Interesting premise, compelling murder mystery but the other elements were sloppy chaos

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean Romantic Comedy, suspense and thriller drama. There are 16 ~60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Bong Ye-bun (Han Ji-min) is a veternarian in a small community where she, much to her disdain, primarily cares for farm animals. Her life dramatically changes when a meteor strike imparts her with a rare form of pychometry. Embarassingly, she has to touch human or animal butts to get visions. A series of murders leads her to work with homicide Detective Moon Jang-yeol (Lee Min-ki) who was sent to the smaller community from Seoul after making an error with an investigation. When Kim Seon-woo (Suho) comes to town, Dr Bong is immediately attracted to the incredibly handsome yet mysterious stranger. Problem is the Detective has Seon-woo at the top of his suspect list for the serial murders. Dr. Bong has checked out Seon-woo and believes he is innocent. But if not him, then who and why are the bodies stacking up?

Review

Chaotic is the best way to describe it. My impression is the writers were not sure if they wanted it to be a slapstick, regular or dark comedy. The story also switched between romance, mystery, comedy and supernatural but not in a smooth manner. The serial killer mystery was good and I thought it was what made it watchable. If you like murder mysteries it is worth a watch for that. If you like "silly" comedy you may enjoy that element. The psychometry portrayed is different and if you like supernatural you may find this portrayal interesting. I am unlikely to rewatch it because I did not feel it was well written. There is a sad element that hits about episode 14 so if you are one that gets really attached to characters be aware there are a lot of murders. It is sad in parts.

Spoilers

The early episodes were the worste of it to me. They set it up as she is a veternarian who takes over her grandfather's clinic as if that will be an important element but it really isn't. After she starts working with the detective its as if she just closed the doors to her clinic. I guess it was so she had critters early on that would not care if she touched their butts so she was able to discover and develop her ability. They did circle back later where her whole pet psychic thing got her on the talk show circuit.

I felt like nearly all the characters were weird. She was weird because when

she discovered she had to touch butts to use her ability she went about it as if she somewhat enjoyed it. It was no wonder the detective thought she was a pervert at first. But he was also weirdly quick to judgement and violent. He was super violent with Dr. Bong at first. Even if he thought she was being a pervert the way he body slammed her to the ground on several occasions was completely wrong. And he had her do dangerous things on her own so he could get information. The chief was weird and rude to main guy from the outset. Main girl's best friend was also weird she was hostile to nearly everyone and mean to Dr. Bong. Her Aunt though was the weirdest of all. The weird way she acted to the Chief was cringy. Who locks someone to a bed frame then throws the key out the window?

I do not know who did wardrobe but it was horrendous. The best friend looked like she bargain hunted fashion items and sort of threw them all together whether they matched or not. Dr. Bong looked grade school sheik. And the collars on some of her outfits looked like she could take wing.

With all the early physical violence and him treating her so carelessly through most of the show, there was no chemistry with the detective and Dr. Bong. Her best friend's crush and claim on the detective was also ridiculous. No chemistry with Seon-woo because she looked like an old bag lady or a preschooler at various times. No one kissed either. So the romance element was thin.

I did not like how they portrayed her as an idiot. She is a vet, which takes a lot of really difficult coursework and yet she is too stupid to even render first aid when someone is hurt, She saves one of the victims from being stabbed but then stashes her in the vicinity while she looks for help. Then she runs into a bus load of men who could have helped but wastes time looking for the detective. Her absolute ineptitude allowed the killer to get the girl again. Then she runs away when Seon-woo is fighting the killer rather than stepping in to help. There is a scene where she fins what she thunks is the murder weapon, a knife covered with red chili from kimchi (looked a little like blood) and she ripuns down the street and even gets on the bus with the knife extended. When she gets to the police department and they ask if she ran all the way with the knife like that she says she did. A smart person would know that is not how you would take a murder weapon to the police.

The Shaman's son was introduced as if that was an important element of the story, but then he just drops out of the story line with no explanation where he went. I think the sole purpose was to allude he killed his wife and that is why the son was there. It was just weird not to indicate what happened with the son.

#HanJiMin

#LeeMinKi

#Suho

#JooMinKyung

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Surprising complexity buried in a straight forward romance with a happy ending

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 Chinese romantic comedy drama with 24, 44-57 minute episodes. Also known under the alternate titles: “Accidentally Found Love”, “I Accidentally Picked Up Love”, and “You Succeeded in Attracting My Attention”

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis
Gu An Xin (Zhao Lu Si) is leading a simple, though impoverished life, as a delivery driver when she accidentally hits Ling Yue (Liu Te) when he stumbles into the road. She does not realize he is crawling out of an accident where rival heirs tried to get rid of the heir apparent. Ling Yue allows An Xin to think she is the primary cause of his injuries in order to use her as cover and her apartment as a hide out while he investigates who is behind the attempt on his life. AnXin also has a secret and is hiding. As they live together and get to know each other it seems fate may have had a hand in things. Can two who seem so opposite actually be each other’s ideal?

Review

Overall it is a good, heart warming romance with some surprising plot twists and complexity. There were some minor plot elements that were not neatly resolved. But the main story is interesting and compelling. It ends happy for all but one side couple.

Spoilers*
I have to say when the apartment flooded that whole incident was a little unbelievable just because of the amount of water and how easily she cleaned it up. In fact, she was never very upset when he did major damage to her apartment like the kitchen fire and the flooding. All of that would’ve taken a lot to repair. Also when she listed the expenses related to that it wasn’t anything about the water damage that that would’ve created. It made it a bit silly in those parts that her response did not mirror reality.

This one takes the cake for most surprising plot twist. At this point I’ve watched over 300 dramas. Because I have watched so many dramas it makes it to where I can predict a lot of the plot twists. So I usually have figured out who is doing what to whom by halfway through. In this one when it turned out it was the little brother behind all of the attempts on main guy I was completely surprised. That level if surprise us rare..

They made such a big deal out of Anxin being kicked out of her family I wanted her to have a big reveal with her dad. She did not get a chance as he wound up with a brain tumor that led to dementia. That was disappointing. He also did not understand how messed up the actions of the current wife were. She denied him his daughter by swapping the paternity test and essentially drove his wife to end herself.

I wish the brother never expressed romantic feelings for her. They had such a cute brother sister relationship before he made it all weird and awkward by telling her he was interested in her romantically. It was ironic to me, because early in the series I kept saying Ling yue was being unreasonable toward Anxin’s brother because that was just her brother. Turns out he sensed all along that he had more than brotherly feelings for her. I was glad the two men mostly bridged their differences at the end and became friendly with each other.

Anxin’s sister was just straight up cruel to her so I did not feel warm fuzzies when she started being nice. I thought she was horrible to both men too, Ling yue and his little brother. She would work on Anxin and get her doubting herself in the relationship and it would either cause problems or break them up temporarily, and there was no reason for it because he had all the opportunity in the world to get with her previously and didn’t.

I did not like how they were willing to forgive the little brother and say he’s just young. The fact that he tried multiple times and showed no remorse would be highly indicative of a sociopath.

An Xin’s sister was a bit redeemable because at least she showed remorse for her actions at the end although I thought Anxin forgave her way too quickly. The little brother and the mom, on the other hand, never showed remorse so it was wrong for them to forgive them, or seem willing to forgive them when they did not even sorry themselves. They were only sorry that they got caught and so they felt bad for themselves.

Two of my favorite characters were his bodyguard and his doctor best friend and I thought the romance between the two was so cute. When he went into the boxing ring to defend her honor and show his sincerity and took a serious beating for her I thought that was so cool. I really started rooting for them then.

It was complete bonus round that Anxin’s manga business took off. It was really cool to see her be successful in her own, right.

#PleaseFeelAtEaseMrLing
#Zhao Lu Si
#LiuTe

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If you like heart warming romance with a happy ending this is it

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Chinese modern romantic drama with 28, 45 minute episodes.

First I write a synopsis and then review

Synopsis

Xin Qi (Wang Zi Ki) was once a romantic young man with a heart condition who dreamed of making good on a promise he had with a girl who grew up in the same orphanage. A series of errors leads to him mistaking Min Hui (Wang Yu Wen) as that childhood love. They fall in love and Min Hui tells Xin Qi the truth. He does not take it well and vows to never forgive her then lands in the hospital clinging to life. Min Hui stays long enough to see him through surgery and on the road to recovery before disappearing while pregnant with the child she kept secret. Years later, Min Hui and Xin Qi reunited when their professions bring them together through work. Min Hui is a brilliant medical software programmer and Xin Qi is the CEO of a company that holds many investments in medical technologies. They did not part on good terms and Xin Qi is not ready to give up on the resentment he harbors toward the woman he thinks betrayed his trust even as he grows curious about the age and similarities to himself of her young son, Min Quanquan (Cui Yi Xin). Could he be the father? Did he really want Min Hui out if his life forever?

Review

I loved this show and my only sadness was when it was over. The female lead is smart, strong and courageous. She does not allow the male chauvinists in her work and beyond to get away with sexually harassing her or anyone else on her watch and gets them back in the most delightful ways. Yet she is not an over the top woke feminist she just wants mutual respect. She also does not let the men in her life treat her poorly. The male lead is just the right combination of serious and very capable businessman and charming and engaging human being. I disagree with others that thought the side romances were annoying. There was one side character, the ballerina, who started out a bit whiny and clingy but she underwent great character development and turned out to be a character I was rooting for. I looked up what it is like in modern China because these shows make me curious if it is only the elite that has this type of lifestyle but there is actually a growing middle class in China. So the characters may not only represent the elite. I loved the little boy character as he was so smart, cute and funny. I highly recommend this to anyone that likes heart warming romance. As someone who hates sad or nebulous endings I can attest that this has a very happy ending and the story line is well wrapped up.

Spoilers*
My greatest concern was that either the dad or the little boy would die or suffer very ill effects from their heart conditions but they both live and have their heart issues managed through surgery and seem as if they will live healthy lives. I loved that when main guy treated the female lead poorly because he had doubts about her from the past she was basically like I don’t need you and he had to work to prove to her that he would stand by her and trust her moral character. When the female lead character thought he was trying to take her son from her she gave him no quarter. I think you let people in your life know how you are willing to be treated and she was really clear that she wanted him to love her for her and not just as the mother of his son. She made it clear she would not let anyone, even him, come in between her relationship with her son. I liked how he so quickly accepted he was a father and his initial surprise turned to delight at the thought. The interplay between the father and son and the son and the mother was so delightful. Dressing him up in matching outfits and playing super hero with him are things that a father who truly loved their child would do. But he was a perfect partner for the female lead too, when he found out she was sexually assaulted his response was absolutely perfect. He supported her, empathized, and helped ensure the man who assaulted her was punished. I loved his assistant too. I loved how much he cared for his boss/friend and the relationship his assistant developed with the little boy. Even the second guy in this one had a happy ending. It is a rare case where you feel the second guy has a great outcome but in this case he did. The persistent ballerina was probably the only one who could have won him away from his pursuit of lead girl. And it all ended perfectly for me. I love happily ever after so seeing the wedding was a very happy moment. I liked that we even saw the little family two years later and that they had another child. It was just enough without being too much.

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I loved every minute of this perfect series

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean historical Romance with 12, 70 minute episodes. It is based on a web novel & webtoon of the same title written by Chun Jy-Hye.

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Synopsis
The setting is during the Josean area but all the events and people are fictitious. King Lee Heon (Kim Young-dae) has placed a ban on marriage since the tragic death of his wife, the Crown Princess, 7 years earlier. A con artist, Ye So-Rang (Park Ju-Hyun), thinks the ban is unreasonable and is running an on the sly marriage service thinking it will escape the crowns‘s notice. When she is caught by none other than the king himself she devises a plan to pretend to channel the former crown princess. The king, who remains devastated by the loss of his wife, decides to keep So-rang close to gain closure on his wife’s death. No-one is how they seem and the king’s best friend and head of security, Lee Shin-won (Kim Woo-seok) thinks So-rang looks a lot like the girl who disappeared prior to their wedding. As So-Rang grows closer to the king she genuinely desires to alleviate his emotional pain using all her skills at deception. Will love grow in this unlikely place?

Review

I loved every minute of this heartwarming, funny, interesting historical romantic comedy. The relationship between the King and So-rang was well paced, their chemistry was really good and it was believable. Lee Shin-won (Kim Woo-seok) was a second male lead whose character you could not fail to love. If you like romance and with happy endings for all then this is a rare find. I lover it, would watch it again and highly recommend it.

*Spoilers
So-rang is one of the most entertaining characters to watch. She had so much tragedy in her life yet found a way to survive and yet have a caring heart that wants to help everyone she encounters. The room becomes more fun when she walks in. Despite her relatively low social position both men fall for her as the truly unique and utterly engaging charismatic individual she is. She was so good at fake channeling you wondered if it was real at times and she did not even realize it. The dashing investigator, Shin-won was such a good human being you could not keep from rooting for him in everything he did. I loved his relationships with So-rang and with the king. They introduced his new love interest late but she was immediately someone I liked and she was someone fitting for the lovable Shin-won. The King was near perfect he was lovable, fair, honest and yet had a strong sense for punishing criminals and rooting out evil. I liked that, when he discovered she had lied and deceived him, he was angry but only for a short period then figured out, on his own, she did it to help him. To m if you love someone you would know those types of things about them and believe in them when it counted. I thought how the King nearly lost his mind when Shin-won put aside their friendship and pulled So-rang away was realistic and So-rang stopping hm from harming his friend showed the depth of all their relationships. The two men forgiving each other and renewing their friendship towards the end was so satisfying. The evil was fully revealed and punished. We got to see happy endings for all the main characters and a glimpse of happily ever after.

#ForbiddenMarriage
#ParkJuHyun
#KimYoungDae
#KimWooSeok

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Ring ring hello karma there appears to be some people you missed

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2017/2018 South Korean coming of age drama. There are 12, 30 to 35 minute episodes. Also known as Revenge Note 1.

First I provide a synopsis then a review

Synopsis
Ho Goo-hee (Kim Hyang-gi) is a petite high schooler who just wants to make it through her school years peacefully. She is nice to everyone and this causes supine to view her as a pushover. When her dad stands up to a thuggish teenage group, the Zombies, they discover their high school junior, Hang-Gi is his daughter. To get back at the old man and really because they just like being bullies, the Zombies begin harassing and harming Hang-Gi. A classmate, and the most handsome and popular boy in that year, Shin Ji-hoon (Park Solomon also known by stage name Lomon) comes to her rescue. Hang-Gi receives a message on her phone asking if she wants to exact revenge. This happened before when her boyfriend cruelly dumped her. Each time she receives a nite asking if she wants revenge, the subject receives a note indicating they are marked for revenge, revenge happens then Hang-Gi is notified revenge is complete. But who is watching her to know she, orsomeone close to he, is in a situation where revenge is in order? She suspects everyone around her. Is it her brother’s friend turned idol, Cha Eun-woo (The Cha Eun-woo from Astro)? Is it her best friend Jung Deok-hee (Kim Hwan-hee) who is also very tech savvy?

Review
Dont we all wish, at times, we could just call up karma? This was a sweet, well acted, fast paced coming of age romance. No huge surprises other than the mystery of the revenge note. The main character is sweet and while she is a pushover it is only to a point. I recommend this to anyone that likes coming of age and wants some quick feel good vibes.

Spoilers
I starting watching this days after MoonBin of Astro died of suspected suicide. To see Astro make guest appearances was sad just knowing what happens in real life, but it was nice to see them at the same time. A couple of people in my personal circles have made that choice and every one I even hear about brings it back. So I was feeling so sad about the entire thing and heart broken for Cha Eun woo when I watched this not knowing Astro was in it. Cha Eun Woo as second guy was strange because it is hard to imagine him being second to anyone and the role he payed in this was as nice of a character as I understand he is in real life. Astro fans really should not miss this as they do make cameo appearances. Just maybe wait if seeing them will make you too sad. I really wanted to find out how revenge note came about and who is exacting the revenge, but it never reveals that part just hints at it. Her shart was so cringy for me but in American culture that would be extra level faux pas. Most Americans do not talk openly about that bodily processes not right or wrong just a cultural difference. So I had major second hand embarrassment going on with both her and her dad’s digestive woes. I thought her friend was unreasonable when she found out main girl knew Cha Eun woo and didn’t tell her because, as a fan girl, she should have understood why she couldn’t tell. I liked how main girl stood up for people even when they hadn’t always been great to her personally. It was a little much to believe there could be two incidents with alleged inappropriate behavior from teachers but was intersting to see how, in one case, it was true and, in the other it was false accusations. As you can tell for such a relatively short series it had substance.

#SweetRevenge
#RevengeNote
#KimHangGi
#Lomon
#ParkSolomon
#ChaEunWoo

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Slice of Life of Entertainment Management and Public Relations with heartwarming romance

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean Romantic Comedy with 16, 60 minute episodes.

Most synopsis undersell the complexity of this series. I will give a synopsis first and review in the next paragraph. It is a slice of life of an entertainment agency and exhibits the trials and tribulations of doing public relations and managements for top talent in South Korea. Threaded through is a love story between the agency's top star, Gong Tae-sung (Kim Young-dae) and the agency's most diverse and talented public relations lead Oh Han-byul (Lee Sung-kyung) who also oversees most all functions of the agency. She can solve most crises except when Tae-sung deliberately creates situations to "one up" the girl he used to be a campus couple with, still harbors feelings for, yet wants to pay back for not giving him the level of attention he feels he deserves. Lots of comedic situations, a great lens on this portion of the entertainment industry, great chemistry between the leads, and interactions among friends.

The title of this one is amusing because in English asterisks and other special characters are used to block out letters in curse words. So this title reads quite different for me in my auto correct mind and probably does for many others who American English is their primary language. But, as it turns out, I think this was intentional because, at one point, one of the characters says their job is cleaning up the stars sh**t. So maybe the title is intentional.
Honestly most of the summaries of the plot I read for this failed to do justice to how interesting this is in terms of insight into an entertainment agency. I found myself greatly sympathizing with the managers who had to do the craziest things to appease the stars they managed and they way they emoted along with their various acting talents. For instance, if one of the stars was in a tragic drama, the manager often mirrored the emotional highs and lows of the actor they managed. I liked the playful nature of the relationship between the leads and how they were always trying to get one over on each other which made for a lot of comedic moments. I was disappointed that Lee Jung-Shin was not the lead instead he played entertainment company lawyer Do Soo-Hyeok. Since he is an idol I thought this would be the time he would get a lead role and I am still anxious to see him in a high profile lead role as I have enjoyed watching him so much. He was one of my favorite characters in "Cinderella and the Four Nights" and I thought he would make a great male lead as he played that very emotional role very well. Still Kim Young-dae did such an excellent job it would be hard to complain about his performance. I found his transformation from every day to his acting and modeling look to be quite dramatic. A slight change in hair and some makeup and he went from boy next door handsome to sizzling hot super star. I absolutely loved the way Kim Young-dae played the role. He was so cute in his relationship with her. I could not imagine anyone playing that role better than he did. And, it turned out, the Do Soo-Hyeok character had a very heart warming romance with the female leads friend. I just wished that one had a bit more time and they hadn't spent as much time having Soo-hyeok pine after our female lead as part of that love triangle. He was so much better suited for the reporter friend. There was a romance between two young actors who started out hating each other and fell in love but had to hide it because they both were not long from their debut. That was interesting. The one I could not buy nor care much about was the romance between the female lead's other friend, the relatively new manager, and her sunbae. To me it was an awkward relationship where she seemed like, and he treated her like, more of a younger sister. So I never got the chemistry from them and it felt like a waste of time everytime it switched to their story. I liked both of their roles individually but did not feel anything for them as a couple. So, that and just the fact that practically everyone wound up together with someone detracted from this being perfect. Other than that, I loved everything about it. I liked how they showed the complexity of covering all of the scandals, the pressure on both the agency and the actors, and the tough decision to focus either on love or career when you can't fully have both. Most movies about "idols" or actors falling in love, particularly with normal, non-famous people, it winds up either they have to quit pursuing fame or the romance does not work out. I liked that this showed it doesn't always have to be the case. I know with American actors there are some really long standing Hollywood couples and often those really long relationships are between someone who is famous and someone who is not. There are a couple of exceptions where both are famous but, for the most part, it seems to work out better when one is not famous. I have noticed in real life, with South Korean, there seems to be more forgiveness when it is an actor that winds up with someone not famous than if it is an idol. There is some hope that is changing but there still seems to be less scandal and problems if an actor dates outside of the famous circles than if an "idol" does so. I also found it interesting that his kiss scene was a thing where he had to emphasize that was work. I know with American actors I notice that, when the famous person has a serious relationship with someone, particularly someone that is not famous, they quit taking romantic roles. I just think that few relationships can survive one of the partners having that kind of intimacy even if it is just for work. I can even think of an instance, with one Hollywood couple, where an onscreen romance wound up ending a real life marriage. But they did not elaborate that angle as to whether or not he would continue to take lead romantic roles. Overall I loved this one and highly recommend it to anyone that likes romance, slice of life, or follows any of these actors. I would watch it again as I einjoyed it immensely.

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Great legal drama with romance and a serial killer

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean television drama spanning 40 episodes (~30 minutes). Ji-wook (Chang-wook) male lead. The lead female character is Eun Bong-Hee (Nam Ji-hyun)

About Noh Ji-wook, a prosecutor, and Eun Bong-hee , a prosecutor trainee, and how they work together on a mysterious case involving a sly psychopath murderer They find out how deeply connected they are by their past.

Spoiler ? The standard description really does not do credit to this story. There is a serial killer who taunts the two main characters throughout the entire show. The female lead is framed for a murder she did not commit and it basically destroys her life. There is sizzling chemistry between her and the male lead. Lots of romance and it is filled with suspense. This is now one of my favorites.

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Funny, heartwarming romances, interesting characters but...

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 12, 60 minute episodes. It is known by the alternate title "The Office Blind Date."

Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) often does odd jobs for her friend and heiress Jin Young-seo (Seol In-ah). This one is even a bit much for her but she still agrees to pretend to be her friend and go on a blind date, playing a vixen, in a deliberate attempt to "botch" it. Little does Ha-ri know but the blind date is none other than Kang Tae-mu (Ahn Hyo-seop), the new CEO of Ha-ri's company. Tired of the whole blind date circus, Tae-mu vowed to just get it over with and marry his next blind date. Tae-mu did not realize that the next blind date would be a deception and that he was not going out with an heiress, Young-seo, but an employee at his company. It is not long before he discovers that Ha-ri is not Young-seo but he is not sure who she is and when he asks for her real name she gives him another psuedonym she often uses with her friend's friends and not her real name which would have revealed she was actually his employee. Tae-mu still does not know Ha-ri works for him and hilariaty ensues as she hides the fact from him. Tae-mu's grandfather, Kang Da-goo (Lee Deok-hwa) has been pressuring his grandsone to find a suitable marriage partner as he is the heir to the conglomerate. Tae-mu bullies and bribes Ha-ri into pretending to be his fiancée in exchange for 800,000 won per date. While Ha-ri is not keen on this level of deception she agrees as she is constantly looking for money to cover her families' financial woes. Young-seo takes another route to escape the constant pressure of finding a marriage partner, she moves out of her father's house and finds herself next door to none other than Tae-mu's, Chief of Staff/like a brother, Kim Min-kyu (Cha Sung-hoon) who finds the heiress very alluring yet is angry at the way she deceived his boss/like a brother. The set up is ripe for laughter inducing moments and a multitude of misunderstandings. Can the four young people navigate the expectations placed on them and be able to find their own path to love?

I loved this and would definitely recommend others watch it and I would rewatch it. That being said, there are some flaws that exist when compared to the web toon it is based on. The web toon was more flawless in my opinion as it stayed away from some tropes that can be tiring where this returned to them and deviated. Spoilers* In the web toon the grandfather liked Ha-ri throughout and would chastise the Tae-Mu anytime grandfather felt Tae-Mu was not treating her right. In the drama rendition the grandfather was more of a stereotypical Korean wealthy parental figure and disapproved of the relationship. In the end, there was a very short piece about him not coming back until she accepted the ring which indicated she finally won his approval but it was way too short relative to the length of time he had disapproved. There was also the separation trope in the drama rendition that did not exist in the web toon. I am not a fan of the separations that are usually a year or more. In real life it rarely makes the heart grow fonder and more often just causes people to grow apart. It was not necessary and they could have stuck with the way it was in the web toon. The chemistry between the actors was really good. Kim Seo-jong reminds me of Emma Stone in both her looks and her voice. It is said we all have "twins" running around in people that have similar features and I see that in international stars. I think Kim Seo-jong was well cast in the Ha-ri role as she was a pro at carrying out the comedic aspects of hiding like she did whenever her secret was about to be discovered. As many have observed, 12 episodes did not feel like enough. There was still room to carry out aspects that were reflective of the web toon. In the web toon Ha-ri did not give in to marriage right away and he was insistent on marrying her because he vowed to marry the next person he went on a blind date with and carried that through despite the deception. There was a lot of comedy associated with that in the web toon. There is also the concern that Netflix is setting a standard of a shorter number of episodes and one thing many like about South Korean dramas is the depth of story and character development that can only be achieved in at least 16 episodes. In this case, 12 episodes meant they rushed certain aspects of the story and did not fully tell others. I loved the relationship of Ha-ri and Young-seo and it made sense how she came to do the blind date as they would do practically anything for the other. Tae-mu and Min-kyu's brother like relationship was also very enjoyable and heart warming. It went a bit more risque in the bedroom scene than was necessary and I felt it deviated from the way South Korean dramas typically portray intimacy. All of the characters were well cast and it was enjoyable watching the character and relationship developments. I thoroughly enjoyed this drama but hope that Neflix will not continue to deviate from a formula that works so well for South Korea drama. As a huge South Korean drama fan I do not want to see South Korean dramas "Americanized." I rarely watch American dramas for many of the reasons that make me love South Korean dramas. American dramas are typically too short, too risque, don't have a lot of character or plot development and unnecessarily introduce sad elements.

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Light and Fluffy but also explores some deep topics

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 16, 70 minute episodes. Alternate title is Dal-ri and Gamjatang.

Kim Dali (Park Gyu-young) is tasked by her boss (at the museum where she works as a curator), to pick up a VVIP from the airport. However, VVIP Mr. Jin is not the only Mr. Jin coming into the airport that day and she winds up picking up the wrong Mr. Jin (Jin Moo-hak played by Kim Min-jae). This case of mistaken identity winds up being a fateful encounter as Dali offers the traveler a place to stay when his credit cards do not work. They part ways the next day and Moo-hak immediately regrets not getting her number but believes he will see her again before leaving the Netherlands. Right after they part, Dali discovers her father has died in South Korea and immediately leaves for her home country. Moo-hak leaves the Netherlands without seeing this girl he found an immediate connection with only to soon discover the girl he had been looking for is now the heiress of a museum he lent a significant sum of money to. Dali remains in South Korea to save the museum, which is her father's legacy, but finds there are multiple creditors looking to be paid. Moo-hak is torn between doing whatever it takes to recover the money and save face with his family and helping out this girl he finds so compelling. Moo hak knows a little something about making money having helped his father build a global food company from the ground up. Add in a wealthy ex fiance, a girl who is obsessed with Moo-hak, the mystery surrounding the real reason for her father's death and the current state of the museum's finances and the viewer is in for a wild ride.

I loved this movie from start to finish. It did not have any of the tired tropes that I sometimes find annoying, there were tons of suprise twists that suprised even someone that has watched hundreds of dramas. Dali is now one of my all time favorite characters I loved how she was such a thoughtful, kind and caring person yet could, at all the right times, really lose it. Moo-hak was so genuine and you could really see how he had gotten to where he was and even understand his crazy penny counting. Spoilers*** In the USA, at one time, kids were often not told they were adopted for fear of the social stigma surrounding a child that is not blood related. It was all tied into the stigma around being born out of wedlock. As the prevalance of that social stigma has decreased, so has the stigma around being adopted. Not to say it is not still present, it just isn't as widespread as it once was. In as much as this is an "accurate" portrayal in South Korea, it seem that social stigma is still something that is dealt with as well perhaps to a slightly higher degree. I was surprised that her simply being adopted could cause such a major hit to her social standing. There was also the concept of "old money" versus "new money" which is something that is tied to class distinction, to varying degrees, in developed societies perhaps the world over. I really like how she stood up to her ex-fiance and never validated what he did to her by going back to him. There are certain things a person can say or do to another person that there really is no going back from. Dali was generally calm, level headed, and sweet. Her character was the type that spreads calm when she walks in a room. I liked that you could tell she had learn those traits from her adopted father. I was happy the uncle came around and actually apologized to her for the horrible things he said to her. The museum staff was, on balance, loyal and I was glad they did not wind up turning on Dali as that would have lessened my enjoyment of that slice of life "family." Dali stood up to Moo hak's dad when he told her he didn't think her and his son should be together. It was truly a love that conquered all and it made it all the more sweet overall. They really tricked us with the year separation, I thought she had left for a year because of the father's disapproval. That is a trope I am not found of - that whole leave for 1, 2, 3 or you know 5 years, sometimes don't even call or contact, come back and everything is all hunky dory. The writers must have known that because they tricked us into thinking she left for a year then went "psych they were together the whole time". I would rewatch this and highly recommend it to anyone that loves this genre. So good. One of my favorites.

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Loved the main male lead he was like a puppy so sweet and cute

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean Romantic Comedy drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

Baek Joon (Kang So-ra) learned at a very young age that she only had herself to rely on. Her father died after devoting his life to the Gangsu group but was ruined financially after exposing corporate corruption. After witnessing her father's downfall as a result of his alliance to one company she vowed to never chain herself down in such a way. She happily works multiple part time jobs to avoid chaining herself to what she perceives as a large corporate monster. Kwon Jae-hoon was Joon's first love and he has remained friendly but not directly expressed any romantic interest. He is responsible and career driven to a fault and often criticizes (he considers it encouragement). Joon for not seeking out a more permanent position. The difference in opinion on what comprises responsible adulthood is suspected as the reason Joon and Jae-hoons relationship has never developed beyond friendship. Byun Hyuk (Choi Si-won) is a Chaebol and as the younger son of Byun Kang-soo (Choi Jae-sung), the chairman (of the Gangsu group) Byun Hyuk (Choi Si-won). Since he is has not been tasked with any major responsibilities in the company, his main goal is to stay out of trouble and keep the companies' name out of the papers. As a carefree rich playboy, Hyuk finds himself frequently doing things that foster negative attention and his childhood friend and current "keeper" Jae-hoon is responsible for cleaning up the messes Hyuk makes. This "fixer" role has now fallen to Jae-hoon who observed his father doing the same and resents Hyuk because his father once took the wrap in Hyuk's stead. Joon accidentally meets Hyuk when the hotel where she works at winds up kicking them both out for different reasons. The hotel failed to recognize the hotel owner's second son so Joon also assumes he is a "commoner" just like her. The two get to know each other as Joon helps Hyuk make his way in the outside world (Hyuk is avoiding going back and facing his dad over his latest escapade). Hyuk is immediately enamored with this girl who is unlike any he has ever known - she gives him the confidence to break out of his playboy mode. Which is actually just what his older brother, Byun Woo-sung (Lee Jae-yoon), the elder son of Byun Kang-soo, fears the most. He wants to be the sole successor to his father and is worried Hyuk may mature and take all or part of what he considers to be his. Joon assumed that Hyuk had money and status so he had everything and Hyuk assumed that Joon had neither and thus did not have anything. As the two grow closer they learn that having everything material can equate to having nothing that matters and having nothing material does not mean you have nothing that matters. The three Hyuk, Joon and Jae-hoon all have reason to resent Gangsu group and work together to expose the corruption. Both men like Joon but one wants her to change while the other loves how she is.

Spoilers. I loved how confident and independent the lead girl was. She also had a wisdom that extended beyond education and that is what drew people to her. Hyuk was smitten from the moment he met her and it was easy to understand why he would have been, The second guy was handsome but very somber and somewhat of a tsundere toward the girl. It was hard to feel very sorry for him because he literally had years to confess to the girl. Hyuk on the other hand followed her around like a happy puppy and readily confessed to her. Hyuk’s dad was abusive both physically and emotionally to his sons. He was even physically abusive to some of his employees. Not very likable as a father. Hyuk’s mom was like Hyuk and it was refreshing to have the wealthy mom actually love the idea of the lead girl as a daughter in law. I loved how Hyuk made friends with Jun’s friends and they helped them carry out their many missions. I have seen the bias people have about wealthy people thinking they are all out of touch and have it made. I personally have never felt that way. There are nice, down to earth, wealthy people as well as.poor people who have no compassion for others. Being rich or poor does not define how you are as a human being. i am also a firm believer that children can be very different from their parents. This series explored both of those concepts. I found the ending a bit rushed and inconclusive. The brother had done horrible things but it seemed nothing happened to him. Our lead couple are leaving on a trip together but she never made her feelings for him clear. Overall it was good and I recommend just the ending fell a little flat.

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A slice of airport live with a surprising element

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 South Korean romantic drama series with 32, 35 minute, episodes

Han Yeo-reum (Chae Soo-bin) struggled hard together a job at Incheon International airport. However, her clumsiness and tendency to act on her emotions has caused some of her supervisors to look down on her ability as an employee. Yeo-reum has a series of encounters with a man who has amazing strength and agility and saves her from having a fatal accident. When Yeo-reum is transferred to a new team she winds up being supervised by Leo Soo-yeon (Nam Da-reum), the man who saved her. Soo-yeon prefers to keep a low profile but events keep happening that reveal his unusual abilities. He realizes that Yeo-reum is often misunderstood and begins helping her by fixing her mistakes and encouraging her to be confident. In turn, although she has first hand experience with Soo-reun’s unusual strength, she keeps it secret which earns his trust. With a slice of life of a passenger services team, there is rarely a dull day at the airport. Will understanding lead to love for the somewhat unlikely pair? What happened to Soo-yeon that resulted in his exceptional ability?

Spoiler ? Overall I liked this very much. It was well acted and had enough interesting things going on in the airport all the time to keep you engaged. The main story was well paced and believable.. You got to know the whole cast of main characters and enjoy several side relationships. I also thought it was unique and interesting that there was something very special about his abilities. I don’t know South Korean culture well enough to know if this accurately portrays the way some look on disabilities. In the United States I know we like to think we are further along but from first-hand experience I can say that people do still discriminate in the workplace. The toughest disabilities to deal with are the hidden disabilities. Because the male lead used a assistive device his disability was hidden and, with the device, he had super human strength. That became one plot point - him trying to hide his different ability but still act in situations where superior strength was helpful. The backstory on him and his brother was very interesting and they gave you just enough detail as it went along so that you got little bits that kept you guessing and forming predictions. I liked their boss because she was everything I envision in a good supportive boss and I thought the way the female lead flourished under her direction was very accurate in the way a good leader can bring out the best in people. Where I felt it lacked a little was towards the end, and that might be a bit of cultural misunderstanding. To me it seemed like he was a little bit old not to get that if he just gave it a year or so to be back in the wheelchair that he would have the rest of his life to experience all the things he wanted to. It felt really selfish to me that he was willing to die because, at that point, there were so many people around him that would be hurt by that. I was glad when he finally made the decision to do what he needed to do and I usually don’t like when they go away somewhere for a while but in this case it made sense. The one thing about that which was not consistent was he didn’t even contact her during his time away. As much as he hated being away from her for even a day it was hard to buy he would go that length of time with little contact. Then in the scene when they finally reunite it just shows the back of his head and I would’ve liked to of have seen the expression on his face after reuniting with her. I really like the second guy in this one and I found it very admirable that he was willing to have any role in her life even as just her friend. There were several times when second guy could’ve been selfish and made it difficult for the male lead but he cared about her enough to take care of the lead guy even when it would’ve been more advantageous for him to take his chance with her. The ending felt a little rushed after we had gone through so much with him being willing to die. There were also some loose ends with some of the other couples where it felt like there should’ve been a happy ending there as well. Those that prefer a more realistic ending may be OK with these things I mentioned. For me I like well tied up and perfectly happy because I watch these as an escape from adulting and all the difficulties to go with it. Still recommend this just be prepared for some sad moments.

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Had a soft “woke” ending

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean historical romance with 20, 60 minute, episodes.

Goo Hae-ryung (Shin Se-kyung) is unique among the Ladies as she is more interested in reading books than she is in getting married. This has led her to be nearing the age where she will be forced to wed. When an opportunity arises to become a female historian and avoid the bounds of marriage she gladly takes it. Yi Rim /Prince Dowon (Cha Eun-woo)
is the only son of the dethroned King Huiyeong Yi Gyeom. What Prince Gowan does not know, is he is the rightful heir to the throne. Living within the palace but exiled both from public and even inner palace life, he is content for his uncle and cousin to rule (who he regards as a father and brother) while he works, in secret, as "Maehwa," the author of many popular romance novels. The Prince claims to want honest feedback on his novels but when Hae-ryung gives him some harsh feedback without knowing he is the author and the Prince he is both insulted and intrigued. As a historian, Hae-rung faces many challenges as the royals do not always welcome having their activities recorded. Things intensify even more when both Hae-rung and Prince Dowon become interested in what they were told were treasonous events in the past. They both suspect the event was not told entirely nor truthfully. Not all is as it seems nor is everyone on the same path they started on. As the two grow feelings for each other can they survive palace politics or will the past they both are tied to end their love and even their lives for good?

Spoiler alert!! I liked learning about historians and what their role may have been in the past it made me curious if they really were somewhat like they were portrayed. I loved prince Dowon and his brother, the Crown Prince. It was a cute love story with a lot of mystery around the events that happened in the past. There were even some side occurrences that kept you engaged and interested and let you get to know a lot of the characters better. I was disappointed a bit in the ending though in that the male and female leads did not get married or have any kind of long-term relationship. This happens a lot in current American romances and I think it’s part of the movement that is supposed to show that a woman doesn’t necessarily need to be married or be with a man to be happy. it makes me wonder how much of the story is influenced and written for American culture since it is a Netflix production. I don’t expect perfect historical accuracy but I do not even like that element in current American romances. I was also disappointed that Prince Dowon did not take some position in the royal family because even though he liked to write, the fact that there was so much buildup around him being the rightful heir, it was a let down that he gave it up. Prince Dowon was writing travel books which meant he did not get back to the type of writing he really liked which was the romance books. That also felt like Hae-rung had an influence on him when she ridiculed his romance books. Just like I don’t think the woman should have to change everything about herself to be with someone, I also do not think the man should have to completely change who they are either. Overall I felt like he had to change a lot and she basically stayed very much the way she was. Despite the small disappointments, the series was still good and I highly recommend it.

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Contract marriage grows into something more

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2004 South Korean television series spanning 16 (60 Minute) episodes and noted to be the pioneer of the Koreen “romantic comedy.” Han Ji-eun (Song Hye-kyo), an aspiring scriptwriter, lives in a house called "Full House" built by her late father. Her long time "friends" send her away on vacation and sell her house to scam the money. When she makes her way back to South Korea she finds that her beloved house now belongs to Lee Young-jae (Rain), a top South Korean actor. They strike a marriage contract and Ji-eun cooks and cleans to pay off her debt. Since it is not a "real" marriage Ji-eun and Yong-jae see other people. Young-jae finally has a chance at a girl he has loved since childhood and Ji-eun finds herself pursued by the man of her dreams. But living in such close proximity starts a growing love between the two housemates.

Spoiler ? I really liked both characters and their romance was actually perfect in its imperfection. It did, at times, feel like we were seeing and repeating the same cycles again and again and it got a little frustrating - that is why I did not rate it higher. I had comments on and noticed a lot of the comments were around that as well - that it repeated scenarios too much. I thought it took a deep look at love and what the heart wants. Someone can have all the right elements and your brain says pick that one but the heart may go a completely different direction. I thought it would be a simple, sweet, story and it really wasn't simple at all. It was also somewhat of a period piece as you can tell, based on some more recent dramas, that relationships are changing. He was almost obsessive compulsive about cleaning as it seemed they cleaned everything every day regardless.

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Very good straight forward and relatively light hearted

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean drama spanning 14, 60 minute episodes.
Cha Jin-wook (Sung Hoon) and Yoo-mi (Song Ji-Eun) meet and have a one night stand. Yoo-mi wakes up and disappears leaving Jin-wook preplexed as to why she didn't stay after what he considered a life changing encounter. Three years later Yoo-mi shows up as a nutritionist at the company Jin-wook's father owns. She pretends not to know him out of embarrassment of having a one night stand. Jin-Wook is determined to win over this woman he has never forgotten. He is not the only contendor for Yoo-mi's heart though. And Jin-wook also has a woman his father has identified as his perfect match. Can Jin-wook convince Yoo-mi they belong together? Will he be able to overcome his father's expectations as heir to a company?

Spoiler ? I thoroughly enjoyed this series. The chemistry between the leads was over the top. I could see how the situation would have evolved. It was predictable, but in a good way. I recommend this to anyone that enjoys a straight up romantic comedy.

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One of my All Time Favorites

10/10 is my rating. 2017/2018 South Korean Drama spanning 32 episodes (~30 minutes per episode). Yoo Seung-ho plays the male lead, Kim Min-kyu who developed a life-threatening allergy to skin contact with other people due to childhood tragedy.  He is the wealthy chairman of a company and lives his life in near complete isolation due to his allergy.  His nickname is baton because he carries an extendable baton, in the rare instances when he is out, to insure people stay at “arms” distance.  A team of researchers have developed a very life like robot named AG-3 and Min-Kyu is scheduled to test it.  The robot is modeled after the female lead, Jo Ji-Ah, as she is the ex-girlfriend of the head robotic scientist.  The team is depending on Min-kyu’s positive impression of the robot for funding for their research.  When the test is scheduled to begin an accident short circuits the robot and there is no time to get her fully back online in time for the test.  Jo Ji-Ah (Chae Soo-Bin) who is an inventor with many failed projects and huge debt agrees to play the role of the robot until they can repair the robot and swap out.  To make it believable she is given special contacts that tie her to the real AG-3 who is able to provide the level of information on topics expected of a robot (such as what is the weather report, current stock prices, or calculate this complex equation). AG-3 becomes the first friend Min-kyu has had in 15 years and the confidence he begins to feel allows him to venture out from his isolation.  The intrigue rises as Min-Kyu suffers from conflicting feels of love for what he believes to be a robot (although it seems his heart senses what his mind does not acknowledge.  Jo Ji-Ah begins to see past the gruff exterior to the beautiful person within and also begins to love Min-Kyu. 

Spoiler ? I read this did not rate high when it was aired.  I found the 32 episodes just flew by and I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.  The male and female lead are just beautiful together and you can completely see why and how they would fall in love.  There were love triangles, a mystery, suspense and comedy – all the things I have come to love in Asian Dramas.  I have found, in general, that Asian Dramas end a bit different than American romances in that it either goes beyond “happily ever after” or simply fails to neatly wrap everything up.  This one did a great job of balancing that.  I think this has moved to my number one slot for Asian Dramas thus far – it has a unique premise, fully developed characters, a believable scenario and is just fun to watch. 

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