Not your typical Chinese drama - the female lead is strong

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese romantic drama with 35, 45 minute episodes. It is also known as “The Woman Who Cannot Fall In Love”.

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
Shen Ruo Xin (Quin Lan) has climbed the ladder of success through much personal sacrifice. Her overbearing mother and even friends are pressuring her to get married and her current boyfriend is the number one candidate. At 33 she is at the upper end of what her culture considers acceptable for single life so she is reminded frequently she is breaking norms by remaining single. a man and marry. Ruoxin already defies the traditional role by navigating corrupt office politics and serving as both a counselor and a mentor to subordinates. Despite being so capable and providing a shield for those around her, no one looks out for her that is until she gives Qi Xiao (Dylan Wang), a newbie, a chance and he becomes her biggest support. He is younger than her, but really smart. mature and caring.

Review
I enjoyed this slice of the life of a businesswoman in Shanghai. As I understand it, Shanghai, in the upper class of people, it is a very specific slice of life in China. Still, I enjoyed getting a feel for it knowing it is very specific and would only be true for a very small percentage of people. Women have many of the same struggles with promotions, recognition, bias, that women all over the world experience but at a greater level because their society is still very patriarchal. Seeing Ruoxin operate where she took care of all the people around her, managed some very hostile and extreme workplace politics and managed through her skill and expertise to overcome many barriers was a lot of fun. Her relationship with the male lead was well paced and believable. Qi Xiao's unwavering admiration, love and support of her would be sure to wear down any woman's defenses.

*Spoilers
The 12 year age gap was a significant part of the story and I think brought up a lot of social issues not only within that culture but beyond as well. My daughter, in her 30s, who watched it with me felt as though that age gap was too large. She was of similar age and could not envision having a relationship with a man that much younger than her. Not all women feel that way. I thought about if there was a person who you were completely compatible with and attracted to and thought they were similar age but then found out they were that much younger would it change the way you felt about the person. I think it is highly dependent on the people and what ages each person is. In the younger years it may have more of an impact than someone in their 30s with someone in their 40s, or 40s with 50s, I think it is harder to envision that large of an age gap when the younger person is in their 20s. Life stages, interests, so many things are different in the 20s. So that, for me, was a little hard to accept, the large age gap.

The story itself was engaging and kept me interested through all 32 episodes. She really was phenomenal in her ability to bring everyone around her along in her goals and vision. From that perspective it was understandable how someone his age and as handsome as he was to have considered her unique and want to pursue her romantically. He was a very bright person who was able to think rationally under pressure and solve many problems. So he was her match in terms of his above average ability to accomplish things. I could see the point that was made about how younger men were no longer viewing women as simply someone to take care of the household but were respecting them as capable to do something as high powered and complex as Ruoxin was pursuing. That was a good justification for why the age gap between them worked. Part of the reason she never found anyone she felt compatible with was because men of her age still had a view of women as maybe dabbling in the workforce until they found a man to take care of them. Qi Xiao understood and appreciated Ruoxin's goals and capabilities and it was part of what he loved about her.

If you are looking for a relatively light hearted romance this fits the bill. If you are a fan of Dylan Wang as I am then you will like to see him in this role, he does a great job. This is also of course an age gap/noona romance. I became a fan of Dylan Wang after seeing him in Meteor Garden. I will be looking for other things Quin Lan has done after watching this drama as she is a very talented actress. I am not, in general, a fan of Chinese dramas as I find the female characters to be weak and sort of whiny. I watched this at the recommendation of it having a strong female character and it did not disappoint.

#RationalLife
#DylanWang
#QuinLan

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Exciting and action packed military crime drama with a very light romance element

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean military action drama with 16, 60 minute episodes

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
A tragic "accident" takes the lives of Do Bae-man's (Ahn Bo-hyun) parents as a young child and he is raised by his aunt. Not wanting anything to do with the military because of its association and reminder of his parents, he drops out of school in middle school which makes him ineligible for mandatory military service. He becomes a lawyer though and applies to many law firms. No-one is interested because of his educational history. Despair sets in and an offer he cannot refuse comes along from Yong Moon-goo (Kim Young-min) who tells him if he serves as a military prosecutor for five years he will hire him in his private law firm once he finishes the military stint. What Doberman (nickname) does not know is Young-min is closely associated with Major General Noh Hwa-young (Oh Yeon-soo) who is evil and corrupt. She is the first female to rise to such ranks and got there through nefarious means. Additionally she owns a defense company she acquired through her criminal activity. As Doberman approaches the end of his enlistment and prepares to join the private law firm, Cha Woo-in (Jo Bo-ah), joins his command. Some of her actions immediately capture Doberman's interest and he knows there is more to her than the by the book outstanding military prosecutor she portrays. It is not long before he discovers she was the heir to a conglomerate and leads a double life as "red wig woman." In her other persona, Woo-in seeks justice against corruption where acting outside of the law is the only way to capture the bad guys. Over time, Doberman comes to realize she has very personal reasons for going after Noh Hwa-young and that they have connections and reasons to work together.
Review
It is very exciting when the "red wig" lady takes down the bad guys. Her martial arts prowess is super hero level. Doberman is also a formidable force but the red wig lady is a level above him. If you like action and exciting fight scenes then this would be an appeal. The central conflict is very heavy on the good versus evil. And the lines between good and evil get blurred frequently. The characters were all very well developed and there wee some redemption arcs. There was a love triangle and a hear warming bromance. The back story on what happened in their past was very interesting. I enjoyed this show from start to finish and would highly recommend it. I read before I watched it not to be off put by the title. And I have to agree it is not some overly serious series with some by the book military prosecutor where you watch case after case of them towing the military line. The nickname doberman has more to do with how the main character's name sounds than a central part of his personality. It is mentioned and he does compare himself to attributes but he is a way more complex character than that and he is one of the characters on a redemption arc.

Spoilers*
There were some minor things that I felt could have been improved that kept this from being perfect to me. For me, they danced around the romance between Woo-in and Bae-man the entire series. It made sense early on that wasn't a focus but I was expecting more to develop with it after they were on the winning end of their conflict. But they literally wait until the fade out scene for them to kiss and you cannot even fully see their kiss as it is behind a tree and the camera both fades and moves out of the scene. If you are not a romantic or do not like series where romance is a central aspect, that would be a plus. As someone who enjoys the romance, it was disappointing that they waited that lone to show that they would be together then gave us so little of them as a couple. I was disappointed that Doberman was such a money driven prosecutor in the beginning. And there was no really good reason for it. He wasn't aware of what happened with his parents so it wasn't like well the whole system is corrupt so I might as well be. That wasn't the reason. The only reason seemed to be he quit school early to avoid becoming a soldier because of what happened to his parents and then it impacted his ability o get a job as a lawyer under normal conditions. Even so I could have seen him talking that offer he couldn't refuse but he didn't seem to have any moral issues with it. They tried to show he had remorse over that after she "changed" him but there was no basis for him to be like that in the beginning. Because he had no believable reason for being a corrupt prosecutor it did not make sense when he changed because of her. A big deal was made out of him learning about how his parents died and who was responsible but then, in the end, he did not have the moment with his parents where it was like "see I got them" like they had with Woo-in. It was like it bothered him just not overly so. His Aunt's relationship with his superior was cute and unexpected but the redemption arc for his superior was missing. They implied that his aunt changed him, and had him acting more like a "military prosecutor" but it was very brief and not well developed in that regard and it was hard to believe his moral to a fault aunt would have accepted a man that had any level of corruption. CEO Kang had feelings for Woo-in and was part of a very obvious love triangle but they did not dive into that at all which is a factor of them just not focusing much at all on the romance. I liked CEO Kang and felt like making him have enough wrong doing that he gave up his company in the end and just went off to start over was disappointing. Winning would have been like his company was restored. No Tae-Nam (Kim Woo-seok) had a huge redemption arc going from an evil character to one of the heroes of the day by taking down even his own mother to root out the evil. There was the whole story with Tae-nam and the bullying and abuse that was going on, on the front line. One of the characters was set up to make his military life hell but that became such a minor scene that the build up was disappointing. There was also sexual abuse occurring and a point was made of focusing on that as part of the "hell" going on in those front lines but it was never brought up again. It would have helped to explain why the soldier snapped. It was also an opportunity to show how Doberman had fully changed in that he could have showed some empathy for the soldier that snapped by allowing his mother to give him the glasses but he didn't and it was Woo-in who showed that glimmer of mercy. They could also have had his sentenced reduced and not pursued the death penalty in acknowledgement of the horrible abuse that soldier suffered. Life in prison seemed a more fitting sentence than death and it would have been more in line with being a moral prosecutor. Tae-nam mentioned several times how his Doberman was like his only family so for him to give his dog up, when he actually could have used the support for his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was out of character for him and unfortunate they did not use that as part of Tae-nam's redemption arc - that he never gave up on "family." He even volunteered to work with dogs so it would have been more logical he got his dog back. I wanted to see them more in action as military prosecutors the show was so focused on central conflict that there were no interesting side stories that gave that "slice of life" of being a military prosecutor. I am going to circle back though and say despite all of this it was a very good and exciting series with an interesting and unique premise.

#MilitaryProsecutorDoberman
#AhnBoHyun
#JoBoAh
#KimWooSeok

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A reality dating show with surprising depth

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean Reality Dating/Game show. There are 14, 54-102 minute episodes.
This is a dating reality show where the participants live together for one month. They cannot reveal their age or occupation but can reveal interests and other aspects of their personality. Participants work during the day and go back to the house they are occupying together in the evenings/weekends and other times off work. There are originally six occupants but two more occupants are added through the course of the show. Each night the participants anonymously send a text to the person they found most interesting and the panel has to guess who texted whom. Panelists who guess right are given a token. They act as a 4th wall, commenting on what is going on, analyzing participants behavior and interests in each other, and competing to get the most correct guesses on who is contacting whom. Participants go on dates but are not allowed to directly confess their feelings.
Panelists
Yoon Jong-shin is a South Korean singer and song writer. He is also a record produceer and is the CEO of Mystic Story. He was born in 1969 so would have been 48 when the show aired in 2017.
Lee Sang-min is a South Korean singer, song writer, record producer and television personality. He is a former member of hip hop and dance group Roo'ra. He was born in 1973 so would have been 44 when the show aired in 2017.
Kim Eana is a South Korean song writer who wrote hit songs for some of the top singers in South Korea. She was born in 1979 so would have been 38 when the show aired in 2017.
Yang Jae-woong is a South Korean psychiatrist, motivational speaker, You Tuber and entertainer. He was born in 1982 so would have been 35 at the time this aired.
Shim So-young is a South Korean stage, drama and film actor. He was born in 1970 so would have been 47 when the show aired.
Shin Dong-hee (Shindong; Super Junior) is a South Korean rapper, singer, dancer, host, radio personality and video director. He is most widely known as a member of Super Junior and its subgroups. He was born in 1985 so would have been 32 when Heart Signal aired.
Guest panelists
Jung Jin woon (Jinwoon) was a guest panelist in episode 7. He is a South Korean Singer and Actor. He is a member of the k-pop group 2 AM but has also been in television dramas. Born in 1991 he would have been 26 during his guest appearance.
Jang Do Yeon was a guest panelist in episode 9. She is a South Korean Comedian that has appeared on some variety shows. She was born in 1985 so would have been 32 at the time of her guest appearance.
Lee Yong jin was a guest panelist in episode 8. He is a South Korean comedian and singer. He is the owner of a famous sashimi restaurant "960." Yong jin was born in 1985 so would have been 32 when this aired in 2017.
Heo Kyung Hwan was a guest panelist in episodes 9 and 12. He is a South Korean comedian born in 1981 so he would have been 36 when he appeared on the show.
Participants
Jang Cheon (age 32) lawyer
Kang Sung-wook (age 32) Musical Actor
Seo Joon-won (age 23) Race car driver
Yoon Hyeon-chan (age 32) Chef and Restaurant Owner
Bae Yoon-kyung (age 24 ) Actress
Kim Se-rin (age 24) Marketer at Cirque du Soleil
Seo Ji-hye (age 21) Student at Ewha Woman's University
Shin A-ra (age 22) First runner-up at Miss Korea
Age is at the time the film was released in 2017. Depending on when filming occurred they could have been younger. Age is calculated from year of birth and is based on US aging standard (zero when born).
Review
It is a wild emotional ride and is fun to play along with the hosts as they try to determine the signals and who will express interest in whom. I have come to realize this is really a game and the participants view it mostly as such. I have looked on some other reality dating shows and even contestants that seemed to bond during the show did not stay together for any significant time or depth after leaving the show. If your realize that this is not something most are pursuing as an actual attempt to find that one person, a lot of their actions and behavior make more sense.
*Spoilers
A fan favorite couple and mine as well were Bae Yoon-kyung and Seo Joo-won. It was clear from the way he looked at her when she first entered Signal house and how impressed he was with her abilities to design shoes. They were very compatible on their dates and seemed to enjoy many of the same things despite the fact that Yoon-kyung was a little older than Joo-won. The cracks in the match started to appear in that Joo-won was not able to read Yoon-kyung's reactions to his teasing nature. He thought she was bored when she was actually enjoying herself and totally misread when she was showing jealousy. I thought he was "push pulling" her when, in reality, he was just teasing her and thus was not capitalizing when he brought out her emotional reaction to his interest in other women in the house. He made a huge error when he was talking to the other men and he expressed that he was not sure about Yoon-kyung's interest and that he thought she might even find their times together boring. Cheon, who found Yoon-kyung beautiful and charming originally thought Joo-won and Yoon-kyung were a solid match but Joo-won's comments illustrated that there were cracks in their relationship that could be exploited.
Joo-won also made a mistake with Yoon-kyung when they were out and others asked about their relationship and he relayed back to her that he responded she was just a female participant in the house. Later, when he misunderstood her saying she did not enjoy the day she went to see him race, he actually made some cruel comments about not being sure who he was interested in and showering attention on Ji-hye. What I concluded with the Yoon-kyung and Joo-won was there was a lot of chemistry between them, and they had some things in common but their absolute failure in communicating with each other would never have lasted in the long run. You have to be a fool for love sometimes and be willing to put yourself out there and chance being rejected and neither one of them would do that. Which told me that, while they were interested in each other it wasn't enough to take any risks. So, in the end, although I was a bit disappointed, they were better off not being together.
To me the race car driver who is young, very handsome, and obviously has some money and means to afford racing, would be the obvious romantic interest but another male in the house, Jang Cheon captures the women's interest because of the stability of his job and his calm and steady behavior. He catches Yoon-kyung for a spontaneous date when he picks her up from the bus stop. Problems arise when Yoon-kyung stays after the meal and comes back to signal house with Cheon making it very obvious they spent time alone together. She misleads Joo-won into thinking it wasn't like a date and missing timing when she could have told him so that he did not hear from Cheon in the men's private discussions. So Joo-won goes on an impromptu date with Seo Ji-hye presumably to make Yoon-kung jealous. When a relationship sinks to a one up type scenario that is never an indication of a healthy situation.
Seo Ji-hye is the house member all of the men were originally interested in. She is very good at being clumsy and feigning being cute and helpless which is apparently very attractive to Korean males. However, Cheon's interest in her fades after they have a date and he sees through her act. She loved drawing all of the attention and playing innocent and cute when she is not really, and will play all the men against each other intentionally. When her and Cheon went on their date, their age gap was significant however, when she found out he had a steady and prestigious job, as a lawyer her interest renewed in him. Ji-hye mentioned that her family was facing difficulty and she would have to look for a job immediately when she graduated, making Cheon's stability a Siren call for her. Having a fairly wealthy husband would be a balm to her chaotic life, and when she mentioned she wanted to rush marriage with a past boyfriend that was a huge turn off for Cheon. During their date, he mentioned later, she was on the phone a lot and then dozed off when they were watching a movie. Which clearly showed she was not all that interested or excited by him as a person. It was a pleasant surprise that the men in the house slowly discovered that her appeal was very superficial and most of them moved on.
What made me feel Ji-hye's behavior was not innocent and that it was manipulative and fake was how she acted toward Kang Sung-wook. She several times called him exhausting to the other women and would actually grimace if he came near her. A lot of her behavior was downright mean to him and she said and did things that seemed to hurt his feelings several times. But she would do just enough to keep him on the hook which made it very infuriating. She would pull him back in any time he seemed to be paying attention to one of the other women. When he would turn his attention from her she would pull out the cute helpless act or pay him compliment to get him back in the line for her.
Both Cheon and Ji-hye redeem themselves later when he acknowledges being a bit cold and cruel to her and not taking how young she was, as a source of her behavior, into consideration. I, as a viewer, was guilty of the same thing. She actually dropped the act and started showing more genuine reactions and thus having more genuine interactions with all the house members. She quit sabotaging the other female's efforts to get the attention of the men they were interested in and acted like a good friend to a lot of them. I think her earlier behavior was a result of her being really young and thinking that was a good way to attract the men. It worked originally but backfired and she quickly dropped it to her credit.
I could see why the women found Cheon appealing. I gained a lot of respect for him when he saw through Ji-hye's act because, on other reality shows, I have seen other men completely fall for that type of behavior and pursue women that were just stringing them along. I was disappointed that Cheon's interest seemed to be very appearance driven. His initial interest was in Ji-hye because of her cute and innocent look and he only turned his interest to Yoon-kyung when she showed up to a group outting looking drop dead gorgeous in a red dress and high heels. I also thought it was not fair for him to be a kind ear for his house mates at night and used Joon-won's comment to him about his doubt of Yoon-kyung's true feelings for him as an impetus to pursue her. But, if you look at it as the game/competition it really is and not genuine love matches, then his behavior makes sense. And, a relationship, even one that is just budding, that is built on a solid foundation would not have cracked so easily.
The immediate attraction between Kang Sung-wook and the relatively new house member A-ra was a surprise as he had been, to that point, not one of the men the female house members showed a lot of interest in. They made sense as she was a Miss Korea runner up and he was a musical actor so both were used to having that type of attention and running in those circles. She would shop with him and walk his dog with him which drew them closer than either were with other house members. Sung-wook though allowed Ji-hye to pull his strings in front of A-ra often derailing their burgeoning romance. When Sung-wook is competing with one of the other males he says he is not worried because if she is that easily swayed he doesn't want her anyway. I don't think that is something to say out loud Sung-wook was always right out there with his thoughts which is something I think A-ra liked about him. He was an open book. I agree with that, as long as you have laid all your cards on the table with the person and genuinely confessed your feelings. If you have a relationship going or started with someone then if they are drawn away it means they were not that committed in the first place. I think that was going on Joon-won but he wasn't as open of a book about it. I think he thought if Yoon-kyung was that easily swayed by Cheon, then they did not have as much between them as he thought they did. And I would normally agree but the two sent such mixed signals to each other I don't think you could say they fairly knew what their relationship was. So the two were the same but showed the two different aspects of a "he/she is just not that into you" assessment.
One of the other females, Kim Se-rin, wondered aloud why men often friend zoned her and you saw it play out with the men in the house. She is a lovely person and does a lot of special activities for her house mates. Her main romantic interest is Cheon and she doesn't waver from that interest at all even getting the other men to help her woo him. She is very capable and career driven and unintentionally sends the signal to the men that she does not need them which endears her as a friend but does not set her up well as a romantic partner. It is a very western way of being. I wondered if it was her time spent abroad that made her so different that way. The date she arranged for her and Cheon was so adorable I could not believe she did not change his interest at all.
Yoon Hyeon-chan is a very late addition to the house. He is a chef who captures everyone's attention with his amazing cooking skill. The women find his profession very sexy but most already have started on a path with the men who most caught their interest and whom they have already developed a relationship with. Like the rest of the men his first interest is in Ji-hye because she was sure to help him a lot settle in to the house and acting all cute and innocent which, as mentioned before, has immediate appeal. However, it may be a trait of men over 30 but he also quickly discovers her behavior is an act and quickly loses interest. A-ra's grace and beauty immediately catches his attention and he tries to capitalize on the cracks that exist in the relationship with Sung-wook.
It was interesting to me when they did that reunion that the panel realized some of the things they said in analyzing the participants were harsh and apologized for some of their comments. Unfortunately I think, the panel in the next season may temper their comments realizing that the participants will see it all. I liked their very honest, unfiltered, comments because it was often what I as thinking.
During the reunion show it was apparent, to me that Joon-won and Yoon-kyung still had feelings for each other based on their body language and comments. They were being careful because Koon-kyung was dating Cheon but the chemistry between them was still very apparent and their comments about different events made it clear they still cared about what the other thought. I think they had a very genuine connection that was torn apart by a lot of misunderstanding and others inserting themselves at inopportune times.
Deep Spoilers******
I was really interested in what they all did after and if any of them were still in contact with each other. Several are following each other on instagram but the main "couples" are really not. I was super surprised to find out that Sung-wook went to prison on a rape charge and that Cheon initially was his lawyer but dropped out for unknown reasons. His acting career was taking off as a result of participating in the show most likely but his conviction derailed anything he had going on (rightfully so). It seemed out of character for the person we got to know in Heart Signal so I was very disappointed. I actually learned that before finishing watching the show so it made me root for A'ra with Hyeon-chan more. Ji-hye is now gaining fame as an actress which was not surprising considering how much the men liked her overall. She had that star quality. Yoon-kyung's career in acting also seemed to take off after the show. Joon-won appears to still be racing and actually married a famous actress not long after the show. One of the Super Junior members asked his ideal type and he said it was this one influencer, Aori, who he had a crush on since high school. They knew her and actually introduced them. Joon-won married her and now there are rumors of divorce. Hard to say where that all has gone. Cheon I read is a major and he is still one of the people Yoon-kyung is following on her instagram but she knows and follows a lot of people so not much can be read into that. Se-rin also follows a lot of people and it just looks like she is leading a very busy and happy life. Cheon has Sung-wook's dog while he is incarcerated it seems. If you are missing the dog you can see a lot of pictures on Cheon's instagram. It was a complete surprise that the participants saw the contents of all texts sent along with who sent them at the end of the show. It was a surprise to them as well as the panel and the viewers. It was funny and surprising but unless they mix it up I am sure it will impact how participants text on future seasons.

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One of my new favorites. Main character is nearly a super hero.

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean legal fantasy drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis

Kim Hui-u (Lee Joon-gi) is a naive but determined young prosecutor when he takes on a corrupt but powerful politician, Cho Tae-San (Lee Heun-young), and is killed for his effort. The Grim Reaper, Han Ji-Hyun (Cha Joo-young) gives Hee-woo a chance to go back 15 years to re-do the portions of his life that lead up to his showdown with the corrupt politician. She offers a second chance provided he does things different and makes it hell on earth for Cho Tae-seob. This is a justice and revenge drama with a thread of romance.

Review

The first portion of the drama shows where Hui-u dies then goes back and redoes school and helps people (utilizing his knowledge of future events) who he will later need as allies. That part drags a little and I got a bit bored. It picked up when he was back to being a prosecutor and taking down criminals at the lowest echelons of Tae-seob‘s criminal organization. I thought it was funny when he was okay with repeating everything except his time in the military. His horror that he had to repeat that portion was brought up several times. He was such a gentleman and so cool with the way he helped people that he had multiple girls vying for his attention.

Lee Joon-gi is one of my favorite male actors. The roles he picks are usually justice based on there is a lot of martial arts elements since he is such an amazing martial artist. He seems to like story lines where good overcomes evil in some way and justice prevails. As someone who hates bullies, loves to see the good guy win, and wants to see criminals brought to justice the roles he chooses checks all the boxes for me. So if I see he is in something that is the first thing that draws my interest. I like his acting and I know he chooses really good roles.

I so thoroughly enjoyed this series that I would highly recommend it, might even read the webtoon even knowing it may be a repeat of the story but just to get additional insight if there is any. I will definitely watch a second season because I am already missing Hui-u he was that compelling of a character. He had super hero status in my opinion. I loved the music, it was iconic and you knew something was going down whenever it started playing. A couple of the songs will be added to my playlist.

Spoilers*
I looked at the webtoon for this and reading the first few chapters it seems the story follows really closely. I really like dramas that are webtoon based because it is like they were already pre-screened for being really good, well developed and interesting story lines.

This show has it all, it has action scenes, good versus evil, supernatural elements, legal drama and a little bit of romance sprinkled in. Romance is definitely not a central theme and it felt a little abrupt the romance line that came in at nearly the end. But, it was also set up for a 2nd season with a whole new set of villains.

I found it a little disappointing that Tae-sob committed suicide and wasn't led away in handcuffs. It felt like he won in being able to pick how he exited. I liked that the grim reaper was saved by Hui-u and that he said, when she got out of jail, he would help her get her life on track. Her brother was irredeemable and I was glad they didn't try to make it so all his murders were forgotten. They never fully explained what happened with her and her brother and how her brother was so brain washed by Tae-sob but that was a minor element. Tae-sob said something that made it sound like he was aware Hui-u had a past life but they never further expanded on that which makes me curious to read the webtoon and see if that is expanded on more.

#AgainMyLife
#GrimReaper
#ChaJooYoung
#LeeJoongi
#LeeHoonYoung

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Refreshingly wholesome reality dating

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean reality dating show with 8, 57-68 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then a review

Synopsis

To start, 5 men and 4 women are brought to an island, called inferno, to live for 9 days while interacting with each other and potentially forming romantic attachments. The island they are on is primitive and they sleep in dorm like tents, the males in one tent and the females in another. Food is brought in but in limited variety and they have to transport water from a distance. Their restroom facilities are camping style. So they are basically glamping. Periodically there are competitions among the men or women where winners get to select a date. Those that select each other or are picked for dates get to go for the evening to another island called Paradise where they stay in luxury hotel suites, get to order off a gourmet menu and can spend time getting to know each other on a one on one basis. About five episodes in new participants are added with 2 more females and 1 more male which really mixes things up.

Review
I was not sure I would like this show format but find it very compelling and see why it is so popular.I should not be surprised as the relationships have the innocent and wholesome nature I have come to appreciate so much in South Korean culture. Similar American shows are trashy and over sexualized but this was true to the sweet, slower paced interactions I have observed from dramas where full sexual encounters are rare and mostly among those headed for marriage. In this, even though it is a dating show, skin ship is a big deal. Fans of survivor will get some of those vibes. Others say it also has Bachelor/Bachelorette aspects but I can't speak to that as I have not watched that show. They are well fed and have shelter and food so it is not equivalent to survivor but the deserted island and having to carry water has echoes of survivor. The rules for inferno are they cannot ask age or occupation but they can try to "charm" the others and reveal their personalities. It seems the show keeps them busy though as you don't see them spending much time with the opposite sex on Inferno outside of community dinners and brief meetings in the evening. On Paradise not only are they treated to luxury for food and lodging, they can ask each other age and occupation. I watched "Love is for Suckers" prior to this and notice, although I have never seen it explicitly stated, that series used this reality show as inspiration for the reality dating show in that romantic comedy series and even mirrored some of the participants' personalities and occupations. And the commentator/host for singles inferno plays the female lead in "Love is for Suckers." If you watch both you will see those parallels.

The commentators are a very engaging part of the show. I find what they comment on about what is going on with the singles on the island is often very similar to what I am thinking. It is like sharing the 4th wall and it is really a neat addition to the show to have a group of commentators.

*spoilers

I was disappointed Choi Si-hun could not see through Song Ji-a and was one of the three men vying for her attention in the end. To me Ji-a enjoyed the male attention and would string them along even if she had no intention of dating them. Kim Hyeon-joo said, when he returned from a date with Ji-a that there were good things and bad things about her but when Si-hun went ga ga over her suddenly Si-hun forgot those things he did not like and he was all in. Then, when Cha Hyun-swung shows up and us also into Ji-a it suddenly becomes a competition and she is the trophy. There were better options for him even he seemed very enamored when he spoke with Ahn Ye-Won and they had some cute chemistry but then he decided he would rather diss his friend and go for Ji-a. My daughter said Ji-a was just a “basic beotch” and I get that. Under her caked on makeup, her eyelashes would “stick” sometimes her makeup was so heavy, and false everything there was not much substance to her personality and she was cruel to string the men along and to the other women who may have been interested in the men she had no intention to pursue anything with. Still they all sort of made their own bed. I did not like that Ji-a demeaned Si-hun by calling him puppy but he was the one that said pick me and I will do whatever, I think it was scripted because I think given a completely free choi ce she would have chosen Hyun-seung because she was so obviously into him. I also think she was set up to be the villian and the show manipulated that. These shows are always a little bit reality and a lot of manipulation, careful editing and some scripting.

It seemed cruel when Si-hun acted like he was going to Kim Su-Min but merely thanked her then headed to join the other two professing their interest in Ji-a. That interaction also seemed scripted because he did not seem to be the type of person that would do something like that.

Moon Se-hoon and Shin Ji-yeon finally getting together was a highlight. His single focus on her was nearly a concerning obsession but tge fact that she did eventually reciprocate made me think there had been something there all along we simply did not see.

Oh Jin-taek and Kang So-yeon were a cute couple. It was a bit heart breaking in the beginning when he went to Paradise with Shin Ji-ye on rather than picking someone unlikely to pick him like So-Yeon did. Her strategy was not to get picked so she could stay back on inferno with Jin-taek. When he did not do the same she was hurt and jealous and eventually told him so. She did waver, after Jin-take went to Paradise with and seemed to lean toward Ji-yeon. So-yeon expressed feelings for Se-Hoon who many of the women found sweet and engaging. She even tried to convince him to consider someone other than Ji-yein and I was surprised that hurt his feelings. I think she was right. It is never good to be the one that loves someone more. Equal love is best. But Se-hoon’s laser focus on Ji-yeon had So-Yeon put aside any feelings she had for him and re-focus on clearing up the misunderstanding with Jin-taek. It was interesting to me that se-Hoon brought up So-yeon‘s confession on the last day as it made for an awkward moment. It was cute that So-yeon offered to have Jin-taek sleep in the same bed with her and he was beside himself with joy that she was going to let him sleep by her. He checked multiple times that it was okay. When he told the other guys they seemed surprised and envious. When he asked for the kiss on the cheek as a reward for winning their bowling match, it was so cute. Perfect examples of the wholesome innocence of South Korean dating.

As I see more and more South Korean shows produced and hosted on Western platforms I fervently hope they do not let Western “values” taint them. Many are turning their backs on Hollywood because it is way too sexualized, violent and vulgar. I hope the wholesomeness of South Korean shows does not change. I also like that they are not “woke“ and wish the social justice warriors never sink their tentacles in as it is literally ruining what little good remained in Western world shows. We love you all just the way you are.

Commentators/Hosts
Lee Da Hee- Model, singer, and actress
Cho Kyu-Hun - Actor and singer (idol). He is a member of Super Junior.
Hong Jin-Kyung - Model, comedian, singer and actress. She owns her own food company.
Jung Han-Hae - Rapper and singer.

Singles

Female participants
Shin Ji-yeon born March 26, 1997 (age 25) - she is a neuroscience major at the University of Toronto.
Kang So-yeon born May 23, 1988 (age 34) - she is a boxer and represents a brand of clothing. A former JYP/idol trainee.
Ahn Ye-won was born in 1995 (age 27–28) - she is a model and a fitness and Pilates instructor
Song Ji-a was born April 30, 1997 (age 25) - she is a YouTube beauty influencer/model
Kim Su-min was born December 10, 1998 (age 24) - she is a model for Advertisements
Seong Min-ji was born April 1, 1998 (age 24) - she models beauty products and apparel

Male participants

Kim Hyeon-joong was born November 26, 1994 (age 28) - he is a model and a fitness trainer
Moon Se-hun was born in 1995 (age 27–28) - he is a chef and owner of a Gangnam restaurant
Kim Jun-sik was born in 1994 (age 28–29) - Developed and represents a health food brand
Choi Si-hun was born October 27, 1992 (age 30) - Web series star and apparel brand representative
Oh Jin-taek was born in 1992 (age 30–31) - he is the CEO and founder of a tailor shop specializing in suits.
Cha Hyun-seung born May 2, 1991 (age 31) - he is a dancer who has danced with many singers/idols most notably a back up dancer for Sun-mi

#singlesinferno
#leedahee
#chokyuhun
#hongjinkyung
#junghanhae
#ahnyewon
#songjiya
#kimsumin
#seongminji
#kimhyeonjoong
#kangsoyeon
#shinjiyein
#moonsehun
#kimjunsik
#choisihun
#ohjintak
#chahyunseung

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Compelling premise, started strong, but then fell apart in the last episodes

8/10 is my rating. Is a 2022 South Korean Supernatural Romantic Comedy with 12, 60-75 minute episodes.

First I will provided a synopsis the review.

Synopsis

Hong Ye-sool (Seo Ji-hye) is a hard working unit lead in an advertising agency. She works so hard she gets nose bleeds and is accident prone but still her boss, Cha Min-hoo (Yoon Kye-sang) nit picks every project she works on. Others think he shows favoritism to her and gives her the best opportunities. Their situation is very confusing to Ye-sool who just wants to get ahead in her career in a very competitive industry. Her personal life is a mess as she has a sixth sense that allows her to see the future when her lips touch another person. Specifically, she can see the future surrounding herself and that person but not when the event will happen. When she accidentally kisses her boss, she is beyond confused when she sees a future where they are together romantically. With the way he treats her on a daily basis, that vision does not make any sense to Ye-sool. While she is reeling from confusion her ex-boyfriend, famous director Lee Pil-yo (Kim Ji-seok) shows up hoping for a second chance with the woman he still has feelings for. But she has seen her future with him and it was the reason she broke up in the first place. All of this leads her to wonder is she seeing the future that will inevitably happen or are the action she takes as a result of her visions the cause of that future?

Review
I really liked the premise of this. Kissing someone or having your lips touch someone and seeing the future - that pulled me in. And he has some kind of super sensory super-power? I though wow! what's that all about. And the first episodes where he was the overly mean boss, she had ended relationships based on things she was in the future, and they are in this high powered add agency, all of that was very interesting. And it was clear they would get together but, in those earliest episodes, it was hard to imagine how. He was over the top mean to her at times. It reminded me of that old idiom about the boy who picks on the girl liking her. I don't subscribe to that because anyone that acts like that to me is too immature to be worth anyone's time. I really liked her ex-boyfriend, Pil-yo, and could not understand why she seemed to be leaning toward her mean, demanding boss. Slice of life is always interesting to me and getting some insight into what it is like to be a lead on a big add project was something I had not seen before. So there were a lot of things to pull me in and reasons to recommend others watch it. The male lead could be very attractive at times and, when he was being nice it made him more attractive, I thought. But, of the two I thought Pil-yo was more attractive and it was likely due to the fact he seemed to be consistently nice.

Spoilers*

Early in the series, Ye-sool was this kind, competent woman who was friendly and liked by her co-workers it seemed. The set mishaps and all the accidents between the two leads that triggered her visions and his super sensory were interesting. The way he completely avoided her was amusing. When we got the back-story of her break-up I thought, even though, but how does she know she can't change that future? I also thought perhaps it wasn't what she thought it was. Maybe he is just around a woman with a child but it's not his. When it came out later that was indeed the case and that he had waited three years to prove to her that things weren't what she thought they were, it was heart breaking. I had serious second lead syndrome. But usually there is something that makes you think her choice was the better one, at least for her. But in this case, I never saw anything about him or their relationship that indicated she made the better choice. He was consistently sweet and awesome to her. I liked and could tell there was something developing between him and the actress. They had that playful flirty energy going on. And I actually found that story more heart-warming than the main story. I also liked her cousin and the doctor and found their relationship very believable and cute. I found myself wanting to know more about those side romances than the main romance. I liked their secret romance at work and all the signals they came up with that used his special abilities. That was cute and funny. But then they really drove her whole vision of Ye-sool and Min-hoo having a steamy sexual encounter into the dirt. It made no sense to me that, after all the build-up, they had already been together before that happened. Then, the fact they went to so much effort to create all the circumstances surrounding it, to effectively make her vision come true was weird. It became like a fetish between them. And added nothing to the story at that point.

I agree with others that said the whole killer angel was put in awkwardly. There were so many ways they could have had a tragic accident in the past that would have given them abilities that some super stalker just seemed unnecessary. If they had kept that as an element the whole time, all these creepy encounters or something it would have been different, but it felt like they basically threw elements of it in at random junctures. Logic did not follow that this man would have killed her husband and she would choose to hide the details from her daughter. She knew he was not only obsessed with her but also delusional in thinking Ye-sool was his daughter. So the fact that he was able to stay so close to Ye-sool as a friend/confidant did not make sense. There was also the instance where they moved into a new house and Ye-sool was lost and that is how she met Min-hoo and most would assume they made this sudden move to get away from the stalker but that was never stated. And they spent very little time showing him actually stalking them before he is just suddenly in the house and murders the dad. So then they go to the USA but there is nothing about how that was significant or why and when Ye-sool came back. Lots of disjointed elements around the whole stalker story.

There were also character inconsistencies. Ye-sool goes from this somewhat demure, kind person that gets along with everyone to some unreasonable harpy after they start dating. She picks fights with him and seems to enjoy serial break-ups. They were so sweet together when they were younger that relationship built on constant conflict did not make any sense. They both were so careful about how they presented themselves in the office that their very public fights and shows of affection made no sense. It was funny on one hand but very disturbing on the other. It would be completely inappropriate behavior for any workplace and their big boss seemed to have very strict standards for professional behavior. I felt embarrassed for them and uncomfortable for their co-workers. She also became this hyper critical, mean-spirited lead and that did not make sense with her earlier character. She hated when Min-hoo was that way with her so for her to "grow up" as a leader and act like that made all the build-up earlier non-sensical. The fact they are both so hard to work with they can hardly find a director, you wouldn't last long in their profession if that was the case.

It was the first time I felt like rooting for a couple to split. Their constant fighting, breaking up and getting back together made for such a toxic relationship I felt like just quit it already. It was funny but cringy because anyone that acts like that should not be with the other person. On the plus side it did help me get over the second lead syndrome because I felt happy for him he escaped the completely toxic harpy. I did not feel she was fair to him anyway, if she loved Pil-yo as she indicated earlier, you would not have let something like that break you up. You would have tried to change that future or at least talked to him about it. They also did not give us much build up with them as a couple. We only saw a few snippets of them together happy then some crazy break-up.

My daughter read the web toon and said they deviated quite a bit from that. It isn't always bad they do that but, in this case, the deviations made less sense and made the story less engaging. In the webtoon she was always nice she said. It was a traffic accident that brought them together. Just a lot of things she said that made the story less grating. So, I think it would be worth reading the webtoon for comparison.

I recommend this just not as a top recommendation. It is interesting and has its high points but don't expect the romance to be heart-warming. Like seriously, at minimum they need a couple's counselor.

#KissSixthSense
#SeoJiHye
#YoonKyeSang
#KimJiSeok

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A gem in the time travel genre with a few notable flaws

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean romantic fantasy comedy drama. It iis a historical medical drama with a time travel element. It has 16, approximately 70 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis
In Josean times,, Heo Im (Kim Nam-gil) is a well respected and sought out doctor of traditional medicine. He makes an error when treating the king and the soldiers hunt him down and shoot him. He falls in the water but instead of dying he wakes up in modern day South Korea. As he wanders around trying to figure out this strange pace, he bumps into Yeon-kyung (Kim Ah-joong), an up an coming superstar in the cardiothoracic field. Destiny has plans for them as two lives become intertwined and they travel back and forth from Josean. Falling in love brings new meaning to a long distance relationship. Can they figure out what strange destiny brought him forward in time and what he is supposed to do?

Review

The romance between the leads was well paced and believable. Kim Nam-Gil did a masterful job of playing the slightly bumbling yet brilliant Josean doctor. The main supporting characters and side characters were well developed with just enough information on then pm to be compelling. Overall it was a good medical drama and another gem in the time travel genre.

Spoilers*. Two things I did not like about it was to me there was a character inconsistency. Where in the end he goes back to Josean, even though he had fulfilled one of his main goals back in that timeframe, and he had said earlier in the series that he preferred modern times. Nothing has significantly changed back in Josean, other than the fact that they were at war with Japan, which would’ve made it an even more unpleasant place to be, I didn’t like that tge way he had to travel was to kill himself and found it disturbing when he had to put a needle through his heart multiple times. I also thought the end where it didn’t seem like he would be able to time travel again but then suddenly dad was not logical. He is in Joseon amped that seemed to be that but then he saved his friends in a completely unexpected accident which sent him back to modern times. Instead of being shocked by the unexpected eventt and getting his bearings and deciding if he was ready and happy to be back, he shows up around her and he’s like hey I’m back I’m staying and let’s get together, To me that was a weird way for him to return to her it wasn’t like he had been trying to find ways back he seemed to have accepted he was staying in Josean and was settled in. She said how can I trust you as you said you weren't leaving before. I completely agreed with her. I would not have trusted him either. Then it sort of abruptly ends with the, bantering about his sudden return. It felt very rushed.

#Liveuptoyurname
#kimNamGiil
#KimAhJoong

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Great romantic legal drama

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic legal drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Some events in life shape us dramatically. Kim Yu-ri (Lee Se-young) lost her father in a tragic accident as a high school student. The fact that the accident was preventable had the company followed better safety standards made her determined to become a lawyer and focus on improving the safety and work quality for workers in Korea. It becomes her life's mission. She went to high school and college with Kim Jeong-ho (Lee Seung-gi) and they were romantically involved until he discovered that his family was involved in the corruption behind Yu-ri's father's accident. With strong sense of ancestry and responsibility for family actions, Jeong-ho decides that he and Yu-ri cannot be a couple and, with little indication, disappears from her life. Both were star students who became legal geniuses but Yu-ri has since pursued her passion to fight the underdog while Jeong-ho become so disillusioned he retreated to investigating the case in private while managing some buildings he owns. When Yu-ri is encouraged to retire from her current legal position because she is taking on two many money losing cases, she decides to open a cafe where she not only serves coffee but also legal advice. The location she picks just happens to be in a building Jeong-ho owns and the two are reunited. Yu-ri does not understand why Jeong-ho ended their relationship all those years ago and still harbors feeling for him not realizing he also maintains feelings for her. Can the two bring the corrupt perpetrators to justice? Will the cafe be successful in helping those who desperately need it and sustain Yu-ri enough she can afford to maintain it? Can Yu-ri convince Jeong-ho that the tragedy is not his fault?

Review

The cases were interesting and the friendships and romances were heart warming. It is a very good legal drama and I recommend it for anyone that likes romantic legal dramas.

Spoilers* Jeong-ho's reluctance to start a romance with Yu-ri was hard to understand as the series wore on. I understood, at first, the whole sins of my father angle and while that is not so much a thing in American culture I could understand it from what I know of Korean culture. But, with that, you either let it go or pursue it. As is so often the case I felt like he should just tell her what his father had done and let her decide if it was too much for her. I loved her unshakable sense of justice. How she would fight for the underdog even knowing it might cause her hardship. I did not feel the loop on Jeong-ho's father was completely closed. An honest discussion between him and his son explaining why he did some of the things he did might have mended their relationship sooner. I liked that they had reunited in the end. To me it was not in character for Yu-ri to be so reluctant to marry. Those that are reluctant usually experience bad relationships all around them. But her mother had a good relationship with her father up until his accidental death and then re-married and had a good relationship with her step-father so her fear of commitment did not make sense. It was also a little frustrating to have Jeong-ho come around and she is now the one, in the latter half of the series, who isn't sure if they can be together long term. I loved that it ended with a wedding. I am a fan of the "happily ever after" and I love all the wardrobe and seeing them all dressed up like that. There was just enough after story after the wedding to know what direction their lives were headed without going overboard and restarting the story.

#lawcafe
#Leeseyoung
#Leeseunggi

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Rare time 2nd is better than 1st despite lead actor changes

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 Chinese Romantic Comedy television series with 38, 30-45 minute episodes. Also known by the title "My Wonderful Boyfriend" from a Chinese book series.

This is a sequel to the popular Chinese Drama "My Amazing Boyfriend." And to answer some very frequent questions the two lead actors are different but it is still a continuation of the story. The former male lead was unable to come to China for the role due to a Halyu ban and the former female lead had a scheduling conflict. Some of the cast around them stayed the same though and the new additions are idols for the most part. I thought the male lead was better cast this time but preferred the original female lead. As it is always when the actors playing characters switch, I did have to remind myself this was the same story.

First I write a synopsis then I review

Synopsis
Tian Jing Zhi (Janice Wu) and Xue Ling Qiao (Kim Tae-hwan) acted the lead roles in the first season. They met after a car accident revived him from a dormant sleep and he, in turn, saved her life. Love developed as he stayed with her in search of the person who had put him in the dormant state.

The second season picks up where season 1 left off with a Jing Zhi (Tian Yi Tong) suspected pregnant and Lin Qiao (Mike Angelo) staying away as he thinks it is for the best. Things change when Lin Qiao finds out Jing Zhi is pregnant and he moves next door to watch over her and the child. When the secret gets out that Jing Zhi is able to carry a mutant Yun Zhen (Li Geyang), another mutant, is interested as he desires a child and begins to court Jing Zhi. Yun Zhen reveals there is an organization known only as "S" who are very interested in the mutants as well as a human able to carry a mutant child. Qiu Yue Bai (Wei Zhe Ming) is Jing Zhi's adopted uncle and, she is unaware but he heads up the "S" organization. Jing Zhi's grandfather uses his wealth to put Yue Bai in a position to write a contract with Jing Zhi to elevate her from B actress status but Yue Bai has his own motivation for doing so. There are also a string of disappearances and murders occurring that are somehow related to the mutants.

Review

There were several things I liked about this second series relative to the first one. Jing Zhi in this one seems to have had enough of Lin Qiao's cold behavior and is not immediately accepting of the terms of his involvement in her life. I also like that there are more mutants and that there is a guy that is pursuing Jing Zhi. The organization “S” is what you would imagine there would be with the Superhumans trying to figure out so many aspects of their existence plus how to blend in with human society. The fact that neither Lin Qiao and Yun Zhen both are reluctant to join the S organization is believable and fits their independent natures. They developed all of the characters well and you really got to know them and felt attached.

*Spoilers
The S corporation was antagonist enough that it was not necessary to have the doctor have his own evil intent within it. It seemed out of character that he became superhuman after bullies killed him then went on to be a bully himself. They did not explain well enough why he killed the women in the manner he did with the abdominal injuries. It seemed to allude to him experimenting around superhuman gestation but never closed the loop on the experiments he may have done including his victims. In the 1st series it seemed nearly impossible to fully kill the super humans and in the second it is like oh they can die by fire and also having their spinal cord ripped out. I did nit like that the superhuman doctor became a villians or that he just killed himself so easily. It was very “X Men” to me where there would be many mutations and each would have a unique role. They needed a doctor and his loss seemed like a major hole for the superhumans. They mentioned that, the mechanism of near death that caused their mutation should mean there were superhumans of other nationalities out there but that was never further explored. There was an opportunity when Lion traveled, for him to mention other Superhumans outside of Chimpna but there was only that brief mention and that was it. Oddly with the women sort of running everything in the end it seemed almost feminist woke. Jing Zhi becomes chairwoman and her acting career is no more. Little mama (the surrogate) now calls all the shots with Lion the former head of the S organization. I was disappointed Jin Zhi she never succeeded in her acting career because everyone was so mean to her about it in the first series. I also thought it would turn out she became superhuman and that would have allowed her and Lin Qiao to be together permanently. There were many opportunities for that to happen such as when she died while carrying the baby. I wanted her to carry the baby the full time and while I get why they made it so another superhuman had to still having her pregnancy turn her would have been more compelling as an avenue for her to be with Qiao and remain youthful like him. It reminded me a lot if the American “Twilight” series in that she fell in love with someone immortal, there is a group of immortals some good and others bad, blood was a key component, she has a miraculous pregnancy and carrying the baby nearly kills her. I would have found her grandfather and uncle stealing the baby away much more unforgivable than she did but I know that is a cultural difference in the way my culture views such actions and just a lesser role of elders in American culture. The ending felt rushed Yun Zhen was my favorite character and for it to not show them reviving him, his reunion with his girlfriend and their final date made me feel cheated. They also rushed the end of the pregnancy so that we never knew if the term was as long as a normal pregnancy and what little Lucky Star was like as an infant. It is a testament to how much I enjoyed this series that my complaints are that there was not enough not that there was too much.

I am not a huge C drama fan so the it took a lot from this series to overcome my basic dislike. She was more whiny in the 1st season but they premise was compelling enough to ignore that aspect. He was so cold in the 1st series that it be a one an annoyance but he canpme around and was so into her in the 2nd season that I was rooting for her to stop being difficult with him. Overall this was a highly entertaining series with very lovable characters and satisfying relationships and romances. I would watch it again and highly recommend to anyone that likes supernatural romances.


#myamazingboyfriend2

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Interesting premise, funny in parts, one of the better modern c-dramas

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 Chinese romantic comedy romance series with 28, 45 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis

Xue Ling Qiao (Kim Tae Hwan), was transformed by a snow leopard bite into a being that heals quickly, has super human powers, and doesn't age. He was put into a perpetual slumber when his blood was drained and 100s of years pass until he is discovered. The scientists are transporting him to a research facility when a traffic accident results in him being revived. Tian Jing Zhi (Janice Wu) is a B grade actress who would have died in the traffic accident had Ling Qiao not chosen to share his blood and revive her. With everyone who knew long gone, Lin Qiao circles back to Jing Zhi and convinces her to let him stay at her place while he finds who put him in perpetual coma. Jing Zhi's high maintenance attitude has caused many boyfriends to run for the hills but she may have met a match in Lin Qiao who is calm in the face of every storm she creates. The two grow to like and depend on each other while working together to solve the mystery of Ling Qiao's past. Will the two figure out the mysterious circumstances and can they stay together?

Review
I typically read a lot of opinions and reviews before I watch anything. This one showed up on lists of recommendations so many times I finally decided to give it a try. I am not a huge fan of Chinese dramas. It has been compared to "He Who Came From the Stars" but I think of it as more in that same genre than a Chinese equivalent to that. The lead male character in both are sort of cold and unemotional and have super powers but I think that is the strongest ties between the two as they are completely different stories. While there have been some good Chinese dramas such as "Arsenal Military Academy" and "Falling Into Your Smile" and "You are My Glory", for me there are two many elements in C-Dramas that I find annoying. So, I read a lot of opinions on this and it seemed most people that liked other things I have enjoyed also liked this. Overall I have to agree. But the things that lessened it for me was the humor and it is really just a difference in what different cultures find humorous. The humor in this is mostly slap stick and they make silly noises and even have silly drawings to emphasize it. in the first episodes the female lead acts extremely slap stick silly and it was almost so much that I quit watching it. But I was determined to get through it to see what others had enjoyed. I am glad I stuck with it because it got a lot better. There was a lot less slap stick humor as the story progressed and she became a more mature and solid character. There were times she was way more clingy than I am comfortable with, I think if someone isn't putting any effort in then it's time to go "He's Not That Into You" and quit trying to so hard. It really felt like, if she backed off, he might value her more. I also did not find the male lead incredibly attractive so I had to accept that he was supposed to be or it made certain aspects of the story a challenge. His hair style contributed a lot to making him look not very attractive in my opinion. It was all brushed forward in sort of a modified bowl cut. I called it "coconut hair" and it was a very unflattering style. The actor has a very angular face which was "softened" and allowed his dimples to show when his hair was styled back. I felt like everyone was very harsh and cruel to Jing Zhi almost making comments that she was unlucky and a poor actress. Because of that her friends and family really angered me in the beginning. I know the luck aspect is very culturally important in Chinese culture and some of my impatience with that is because I come from a different cultural perspective. The voice over dubbing was really awful and it made things seem very unnatural. The voice over dubbed Chinese to Chinese I guess to give it a studio sound quality? It just makes their voices seem "off" very frequently and was unnecessary. I wanted to hear their voices as they were speaking not some later over dubbed voice.

Spoilers*
Her ex-boyfriend/nearly fiance having lung cancer and her having to choose between getting him to use his blood and losing him, was a good plot angel. I thought it revealed his character a lot that he had her make that decision. I understood what he was saying about nature and human greed and they made it even clearer with the glimpses into his past. To me though it is radically different making a choice whether or not to save someone nearing the end of their life or someone who would naturally die early. Especially since he was a police officer, a good one at that, and would have died as a result of exposure while on the job. I felt he should have understood why she couldn't ignore the obvious option of curing him. Although he did not admit to jealousy in that situation, I think it did motivate him. And it did reveal a more human side to him. Having been burned in the past by curing someone - he should have known that situation was very different and the individual that got greedy and held not saving someone against him was clearly mentally ill. I was not completely surprised at who the villain turned out to be although they did a good job of throwing the viewer off the trail on several occasion. I suspected the cousin multiple times. I will rarely watch a series without reading reviews enough to be sure it will not be sad ending. This was not a sad ending, they both were alive and well. But it was disappointing in that they were not together. She is holding out hopes he will come back as he left his ancestral jade with her and his house. And she is "dating" her cousins and stole his turtle to lure him back. I would have been way more disappointed if I did not know there was a 2nd season and they were very clearly leaving it open.

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Great Slice of Life - if you like "Fight My Way" you will likely like this

9.5/10 is my rating This is a 2017 South Korean slice of life romantic drama series with 16, 60 minute episodes.

Synopsis
Choi Kang-soo (Go Kyung-pyo) vowed to find the woman who abandoned him and his father and to become powerful enough to protect those around him. He has been a food deliveryman in most neighborhoods in Seoul in his quest to develop the skills and connections to start his own delivery service all the while seeking his mother. Lee Dan-ah (Chae Soo-bin) is a take no prisoners delivery driver who is earning money for the sole purpose of emigrating elsewhere. She wants out of Korea convinced it is the root of all her problems. Oh Jin-kyu (Kim Seon-ho) is the middle son of a Chaebol family and has always been told he was a loser so he set out to prove them right. That is until he encountered Dan-ah who has no patience for self pity. Lee Ji-yoon (Ko Won-hee) is the daughter of a CEO and her goal is to lead her own life not dictated by her family's wealth. These four young people are forever changed and enriched by their encounters with each other. Love and friendship develop in the course of their daily lives.

Review

I really love slice of life dramas. I feel like I get to lean some things about aspects of the culture. In this case it was food deliver and being a delivery person. It reminded me a lot of another drama I like a lot "Fight My Way" where the characters struggle with making a living in jobs that don't pay much beyond necessities. I loved Chae Soo-bin in "I am Not a Robot" and had I known she was in it would have watched this a lot sooner. Like most Korean dramas the title and summaries really do not do it credit. There is a villian, bromances, secrets in the past, and all the elements that make these compelling. The 2nd couples romance was well paced, believable and very heart warming. And there was even a third and forth couple although their stories were much more in the background. The rich versus the poor was another aspect explored in this drama and there was a thread of good versus evil. It was, for me, practically perfect in every way. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes romance, slice of life or who likes these actors. It was enjoyable the whole way through.

Spoilers** I do wish it was clear in the end whether, or not, the grandmother knew he was her grandson. She was such a nice person and he was so good to her I would have liked to have known she was told he was her grandson. It was not clear whether his brother was his half brother or if his mom had been pregnant before leaving with him where he would have been his full brother. That also was not fully fleshed out. Kang-soo and Dan-ah had really started the more intimate portion of their relationship so it really felt like they just got together fully. I think that is a cultural difference in the US they would be viewed as maybe a serious dating relationship no guarantee it was headed to anything permanent. But in Korean culture it may be obvious that there relationship was permanent. I liked that Kang-soo and his mom seemed to be on better terms but that he had not completely forgiven her. So there were some really small points that could have been clarified but there were very minor detractors.

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If you liked "Bring it On Ghost", "Goblin", "Tunnel" - you will most likely like this

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic comedy fantasy with 16 approximately 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis

Cha Cha-woong (Park Hae-jin) comes from a long line of powerful male shamans. He chose not to follow in his grandfather's footsteps when he sees how well he is treated when things go well for people but how quickly they turn on him. So, he decides to use his skills to produce magic shows utilizing the skills of ghosts, which he employees. Fate makes Cha-woong and a dedicated female police officer Go Seul-hae (Jin Ki-joo) cross paths and the two use their individual supernatural powers to solve crimes.

Review
Overall I liked this very much. It had a supernatural element that had a lot of ties to the general beliefs on things such as ghosts and afterlife but had a lot of very unique twists. They wove the day to day police work in with the back story that was woven through very well. I loved the magic shows and how he utilized the ghosts to make shows that were so amazing it rocketed him to the top of his field. I was happy to see him in a role where I didn't feel I wanted to hate him. His role in "Cheese in the Trap" overshadowed how I felt about the actor so I was happy to see him in a role where he was a "good guy." The chemistry between the leads built slowly and realistically and they were a very believable couple. I liked that his character developed from being very self centered and selfish to what his core really was all about which was a more caring and thoughtful person. Other characters commented on the change and his character growth and it added to the compelling nature of such an unveiling of who someone really is under all the facade they put up. His ghost employees each had their own unique backstory, talents, and their relationship with the leads and each other made for a very heartwarming element. I highly recommend this for anyone that wants a unique and compelling drama. If you like "Goblin", "Bring it On Ghost", and "Tunnel" to name a few you will like this one as it has elements of all of those.

Spoilers* This one truly kept you going all the way to the last episode where there was still action happening and things going down. That was both a good thing (it kept you interested throughout) and a bad thing (the wrap up felt rushed). There were a few things that detracted ever so slightly from the story and kept me from indicating it was perfect. When the Male Lead character (MLC) is stabbed when he has the evil spirit in his body he somehow lives. But it is never clear how or why he lives or how just being stabbed got rid of the evil spirit. When he is taken in by his former ghost employees and they are suddenly back but pretending to be reincarnated versions of themselves - it is never reveal)ed how or why they were able to come back and help the MLC. It seemed as though the ghosts could decide when they were ready to move on. That was different than others have portrayed and also inconsistent with how it was portrayed earlier in the series. It never sounded or seemed like it would be their decision when they wanted to leave. It could be that what gave them that flexibility was being under contract with the MLC but that was never laid out. The children in the end who the MLC and Female Lead Character (FLC) indicated were reincarnations of the ghosts, it never showed how that transpired. Their son was a surprise and they alluded to him being a reincarnation of the general but that was not further discussed so it made it a bit awkward. The fact that he was working as a traditional magician and learned from the ground up from his former nemesis was an interesting angle but, as always, I was disappointed he lost his her abilities. I did like that it showed he was a lot more caring toward his employees based on what learned from the ghosts. The FLC was a kick butt detective and I loved that about her. I liked the reincarnation angle and thought it was amusing when he lived through his past life and came out of his coma all mushy and I love you princess. I thought, when she was out for awhile at the end that her experience going back and experiencing her former life as the Princess might result in her talking to him and indicating she understood how he was feeling when he was so over the top with her. It was a bit inconsistent that the MLC went back to the past and interacted with the Princess and she wasn't more surprised about this time traveling visitor. She sort of accepted it and even expressed feelings for this future version of her current love.

#ShowtimeFromNow

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Loved It - You will Never Look at whales the same - in a good way

9.5/10 is my rating. This s a 2022 South Korean Legal Romance Drama with 16, 64-82 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then I will review it.

Synopsis:
Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) is a lawyer with high functioning autism. Her single father raised her and provided a lot of life tricks that help her navigate social situations that are complex for those with autism. Although she graduates with the top scores in law school, because of page 2 of her resume, which outlines her autism, no-one wants to hire her. That is until the CEO of one of the major law firms focuses on page 1 that shows she is not only the firest Autistic person to graduate with such high honors, but that she is phenomenal in her field in general. Growing up Young-wo had only one friend Dong Geu-ra-mi (Joo Hyun-young) who has a rough exterior but a kind heart that led her to protect the Young-woo from the bullies. Hanaba, the firm that hired Yong-woo quickly discovers that, although they gave her a chance as a result of a connection the CEO had with her father, page 1 was, indeed the important page. Not only does Attorney Woo’s different ability (not disability but different ability) proide exceptional legal intelligence and photographic memory but her sweet nature draws people to her . While her manner of speech and presentation is direct and without any guile, even when the situation calls for it, initially make her peers think she will not last, her ability to hold so much legal information in her memory and scan it, makes her an invaluable asset to any team. Her supervising lawyer, Jung Myung-seok (Kang Ki-young), who was skeptical of her ability to do the job at first, becomes one of her strongest advocates. One of her close work associates, Lee Jun-ho (Kang Tae-oh), falls for the incredible woman who is Attorney Woo. The story follows Attorney Woo as she uses her outstanding and unique skill set to tackle a variety of interesting cases. Hanaba grows as a result of having such an outstanding attorney and attorney Woo progresses with the frienships she builds and the prejiduces she overcomes.

Review

Spoilers* This was such an amazingly good drama I feel sorry for those that don’t watch it. Attorney Woo is a differently abled attorney who has to deal with not only ethical issues around being an attorney in a law firm that is profit driven, but prejudices personally directed at hefor her different manner of speech and approach to social norms. Several of my family members are autistic and on various levels of the autistic spectrum and she truly said it best when she emphasized it is a spectrum so that simply having autism does not automatically mean you are the same, or can understand, others with autism. I liked how each episode dealt with a unique case and that, each case had some unique legal angle that Attorney Woo was uniquely skilled to ascertain because of her above average legal intelligence and photographic memory. I was a law technician and, at the time (this was 35 years ago) a physical law library was maintained in the law office and we would receive updates in the form of replace pages 10-19 with these new pages – the law books were in 3 ring like binders because the laws and relevant case citations updated all the time. As I am inserting this or that I would read parts of this case or that and there were a couple of times when I was able to point the attorneys to a case that was pertinent to whatever they were working on. A good attorney is open to any help with sifting through the mounds of case law to find that needle in the haystack that might shed light or add credence to a legal line that they are pursuing whether it be from a prosecutorial standpoint or defense. So, even from a lowly legal technician, if I spotted something in my many siftings through the law books – they appreciated the refence. And, whenever there was a big case there was a whole team of legal professionals researching case law, making recommendations on lines of defense or prosecution (I worked for a county legal team so they did both) and discussing all aspects of each case. I thought they presented that very well in this series – those that were open to additional ideas and looked at Attorney Woo not as a threat but as an amazing resource, did well on their cases. I also loved how it portrayed, because of her autism, some treated her like she was not fully capable and not fully an adult. Those that were in her inner circle realized she was extremely capable and that she had all the life skills of an adult with just a few modifications. Yes, she would panic if it was too chaotic or noisy but I know people with post traumatic stress disorder and general anxiety that don’t react much different. I have found that those with autism can be brutally honest and this series showed that, sometimes brutal, honesty. They just do not tend to be as socially devious as the majority of the population. While it can be awkward at times, it is also very refreshing. I wondered how they would treat her relationship with Jung-ho as some might see it as an awkward relationship but I thought they handled it perfectly. His sister was the voice of “but you have to take care of her” and I thought it showed Attorney Woo’s emotional maturity that she took that to heart and also considered she might make him feel lonely. One of the things that Attorney Woo finds undendingly fascinating are sea animals particulary whales and dolphins but she, at times mentions, narwals and other sea creatures as well. Whales are like her spirit animal because whenever she envisions one swimming through the air it is accompanied by some amazing revelation about a case. I love the visual as her hair blows back and her eyes get wide.

The few things that kept this from being perfect for me was just some loose ends I did not feel were tied up. I worry a lot about Netflix “Americanizing” Korean dramas as what I find very refreshing about Kdramas is what sets them apart from American television series. I like that one season is generally what series run and that a 2nd or 3rd season is an exception not the rule. In this case I felt it was left more open ended to leave room for additional seasons. They were back together, and that was nice, but it didn’t feel like their relationship had progressed significantly nor had he made the important step of meeting her dad. I really wanted to experience what her dad thought of him. She met her little brother and it felt like there could be a relationship there but he just disappeared from her life after the court case. It seemed like her little brother wanted a relationship with his older half-sister and I really liked his character so it would have been value added to have him involved with Attorney Woo. ? It was never clear what the CEO of Hanabah had against Attorney Woo’s mother. It was clear there was a back story there that was never explored.

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Central Romance is really heart warming, interesting premise, minor "flaws" in some element

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Historical Romantic Comedy Drama with 16 approximately 60minute episodes.

I first provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis:
Marriage is a big deal in Joseon era Korea and, at the top of their game Ma Hoon, (Kim Min-jae) Young-soo (Choi Seung) and Do Joon (Byeon Woo-seok) are three handsome bachelor's who use their unusual charm, intelligence, and good looks to run the most successful marriage agency in the land. Things are going well for the trio until the groom is stolen and the bride jilted during the wedding of Lee Soo (Seo Ji-hoon), a blacksmith's son and Gae-ttong/Yoon Soo-yun (Gong Seung-yeon) whom Lee Soo has loved for many years. But things are not what they seem and Lee Soo was a hidden prince who was abducted to fulfill his destiny as the King of Joseon. The marriage agency feels like they have to make it right for heart broken Gae-ttong and vow to help her determine what happened to Lee Soo and get the marriage back on track. When Ma Hoon foils an assasination attempt on Gae-ttong it is clear things may not be as they seem. The matchmakers pull Gae-ttong into their circle to protect her until they can figure out what, exactly is going on. Lee Soo still has not given up on marrying the girl he loves and asks Ma Hoon to help him figure out how to marry the girl who is now below his social station. Love is a tricky business though and destiny may have other plans.

Review:
Overall I really liked this. The concept of these match making men was a unique twist. The fact that each had a unique back story was very interesting. I loved Gae-ttong as she was very spirited and a-typical. It was a very heart warming story of love and friendship and good overcoming evil. Great all the way around on the surface.

Spoiler alerts**I did not like the romance between one of the matchmakers and the snobby noble daughter. I never found a single thing redeeming about her character and could not fathom a reason, other than her hard to get nature, why he would like her. She looked down on basically every one and the only consistency in her character was snobbery. Every time those two were focused on I just couldn't wait for the story to move on.

I felt very sorry for Lee Soo. He never asked to become king and his love for Gae-ttong was complete. My daughters, who watched it with me, found it nearly unforgivable that the only time he forced his powers as king was to try to force a situation where he would marry her. I think that is a bit generational. I thought his persistence just showed the depth of his love for her. They thought it was stalker level I just thought he was steadfast. I knew he would come around and he did. Said she could marry whomever. But it was sad to me. He mentions that he is married to the nation. I would have loved for him to have a happy ending. I know that is not realistic but I don't watch dramas to have them match sad reality.

There was no real sense for how her life with her brother went after they reunited. Was he living with her? It showed them hanging out a time or two but not if they had any sort of deep connection beyond that. It seemed he understood who she was but there was no emotional moment where it was clear that he did. When Gae-ttong was in trouble for impersonating a noble, he seemed to actually know her and suppress it to protect her, but that was it. And the maid that seemed to have something going with him. I liked that she was protective but to envision she had romantic feelings for him was a bit of a stretch. He was so child like in his thoughts that it would be weird. So that could have been cute if it was just a strong friendship but the implied romance was a little strange.

After all the effort and Gae-ttong to become a noble lady I really wanted to see her keep it. Like the noble who allowed her to use his name would fully adopt her. I mean he complimented her and said he thought his daughter would have been like her but I thought that was a missed opportunity at a really compelling relationship and another heartwarming story. He defended her at just the right time. But I wanted a real relationship to develop between them. It seemed he needed a daughter and she definitely needed a father figure.

I was disappointed in the last episode like so many others were. I really was asking in the second to last episode how the heck were they going to tie up all the political intrigue. Some prince, who we never saw, was supposedly coming back and two friends, turned enemy (the two high nobles) suddenly unite to back stab the king. So that could have been a big thing but it was so rushed it was like wait, how did they go from hating each other and seeming to have different goals for the throne to being in alliance again? It was just strange. A cool plot twist would have been that Do Joon was the prince. Then the snobby noble lady would have had to reconsider her actions. And I wanted him to fully tell her off. He minorly chastised her one time but I wanted him to call her on it and not like her anymore. So she was the one who wanted him but he was so over her. Instead he still wants her, even after she basically told him she wasn't interested because he wasn't a noble and not just any noble but a member of the royal family. So I think him being the hidden prince would have been a great twist.

After all Gae-ttong and Ma-Hoon did for Lee Soo I would have thought he would have given them high positions. I mean who could you trust more than them? It was unclear who filled his "cabinet" after expunging the traitors and how he turned public opinion. They started but never really finished that tangent. What happened with the Queen regent?

In conclusion I think this is well worth the watch. Despite some of the minor plot failings the characters were compelling, the romance was cute, and there were lots of interesting social constructs explored. Don't expect a perfect story. There are, in my mind, some unfinished tangents, and some questions left unanswered. It does end happy which is important to me and most of the major plot elements are tied up.

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One of my favorite couples - romance is heartwarming

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese Romantic comedy set against an e-sport backdrop. There are 32, 35 minute episodes (actual episode time ranges from from 30-45 minutes).

First I will provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis:
Qiao Jingjing (Dilraba Dilmurat) is a model, singer and actress who is isolated from regular social contact because of her fame. As such, she is only able to keep up with what is going on with former classmates through her close friends. One former classmate in particular, the guy who got away, Yu Tu (Yang Yang), turned her down in high school but she has never forgotten him. Years have passed but he is still handsome and brilliant and broke up with a long term girlfriend Yu Tu finds out through her circle of friends. She discovers by accident that he is a very skilled player in the mobile game Honor of Kings, which is a game she is advertising for. When fans found out she had been playing the game she needs to become a master or risk loosing the sponsorship to someone else. Looking for an excuse to see her former flame, Jingjing tricks Yu Tu into a face to face meeting for the purpose of enlisting his help as a tutor on Honor of Kings.

Review: (contains spoilers)

The romance portion is one of the best I have watched. I absolutely love the couple they represents everything that comprises a good relationship. They support each other and try to understand the other person's perspective. Although both have jobs that keep them away for long periods of time they ensure they are able to be part of each other's daily lives. She is no push over. When he rejects her she doesn't beg she walks away. When he decides he wants to be in a relationship with her she doesn't immediately accept his feelings. There are scenes when they are together where it is like they are the only ones in the room. When she was out with their classmates and he found out where she was he zeroed in on her. She was the most important person to him in that room and that shifted their relationship and made it so she believed he was sincere in his feelings after having rejected her earlier. The chemistry was there between them and they represented relationship goals.

Jinjing was someone who was fun to be around and amazing beyond her fame. It made it easy to understand how he could have fallen in love with her. She was mischievous, which was enjoyable to watch and was part of her overall confidence and unwillingness to accept being treated poorly. Both of the main characters underwent a lot of character development to become the best version of themselves for each other. She became less focused on material things and he became more fun loving.

I loved the sets and scenery. I felt like I saw parts of modern China that I had not seen to date. There were some beautiful places with lights, flowers, sculptures, architecture that showed the modern aspect(s) of portions of China. As they traveled, you got to see the diverse geography from desert to more tropical landscapes and from country to city. I felt like I got a mini tour of China it was nice.

There was slice of life of her career as a Chinese idol and that aspect was interesting and there was also slice of life of his career as a aerospace engineer. I found the aerospace engineering aspect less interesting because there were these long stretches where it was just him solving various aspects of space engineering puzzles. I remember when I was younger a popular saying was "I am not a rocket scientist" which was a self effacing way of saying you weren't an expert on something. It could also mean something was simply to do "it's not rocket science." In this case he was a rocket scientist and they went pretty far into the details of what he did to provide that slice of life. For me, I found it boring and actually fast forwarded through some episodes because it didn't show her much at all and was just focused on his issues surrounding his work. They could have cut out maybe 4-6 episodes that had heavy focus on rocket science. They didn't show Jinjing's work as much and her lifestyle was, to me, the more interesting of the two.

Overall I enjoyed this a lot and this is one of my top couples now. What detracted for me was just the unnecessary depth on rocket science. I recommend this highly, may watch parts of it again but would fast forward as I did through the "dry" episodes where not much is happening between them.

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