Born again started as a crime thriller and ended up as a revenge story. I stopped watching it at the middle when I felt like there will be no redemption story and there will only be past repeats itself. However, the story-telling changed right after I stopped watching it. So, I continued watching it out of curiosity.

I like all the redemption arcs. KSH becomes a lawyer for people wrongly accused for murders. He apologized for all the wrong doings before. CJB becomes a human and not a monster. This is with the help of JSB. His story kinda reminds me of Joker film (2019). In which, a mentally-ill man was misunderstood and was judged by the society. Only, in this kdrama, there is 1 person (or 2) who tried to understand him and also loved him. Thus, the proper ending for him. (Because you know, in the Joker film, if only Joker had that 1 person who tried to understand him, he would’ve not snapped and became batman’s ultimate villain.)

As for JSB, the character was annoying and hate-able for many. I also felt the same way as I watched the series. She cannot make up her mind between the two men. But, I remember this is a LOVE TRIANGLE. A story in which a character will be confused who he/she likes between two other characters.

On the 1980’s story, Ha Eun was clearly in love with Hyung Bin. This love made her confused of JSB’s feelings with KSH in the present because, they are reincarnation of the two lovers. In the present, JSB was drawn with CJB’s personality. He was broken and misunderstood and JSB empathized with him. These made her confused between the two men. Once, she was able to separate her feelings in the past from the present, she sorted out her feelings and chose CJB.

In the end, the story has a very good premise but, the writers was not able to follow up on it. I also think the story will be a better without the LOVE TRIANGLE arc it had. This made watchers hate the show. It has good osts. Is it rewatch-able? Depends. if you want to go back to digest each scene.

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Bamboo Forest was a series of stories that supplements Mr. Queen. It was very enjoyable spin-off made by the production for the fans. It explained the beginning and ending of the main show. Some may not like how they end things on the main show, however this explained 2 things: (1) King likes So Yong even before Bong Hwan. (2) 2 souls were really inside the queen and they can both control the body.

The spinoff also had every character that I enjoyed in the main show had a highlight except probably for the Second Male Lead, which was already explained by the actor why his story is removed. (The pain he caused us is simply enough in the main story.)

All in all, it was an enjoyable very short thank you gift from the production of Mr. Queen. I would really miss the drama. Also, it deserve every praise they're getting because they made a drama that is unique and gave laughs to a lot of viewers. :)

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A Well Perfectly-Balanced Show.

Search came out at the right time for me. I was having a hard time getting over another drama (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay), when Search came along. This drama has been in my radar since last year and was curious by how it will turn out.

It is a fast-paced drama since it only had 10 episodes. Each episode was really entertaining. I knew that this drama will be a military-thriller but the romance, comedy, birth-secret, hidden-identity was a surprise for me. They’ve really made a well-rounded show.

The casting was perfect. Jang Dong Yoon is so natural. I watched some of his previous works and I can really say that the he really emerges into the characters he portrays. Just the transition from Jeon Nokdu into Seargent Yong Dong Jin is amazing. Jung Soo Jung casting was a little surprise for me, I only saw her in The Heirs and I can’t imagine her playing Son Ye Rim however, she really did pull off playing a cold, strong female character. I was actually surprised by JDY and JSJ’s good chemistry. Their banters were so funny and sweet that it’s making me ask for more scenes of them. I hope JDY and JSJ can work again together in a Rom-Com. Another good chemistry was between JDY and the dogs (lol), their scenes displayed his love for dogs.

The scoring was also good that it became a very intrinsic part of its thriller/horror genre. The eerie sound in the intro really represents what the show is all about. Search may not have an ost but their song choices in some “romantic” parts of the drama were perfect.

The ending was not rushed and was very well-executed. It was thrilling up until the end. I thought there should have been Season 2 but, all the story lines were tied and everything already explained.

All in all, it is a very engaging. I recommend this drama, despite some bad CGIs in the beginning. It has a perfect pace and has multiple genres. If you’re looking for something different, go watch this one.

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With Great Potential Comes Great Expectations

At first, everyone's so excited, Queen of Tears will be Kim Soo Hyun's RomCom comeback and he'll be paired with non other than Kim Ji Won. I know this drama will be so hyped. Once the trailers were released, it's full of funny clips and I thought this will be your typical RomCom, Park Ji Eun style. But once I started watching, I realized trailers were very misleading. This show made me cry every episode. Every episode, I felt the grief and regret of each and every character. And towards the end, I felt the unconditional love that every character has for their loved ones.

Baek Hyun Woo and Hong Hae In are two flawed characters. I like that the protagonists are that way since they portray a very realistic type of relationship between two people. It is very real that a relationship can easily fall apart between married couples, specially if there is lack of communication and understanding. Despite this, the love story between this couple works and I just can't get enough of this two. Hae In, her love for Hyun Woo, the guy who mattered the most to her, she will live or die depending on Hyun Woo. She's a very cold person because of her upbringing, but when it comes to her husband, she just melts like ice. Same as Hyun woo, he may have develop hate towards Hae In after 3 years of marriage, but once he realized that he really do love her. He always save her and her family despite their mistreatment of him.

One thing about this drama, it is a mixture of so many genres. Romance, Drama, Comedy then there's Family drama, Suspense, Revenge, Mystery. At first, I think the story sustained to be interesting and was really well-written because of its character-driven plots. However, once the story turned to a plot-driven one, (HyunWoo gets arrested, Hae In' amnesia, Hyun Woo almost dying and was still able to save Hae In) it became over the top that I think it detached from its roots which has real characters.

All in all, I still recommend this drama. This made me realize how great of an actor Kim Soo Hyun is. He was able to delineate Baek Hyun Woo from the other characters he portrayed. Also, I saw Kim Ji Won on a different type of drama again. She really became the Queen of Hyun Woo's tears. Haha. The show started very refreshing and I understood the hype but once the story goes to the climax, it just became very over the top. I hope the story just remained real and believable.

Also, what a very beautiful ending and awesome soundtrack. ;)

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Hot Chemistry on a Not so Hot of a Mess

Love at first night is the first Thai Lakorn that I watched while it was still airing. My reason for watching is because I like Mark and Yaya in Waves of Life. The toxic fighting of their characters Jee and Sathit made me fall in love with their chemistry.

Love at First Night is subpar drama compared to Waves of Life. It lacks the storyline that would engage watchers. They also have some unnecessary wacky scenes which can be too much. The concept is Romcom but in most parts of the series, it leaned towards the comedy part. The fake love triangle (Dad-Apo-Mueang) also made some watchers raise eyebrows on this one. But, despite this, Mark and Yayas's acting were on a different level. They give a very fresh take on Apo and Mueang. Their chemistry still delivers from the screen on to the viewers hearts.

The show started to grow on me on Episode 7. The family problems and dynamics are very shallow and just became annoying at times. But, once Apo and Mueang started to get closer again, I started to feel invested on this show. I realized I just need to just watch it and enjoy the lakorn as it is and to not to overthink too much. I think their love story is the boy fell, girl fell harder-type. On Episode 13, this wacky show just became a ball of fluffy romance. And, it works, Why? Because of the CHEMISTRY. A simple scene eating lovingly together made my heart explode.

In the end, this may be underwhelming after the success of Waves of Life. If only this show immediately followed the heavy drama, many people may have appreciated a light drama like this. However, 7 years of waiting for this? I understand why people can be disappointed. I still recommend people to watch this series just to watch the romance scenes. Mark and Yaya really delivers every time. ;)

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First of all, I was really excited to watch the drama because it was the talk of every kdrama watcher. I was so curious about the show because my brother wanted to watch it. Also, I always love the male lead, Song Joong ki. I've been watching him since Sungkyungkwan days, even though he was just a third male lead in that drama. As a result, we watched as a family.

My opinion is that the story is too flat. I love the cinematography however, the story is just so shallow for me. I'm happy that the two main leads fell in love with each other and got married in real life but, I never felt any chemistry between them in the show. I just don't understand why people love them or see them as a good pairing in the show.

The second male and female leads were more interesting for me. Jin Goo's character was so cute for me and I saw Kim Ji Won on a different role after watching the Heirs (another flat drama talked about by many people).

The ending was... disappointing. They were kidnapped, and then what? They just came back fine. Whatever. 

Overall, I regret watching the drama. It was a lesson to me to never jump into bandwagon or never let the hype sway me.

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Shopping King Louis is the drama you should watch after watching another drama that is so painful you can't just seem to move on. From my experience, I just finished watching Uncontrollably Fond, which is very painful yet worth it, when I came across this drama. Shopping King Louis just made me feellike I just want to show love to everybody. Haha.

The two main characters of this drama is Kang Ji Sung/Louis, played by Seo In Guk and Ko Bok Shil, played by Nam Ji Hyun. They both played their characters very well. It seems like Seo In Guk just transformed into this kind, naive but very lovable guy that is Louis. And Nam Ji Hyun is just so perfectly casted in this. At first I thought I would be so annoyed on both characters because they do not know how to live in the real world where everyone could be selfish beacause life could really just be so unfair, but both characters were so pure and innocent that made me realize that it is not so bad to be overly good and kind-hearted in this world. I also love to give Yoon Sang Hyun credit for his portrayal of Director Cha, he was so funny and I love how he played adult to both Louis and Bok Shil.

The story is very heart-warming. It does have the typical Kdrama tropes but it was approached differently in this drama. This drama just made me feel good. Everyone is willing to forgive everything (Spoiler: the uncle and the running halmeoni) This drama made me laugh, cry, and then laugh then cry of happiness. The revelation at then end was so sweet. I love it. Ost was also so good, and were saved on my playlist.

Overall, I recommend this drama. I hope everyone could watch this and just feel good inside. :)

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A korean “Tarantino-like” film

The Night Owl is a movie that took a small part of Korean history and was told in a very different way. It was a similar style with Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino’s films such as Inglorious Bastards and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It’s very refreshing and exciting retelling of what happened to the kidnapped crown prince who died just a few days after he came back to Joseon.

The acting was really good with Ryu Jun Yeol as the “light-blind” acupuncturist/doctor. It is not the first time I saw Ryu in a saeguk (Alienoid) and he delivered very well in this movie with a different take and was really convincing with his role. Yoo Hae-Jin as the mad King Injo also was very good and showed how flexible of an actor he is.

The cinematography of the film was really dark since they have to use dark sets, however there was no problem with seeing the small details while watching night scenes. The screenplay was also good and the flow of story was smooth even it is a thriller genre in the historical period. The best scene for me was when the crown princess went to the King to tell the story of “the witness”, the realization of who really killed the crown prince was amazing.

All in all, I recommend this movie. It is very thrilling movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Also, this movie really won a lot of Baeksang awards (Best Film, Best New Director and Best Actor), thus it is a must watch!

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A Very Heart-warming Fairy Tale

I want to start my review by saying this is the very first time I’ll be rating a drama with a perfect 10. I’ve been watching dramas for 14 years and I’ve never felt invested and addicted to one before.

The story-telling was very unique and the writing is so polished. It has a typical story-line with other kdramas but it used a creative way of story-telling. The incorporation of fairy tales in each episode was what made this drama distinct from others. This drama made me felt different emotions while watching; sad and crying from one scene then, laughing out loud at the next. There are also some scenes that made me scared like watching a horror movie.

All characters are perfectly casted. Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji has the best chemistry I’ve seen from co-stars before. All their staring scenes from earlier episodes was just exploding with sexual tension (and, that’s just all from staring how much more from a kissing scene *wink*). KSH still have the power to break my heart just by crying, still showing that he’s still one of the best actors out there. SYJ showed a different side of her. I’ve watched her other dramas and I’m glad that she’s being noticed now. I empathized with Moon Young and felt for her so much. Everytime Moon Young cries, I cry as well. This is her best work yet. And of course, our Sang Tae-oppa, Oh Jung Se shined in every scene he’s in. He was able to embody a character so pure and innocent and make me laugh and cry.

The ending was so beautiful and we’re able to see all 3 of them heal and be happy. They found family, friendship, love and learned to love themselves first. I felt like I’m with them as they go on with their journey.

Overall, this drama is just perfect. I will miss this drama. This drama will go down as one of my personal favorites. And, I hope to whomever watches this drama, may you heal with the characters as they heal from their own heartaches and traumas.

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Another drama that was so hyped it never really reached my expectations. For me, it was a reversed version of My Love from the Star that is less entertaining, less convincing and is kind of disappointing. Both dramas was almost similar you can't just stop comparing both of them. Both have fictional leads that fell in love with humans. Both have leads that is entangled to a family problem. Both have Jun Ji Hyun as main leads. But, one was just much better than the other and that is the first one and it was My Love from the Star.

Characters were well introduced. They have actors that could really up this drama. The premise was promising but the flow and the plot has nothing really new, Ost was forgettable. Cinematography was awesome. The whole drama was just forgetful.

Overall, I had high expectations for this drama because of its promising plot and very bankable leads, but it just turns out to be another drama that I watched and just seems to forget anything about it. It's up to you if you want to watch this one.

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Memorist is a great show to watch during this long quarantine days. I watched it weekly and its cliffhangers really left me hanging. It gives shocking revelations and it is a show that made me think. It is refreshing since, almost all of my kdramas watched centered on romance plots. Some watchers wanted a romance plot however the show was able to stand without it (maybe the're are tiny bits of hints). There is great chemistry between YSH and LSY, and honestly, sometimes I kinda wished there's a romance plot.

The overall acting in this drama is so good. YSH is always good in playing the handsome hero. LSY gave a different performance this time. I watched her in Hit the Top, in which I love very much, and gave a different performance in this one. I've read some hatred on her character but I love my strong, independent women characters. I understand she has to act that way because she is in a high position at a very young age (she's a genius). The two cop characters beside dong Baek are also funny and was able to give lighter emotions to watchers. My personal favorite is Jin Jae Gyu. He's so good, I was so creeped by his premonitions and how he delivers it.

I may not rewatch this for a while since, watching the show weekly not knowing the shocking revelations gave me excitement to watch it.

Overall, I recommend this drama if you want a break from romance centered plots and want something darker and mind blowing. I'm glad I watched the drama during quarantine.

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Another boring human-fell for a supernatural-drama

I was excited when I first heard of this, knowing that Netflix produces promising and really interesting shows. However, the drama just fell flat and did not show anything new. The story is about a woman (KYJ) who fell in love with a Demon (SK) because some circumstances forced them to marry each other.

Cast was very promising. Kim Yoo Jung, I believe, is one of the best actresses of her generation. I mean the girl is acting since she was a child. And, she's one of the reasons why I was excited for this drama. She actually delivered Do Do Hee to the audience very well. Song Kang, hmmm, well his robotic acting did not help him on this one. I mean, I watched Love Alarm and was rooting for him, but his acting hasn't evolve yet. He was just not able to show emotions on specific scenes. Some scenes expects him to be scary, nope same face. Another scene needed him to show grief, nope same face. I still believe in him, maybe this is just a wrong project for him.

The plot is like a combination of fictional love story cliches. The family drama is also not that interesting and a bit over the top. I get it children is fighting to get the business their mother built but, is it worth killing each other? The plot twist was very obvious. However, I really find the eldest son really scary.

I actually am very disappointed with this one. I was just able to finish this because of a long holiday vacation, out of boredom.

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The Best Hit is one of the most fun dramas I've ever watched. I think the directors did a great job. And, I congratulate Cha Tae Hyun for his first directorial debut. I think it was a success.

The drama involves time travel and slice of life with comedy and romance and some mystery. It was a perfect combination of different genres. The plot was really not interesting but as the story goes on it was really enjoyable and I did not skip watching any part of the show. I also think that all of the characters, from main characters to supporting characters, were all well-written and have good character development. My favorite character is Yoo Hyun-jae, I find all of his scenes cute and funny. And I like how he was given a second chance by travelling in the future.

As for the actors, I think they were all perfect for their roles. They were all funny. Yoon Shi Yoon is the cutest! He really played Yoo Hyun-jae very well. I really fell in love with him in this one because he can play a cute and funny but at the same time serious (at times) and manly character. I also shipped Yoo Hyun -jae and Choi Woo-seung from the beginning. I think him and Lee Se-young has good chemistry. I also love the bromance between Lee Ji-hoon (Kim Min Jae) and Drill (Dong Hyun Bae).

The soundtrack was awesome. I still play them to this day. I think rewatch value is high since I watched this twice already, and I'm still thinking of watching this again in the future. There is also lesson to be learned in the story. I think it tells us how to be patient and hardworking to be able to reach our dreams in life. It also teaches us not to be selfish but to be grateful to people who helped us reached your goals.

All in all, this drama is refreshing and very enjoyable. I recommend this one. I find this drama underrated and I think more people should watch this.

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A heartbreaking but a very heart warming drama about youthful love. The drama has a typical premise but, it perfectly encapsulated how pure love can be for young people. Also, it  has a perfect pace. The story was clearly told despite its very short duration (1 hour). The actors did a great job. They were really able to convey the realistic emotions of their characters regarding their situations. I fell in love with Jang Dong Yoon. This is the first time I see his acting, and I really did feel bad for Uhm Ki Suk. Even if the ending was open-ended, I can only think that there will be a continuation on their relationship. All in all the drama was moving, I cried. And as I finished watching the whole thing, I smiled.  I recommend this one especially if you love warm hugs.  :)

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Kill It is very well-paced drama. Only having 12 episodes, the writers did a good job in unraveling the story on each 12 of them. However, I did find the 1st ep. boring, too much setting up for the whole series happened. The 2nd ep picked up the pace, and the drama was good from then. Until the middle, where it gets slightly confusing. I still continued watching it and everything was explained on the next episodes. I kinda knew how it's gonna end since, it has a dark, tragic feel from the start.

This is my first time watching a drama without a Romance genre and I really saw chemistry between the male lead lead and female lead. It was nice that they were able to touch a little of romance to it. I understand that the it was not the focus of the drama, and if it is a 16-20 ep drama they might be able to tackle it. Still, they were able to establish the relationship between the two that made their "Last Scene" (spoiler alert) together very effective.

All in all, it was a good drama. I liked the action scenes. I had a City Hunter feel on it. It is not as re-watchable as other good dramas. Still, I recommend people watching it. Not a waste of time. :)

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