A good offering in this genre if you are okay with cliffhanger endings

7.5/10 os my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean dark fantasy, horror series with 6, 42 to 60 minute episodes. It is based on a webtoon of the same title.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

The main part of the story is set in the years 2022–27 in South Korea. During this timeframe, people start to see am ethereal face, purported to be an angel that prophesies the exact date and time of the person’s untimely death. The individual is targeted for a very violent end where these large demonic looking minsters carry out what is tantamount to a public execution. They end their demonstration by incinerating the targeted individual, who is then sent to be further tormented in hell. A cult leader, Jeong Jin soo (Yoo Ah in), warns his followers and the public at large that these demonstrations are intended to show people the err of their spiritual ways. Dubious of the credibility of these incidents and convinced something far more human based and sinister is going on. A detective, Jin Kyeong hoon (Yang Ik june) and an attorney who is a warrior for victims Min Hye jin Kim Hyun joo) team up to determine what is really going on. Turns out a religious cult, the New Truth and another organization called The Arrowhead group fan the flames to instill the fear of God and mete out their own form of moral justice.

Review

Overall it is a very good horror series with strong mystery and fantasy elements. If you realize, they are already planning another season then the ending, which ends with a lot of questions, will not be as disappointing. It is a gorefest. And characters you may like may not survive. So if you are prepared for those things you will likely enjoy the short series. I wanted some more insight so looked for the webtoon.  The live action version follows the webtoon precisely so there is little additional information to derive from reading the webtoon. If you like supernatural and horror content this is a good one in those genre. It is a good one to watch with those who are looking for something that has little to no romantic component and prefer more action based dramas. I would rewatch it if someone had it on simply because there are a lot of complex plot elements that you may pick up on after having watched it once.

 

Spoilers

 

They allude to the fact that the “angel’ and creatures were identified as such by “The New Truth” and there was never a deep dive into what they might be by anyone else. As it becomes apparent that the targets are not always sinners, or at least not sinners we as viewers can identify, the entire God’s punishment angel begins to fall apart. And it leaves you wondering why and how the targets are selected. If “The New Truth” believes it is God’s will why do they call on Arrowhead to go after those they identify as sinners.  Who is Arrowhead and how did “The New Truth” find a band of psychopaths that are so ready to mete out punishment in the form of brutal beatings up to death.

 

How did the baby live? The target of the incineration is always the subject and the white light glowed from between the parents so it would have originated at the baby. How did the beings “miss” burning the baby? Then, when the baby survived, they left without accomplishing their intent. How does that work? Do they just leave the target alone if they are able to survive a period of time after the date?

 

If those that have been incinerated are brought back, why were they incinerated in the first place? Do they come back fully as their former selves?

I read that it was approved for another season but it seems if that is the plan there are huge delays. As time passes it becomes less likely they will carry through with a second season but I will remain alert for another season, If you are not okay with a cliff hanger that may never be resolved with additional content, you might bypass this one or wait for when and if there is a second season.

#Hellbound

#UhmHingSik

#YooAhIn

#KimHyunJoo

#ParkJeongMin

#WonJinAh

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If you like sci fi,, action and dystopian situations this is an excellent option

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 science fiction action dram series with 6, 46-59 minute episodes

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

In the future, 5-8 (Kim woo Bin) is an elite delivery driver in a dystopian era. After a comet hit the Earth polluting and destroying the atmosphere, the remaining survivors must depend on deliveries of precious oxygen to survive the scarce and toxic air. Deliverymen must be special forces level capability to survive attacks from those that would steal deliveries. One deliveryman, is legendary among the poorest class of people who are forced to live like refugees. He goes only by his deliveryman name which is 5 dash 8. He must counter the power hungry, greedy measures of the wealthy heir to a corporate group, Ryu Seok (Song Seung heon). In their stratified society, only those at the very top receive full access to scarce resource although deliveryman are rewarded with the same even if they come from the lowest, refugee, class. Jeong Seol ah (Choi Seung hoon) is a refugee boy who dreams of following in 5 dash 8’s footsteps to become a deliveryman and not only improve his own life but also help his people. He was adopted by his sister, Jeong Seol ah (Esom) who is also secretly making moves for the better of the people. While the deliveryman work for the evil conglomerate, many of them are working against it to secure a better life for all the people. It is a futuristic battle of good versus evil. Who will prevail?

Review

Ot is a great, dystopian, good versus evil, futuristic thriller. The deliverymen were more like elite special forces. It had some “Dune” and “Mad Max vibes but it was definitely all its own thing. I was able to watch it with my guy who is allergic to romance shows. This had the action and intrigue that he likes. If you are looking for something faced pace, with a great and unique premise, this is for you. It is well acted and Kim Woo Bin is a talented actor who is always a joy to watch.

Spoilers

Slight detractors was people, such as the kid, making decisions to move the plot along that aren’t decisions someone would usually make. Like your friend just dies, you know the bad guys are coming, but you do not go and they capture you.

When the kid finally made it and became a deliveryman he was doing inappropriate things like giving his friends rides, and it was as if no one noticed when previously the deliveryman could not deviate from their assigned route and schedule.

I was surprised, given it was on a streaming platform, that the bad guys used a vaccine to commit genocide. They also had people in masks when the villain was the one spreading the pollution that necessitated them. It was an accurate portrayal of such elements currently happening and it was easy to see the parallels

#BlackKnight

#choiSeungHoon

#KimWooBin

#SungSeungHeon

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Fans of the South Korean version will appreciate the cultural nuances

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 Chinese reality dating show with 10, 85 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

This is the Chinese version of the Korean reality dating show of the same name. With some subtle differences mentioned below and the inherent cultural differences, the show is essentially the same in form and content. The show starts with six singles, three men and three women who enter the chosen house location one at a time the first day. They cohabit the “signal house” (which changes each season) with the women sharing one bedroom and the men sharing two bedrooms. The overall goal of the show is for the singles to go about their daily lives while freely flirting/sending signals with the other occupants of the house. There are few organized activities, the main focus is on them living together and getting to know each other more naturally. At the end of each day they send a signal (an anonymous text) to the opposite sex single of their choosing and the detectives must determine who will send a signal/text to whom.

Signal House rules

>Singles must return to Signal House each night

>Singles cannot reveal their age or occupation until the 2nd day

>Singles cannot directly confess their like or love at any time during their stay

>At the end of the day, singles can send an anonymous text to one other house member

>Singles can go on one official date but each female picks a location without revealing her choice and the males choose the location they prefer.

Detectives

*Note I say they were this profession or that because people change careers so this represents what they were doing at the time. This is true of the singles as well.

*Zhu Yawen Born in 1984. He would have been 33 when the show was filmed. He was an actor.

*Zhang Yugi Also known as Kitty Zhang.Born in 1987. She would have been about 30 when the show was filmed. She was an actress

*Yang Chaoyue Born in 1998. She would have been 19 at the time of filming. She wasan actress and singer. A member of the Rocket Girls, girl music group.

*Jiang Sida. Born in 1993. He would have been 24 at the time the series was filmed. He was a presenter and had a television show.

*Guan Hong. Also known as Darren Chen. Born in 1995. He would have been about 22 when the series was filmed. He was an actor and model.

*Jiang Zhenyu. Born in 1996. She would have been about 21 when the series was filmed. She was an actress, singer and dancer.

Singles

Females

*Xiang Tiange Student. Born in about 1993. 25 years when the show was filmed. Salesperson in the securities industry. Sales options. Has a masters from Columbia where she studied applied statistics. Works for one of the best security companies in China.

*Hu Jimming Born in 1994. She would have been about 24 when it filmed. Also known under the English name Diana. A kindergarten online English Teacher.

*Li Junjie Born in 1994. She would have been about 24 when the show was filmed. Drama major at a performance arts college. Served in the military for two years,

*Wang Jinwen. Dance teacher.

Males

*Zhou You Founder and CEO of an interior design company (Renew Design Company/UpdateStudio). Je was born in about 1986 and was 32 when the show was filmed. He majored in architecture and minored in design management Pratt Institute.

*Jiang Mingliang Also known as Oscar. He was 23 when the show was filmed. He was a model.

*Liu Zexuan. Born in 1989. 29 at the time of filming. Race car Driver. CEO of racing team.

*Guo Rubin. Founder of 17hiAPP

Korean Heart Signal Versus Chinese Heart Signal

In the Korean version they call those that comment and try to guess outcomes based on signals the celebrity panel or romance experts. In the Chinese version they call them detectives.

The “gem” the detectives get for right answers look like the plastic hearts you might get out of a coin machine. The detectives even make a joke about it and one pretends to eat it. In the Korean version the gems are much more elaborate and look more expensive. Since it is a reward for predicting right, the nicer gems would be a better reward.

There is a lot of flirty behavior going on with the detectives in the Chinese version. There are sexual innuendos and jokes about other detectives. In the Korean version there is little to no flirty behavior among the celebrity panel.

Among the detectives there is a clear leader that says when they watch, what and how they vote, and just generally steers the activity. In the Korean show they take turns leading the celebrity panel group.

When the singles first enter the house they arrive one at a time and the Koreans are visibly nervous and they talk to each other relatively nervously and very guardedly. I was surprised how quickly the Chinese singles started talking to each other.

The Chinese singles essentially have two names, an American like name and their Chinese name. Because my native language is English it makes it a little easier for me to keep track of who is who. But it can also make it more challenging as they intermix the two names for each single. Koreans do sometimes have multiple names, especially if they are an idol, but often totally adopt the nickname.

Astrology is big in the Chinese Heart signal version, they talk about astrological signs a lot. Koreans focus more on Myers Briggs personality type and blood type but even that is not a huge focus.

In the Chinese version they are more likely to stick with whomever they get associated with. Switching and dating around seems less accepted.

Review

If you are a fan of Korean Heart Signal you should watch the Chinese version as tge cultural differences create some interesting nuances.

I watched this after the Korean Heart Signal 4 which I found to be one of the most frustrating seasons of heart signal. It made the Chinese version all the more refreshing as they didn't as radically and dramatically change.

If you are a fan of Korean Heart signal you will definitely get more of what you love.

Spoilers

I loved that Jimming and Zhou You pretty consistently picked each other and were a final couple. That was a frustrating rarity in Korean Heart Signal.

I was so frustrated with Junjie’s fixation with Oscar. She was such a perfect fit with Guo Rubin and he was so sweet to her. Oscar made it clear he was more interested in Tiange. I wish she would have given up on Oscar when he was avoiding her. She called him on it. So she noticed it.

I think the show manipulated the selection date too much so the relatively new woman, Jinwen, would get a date. She was supposed to be a catfish and I thought if she could not captivate someone that was on her. Forgive me but I think some females use their tears to manipulate. She cried and made the other females feel so bad for yer that she ultimately got Jungie to bless her selecting Guo Rubin. He so obviously was not interested her in that way. They did not have a great date because Rubin was so disappointed it was not Jungie. So Jungie goes with Oscar and that derails the fragile relationship that was developing with Rubin. Then Jinwen more or less blames Jingie for her bad date with Rubin saying if they knew they wanted to go together they should have made it clear.

I think the situation would be incredibly hard to navigate emotionally without getting hurt and without hurting others. It’s such a unique situation for somebody to be in a place where there’s so many perfect choices that you have two people you know you could have a good relationship with and they’re great for different reasons. What a hard choice to make. You would have regrets either way. No matter what you do you know someone’s gonna be hurt and it makes it even harder when you like all the people in the house and feel like they’re at least friends.

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Takes the cold executive trope too far for too long

8.5/10 is my rating.This is a 2023 Chinese romantic drama with 36, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

As a reporter Zheng Shu Yi (Bai Lui) has a specialized and unique writing angle as a writer for a financial news publication. She is highly capable and career driven and her goal is to get enough headline articles that she can pursue digital platforming the publications to pull her magazine into the modern era. When the opportunity arises to land an exclusive with a young CEO who is rising in the financial investment world, it is the perfect chance to get a headline. Everyone is curious to know more about the cold but exceptional Shi-Yan (Dylan Wang). In fact Shu Yi’s arch rival, who is equally ambitious, is so determined to land the interview she even cheats in an attempt to get the exclusive. But Shi-Yan was more intrigued by Shu-Yi’s outline than her rivals so she still lands the interview. Once in his realm, Shu Yi decides she likes the handsome Shi Yan for more than just an interview subject, Can the determined journalist melt the heart of the cold young CEO?

Review

If you like the cold chief executive officer (CEO) trope then this is definitely a solid addition to that category. Overall I liked it. I recommend it for anyone that is fans of either lead or supporting actors as they all act their roles very well. If you like cold executives, romance and/or want a slice of the financial reporting or technological investment realms, you would find this interesting. There were some aspects that were not really interesting to me and some frustrating slow spots. It is not one I would rewatch in the immediate future, with so many choices available. I found the length of time he was “cold” and the parts about financial investments, tedious.

Spoilers

I think they take the cold executive trope a bit too far in this one. He is not just cold to her but I think his behavior borders on abusive. When she is trying to connect with him, if she doesn’t say exactly what he wants her to say, when and how he wants her to say it, he walks away or kicks her out. He says he does not like to talk business on his personal time and will shut her down even if she is doing it as a common interest to carry the conversation. And that would be one thing, but he seems to break the “do not mix business and personal” any time he feels like it. He doesn’t even say what she did that he didn’t like, he just shuts her out emotionally and often literally. His friends and family even find him difficult to deal with.

Usually by three fourths of the way through the series, the ice cube CEO has thawed and is now all warm and fuzzy, at least to the main girl. In his case, other than the briefest thaw before getting break up mad at her, he remained cold until the last few episodes. Which, to me, was entirely too long.

Okay so she approached him originally to get the story. So what? She is a reporter it is what she does. But she was using him to get back at the cheaters? I felt like they decided to twist it that way later because that was not a motivation she revealed in any of her abundant internal dialogues early on. But still, he should not have been so hung up on why she approached him originally, but where they went from there. I thought the level of cold shoulder she got from that was over the top. Then several commented later that he let her off easy. She was so heart broken she landed in the hospital multiple times, that is not letting anyone off easy. And I dd nit think she did anything so horrible to him to deserve his cold shoulder, yet again, anyway. Supposedly he still loved her but had no problem seeing how he was completely devastating her emotionally.

The second guy in this I thought was her perfect match. He noticed when she was sad and did everything to cheer her up. He let her talk work whenever, and even helped her find new opportunities. Through his actions and words he indicated how wonderful he thought she was. He was smart, handsome, successful and extremely kind to the main girl. She was happy and laughed a lot when she was with 2nd guy, so of course she liked the absolute opposite guy. I was disappointed he did not at least get someone else wonderful.

Other reviewers said her best friend gave her terrible advice and, early on, I disagreed. She gave great advice on how to catch his interest. But I found they were right later when she was advising on how to save her relationship. Continue to lie and deceive him until he is so in love with you he easily forgives? Main girl should have known better. In the book on being petty and holding a grudge (pretending such thing exists) there would be a picture of him. They never explained what made him so he assumed the worst in relationships but that definitely characterizes his reactions. Deceiving him was absolutely the worst thing with him and anyone that knew him well would know that. So the friend’s advice was so far from right with him. It was frustrating she kept following the friend’s advice and kept hiding things. Main girl should have known him well enough by then to know he would not forgive being deceived easily.

I found all of the “business talk” boring. Financial investment in technological companies just was not that intriguing. Reporting was more interesting but all the investment speak was a yawn fest. And it just made the main guy look less capable.

The side couples’ romances were all super heart warming and they spent just the right amount of time on them. I thought the triple wedding idea was great.

I know people love when the couples spend seconds to minutes just gazing at each other but it is not my favorite. I have never seen anyone do that in real life.

#OnlyForLove

#DylanWang

#BaiLiu

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A Good Science Fiction Series, but not well wrapped up, typical Netfix

7/19 is my rating. This is a 2021/2022 South Korean science fiction mystery thriller with 8, 39-51/minute episodes.

In the not so distant future, Earth has nearly run out if water causing large sections of the planet to turn to desert. Water is strictly rationed but not necessarily fairly so. Despite these difficult times (or perhaps because of them) a team Is sent to the Balhae Research Station confusing to recover some mysterious samples. Some go on the mission for the science, some to discover what happened during a tragic accident that ended 117 lives and others have mysterious, and perhaps nefarious motives. Song Ji‑An (Bae Doona) is one that does not believe the official story of how her sister died 5 years prior. Dr. Song is a gifted Astro biologist so she is invited as a critical part of the recovery team. Han Yun‑Jae (Gong Yoo), is the Captain of the team and a soldier in the space agency. He is not the only soldier on the mission as Lieutenant Ryu Tae‑seok (Lee Joon) from the Ministry of National Defense is also a team member.

Once they reach the research station Dr. Song quickly discovers that nothing is as it seems. Lies were not only told about the current mission but the tragedy was also completely misrepresented. The sample, they discover, may look like water but when it comes in contact with a living organism it multiplies like a virus. They also discover that not everyone died and as they seek to understand what really happened they must avoid the water and survive violent attacks from a girl with superhuman abilities. The lunar water affects everyone except for their aggressor who is immune to the new elements effects. Deception, aggression and lies must be overcome as the team attempts to unravel the past and determine the true purpose of their current mission.

Review

Overall it is worth the watch as a really good, intriguing science fiction series. I rate it down as the ending left things open and I did not like how many died. I like happy endings and this fell short of happy. As Netflix seems to like to do they left the end open for another season but they may never do another season. I would recommend it to science fiction fans and may rewatch it in the future.

Spoilers

So much was not explained about the Lunar water ?. Like why was it expanding when there were no living cells? Dr. Song showed how it did not expand until it came in contact with blood and stopped when the cells started to die. But it flooded the whole station and was expanding when all the people it was in contact with were dead.

Too many of the party died and it felt unnecessary. I really thought Captain Han’s (Gong Yoo) death was unnecessary. When they found he was blown out when the water rushed out, it would have been perfect if he survived after all. I thought he and Dr. Song were developing feelings and it would have been a happier ending to leave that possibility open.

They never explained Captain Han’s tattoo. It is not common for South Korean’s to have tattoos particularly in such a visible place. They never explained why he had the tattoo and if it had meaning. I read on it after and Gong Yoo said, in an interview, Captain Han was a military veteran and the tattoo was of his military unit. It was intended to give him that tough, rugged appearance.

What will happen with Captain Han’s daughter?

They spent so much time, once they left the station, looking for Luna then watching her with Captain Han, how did they know they would be rescued in time?

I liked Doc Hong (Kim Sun Young) but it seemed like they intentionally chose to have only the women survive. There were eleven people on the mission nine men and two women. And it was not like the men were over protecting the women most of the time. Well except for in the the final scenes of the series where Captain Han realizes the decompression chamber cannot be activated from inside so he sacrifices himself by locking himself on the other side of the door to activate the decompression before the water reaches them.

I really wanted to know what happened with Luna 73 (Kim Si-ah). Who was she cloned from? The sister had given Dr. Song the message “Find Luna” but we do not know what she wanted her to do with Luna.

Who picked the survivors up? If it was the same as who sent them on the mission then how do they think they will survive once they return? Dr. Song mentioned keeping Luna and the sample in space at that international biological research station but how were they going to get there?

#BaeDoona

#TheSilentSea

#GongJoo

#KimSunYoung

#KimSiAh

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If you like dramas about idols it is a good one just do not expect much from the romance

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Japanese romance drama with 10, 57 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Asuka Nakamachi (Tsubasa Honda) takes a job as a dorm mother for struggling boy band 8loom. It is a departure from her original dream which was a teacher that was a sunny spot for her students but, when that dream fell through, she was desperate to move out of her sister’s honeymoon house. Her background may be the perfect fit to help the seven-member boy group find their path to success. As the unwavering cheer base, she may even help the leader of the group, her former student, Dan Sagami (Fumiya Takahashi) hit his stride.

Members of 8LOOM

See also: § 8LOOM

Dan Sagami (Fumiya Takahashi). He is the center of the band. The main songwriter. The only group member that knew Asuka before.

Daijirō Naruse (Ryūbi Miyase). Knickname Naru. He is the youngest member. Still goes to high school.

3. Yukiya Furumachi (Keito Tsuna) He is the oldest member of the group.

4. Ēji Ichinose (Rintarō Hachimura) A college student.

5. Ryūsei Hiyama (Shūto Mori)

6. Takumi Kurushima (Noa)

7. Takara Onodera ( Kōki Yamashita)

Review

I like idol dramas especially dramas that are about idol groups. This does a good job of conveying the many ups and downs on the very bumpy road to success. It is more about the group and the process than it is about the romance. It ends happy but not completely clear in terms of their relationship.

Spoilers

I was disappointed that Asuka’s teaching career ended as it did. I think they left a lot if details out but it seemed like she took on too much then let criticism tear her down. It seemed like a weak way out.

Naru looked the part the most. He just had that overall pop look and demeanor. He was one of my favorites through the majority of the show so I was very disappointed when it turned out he turned in Dan and Asuka like he did. He even went so far as to encourage the band to go on without Dan. I was really disappointed in his behavior and it seemed out of character.

There was not a lot to the romance and it ended on a nebulous note. I thought Dan took a step back from 8loom to pursue her but he left her as she was supposedly happy in her new teaching role. I realize that is probably closer to reality for pop stars but it would have been an improvement on reality for him to fully get with Asuka. All of the build up led to a very soft pairing at the end.

I am always drawn to shows about idols and idol groups because it is such a difficult path. For all their emotional and physical sacrifice, few even make it to true fame. I feel so sorry that they become prisoners of their fans and cannot pursue romance and other dreams.

#FumiyaTakahashi

#8loom

#IWillBeYourBloom

#TsubasaHonda

#RyūbiMiyase

#KeitoTsuna

#RintarōHachimura

#ShūtoMori

#Noa

#KōkiYamashita

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What Girl Would Not Want the Choice?

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 Japanese romance movie 1 hour and 32 minutes in length. There was a short, 2 episode , mini series released in 2015 which was meant to promote the film. It is based in a popular Shoji manga series, “Kurosaki-kun no Iinari ni Nante Naranai”.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then review

Synopsis

Yu Akabane (Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu; portrayed by: Nana Komatsu) changes not only schools but her entire demeanor after being bullied. Things do not exactly go smoothly at her new school as she immediately gets on the bad side of Haruto Kurosaki (Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa; portrayed by: Kento Nakajima) when an accident leads her to cut some of his hair. Known as the black night, his punishment for Yu is to make her be he indentured servant. Annoyed with his constant arrogance and demands, Yu knicknames him black demon. Haruto’s best friend, Takumi Shirakawa, (Voiced by: Kensho Ono; portrayed by: Yudai Chiba) is called the white knight because of his fairer looks and kind demeanor. Once he realizes Haruto is actually interested in Yu, he decides to compete for her favor. The boys have always competed with each other in things. What starts as a game becomes a more serious rivalry when both boys determine they have feelings for Yu.

Review

If you did not watch the 2 episode series, the movie seems to start abruptly and you may wonder if you skipped some scenes. While it is not necessary to watch the 2 episodes prior to the movie, it does explain where it picks up. But if you stick with the movie it does return to what happened before and you catch up.

Overall I enjoyed the movie and my main criticism is the abrupt way it begins. Even with the two episodes out, they could have duplicated the story from the 2 episodes in the opening of the movie.

It ended happy and well.

Spoilers

As with a lot of Japanese shows, it is much “sexier” than most Korean and Chinese shows. It was not over done though. There were some intense kissing scenes but nothing beyond that. Just enough shown in the shower scene to illustrate the physical attraction without showing too much and leaving you wondering if you are watching porn. I liked that about this one.

I appreciated that they valued their friendships enough to give up on their love if it meant ending a long term friendship. But I liked that the friends were not so selfish that they expected their friends to give up just because they too liked the person.

#TheBlackDevilandtheWhitePrince

#MikakoKamatsu

#NanaKomatsu

#KatoIshikawa

#KentoNakajima

#KenshoOno

#YudaiChiba

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Cute Enough for what it is

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Japanese Romantic comedy with 9, 30 minute episodes. Japanese title: "Ore No Kawaii wa Mousugu Shohikigen?"

Few people stay cute, pretty, and/or super attractive forever. Still, it came as a surprise to 29 year old Maruya Kosuke (Yamada Ryosuke) when a stranger pointed out he would not be cute forever. Sanada Izumi (Yoshine Kyoko) is a brilliant data analyst and was an ace product developer but her inability to manage others resulted in her taking the blame for others.

Review

It is worth the watch for how cute Maruya Kosuke is. There isn't enough to it that I would watch it again. It ends nebulous with a question as to their status as a couple. It is not an unhappy ending just not a very well wrapped up ending.

MyCutenessisAbouttoExpire

#YamadaRyosuke

#YoshineKyoko

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Each friend brings their own strength to this group of young women

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 Chinese drama series with 42, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then review

Synopsis

The story is about five women who all live on the 22nd floor of an apartment building called “Ode to Joy”. Three of the five are roommates sharing an apartment and are existing residents when two, much more successful, career women move in. What evolves is a five way friendship where each has their own unique qualities to bring to the friend group. Some start out not liking each other but as life happens and they come together to deal with things they learn to appreciate their differences as well as their similarities.

The Five Women:

*Andy (Liu Tao) - 31 years old. Lived as an orphan abroad but builds herself up to be a sought after financial adviser. She returned to China to find the brother she was separated from when they were children. She does not physical touch and her only close friend is also her boss. Despite her aloofness she is actually kind and caring. The other women break through her icy exterior and find her to be the most logical and capable person to go to in times of crisis.

*Fan Shengmei (Jian Xin) - 30 years old. She is a highly skilled human resource professional. As the oldest of the 3 roommates she is often consulted in life matters. Her family is a black hole if financial requests which has led her to look for a wealthy husband to escape her financial worries. This makes others perceive her in a bad light at times.

*Qu Xiaoxiao (Wang Ziwen) - 24 years old. Her father is a wealthy businessman and she is slumming it to create some independent space. She was a hard partying girl with a band of groupies, until her friendship with the other women on floor 22 decreased her desire to hit the clubs all the time. If you want the pure unvarnished truth she is the go to. If you have a problem she likely knows someone that can apply just the right kind of pressure. Her unfailing honesty rubs people the wrong way at times.

*Qiu Yingying (Yang Zi) - 23 years old. Comes from a smaller town and is in the big city for better opportunity. She works standard office and retail jobs. She can be naive but has a temper when crossed. Very chipper and positive most of the time. She is a go to for someone to cheer you up.

*Guan Juner (Qiao Xin) - 22 years old. She is best friends with Yingying. She works at a company on an internship where she hopes to become permanent. She is very quiet and earnest.

Review

If you like dramas about groups of friends, this is a very good drama for that. It is lighter on romance as many of the relationships do not end well or never start. The dynamics between the women make for a very enjoyable series. It ends abruptly on some of the story lines and it is clear they planned for additional season(s). It ends overall on a happy note.

Spoilers

Andy appeared to have very high functioning autism. They make it out that she has some scary hereditary disorder like schizophrenia but all the symptoms point to autism. The brother also appears to have autism just of a more severe form. I thought her split with Qi Dian (Zu Feng) was sad because I thought he was very good for her. I understood her point and her test to see if he had a deep seated fear she would go crazy was valid. The live commenters when I watched the show were vicious to Qi Dian they thought he was too pushy with her to the point of being creepy. With her disorder I thought his firm nudging was appropriate.

Shengmei may have had her reasons but I did very much agree with Xiaoxiao that she was a gold digger. She was smart enough she should have known none of those men would marry her. So it was hard to watch her allow them to humiliate her. I was glad when she finally realized it was not all about the money.

XiaoXiao was my favorite. Yeah she could be a harsh critic and her honesty was often brutal but she was a force of nature. I loved when she decided she liked Zhao Qiping (Wang Kai) and the determined way she romantically pursued him. She was clear she liked his looks and there was no swoony first love vibe to it. She wanted him at first site but liked him after they spent time together. Other characters were mad at her for saying this or that but I found she said what really needed to be said.

I was a little mad at Guan Juner over her getting hung up on Dr Zhao after the mist limited contact. I thought the minute she found out he was Xiaoxiaos love interest that should have been the end of it.

I was annoyed how abruptly it ended. I do not like unfinished storylines as additional seasons can fall through.

#OdeToJoy

#LiuTao

#JianXin

#WangZiwen

#YangZi

#QiaoXin

#ZuFeng

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A great family drama - you will miss them when it ends

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean family drama with 100, 35 minute episodes.


First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

The drama is about a family headed by Song Young-dal (Cheon Ho-jin) and Jang Ok-boon (Cha Hwa-yeon). The couple’s grown children experience all the trials and tribulations associated with being part of a close knit family and in finding their best paths for their future.

Main characters:

Song Young-Dal (Chun Ho Jin)

The father of the family. He owns and works at a chicken restaurant. He has never gotten over the loss of his younger sister.

Jang Ok Boon (Cha Hwa Yun)

The mother of the Song family. She is constantly stressed by working with her husband in their busy restaurant and by her grown kids who have not found their path.

Song Ga-hee (Oh Yoon-ah)

The eldest sister. A former Airline Stewardess, she divorced her cheating pilot husband. She has a Middle school son.

Song Na-hee (Lee Min-jung)

She is a pediatrician having marriage issues with her husband, a fellow pediatrician.

Song Da-hee (Lee Cho-hee).

The youngest daughter who was working in an office. She left her husband on her wedding night after finding him in an intimate situation with another woman. After that event she completely changes her life.

Doctor Yoon Gyu-jin (Lee Sang-yeob)

Na-hee's husband. His mother lost her husband after her boys were born and she treats her eldest son like a fill in companion. Her demands on his time have strained his marriage.

Song Joon-sun (Oh Dae-hwan)

The oldest child and big brother to the three girls. He is a stunt man whose wife divorced him for giving too much to friends and because of his dangerous career.

Kang Cho Yoon/Song Young Sook (Lee Jung Eun)

The lost sister. Yong-dal thought she died of fever when they were children. They were orphaned then later separated and he thought she died. She grew up with monks and went on to be a bar owner.

Jang Ok Ja (Baek Ji Won)

She is mother Song's little sister and works at the chicken restaurant with her sister and brother-in-law. She loves to gossip.

Yoon Jae Suk (Lee Sang Yi)

He is a medical doctor focusing in dentistry. He loves his sister-in-law Na Hee amd tries to stay neutral in his brother and sister-in-law's issues.

Choi Yoon Jung (Kim Bo Yun)

She is the mother to the Song family son-in-law. Her and Na-hee do not get along as both of them are jealous of each other over Gyu-jin's attention.

Kim Ji-Hoon (Moon Woo Jin)

Ga Hee's middle school son. He is sad his father cannot find time for him now that his parents divorced. Mature beyond his years he is his mom's biggest fan.

Park Hyo Shin (Ki Do Hoon)

Originally a delivery driver for the family chicken restaurant, his outstanding physique leads him to work for Joon Sun's new stunt company. He is a judo athlete who left the sport after a tragedy.

Review

This was a great family drama. There were multiple romances, lots of family events, and even some mystery. If you like family dramas I highly recommend this one. I would watch it again in the future.

Spoilers*

I still struggle with the cultural difference between American and South Korean culture. Here all their children are fully grown and the parents are still controlling their lives, Not just acting as advice and council but actually demanding the children do this and forbidding them to do that. I thought the mother was often overbearing and mean.

Ok Boon, the Song family mother, annoyed me a lot. She was so angry at the least slight that the kids hid things from her. I did understand feeling judged over what your kids do or do not do. That happens in Americqn society too. But she took it all overboard. I was just admiring her for staying out of the market gossip then she let them suck her right in. In that event she became gossipy and mean just like her sister.

I loved the oldest sister Ga Hee. She was kind and understanding with her younger sisters. She was firm with her slime of an ex husband. She was nice to her big brother's friends. Her son and her relationship was goal. They were so cute with each other. I loved we got to see her be successfull.

Na hee was unreasonable with her husband in the beginning. I understood she went through a miscarriage but she was so unwilling to work through the issues. I was disappointed she dated the hospital director as it was such a slap in the face for her ex whi worked with them and had to watch it.

Joon Sun was the perfect older brother. He watched out for his sisters and was a great dad. I understood why his ex divorced him but I thought she was unreasonable when they were co parenting and would withdraw the kids to punish him. I was glad when she finally came around and supported his dream.

Hyo Shin was so sweet with Ga Hee and her son. They became a couple yet we never got to see them kiss. I liked the three of them together and would have liked to see them become a family.

Yoon Jung was very misunderstood. She was actually a very kind person just had no filter in terms of her interactions. I was glad everyone got to know her better and she no longer had to be so lonely.

Ok Boon drove me crazy in the beginning she was a mean, selfish gossip. I was particularly angry with her for the way she treated Cho Yoon. Stealing the guy Cho Yoon was flirting with, who had already expressed his feelings for her, was low. She was just out to get Cho Yoon out of jealousy. She changed a bit later and even became friends with Cho Yoon but it felt like she did that after she got what she wanted and after finding out Cho Yoon was the lost sister.

I loved Cho Yoon from the minute she came on scene. She was tough but kind and lively and vivacious. The market people were all so mean to them in the beginning it made me mad. That younger friend of hers she was always loaning money to made me so mad. What a leech! She was just a psycho for what she did pretending to be the lost sister.

Overall it was good and ended well I just wish we would have seen Ga Hee and Hyo Shin tell the family and get married or at least engaged and I wanted to see the lost Auntie,Young Sook, have something happy and permanent with the director, I did not feel they wrapped those stories up well.

#ChunHoJin

#ChaHwaYun

#LeeJungEun

#OhDaeHwan

#LeeMinJung

#OhYoonAh

#LeeSangYeob

#LeeChoHee

#BaekJiWon

#KiDoHoon

#LeeSangYi

#MoonWooJin

#KimBoYun

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Great chemistry, interesting premise, good OST but so many inconsistencies

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Chinese Action and mystery romance drama. With 24, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then I review.

Synopsis

Theoretically most people have a doppelgänger (someone not genetically related that looks identical or nearly identical to someone else). This story centers around a rich Chinese heiress’ doppelgänger. Shen Man Ning (Li Mo Zhi) grew up abroad after her parent’s untimely death. Her grandfather, the Chairman of the family conglomerate, figured it was the best way to keep her safe from others who wanted to eliminate her to gain the company. Zhuang Xin Yan (also played by Li Mo Zhi) and Shen Man Ning’s paths cross at the university they are both attending. When Xin Yan is kidnapped after be mistaken as Man Ning, Xin Yan dies while rescuing her. When she wakes up in the hospital, Man Ning meets Yan Xing Cheng (Fan Zhe Xin) who was Man Ning’s fiance (or so she originally thought. Although distressed at Man Nig’s death, Xing Cheng, doesn’t directly show his grief. Instead he bullies Xin Yan into a scheme to fake she is Man Ning in order to inherit the conglomerate as Man Ning rightfully should have. In a bloody battle for the inheritance, it is a dangerous deception. But with the brilliant and forceful Xing Cheng at her side, they work to unravel the mystery behind Man Ning’s death, prize the inheritance, and slowly fall in love.

Review

I recommend this as a good action movie with a solid central romance. The acting and chemistry between the main leads makes it a worthwhile watch. I don't rate it super high, because there were a lot of inconsistencies and character development issues that kept it from being an outstanding show. The musical score for it was really good, I liked all the songs and particularly liked the theme song. I would recommend it for anyone that is a fan of either of the leads, and/ or those that can suspend a lot of belief and just enjoy the action, the intended mystery and the romance of the leads. I would not rewatch it very soon, although if it was on, and somebody was watching it, I would probably watch it with them.

Spoilers*

Although doppelgängers are a real thing they never explained well how the two came to be in the same place overseas at the same time. If they had crossed paths in China it would have been more believable but for doppelgängers to cross paths overseas like that just when the one is about to be kidnapped, represents too many rare events all in one to make it believable.

The main girl was very uncertain, not very forceful, and got very nervous about everything in tge start of the series and the male lead role in that first part fit that lethal man description. There were a series of action scenes. Where he was forceful, and was amazing in fighting. He talked her into pretending to be the girl that had died and even guilted her into it. In the first part of the series, they made it out that her pretending to be her doppelgänger was a critical part of his plan to get in and back at that family. But then the chaebol girl, that was in love with Xing Chen, found out that Man Ning wasn't really the daughter of the family. To get Xing Chen, the love rival forced a situation that caused Man Ning to reveal she was not the family heiress. Rather than remedy the situation as he so vehemently promised he would,he drops the plan and reveals he is the grandson they thought was dead. Which made his insistence Man Ning pose as her look alike nonsensicle. Why did they need to do that if he was a relative? They never fully explained why he did not reveal his identity in the first place. ZHe also also agreed to marry the girl that had tried to kill the woman he loved. That made no sense as there was little to gain from marrying her.

The entire "she is allergic to mangoes but has to eat them to prove she is the heiress" made no sense. Knowing how severly allergic she was, there were so many options she had not to eat them. She could've said she developed an allergy. She could've said she was feeling sick. She could've just had a small but and said she was full. With so many believable reasons to not eat the mangoes, it was odd that she ate the whole thing. Then here he was, the guy who promised he would protect her and take care of problems, watching her eat the desert. He should have been able to clearly see something was wrong with her eating the mangoes. He wasn't a lethal man in those portions of the story he was more like inaction man. And then she has this huge allergic reaction, and rather than take her into a hospital, he gives her some home remedy to make her vomit. Simply making someone vomit that has that severe of a reaction is not enough to stop it. And then he puts her in the shower presumptively to cool her rash or fever but blocks her body with his which kept most of the water off her.

The "love at first sight was way overdone." Multiple characters has love at first sight with other characters. They made it out like loving someone at first sight is a valid thing and you can develop a deep emotional attachment that quickly. It made it nonsensical that several of the characters were so heartbroken when they were rejected after not really knoing the person to begin with.

While Xing Chen was a not so lethal man, more of an overly emotional wreck on many occasions his right hand man team was worse. One of his team was supposed to be an amazing bodyguard and the other a highly skilled hacjpker but they both failed more than they succeeded. Main guy would assign something to them, like keeping the girl from leaving, and she would just slip by them relatively easily. Still he acted like they were so awesome and trustworthy .


The second half of the show the characters did a flip-flop where now she is strong and forceful, and he is uncertain and even gets suicidal. While I love that she never let him trample on her, and when he was cruel, rejecting her, she didn't cry and beg, it was a reversal of her earlier personality. I was happy she told him off and even bit him when he acted cruelly toward her. But whe had allowed him, early on, to put his hands on her and even choke her and just cowered in response. So for her to suddenly be the forceful one was a huge shift. He, on the other hand, had been arrogant, confident and cold, and also very capable and strong emotionally in the first partl. Then, in the second half he was suddenly falling all apart. I think the most confusing scene with him was after he told her he didn't love her, goes to confront the family all forcefully but just falls apart the moment they flip it on him. So they lied to him and told him he wasn't part of the family that he was adopted or a bastard child and he initially meets it with his usual "lethal man" like response. He even responds defiantly "you think you're gonna do anything to me?" But then, the next scene, he's at the water ready to jump in and end it all. Was he defiant or broken? Defiant made sense as a "lethal man" but broken like that was out of character.

It felt like they missed a lot of opportunities. They could've made her the actual real daughter, and that the identical twins were split up when they were young to keep them safe. That would have been a twist tha made sense. And he could've been a son of the other family. That way they weren't related, but they both were heirs to explain why they would've wanted to hide them. Then with the aunt, who was all murderous, we find out she's the daughter of the Butler essentially, and that they adopted her into the family and treated her as one of them. From scores of other dramas the wealthy famikies usually ostracized and ousted illegitamite children so for them to so easily incorporate her made no sense. Why? The mother typically refused to accpept children that were not her own so where was the grandmother? Since the Aunt was a preteenor teenager when she was adopted, why did she feel so entitled to everything the family had? I know she was crazy, but even a crazy person would've realized that they weren't a natural born child, and would not have had as much as the oldest child, so that didn't make any sense. She also claimed a lot of abuse in that gazebo garden area but they only showed one incident and it seem to be grandfatger misunderstood and thought she had hurt the oldest daughter. Just that one incident made it hard to buy that she was as crazy as she was about that gazebo.

There was never any justice for grandpa. It was never revealed the Aunt made him so distressed it triggered the heart attack and then she, rather than help him, backed him off the steps, and then he fell and hit hiss head. She murdered him. The grandpa wanted to cover for her for 17 years, which made no sense as he was supposedly always punishing her for other things. Little things. But he was okay covering up her murders? The murder of his daughter and her family? Made no sense.

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I wanted to like it but a miss for me

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 supernatural romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Mok Sol-jee (Kim So-hyun) hears people lying everywhere she goes. Born with a special way of depicting a lie, she has learned not to trust most people. Her mistrust of most people was reinforced when her fiancé, Lee Kang-min (Seo Ji-hoon), broke off their relationship with little rationale. She is immediately attracted to Kim Do-ha / Kim Seung-joo (Hwang Min-hyun) as he is one of the few people she encounters whi isn’t telling lies frequently. He is handsome and talented but extremely reclusive as he hides behind a alternate name as a suspect in his former girlfriend’s death. Sha On/Sa Ji (Lee Si-woo) fell in love with Kim Do-ha who believed in her and helped her rise in stardom by providing the music behind her successful career.

Review
I really wanted to like this more than I did. It had all the elements an interesting premise, cute romance, great leads, but despite all that I found myself slow walking through it. I even debated not watching but I was so far in at that point I just continued on. The mystery was about the best part of it and there was a surprise twist to that. I am picky because I have seen hundreds of series and this was not on par with any of the really good ones.

Spoilers

The chemistry between the leads was off. He was passionate enough in the kiss scenes but she seemed very stiff and unnatural. I am not a fan of long moments of just gazing into each other’s eyes but there was so little of that in this one it made their relationship seem equivalent to good friends.

The sound it made when there was a lie was confusing because they also made a sound when there was a dramatic statement. There was a lot of potential with that ability but the cases it showed were not that interesting.

I had zero interest to the point of annoyance with the side couples. Her mom and dad reuniting was not believable to me as her dad lived like a homeless person and her mom craved luxury. Plus she was such a con woman and never changed. I felt sorry for the dad and thought he should stay far away from his toxic ex.

I never had sympathy for 2nd guy. He elected not to tell here about having cancer then thought he could just get her back when he was ready. So I was never rooting for him.

The plot was chaotic in that they lacked good flow between the mystery, supernatural elements and romance. It would be focused on that romance then abruptly switch to the mystery. It just felt very disorganized and it dragged at some points.


#Kim So-hyun
#Hwang Min-hyun
#Seo Ji-hoon
#Lee Si-woo

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So many better series out there with similar storylines

My rating is 8.5/10. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 12, 30-40 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

When Han Ji-yul (ChooYoung-woo) is tricked by his grandfather to leave Seoul and come to a small community in the country, he thinks he will just keep his head down and run his grandfather’s vet clinic quietly. Huidong village is not a place to bring your big city attitude though, the people are close and everybody not only knows everybody but they know everything about each other. Ahn Ja-young (Park Soo-young) grew up in the village and is the jack of all trades helper. She seems to have a hand in about everything and this brings the village beauty into close contact with the annoying city man on a frequent basis. At first this “nosy” behavior annoys Ji-yul who didn’t want to be there in the first place. But it is not long before he too relies on Ja-young to navigate this confusing new social environment. Will the city guy find love in this very unexpected place? Can he win her love over the boy turned man she grew up with?

Review
A nice romantic comedy with a very linear, predictable storyline, If you are looking for something shorter and not very complex, this would be a good choice. It is worth warching once but I may never watch it again. I would not turn the channel if it was on but also would not seek it out. My 30 year old daughter, who watched it with me, said she would rate it 10/10 and we usually agree so that shows how differently people feel about this one. She said she could not think of anything wrong with it. As you can tell, from my review below, I found quite a bit wrong with the series.

Spoilers*
I felt like he was very unkind to her in the beginning for no good reason. He was bristly and aloof in general despite the towns people being relatively friendly. Then it flipped and there was a point where she was not very nice to him. Because of that it was harder for me to completely buy into their sudden deep love for each other. I think, had the series been longer, there would have been more time for them to have a slower build to romance which would have added credibility. For me just them knowing each other as kids was not enough reason for them to fall so quickly and completely as adults.

Ja-young expecting him to remember they were friends as kids and being so angry it took so long was unreasonable. He was obviously severely traumatized by his parent’s death and a mature adult would have realized that. So the anger she had over that was uncalled for. The writers did a poor job of providing that back story. There was not enough information about that traumatic event to understand why he went mute and how he recovered. The person he was talking to on the phone brother? Uncle? Friend? It was difficult to determine that relationship. And it was an important one because you never got to see him being close to anyone else, including the grandfather. When Ja-young got in the car accident and Ji-yul is in a panic trying to get her out I thought there would be a series of flashbacks that would explain his trauma more but there wasn’t. The car was neither on fire nor in the water so it was strange for him to find it that critical to get to her. It implied it was due to the past trauma but you had to make that connection mostly yourself.

I really did not like 2nd guy at all for her. He was mean to lead guy beyond what mere jealousy would have called for. He was pushy about his feelings. Not sweet and patient but it seemed like he took for granted and expected she should turn to him. He never effectively defended her when the others treated her poorly for being an orphan nor went out of his way to help her often. It just seemed territorial and not like he had true romantic feelings for her for a long time.

The whole situation with the ex girlfriend was so brief it felt rushed and not a valid insertion to the story so late in the game. Triangles are often used to reveal the character’s feelings for the lead. In this case the ex shows up and he does not waver at all. And, at first, you wondered what horrible thing she had done. But then you find out she was just going abroad. That separation trope is done often enough those of us in the know expect that separation does not come between true love. But it did. And he just broke up with her. Yet we learn he was so deeply in love with her it took a long time for him to recover. He wondered if he could ever love again. But she shows up and he does not even waiver from this girl he newly loves. The ex had everything, they shared interests and were both veterinarians, lived in Seoul and had history. For him to so quickly choose main girl did not ring true. It would have been more credible if the ex had done something horrible or was not a very nice person or something. Or even if he discovered he never really loved her but mistook friendship for lovel. It nade his love for anyone seem shallow.

When he gave up his life in Seoul to take over the vet hospital in that small town it felt like he was sacrificing a lot to be with her. There was never a sense he grew to love working with large animals it just felt like he adapted. When they were dating and wanted privacy they went to Seoul. So it appeared, as a young couple, Seoul would have more to offer them. Thus the choice to live in the small town did not flow logically. I think the point was the town people started to feel like a big family which is something he never had, but they did not portray that well. It never showed him developing deep relationship with town members. So it just seemed he was giving up a lot and she wasn’t.

Her being a police officer yet doing everything seemed weird. I have seen others about police in a small town and they still do police work. Here she would be, in the middle if a shift, helping to cover peaches. That would have made sense for maybe a town mayor or something but not for a police woman. And she came and went whenever it seemed. It did not make police in a small town look very good. And I do not think, based on a lot of other examples, it was an accurate portrayal.

#ChooYoungWoo
#ParkSooYoung

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Ok in the beginning, cheesy and cliche in the middle, but hey a happy ending

4/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Chinese romantic comedy drama with 24, 30-47 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Su Yan xi (Lu Xin Yi) is living a challenging life as a beauty influencer as her mother is gravely ill and the medical bills exceed her earnings. Chance or perhaps fate causes her to cross paths with Gu Xi Cheng (Luo Zheng) , a wealthy president of a company, on several occasions. Gu Xicheng is looking for a fake girlfriend to make his grandmother happy by allowing her to think that he is pursuing a relationship. When a misunderstanding leads Yanxi to interview, Gu Xicheng decides she is the best fake girlfriend candidate even though she refuses when she finds out the real purpose of the interview. After she leaves, Gu Xicheng runs a background check and accidently recieves the information on Yanxi’s identical twin sister who has gained some celebrity. Yanxi’s sister is also in need of money for an urgent surgery that is to be performed in the USA. So she signs a relationship contract with Gu Xicheng then coerces her sister to play her so she can go to the US. When real feelings develop between the fake couple things get complicated. Can Xicheng forgive the deception? Is there a way forward for a couple that started on such deceptive terms?

Review

I read other reviews before watching this and a lot said it was cliché but that alone was not enough to deter me as one person’s cliché can be another person’s tried and true. A cliche here and there I can handle but this was like the cliche dump truck spilled over turning it into a B grade soap opera. It is reasonably good in the beginning, cheesy and ridiculous in the middle, and has a happy ending. It also has so many flash backs of their developing relationship that they could have cut it by multiple episodes. I would not watch it again. But it might be worth watching it, with low expectations for the content, if you are a fan of any of the actors. The grandmother is a cute enough character to watch it for.

Spoilers*

Some reviewers criticize this for having a male lead that exhibits “toxic masculinity“. With the train wreck that was the plot, I am like THAT is what you focused on? I wholeheartedly disagree with him having toxic masculinity as a woman that likes men that act like men and not little soy boys who ask permission to sneeze. The female lead is not a push over, she exerts herself and her opinion when appropriate. Well she does in the beginning but then goes through this change to wimpy uncertainty but it had nothing to do with the male lead.

Grandma Gu (Zhao Shu Zhen) drugging the chicken soup to make the couple amarous and quicker to produce offspring is one of the most comedic elements I have experienced in the over 300 dramas I have watched so far. Grandma’s chicken soup then becomes an inside joke among the couple. I love the grandmother and have seen her play the grandmother role in other series. In this one she is caring, genuinely wants her grandson’s happiness but is just a wee bit mischievious.

It did have a happy ending if you can survive all the over dramatized scenes, cheesy lines, and some draggy parts.

How did they overdo tropes you say? Well they had the push someone out of the way and then fatally get hit by a car trope not once but twice Thy had first one toxic female after lead guy in the beginning, then later another one. But wait. There is more. There was the hidden identity trope, the contract relationship trope, the con man parent trope, the obsessed ex trope, the Cinderella trope, the I like you but you never wanted me but people think that means you have to accept me trope, the parachute at the company trope, the I’ve never done this thing before but I am suddenly better at it than everybody trope, the it is raining so I might die trope, the sexy kiss in the rain trope, the umbrella trope, the someone got me drunk and took risqué pictures trope, the looked like I was cheating trope, the I was a capable person and a little sassy but now I met you and am helpless trope, the I am going to pledge my unfaltering love but the minute there is adversity it falters trope, the childhood friend trope, tge separated twin trope, the evil twin trope, the almost kiss trope, the hidden box of secrets but then you find it and I freak out trope, the scheming at work to make a lead look bad trope, the stealing your work trope, the sick parent need money for hospital bills trope, the kidnapping trope, the blackmail trope, the confession while dying trope, the parents ditched me for the grandparents to raise trope, the plastic surgery trope, the got sick “don’t leave“ trope, the I am going to leave you to make myself worthy trope and more. A few tropes here and there are okay, they become tropes often because the viewers like them but this many tropes sometimes repeated and even layered was too much.

Then there were things that just did not make sense. Like why it was such a big deal she was not her sister. I understood he did not like that she lied to him but, had she told him early on, he was just looking for a fake relationship at that point anyway. But they made it like it had to be her sister without making it clear why.

They way over dramatized many of the kiss scenes, still framing, slowing it down then a bunch of different camera angles.

She was doing okay as a streamer and I thought had a gig with his company for doing make up. Then Grandma decides she should be at the company to keep lead guy and crazy 2nd gurl apart and she winds up agreeing to work with crazy 2nd girl. Why? Made no sense she let her torture her.

They played the same refrain of music ad nauseum. You are my dream, YOU are my dream ok music I get it they are each other’s frickin‘ dreams.

I do not care how much you like this girl, who pays that much for a necklace? And second guy, who find out later was just being a psycho for second girl, also tries to buy the necklace.
He was pretending to like her to steal her away so his actual love, second girl, could have lead guy. Because he loved her so much he just wanted her to have what she wanted even if it was another guy. But they gave zero indication he felt that way through all of his chasing of lead girl. He even acted jealous of lead girl when only us viewers would know. I know they were trying for a plot twist but that was a turn if not a complete reverse. We should have been able to think back and remember times when he seemed into second girl. But there was not a time if anything it seemed he thought she was ridiculous.

#TimetoFallinLove
#LinXinYi
#LuoZheng

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FL is cruel to ML through most of the series

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean romantic drama series with 16, 65 minute episodes. It is based on web novel “Senior, Don’t Put on that Lipstick”.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Yoon Song ah (Won Jin-ah) feels she has reached the top of her game as a marketer for a major South Korean cosmetics Brand, Her and her boyfriend, Lee Jae-shin (Lee Hyun-wook) are approaching their two year dating anniversary and she is sure he will be popping the question. Her success has led to her recruiting and training Cha Hyung-seung (Rowoon). She feels completely blind sided and betrayed when Hyung-seung reveals that her boyfriend is not only cheating but about to get married. As is often the case her initial anger is not as much at her cheating boyfriend but at the messenger. It is fairly clear that Jae-shin thought she never needed to know about the wife and he could just have her as side chick. Upon revealing her boyfriend’s deception, Hyun-seung decides to confess to her, perhaps to make her feel better but it has the opposite effect., She suspects his motives and initially tries to drive him away. Will Soon ah see Hyung-seung’s real feelings. Can she get revenge? Will true love develop from a rebound relationship?

Review

This starts really slow and I found the first episodes to be only minorly interesting. It picks up when she is dealing with her boyfriend of two years and his cheating. Then it is all about lead guy winning her over. If you like romances that are heavy on the drama with few comedic, suspenseful or mysterious moments then this might be one you would enjoy. There are some characters with deep flaws that have only minimal character growth.

Spoiler*

There was a huge disconnect between the way that the characters were acted and portrayed in the first part of the drama, and the way that they were acted and portrayed in the next part of the drama. It was not simply character growth as it happened too suddenly and radically, For instance Song ah was completely against going to Europe. They made a point of Song ah saying how much she enjoyed her company, and that it was like a part of her. It seemed to be true and also seemed like she was portraying to him that he was mire important than Europe. Her ex gets taken off the project and her mentor takes over and suddenly she could not do without Europe. And suddenly she could care less how Hyeung-seung felt about it. That was an odd reversal. In the first episodes, the ex pledged he would never give up trying to win her back then went never mind. It was even more odd that he gives up on lead girl, throws it all in with sugar mama rich girl, then decides to strike out on his own and suffer. That was such a complete reversal that the loss if his dad, who he professed to not care about, could not account for it. Also, the lead female character’s mom was very child like and selfish but she has a sudden denouement and becomes a social butterfly doing a complete flip flop from being desperately clingy to hard to reach. Peopke can change but not fundamentally and not typically in such a short period.

In regards to the situation with the sister and her husband, the chef guy, his befriending the sister, and the entire circumstances of the relationship between the three was just a confusing addition to the story . He didn’t really go after the husband in a way that made it make sense that he would cause such a rift in the relationship. The husband was a little cold and distant but it wasn’t like he sees the chef and is like oh right I was in love with him. The storyline with the chef only revealed this weird subject from his college days that he was very conflicted about. It did not show him feeling attracted to the chef or other men so him hurting his wife and little girl whom he obviously loved to continue his journey of self discovery was pointless. It was like they wanted to explore the topic of suppressing sexuality due to social pressure but they weren’t brave enough to go any further. They did not give him a gay romantic interest so it just created this weird ambiguous situation. The little girl was nine so all they would have had to do was wait until she reached adult hood and he could have continued his self searching without breaking everyone’s heart. A perfect ending to that story would have been him with a partner, her with someone that romantically loved her and the little girl happy in this blended family.

They built the little girl up to be wise beyond her years. It seemed like the purpose was going to be she would respond to her parent’s break up in a very mature way. Like yeah I knew daddy was unhappy and was interested in men I was waiting for him to realize. Or I am glad you are separating now you can find someone and be happy. But she broke down and was surprised like any kid would be. It made the whole build up of how mature she was pointless.

Maybe the cutest side romance was lead guy’s sister and the grandson of the company. He saw her and it was instant infatuation. Him moving heaven and earth to get the lipstick she liked remade was such a compelling romantic gesture. I felt like it got Netflixed a bit when she proposed to him instead if the other way around and when she was the one paying so little attention to the details of the wedding. Has to have those feminist undertones if it is on Netflix. i thought there was missed opportunity for him to favor the lead guy in the company. Like when the other manager was sabitaging the launch of the new product lead guy developed, they could have discovered it was that corrupt manager behind it, and it could have been a big reveal to him that lead guy was now an extended part of the chaebol family. It would have been fun to see him grovel. But they just dropped that story line.

I liked the way the romance between the rich sugar fiancé and lead girl’s ex played out. Tgey became friendly again but did not get together romantically. They both had serious mental issues. Her emotionally black mailing him with suicide if he was not with her was such a toxic thing I could never see them having a healthy relationship. Him just using her for what she could give him financially was also a non starter. So I liked that he finally refused to let her emotionally manipulate him. I also liked, when he was back, she had moved on.

Many reviewers say, and I completely agree, that lead girl was just mean to him. I get the “shoot the messenger” aspect if him being the one to reveal the affair so she directed her initial anger at him. I have seen that happen often in real life. But she took it beyond that and seemed to enjoy him fawning over her and returning his devotion with near disdain, But the whole Europe thing to me was unforgivable. Thatvwas after she confessed and they were in that over the moon phase of a new relationship. He asked her not to go and she ignored his heartfelt request and said she was going anyway. Then when he chose to accept it and try to make the distance relationship work she did nothing to bridge the gap instead she continually chose work over him. Then she breaks it off with him in the cruelest way possible when he came to Europe to see her. She knew his past relationship and how that ex had treated him but showed a total disregard for his feelings in much the same way. I think she broke up with him then not because she was hurting him as much as she felt guilty and wanted to pursue her selfish goals without remorse. Then she cuts her Europe assignment short professing it was because she realized her error and missed him but that did not seem genuine either. It showed her mentor essentially using her like a lackey and little joy in her work there. So it seemed the oversees job was not as wonderful as she thought so that is why she came back. After that I really did not like her and was not happy when they reunited. He at least made it a little hard for her. And what happened to his ex that proposed to keep trying to get him back? I would have liked for leadvgirl to experience some heart break seeing him with someone else and I thought perhaps that would be the case, he would get back with the ex. But she just dropped out of the storyline.

Siwon is such an unusually handsome man that it was hard to buy that he would’ve put up with her cold indifference, and even cruelty at times when you would expect, he would’ve had a lot of women very interested in him. In real life I have seen it but it’s rare. And usually it is either the woman has such an attractive personality or has an allure in the bedroom. Since he was several attractiveness levels above her you would’ve thought, at minimum, when she broke it off with him so coldly that would’ve been the end of it.


#SheWouldNeverKnow
#SeniorDon’tPutOnThat
#WonJinAh
#Rowoon
#LeeHyunWook

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