Documentary meets game show meets comedy act - liked it more than anticipated

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 reality variety show with 8, 41-52 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then Review

Synopsis

In each episode Yoo Jae-suk, Kim Yeon-koung and Lee Kwang-soo travel to wherever a master of a traditional process resides to take part in their craft. They are taught and perform each process from beginning to end. It is naturally comedic as they obviously are not masters themselves so they struggle and make errors all the while competing with each other to earn the distinction of the master declaring one of the best at that craft.

Because this series centers around these three participants a little about each person:

*Yoo Jae suk was born in 1972 and would have been about 50 when the series aired. He is a popular Korean comedian, presenter and tv personality.

*Kim Yeon Koung was born in 1988 and would have been about 34 when the show aired. She is a pn accomplished professional volleyball player. She has a large social media presence with many followers (over 1 million) on her sites and channels.

*Lee Kwang Soo was born in 1985 and would have been about 42 when the show aired. He started as a model but quickly got into acting and also participates at various levels in variety shows.

Review

One if the most fascinating aspects of this series is seeing and learning about these processes from start to finish along with the participants. They go to Junghueng to learn how to make Giwa which are traditional clay roof tiles. They struggle on the mud flats of Shinan they pursue the Getbal, baby octopuses. They go to Seocheon to harvest plants to explore mosi, traditional woven fabric. In Damyang they discover that Jang traditional sauces are very difficult to make. In Namihae they find out how anchovy, Jukbangryeorn, anchovy are trapped in a traditional tidal weir and processed. Korean Jjock comes from the indigo plants in Naju and the three discover making dye and dying cloth is a seriously taxing process. Even the makgeoli, sweet rice wine, made in Busan is a laborious process.

The locations are beautiful but you can see evidence of the heat (they comment but you can also see their flushed faces and them sweating through the processing) the participants are working in which lends a greater appreciation for those that do it for a living. It is all very hard work but the results are beautiful/wonderful.

Spoiler

The only critique was the masters decided, in the presence of the participants, who deserved the thumbs up for that activity. An honest assessment of how each one did would have made that aspect more meaningful.

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I had high expectations from other reviews but found it slow and drawn out

7/10 Season 1. 8/10 season 2. This is a 2020 South Korean medical drama with 12, 73-113 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

The series centers around five doctors who have been friends since medical school. Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung suk) is balancing a busy career as a general surgeon and medical professor with the demands of single fatherhood. Despite the many challenges in his life, his magnanimous personality makes him well liked by fellow doctors as well as patients. His son, Woo joo (Kim Joon) is growing up well in the extended family he is experiencing among his father’s close friends despite the absence of his mother. Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon seok) is an assistant professor of pediatrics but his real passion is Catholicism. He is considering focusing on the clergy as he has a difficult time dealing with patient suffering. Chae Song hwa (Jeon Mi do) is a brilliant neurosurgeon and her amiability and pleasant disposition often draws the group together. Kim Jun wan (Jung Kyung ho) is admired but his austere domineer also prompts fear, particularly among the interns. His career is on the move as he achieves the head position in cardiothoracic surgery. He has known and been friends with Ik jun since childhood and is also close to Ik jun’s pretty and energetic sister Ik sun (Kwan Sun young). Yang Seok hyeong (Kim Dae myung) is also among the divorced. He is perceived as cold and distant because he is quiet and shy particularly compared ti his more outgoing friends, but he is a very caring doctor and professor of obstretics and gynecology.

Review

Comtrary to a lot of other reviews, I found it slow and I forwarded every time they did the band practice. In the first season it really just goes from one tragic medical case to another. They often had good outcomes but it still was emotionally a bit of a downer. The friendships among and between the five doctors were nice and heartwarming and it was clear their mutual support is what helped them weather the emotional storms to excel in the areas of medical expertise. But their romances were less believable as the focus seemed so strongly on the friend group you did not see full development of the romances. So when they started having a romance it felt abrupt. Woth the exception of two of the couples but there were still some aspects that felt unfinished where there would have been more time to develop aspects if so much time was not spent on band practice. I am glad the second season was out when I watched it or it would have been a sudden and incomplete end. That is why liked season two better, it at least wrapped up loose ends.

Spoiler

Jeon won and Jang Gyeo-ul (Shin Hyun been) become a couple but there was no lead up of significance. She confessed and he at first rejected her feelings. Then he basically had his friends and his mother Jung Ro-sa (Kim Hae sook) say they would be a great couple which I guess made him reconsider. Then he suddenly reconsidered, and when she confessed again, kissed her and then they became a dating couple. But it was like she confessed the first time and then he goes back and hangs out with his friends and it doesn’t seem like much developed between the two of them and then later he’s like “oh wait a second you’re right I do like you” and then they are together. It just seemed weird.

Jung Kyun ho (Kim Jun-wan) and Lee Ik-sun’s (Kwak sun young) relationship also felt just out of the blue. He had a girlfriend he broke up with because she seemed to have alcohol issues. Then what felt like all of a sudden he expressed interest in Ik sun. There was no build up. Just, bam, suddenly he is really into her. I got angry with her when she selfishly broke his heart because she decided her illness and the distance thing were too hard on him. Since she told him she was in love with someone else, she lied to him about her real reasons. They seemed to be dating again in the end but they were never fully back together which made the whole relationship seem pointless. Ik jun obviously came to know one of his best friends and his sister were a couple but neither of them ever talked about it to him. It was weird and also felt like it did not reach a logical juncture where one of them would have “come clean” to Ik jun.

Song hwa was my favorite and it was easy to see how someone like her would be loved by her patients as well as her students. It was also believable that two of the men in her friend group had feelings for her beyond friendship, and why all her male friends looked to her for companionship, comfort and advice. That was why I absolutely loved her and Ik jun’s romance. They were perfect together and made so much sense. It was sad they liked each other all those years and had their early romance derailed because of their mutual friend, Seok hyeong’s confession to her. I wish they had further closed the loop by showing Woo soo’s reaction to Song hwa and Ik jun becoming a couple. Song hwa and Woo Soo already acted like mother and son so I think he would have been very happy to have Song hwa as a stepmom.

I was suprised that I very much liked the romance between Seok hyeong and his intern, Choo Min ha (Ahn Eun jin). She did not like him at first, got to know him and fell for him and then pursued him diligently. It was slow burn and very believable when they finally started dating. His mother, Jo Young hye (Moon Hee kyung) was something else so I wish they had shown Min ha either win her over or tell her off but we did not get the satisfaction of either. And the whole gold digger suspicion his mom had around his ex wife, Yoon Shin-hye (Park Ji yeon) was never resolved. They show Shin hye with this large diamond necklace that could have been from the ring Young hye thought she stole but was it? If it was the same diamond then it would have vindicated Young hye and laid the ground work for Min ha and her to have a good relationship. I did not like that aspect of Young hye’s character, her as a horrible harpy of a mother-in-law. They spent so much time early in the series portraying her as a character we should sympathize with because of her husband’s flagrant affair, that switching our feelings for her as a mean mother-in-law seemed to be an inconsistency in the character. Were we supposed to like her or not?

Overall it felt like there was a heavy focus on the friends. I liked that but did not like there was so little time spent on the romances. And too much time spent on band practice. They did some awesome songs and one or two would have been okay but it was a lot more. And hearing Song hwa sing off key was not enjoyable at all. I know it was supposed to be comedic and it was, the first time, but they had her sing off key a lot.

They spent a lot of time playing music. I found we fast forwarded a lot not because we did not like the music but because we wanted to watch the drama content.

#HospitalPlaylist #JoJungSuk #YooYeonSeok #JungKyungHo # KimDaeMyung #JeonMiDo #KwanSunYoung #MoonHeeKyung #AhnEunJin #KimHaeSook

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Revolving door of single men which is too quick for any depth to occur

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 Japanese Reality dating show with 10, ~42 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Singles join the show looking for a partner to marry or at least date with marriage in mind. The men feel some urgency to court their romantic interest as they know they may be asked to leave the show at intervals. The women can continue the relationship with a man by proposing once the man is asked to leave. The singles travel to a variety of nice locations where they can interact informally as well as through formal match ups.

Review

When a man leaves they basically send them a text and ask them to meet at a location away from the other participants. That is the last time the others see that selected participant. Any woman interested in that man must propose to him by 10 AM the following morning to be able to continue a relationship with him. Whether the man accepts or not both the man and the woman leave the show. The first male who left it seemed very abrupt as it was only like four days in. What is surprising is, as that participant is leaving, a new participant arrives. I liked a lot of elements of the show. It mixed free interactions with more formal dates quite well. I could not take it seriously as the interactions were relatively brief. All of the beautiful locations were enjoyable to see and the interactions were interesting. I would not rewatch it and would only recommend it to die hard romantic reality show fans.

Singles

WOMEN

Sora Shibata (26) Social Media Influencer. Sales.

Nona Konona Shiba (35) TV personality. Actress.

Anna Tsumara (28) Works for foreign marketing company.

Saki Kamata (27) Yoga Instructor

Shizuka Eto (32) Spa Owner. Model.

Sayu (29) Nurse. TV personality.

MEN

Keisuke Tsumara(34) Works at a fund company.

Taka Toda (29) Cosmetic surgeon.

Okapi Okane (37) Model. Actor. Event Manager.

Yuta Yanagawa (30) IT Professional

Yuki Fukuda (31) runs a marketing company

Kiichiro Sakamato (29) Pharmacist. Model.

Keijuro (32) Owns fitness gyms and clinics for acupuncture and osteopathy.

Yushi (34) Martial Artists

Spoilers

It did not feel the show allowed enough time for most to develop any deep feelings. Some of the couples seemed to be making a connection only to have the man abruptly leave. I also felt like some of the singles were not serious about finding a lasting partner. They never paused at all about stopping someone from keaving even thise they had a deeper connection with. I was surprised at the degree of plastic surgery some of the singles had and that they were the more popular singles. In the US and what I have seen of Korea, looking too plastic is not a good thing. So it was a different beauty standard.

I do appreciate that Asian dating reality shows tend to be more wholesome. There was one female single in this who came on to the men in a cringy forward fashion. I actually felt sorry for them because it was assuming they wanted the physical contact and it did not seem like they did.

I was not all in for any of the couples that formed and did not feel like there was muxpch romance.

#LoveDeadline

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Disappointing. One of the few where I feel like my time was wasted. Sad.

3/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean coming of age romance drama. Based on a webtoon of the same name. There are 8, 42-55 minute episodes in Season 1 and 6, 43-71 minute episodes in the 2nd season.

First I will provide a Unique Synopsis then Review
Synopsis

A brilliant student app developer, Cheon Duk-gu (Lee Jae eung) releases an app called Love Alarm that is a huge sensation in South Korea. A heart signal is displayed omn the user’s phone app if the app is active and someone feeling the love is within 10 meters. Kim Jojo (Kim So hyun) is more focused on earning money and attending school than she is in worrying about some app. Besides she already has a boyfriend, Jang Il sik (Shin Seung-ho) and does not want to reveql to him that she does not see him romantically. But things get complicated when she stumbles upon a phone with the app and finds herself caught in a love triangle with the unapproachable god of campus, Hwang Sun oh (Song kang) and his best friend Lee Hee Young (Jung Ga Ram). All the girls hope Hwang sun will set off their love alarm but Jojo and he develop interest in each other at first sight and he only sets off Jojo’s love alarm.

How do things change when technology reveals things that might be best hidden? And what if only one side is hidden?
Review

To say this series was disappointing just barely skims the surface of how awful it turns out to be. It does not end happily in my opinion and what could have been a good story takes a surprising and horrible turn. It made me sad. I would not rewatch it nor would I recommend it. I am baffled how anyone thinks this was a good romance. It portrayed such a twisted sense of what love should be I am still annoyed at the mere thought of this terrible series.
Spoilers


I seriously dislke sad movies and series. Some sad content is okay as long as it is brief and it turns around and winds up happy. With this series, it started with a heartwarming romance between Jojo and Sun Oh and, just when things are going well, they get into an accident and she decides to brutally end it with him. Lie and say she doesn’t care about him at all. It was a pointless break up for very selfish reasons. I thought they made a great couple he was lonely and sad from always being treated like an object by his parents and she was lonely and sad because she was an orphan, whose parents tried to murder her, and her aunt and cousin treated her like a lesser human being. They were able to comfort and provide solace to each other and they were all laughter and smiles when they were together. Their love made sense and was happy. If the show had kept that trajectory and even if they did that stupid break up but they got back together and made up later I would still have liked it. But the writers decided that would be the end of it for them as a couple even though they teased us with the possibility they would get back together. The scene where the Sun Oh’s mom, Jeong Mi-mi (Song Seon mi) talks about Jojo and pretty much points out she is still the one in his heart is pointless because they never get back together.

Another pointless story line was the whole conflict with Jojo’s best friend, Kim Jang go as they never reconciled and she just disappeared from the story line with no resolution on her crush nor the rift in their friendship. No big point to having either the best friend or ex boyfriend characters. Unless the point of thise two characters was other oeople thought Jojo could be a jerk, because later I wound up thinking so too. The way she ended her relationship badly with her boyfriend, Jang Il-sik (Shin Seung Ho) was a good indicator of the way she did things, If she decided it was over she did not care who got hurt.

Many commented that Sun Oh betrayed his friend when he went after the girl he had been crushing on for a long time. Hee young had been around Jojo because he liked her and would deliberately do things to bring himself into her presence. But that was it. He never acted on any of that and it made his admiration for her seem very shallow. Sun Oh asked him multiple times if he liked Jojo so he gave him ample opportunity to say he did and act on his feelings. So I wasn’t bothered by that because I felt Hee young had his chance and never took it. Just liking someone does not put your mark of ownership on them in my opinion. Those feeings have to be expressed and reciprocated.. So, I did not fault Sun Oh for liking Jojo and following through with his feelings. I found it incredibly sad that such an unlikable female lead became the one to create a large rift in the brotherly like friendship the two men had. Once again how lonely for Sun oh to lose his friend who eased his loneliness.

That whole “shield” so the other person cannot see how you feel about them thing just ticked me off. It was an incredibly selfish thing to know how the other person felt but have that shield deceive the other person into thinking you had no feelings for them. The fact that Jojo used that showed how selfish in love she was. She was perfectly fine with them exhibiting their feelings for her. Even reveled in it. But she was okay with never showing her feelings and being dishonest with them about why. Okay you cannot get the shield off your phone but how about you tell the other people you have the shield? It was selfish, narcissistic and made me not like her character at all. Oh I am so damaged I cannot show love even if I feel it? Find a shrink lady and quit using people to make yourself feel better.

One reviewer said all the relationships were very superficial. I have to agree. The software developer, Cheon Duk gu (Lee Jae-eung) liked Jojo’s cousin, Park Gul-mi, (Go Min Si) because she was pretty. And really that could be the only reason because she was an awful person. Hee young liked Jojo from afar, until they got deep in their relationship he only ever liked what he saw of her and it didn’t seem like he really knew her. The influencer that loved Sun oh, his new girlfriend, Lee Yuk-jo (Kim Si eun) did not need him to reciprocate which means she was with him for other reasons. Maybe the optics?

The one sided love thing portrayed as romantic was annoying. It was not romantic that Hee young loved Jojo from afar and was willing to be with her even though she said she may never ring his love alarm. That’s okay babe I will just continually stroke your ego by ringing your love alarm all the time. I found that disgusting and selfish of her. Sun oh found the love of his life in Jojo and you had the sense he would never love anyone else that deeply. He seemed sad and unhappy in the “fake” life he was living with hus new girlfriend. All of that being in the spotlight and objectified was exactly what he hated and found lonely in his childhood. But now we are supposed to believe that he will grow to love someone where he did not have those feelings in the beginning, when you are most likely to feel romantic love? So I did not find it romantic that eveyone woud up in these one sided love relationships and we were expected to believe the love would grow and everyone would wind up happy. That so rarely happens you can say it doesn’t happen. The person who loves more winds up hurt and emotionally starved all the time. The person that does not have that romantic love feeling feels guilty for being unable to feel that way about the other person. Love is not something that can be manufactured or forced. So I seriously disliked that this series tried to romanticize such a deeply painful and harmul relationship dynamic.

I could go on and on about how horrible this series was. But, to sum up my discontent, they Netflixed it, the female lead character was unlikable, everyone winds up in superficial substandard relationship and they lied about love. It made me sad for Sun oh that he ended up with someone he was not deeply in love with (they would have made awesome friends, Jojo is taking advantage of Hee young in a relationship where the love balance is so horribly off just to gratify herself and feel safe in the relationship. The horrible cousin winds up with a chance to be with the software developer who she treated like dirt early on and she never changed to become a better person. I strongly disliked every outcome. I never thought there would be a situation where I would be unhappy the second guy got the girl but they made it happen. Those two being together just made it so everyone would wind up miserable.

#KimSohyun #JungGaram #HwangSunoh #GoMinsi #LeeJaeeung #SongKang #KimSohyun #JungGaram #LoveAlarm #GoMinSi #LoveAlarm2 #SongSeonmi #JeongMimi

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Strong female character who is a super hero level martial artist

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean period costume comedy romance drama with 12, 64-72 minute episodes. Based on a webtoon.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Cho Yeo Hwa (Lee ha nee) was widowed after never even seeing her husband on her wedding day. As the daughter-in-law of of the most prestigious noble family, her mother-in-law forces her to follow the most strict rules that applied to widows of the era she must spend many hours at the shrine honoring her husband and cover herself modestly in public. She cannot wear anything but the drab mourning attire and must always conduct herself in such a way to be beyond reproach. That is the day time version of Yeo Hwa, At night she dons ninja like attire and rights injustices. After 15 years of keeping her night persona a secret, she runs across Park Soo ho (Lee Jong won) a by the book military officer who does not appreciate Yeo Hwa’s vigilante ways. At first he is determined to bring that masked menace to justice until he discovers the man is actually a woman and a very attractive and intriguing one at that. The more Soo ho learns about the mysterious martial artist and that her actions are actually noble, the more he finds himself helping her. They also share commonalities around events in the tragedies of the past. Intrigue turns to like then possibly something more.

Review

This is one of the best historical dramas I have seen because the focus isn’t on the politics, even though the politics are a part of the plot there’s so many other interesting things going on that it isn’t central. If you like action dramas with strong central characters and leads that are very interesting in their back stories, this would be a good one for you. The romance element is there but it’s certainly not highlighted and that could be a plus or a minus depending on how strong you want the romantic element to be. The series ends well and happy with all major plot points resolved.

I highly recommend this series and will likely watch it again.

Spoilers

The only critique I have of this, as somebody who likes romance, is they never fully kiss. That disappointed the romantic in me. I like displays of affection, to see chemistry, or lack there of. In the end they’re together, but it’s not like any level of commitment is made. She just reappears and it’s pretty obvious they’re going to be together from that point forward, but you only get to see just a few seconds of that reunion. After waiting through all of the episodes for them to be together, only getting a few seconds at the end of the final episode, just wasn’t enough to satisfy my desire for strong romance. Honestly, the show was so good though I couldn’t decrease how I rated it based on that small aspect. It was just something that would’ve made it even better if they had given a little more time for the satisfying union of the two main characters.


I felt so sorry for the widows in this and I was curious how real the severity of the social restrictions were. I’m sure some of it was accurate but I’m not sure how overblown the sacrifices they had to make in this series were. I have the sense that it could be individuals’ families deciding how the widow could behave. I was glad Yeo Hwa helped the other widow escape with the man she loved. I also liked that she broke free if that miserable existence.

Personally, I really like characters that are strong physically and I enjoy complex martial art scenes were the good guy defeat the bad guys believably and repeatedly. Yeo Hwa was super hero status in her martial arts ability and it was fun to watch.

#KnightFlower

#LeeHanee

#LeeJongWon

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If you can accept this is almost a decade old then you will appreciate it more

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean Romantic Comedy Legal drama with 18, 70 Minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Go Cheok hee (Cho Yeo jeong) was a take no prisoners divorce lawyer at the height of her career when she crossed paths with a legal rival with the power to take her down. Her much beleaguered office manager, So Jung woo (Yeon Woo jin) are not exactly sorry when Cheok heo has her law license suspended as she was a tyrant as a boss. Years go by and Jung woo is now a lawyer determined to do law from a more ethical perspective than he felt Cheok hee operated from. Most of her staff including Jung woo are working for a chaebol who opened a law office to rival hus father’s. Out of friendship and perhaps more he hires Cheok hee to be the office manager. Sparks fly between Cheok hee and Jung woo when they discover they will be working together in reversed roles.

Review

If you know what to expect from the time period then this is, on surface, a fairly simple and straight forward romantic comedy. Male to female relationships were still a little unequal and filial behavior was carried out to a fault. Depending on where you stand in your thoughts on those social relationships, you may either find this refreshing or irritating. It was good not great and I think some of that had to do with things have just changed a lot socially in a relatively short span of time. I would recommend it to those that can appreciate it as something that existed during that timeframe. In terms of rewatching, wouldn’t turn off of it if it was on, but I wouldn’t seek it out to watch it again.

Spoilers

While I thought having the divorce cases be part of the show was interesting, I certainly did not agree with the outcome and resolution of some of them. Like there is one where the wife is making the husband an abusive number of meals and side dishes per day. The compromise that kept them married was make less but we thought “free the elf”. She was sill his house maid and chef. If all he based his love on was how much food she made him, what a horrible relationship for her. Divorce would have been better on that one.

Cheok hee’s sister was a completely unlikable character. The sister acted like a spoiled, petulant child with anger issues the entire show. At the end, she admits that the mother probably would’ve died anyway, and that she was somewhat using her sister as a scapegoat, but then said she was just gonna continue, hating her her whole life. Which made her a pointless character.

Cheok hee was a complete bully when she had her own practice in the beginning. Completely horrible to the male lead and all the staff, and there was no good reason for her to have ever been that way. If she had changed or apologized in any meaningful way. Her character may have been redeemable, but all the changes that happened were by a very small degree . She became a little more humble and generally nicer, but simply changing like that much when you haven’t gone back and apologize to those you injured. Even after her transformation, she was still bullying her one male subordinate. They had the mail we join in, as if that somehow just made it funny or not still bullying behavior. It made no sense for him to do that because they had always been on friendly terms.

A big barrier to the relationship was what the mother thought of the female lead. No one ever effectively explained to her that Cheok hee thought he had told on her and gotten her suspended. Even if they had revealed that fact, it still would not have completely excused her behavior, but it still would’ve been better than she was like that towards him for no reason. he never fully stood up to his mother and said he wasn’t OK with her acting towards someone he chose that way. it was 100% about changing her mind and there was nothing about changing her bad behavior. I found the male lead character’s mother to be a completely unlikable character, because she was mean to her son about his romantic choices and acted like she liked the second female lead better than her own son. I also thought it was completely wrong for the mother to accepted loan. When her son didn’t even know about it, she made him oh, the second female lead. Then for her to later, use that, as a reason why he should be with the second girl was even more abusive.

Their break up was stupid I thought perhaps it would’ve been an opportunity for him to stand up to his mom and tell her that even if the main girl wasn’t around, he was not gonna just marry somebody because she wanted him to.

Not all plot lines were completely closed either. The main protagonist was taken down, but we never fully saw what happened to him. He went iff in hadcuffs but that could have been short lived.

With the second male lead we saw where his father was punishing him by taking all of his assets away and then it seemed like he was redeeming some of that but it left us with him still walking to work and living with less than what he had previously. I thought perhaps he would wind up together with the second female lead and that would’ve made sense. It did show the 2nd leads interact with each other in away that may have been leading to more than friends but that was it. The second male lead was such a likable character it would have been nice for him to have a happy outcome.

They made the being a divorce lawyer such a huge part of who these characters were but there was no backstory on why they chose their professions. FLs impressions on marriage were weird even for a divorce lawyer and it felt like they needed some sort of trauma to explain why she was so passionate about divorce. Everything revealed about the FL’s parents’ relationship was her parents loved each other. They only separated because the FL’s mom tragically died. Divorce law is a very specific niche and it needed clear indication of why they chose it.

The big reveal, the big backstory centered around the subway accident and the “magical” peppermint candy. The whole peppermint candy thing was just weird. It’s not a medical device. I tried stretching my thought to view it a little like smelling salt. But they did not even spin it that way. It was silly and not credible. They also did not explain why the FL didn’t have subway trauma when ML did? I mean she had it but very minimal.

I think the cherry on top of my mountain of discontent was the completely unromantic way the FL acted toward their wedding. I get not everyone wants an elaborate ceremony but FL’s complete disregard for ML and their family and friends’ desire for a ceremony was selfish and disappointing. This was further highlighted when her office was congratulating her and she was being a difficult and wanting to leave. FL was frugal to an annoying degree.It killed the romance.

It was hard to buy off on two men being so into the lead girl when she really had nothing spectacular going for her. That was a bit mystifying. And with the second guy, it wasn’t clear why he was originally giving her a place and a job, and supporting her other than he was just her Sunbae.

#ChoYeoJeong

#YeonWooJin

DivorceLawyerinLove

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Fairly formulaic and good but why oh why the separating for your own good trope

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy medical drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Nam Ha neul (Park Shin hye) is an intern on the path to being a professor and practitioner at a major medical university. The problem is her supervisory professor steals her work which keeps her from advancing. When she complains about her professor’s unethical behavior he becomes physically and emotionally abusive. After a period of putting up with him, she finally reaches a breaking point and has a screaming argument and resigns. Not seeing what went on behind closed doors, everyone blames her for the incident sending her career into a downward spiral. The abuse and her dying career prospects put her into a state of depression and anxiety. At the same time, Yeo Jeong-woo (Park Hyung-sik) was a successful, near celebrity, plastic surgeon until a tragic medical accident causes his career and his life to fall apart. Needing to live more modestly, he moves into a roof top apartment not knowing his high school academic rival, Ha neul, lives with her family in the building which they own. Once frenemies can these two doctors, who have hit a slump, recover their careers? Can both overcome their mental issues that developed from their highly stressful careers? Will rivalry turn to friendship then something more??

Review

It was a feel good romantic comedy. In some of the reviews I read others felt there was no chemistry with the leads. I thought they had chemistry, it wasn’t over the top burning chemistry but, given the show is a friends turned lovers premise that level of chemistry makes sense.  The plot was well developed, the characters were interesting, and the premise had some unique twists to it.  It ended well and happy with all major plot points wrapped up.  I might watch it again if it was on and I would recommend it to others that are fans of the actors or that like this genre.

 

Spoilers

The pace for me was a bit off. I have to admit I am a bit Goldilocks in my determination of when the couple should get together.  If the main couple gets together too early the rest of the series can feel somewhat pointless.  On the other hand, if they get together too late it feels rushed.  So there is a happy medium and many are able to find that balance.  In this one it felt like they got together a little early and the only thing that saved it was there was enough story about the medical accident that it kept the plot moving.  They may have gotten them together to build another plot point where she breaks up with him because the guy he sees as a great friend almost brother is the same person that mentally tortured her.  It completely devastated her when she found out he did all that to her, kept her from becoming a professor, only so he could build his resume to do something else.  I get that would be devastating. I had research stolen from me and it basically made someone else’s career so I know, all too well, how that feels.  But, her being so devastated that she breaks it off with him made no sense and was unnecessary. I know it would have been hard at that point to tell him the person he thought so much of was not the person thought he was.  I get she might have been afraid if she told him he would be conflicted and she did not want to add to his burden.  But breaking it off?  She just broke his heart at a time when it was hard for his heart to take it. I was disappointed they developed that point as I do not view that as something someone would do to someone they really loved.

 

The South Korean view on depression is interesting. The way it was portrayed in this show you would think she had some horrible, terminal disease. Her brain was “broken” she said in so many words. Depression is horrible.  Anxiety is even more so. But it is not a fatal disease. With the right counseling, most people can recover from depression well. At times it is looking at what is going on with the person’s life and balancing nutrition. Some of the recent findings on medication indicate that may not be the end all.  But there are things that can be done. I think her slump was completely driven by very real events as was her depression. But I did like they showed her recovery.  It was just an interesting way to look at depression. His Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was well portrayed and completely valid for what he went through. The way she helped him was actually perfect. They both would be dealing with forms of PTSD for the rest of their lives.  Depression, anxiety and PTSD are all things that don’t go away but you can learn to manage them.  Part of the battle is how you view yourself and how you view those conditions and I thought the show talked about that very well at the end.  It ended on a message of hope for those suffering from those conditions.  I liked that.

 

The second couple was so cute!  I loved their story.  The way they started noticing each other just by helping out with single parenthood is such a solid foundation.  It also showed something I strongly believe, that kids benefit the most from having each gender influence.  The little boy needed and craved a father figure and the young girl needed that female influence. I loved how it showed us pictures of the four and how they had formed a family. The personalities of the two characters were such a perfect fit for each other.  He was such a nice guy.  And I liked that the female character specifically mentioned that about him. The fact that he and main guy patched up their broken friendship was a super bonus. I think love and friendship are such wonderful and unique human conditions that it is heartwarming to me to see those friendships and relationships restored.  And main guy needed that friend.

 

They seemed to like the “we need to separate” trope because first they did the unnecessary separation early in the series and then they were threatening another one later when she was going to take the overseas assignment. I guess they wanted us to be happy that her assignment was cancelled and they were able to stay together.  I would have preferred that she chose not to go.  Careers are important but I do not think anything like that is more important than the person you love. Life is too short and precious to waste a second doing something that is not essential.  Doing that tour was something nice to do and may have helped her career minimally but you can never get those six months back.  If something happened to the person you love or even at the end are you really going to look back and think man I am so glad I spent that six months away.  Nope.  Very few people would think that way.  I want to see the best romance and to me the best is where those in love realize how precious that is. They protect it and they do not do unnecessary things like separating just to build their career.  Especially when the relationship is new. That initial period when they are first in love and you are presenting the very best of yourself to the other person is fleeting. That period of newness and romance does not last, for many people, beyond the first year. 

 

I loved main girl’s family. They were just eccentric enough to keep it interesting. I loved the way they embraced him and treated him like a son. He needed a real families’ support and they provided it.  

So often they either show someone wronged either being completely vengeful or totally forgiving. In this one they struck a balance. And that was the advice mom gave him. You don’t owe anyone forgiveness and you don’t have to forgive now. If not forgiving helps to heal you, then be angry about it. If forgiving is what you need to heal then do that. Maybe you forgive some things someone did but not others, that is something that can be done as well. The show did a good way of depicting that forgiving or not forgiving is up to the individual and there is no right way or right mix of forgiveness and anger or resentment.

 

I was worried when it was approaching the ending, that it would be one of those endings where they were together but hadn’t actually did a solid commitment. In their case that would not have been a satisfying ending because she had a tendency to be on a solid path and then just break up or change course. So I was happy when it said they had the wedding shoot and the epilogue showed wedding shoot photos.  I wanted to know with them that their relationship was solid after all they went through.  That made it a happy ending for me. If they ended it with them just going out that would not have been very satisfying. 

#DrSlump
#ParkShinHye
I’m #ParkHyungSik

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Very good. If you read the Webtoon you will notice there are a few changes that were unnecessary

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean time travel, revenge romance with 16, 70 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

In 2023 Kang Ji won (Park Min Young) is married to Park Min Hwan (Lee Yi Kyung) and is living a miserable life where she is emotionally abused by her husband his mother. Things worsen for her when she is diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. The one bright light in her life is her “other half”, her childhood friend Jung Su min (Uhm Seo hyun). Or so she thinks. What remains of her life is completely shattered when she finds her husband and best friend in the midst of an affair. Even worse they are not remorseful and mock her poor condition. Things get physical between her and her husband and he winds up pushing her, in her weak state, into a glass table. As her life light dims, she hears her best friend and husband talking about life insurance and how she was just going to die anyway. She comes to finding herself having traveled back in time to before she married her murderous spouse (2013). Fate has given her the opportunity to change her life path and get revenge on those that wronged her. You want my husband? Well you can have him. She discovered she can change her fate by having key events transfer to someone else. And she cannot think of anyone who deserves her horrible husband more than her former best friend. Can Jiwon get revenge, change her fate and find love in the second chance?

Review

This is an interesting and unique time travel romance. It ends happily. I would watch it again and recommend it to others. I read that Park Min young went on a very restricted diet to be even more thin for her role as a cancer patient and want to say she just, overall, did an outstanding job of portraying the role. I think she is a remarkable actress and I seek out series where she is in a lead role. Having seen Lee Yi Kyung in comedic roles, I was unsure he could play the sleazy, evil ex husband well, but he did an incredible job making the viewer loath the character.

Spoilers

I think it is a dramatically different experience watching this after having read the web novel and/or webtoon versus never having read either. It does follow the webtoon closely, which is good, but there are some deviations I do not think improved the story line or made it better adapted to a live show. I think they did it to add intrigue but, to me, the events from the webtoon were compelling enough.

The things that were different from the comic to the webtoon:

1. In the comic the Yoo Ji Hyuk (Na In woo), her former college classmate, who harbored an unrequited love for Jiwon, discovered her body after realizing she was missing from the hospital. He was so devastated by her death that he killed himself in the ocean. He didn’t ever have a fiancé and Jiwon was his one true love. He always knew he loved her but stayed away because he thought she found happiness elsewhere and didn’t want to interfere. That’s why he made an effort to get closer to her when they regressed. He wasn’t going to let her husband ruin her life again. In the live action version they chose to have him die in a car accident which, I felt, was less impactful.

2. In the Webtoon version, the lady supervisor, who becomes a good friend of Jiwon, had a very different romantic story. In the Webtoon, Yang Juran’s (Gong Min jeung) love interest was younger than her and had a fun, carefree personality. Because her married life was so difficult and she was so serious at work, it made sense for her to fall for the younger man. There was some moral conflict in the comic about whether it was okay to fall for him, but she lost out at the end. In the live action, Mrs. Yang’s love interest is Lee Suk jun (Ha Do kwan) who is an austere, older executive who is unapproachable to most but shows a softer side to Mrs. Yang. It took out the whole Noona trope and added in a cold executive vibe which I did not feel was a good fit for a side romance.

3. In the webtoon, Jiwon convinced Mrs. Yang to get tested for her stomach and that’s how she found out early enough to fight the cancer. It became a plot hole, in the live version, when Mrs. Yang’s cancer was not terminal like Jiwon’s was in the Webtoon version. Yet, in the live version, Mrs. Yang caught the cancer early, without any intervention from Jiwon. That type of cancer is infrequently caught in the early stages so it made less sense for Mrs. Yang to catch it early all on her own.

4. In the live action version, I didn’t like how active of a role Jiwon had to take to take down Minwan and Sumin. In the scene where she catches them cheating, she gets in a physical altercation with Sumin and Minwan which makes it look like she was the aggressor and the push that wound up ending her life was just them fighting back harder than they should have. They did not highlight, in the live action, that she was still alive after she fell against the glass table and they did nothing to try to save her life. The moral ambiguity continued through the live action when Jumin was completely willing to let Sumin die in her place. In the comics, once Minwan and married, they continued to attack each other. They self destructed. Minwan’s azoospermia took a more active role. After su-min “lost” her fake baby, the mom was a nightmare about conceiving and blaming her all the time. The home life was hell with the mom. She went to get fertility testing at the moms behest and demanded Minwan get tested too and that’s how she found out. She brought it to the mom and the mom was so angry she had a stroke. In the webtoon , Sumin became her mother-in-law’s sole caretaker and tormented her to get revenge for the way she was treated. But she was also was cruel to the mother-in-law after the stroke simply because she was not a very nice person as evidenced in the way she treated Jiwon when she had terminal cancer. Sumin’s evil nature was further revealed in the Webtoon when she resolved to kill the mother-in-law by putting air in her IV line. There was a witness and she was caught and sent to prison. Meanwhile Minwan decided to get ride of Sumin for insurance money and cuts her brakes. He hears about his mom and rushes over, forgetting about the brakes and dies. Sumin then escapes from custody and tries to run over Jiwon with a car but Mr Yu jumps in front to save her and goes to the hospital. SuMin is captured again. In the webtoon, Sumin, the mother, and Minwan bring about their own destruction while the Jiwon and Jihyuk build their relationship and remain happy. I liked that the Webtoon did not make Jiwon actively steering events so that others died. Having them self destruct made her a much more heroic and sympathetic character.

5. In the comics the characters weren’t quite so intensely bound by the concept of “transferring fate”. No one died by a coffee table again. Their actions had a real impact on the timeline and they weren’t as helpless.

6. There was no ex fiancé in the Webtoon. It was a huge cliche and caused way more drama than necessary. Oh Yu Ra (Kwon Bo ah or simply BoA) was a bland, stereotypical spoiled chaebol type with little dimension beyond “she’s just crazy”. It created a love triangle that was completely unnecessary to the plot.

7. The twist that Mr Yu regressed as well was made way too early in the show. In the comic it was a last reveal, and done through a letter while Mr Yu was in the hospital. Jiwon learned everything he had done for her and how long he loved her and why he died before. Her father brought him back from death. He overcame his fate to be with her.

8 The romance between the sister, Yoo Hui yeon (Choi Gyu-ri), and the chef, Baek Eun Ho (Lee Gi Kwang) was way cuter in the comics. They barely developed it in the show. She tried really hard to win his heart and he had lingering feelings for Jiwon but eventually came around. They shared a love of desserts.

#ParkMinYoung

#ChoiGyuri

#LeeGiKwang

#KwonBoAh

#UhmSeohyun

#LeeYiKyung

#LeeGiKwang

#MarryMyHusband

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How did they make a fascinating premise so boring in parts?

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2023/2024 South Korean supernatural romance drama with 16, 67 (average) minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Do Do Hee (Kim You Jung) is the adopted daughter and heir apparent to a conglomerate company called the “Future Group”. She is known as a devilish, hard hitting, and “take no prisoners” executive who has won many awards. Her adopted mother, Joo Chun Sook (Kim Hae Sook) made it clear, when she was alive, that Do Hee would take over after she passed. This does not endear Do Hee to Chun Sook’s children who consider it their right to inherit all of their mother’s assets. The obvious solution to some of them is to get rid of the problem. In this case the problem is Do Hee. When a serial killer is hired to kill Do Hee, he nearly succeeds until Jung Koo Won (Song Kang) appears in his role as a Demon who strikes deals with mortals by granting wishings in return for their trip to Hell 10 years later. He originally plans to only save Do Hee if she enters into an agreement but then agrees to save her and then talk about the agreement. In the chaos that follows they both wind up nearly drowning and the tattoo that gives Koo Won his supernatural powers, transfers to Do Hee. Koo Won finds that he can still perform his role and have access to his power by holding Do Hee’s wrist where the tattoo is located. When Jun Sook tragically dies a condition of inheriting the business is Do Hee must marry within a year. Koo Won agrees to a contract marriage for mutual benefit, he needs to be close to her to touch her tattoo and she needs a husband to secure her inheritance. The two have twisted fate in the present, but things get even more fate based when it appears they also had a connection in the past.

Review

When I looked at reviews there seemed to be those that really loved this series but there was a near equal number that did not like it well. I am in the “did not like it well” camp. I think it is worth watching for the two talented actors, great chemistry and interesting premise if you can relax your expectations for a sensible plot. I was actually bored at times because the progress would hit a stall. I would recommend drama fans watch it once but I wouldn’t rush out to watch it.

Spoilers

I have seen hundreds of dramas at this point and that could be why I am among those that found this one very underwhelming. The main couple got together too early in my opinion. Then was no sense of anticipation. It did not make sense to me that she was so driven and determined to be the heir and then she just gave it up. I know they were trying for the “anything for love” angle, that she was willing to give up all the power and money to protect herself and the person she loved but it was out of character in my opinion.

The serial killer bad guy who was hunting her died too early. I was wondering what they were going to have happen next. It was just odd to have that particular bad guy gone so early in the story.

Two very annoying things in this one. Usually you feel somewhat sorry for 2nd girl or guy and I did like second guy but the 2nd girl was one of the most annoying I have experienced to date. They tried hard to gain our sympathy for her in showing how he saved her from abuse but, even that, did not excuse her toxic behavior later. She even tried to get main girl to drink poison so that the main guy, who is a demon who already lived hundreds of years, could live. Although she had hung around him for over a decade and he showed no interest she still blamed main girl for wrecking her chance. What chance? Her jealousy was misplaced and annoying.

The other annoying thing was the romance between the elder couple. It was fine they liked each other, even cute, but them hiding it for so long became ridiculous. I think it was supposed to be funny and they definitely did the big reveal where they thought they were hiding it but everyone already knew. Oh ha ha! Like we have never seen that play out before. It was unoriginal and just not funny.

When Netflix gets ahold of something I know it is going to be drawn out too much and there will be way too many flashbacks. That was the case in this one. The plot would already be dragging because so many of the major conflicts and reveals already happened and then, oh great, let’s rehash the whole script again.

They, of course, had to do the separating from you for your own good trope. I don’t like that trope. It is right up there with the amnesia trope for me.

I believe it was confirmed the leads were dating in real life and they definitely had that level of chemistry. It is not their fault the script was just awful at some points. Their acting was excellent but the content was off.

There was so much potential in this one. With a great cast and interesting premise this could have been a great addition to the supernatural genre. I am not sure how they managed to make it so drawn out and boring except the pacing and when they chose to do reveals.

#MyDemon

#SongKang

#KimYouJung

#KimHaeSook

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A roller coaster ride for your emotions but ends well and happily

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean drama series with 52, ~65 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis
This is a drama about an average family living in Seoul. Things change when a struggling celebrity shows up claiming to be a son of the family. The series follows the family through many events from joyous to challenging. Through it all the strong family bond sustains them. Each child finds their way and pursues happiness in jobs and relationships.

Family members:
Byun Han-su/Lee Yoon-seok (Kim Yeon-cheol) He is the father and head of the household. He was a Judo athlete prior to being accused of a crime he was innocent of. Through a series of events he wound up swapping names with his friend and keeping it to mask his criminal record to avoid hardship for his family. When the son shows up it is because of this name swap and Yoon-seok takes him in out of respect for his friend. He soon sees the young man as a true son and member of the family.

Na Young-sil (Kim Hae-sook) Mother and wife of the family. She is a nurse who learned of Han su’s past when he was treated in the hospital. She knows he is innocent and helps him hide the past from the children and others.

Byeon Hye-yeong/Lee Hye-yeong (Lee Yu-ri) The eldest daughter of the family. She is a successful lawyer and has diligently worked to prove her father’s innocence.

Ahn Joong-hee (Lee Joon) is a former idol who is now struggling at acting. When he loses a role because he cannot understand the emotions between father and son he seeks out whom he believes is his missing father.

Byeon Mi-yeong/Lee Mi-yeong (Jung So-min)— A middle child of the family she has struggled to find a career path since quitting as a Judo athlete following an injury.

Byun Joon-young/Lee Joon-young (Min Jin-woong) The eldest child of the family, He has struggled for years to pass the civil service exam.

Byeon Ra-yeong/Lee Ra-yeong (Ryu Hwa-young) is the youngest child of the family. When she is not annoying her other siblings, particularly the eldest sister, she is either on social media or teaching yoga.

Review

This was a very compelling family drama that provides a roller coaster for your emotions but ends happy. The main plot point revolves around an, at first, mysterious event from the past involving the father. You are quickly let in on the secret and it is then a matter of when and how the rest will find out and if it will be resolved. There are some sad moments, but the story overall is uplifting. I would watch this again and highly recommend it. It is a relatively long drama with over 50 episodes that are over an hour but it allows time character development and believable romances.

Spoilers

Hye-young the lawyer daughter is my favorite character. She is no nonsense yet does everything with such dramatic flair it was enjoyable every time she was onscreen. Her boyfriend turned husband, Cha Jung Hwan (Ryu Soo Young), is a mama’s boy at first but watching as Hye young deals with the over bearing mother in law and the overly filial son is entertaining. He comes around and it is part of what makes him her perfect match.

Joong-hee, the idol turned actor, was also my favorite. His deep desire for a father was heart feels. It showed how famous people are still very much human beings. His romance with Mi-yeong was the highlight of the show and one of the best romances I have seen even compared to series where the romance is the key focus. Having them both drawn to each other even when they thought they were related illustrated the depth of their connection. He never gave up on himself and I loved that, I understood his anger when he found out he was deceived but I still thought the writers took it too far. He would have known the father did not know about his existence so was unaware that deception was hurting a child. He and the father had formed such a bond it was hard to believe he would not have understood the genuine nature of that connection. The father could have let Joong-hee contact him then let that fade as Joong-hee seemed ready to but he kept bringing him meals and showing up to develop a relationship. There was nothing for the father to gain from forging that tie. But people do act irrationally when they get hurt emotionally.

The kids acted so mean to Joong-hee when he was first in the house. The father kept saying my kids are kind they will accept this or that but they really were not completely kind especially in some of the situations. They acted spoiled and immature multiple times both individually and together as a group. The grandmother was so mean to him in the beginning. But that does reflect some previous generation‘s response to orphans and illegitimate children. My father was illegitimate in the US born in the 50s and he was treated poorly by the elders and society in general so it is a thing that unfortunately happens not just in South Korea but elsewhere too. It is an ugly streak in humanity to treat the innocent children poorly when the adults create the situations.

The sister-in-law, Kim Yoo Joo (Lee Mi Do) was truly horrible in the beginning. To go through sweet Mi-yeong’s memories of being bullied by her was heart wrenching. I loved the way they handled it. It was cute when Joong-hee bullied her back a bit. I did not think it would be possible for me to forgive that character because I absolutely detest bullying and have stepped in to stop bullies in the past. In my school days I was not bullied as I had a very strong personality and no-one bullied others in front of me or they had it turned on them. I even shielded multiple people as an adult subject to workplace bullies. But there was a situation where I was bullied in the workplace and have experienced how miserable those situations can be. But Yoo Joo did finally see the light and changed and offered apology in the right way so even I could understand Mi-yeoung forgiving her.

I was so conflicted about the mother, Young sil. On one hand she was a great wife and mother who was always there for her family. The way she took in Joong-hee and then all of the sons in law and the daughter in law was one of the sweetest components of the story. I felt both annoyed and understanding in the way she emotionally blackmailed Yoon-seok to take on his friend’s identity. It seriously would have felt like a sign from the Gods with the way the mix up originally happened. But it was definitely a character flaw that lying and hiding things seemed to be go to responses for her.

It was hard and I was torn about whether there was justification to deceive about his identity. On one hand he was unjustly accused, and there is such a strong, social stigma on people that commit those type of crimes that carries through to their children so it was understandable. Conversely lying is never good especially about something so monumental. The writers did a good job of laying that conflict out there and examining how the different characters thought about it, and how people in general might think about it. It was unfortunate that while we did get to learn there would be a retrial we did not know the outcome of the retrial. I felt beyond frustrated when you found out that his friend was the one that had originally betrayed him, and then he was so unwilling to talk about it even all those years later. I certainly never felt sympathetic towards that character as I thought what he had done was completely unforgivable. I loved when Hye-young lost it with him and was like look you will do the right thing or I will put it on blast what you did. The father told her to stop and was a bit apologetic about it but that dude more than had it coming. I do not think he would have been willing to testify without the threat of some personal consequences. Even if his mom had taken money he should’ve still told the truth and let the chips fall where they may. You don’t let an innocent man go down for a crime because your family member accepted a bribe. His unwillingness to help right the wrong showed he was just a completely unrecoverable character. The other piece I felt wasn’t well tied up was I would’ve liked to have seen his conviction overturned and then find out what happened to the people that had actually beaten that poor kid to death. A lot of times when that sort of thing happens, those type of people go on to commit other crimes. While Hye-young mentioned that if the conviction was overturned, they could reopen a case against the actual perpetrators we never got that level of satisfaction.


#MyFatherisStrange
#KimYeonCheol
#KimHaeSook
#LeeYuRi
#LeeJoon
#JungSoMin
#MinJinWoong
#RyuHwaYoung

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Main couple cute but lots of lying and deceiving going on

8.5/10 os my rating. This is a 2011 Taiwanese romantic comedy drama with 84 approximately 45 minute episodes.

First I will provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Ke Wei Xiang (Chris Wang) and Song Yi Jie (Annie Chen) never envisioned themselves married to someone they had been promised to in the womb, I mean how old fashioned! But when Yi Jie gets to know and love Wei Xiang’s grandmother who professes to have a terminal illness, they decide to marry to fulfill the grandma’s wish. The young pair, who likely never would have selected each other on their own, marry but have a secret agreement to divorce in a year. Wei Xiang’s idea of his ideal match is very different and Yi Jie is avidly pursuing a legal degree. Will this “only to fulfill Grandma’s dying wish” arrangement become real?

Review

The romance between the main couple is believable and cute. The family dynamics are frustrating at times but also heart warming. There are a lot of really long scenes where it was a character reflecting on this or that, and I actually fast forwarded it through a lot of them because they felt really unnecessary. Eight four episodes is a lot and I think they could’ve easily reduced the length of the series if they had cut a lot of those things out or at least shortened them. Overall it was very good, definitely worth watching, but only invest when you’re ready to watch a really long series. I wouldn’t watch it again any time soon because it was just a lot, but it is good enough to rewatch at some point. I recommend it to people that like family dynamics, contract, marriages, growing through conflict and sweet love stories. The ending is happy although somewhat abrupt.

Spoilers*

I thought the level of filial behavior the elders expected was borderline abusive. On one hand I loved the granny (Tan Aizen) but at the same time, I thought what she expected her grandchildren to do to be filial and grant her wishes was ridiculous. She also was watching them to the extent that she invaded their privacy continually in many ways. She was cute and her behavior was cute but there were times when it wasn’t cute and she was just being nosy bossy and a bit of a bully.

We Xiang was wrong to let another woman so close to him, even though it was a fake marriage. Even in a fake marriage, it would be humiliating for people to think your spouse was getting it on with another woman. He used the excuse that he had to do business with her, and that may have been so, but he still could’ve kept a professional distance from her and he let her get in his romantic space way too much. Later in the series, when he fully fell in love, he was willing to burn every bridge so as not to be misunderstood. So it showed he should have known letting another woman that close was not appropriate. So when he set really clear parameters and definitively stated it was not going to happen, I was glad they turned it around that way.

Ko Wei Cheng’s (Kunda Hsieh) mob Princess girlfriend, Fang Hsueh Tu (Chen Mei Yang) was just straight up, mean to him most the time. Although he was a bit of a ladies’ man and not very responsible, that didn’t excuse her behavior. She both physically amd emottionally berated him. If she was angry, she let her thugs beat on him. I felt sorry for him at so many points. I wish he would’ve told his family what was really going on when they were first encouraging him To date her. I did not like that they met because he bullied her and that she then grew up to bully him. That couple and their relationship was built on violence,

We Xiang’s mother, Fang Xue Ru (Yang Chieh mei) liked a girl that was clearly a snobby person just as she was over someone her son and most of the family had chosen. It was heart breaking when Yu Jie would be trying so hard only for her mother-in-law to harshly criticize everything she did mostly because she liked another girl better. I liked that Yi Jie’s ex boyfriend told the being evil mother-in-law off. I wish the Ko family were told more of that back story about what was going on with him and exactly what he did to Yu Jie. I also liked when Yi Jie’s mother, SongLin Hao Yun (Yang Li Rin) told Xue Ru off.

There were so many lies and deceptions in this one. It made the Ko family seem bad. They clarified and resolved the lies and deceptions still it seemed that was their default solution to everything.

It ended so abruptly I actually ran it back to be sure I had not accidentally forwarded it. After all thet we do not get to know if she ever passes her bar? We got to see everyone else with their children but not the main couple? I felt cheated.

#InBornPair
#ChrisWang
#AnnieChang

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Good not great but solid on the romantic elements

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2020; Chinese Romantic drama with 28, 35-48 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis
Xia Lin Xi (Xiang Han Zhi) and Jiang Zheng Han (Wang An Yu) were not fast friends when they first met in high school. In fact, top student and class President Lin Xi is charged, by their teacher, with reeling in Zheng Han to comply with some rules. She accomplishes her original missions then sees there is not only a deep intelligence but a hidden side to Zheng Han that reveals he is intelligent and kind. This makes Lin Xi determined to fully convert Zheng Han to help him realize his academic potential. Study dates become akin to real dates and the two draw close enough as more than friends that Li Xi's tiger mom notices. Nearly overnight and without many words Zheng Han is on a bus out of Lin Xi's life. Not one to go down without a fight, Lin Xi chases after Zheng Han only to have her pleas fall on deaf ears. Fast forward several years and the two former friends are now in the same college, the college they had promised each other they would attend together. But, having mended her broken heart, Lin Xi also barricaded it shut and is not ready to give Zheng Han the chance to explain. Being among the Gods and Goddesses of the campus neither lack for potential boyfriend or girlfriends and as their relationship has moved backwards it seems Lin Xi at least may make another choice. Through college and then early professional careers it becomes apparent that their love was not just a passing high school crush.

Review

This story begins "How I met Your Mother Style" with the start being the end of the story and the rest how they got there. I am not a fan of that style as part of the allure to me is not knowing, beyond that it ends happy, just how things will end up. So that was a slight detractor. It is a rather simple, predictable, yet heartwarming romance. Rich girl and down on his luck guy, good girl and bad boy, are the overall vibes. It is a good romance, not over the too great but good if you appreciate straight forward stories.

It ends happy. I recommend it if anyone is a fan of either actor or if they like coming of age, rich girl/poor guy tropes. I would not watch it again but am not sorry I watched it once.

Spoilers

I thought her cousin was mean to the lead girl"s best friend and it was a struggle determining how she would have fallen in love with him. They did really turn it around though and their romance wound up being very sweet.

It is one of the rare occasions when I did not feel sorry the 2nd lead did not get the girl. Not only did he not take no for an answer he tried to use the parents to get her tied into an arranged marriage. He went behind her back getting her in trouble with her already difficult mother. He threw his friendship with lead guy out the window and was willing to tarnish his former friend's future prospects to try to take him away as an option for the lead girl and to save his family's failing company. There is a tiny bit of redemption with him in the end but not nearly enough to overcome all the crappy things he had done. He even completely crushed the girl who had lovingly stood by his side by suggesting she become a secretary with benefits for a rival company. I was completely glad lead girl did not get with him and did not feel sorry when he was sad.

Lin Xi's mom was a tiger mom who projected all her failings and worries of future difficulties onto her daughter. She could not get along with Lin Xi's father because she was a harpy, so she projected that onto Lin Xi's relationship with Zheng Han. Yes Zheng Han did pretend to be a teacher but he delivered and Lin Xi's math skills improved. But her mom did not to hear why a high schooler might have done that, or that he was a good tutor, she simply wanted to hate on him because he was not who she wanted her daughter to marry. At the wedding she was still acting harsh to him when she should have apologized. Sending Lin Xi to study abroad served no purpose but for her to exert power over her daughter, She was an abusive person who was all criticism and no praise to the extent her family was emotionally terrified of her,

The father in law and son in law relationship that developed between Lin Xi's dad and Zheng Han was beyond cute. He was the only kind parent in Lin Xi's life. Her dad helped the couple as much as he could without incurring his wife's wrath. As her father was the one Lin Xi could go to for emotional support it was clear that Zheng Han would also support her. With a mother like she had she would need the two caring men as a buffer.

I do not like the leaving for your or my own good trope and it was particularly annoying in this because Lin Xi literally had no benefit.

It had so little intrigue and a very simple plot, so that it dragged a lot in the latter episodes. They could have easily told the story in 20 episodes so the fact that it was 28 is part of the reason it was so slow in parts.

#ForeverLove
#XiangHanZhi
#WangAnYu.

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Heartwarming family drama with bonus super sweet friends to lovers like romance

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 Chinese drama with 40, ~45 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis and then review.

Synopsis
Li Jianjian (Tan Songyun) lost her mother who died in child birth but has a dad, Li Haichow, (Tu Songyan) who loves people. He is the dad everyone wants and winds up taking in He Ziqiu (Zhang Xincheng) after making a comment to his single mom that if she doesn’t want her son he would take him. A police officer and his wife move in upstairs and their fights become the talk of the building as the thin walls allow everyone to overhear their conflicts. Ling Xiao (Song Weilong) spends a lot of his time quietly reading on the communal stairs to get out of the apartment when his parents are fighting. The Li’s are determined to invite the young boy into their warm apartment to share meals rather than sadly sitting on the stairs. It is not long before Xiao’s mother leaves the family and now it is just the boy and his dad. The two single fathers become close relying on each other to raise the three kids. This series follows this heartwarming family through many stages of life.

Review
The child actress who plays young Li Jianjian is cute like Shirley Temple. She is kind, courageous and a little mischievous and both boys wind up drawn to her energy. I love the two dads and especially Haichow who uses his culinary skills to feed those that need not only the meal but the human caring. The way it portrays the concept of family as not just those with blood ties, but those that take care of and love each other in a formed family unit is very touching.

I highly recommend this for a sweet, friends to lovers coming of age romance. It is a great family drama. There are many comedic moments that flow very naturally. I enjoyed it start to finish. It ended happily with all major plot points resolved.

Spoilers*

I read elsewhere and I have to agree her proudly declaring she is menustrating to the table of her all male family is funny. It does not even cross her mind that it might make them uncomfortable. But they do their best to help the only female in their midst mature even doing things like gifting her a bra in secret.

Some reviewers felt weird with both of her brothers liking her romantically. Her ”oldest brother”, Ling Xiao (Song Wei Long) was not a blood relative and did not even live in the same apartment. So them harboring romantic feelings was not weird to me at all. The younger brother, He Zi Qiu (Zhang Xin Chang) was thinking along those lines but it was more from his deep desire to be a part of the family officially than real romantic feelings for his ”sister”. They were not blood related either but they were close to being step siblings and, in the end, they were officially step siblings. But other than a brief encounter when he had some romantic feels for her when they were decorating pastry (he was sort of back hugging her to guide her hands) he was more like “ooh sister cooties“ when she jokingly suggested they kiss. I think he was briefly confused about the nature of his feelings for her and they sorted out as more brotherly.

The filial above all else was a problem for me with this one as they even largely encouraged forgiving and looking the other way on behaviors that were physically and emotionally abusive. Chen Ting (Yang Tong Shu), Ling Xiao’s mom, was awful, she was abusive to her husband, Ling He Ping (Zhang Xi Lin) and her son when tgey were married then abandoned her young son to let her now ex, He Ping and super dad, Li Hao Chao (Tu Song Yan) raise him. She returns later, remarried, with a step sister in tow and expects the son she abandoned to just pick up where she left off. And it was not just that expected it the adultsdid a bit by not putting an immediate full stop to it. I looked up the child abuse laws in China because I was curious about the adults lack of intervention. It doesn’t appear like there’s a lot they really could’ve done if they had chose to press the issue at least not legally. But I would have been a harpy so that it was in inconvenient enough that she just left him alone. In the end they try to make it out Chen ting finally saw the light but I still thought she was horrible as she was emotionally blackmailing them with suicide even then. Shenwas not even close to repairing any if the emotional damage she caused and would likely continue to cause. In my opinion someone that behaved like that has borderline personality disorder. She exhibited all the major traits which include: Unstable relationships, sense of self, and emotions, impulsivity, recurrent suicidal behavior and self-harm, fear of abandonment, chronic feelings of emptiness, inappropriate anger, feeling detached from reality. The disorder cannot be cured but can improve with therapy. She was not seeking help with her persiponality issues so she would continue to do things both emotionally and physically harmful.

Then there was Little Big Brother’s biological dad, Zhao Hua Guang (Liu Jin Long) and he was also awful and abusive. He, admittedly did not take care of his son when he was young, because he was too poor to afford taking care of a child so he let him be raised by others. Then he makes money and thinks he cannot have children with his new wife so he comes back and expects Zi Qui to just to turn his back on the people that care for him, and raised him all those years. Then rather than asking nicely and being so pleasant, his son would want to come with him he blackmailed him and threatened to harm the only family the son knew and loved if he did not do as he wished.

Then there was her friend and roommate Luo Hong (Mei Ling Zhen) whi had a crush in Big Brother, Ling Xiao, and was angry when she mistakingly thought he had romantic feelings for her but only saw her as a good friend. She was willing to give up her years long friendship with Jianjian out of a situation of her own making. Then she takes her mom’s side when her parents are going to divorce criticizing her father for not being there and her mom doing it all when she was a housewife and he was working to support the family. It was the same with Zi Qiu’s police officer father and his mom, also a housewife who could not cope with her young children so much she locks them up so she Can go play cards then blames her son (like an abuser) amd her husband for her daughter’s tragic death. I found Luo Hing an unlikable character.

#Zhang Xinchang
#TanSongyun
#GoAhead
#TuSongyan
#SongWeiLong

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Very funny and cute romance

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Chinese romantic fantasy drama with 24, 35-47 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Nan Xing (Shen Yue) has talents at all ends of the spectrum and as a former athlete she has gained somewhat super heroin status in her ability to aid the police in stopping criminals. Another of her interests is writing fan pieces and other online literary posts so when one of her characters is criticized as lacking depth and not being villainous enough, she rewrites his character to be super bad. Little does she know that action will come back to haunt her. Because she has such a strong and unique character she scares off potential suitors who trend to the fragile femme fatale. Frustrated with her fails in the romance department she makes a spontaneous wish for unforgettable love in front of Fairy Zhen's water fountain. At first she does not realize that the appearance of the villain from her web novel, Xiao Wudi (Chen Zhe Yuan) is connected to her wish for love. Having a character come to life is startling enough and why would she think a villain is her heart’s desire? Xiao Wudi is not pleased to be summoned from his past world and by none other than Nan Xing, a woman he does not find suitable as a romantic partner. Threatening to expose his presence to her mother, Xiao Wudi gets Nan Xing to allow him to stay in her spare apartment next door. He is able to gain some wealth and independence in this new to him world by selling jewelry he was wearing. He also learns all about this time 500 years in his future by using his photographic memory to absorb reference materials. He plans to carve out his own life in this new realm until he discovers Nan Xing can summon him, from wherever he is, when she needs boyfriend like services. Since he was pulled from his world to satisfy Nan Xing's wish for an unforgettable love, Xiao Wudi determines if he plays fairy godfather/cupid and finds an unforgettable love for Nan Xing, he can return to his world. After all nothing in the wish fulfillment dictates that unforgettable love must be him. However the mire time Xiao Wudi spends around Nan Xing transforming her into an ideal romantic partner, the less villainous he feels toward her. He was after all summoned by magic as her unforgettable love and fate might have known its business.

Review

If you like heart warming romance that is not overly complicated and ends happy then I highly recommend this one. I laughed so often at Zhe Yuan’s antics. I thought the main couple were believable as I could see two people such as them fall for each other. The story was well paced and there was resoltion to all major plot points and a very happy, well developed, ending.

Spoilers

It was a little odd that Nan Xing makes a wish, this character from her story appears, and then that is not even a big part of the story. She seemed incredibly underwhelmed that this strange miracle just happened. Some people thought, in the end, when she was reading parts of her novel to her fans, that the whole thing had been a dream and never happened. She did say some things like that about time travel and all but I just took that as the “cover story” so no one would examine her relationship further. He did have her childhood love’s identity but the mother never acted like he was her actual son.

Xiao Wudi did not show any obvious magical ability in the beginning. She could summon him but that magic seemed external to him. He used what seemed like concrete physical abilities for most of the series. So I thought it was odd when he was suddenly able to fly around like when he wanted to prove the story to the mother. He was not a God or any other supernatural so they did not integrate nor explain that ability well.

I thought it was strange that he was not her made up character after all. They never explained how this character made up by two people independently would have the same name and so many similar characteristics. They were calling him a hero when he went back to the past but there was no details on what made him heroic.

The love she had for her childhood sweetheart was not at all compelling as, up until the fire, he was fairly cruel to her. It felt very much like “he pulls your pig tails because he likes you.” So I never found that unrequited love that was actually requited angle very engaging. To me it felt like he was meant to be the reincarnated son, but for some reason they never went that route, but they had everything set up for that to be the case. Instead, he just had some of his memories for some reason we never really fully got to understand.

When he was desperate to find her the unforgettable love and set her up with all the potential Mr. Rights he dressed her so over the top then set her up with the most ridiculous possibles but then acted confused when she was mad at him about it. He did not dress her well as an actual potential marriage partner but perhaps as an escort. It was unfortunate there was no friend or other outside character to point out to him that he had foiled his own attempt, perhaps deliberately, as he was already starting to like her.

The lead male character‘s animosity towards Nan Xing’s boss, never made a lot of sense, because he was never set up to be a romantic rival as he never showed any interest in her that way. It was like they were Frenemies for no real reason. I determined he acted that way towards him simply because he didn’t like anybody else having her attention but that was never made clear that that was his motivation.

I honestly was just never very interested in the second couple. They were sort of late in telling us their backstory, which helped in understanding why he was so into her. Without knowing their backstory, and the fact that they had a romantic thing going until she made the agreement with his dad, it made no sense why he was doggedly pursuing her, as there was no clear basis for his feelings. They were such opposites that understanding their tie was important to getting their romance.

It was weird that they made the female President of the company out to be a tragic character like she sacrificed so much taking on that role was a little hard to swallow. Being that high up in any company in any country in the world is a hard roll to get and a lot of people would dream to have that job even if it didn’t pay a lot. She did not seem picked on holding such a rare position, that she excelled at, if not for the wealth then just for the status and prestige that came with it. The fact that the company was successful indicated there must’ve been some cash flowing in or they wouldn’t have continued, she had to of been making some money. Ifshe really did not want to work in that job she had built her resume enough to work elsewhere. President Ye striking out on her own and working with her family in the restaurant was weird because it did not seem preferable to being some high-powered president of a company. Then she comes back but only as his assistant. I cannot see anybody being happy dropping rank and influence. I mean if you hate it that much, get an a vice president that can take on some of the responsibility when you’re gone. That also made their relationship a bit awkward because it made it like she sacrificed the whole time when it felt like she really only sacrificed in the beginning.

The wedding night to me was cringy. Their awkward physical advances was unnecessary. That is usually left to the imagination and I am fine with that. The may I this can I that made it weird. And seeing the kids and so forth felt like a little too much of their after the happily ever after.

Having the other office couple catch the boquet and confess at their wedding was not good timing for a third romance.

#MrBad .
#ChenZheYuan
#ShenYue

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Cheesy romance with Romeo and Juliet ish vibes

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 16 ,~60 minute episodes. Also known as the hundred year bride.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Na Doo Rim (Yang Jin sung) agrees to impersonate a wealthy heiress for a hefty sum of money not knowing she is subjecting herself to a curse. It seems the Choi family, who own the Taeyang group, a major South Korean conglomerate, have been under a hundred year curse. As her luck would have it she looks exactly like rich heiress Jang Yi Kyung (Yang Jin sung) who was set to marry the eldest son of the Choi family which would have triggered the curse. The curse is the first bride if the eldest son always dies and now Na Doo Rim is in the role of that first bride. It is an arranged marriage for business reasons and the eldest son, Choi Kang Joo (Lee Hong ki) did not love Jang Yi Kyung his would be bride. When Jang Yi Kyung disappears, in their desperation to keep the wedding going forward, the Jang family finds doppelgänger Doo Rim. But the two women only physically look alike and are opposites in nearly every other way. Where the heiress is rich, Doo Rim is poor, where the heiress has a cold, indifferent personality, Doo Rim is warm and bubbly. Choi Kang Joo does not know his bride has been swapped but finds he is seeing a new aspect to his fiancee and he likes this new leaf he thinks Jang Yi Kyung turned over. He surprisingly falls in love with this woman when he thought it would be a marriage of convenience and he would keep a distance. Na Doo Rim realizes Choi Kang Joo is kind under his cold exterior and falls for him as well. But what will happen if Choi Kang Joo discovers he was deceived? What if the real Jang Yi Kyung returns? And will Na Doo Rim become the victim of the curse?

Review

If you consider in 2023 this is now about a decade old it is easier to overlook some but not all of the way the romance is portrayed. There are rare instances where people fall in love pretty much at first sight although I would argue that that’s not love at the beginning it’s more love the way the person looks but love can develop from that. In this series it’s not love at first sight but It is a bit of a quick transition from him being mostly indifferent, but perhaps a little intrigued with her to having some kind of undying love for her. For her to fall for him it was a little bit hard to understand because he was so arrogant and cold for so long that it also felt like she just suddenly decided she was deeply in love with him. It is a good example of romance during that time frame where you did not have a slow build up to love. If you want a point in time romance that has all the flavors and tropes of romances a decade ago you might
like it. If you are a fan of FT Island’s Lee Hong ki you might watch just to see him in this role. He also sings a lot of the songs for the series.

Spoilers

I depart from a lot of other reviewer‘s in that I thought a lot of the romantic scenes were over the top and cheesy in the things they said and gestures they made regarding their romantic feelings. Like I thought Na Doo Rim saying that she didn’t care if she died as long as she got to be his bride for a day, was not something anybody, but perhaps a teenage girl in their overly dramatic hormonally driven phase, would say or think about someone they knew such a short time. Her overly dramatic actions around being apart from him were out of her earlier character and not something a grown woman would typically say or think. Most mature women would realize that no love is truly worth just a single day unless you’re suicidal and then I would say you need mental health help. To add to the over the top love at all costs element when Kang joo is pushing her away because of fear of the curse she jumps in front of a car and uses emotional blackmail to get him to listen to her. To me that was completely an immature action, and it didn’t suit her earlier character where she is very responsible, and if anything, somewhat mature for her age. I also thought he changed a lot in terms of he just suddenly had this undying love for her which didn’t fit or makes sense. I am not a “giving your heart” fan. If you give your heart to someone they have absolute control of it and that is not a healthy dynamic. Having someone in your heart is a better way as that means they have a place in your heart but not absolute control. It is a healthier love.

The whole ghost angle, wound up being rather disappointing. It was not a curse but rather a trick. It was a twist, and I generally like twists, but in this case it detracted rather than added to the story. Since the ghost was not deadly, it was ironic that it wound up being the people around the First Bride, that were more of a danger to her than the “family curse.” I thought it was completely out of character for Doo rim to be willing to sacrifice her life and leave the grandmother she loved so much. I felt like in the latter half of the series a lot of what she did seemed selfish, and that she didn’t care if she hurt the people around her as long as she could be with Kang Joo. It had a very tragically fatalist vibe like Romeo and Juliet but those characters were much younger so their over the top made more sense for immature teenagers to respond that way.

There was way too much forgiveness of atrocious behavior for me. For example, I did not like that they tried to make the murderous grandmother a sympathetic character, and that somehow her guilt was enough to absolve her of murdering somebody. The fact that Kang joo’s mother was willing to make her son marry Yi kyung simply to cover her mother and to avoid some damage to the family business made me like her less. After being such a strong and formidable character through most of the series, it was ridiculous that she would allow herself to be black mailed. Yi kyung’s mother had nearly murdered her own step son and Doo rim, and Kang joo’s mother could’ve turned that into the police as a current crime where the grandmother’s crime occurred long ago. I get that Doo rim was supposed to be some super magnanimous person but she over forgave so many it made her seem a push over. She forgave Yi kyung who had no problem her dying as first bride and did not care her mother attempted to murder Doo rim. She forgave both Kang joo and Yi kyung’s mothers who were willing to have her die under the curse.

It was such a minor point that the grandmother was a runaway bride that it simply distracted from the main plot elements. And I had really liked the grandmother to that point but, after her confession, she was also a flawed character. I mean if she that adamantly did not want to marry why wait until the wedding night to make your break? I am assuming her family had already derived whatever benefit. I know part if it was to reveal the origins of the curse lore but it conficted, a bit, with what the ghost said. The grandmother’s husband said he spread it to discourage the well positioned brides from marrying him so he could marry her. The ghost said it was a true love test. I realize the meaning of such things can twist over time but she is this all seeing ghost so why didn’t she reveal the full story? And the reveal of why Doo rim and Yi kyung looked identical, that the ghost visited baby Yi kyung and changed her features was silly. How would a ghost have that power? And it never explained why she did that. It leads you to think she saw the future and set the whole thing up but again, how does a ghost have that power?

There was a reincarnation angle as it seemed the ghost, Yi kyung’s mother, and Doo rim were all tied together in the past. It was an important aspect but was not even hinted at until late in the series. The ghost changed Yi kyung’s features ensuring the ancestor she was protecting, Kang joo, would have a better suited bride. Or at least Ithink that is why it never really says.

#LeeHongKi
#YangJinSung
#BrideoftheCentury
#TheHundredYearBride

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