect loved ones, or a desire for power and selfish gain.

Don't give up! S takes off to a confusing start. Ep1 is a tough one to get through, but watching HTsul save a plane that's going down is the biggest reward for watching it. Kdramas often begin by methodically setting the dials & levers that will operate the rest of the show. I first saw Sisyphus before I was doing reviews, so I decided to watch it again before writing about it. The beginning is entirely different in the 2nd go-round.

Both leads are on the Crazy Train, but they each have their talents. When we meet SHae & follow her trail, we see that she's a cool customer. From age 7 she rode out the apocalypse with her policeman father. He trained her in all kinds of combat as hunting for scarce food & water is very dangerous in the anarchy of the future. When we meet HTsul we see that he's pretty cool, too. Pretty bada$$ cool. HTsul does something amazingly clever in most eps. HTsul is also a pathetic pill-popper, ridden with guilt over the way he treated his brother, HTsan, the last time they met, just prior to HTsan's passing. HTsul's ex is his psychiatrist. She dumped him, but only after he cheated on her. What could go wrong here?

Trains & train stations are featured frequently, & appear to represent fate. Right from jump when SHae arrives in the past she sees a bright light & hears a bell. There's a train coming down the tracks right at her: Foreshadowing. Later, HTsul & SHae see each other at the train station while a fast train screeches between them. It's a metaphor for the onslaught of events headed their way that could separate them. HTsul hears the train on the way to the Control Bureau, which helps him locate it later. A train station is where the seat of power is in the future. There's also constant foreshadowing broadcasting HTsul's end of show options, like a train coming at the audience. They are always brought to the forefront.

Almost everybody we meet in Sisyphus is selfish, even SHae's father. Exceptions are SHae & HTsan. They will bring about change to those around them. Early on SHae tells HTsul: "You're really selfish. You'll do what you want & not care how many people died because of it. You selfish jerk." HTsan said it first to SHae: "You just care about saving the world, not my brother. I'm just the opposite."

Initially, HTsul displays corrupted values, thinking he can solve any conflict by throwing money at it. He founded his company, Quantum & Time with grad-school friend, Eddy Kim. Eddy does all the work. HTsul does whatever he feels like, and completely takes his friend for granted. Throughout the course of the show, jealousy & resentment, cause conflict in Eddy, due to HTsul's neglect.

Sigma & HTsul are contrasted. The series delves into the concept of families, struggles, abuse, & ostracism. HTsul lost his parents to an accident, but he had his brother, HTsan, to care & provide for him. Growing up, Sigma suffers severe abuse at home, underscoring that no parent is better than an abusive one. Sigma clearly isn't stupid, but almost nobody in the world is on HTsul's level: His perception that HTsul had it easy in life introduces jealousy.

Sigma's descent leads to madness. He falls in love with fire & death. He's smart, but a sociopath, arsonist, narcissist, & likely a fetal alcohol syndrome sufferer. Killing 50 million people with a nuclear bomb is just a game for him. He brags incessantly about what he truly cares about: Outsmarting HTsul. He loves to taunt him, beckoning: "C'mon out and play," to him.

The backdrop for all of this is the thrills, action, & the wonderful romance between SHae & HTsul. There's a GREAT scene showing how she looks out for him. He's desperately trying to call by rigging a trashpicked office phone into the phone lines. He's shocked when she says she's a little busy. She next yells: "Duck!" He does so quickly while she eliminates the threat right behind him. In shock, he steps away & sees more than 15 bodies on the ground between him & the overpass, where she's standing with her rifle. He hadn't noticed any of it, to the viewer's amusement.

"The girl or the world." He is constantly threatened that he'll have to choose the girl or the world. HTsul will figure out for himself what options he has. He knows he must outsmart Sigma or lose everything.

Some people don't have the capacity to enjoy fantasy. It can be too intellectual for some, or not logical or real enough for others. Sisyphus is fantasy based on an intelligent script, & it's directed smashingly well. The condescending "1" ratings have no basis whatsoever. If one hates some of the logical quagmires or the pacing, a rating of 5-7 is fair, but Sisyphus, in any timeline, doesn't deserve a rating under "5." So leave Sisyphus alone!

We get a clear sense that it's not over yet. Hopefully they won't take their ~time~ putting out season 2.

~Quote~

Gibson: The future is already here. It just hasn't been evenly distributed yet.

IMHO〰?

Directing 9
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 6
Art 8
Sound & music 7
Action 8
Thought provocation 7
Ending 9
?9 ?8 ?9⚡8 ?8 ?7 ?8 ?7 ?9

Age 14+.

⛔️SPOILERS FOLLOW❗️

I prefer to not give away many spoilers, but some things are worthy of noting as follows:

Resentment festers in Eddy until all he can think about is destroying HTsul. Sigma, who went to grade school with HTsul, has a similar arc. They each have an obsessive hatred for him.

At the same time, HTsul has been in deep emotional pain over mistreating his brother, HTsan, who raised him after their parents died. Under SHae's influence, HTsul evolves into a better human. There's a Scrooge-like sequence where they look at themselves earlier in life. HTsul watches himself w/ commentary: "What a crazy Jerk. It's not Sigma's fault. This jerk caused the war," speaking of himself. He's growing. The thinking pattern that leads to his messianic sacrifice has sprouted. What's funny is how people will, w/o self-reflection, watch & think: Good for #him. I've learned the hard way that none of us can see our own stuff unless we have a major wake-up call.

HTsul had defended Sigma from bullies at school a couple times. As a result, Sigma is happier for a brief period. He claims that all the pictures he draws come true. (Hmmm...). He colored a picture of HTsul floating over the earth (is it HTsul or the world?). After HTsul rejects a friendship, Sigma hates him, like he hates everyone else - Perhaps more. HTsul's journey leads him in the opposite direction of Sigma. Insufferably arrogant HTsul is bolts loose at the show's start. Love for SHae makes him sane(ish) & enables him to make a selfless decision.

S's biggest flaw is a failure to sufficiently explain how saving HTSul will save the world. There's frequent foreshadowing of his final solution, like a train coming at the audience. Mr. Park asks SHae why she doesn't just kill HTsul? That would fix everything... "You're making it too difficult on yourself," he points out. Jae-sun, SHae's first present day contact, declares to Bing-bing that if HTSul doesn't exist, the war won't happen b/c the uploader hasn't been invented yet... They reference it over & over again. HTsul says: "I'm going to find Sigma. I don't care if I die.”

The Messiah, HTsul, cryptically asks SHae to come find him in the future, and then sacrifices his life to prevent the doom that's steaming towards them. This time, Sigma never saw what was rambling his way. Everyone from the future disappears, including SHae. Why is HTsul around at the end of the show? They had time-slipped, so right before the end, there were 2 of them. 1 HTsul dies, 1 survives; future SHae disappears, current day SHae lives. She's 7 yrs old.

Citeste mai mult

POW Match‼ Sang-gu vs Tree is Lights-Out-Knockout‼ °8.4° °Outstanding°

The title didn't recruit me, I'll admit. It looked like an afterlife show that takes place in Heaven. The ratings were too good to be ignored, however. So I wagered my time on this contest, & so should you.

In typical Kdrama fashion, they introduce people that, early on, are impossible to imagine caring for each other in a neutral corner. Geu-ru is a 20 y/o w/ Aspergers Syndrome. It's on the ADHD spectrum w/ bonus challenges. Aspergers victims are akin to fragile angels. They tend to be highly intelligent & focused on a narrow range of topics that captivate their interest. They have no social skills, no comprehension of non-verbal communication, body language, or other such subtleties. Innately pure, they would never understand stealing, cruelty, or even white lies. They don't have the resources to roll with the punches. Without proper oversight & gentle handling at home, they won't make it. Geu-ru's intellect is the glove on the hand that prepares him for a counter punch. His name means “tree”, and like a tree, he's hard to move.

Geu-ru & his father are "Trauma Cleaners." Cleaning up messy deaths, crime scenes, & the aftereffects of deaths occurring at businesses or other properties is what Trauma Cleaners do. But Geu-ru & Dad don't just clean. They respect the deceased. They also console the "survived-bys". Geu-ru and his father would doggedly follow the departed's wishes regarding disbursement of their worldly goods. Absent explicit instructions, detective Geu-ru pieces it together w/ the evidence at hand.

Many of the early episodes are about the work-ethic and care Ge-ru has adopted from his father. Geu-ru is inspired & compelled to scry the deceased's wishes & carry them out to the shock of the bereaved. These scenes are emotional. Don't get Caught Cold: Hankies out!

Geu-ru is suddenly left alone. His father had pre-bequeathed a domicile & occupation to his brother/Geu-ru's uncle, Sang-gu. - as long as Unc cares for Geu-ru in dad's absence, that is. Sang-gu is a pugilist and a boxer who competes in underground fights. He's suffered a series of low blows in life. Just released from prison post an attempted murder sentence due to a tragedy in the ring, his life is on the ropes. Geu-ru, unaware of the arrangements made by his father, had never met his uncle. Unannounced, Sang-gu arrives at the house one day. He takes a dive onto the couch, & demands a beverage. He's angry, impatient, flippant, & aggressive - the scary variety.

Sang-gu must carry on the business w/ Geu-ru or lose the income & the sofa (Geu-ru won't allow him in daddy's BR). Their first job together is cleanup of a corpse that had been there a while. The scene is... unpleasant. Sang-gu has the heaving & hurling reaction one might anticipate. It progresses from there. It's hilarious to drive w/ them for the 1st time. We'll just say that Sang-gu is not methodical like his brother. He's a brawler, in & out of the ring. Upon landing, Geu-ru cites every law Sang-gu had just violated, along w/ the fines & imprisonment levies. Sang-gu starts to see that he's moved, not to a house, but down the rabbit hole. Sang-gu additionally learns that he can't win a battle of the wills with Geu-ru. As he's rarely wrong, Geu-ru is, in essence, landing a Bolo Punch to Sang-gu's hard shell. It's starting to crumble.

The distance characters must cover, to reach the main event and eventually unite, always makes the journey better. The bigger the better. In MTH, a vast quest handed down to viewers. The main 3 characters did an excellent job. Tang Joon-sang, as Geu-ru, is authentic. In the same year, he starred in Racket Boys-8, an adorable show, playing a hot-headed & uber aggressive/competitive athlete. Then there's Crash Landing On You-9.1. He's in that,and he's convincing in the roles, to his credit - a trifecta! (Don't miss CLOY, btw.)

Lee Jehoon is fantastic as Sang-gu. I'cve seen him effectively play a romantic lead, but he really dazzles in this sort of role. Did they speed up the camera for Sang-gu's punches, or is he actually that fast? He's ripped, too... Convincing body suit? I think not. He beats up people (all are in acute need of it) by slapping them. As a boxer, he could be arrested for attempted murder again if he punches anyone. Given their power, fists of some boxers may be considered lethal weapons. Sang-gu forgets all of that when he schools that abuser, though. Dude hit a nerve, after all.

There's no glass in Na-mu's jaw. Geu-ru's friend from across the street is played by Hong Seung-hee. Na-mu's a brawler herself; an indefatigable one. Ms Hong is an upstart with only 3 bouts on her card, but all of them are winners. In fact, having just finished Run On-7, in which she's part of the 2nd couple's story, her talent is evident. She steals the show, along with her other half, in convincingly playing the "poor" little rich girl. She looks leaner, taller, & as hot as burning thermite. (Apparently, nothing burns hotter than thermite). Anyway, between the 2 roles she's barely recognizable.

Having already been plagued by a twisted desire for Na-mu to hook up with Sang-gu in a S2, I now see that Ms Hong's potential to rock Sang-gu's world is just "Mama-said-knock-you-out." Can you imagine how stunned he'd be, once he realizes that Na-mu would outmatch any ring girl? It writes itself. Oh please, please, bring it on! We should keep her in the family, shouldn't we? Given her competitive hostility toward him, it would be hilarious,. While the cop who's been scouting her is a better man than Sang-gu - at the moment - she was quite tenderized by S1's final ep. Sang-gu should be a contender. The ending is oblique. Hopefully they are leaving an opening for a S2. More rounds with them is a good thing.

Let's now take an intermission to evaluate proper treatment of those with special needs. In several scenes Geu-ru is misunderstood & mistreated. Sufferers of Aspergers are human beings, and being so, they long for positive interactions & relationships. The tragedy is that they are denied the skills to satiate this longing. For example, they are unable to make small talk, but they love to talk about their favorite topics, as with Geu-ru & fish.

Ignorance begets fear. Modern day living does as well. Our innate reaction when confronted with somebody different, is to recoil. Understandable; it's a dangerous world. Here's a challenge to help make the world a better place: Stop for a moment & assess. Whether you sense danger or not, utilize politeness. An "Excuse me" will do. If you recognize that this fellow human merely wants to talk about h/h favorite subject, be an angel & exchange a few smiley sentences. Watch their beleaguered guardians un-tense as warmth replaces protective anxiety. Always be safe, but also be decent.

While Geu-ru has no obvious affliction at first glance, many precious humans do. We have friends w/ a severely disabled child, and it's obvious to spectators. I had the honor of escorting this little soul down the boardwalk one night. His parents never warned me about the looks. People blanched unpleasantly at the sight of him. At least we were afforded the benefit of a wide berth, lest they get too close. Being taught when growing up that every person is of the same value, I was naively shocked - More than that, I was ready to slug someone, People will subconsciously act casually cruel. We all love us some Rainman... in a fictional tale. In real life? Give it some thought. Shining the spotlight on our repulsive behavior should be the cure. Seriously, who is truly repulsive in the prior scenario? Not me & my boy. Kindness is free. It costs you nothing, yet it provides life's highest rate of return.

As this bout ends, we go to the Cards for a decision: Right before Sang-gu threw in the towel, Geu-ru calculated his final move for the win. Sang-gu hits the canvas in round 10. Geu-ru is the new champ.

You'll also feel like a champion after spending time with this group; this family.

QUOTE~

You see things as you are.

IMHO…

?8.5 ?6 ?8.5 ⚡5 ? 6 ? 9

Directing 8.5
Thought provocation 6
Acting 8.5
Action/Excitement 5
Warmth 6

Age 13+

Citeste mai mult

Choose: Keep the Bitter Score or Live More °7.8° °VG°

“Everything started with the incident that summer.” What started was a cycle of hurts followed by vengeance between parties on the periphery. Meanwhile, the spider relaxed smugly in the center of the web.

The opening episode is heartbreaking. Eun “Soo” Hyun is a successful writer who is married to a reporter. They have a beautiful son together, but he disappears one afternoon when he is 6, leaving a single shoe on the sidewalk. Emergency crews eventually find him, but he's badly injured from a hit-and-run. He doesn't make it. After the perp's trial in which he's released, and it appears connections and corruption are playing a hand in the leniency he's granted, Soo falls apart. Her husband falls apart. Everything falls apart.

WW is a 2024 release that is rated 86 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 14 60ish-minute episodes. It is painful to watch. I could only handle 1 ep/day. The pressure doesn't start to let up until ep11 or so, when the main characters make a directional change. Like the best among us do, Soo takes her pain and attempts to channel it for good. She sets out to protect other children from suffering like her son did. Before all of that, though, she is compelled to dispose of some trash.

Her reward for taking out the trash is a prison stint. She bonds with another inmate, Jang Hyung Ja. Soo's new friend is in jail because she had set fire to the room where her husband was having an affair and ended up killing several people, including an entire family, save for their 8 year old boy who survived. Jang Hyung Ja elicits Soo's commitment to contact that boy upon her release as it looks like Jang Hyung Ja will never be released: She's dying. She's too ashamed to face the kid anyway. As it turns out, this 8-year-old boy, who is now grown up, is loosely involved with disrupting corrupt men. Meanwhile, Soo's husband has been investigating connections between the man who caused the accident that killed their son and his corrupt cronies, including judges and politicians.

By the time Soo is released, her husband is on foreign assignment. The one time she accepted his visit during her incarceration was to tell him to leave her be - She had nothing left for him. On the first day of freedom Soo falls asleep on her son's grave and wakes to a young angelic looking man holding an umbrella over her. Does she know how he will factor into her future? Of course not. Right now she's an aimless wanderer. No direction. Nothing to live for. Dead inside. Yet she promised Gunwoo, her son, that she would survive and live a meaningful life. The first order of business is her promise to Jang Hyung Ja to find that boy who survived the fire.

Soo finds her cellie's 8 y/o victim; it's the boy with the umbrella. Otherworldly looking Cha Eun Woo (Rookie Historian-7.6, True Beauty, My ID Is Gangnam Beauty-7.5) portrays Kwon Seon Yul, now fully grown. Soo sees that he's not living a quiet, safe life. He also isn't pleased to get the message she's delivering. He shuns her, but they continue to meet. It's as if strange forces are drawing them together.

To err is human; to forgive, divine. Forgiveness, release, and going on with life is WW's theme. Not only are there huge things to forgive, like the killing of a family member, but also cheating, lying, general indiscretions, and everyday insults are thrown in the path as well. Mistakes are creating roadblocks all over the place. Most of the characters in WW have committed grave blunders and have also been greatly wronged. Once forgiven, a perpetrator may feel release, but the person who benefits most from forgiving is the one who is doing it. It isn't easy (not by any means!) but to hold onto anger, unforgiveness, and bitterness is to rot oneself out from within. It is the opposite of a free life. It is being controlled.

“I won't ask for forgiveness…” we hear that several times. The logic behind the statement is that the wrongdoers feel too much shame to ‘ask for forgiveness‘. So don't. Don't ask to be forgiven. However, a person that has done wrong should apologize - without excuses, qualifiers, demands, or reservations. That is what decency demands. It's what a person of good character and principles does. A mature person will understand that everyone makes mistakes. Learn from them, make it right and move on, burden free. An immature and self-absorbed person will turn an apology into an excuse fest, a look-at-me-I-am-not-so-bad-think-better of-me party. Pathetically, this doesn't work, it only shows poor character, and it doesn't make anyone like you more. Denying one's mistakes and not apologizing is a form of living in denial and lies. One can't face h/h shortcomings because s/he needs to think better of h/h self. That is a contemptible life of delusion. Let your ego go. Nobody else likes your ego; only you do. Let it go. Be free.

Going into ep9 ain't nobody free. All I could think is: ‘What a downer! This show is so sad!’ Just in time (almost too late), there's a plot shift that allows the viewer some breathing room. Things move into the deep end, more evidence comes to light, and not everything is what it had previously appeared to be.

WW is a quality production. The acting, directing, and writing all supplement the show. Kim Nam Joo (Misty) is FL Eun “Soo” Hyun. Kim Kang Woo (Circle) plays Kang Soo Ho, Soo's husband. The intrinsically likable Kang Ae Shim from Bad and Crazy & Be Melodramatic-8.7 plays Jang Hyung Ja.

Kil Hae Yeon (If You Wish Upon Me) is Jung Myung Hee, Soo'smother i/l. This woman excels at playing a supreme b!+ch. I've seen her in Beyond Evil-7.4 & Law School-8. I've also seen her in 2 shows that are like stamps of eachother: In Something in the Rain-8.6 she plays the ultimate narcissistic mother who ruins her family. One Spring Night-7.8 is nearly the same show (same director/writer combo) except it's the father who's a narcissist and Ms Kil is a sweetheart of a mom. Both shows are good, but OSN is like the 2nd, lighter stamp. It doesn't mean much on its own, its value is as a follow-up to the heavier, gut-wrenching Something in the Rain. Regardless, this actress has a powerful presence.

Im Se Mi (Terius Behind Me, When the Weather Is Fine-9) is Han Yoo Ri, Soo's BFF and unofficial sister. Won Mi Kyung (The Hoechun Gate, Great Vocation) plays Oh Go Eun, Soo's mom. I've only seen her in My Unfamiliar Family-7.9, and she's wonderful. The screenwriter is Kim Ji Eun (Lie After Lie) and Lee Seung Young (Voice S2, Special Affairs Team TEN) directed.

The direction is competent with flashes of excellence. The color palette is dark, muted and grey, but the colors in Soo's memories are so vivid! The tempo is steady. The show never rushes and it never drags. Stopping at 14 episodes may have been the smartest thing the director did. Too many shows suffer because they don't have enough content to fill 16-20 episodes competently. The music is quite good as well. The classic, Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive, makes an appearance and Imaginary Future & Kina Grannis do a melancholy, jazzy cover of What a Wonderful World.

Soo is able to find justice, release, and peace by the time the credits roll. This painful show ends up with a positive message that is brilliantly summed up when Soo declares this: “Let's not live like a bare tree anymore. Let's sprout and live.” Only free people can say and do that.


◇QUOTES◇

In the middle of life's journey, I got lost and wandered. I've heard no matter how much time passes, losing someone precious to you will always be lonesome. But I will try to keep going. If I keep going, one day the pain will lessen. I hope all those grieving find comfort. I hope the world will be more friendly to those in pain. I hope a beautiful world will come while you overcome your pain.

When you live this long, leaving someone properly is as important as meeting someone.


〰IMHO◇

?7.5 ?8 ?8.3 ?7.6 ?/?7 ?8.3 ▪ ?4⚡4.5 ?1 ?5 ?2 ?5 ?2 ?6 ?0

RATINGS
Directing 7.5
Writing 8
Acting 8.3
Art 7.6
Sound & music 7
Ending 8.3

LEVELS
Warmth 4
Action 4.5
Laughs 1
Tears 5
Fright 2
Tension / Anxiety 5
Gore 2
Thought provocation 6
Snores 0

Age 14+
Mature subject matter.

Re-?? Possible but unlikely. It is definitely worth watching once.

Choose: Keep the Bitter Score or Live More °7.8° °VG° ?%?

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day -
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Law School -8
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Be Melodramatic-8.7
Hospital Playlist 9,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
Anna-8.1,
My Mister 9.5,
Blood Free-8.5
Mother-8.8

Action/Crime/Sci-fi -
K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1,
Why Her?-8,
Tunnel 8.5,
Signal 8.6,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4

Citeste mai mult

The Mysterious Village in the Deep Deep Woods °8.3° °excellent°

For as much as I liked this show, I don't have much to say. In part, that's because not much can be said without spoiling something. I went into MTOS knowing nothing and I'm glad I did. The mysteries undergo a gradual-unravel. The viewer that comes into the show with even half of the answers is MISSING half of the fun.

MTOS follows a string of murders and missing persons - some new, some old, some very old. The viewer watches police as they investigate, and follows the families, friends and the victims themselves. It is utterly heartbreaking, yet it is lined with hope. It is a 2 season 2020 release, rated 89 on AWiki and consisting of 26 60ish-minute episodes. Currently, the very popular S2 is not available for streaming. S1 is just 12 episodes.

The acting is truly superb. Go Soo (Heart Surgeons, The Flower in Prison) is Kim Wook. He witnesses the abduction of a woman which makes him the next target of the gangsters - they saw him seeing what they did, and they don't like witnesses. He must run for his life and his running takes him to a very strange village.

Heo Joon Ho (Kingdom-8.3, Why Her?-8) plays Jang Pan Seok, a man who lives in the village. His life ended when his daughter was abducted over 15 years ago. He spends his time handing out fliers, visiting the police, and chasing leads - most of them false. Ahn So Hee (Thirty-Nine, Eulachacha Waikiki S2) plays Lee Jong Ah, one of Wook’s coworkers. She is super-cool. Her part is cool, but the coolness really seems to the actress herself. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her. Ha Joon (Black Dog-8.2, Destined with You, Crazy Love-7.8) plays Shin Joon Ho, a cop who appears to have much more head than heart. Two residents of the village are Seo Eun Soo (Dr. Romantic, Duel, Chief Detective 1958) as Choi Yeo Na and Song Geon Hee (SKY Castle, Lovely Runner) as Thomas Cha. Ji Dae Han (Chicago Typewriter) really shines as Officer Baek Il Doo. I can't explain it, but midshow I realized that every line he uttered amused me immensely. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him as well. The director is Min Yeon HongInsider from Ugly Alert. The screenwriters are Ban Ki Ri from Who Are You and Witch's Romance, and Jung So Young - a first effort.

MTOS is more a crime thriller than anything else, but it is quite unique. While many horrible things happen, it somehow manages to send the viewer off strangely uplifted. It's a horrible world with horrible things going on all the time. We are blessed if we can find any decent companions with whom to brave the elements. Wook navigates heartbreaks while forming firm alliances with worthy allies. By the end, he's missing much less despite his losses. He is able to reconcile with his past and go forward as a better man. Would that each one of us could.

〰? IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 8.3
Writing 8.4
Acting 8.8
Art 7
Sound & music 8
Ending 8.4

LEVELS
Warmth 6
Action 5
Laughs 3
Tears 7
Fright 4
Tension / Anxiety 4
Gore 3
Thought provocation 4
Snores 0

?8.3 ?8.4 ?8.8 ?7 ?/?8 ?8 ▪ ?6 ⚡5 ?3 ?7 ?4 ?4 ?3 ?4 ?0


Age 15+
Violence and extremely sad subject matter

Re-?? Yep


In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Crazy Love-7.8,
Mystic Pop-up Bar-8.2
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Hotel del Luna-8.4
Black Dog: Being A Teacher-8.2,
Move To Heaven-8.4,
My Mister 9.5,

Citeste mai mult

Every Sunflower Needs Its Sun °7.8° °cuteness overload°

Adapted from the novel, "She’s a Little Crazy”, WIFTY is as cute as cute gets. Zhang Miao Yi (Exclusive Fairytale) plays FL Su Zai Zai. She might be alittle crazy, but she's also like sunshine. Crazy, in this case, means an uninhibited, hyper-focused go-getter. She's gonna go get herself Zhang Lu Rang (Zhou Yi Ran from The Legend of Zhuohua, Falling into Your Smile-5.7). He's gloomy and more like the moon, but he likes sunflowers. Lu Rang is good at every subject but English. Languages are a snap for Zai Zai, but she struggles with everything else. They end up tutoring eachother. After you meet Lu Rang's mother, it makes sense that he likes Su Zai Zai.

WIFTY is a 2023 release that is rated a high-flying 9 on MDL. (Romance fans love it, yo). It is 1 season consisting of 24 cuddly 35-minute episodes. They fly by quickly. Jiang Zhi Nan (The Best Day of My Life) as Jiang Jia & Bian Tian Yang (Bright Time, Song of Youth-7.2) as Gu Ran round out the 2ndary couple. They are fun. (“As dumb@$$ he is, he actually didn't fall for my trick. This is so odd. What's more, how does he manage to be so obnoxious?”). Actor, Bian Tian Yang, and his part, are adorable. The director is Mao De Shu (Lovely Us) and the screenwriters are Yue An & Tao Kai Xin who also collaborated on Let's Meet Now.

The original creator is Zhu Yi of the wildly popular show, Hidden Love-7.8. Consequently, WIFTY and HL are very similar. They are both low drama ride-alongs. The viewer hangs out with these simple characters throughout several years of their simple lives, but not much happens. That isn't to say that WIFTY isn't lovely. It is absolutely darling. WIFTY and HL are low on complexity, shade and tension, but they are high on romantic charm and the Prozac effect. They both include likable characters with some growing up to do. They both feature a FL who suffers from an instant crush that lasts for (presumably) a lifetime. Both cover from middle school to first post-grad positions. And both promote relaxation and tranquility. The viewer is unlikely to cry, will probably smile but not laugh, won't experience much angst or frustration, and will feel at peace. There will always be a place for such entertainment. To be fair, I will rewatch a feature that is of sub-standard quality yet it touches the heart before a piece that is intelligent and technically perfect but emotionally flat; but when it comes to rating a show, technical skill and the way it moves the heart are both important. A low degree of difficulty does lower the maximum potential score.

What they do in WIFTY they do well. The music is solid. They play a snippet from Brit rockers, Queen, for a hot 5 seconds. It was amusing and quite unexpected. Before, by Zeyué is Shazam-worthy. The acting is excellent. The protagonists are engaging and there's some great dialogue. Long before they become a couple, our couple works on English prepositions and contrapositions together.

“If I exist, my love for you exists.”

“If I don't like you anymore, that I would no longer be me.”

It's a sweet scene.

“You don't necessarily have to become the sun. If you're willing to, you could be a star, a street light, or a firefly. They're all capable of shining when they want to shine. When they don't feel like shining they can slack off,” we hear in a challenge to shine as brightly as possible,

WIFTY shines as brightly as possible. Su Zai Zai is as unforgettable as she is adorable. While it's unlikely to appeal to anyone who isn't a serious romance fan, the show is simply delightful from one end to the other. If romance is your thing, make sure to exult in its warmth.


〰IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 7.8
Writing 7.7
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 6
Art 5.5
Sound & music
Ending

LEVELS
Warmth 7
Action 3
Laughs 4
Tears 2
Fright 1
Tension / Anxiety 1
Gore 1
Thought provocation 3
Snores 0

?7.8 ?7.7 ?8 ?7 ?6 ?5.5 ?/?7 ?8 ▪ ?7 ⚡3 ?4 ?2 ?1 ?1 ?1 ?3 ?0

Age 13+
It's very clean. They do cohabitate prior to marriage

Rated
TV-PG: Parental Guidance Suggested

Re-?? Very Possible

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

♥️ -
C: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K :
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

Period -
C: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

Fantasy
C: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

Action/horror -
C: Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;
K:
K2 8;
Private Lives 8.1;
Sisyphus 8;
Tunnel 8.1;
Signal 8.6;
The Man From Nowhere 8.9
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;
Kingdom 8.3;
Sweet Home 8.4

Japanese?? lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5

Citeste mai mult

Grasp Those Stars & Hold Tight °7.8° °VG°

Here's a romance that's a warm and sticky sweet bun with a nice cup of chamomile tea. We're talking very low drama. Romance fans will find it charming and relaxing. I certainly did. Others might be underwhelmed. We meet Sang Zhi (Zhizhi) in middle school and follow her through several years of her life. In ep1 big bro brings his friend, Jiaxu, home. Zhizhi is smitten. Jiaxu is thoughtful and kind towards her. He always has time for her, which only fans the flames as the years roll by.

HL is a 2023 release that is rated a whopping 9 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 25 45-minute episodes. Zhao Lu Si (Who Rules the World-7.5, I Hear You-7, The Romance of Tiger and Rose-9.8, Love Like the Galaxy) is FL Sang Zhi. I've liked her in everything I've seen so far, but my respect for her abilities took a leap forward with this show. Feisty and full of life describes most of her characters. Here, she's shy and demure (though she's capable of pulling some bold moves, we'll see). Even her body language says she's not fully grown. While in HS, her gangly walk is the pièce de résistance of her act. She's extremely impressive, particularly when one factors in how different she is from her other performances. I am a fan.

Chen Zhe Yuan (Our Secret, Handsome Siblings-8.7) play ML Duan Jiaxu. He's a sparky, mischievous brat in HS, a show that I love. In HL he's calm and thoughtful. Victor Ma (Detective Chinatown, Moments We Shared) is big brother Sang Yan. He may be the big brother, but he's a bit of a brat, always calling Zhizhi “Little demon”. The director is Lee Ching Jung (Go Go Squid!, Everyone Loves Me). The screenwriter is Ou Si Jia of Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities, and the original creator is Zhu Yi of the show, When I Fly Towards You-7.8.

The day Zhizhi meets Jiaxu she has a dilemma. She's in trouble at school and her parents have been called in for a teacher conference. She somehow persuades Jiaxu to pose as her brother for the conference. He attends, explaining that the parents are out of town. Crisis deleveled. That favor creates a bond between them that will never be broken. Zhizhi ends up at college in Jiaxu's hometown, and he is the only person she knows there. Sang Yan asks friend, Jiaxu, to look out for his sister. Jiaxu does. Zhizhi was already looking at Jiaxu… and only him.

I watched HL back-to-back with When I Fly Towards You. They are similar - same author. They're relaxing, they really couldn't be sweeter, and they both lack depth. Other than a stalker connected to Jiaxu over a mistake his father made, the biggest problem the characters face in HL is Zhi's milk allergy. (The show presents the 5 year age difference as a big issue. It certainly is for teens, but once they are both in their 20's it isn't worth mentioning). That's okay; there's a nice big space with comfy couches for such wind-down watches. It does lower the degree of difficulty, though, and thus the maximum score. One the one hand, to do a slice-of-life feature in which not much happens, yet it is still a great watch, takes skill. On the other hand, for a feature to be in the high 8's and above, there should be complexity and these 2 shows have none. They can be every bit as enjoyable as, and the ones we rewatch before more highly rated shows. Entertainment that touches the heart is meritorious regardless of technical lapses. WIFTY gets a higher cuteness rating because the female lead’s character is ridiculously and relentlessly cute, while HL is more tranquil. It's almost plodding, but never boring. These shows are for romantiholics only, and look at the ratings - romance junkies are very satisfied. If you want to expose a friend, who is only a casual romance watcher, to a youthful Chinese romance, I suggest A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5 or Wait, My Youth-8.4.

HL may lack deeper shading but it has no flaws. Every element is done well. The music is quite nice, however Shazam only had titles in Mandarin. Some did pop up on Spotify. Modern-day Cdramas have gotten better. Before 2019 most are deeply flawed, though not without their charms. One of the best things about Cdramas is what I call their Prozac effect. They are designed to quiet the mind and calm the spirit. If anxiety is up, a Chinese modern-day romance like HL could very well help level the mood. At one point Zhizhi pumps her fist in the air and gives Jiaxu the common Kdrama encouragement: “FIGHTING!” The most recent Cdramas have been acknowledging the popularity of Kdramas, and I suspect it's a call out to what has inspired their growth. I love it.

I also loved HL. Will you? If you call yourself a romance fan, maybe. Probably. If you consider yourself a romance /junkie/ then there can be no doubt; check it out!


〰? IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 7.5
Writing 7
Acting 8.3
Romance 7
Flutters 6
Art 6.5
Sound & music 8
Ending 7.7

LEVELS
Warmth 7
Action 3
Laughs 3
Tears 3
Fright 1
Tension/Anxiety 2
Gore 0
Thought provocation 3
Snores 0

?7.5 ?7 ?8.3 ?7 ?6 ?6.5 ?/?8 ?7.7 ▪ ?7 ⚡3 ?3 ?3 ?1 ?2 ?0 ?3 ?0

Age 12+ for mild sexual content

Rated TV-Y7: Directed to Older Children

Re-watch? It's not impossible, but there's a long list of other shows that would precede it in a rewatch.

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

? -
C??: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
? I Hear You ‘19 7.3, so cute but with many flaws
? You are my destiny 6.8 ‘20 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K?? :
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

? -
C??: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K??:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

??-
C??: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

Japanese?? lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5

Citeste mai mult

Sleeping B!+ches Bite °Excellent°

Su Jae (SJ) “sure is acting up.” That's what her boss says after he finds out that she's snatched files & replaced them w/ manhwa (comics). Is the plot alittle outrageous? Sure. It actually holds together very well, but it's not free of logical problems. For instance, remains are found at a construction site when it makes no sense that the bad guys would have allowed them to be found. It's sloppy. Also, a tragedy occurs at the end of ep14 that feels especially painful & completely unnecessary. Though it lends to symmetry in the plot development, the scene is ham-handed.

However, there's plenty more + than -. The closing scene is beautiful. The music is excellent. ‘Beautiful’ by DOKO & ‘What about us' by HAJIN are both Shazamable. Craft-wise, they send messages w/ color. SJ's wardrobe is almost always black & white which represents the hard lines she's adopted over time. It begins in black & white. Our female lead is wearing white. Then the director introduces the color red: Red lipstick & red blood splatters. SJ wears rich blues for trials - apparently, juries everywhere like blue. All of a sudden, in ep3, she shows up in a bright peach suit. Maybe that doesn't sound pretty, but it looks fabulous on her. Why the color change? Well, she's had a significant emotion-altering interaction w/ Gong Chan. (It would be too difficult to describe it, you'll just have to watch it for yourself). She has softened up. By the show's end, she is in color regularly. She's freely living a full spectrum life.

WH is about Power & corruption & the abuse the powerful heap onto those below them… especially women. The context is the pressure cooker that is Korea. In ep1 we see a suicide: Korea has the 4th highest suicide rate in the world. Exams, constant bullying, gossip, & impossible parents are ubiquitous themes in Kdramas. Under extreme pressure most will hunker down & go w/ the flow, too many will commit suicide, & some may act out. When they try to toss SJ away w/ the trash, she decides to act out. Bravo!

Seo Hyun Jin plays SJ. I've seen her as a new, bright-eyed teacher in Black Dog-8.2 & a fed-up woman who can't get a break in Another Miss Oh-7.5. She's beautiful, but she's got that down-on-earth neighborhood girl quality to her which goes beyond looks or acting capability; it's presence. She can act, too. K-actors act w/ every muscle in their bodies. Her walk kills me in WH. She's stiff as a board, yet so eloquent. It is completely different from how she walks in other shows. Extraordinary. Her performance is the best thing about a very good show.

SJ is a trial attorney. A formidable one, specializing in undermining the credibility of an opposing witness's testimony. The more we learn of her backstory, the more her behavior makes sense. At the start she was a nobody who couldn't look her co-workers in the eye, but now /they're/ terrified of /her/. But the old-boys-club cannot tolerate this capable woman in their chauvinist sphere.

SJ's a fundamentally decent person w/ a dream to go all the way to the top - it's a dream that cannibalizes decency. Initially, she seems impervious to everything. We learn that she's been #refusing to show her fragile side. She's ‘gritted her teeth, held it in, & held her ground.’ Flashbacks show the sweet girl she was, the way her father brought her up, & the way her immediate underlings are fiercely loyal to her. Yet she's rude to a waiter, she's disdainful of children, & she's a monster to clients of opposing attorneys. She's starting to act like the 1%ers. Success, power & money are corrupting, indeed. In ep1 she's on the cusp of becoming a blood sucking parasite. But irony comes crashing down, splattering her & shaking her conscience loose. The crashing irony is a tragedy arising from one of her cases & public opinion turns toxic. Her boss sends her into hiding: She must ride out the scandal while being an adjunct prof at law school. The rich-and-powerfuls were happy to make use of her at their convenience, but now they're letting her know exactly what she is: Disposable. “I'll stand in a high place & look down on them all!” SJ screams her vow to the waves.

Hwang In Youp (The Sound of Magic) is Gong Chan. He's changed his appearance, so SJ doesn't recognize him, but she represented him years ago for a murder case in which he was innocent. The reason he's in law school is because she inspired him all those years ago. He comes on strong & it works rather well. The romance gets crankin pretty quickly. In fairness, Gong Chan seems to have had it bad for yrs. But when SJ learns who he truly is, what will she think?

Heo Joon Ho (Missing: The Other Side-8.3) owns the law firm as Choi Tae Gook. He seems level & fair, but he is something else behind closed doors. His sons admire SJ. Bae In Hyuk (My Roommate Is a Gumiho) plays Choi Yoon Sang, his youngest son & admirer of SJ. What dimples! An avg student, in the past she tutored him. Now he sits in the back row of her new class. Lee Cheol-Min (My Only Love Song-8.7, Love to Hate You-8.9, Mr. Queen-9 & dozens more) usually plays a goof but he does a nice job as a “bad guy” in this. Everything about him is completely different. Even though I recognized him I still had to look it up to be sure. The director is Park Soo Jin of The Hymn of Death-8.4, While You Were Sleeping-7.3, & Dr. Romantic.

It all gets off to a very rocky start. SJ is no softie & the students‘ initial response is to rebel. SJ shows up at her 1st class w/ about a minute left. She writes on the chalkboard: “I will never let my client go to jail.” Chalk drop. She exits. In class 2 she brings them case files & assigns complete verdict analyses. It's only 50% of their grade(!) “How do we do it?” One student wants guidance. “Figure it out,” is her laconic response. Immediately, her class is under threat of being canceled, but she's no rookie. Putting college students in their place is child's play & she's never going to spoon feed her students.

The class is seated by GPA & formed accordingly into teams for group projects. The last row of the last students form their motley group; then they form a bond. Two of those students already have a connection to SJ - her boss's son & her forgotten former client. Other members of the motley team are a middle-aged woman who is a former cop, a girl who was sexually harassed by a prof, & another boy who was weak. The student council bullied him and he refused to testify on behalf of his abused friend for fear that it would affect his standing at school. SJ gives him strength enough to find his footing.

The theme is to treasure those you love & live a clean life worthy of them to avoid future regrets. This is also very much a girl-power show. SJ is a minority w/ educational & background disadvantages. It's a higher hurdle in Korea than it is in the USA. Like other minorities, she gets no benefit of the doubt, no head start, & zero 2nd chances. No room for error. It's a triple-thick glass ceiling. She has to be 10×s as good as her competition. She'll have to make some pretty bold moves.

It's true that women's rights aren't settled in the USA, but Asia is worse. Stalking & harassment protection are decades behind the USA. SJ is reluctant to help the student that was molested because the chance of success is slimmer than SJ's legs. She encourages the student to focus on her goal & nothing else. That's practical advice & sometimes it's the best course. But there's another side to the coin. Gong Chan challenges SJ. He points out that if the prof gets away w/ it then he'll do it again. “Then it won't be {Professor Seo’s} wrongdoing, but ours,” he explains.
When no one challenges powerful abusers they just get emboldened. Weakness enables evil. To be a woman is to be subjected to sexual misconduct, indignity, molestation… or worse. Besides the off-color, inappropriate remarks, there's the inappropriate touching. Men shouldn't be touching you, ladies. I know what it's like to have that happen & freeze in the moment, only to be furious at myself later for not doing anything. It often happens in a place where the power balance is out of whack, like a doctor's office. If you break their nose or knee their groin that is what they deserve. We should start a dense fund. Maybe someone has.

A good society is one where the people stand up to wrongs. We shouldn't let anger control us, though, as there will never be an end to wrongs on earth, and none of us are mistake-free. “Is the world a fair place? Unfortunately, the world is never fair. So is it impartial? Not even for a moment. The era of unfairness & partiality will continue. Perhaps it may become worse. However, everyone, we have our last bastion. That is the law - In the world that's never fair, where things have never been impartial. While applying the law to everyone fairly & impartially, all of you must fulfill your duties & responsibilities. Lawyers must rectify the law that waivers in the face of money & power & defend justice.” Beautiful words from baddie, Choi Tae Gook. True words - even when spoken by one of the perpetrators of partiality & unfairness. It's fascinating how intelligent, successful & wealthy people know how to say the right things. They've severed their hearts from their brains, though. They act upset about the awful state of things, but since the world's been good to them, they easily accept it as fait accompli. People for whom the system is working are never motivated to change it. They step over the homeless & never give it another thought. It's called compartmentalization. They still thoroughly believe themselves to be right & decent & good. The human heart is quite deceptive & we are all blind to our own stuff.

In the end, SJ adopts a more others-focused life and steps put of the rat cage. Her conclusion: “The fact that every day is entirely mine. That I move & decide w/ my own will. The results are also entirely mine. Those things were more decent than I thought. Whether the results are good or bad, I rejoice in the good things, & if not, I just say, “so what?”, curse, & move on… I'm content w/ myself living this way.”

Smart girl.


QUOTES

I'm so sick & tired of money.

A single “I believe you” can help a person breathe & move on.

Nothing is more powerful than honesty.

Don't give power to the greedy; don't give money to the ignorant; & don't give a sword to the insane.

“It was a shameful life, looking back.“

I didn't want to suck.

His pride in cooking is almost a disease.


〰? IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 8
Writing 8
Acting 8.5
Romance 7.6
Flutters 5
Art 7
Sound & music 8.4
Ending 8.3

LEVELS
Warmth 4
Action 4.5
Laughs 2
Tears 4.5
Fright 2.3
Tension & Anxiety 3.5
Gore 2
Thought provocation 4.8
Snores 0

?8 ?8 ?8.5 ?7.6 ?5 ?7 ?/?8.4 ?8.3 ▪ ?4 ⚡4.5 ?2 ?4.5 ?2.3 ?3.5 ?2 ?4.8 ?0

Age 15+
R-rated language, F?s
Murder, affairs, pregnancies, violence.

Rated TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned.

Re-?? Sure someday

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Crazy Love-7.8,
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Another Miss Oh-7.5,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Familiar Wife-8.5,
Hospital Playlist-9, Black Dog: Being A Teacher-8.2, Law School-8,When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Call It Love-8.4, Blood Free-8.5
My Mister 9.5,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9

Citeste mai mult

Ashley Wilkes & Rhett Butler Vie For a Pixie Urchin °8.4° °Excellent°

“When I was a little girl, I wished I could grow up faster… become the lead actress and save the world... But when I grew up, I realized I'm just an ordinary girl. But being ordinary doesn't cause youths to lose their brilliance… if you compare youths to a song, some songs are fast. Some are slow. Some are pop songs. Some are classical songs. Some are at the top of the list. Some are not cared for... But I believe no matter what kind of song and melody they are… when sung, someone will be touched and gain a lot of strength from it. We are racing against time in our lives. How many times have we clenched our teeth wanting to sprint forward? …Wait for a while. Please wait for a while more. Let us cherish it more, embrace it, and shine once again.”

Thus concludes WMY. So what happens before the end?

First of all, Su Cancan just adores Lin Jiaze. It's been about 6 years. Why can't she get near him? She's always running into his prickly misanthropic friend, Lan Tianye. He's nothing like the cheerful, fresh-faced Lin Jiaze. Lan Tianye is downright mean.

WMY is a 2019 release that is rated 82 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 24 adorable 45-minute episodes.

We meet them in middle school. Su Cancan & Lan Tianye are deskmates for 6 years. We go to college with them. Some go abroad for a stint. Grad school. Career. Some of the romances work out, some don't. Some are tested to the max.

Li Jia Qi (Liars in Love) is Su Cancan. What an adorable little urchin she is. Zhao Yi Qin (Butterflied Lover, Hard to Find) portrays Lan Tianye. His voice is delish. It's like warm butterscotch sauce over chocolate cake. I've only seen him in Accidentally in Love-6.5, a very cute show with B-level scripting, acting, and directing, but it is still fun/strangely relaxing to watch. He is one of the best things in the show. This guy is a superb romantic ML and the reason WMY is so good.

Li Ge Yang In (Blossom) Lin Jiaze, our Ashley Wilkes. He's wholesome and handsome and perhaps lacking in sex-appeal compared to our ML. Wu Shuang Yi (Run for Young) is Tao Ya Ting, the gorgeous top student & top musician. She's perfect. So perfect her female classmates loathe her. Xu Meng Yuan (Love in Between) is Su's BFF, the irrepressible and vivacious Xu Mei Li. She's loyal and true. Leo Dong (Immortality) plays Tang Xing Yi who shares a hate-to-love relationship with Mei Li. The director is Shen Qin Yuan of The Eyas.

The Romance is well above average including the kissing scenes. The ML sells this one. Su is no Scarlett O'Hara, but the two guys remind me of Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind. Ashley may hang around, but he doesn't really have a chance if the exciting Rhett Butler's around.

I find it difficult to not compare this show to other Chinese teen-to-adult romances that I've seen recently. The first 10 or so modern-day Cdramas I saw were of very low quality, with stunted scripts, wooden acting, and subpar filming. (They still have their charm and are oddly relaxing, so I kept tuning in). At the same time, Chinese historical and fantasy works were superior - some of the world's best. It was almost like China, a country that lags well behind in the area of freedom of expression, didn't know how people should behave in the current day. They seem to have gotten the feedback. All of a sudden, their modern-day features have improved dramatically. Cdrama or otherwise, WMY is one of the best youthful romances I've seen, along with A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5. Both of them don't have alot of room for improvement. They are the full package with likable characters, good scripting, directing and acting, solid romance and plenty of flutters in the stomach. They feature tension and drama. Two other excellent romances are When I Fly Towards You-7.8 and Hidden Love-7.8. Both of them are as cute as cute gets, yet they both lack complexity and tension. That can be a good thing for times when the anxiety is up: Such shows can be better than Valium. But these shows have a lower degree of difficulty. They are flatter road than WMY and ALTCFL which have higher highs and lower lows. Regardless, all 4 features are worth a romantiphile's time. For the even more devoted romantiholic, some other shows that might resonate are: You Are My Destiny 6.8 (cute, sweet and 1/2 padding); Put Your Head on My Shoulder-7.3 (with the first half at 8+ and then a big drop off in the second half which is a 6); Meteor Garden-7.4 (70% flowing 30% dragging, and Boys Over Flowers is better); and I Hear You-7.3 (so cute but with many flaws).

One reason the romance works so well is that, regardless of how oblivious Su Cancan is, Lan Tianye is focused on her. He is very attentive and patient. He's thoughtful & kind. He's very attracted to her. And he's gorgeous every moment he's doing all of that. It's all swoonworthy. Su Cancan may not be the most beautiful girl, but she's the cutest cutie. She has a comfortable warmth that draws a person in. It feels authentic that boys would be attracted to her.

The music is quite good. Find Your Way Home was the one title I caught. Most had no English titles available.

Another recent change in Cdramas is the shout outs to Kdramas, which must be huge in China. Shows from 2019 forward frequently make reference to watching Kdramas. WMY is no different. A couple characters mention Kdramas with affection. It seems to me that China is tipping its hat to the party that motivated their improvement the most.

In WMY, we all benefit from that!

〰? IMHO

?8.3 ?8 ?8.4 ?7.5 ?7 ?6.5 ?/?8 ?8 ▪ ?6 ⚡3 ?3.5 ?4 ?1 ?3.5 ?1 ?3.5 ?0


Age 13+
Language: rare PG-13 words- @$$, $h!+

Re-?? For sure!

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

♥️ -
C: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K:
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

Period-
C: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9

Fantasy-
C: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10


RATINGS
Directing 8.3
Writing 8
Acting 8.4
Romance 7.5
Flutters 7
Art 6.5
Sound & music 8
Ending 8

LEVELS
Warmth 6
Action 3
Laughs 3.5
Tears 4
Fright 1
Tension & Anxiety 3.5
Gore 1
Thought provocation 3.5
Snores 0

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River Cops Red Smoke & Golden Ferrys °7.4° °VG°

HRP it's a cop drama that not only stays afloat, but it actually sails at times. It opens like a typical police action thriller. The bad guys, their big guns out, bust up a cruise and take hostages. Where's the police when you need them? Trust me, the police are all over this one.

There's nothing atypical in HRP, but coming up with entirely new things with any regularity is getting to be largely undoable. So we must look at the execution, and the execution is competent. Nothing more, nothing less. If you enjoy cop dramas, you should like this one. HRP is a 2023 release that is rated 83 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of a mere 6 55-minute episodes. It's miniscule compared to most Asian dramas that typically go on for 20+ hours.

Here's our misfit heroes:

Kwon Sang Woo (Why Her?-8, Queen of Mystery) is officer Han Du Jin. He's a specimen and a dedicated officer. He's tasty enough to inspire a crush or two.

Bae Da Bin (It's Beautiful Now, Do You Like Brahms?) plays “weirdo” Do Na Hee. She's tough. She did military service. She can fight. She's a man's man, but she's a woman. She's also head over trotters for Han Du-Jin. He acts like he doesn't like it, but… She's awesome - the very best thing about the show.

Kim Hee Won (Misaeng: Incomplete Life-9.1, Moving) plays Lee Chun Suk, a River officer who can't swim ~ the only one of his kind. He isn't one to seek out danger or extra work, either. When the time comes, we see that he will get the job done. Shin Hyun Seung (So Not Worth it, Be My Boyfriend) is Kim Ji Soo, the fresh faced kid on the force.

The prolific Sung Dong Il is Chief Do Won Il. He has a special relationship with Na Hee. I like the guy. So Far I've seen him in 200 Pounds Beauty-6.5, Along With the Gods 2: The Last 49 Days-6.7, Reply 1988 (still working on it) The K2-8, The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2, The Cursed-8.3, Hospital Playlist-9, & Sisyphus: The Myth-8. The only show in which he felt slightly out of place is The Cursed. In everything else he shines.

On team villain we have:

Lee Sang Yi (Once Again, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, When the Camellia Blooms-8) is the overly privileged bad guy, Go Ki Seok. He's a tad cartoonish, not that people like that don't really exist. The actor is with a prostitute in one scene and acts out having an orgasm - something I've not yet seen in a Kdrama. Like everything else the character does, he is all-in. It's a very convincing and intense climax. The scene is not gratuitous as it underscores his pathetic loneliness. He's also a baseball fan. I like that about him…

Jung Young-Joo (Move to Heaven-8.4, Lovely Runner) is the scary Madam Choi, another excellent character for which this actress is perfect. Total Dragon Lady. Choi Moo-Sung (Stranger S2, Prison Playbook, The Good Bad Mother, Reply 1988) is top villain, Hwang Man-Dae. I've only seen him in Reply, and he'll always be a big cuddly bear to me. Even as a bad guy, he's teddy-felon. Screenwriter & director Kim Sang Cheol (The Forgotten Bag) is primarily responsible for this show.

This is a simple but competent crime thriller and it is solid for the subset. The characters are fleshed out well enough and the tensions are mostly credible. There's great action and moments of brutal violence. One very cool underwater scuba fight is reminiscent of Sea Hunt and other 70's adventure shows. There's also a fantastic fight in a cramped car. HRP probably won't convert anyone to this genre, however. It serves to feed an established appetite.


〰? IMHO

?7.4 ?7 ?8 ?5.5 ?5 ?7 ?/?6 ?8 ▪ ?4.5 ⚡7.6 ?3 ?3 ?4 ?2 ?5.5 ?3 ?0

Directing 7.4
Writing 7
Acting 8
Romance 5.5
Flutters 5
Art 7
Sound & music 6
Ending 8

LEVELS
Warmth 4.5
Action 7.6
Laughs 3
Tears 3
Fright 4
Tension / Anxiety 2
Gore 5.5
Thought provocation 3
Snores 0


Age 16+
Sex depicted - even without nudity it is graphic.
Language: $h!+ dhead, F? @$$h0le, but it is sparse.

Rated
TV-15/TV-MA

Re-?? Probably not, but it is worth seeing once. I wouldn't miss a S2.

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day -
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,

Action/Crime/Sci-fi -
Descendants Of The Sun-8.3,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Vagabond-8,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Law School -8,

K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1,
Sisyphus 8,
Tunnel 8.5,
Signal 8.6,
Blood Free-8.5
D.P. -8.4,

The Cursed 8.3,
The Wailing-8.8,

Flower of Evil 8.9,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
Black 9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4

Citeste mai mult

Gold Spoons, Dirt Ones & Keeping Up the Act °5.8° °bland°

Here's a recording of beautiful people. There's beautiful actors, beautiful wardrobe, beautiful makeup, and tepid drama. This record is dinged from overplay.

The charming Park Bo-Gum (Reply 1988) plays ML, Sa Hye-Jun/HJ, a man who is hustlin. He models, auditions, and acts. He earns actual money by being a bodyguard… and serving tables at a BBQ joint… and slinging sandwiches at Subway. What does he want? He wants what top star Park Do-ha has. Like Do-ha, HJ has lots of fans. He has fans at every gig, including Subway; he just doesn't have enough to lift his career out of the sub-floor. As the sun rises on the show, it's setting for HJ and his career aspirations. Ep1 features scene after scene where he is chided, cajoled and cheated in an effort to convince him to cut away from his dream. He's been putting off his military service, but he's at the point where he's about ready to get it over with. Grandpa is his primary supporter; grandpa, his BFF Won Hae-Hyo, and though unknown to him, also makeup artist An Jeong-Ha/JH. In reality, JH is his biggest fan. As it turns out, JH is given a chance to do makeup at a fashion show that HJ will be in. So they meet.

ROY is a 2020 release that is rated 87 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 67-81 minute episodes. The FL, JH, is played by Park So-Dam. She looks sweet and her smooth face says young innocence, but “She's gotten weird after starting college. She only speaks the truth.” She's so genuinely nice that her character becomes boring. In Parasite, she plays the conniving Kim sister, Ki-jung, and she's anything but boring. I didn't even recognize her! That's acting. In ROY she's crazy bout HJ. She hasn't lost her head though. On one level she understands that she's in love with the /idea/ of him. Anytime we have a crush from afar, whether it be somebody famous or somebody we see everyday, we only have a crush on the idea of that person. Remember that before getting too lost over crushes and obsessions for people that you don't even know. “I think giving love is easier than receiving love,” JH says. She loves the feeling that love gives her, so she rides with it, but she doesn't take it too seriously.

Kim Jin-U is played by Kwon Soo-Hyun & Byeon Woo-Seok plays Won Hae-Hyo. They've all been friends since grade school. Hae-Hyo is HJ's BFF and an aspiring actor/model who comes from a wealthy family. His cloying mother, Kim I-Yeong (Shin Ae-Ra from Ugly Alert and Iron Daughters-in-Law) has been in the shadows working towards his success with every mean$ at her disposal. Mom is always at odds with her domestic helper, Han Ae-Suk (Ha Hee-Ra). There's little she can do about it as Han Ae-Suk's son is HJ, her son's best friend. Furthermore, she has grown reliant on Ms Han. Those facts leech contention into their relationship. Mom is jealous of the love, respect and attention her maid gets from her son. She is a narcissist in designer ruffles and blatantly talks to her kids as if everything about them, ultimately, is about her. Every thought in her head is about her. We've all seen destructive parents like that.

The director is Ahn Gil-Ho (Stranger, Memories of the Alhambra-7, The Glory). His works are very popular. I've only seen ROY and MOA, both of which have positives and negatives. Both could be better. Writer Ha Myung-Hee (Temperature of Love, Doctors) hovers mostly in the 6's on IMDB. ROY fits their resumes; it's okay but not great. The spark is missing.

With an IQ hovering around 85, ROY is designed for relaxation and is neither excessively idiotic nor intelligent. The plot and dialogue are simple to the point of exasperation. It passes the time. Eps1-10 are solidly around a 7. Then it starts to drag. This is another example of content perfect for 10-12 episodes (but not 16) that gets degraded when it's stretched too far. It forces the viewer to have internal conflict: I like this show, that slow part is no big deal… that poor plot point, that idiotic conversation, that irritating scene are no biggie… not /really/…right? It puts our logic at odds with our emotions. I'm tagging this problem malcontent - MAL-content. It causes discontent. Logically and technically, ROY is not good. Emotionally, it somehow is with its relax-a-while charm.

Into ep6 I was startled to realize that very little has happened. That trend continues. In chill-out fashion, the viewer hangs out with these characters for awhile, but for a slice-of-life piece to work, the characters have to draw us in. The viewer must enjoy hanging with them, and the human factor must feel authentic. ROY flounders in those categories. For instance, the FL is horribly boring. As this actress is not boring in other features, we must look at the writing and directing. It starts in ep12 - ROY becomes less pleasant and more of a chore to watch. By this time less is happening, not more, and it seems obvious not much is gonna happen, and if something does happen (it doesn't) it will be too little too late.

“When it comes to love, I'm a 9 year old kid,” muses JH. Her parents split when she was younger and the hurt never healed. This is a romance between 2 decent, almost saintly people. In real life that is as lovely as it gets, but for entertainment, tension is needed to create something truly special. Early on I felt nothing between them. She's bland; he has a tinge of aloofness to him.

“Being shallow isn't bad, it's all about your preference,” says HJ's mgr, Min-jae (Shin Dong-mi - She's adorable). That's essentially ROY's justification for itself. It seems like they set out to create a show around Park Bo-Gum's good looks. Nothing more. Whether that's enough to overcome its record of mediocrity is up to personal taste. (I'm not even saying that's an easy decision. He's nice to look at and quite a good actor. I find myself wavering…)

There's praiseworthy samples as well. “I'll uphold my values no matter what.” The two leads are excellent role models and if young teens will watch the show it is a good choice for them. “To an actor, a spoon is just a utensil,” opines HJ. Gold spoons and dirt spoons are a topic, referring to the “haves" and the “have-nots”. Some kids get the benefit of money from their parents and some inherit values like honesty and loyalty. Few get both.

It gets warmer, and the director does have his moments. In ep3 they are out in the rain and look into eachother’s eyes. The rain stops and then starts again slowly. It's a very nice shot. In addition, the music is VG. ‘Shine On You’ is worth a Sahazam.

The best takeaway is when we hear this ~ “There's 3 ways to male the best use of your time: Live in the present, learn from the past, plan your future.”

Should your future include a viewing of ROY? I must vote “Pass.” In fact, with the benefit of foreknowledge I wouldn't opt to watch it for the first time. However, Park Bo-Gum does shine. If you are a fan of his then you'll want to go on the record with ROY.


QUOTES

"There's no worse punishment than having to put up with your child talking down to you all the time."

The con artists are the problem, not the victim... Anyone who goes on about being the victim is rarely the victim... The biggest @$$hole in life is somebody who goes on about being the victim when he's the assailant.


〰? IMHO
Directing 6
Writing 6
Acting 7.5
Romance 5
Flutters 4.5
Warmth 4.5
Art 6.7
Action 2.5
Sound & music 7.5
Laughs 2
Tears 3
Fright 1
Tension 2.5
Gore 3.8
Thought provocation 2
Snores 3.5
Ending 6

?6 ?6 ?7.5 ?5 ?4.5 ?4.5 ?6.7 ⚡ 2.5 ?/?7.5 ?2 ?3 ?1 ?2.5 ?3.8 ?2 ?3.5 ?6

Age 13+ ROY is relatively clean with the following cautions: Language - b!+ch, b!+chy, $h!+, $h!++y - it's rare. A designer propositions a model - also relatively mild

Rated TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned.

What do I recommend? Glad you asked!

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day -
Crazy Love-7.8,
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Her Private Life 8, 99 days with the Superstar-7,
Touch your heart 8.2, Another Miss Oh-7.5,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Because This Is My First Life-7.7,
Love Struck in the City 7.3, Familiar Wife-8.5,
Hospital Playlist 9, More Than Friends-8,
My Mister 9.5,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9


Historical/Period -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Mr. Queen 8.5,
My Sassy Girl 8.5,
Saimdang 8.5,
The King's Affection 8.3,
Mr. Sunshine 9

Action/Crime/Sci-fi -
K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1, Descendants Of The Sun-8.3,
Sisyphus 8, When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Tunnel 8.5,
Signal 8.6,
The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
Black 9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4

Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance 7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Boys Over Flowers 8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Bride of Habaek 7,
Heirs 7.3,
That Winter, The Wind Blows 7,
Something in the Rain 9,
C: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine,
You are my destiny 6.8 cute, sweet & 1/2 padding,
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5,
Find Yourself 8.9


Consider a Chinese historical/ fantasy romcom: The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8, Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9, Love and Redemption-10 or Japanese romcoms: Maid Sama 10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo 7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4, or Toradora 8.5

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♥️ Yourself {but don't LUV yourself ;)} °7.5° °VG°

Han Seo Yun (played by Park Ji Yeon from Imitation) dreams of being a model, but she always seems to fall a little bit short ~ She's simply not tall enough. She hasn't given up yet, though. At a tryout where top models are the judges, she encounters supermodel & judge Na Jin Wook (Kim Dong Ho from Undercover). He seems to think it's his job to yank off the bandaid - he tells her to give up. She'll never be a model. Not unless she grows a few inches. Seo Yun is devastated. Later that evening her friends are consoling her at the karaoke bar while he, at the same time and place, has been dragged out with his friends for some karaoke.

Then things go sideways. They both end up on the roof when a big jolt of lightning strikes. Just like that and flash: Body switch! She's been a fan of his for a long time. He has nothing but disdain for her, but they'll have to work together so that neither ruins their respective lives. She's going to have to be a model - a male model. He has to go to school and take tests. No one can understand why Jin Wook is now taking orders from a HS girl. They must quickly figure out a way to ‘undo the done’.

Quite coincidentally, my “watch roulette” landed on a string of shows dealing with appearance and/or body swapping. Listed in order of low to high quality, I ended up watching MR in tandem with these shows: Abyss-4.7 (plenty of good elements and promise, but It ultimately fails miserably) 200 lb Beauty-6.5 (excellent elements but they fail to fashion it tightly & neatly) The Miracle-7.7 (great for tweens & older: It's excellent), and now this. It's a common device that is useful for putting our mind and emotions inside of another person. Also a common theme in anime, it's a look from a new perspective.

The leads scorch this runway. These kids can act. He has to play a teenage girl, and she has to play a man. And they do it very well. Watching her, in his body, interact with her girlfriend is particularly funny. Sometimes laugh out loud funny. In the USA we have some fantastic actors, without a doubt, but we have many more personalities. It's not a criticism, it is merely factual. For example, I have loved watching Ray Liotta ever since the 1986 movie Something Wild with Melanie Griffith. Regardless of the feature, he seems to only play: Ray Liotta. He's just one of many - actors who deliver delight with every moment on screen largely by playing identical roles. The point is that Hollywood's a little bit out of balance when it comes to personalities vs serious ACTORS, and many of our most talented actors are imported from the UK. Americans that aren't watching foreign features are missing some of the best acting the world has to offer.

The romance is good. The situations, the timing, the writing, the acting, the directing - it's all done with a skilled hand. It seems like it will be a shallow and empty show, but it maintains its self-respect. The interactions feel real and the attraction seems genuine. It's in their eyes. Good romance conveyed through the eyes, IRL and on film.

There's weaknesses. It falls short in some areas. They could have played up the new difference in strength a little more. She is now he. She can push him around some - and he definitely has something coming. They missed some opportunities to have more fun with that. There's some plot devices that feel wedged in poorly, like the mini drama in which an ankle injury might get in the way of an important show. The weirdest thing about it is how they become attracted to eachother. Can you imagine kissing yourself? I can't. I know we're supposed to love ourselves… but that doesn't mean we're supposed to LUV ourselves…

Nevertheless, at a mere 6 25-minute episodes (it's short!) this is a great choice for teens and romance fans.


✏〰 IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 7.4
Writing 7.5
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 7
Sound & music 6.6
Art 7
Ending 8

LEVELS
Warmth 5
Laughs 5
Thought provocation 5
Snores 0

?7.4 ?️〰7.5 ?8 ?7 ?7 ? 5 ?7 ?/? 6.6 ?5 ?5 ?8

Age 14 minimum ~▶ A$$, assh0!e, sob, bi+ch; reference to anal sex (in the context it was a rumor and the comment was for humorous and ironic effect)

Re-watch? Not opposed
Recommendations for Kidz viewing

4+ My Neighbor Totoro-8.2, Ponyo-9.1

5+ Balto-8.3

6+ D4DJ-7.5

7+ Cardcaptor Sakura-7.4

8+ Spirited Away-9

9+Trollhunters-9.5 (slightly scary. Worst language is “butt snack”)

10+ C Accidentally in Love-6.5 B-level scripting, acting, and directing, but still fun/strangely relaxing to watch,
Holes-8,
Howl's Moving Castle-8.9,
K A Love So Beautiful-7,
My Dog Skip-8,
K Part Time Idol-5.5 (suicide addressed),
Paulie-7.4,
Saiki-8,
KSpark-6.4,
K Strongest Delivery Man-6.6

11+ Belle-8.5,
K Flower Boy Next Door-7,
Girls Und Panzer-8.1 (1 each d@mn, he!!),
Labyrinth-7,
C-A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5,
Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4,
K The Miracle-7.7,
One Piece-7.5 there is scattered PG-13 language,
Watership Down-8.5


12+ K 99 Days With the Superstar-7,
Colourcloud Palace-8,
Farming Life in Another World-7.7,
Goonies l-8,
Here Comes Miss Modern-7.8,
Hotel del Luna 8.4,
Jumanji-9,
K My ID is Gangnam Beauty-7.5 ,
C Love Between Fairy & Devil-8.9,
Piano In The Forest l-8,
K So I Married My Anti-fan-6.8,
Your Lie In April-9

13+ K Boys Over Flowers-8.3 ~ melodrama to the max;
KCinderella and the 4 Knights-5.6,
K Heirs-7.3,
K My Shy Boss-6.5,
K Playful kiss-7.3,
Princess Resurrection-7.6,
Senryu Girl-7.5,
Special A Class-8.2

14+ My Runway-7.5
Princess Principal-8.6,
Toradora-8.5,

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