Psychological thriller with a hell lot of money problems...

Little Women (by Louisa May Alcott) is by far one of my favourite classic literary novels and although this cannot be considered an "adaptation" or "remake" of any sort because of the vast differential cleft between the two plotlines, but I very much enjoyed the constant thrill I engaged with, while watching this concise yet fulfilling drama

The story in itself was portrayed beautifully, in my opinion by showing the very evident discrepancy between the two different money classes, statuses and families. It was interesting how they showed that while poor people dream of becoming rich, rich people dream of becoming richer and going even higher in the hierarchy of society. The innocence of the 'kids' (hyorin and inhye), and how only the people with wealth (Mr. Park and his wife) would have been able to fabricate their way towards their goals.. along with how every single scene in the drama happened for a purpose/ was a part of someone's VERY meticulous plan (will not be spoiling so do go watch it!) Every single episode left me on the edge of my seat and every shocking revelation had me pausing the episode and either screaming or gasping really loud LMFAO!! You can also literally not trust ANYONE in the show, it's traumatic.

Let's talk about how throughout the drama, Injoo thinks that other people favour her and "toy" with her because she believes she's slow-witted but she's actually undeniably one of the smartest people in the drama. Being an older sister AND without any support from her parents, she's handled her sisters and herself throughout and her decision making skills are top-notch and she really doesn't need to be book-smart for that. The chemistry with Choi Do Il was OVERFLOWING though and I was really sad because I thought they liked each other (I still think they do LOL considering he still wants to see her again but that's for our interpretation). Inkyung's character is super brash but overall, it was definitely for the better holistic cause for the plot.

The funniest thing was though.. how did Injoo take out and put in 2 WHOLE BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF BILLS IN THE LOCKER WITHOUT ANYONE SEEING? Like literally did no one suspect her? I was SO glad that Inhye and Hyorin (I actually didn't like her at the start but I sympathised with her towards the end) left the horrible corrupted mess left by the adults and I'm happy they're living a happy life together! So satisfactory that I even shed a tear towards the end! I did despise Inhye a lot because her actions always came off as rude and ungrateful towards her sisters' love towards her though.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of a psychological-crime-thriller rollercoaster ride!! The casting was absolutely PERFECT and they played their roles better than I thought they would!!

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Evenly-paced thriller with just the right amount of twists and an exceptionally strong female lead!

The best part of this drama is the relationship between Youngjin and Eunho like they both made me cry my eyes out??? I didn't get half of the events involving the church INCLUDING the whole purpose of the "stigmata" killing but honestly, the structuring of the whole drama can make up for it. The character development of the kids throughout made me so happy!!!

I'm kinda confused why they didn't show us a scene of revelation of Eunho's relationship with Chairman Yun to his wife? Also, how did the numbers in the New Life Gospel help decode Sangho's sins? I guess we'll never know? Either way, it's definitely rewatchable for me!

p.s will be keeping an eye on Ahn Jiho's (Eunho) future works because I found out we have the same birthdays, just one year apart HAHA!
ALSO THE ALL OF US ARE DEAD GANG WITH CHANYOUNG AND JIHO

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A slice of life romcom laced with the harsh reality of the korean academic rat race..

I hadn't heard of this drama before it first started airing if I'm being entirely honest. I had one of my close friends watch the first ep and tell me that it was nothing like they've ever seen before, and I was thoroughly intrigued. Now that it has ended.. It doesn't feel real.. Waiting every weekend for a double episode only to have to wait another week to see what happens next, and having continued that until today has been a very memorable experience. This drama did that for me.

The title "Crash Course in Romance" obviously suggests a very kdrama-esque romcom but I was very pleasantly surprised to see the evident elements of the academic competition in Korea and how serious it can get, including our group of helicopter mothers and very stressed and emotionally unstable students driven to the edge because of this life of grades and success. Nam Haengseon, our lovely FL is presented as someone who would never enforce decisions on anyone, not even her niece Hae-yi. We can see how Hae-yi has organically become better at studying based on her own motivations and receiving almost no pressure from her family; and that starks in comparison to some of the other kids we see in the show (*cough* SUA *cough*)

The whole history with Chiyeol's former student and her brother was very striking personally. Like I'm not an emotional person, but knowing how Suhyeon said that he was one of the only adults she trusted made me feel so bad for them, especially because of their mother (her daughter fell to her death but she wants her son to study harder because he's "now her only hope"????? That's messed up.) I felt so bad for Sua until the very end and I knew that the shit she was going through isn't entirely her fault but the show made me hate her so much and I hated that so much - speaking of which, the geonhuXsua pairing is lowkey SO underrated I really really really wanted to see more of them they're SO CUTE

Ji Donghui (or rather, Jeong Seonghyeon) really scared me since the BEGINNING yeah at the start the pairing was lowkey cute and I had NO clue it was going to be him but I had a HUNCH... I'm also confused about how everything just died out at the end when he died? like okay yeah it was sad for a bit but I love how everyone forgot about it soon after?

The whole plot was played out very well, in fact. Recently I've been having quite the blackout with kdramas and I seem to get bored REALLY easily. The spacing of this one was incredibly even and I think that's a major factor is the longevity of a drama for me! Portraying every single aspect of the plot from almost every single character's perspective is an important feature of a good drama and this one definitely did it for me!

The ending was incredibly satisfactory thankfully! - I was so afraid we were going to get a Hae-yi and Haengseon separation moment BUT HER MOTHER DID SOMETHING RIGHT FOR ONCE! - I loved Sunjae's mother's redemption arc! The picture she sent Sunjae of her and Huijae made me tear up:"( and when huijae came back on leave from the military:"((((( I really love happy endings! - The Sunjae and Hae-yi moment:"( It was too late for me like I would have appreciated a whole episode with them together - and the same for Geonhu and Sua!! When he went to pick her up saying that he was going to enrol in her university:"( Underrated AND unexpected pairing but I loved it! - and lastly, our main couple!! As if them proposing together wasn't cute enough, him rooting for her throughout her examination preparation process was the most wholesome thing ever :"(

As if I haven't spoiled the entirety of this show in my review already, If you still made it to the end and you HAVEN'T watched it, I suggest you do!!! I know I will definitely be rewatching this in a few months!!! <33

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a romcom for the ages… or something more?

Coherently marketed as a romcom, the show definitely did its part to make sure to fulfil that aspect. The cinematography was beautifully portrayed and the romance, I feel, was very maturely shown.

I was afraid they would drop the whole she-smiles-a-lot-he-hates-fake-smiles timeline but I was glad they pulled it out as much as possible. The drama was very wholesome in the way that both Gu Won and Cheon Sarang went through so much self-realisation because of each other, and how even the side characters were able to have resolved endings. I just hoped we were shown a little bit more about Sarang and her friends, Daeul and Pyeonghwa, and how they became friends and any nostalgic memories from then.

One thing I would have to nitpick though, (even though this is a romcom, nothing else) is that even though I absolutely adore some simplicity in plot in contrary to some of the fast-paced thrillers I usually watch, the lack of pace for most of the occurrences in the drama made it almost too strenuous to wait another week to know what happens next, especially when the "plot twists" are predictable, and I almost felt 0 drive, in some weeks, to watch the episodes when they were out during the weekend. I can comfortably say that Won and Sarang definitely carried the entire show for me, personally.

The side "points of conflict", namely Gu Hwaran, Won's step-sister, felt a little underwhelming and annoying for the most part (which I get is the point as she's technically the antagonist of the show, even though she is snapped back to her senses by the end) - and the subplot about Won's mother didn't intrigue me as much as I thought it did, mainly because I predicted that was the case - I just hoped the points of conflict actually steered the plot aside for a moment so that the viewers could get a break from the rosy lifestyles they seemed to be having throughout the show, but that's just me being negative nancy about it again :)

The story focused mainly on the character and relationship development of our two leads, which is definitely nice, and is obviously the selling point of a romantic comedy. Needless to say, it was a brilliant watch nonetheless, a pretty drama with blossoming romance and just pure happiness. If you're in pursuit of a semi-laidback romcom with memorable scenes and overflowing chemistry, then this one is definitely for you!

The OST album is also one of my favourite complete albums from a k-drama, My favourites being Perhaps Love by MINSEO and Confess To You by Lim Kim!!! All the songs are memorable to the point that you find yourself humming along whenever any of them come up in the actual drama!

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An underlying revenge plot with just the right amount of comedy

Firstly, I also think that reducing it from a 16-episode drama to a 12-episode one.. could have gone worse, but it wasn't that badly executed.
Secondly, I'm also glad that they didn't imply Jihun's backstory and left us viewers some time to gel into the present aspect of his life.

Cheon Jihun is an ex-prosecutor turned lawyer who looks at justice from all perspectives possible. Charging 1000 won as legal fees for his service, he intends to carry on the legacy that his late fiancée started and extend his services to people who are desperate to seek justice but can't afford it. The juxtapositioning of his social/wealth status with his benevolence is also beautifully portrayed. Baek Mari, I feel, is very headstrong.. but not in a bad way. She knows what's right and she works in her own way to seek the truth. The work dynamic between Jihun and Mari is definitely significant and their interactions are lowkey the best, they really brightened up the drama for me

I.. cried some real tears when I found out what happened to his fiancée, and I feel so awed at how he composed himself throughout the duration of the drama, even at the sight of her "killers". Namgoong Min is one of the best actors out there in terms of ACTUAL acting, and it's because of his scene and line delivery. Versatile in expressing emotions and vocal dynamic and had me in a CHOKEHOLD throughout the drama I really do enjoy his roles.

Oh, and not to mention the Jihyuk and Jeyi reunion (The Veil)!!! I thought that maybe they were romantic partners in this drama but I guessed not HAHA it was very entertaining to see them again in this one!! I absolutely LOVE the OST for this drama too, I ended up saving all of them! And the anime-style intro??? NEVER DONE BEFORE??? It was so charming and I loved every second of it.

Lastly, I know I spoiled half of the show (probably) on here but if you're still reading and you HAVEN'T watched it yet, I can tell you you're in for a treat. Absolutely enjoyed it and I hope you do too!

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The fantasy-period drama we didn't think we needed but enjoyed (for the most part?)

By far one of the most enticing fantasy-historical dramas I've ever finished! (keyword "finished" as in finished BOTH seasons because I NEVER watch second seasons, it's like a recurring trend for me, up until now), Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow provided a substantial sequel to the hyper-loved season 1. I was afraid the sudden change in female leads would affect the plot and inherently make it messier to watch, but needless to say, I'm super satisfied by how they went around it!

The switch between light and shadow in the two seasons was so apparent and I loved every aspect of that! The constant push and pull kept me on my feet and on the edge of my seat throughout the 30-hour-watch of Alchemy of Souls as a whole! There are some plot-holes that I hoped they would resolve by the end of the show, and they didn't; which disappointed me but never mind that, i actually still enjoyed the great deal (It would be a 10/10 from me otherwise!)

My personal disappointment mainly revolved around how some of my favorite characters didn't get their deserved justice even up until the very end LMFAO!! Like Go Won?? That man has gone through SO MUCH, even at the end, when he wished someone would find him a wife and we don't even get to see him happy with one!! And Seo Yul.. SEO YUL.. okay that dude got an incredulous amount of screentime somewhere in the middle because of So-i and that bothered me so much because (even though she was a bitch for more than a few minutes in the show, her love for him was pure and I'm just sad that even if he didn't love her back, she never got to tell him that) :"( But then again, it's something I would have liked better. I'm glad with the closure, but it was just a bit TOO quick..

Is it too much to ask that we get more than half an episode (ATLEAST) to show us how they've changed in post-apocalyptic Daeho, and to show us a bit more for each person??? But if i'm being fair, I'm just glad the Hong Sisters didn't present us with another tear-jerking parting-ways ending and gave us the closure we most definitely needed and deserved after going through that roller coaster EVERY SINGLE EPISODE.. It was so mean making me believe that Maidservant Kim and Park Jin were BOTH dead.. I had the ugliest cry of my LIFE because????? BECAUSE I BELIEVED THAT WAS A POSSIBILITY!!

Anyways!! If we ignore our best characters ending up with no bitches and how we have no idea where Jinmu is lmfao... This was actually a solid drama!!!!! I enjoyed (almost) every second of it, and I would definitely watch again in a few years when I've completely forgotten the plot!!

If you haven't watched it yet and you like a good thrilling fantasy-historical drama with TONS of cute romance and a 100/100 cast, this is the one for you!!

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