“ Meteor Garden”? More like a “ Meteor” Destruction Site, If You Ask Me...

It seems when coming across Meteor Garden(2018) , you come across two types of fans; the diehard lovers of Meteor Garden, who most likely haven’t seen other versions before , or the biased haters who constantly draw-up the parallels between their “ favourite” version and Meteor Garden as well.

In all honesty, Meteor Garden (2018) isn’t an entirely terrible drama in its own right ; it adds a much needed modern generational update from the 90s manga and the original ‘00s drama versions through technology, as well as thankfully getting rid of some of the more dire cliches ( including the amnesia trope) than some of the other versions. Additionally whilst a lot of critics seemed to be quite cutthroat about the casting choices ( particularly Sheng Yue) , Dylan Wang certainly wasn’t a bad choice for Do Ming Si . Although he was certainly not as memorable as his predecessors, Wang actually added quite a much needed light-humoured and boyish manner to his performance as our lead Male lead ( which may have been one of the few enjoyable factors of the show).

On the other hand, there’s no denying or sugarcoating that the Chinese version of Meteor Garden lacks a lot of originality, cultural insight and storyline than the other adaptations, sometimes making this 50- episode version feel very disjointed and dragging after the halfway point due to gradual fading interest in a lot of the storyline and characters.

This ironically also moves us onto the second problem of the show being how “ toned down” some of the riskier issues of the show actually were ( including the main driven plot point of the extent of bullying) as a consequence of Chinese censorship. Naturally this isn’t entirely the fault of the scriptwriters, as one writer joked and revealed shortly after a flood of complaints from critics upon these issues, how they had quite literally been told by the censors that “ they can’t have bullying”, “ there can’t be evident gaps between rich and poor”, “ violence is wrong” and a man dating several women will send out “ bad messages” if they included any of these themes in the actual script . ( For those who don’t know, the Taiwanese version created controversy and was banned upon most mainland Chinese airways for these exact reasons when it was first aired).

This doesn’t defend the problem, however, that there’s little sense of cultural reflection or intrigue around Meteor Garden (2018) . Even Chinese netizens pointed out that for a show centred in one of the world’s leading consumerist and fashionable cities , Shanghai, a lot of the outfits, hairstyles and accessories of the drama felt too outdated and unfashionable ( leading to the popular joke that the fashionable “ F4” were the “ four country boys”) for modern Chinese youths and unlike the other versions, the drama simply didn’t kept on culturally with the latest fashion.


Whilst there’s no denying that every adaptation is based upon romantic cliches and tropes from the original Hana Yori Dango manga, most of the versions have at least brought something fairly new or different to the table. The Korean version( Boys Over Flowers -2009), brought us elements of the infamous aspect of “ Chabeol” heirs and a fairly intriguing love triangle , the Taiwanese version (the original Meteor Garden -2001) became a cultural sensation across most of East Asia as one of the the first big “ idol dramas” to hit Chinese airwaves with Do Ming Si as a fairly dark character, and Ze Lei as a gentler version than the original manga whilst finally the Japanese version (eponymous to the manga as Hana Yori Dango- 2005-2007) played fully upon the Tokyo cultural aspect of living conditions for most Japanese families within small flats ( a running gag in the show) and Tsukasa as the lovelorn Male lead, and Rei as the cool and mysterious love interest.

Yet the Chinese version really has little to really offer ( apart from the evident name changes) on this front; the aspect of the show being set in a University is copied from the Taiwanese version , and the “ spoilt brat heirs” montage is directly taken from the Korean version and even the ending nearly directly copies the Japanese version without a second thought.

Although a respected actress , Sheng Yue really doesn’t add anything new or different to her version as Shan Cai in any manner of performance or character progression ( unlike her previous incarnation by Barbie Hsu and respectfully Mao Inoue ) being thrown out the window after the first few episodes. Similarly , the remaining members of the F4( played respectfully by Darren Chen, Connor Leong and Caesar Wu ) have always been portrayed in most of the adaptations as unrepentant bullies who gradually grow upon viewers through their often respectful and loyal feelings towards certain topics and especially through their gradual friendship with female lead. In the Chinese version, however, the F4 , just didn’t share the same level of bonding or actual development as the other versions; instead inexplicably “ perfect “ because of their skills and only “ falling” short of these perfections when it was necessary for the plot.
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Whilst respectfully it is quite fun for fans of any of these versions to see little homages or scene parallels ( such as wearing a similar outfit or being in a similar setting ) to their favourite scenes, there is a difference between putting in small Easter eggs or homages ( such as Barbie Hsu’s sister appearing as a character) and then directly copying dialogues, scenes and scenarios nearly word for word. There’s just nothing new, unique or intriguing which the Chinese version brings to this latest version.

To put into refined words, Meteor Garden is a hot mess . Whilst it certainly isn’t a drama beyond salvation ( due to some fairly comical moments thanks to Dylan Wang) and certainly shouldn’t be disregarded as being “ dire and beyond watching ”, there’s just nothing to really add or show in this version which hasn’t been brought up before by the respected Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese adaptations as well . Hopefully the Thai version will bring something new or at least intriguing to the classic tale of Hana Yori Dango/ Boys Flowers , as Meteor Garden (2018) just didn’t quite bite the bullet for doing any of this.

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A Heartwarming Love Story In Tokyo...

30sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii is one of those dramas which will probably be avoided by most mainstream drama watchers from its surreal , seemingly unrealistic and “ sexual “ concept of a 30 year-old businessman, Adachi Kiyoshi ( Akaso Eiji)who can suddenly hear other people’s thoughts simply because he has never lost his virginity.

Yet against all odds of its bizarre premise, 30sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii’s greatest strength was representing the relationship of our two main characters- not simply because they are a part of a “ same-sex pairing ”, but as flawed and independent individuals in their own right (something which only a minority of recent and contemporary romance dramas have been able to portray in the same manner of depth) .

Akaso Eiji was undeniably brilliant within channeling the meek- mannered Adachi, who is naturally perturbed after receiving his new abilities by being able to read the thoughts of anyone he makes contact with . To make the scenario worse for Adachi , he is surprised to discover that his popular male colleague Kurosawa Yuichi ( Machida Keita) has been harbouring complicated romantic feelings towards him for a long time.

Initially Adachi is hesitant to help out Kurosawa at work or grow close to him. Yet as Adachi reads more about Kurosawa’s thoughts and feelings both towards him and as an individual , viewers actually get to see in the process Adachi making sense of his own feelings towards Kurosawa as well. In one particular scene, viewers learn that a lot of Adachi’s problems with wanting to start a relationship with Kurosawa aren’t entirely homophobic, but a consequence of self-esteem and confidence from his past. It is only when Adachi is actually able to start respecting himself ( an important stage in any relationship) that he is able to start falling in love with Kurosawa also.

On the other hand, this also moves us on to one of the biggest flaws of the drama ; its inability to capture actual attitudes and thoughts of Japanese society towards the LGBT community in Japan. Whilst it can be said that not every drama should always be a political and radical message towards society, there’s no lies within saying that Japan has always had a complicated relationship with LGBT rights. Although undeniably a lot more progressive and liberal than some countries in the world and a lot more than the past, there’s no sugarcoating that open- homosexuality or being in a same sex relationship is still sometimes a cause of shame and prejudice amongst some members of Japanese society.

For a drama which specifically tackles these difficulties, it felt a bit out of place not to openly cover some of these pressures and expectations such as in Adachi and Kurosawa’s workplace upon their sexuality and the forced image of “ manliness” often imposed upon men of all cultures as a consequence. This is a flaw which could have easily been shown in the drama and therefore meant that 30sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii was lacking in some genuine and realistic approaches to homosexual relationships in Japan.

On the other hand, my biggest praise must be given to the scriptwriters Yoshida Erika and Okazaki Satoko within the manner in which Adachi’s feelings and attitudes are portrayed. Although he comes to grow accustomed to his own feelings being more than platonic for Kurosawa , it was finally refreshing to see a case where Adachi as a romantic lead is not suddenly head over heels for Kurosawa either. Adachi is finally shown as a protagonist who learns to develop his relationship with Kurosawa over the whole course of the series as a slow and gradual process, rather than a sudden rush for them to suddenly hook up at the ending of the drama.

In a similar manner, Machida Keita was equally brilliant as Akaso’s costar within his role as Kurosawa. Although initially portrayed as overly extroverted and a little too optimistic at times within the drama, there’s no denying that Kurosawa’s reasons for liking Adachi do follow some typical romantic cliches. On the other hand, Adachi’s abilities reveal that Kurosawa is very thoughtful and respectful of some boundaries within their relationship as well as his own feelings towards Adachi not getting too out- of -line. As opposites within their progressive and complicated relationship, Kurosawa and Adachi’s connection isn’t overly presented with beyond salvation cliches nor is it an easy ride; it is more a case that both characters learn to walk through their differences as individuals.

Our side couple, partial- hikikomori ( shut-in ) Tsuge Masato ( portrayed unrecognisably by Asaka Kodai ) and cheerful delivery boy Wataya Minato (played by Goto Yutaro ) was a complicated portrayal for viewers to say the least.

Undeniably both Kodai and Yutaro were just as brilliant as our main actors within their roles, but both their characters respectfully in the beginning of the drama felt a little too much like our main characters within their roles of the “ less confident” and “ socially awkward” guy and the “ popular social butterfly”. Yet perhaps my one note of praise for their relationship comes later in the show , where a sincere revelation by Minato, opens up Masato’s tightly-closed shell and his own feelings as well. On the other hand at this point in the drama, there is sadly also little time to actually focus upon the same depth of their relationship as our main leads, making their progression seem a little too rushed and consequently lacking in the same emotional investment.

Overall there is no denying that although there are several flaws with some characters , cliches and avoiding certain area topics (such as some general attitudes by Japan towards homosexuality), 30sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii is a surprisingly progressive and heartwarming Tokyo romance, portrayed by a brilliant cast, as well as the focus upon the two leading characters as individuals, rather than mere plot devices as well. Definitely a drama watching.

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' Scripting Your Destiny'; A ''Copycat'' of ' Goblin', Or A Masterpiece?

Written by novice screenwriter Eun Seon Woo ( with executive producer of the series being Kim Eun Sook who previously created Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) , ' Scripting Your Destiny' accounts the unrequited love story of Deity of Destiny Shin Ho Yoon ( Ki Do Hoon) acting as a matchmaker between the maverick screenwriter Go Chae Kyung ( Jeon So Nee) and the practically impeccable television producer Jung Ba Reum (Kim Woo Suk). However, fate seems to upturn destiny, as Shin Ho Yoon soon finds himself developing taboo feelings for Chae Kyung. Whilst undeniably a bittersweet romance tale with an intriguing plot premise, ' Scripting Your Destiny' does succumb to its own shortcomings from plot development, unoriginality and characterisation over the course of the series.

First of all, it is important to probably address the biggest elephant in the room with the controversial comparisons by watchers of ' Scripting Your Destiny' to the renowned series ' Goblin' ( otherwise known as ' Guardian: The Lonely And Great God'). Respectfully, it is no surprise that both shows share a similar mythical tone due to Kim Eun Sook working behind the scenes, however, both series have notably different premises. The successful TV drama ' Goblin' crafts a vivid narrative with a sixteen episode story-arc, intertwining the destinies and fates of its characters as individuals alongside its main protagonist. On the other hand, ' Scripting Your Destiny' recounts primarily the feelings and events of Ho Yoon and Chae Kyung, with the side characters being used to keep the storyline motivated.

However, it is important to not turn a blind eye towards the evident parallelisms between the series; an urban fantasy setting, similar Korean-mythological deities and cinematography.( Not least the infamous scene copied in ' Scripting Your Destiny' with the usage of '' slow-motion rain'' and the ''tunnel scene'' from its famous predecessor.) Although there are notable similarities shared between the two dramas, it is wrong per say to propose that ' Scripting Your Destiny' is a ''rip-off'' from the well-known drama entirely, however, the lacking originality of certain scenes (whilst arguably ironic) is prominently highlighted within Eun Sook's touch to the series .

On a more positive note, the main cast did help to animate the personae of Eun Seon Woo's story with intrigue for audiences. Ki Do Hoon was fairly good as our mysterious male lead Shin Ho Yoon ( similar to Kim Woo Suk), whilst his costar Jeon So Nee refreshingly helped her character Chae Kyung to break out of the typical mainstream naive, innocent stereotypes of female heroines in fantasy dramas with a down-to-earth personality. Whilst Gal So Won did show evident signs of being of awkward pauses with her delivered performance, she was surprisingly brilliant as her onscreen persona, the immortal deity Sam Shin .
( Parallel to Park Sang Nam's performance as Shin Ho Yoon's mentor Myung.)

In terms of characterisation, the show was a slightly mixed-bag. It is important to take into account that the drama was a ''web-series'' with 10 episodes overall, with a rough duration of 20 minutes per episode. Consequently, the series was limited in itself with being able to tackle the entire life stories of every character, however, poor pacing towards the focal point of the series, often took away from the more intriguing elements of characters being portrayed as individuals, rather than merely plot mechanisms.

The main lead of the series Shin Ho Yoon followed the archetype of the '' otherworld entity''; oblivious to human interaction and emotions by living as the '' landlord'' of the female lead ( an intended pun from its predecessor ' Goblin' with the shared rough translation of '' heavenly being'') and her mother Yang Mi Soon ( So Hee Jung), the owner of a nearby cafe which Ho Yoon has become a regular patron alongside Myung to watch over Chae Kyung. Whilst Ho Yoon arguably was a sentient character through his developed feelings for Chae Kyung, the exposed revelations by the storyline through Myung's actions and Chae Kyung felt lacklustre from a genuine emotional reaction. Similarly, the storyline did expose an initially intriguing aspect towards the creation of the deities and their restricted existence, however, ultimately the greater existence of Ho Yoon left more questions than answers, especially as none of the characters ( including the deities) seemed to wonder if a higher being was involved in Ho Yoon's love story with Chae Kyung ( as well as the notable morality).

As mentioned previously, Chae Kyung was a fairly likeable female lead ( thanks to the portrayal of Jeon So Nee). As a screenwriter in the storyline, it was invigorating to see Chae Kyung realising the meta-fictional dramatic irony of her circumstances ( as well as parodies to mainstream and successful dramas). However, Chae Kyung felt limited as an individual ( similar to Ho Yoon ) within her initial emotional outlooks upon scenarios ( not least the near ending of the series in an attempt to '' write in''an ending with an abridged ambience). In addition to this, the drama seemed to throw away the respectfully intriguing aspects of Chae Kyung's later career and her work on the latest production for the preferred focus of her '' romantic yearning'' for Ho Yoon.

The other side characters of the series did serve their primary purpose over the course of the web-series, however, they did feel severely underdeveloped such as Sam Shin ( who was an intriguing take on the deity, however, her romantic pairing and presence in the drama felt incipient) as well as Ba Reum ( who served little purpose despite being the ''second male lead'' ). Arguably, however, the most half-baked character in the series occurred within the presence of Myung. Despite being an intriguing and light-hearted presence against the more angst-ridden moments of the show, Myung's presence as one of the oldest- shown deities in the series was never truly explored to expose his individuality. In addition to this whilst Myung's friendship and intimacy with Ho Yoon served its definite cause in the storyline, his involvement and lacking surprise against certain involvements with Ho Yoon, seemed to suggest that Myung should have had a more prominent part within the mystery of the story.

The ending of the series was bittersweet; admittedly a little rushed in the grand scheme of the attempted story arch, however,certainly appropriate for its genre.

Consequently, ' Scripting Your Destiny' was a fairly binge- worthy drama with an intriguing premise, a fairly good cast, beautiful cinematography and a bittersweet romance. However, admittedly this series did feel slightly overrated from top comments that it was '' flawless'' ; characters felt adequately-written, the pacing was questionable in parts and whilst the in jokes to other dramas such as producer Eun Sook's hit series ' Goblin' were entertaining for drama viewers, the lacking originality for an otherwise intriguing storyline to its predecessor became predominant.

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Mouse; A Masterpiece or A Mess?

The best way to describe screenwriter Choi Ran’s "Mouse" is somewhere between a masterpiece and a slightly disjointed mess in certain parts.

It’s wrong to entirely slander that " Mouse" wasn’t a good series. Without a doubt, the main cast were absolutely brilliant. ( Especially Lee Seung Gi’s hauntingly profound portrayal as Ba Reum, truly defining his talents as an actor.) Additionally , " Mouse" arguably had some of the best character development seen in a mystery- crime series in a long time. The portrayal of psychopaths felt haunting for the most part, whilst main characters Ba Reum ( Lee Seung Gi) and Mo-Chi ( Lee Hee Joon) had some shockingly profound character developments and twists. Even seemingly superficial side characters in the beginning such as Oh Bong-yi ( Park Ju Hyun) and the suave Choi Hong-ju, or " Sherlock Hong-Ju" ( Kyung Soo-Jin), had a lot more to their characters than first meets the eye.

However whilst it would be easy to give this drama a decisive ” 10/10” and write it off as flawless , it is undeniable that it isn’t without its faults either.

" Mouse" is undeniably a collection of surprising twists and turns which soon become a little disorientating. Whilst rooted in real—life depictions of a serial killers with a slight "fantasy twist" intriguing plot points soon become slightly predictable and mundane in the latter part. It was almost as though screenwriter Choi was running low on ideas ( despite the endless supply of unanswered questions left open for viewers) and decided to group together a cluster of feverish flashbacks, dismiss more intriguing characters peppered throughout the storyline and manoeuvre deux ex machina solutions for the resulted ending.

So, is " Mouse" actually worth watching from all the hype? This depends a lot on personal preferences. Whilst not flawless and a little clunky in the second-half, "Mouse” was undeniably filled with good acting, intriguing plot, characters and profound themes.

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Kang Daniel And Chae Soo-Bin Are Reporting For Duty In ‘ Rookie Cops’…

‘ Rookie Cops’ is a sixteen-episode streaming series which has earned intrigue and controversy amongst watchers and drama enthusiasts alike; dispute as a consequence of its limited availability on streaming service Disney Plus, as well as fascination due to its casting choices, setups and characters.

Main female lead Eun-Gang( Chae Soo-bin- ‘ Love In The Moonlight’, ‘ I’m Not A Robot’ and ‘ Where Stars Land’) is a bubbly, optimistic and outspoken individual. Often having felt left out by her parents due to their seeming preferential treatment of her sister Go Mi Gang ( Son So Mang- ‘ Queen Of Mystery 2’, ‘ Mr. Queen’), Eun-Gang has often felt pressured to take up a career which will gain her parents’ respect.

Eun-Gang’s prayers are finally answered when she discovers that her first-love has enrolled in the academy in order to become a police officer. Determined to enter the academy in order to get close to him as well as earn the respect of her parents, Eun Gang seems to be living the dream. However, reality, as Eun-Gang soon discovers, can often be harsh.

Meanwhile the narrative introduces viewers to main male lead and Eun-Gang’s polar opposite, Wi Seung Hyun( Kang Daniel). The level-headed and reserved son of top-ranking officer Wi Ki Yong (Son Chang Min- ‘ My Fair Lady’, ‘ Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘ No Matter What’), Seung-Hyun has felt the need to uphold the reputation of his father, ex officio.

However Seung-Hyun and Eun-Gang’s worlds collide even prior to entering the academy. After an awkward first encounter, Seung-Hyun and Eun-Gang are shocked to bump into one another again at the Korean National Police University.

However as the polar opposite main leads become involved with one another on a gradually frequent basis at the cadet academy, Seung-Hyun, Eun-Gang and their peers soon find themselves facing dilemmas, chasing dreams, and struggling to comprehend feelings on the front line of duty…

‘ Rookie Cops’ is the creation of screenwriter Lee Ha Na. The same writer behind predominantly melodramatic productions such as ‘ Cunning Single Lady’ and ‘ The Time We Were Not In Love’, ‘ Rookie Cops’ attempted to offer viewers the best of both worlds; a lighthearted youth series through Ha Na’s signature vivid tone, as well as a moody cop drama revolving around crime and emotional dilemmas for the main characters.

Admittedly this was necessary to a certain extent for viewers. Despite a noir-style opening, ‘ Rookie Cops’ was heavily invested with giving an introduction to its main leads Eun-Gang and Seung-Hyun, as well as introduce the other key players to the scene.

In particular these reoccurring characters and fellow students of the academy included apathetic as well as studious Ki Ha Na ( Park Yoo Na- ‘ My ID Is Gangnam Beauty’, ‘ SKY Castle’ and ‘ True Beauty’), athletic judo prodigy Kim Tak ( Lee Shin Young- ‘ Crash Landing On You’, ‘ Bite Sisters’ and ‘ How To Buy A Friend’), eccentric yet passionate Woo Joo Young ( Min Do Hee- ‘ Reply 1994’, ‘ My ID Is Gangnam Beauty’ and ‘ Clean With Passion For Now’), sprightly social butterfly Yoo DaeIl ( Park Sung Joon- ‘ Sweet Munchies’ and ‘ Run-On’) as well as amiable student Shin Ah Ri ( Cheon Young Min- ‘ Foolish Mom’, ‘ What’s Up With These Kids!?’ ) and principled youth Seo Beom Joo ( ‘ Voice 2’, ‘ A Piece Of Your Mind’ and ‘ Military Prosecutor Doberman’).

In addition to the students, Professor Cha Yoo Gon ( Kim Sang Ho- ‘ City Hunter’, ‘ Kingdom’ and ‘ Sweet Home’), Professor Bang Hee Sun ( Choi Woo Ri- ‘ Queen In Hyun’s Man’, ‘ Matrimonial Chaos’ and ‘ The Bride Of Habaek’) as well as Dean Kim Soon Young( Seo Yi Sook- ‘ You’re All Surrounded’, ‘ Mother’ and ‘ Hotel Del Luna’) played active roles as the reoccurring members of staff at the University.

Nevertheless it was noticeable that the second-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’ shifted in tone in comparison to the first half ; angst-ridden and with a several surprising plot twists, though admittedly a little inconsistent at times due to quick-paced events.

As mentioned previously, Chae-Soo Bin and Kang Daniel star as the main leads of the series and deliver fairly consistent performances throughout. ( It is admittedly praiseworthy to point out that despite Kang Daniel’s good reputation as a celebrity talent host and soloist, ‘ Rookie Cops’ marked the idol’s first acting debut onscreen.)

As for the main leads’ onscreen romance , Daniel and Soo-Bin’s potential chemistry is admittedly stunted at different stages of the narrative. In the first-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’, shoehorned embarrassing scenarios and encounters were purposefully placed to enforce tension and awkwardness between the main leads onscreen. Yet it’s hard to deny that as plot progress, Daniel and Soo Bin’s onscreen chemistry is admittedly a lot more natural also.

Then there’s the supporting cast. Although there were admittedly several moments of overblown dialogue, the supporting cast delivered fairly solid performances. In particular, Lee Shin Young, Park Yoo Na and venerable actor Kim Sang Ho particularly stood out due to their charisma onscreen.

As mentioned previously, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is divided almost into two-halves by its tonal shift; a fairly easygoing introduction ( aside from its initial opening), gives ways to a darker second-half with several unexpected twists and revelations for viewers.

The first-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’ admittedly downplays a lot of initial tension from the opening, as well as future events to come. Instead, ‘ Rookie Cops’ fixated upon character introductions, early dilemmas for the characters and potential setups, before plunging into the deep-end with a pacy and angst-ridden second-half with varying results .

The tonal shift did help to keep viewers intrigued and intensify the climatic events of the second-half. However, this also caused some drawbacks for ‘ Rookie Cops’ also.

Although some of the intriguing counterplots of the series such as the rocky friendship between Kim Tak and Seung-Hyun, Eun-Gang’s gradual maturation as well as emotive themes such as anger, loss and love as well as focusing upon other subject areas such as corruption, peer pressure and corporal punishment, there were several subplots which were admittedly poorly fleshed-out. For example, Seung-Hyun’s estranged relationship with his father and the escapades of other side characters such as Shin Ah Ri were often disregarded during key moments.

Through the directing lens of ‘ Kim Byung Soo’ ( ‘ Queen In Hyun’s Man’, ‘ A Korean Odyssey’ and ‘ He Is Psychometric’), ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a fairly slick and glossy production.


Admittedly early episodes of the series seemed to place a heavy- budget emphasis upon frequent cut scenes of the academy; with little variance in tone or schemes. However as the second-half dawned upon the series, ‘ Rookie Cops’ took a different approach to filming by helping to captivate through Byung Soo’s leadership, the emotional tones through gradients and palettes of the characters at different times in the series . ( In particular off-whites, golden hues and blues were frequently shown onscreen during key scenes and interactions.)

The OST of ‘ Rookie Cops’ is predominantly composed of a compilation of schmaltzy ballads and pop tracks. Admittedly with some tracks more memorable than others, LUCY’s contemplative and guitar pop track ‘ Police Class’ from OST Part 2, ‘TIME’, an upbeat song performed by singer Kwon Eun Bi from OST Part 4, as well as Kang Daniel’s adrenal-infused tempo song ‘Hush Hush’ featured on the Special OST were surprisingly ear-catching tracks .

The finale of ‘ Rookie Cops’ was admittedly dependent on expectations. Although there was a shocking twist for the audience, the execution of the sudden plot-twist felt admittedly last minute; quickly thrown in to the storyline narrative in order to add edge and surprise , though failing to help impact the characters or the falling action.

Lighthearted, angst-ridden and surprisingly profound at times, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a series which offered viewers with a lighthearted and sugary coming of age tale, as well as moody crime-drama in parts also. Nevertheless despite some brilliant acting performances and an intriguing setup, ‘ Rookie Cops’ did admittedly suffer slightly under the weight of execution by underdeveloped subplots and several overindulgent tropes. However for those looking for the best of both worlds through both sweet and darker themes, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a fairly entertaining binge-watch also.

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Will You Become “ Mad” At This Drama?

It has been said countless times before in the reviews, however, novice screenwriter Ah Kyung’s ‘ Mad For Each Other’ did surprisingly start on a fairly high note. The storyline incorporated the more avant-grade archetype of the ‘ unconventional lovers’ where both leads suffer from mental health issues. ( A tone reminiscent of Rain’s movie ‘ I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok’ [2006] .)

‘ Mad For Each Other’ focuses upon Lee Min Kyung( Oh Yeon Seo), a woman suffering from repressed trauma, social anxiety and paranoia as well as her matched “ potential love interest” Noh Hwi Oh( Jung Woo), a suspended cop who suffered from anger management issues. In between the more questionable faeces jokes of the first episode, ‘ Mad For Each Other’ did seem to have a lot of potential towards being an intriguing love story. However the drama slowly began on a downwards slope as a consequence of cataclysmic screenwriting and certain acting performances in later episodes.

This problem became particularly prominent with Min-Kyung. Oh Yeon Seo isn’t entirely a terrible actress, however, her over-the-top expressions and reactions as her onscreen persona can quickly grow tiresome for some viewers.As a character it is understandable that Min-Kyung suffered from low self-esteem and so her journey to developing an “affectionate relationship “ with Hwi Oh was always going to be a rocky road.

However, it was an ineffable screenwriting decision that one minute Min Kyung seemed to be presented as an unfortunate young woman suffering from social anxiety who is trying to get over her trauma , and then later in the same storyline she is dumping Hwi Oh,getting triggered at Hwi Oh trying to help her, running away and then yearning over Hwi Oh once more.

It is understandable that Min-Kyung is supposed to be a flawed character and struggles throughout the drama to make her own moral judgements, however, rather than using previous exposition ( such as Min-Kyung learning self-defence lessons from Hwi Oh) in order to allow this character to develop as an individual or defend herself, the show enforces the stereotype of the “ fickle female lead” into the mixture in order to allow Hwi Oh to become the “ dashing hero”. ( In a montage during the finale which was an unintentional laughable parody of an 80s car chase scene.) There’s an evident difference between low self-esteem, and a lacking of self-respect; something that screenwriter Ah Kyung seemed unable to distinguish between with Min-Kyung as a character.

Oh Yeon Seo’s costar Jung Woo seemed to carry a fairly “ down-to-earth” ambience as his onscreen persona Hwi Oh. However similar to Min-Kyung’s more “turbulent” moments in the drama , Hwi Oh was the epitome of “ writing gone bad”. As it happens it wasn’t necessarily that this character had a” dire” creative setup in the beginning . Hwi Oh ( similar to Min Kyung) showed a gentler side to his cantankerous personality ( such as promising to help Min Kyung with her self-defence lessons)throughout the majority of the drama.‘ Mad For Each Other’ seemed to particularly struggle, however, with Hwi Oh’s intended character development across the show.

Hwi Oh just seemed to raise one question above all; “ how on earth did he pass police academy exams and become a police officer in the first place, when he often allowed dilemmas ( especially the incident with the ex-boyfriend and Min Kyung entering the abandoned building)to boil over?” It’s easy to put together that Hwi Oh is supposed to fit the “ disgraced and renounced cop” archetype because of his short-temper. However it was hardly to truly comprehend what even motivated Hwi Oh to becoming an officer, or even truly understanding why we should feel pity for Hwi Oh over his role in the first place when he often was pretty dumb with his strategies ( case and point with the car chase with the ex-boyfriend) , acting aggressively ( at times) towards Min Kyung and then not thinking to even try putting together concussive evidence and case reports towards Min Kyung’s- ex’s records. This isn’t stating that Hwi Oh should have been the “ police prodigy” archetype, however, even if the show had perhaps delved into something that Hwi Oh had flourished with his job as an officer ( such as fighting or capturing criminals), and then something he struggled with or was mocked by his peers ( his strategies or even just struggling with a desk job), Hwi Oh would have felt been more sympathetic for viewers as the “ flawed cop” trope that the show seemed to struggle to concisely execute.

As far as their relationship is concerned, the best way to describe the pairing between Min Kyung and Hwi Oh is “ flawed for all of the wrong reasons”. Relationships are naturally messy in real life and it did present
a potentially interesting setup to see two unconventional characters, helping to support one another but whilst there were undeniably elements of Hwi Oh and Min Kyung learning to lean upon one another over the course of the drama, their pairing was undeniably oppressive for both parties. Hwi Oh could often been controlling and inflict aggressive conduct ( anger issues or not) towards Min Kyung, whilst Min Kyung often lashed out before neglecting Hwi Oh and then loving him again because it was “ necessary to the plot”. It wouldn’t have been too bad perhaps if the drama had allowed these characters to recognise their mistakes, show remorse or at least acknowledge their wrongdoings, however, the fact that both characters were quick to bury their problems under the sand in order to “ be together”, made this toxic relationship hard to watch for the most part.

Oh boy, then there’s the incomprehensible side characters. On a more positive note ( and against all odds), the occasional appearances of the irksome gossipy residents and Hwi Oh’s police officer peers were arguably more entertaining at times than our main characters. However, then there’s Soo Hyun ( Lee Soo Hyun); the definition of the “ prosaic filler character”. It isn’t inherently that her scenes were “ bad” or “ terrible” and the setup of her character trying to work multiple jobs and aspiring for higher goals , was an intriguing setup. However the show didn’t really give Soo Hyun enough time to really be “ fleshed out” or understand her motivations as a character aside from being the “ girl who pops up on the screen and starts randomly singing just to promote that the actress is an idol singer”.

Also on the sideline of prosaic side characters was the therapist ( who quickly became elusive to the majority of the events of the storyline apart from arguably having the potential to play the most important role), a psycho and then “ Samantha” ( Ahn Woo Yeon). Now, there’s two decisive arguments with “ Samantha” as a character; the positive by an attempted representation of diversity within South-Korean society, the second being distasteful for some viewers through the comedic scenes . Despite covering over more hard-hitting issues such as mental health issues, cyber bullying and transphobia, it seemed as though the drama often struggled to truly convey these messages more profoundly. This isn’t due to the nature of the drama as a “ comedy” but rather the styling it took as a “ lighthearted” show, rather than allowing or pertaining more “ bittersweet” elements to enter the storyline. The ending wasn’t bad per say, just more “ questionable” considering the storyline arc.

It’s establish that this isn’t to concisely rule that “ Mad For Each Other” is a “ terrible” show as some watchers may enjoy the comedic scenes and setups, however, “ Mad For Each Other” is arguably more of a “throwaway” drama - easy to binge-watch and certainly with a fairly catchy OST, but leaving a bitter taste for certain watchers by sporadic plot logic and one-dimensional characters.

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A Wasted Journey Down The Rabbit Hole...

Filmed by director Baek Soo Chan ( A Girl Who Sees Smells, Reunited Worlds ), written with a fairly, fresh unique storyline by Kim Kyu-Won and having brilliant casting choices of Joo Won ( Bridal Mask, Good Doctor), Kim Hee Seon (Room No.9, Angry Mom) and Choi Won Young ( Sky Castle, I Remember You and Mystic Pop- Up Bar) , Alice truly had all the given possibilities of being an avant- garde masterpiece.

So, what went wrong with such a good show? Well, it would seem that there were a couple contributing factors for the show’s own demise, not least; characterisation, inconsistent plot and lacking dramatic tension.
To give the show some credit, the beginning did build- up a lot of intriguing plot for viewers; a nearly apathetic detective ( Joo Won) who after witnessing the death of his mother nearly ten years ago, is confronted with the past and the future with the mysterious meeting of his mother’s doppelgänger , a physicist interested in time travel, and apparent time travellers from the future who may have played a part in the death of his mother . Yet, one thing which did grow slightly apparent about this show from episode one, was the lack of creativity with cinematography, something which for a show about time travel ( apart from the old “freeze in time” scenes), there was little added to express this.

Additionally, a lot of drama watchers that I’ve talked to about this show, have seemed to sugarcoat a lot of the inconsistencies which began arising the beginning of this drama ( not least the exact extent of the laws of time travel and the strength of Gyeom’s powers), however, it can perhaps be overlooked slightly in the beginning with the abilities of our acting cast ( well, to an extent). As per usual, Joo Won was brilliant within his portrayal as an intelligent detective yearning for the truth behind his mother’s death. In fact, there is little to really fault about Joo Won in his portrayal, but, rather how the scriptwriters decided to continue onwards with Joo Won’s character, Park Jin Gyeom. There were a lot of moments which the scriptwriters didn’t even try to explain to us as viewers; Gyeom’s random emotional outbursts as someone apparently apathetic( yet his lacking emotional relationships even with the possibilities that could have been explored with his own father ), his lacking intelligence within moments in the show ( such as his inability to draw the conclusions of a simple DNA test with his mother’s doppelgänger)and of course the exact extent of his powers; something not explained even by the confusing ending of the drama and Gyeom’s character twist ( equally making little sense in regards to Gyeom as a character or the exact reasons behind his actions).

En par with Joo Won as an equal , undeniably was Kim Hee Seon. Whilst I’ll be honest in saying that I had to watch a couple of clips from older dramas/ movies to know her past works, Hee Seon was certainly was well-cast within her dual role in the drama. Whilst Joo Won also had to conflict between playing a younger and older- self of his character in the series, Hee Seon had to go one step further in the more complicated matter of playing two carbon copy characters with ( though not specified)presumably different ages and personalities. This is a hard feat for any actor, and it’s fair to say that it was believable upon Hee Seon being two different people here; a mother/time traveller and, of course a young and intelligent scientist . Sadly in a similar manner to Jin Gyeom as a character, there were too many plot holes associated with both Yoon Tae-Yis. Whilst the show offered some explanation towards how these two characters are identical copies of the other, there was little rational or plot build- up for viewers to this moment, in a similar manner to the emotional context of whether Doctor Yoon played a part in the discovery of the agency as a consequence of her works, her questioning intelligence and the revelation of her emotional trauma seemed to not truly flesh her out as a character at all in the drama . (This also adds on a side note, what exactly happened to the Book that the characters stressed as important by episode 16, seemingly disappearing from the storyline until last minute.) Then of course there’s the additional “ platonic, yet mutual feelings angle” the drama took between the relationships of Jin Gyeom and Doctor Yoon. Whilst to an extent it was easy to understand where Yoon’s misunderstandings came from before learning more about Gyeom , Jin Gyeom’s own misleading assertions towards Yoon being somehow linked to his mother, took the show on a slightly disturbing ( though thankfully only suggested) factor when considering that Doctor Yoon is still identical to his mother.

Thankfully, the show didn’t extend too much into this near-incest relationship, but, it is noticeable in later episodes how the driving action of the plot drives to a near halt in order to focus on their “ affectionate” relationship rather than actual plot development like earlier episodes . However, in order to appeal for viewers, the writers did attempt to present a love interest for Gin Yeom through the introduction of Lee Da-In as Kim- Do Yeon. Whilst Da-In certainly wasn’t awful within her portrayal, her character was simply unnecessary to the plot; She had no character development and most importantly, no actual contribution to the plot as well.

On a more positive note , Kwak Si-Yang’s performance as Yoo Min- Hyuk , a time- traveller and agent for Alice , was brilliantly angst-ridden, adding to some complex and emotionally- driven scenes between his character’s horror and realisation with his actions after he finds out a shocking truth. Although undeniably Min- Hyuk probably had some of the best ( and possibly only ) decent characterisation in the show on his road to redemption with Gin Yeom, the scriptwriters didn’t give Min- Hyuk any justice as a character. This is something which felt quite detached both emotionally for viewers and the scriptwriter, with the decision for the relationship between Min Hyuk and Gin Yeom to be carried out with little build-up or development, apart from the cycle of Gyeom being weary of Min Hyuk, beating him up and repeat. ( For viewers who know this secret, I am sure that you can agree with me that the ending which could have been emotionally touching, completely killed this relationship with little sense considering Gyeom’s reaction.). Additionally, of course, Kim Sang Ho and Choi Won Young’s roles on the sideline added some emotional angst and sincere questions throughout the drama through their performances .

Overall, Alice had a lot of intriguing premises and ideas, and a fairly good cast yet, lacking characterisation, inconsistent plot and a rushed ending with little sensical plot ( especially regarding the laws of time ) and emotional deliverance, added to the wasted potential for a good show by becoming dire .

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“ Rugal”? Yes, This Show Will Fold and Twist Your Sanity...

Based upon the webtoon of the same-name, Rugal had all the good selling points of a thrilling drama- macabre, original and intriguing plotline, unique characters, venerable actor Choi Jin- Hyuk taking the lead and of course fairly pioneering and new film studio and Studio Dragon ( same makers as critically- acclaimed dramas such as Children of a Lesser God , Love Alarm and Doctor John) taking creative control of the show, should have easily sealed Rugal’s fate as one of the best Korean dramas of 2020. So naturally this raises the dire question we all want to know ;

“ So what went wrong to make it so bad ?”.

Of course, normally ( regardless of whether I can access the webtoon or not), I like to try and be non-biased and take into account a drama based on a webtoon ( regardless of whether I’ve read it or not) as a standalone story with its own characters, plot and original qualities as it should be assessed as a series in its own right . On the other hand with comparing images and forums of original pans from the webtoon ( which actually seems pretty good) and comments by fans of the Korean version in contrast to the actual dire deliverance of the drama, it is pretty fair to say that the drama writers made the classic mistake of pacing.

To put into refined words, pacing is a classic feature in stories into how quickly the story moves , however, in Korean dramas due to being in a televised or streamed format , it can quite literally make or break the audience and critical response from watchers. There isn’t necessarily a correlation between “ slow” meaning “ no viewers” or “ quick” meaning “ lots of viewers” because at the end of the day, the biggest part to play in any Korean drama is storywriting , however, pacing can affect the quality and deliverance of the story for viewers.

Rugal’s biggest problem, however, isn’t that the storyline isn’t interesting ( quite the opposite in regards to a cop upon death’s door both literally and metaphorically blinded from the truth and being given a new opportunity to take his revenge) , but, there just isn’t enough time for viewers to both catch-up or develop any interests within
the storyline or characters. Jin- Hyuk cannot be faulted for what he was given to work with , however, his character may as well just have moulded together with failed storyboards and scripts for viewers as there quite simply wasn’t enough exposure to his character, Ki- beom as an individual outside of the story.

For most viewers to relate to even the seeming villain of a story, writers often reflect qualities we can see in ourselves, friends and family in a character - traumatic pasts, complicated relationships with the people around us or even just emotions - these are all real qualities most of us know in the real world. Whilst as viewers we do come to understand Ki- beom’s anguish and fury over his wife being taken from him, we don’t really learn why this should be significant for us as viewers either through a sense of normality or love to hit closer to home, or, the actual after affects of losing this normality for Ki-beom.

Even in minor scenes such as Ki-beom walking as a blind man or being able to see for the first time, a moment of weakness by stumbling or having to lie down would’ve allowed us to step back and see Ki-beom as someone who is a relatable hero. Instead the show is too focused on Ki-beom becoming an all-fighting machine to actually consider these fleshed-out moments. ( A classic case of the show doing this is within his former police coworkers happily accepting that their close companion and a man they thought had either been dead or missing for the past several months, could just return all of a sudden without a second thought.)


As you can imagine, whilst the quick pacing allows us to get to the quirky action scenes, Rugal again simply doesn’t give us a chance to know the other characters ; Mi Na ( Jung Hye In), should have easily been one of the most profound considering her past yet was written-off to see her delivering punches throughout the series with her comrades or enemies and Lee Gwang Chul ( Park Sun Ho) had so much potential to be a genuinely enigmatic character, yet the drama wrote him off as a goof for the majority of the drama rather than an individual.

Maybe on one note of praise the show did surprisingly deliver both a good performance by Han Ji Wan and surprisingly intriguing characterisation around one of the show’s antagonists, Choi Ye Won. Although her character should have initially been despicable, her moral grey area around the intrigue of Beom and the horrific actions of the major antagonist Deok Goo ( Park Sung Woong) did add a level of intrigue around her character. It’s just a shame that the writers couldn’t have done the same for the previously mentioned antagonist, who although wanting to be portrayed in a villainous light, had no intriguing motives or features at all as a villain apart from just being a violent menace .


Perhaps the scriptwriters were becoming conscious of how much time they’d wasted seeing characters deck one another twelve times or how we’d spent nearly six episodes watching the characters fight or train without Ki- Beom getting any closer to learning about his wife, as near the ending of the drama, we did see a couple of loose threads attempting to be tied. On the other hand, the problem with this decision lies with the returned problem of pacing. Seeing nearly fifteen episodes of a comedic character such as Gwang Chul suddenly struggling with an inner-battle with himself does not add a level of depth or shock for viewers, it just adds another round of groans and questions due to having no indicators of Gwang Chul struggling in previous episodes. This seems to point out that Rugal’s biggest failure is just not being able to keep up with the right speed of pacing with racing through the story and give us little time as viewers to grow used to the characters or story points. ( As an example of intriguing story pacing consider probably one of the most sensational Korean dramas of the 2010s, Sky Castle - the drama spiked from slow pacing to suddenly quick to back to slow in a matter of episodes yet love or loathe the drama, it was able to keep viewers entertained because viewers could adhere and keep-up with the story because of the pacing-style. Rugal could’ve lived up beyond expectations if it had been given the right pacing, yet the show just fell into its own despair by trying to race to scenes of mindless violence and fighting instead ).

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You Are My Spring ; The Attempted Reimagining Of Love

Fusion genre dramas aren’t unheard of in K-dramas, but ‘ You Are My Spring’ certainly pulls out a new record with the amount of genres in tried to cram into the show. Does it work? On certain grounds ‘ You Are My Spring’ is partially poetic and partially natural speech at times . The dialogue infused by screenwriter Lee Min Na is a rare example in a K-drama for each individual character -feeling natural because it flows out of the mouths of these characters coherently .

Of course this drama wouldn’t be complete without its star-studded cast. Whilst admittedly there were few eyebrow raising moments of acting in parts of the show, our main cast did add their own dynamic charm to their onscreen personas. Actress Seo Hye Jin plays bubbly hotel manager Da Jung. A talented businesswoman and a person with a heart of gold, Da Jung had a rough upbringing and believes her love life has forever been tarnished by her mother. Da Jung immediately has a likeable charm for viewers even from her initial introduction -she isn’t the cliched “ ditsy and innocent ” female lead archetype, but still often finds herself at the crossroads during problematic moments in the drama. Similarly she’s career-orientated and a hard worker but is often fairly relaxed and kind-natured. However whilst it is understandable that whilst we do see her struggles flare up during “ necessary” moments for the storyline, this was often used as a carte blanche by the screenwriter to “ intensify drama” in order to keep the plot moving, or kindle “ potential chemistry” between the main characters rather than explore Da Jung’s sentience in more depth . There was so much potential to understand more about how Da Jung tried to cope with years of trauma in daily situations, her relationship (in more depth) with her mother, her past relationships as well as how this impacted Da Jung’s social experiences during childhood and growing up also.

On a more praiseworthy note and before commenting on the rest of the main cast, it is important to commend the cinematography and symbolism in this drama . Director Jung Ji Hyun tangoed a lot with screenwriter Min Na’s storyline points through subtle motifs and shifted lighting in order to explore the drama’s heavy-hitting moments in more detail. Da Jung’s morbid obsession since childhood with Edgar Allen Poe’s “ The Black Cat”acts as a perfect analogy for the mystery of the drama.

Yet back to our main cast it is impossible to forget Hye Jin’s fellow costar Kim Dong Wook who played main lead Yeong-Do. Kim Dong Wook added a refreshingly calm presence to our main lead. As his onscreen persona Yeong Do is very much written in the role as the “ nice guy” trope- he’s flawed and has his own emotional scars, but is amiable and possesses a good heart. A psychiatrist who significantly cares for all of his patients, it is fair to say that it was surprisingly heartwarming to see Yeong Do confront his patients or people who come to his clinic in different ways and through small, yet meaningful words and interactions. On a more nuanced note Yeong Do was very much in the same boat as Da Jung.A likeable and sweet character, but a lot of unexplored territory with his development beneath the service . Without giving any major spoilers, it’s fair to say that there was a lot of potential to explore regarding Yeong Do’s childhood. His complicated with his father was often dismissed or skipped over rarely giving opportunities to understand more about his childhood, the impact of his childhood on truly shaping the person he was during the events of the series and of course his exact reasons for becoming a psychiatrist in the first place. Whilst it is arguable a lot of his motives for becoming a psychiatrist were arguably sparked as a consequence of the dramatic events of his past , there was surprisingly little mention or reasoning even during heartfelt talks with Da Jung to back this up.


This naturally moves us onto the potential romantic relationship between Da Jung and Yeong Do . Whilst there are some undeniable qualms with the written relationship between their characters, it is undeniably that respected actors Hye Jin and Dong Wook really worked well together with their onscreen chemistry. They undeniably added vital life to their onscreen personas’ feelings for one another and watching this growth from blossoming acceptance to something more was quite heartwarming. However it is important to be forthright by explaining that this relationship was also the drama’s hamartia.

Refreshingly , it wasn’t necessarily a problem that this potential paring was “ toxic” or “ unhealthy” by either characters’ implicated actions. Both characters made flawed mistakes and misunderstandings within this relationship, yes. However both character were also able to accept and move on from their mistakes or fallbacks- Da Jung could learn to lean on Yeong Do rather than bottle up her emotions, whilst both Da Jung and Yeong Do learnt to give one another distance and time to heal after a particularly severe incident without relentlessly hounding the other. It was honestly a fairly overt relationship. On the other hand it is quickly apparent to see where viewers can grow lost within its labyrinthine plot- a romance story which suddenly turns to a murder mystery, and then back to a slow-burn love story with dominating screen time after the halfway is undeniably off putting for viewers expecting thrill and hype . Adding to this issue was of course the myriads of cliches and tropes which began popping up in the romantic side of the drama- so lacklustre and predictable from other aspects of the uncertainty of the thriller and mystery elements of drama, that sometimes the skip button could never look so appealing.

Of course it is important not to forget the talents of “ second main lead” Yoon Park who added a layer of depth and brilliance to his dual performance as Ian Chase/ Chul. The storyline surrounding the mysterious Ian Chase ( Yoon Park) and his uncanny resemblance to Chul ( also played by Park) was a major source of intrigue throughout the drama, and whilst this storyline certainly didn’t disappoint as later revelations came to light , there were moments which often fell flatline at times because the show was often being pulled apart in so many different directions. Nevertheless did this become more apparent just after the halfway point. Juggling between murder mystery and romance soon saw a higher dedication to the lacklustre slow-burn romance between the main leads- sweet and gradual, but so disconnected and predictable ( including tropes)from the other aspects of the drama that sometimes the skip button could never look so appealing.

Then there’s Ahn Ga Young( Nam Guy Ri). Admittedly there’s a lot more than meets the eye here with Ga Young and rather than sending her down the superficial route as the “ second female lead”, it was intriguing to see this character ‘s growth by her backstory and gradual wholesome friendship with Da Jung. However whilst Gyu Ri is a good actress , the tropes defining other aspects of her character resorted to her being reduced at times as nothing more than a quick plot device to heighten the stakes or comical foil. This was also case and point with our side couples-so cute and bubbly that they often won over the viewers’ attention from a dragging scene between Da Jung and Young Do, but lacking screen time did little to give these couples more limelight in the
second-half also. The ending was as expected-bittersweet in parts, sugary sweet in others but failing to wrap up some more nuanced storyline moments also.

The verdict for ‘ You Are My Spring’ is undeniably that it is dependent on what you want from this drama. At its forefront ‘ You Are My Spring’ delivers good performances by the cast, surprisingly well-written dialogues ,aesthetic cinematography in parts and tries hard to deliver a fusion genre production. Whilst the different genres do help to “ spice up” certain elements of the storyline early on, this idea soon falls flatline when other genres ( particularly the romance) begin to dominate major screen time for evidently more quintessential storyline moments. As a consequence the characters’ development and slow pacing in the storyline soon begins to struggle beneath the surface. The drama often becomes lost in its own labyrinthine complexity-trying its hardest to be an avant garde masterpiece , but often failing to reach the mark in the second-half. Enjoyable but admittedly flawed.

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How Song Kang and Park Min Young’s Latest Drama Failed To Break The Ice…

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Unsurprisingly from the suggestions given by its title-name, ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ is one of the few K-dramas in recent memory to cover this subject field  of meteorology. With the additional talents of rising star  Song Kang ( Navillera’, ‘ Sweet Home’ and ‘ Love Alarm’) as well as  A-lister actress Park Min Young (  -‘Healer’, ‘ Her Private Life’ and ‘ What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?’), the sixteen-episode JTBC and Netflix series has gained popular attention for its intriguing plot premise and subject area.

Nevertheless aside from an interesting premise and an impressive cast line-up, it is hard to ignore that ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ has gained an onslaught of mixed-criticism due to its execution, lukewarm chemistry between potential love interests as well as certain screenwriting inconsistencies also.

The narrative is focused upon two polar opposite main leads; Lee Si-Woo (Song Kang) and Jin Ha-Kyung( Park Min Young). Lee Si Woo is a laidback yet prodigal meteorologist obsessed with weather patterns such as the consistency of air flow and sea fog. However, despite Lee Si-Woo’s dedication to his career, the same cannot be said about his relationship with his disengaged girlfriend Chae Yoo-jin (Girl’s Day’s Yura- ‘Secret Angel’, ‘ To The Beautiful You’ and  ‘ Radio Romance’).

Meanwhile at Seoul’s headquarters for Korean Meteorological Association, prudent and uptight deputy manager Jin Ha-Kyung, finds herself being caught in a maelstrom of anxiety and stress. An oncoming weather front has proven to be just as unpredictable as her approaching wedding day.

After Ha-Kyung discovers that her fiancé Han Ki-jun (Yoon Park- ‘ Introverted Boss’, ‘ Search’ and ‘ You Are My Spring’) has been having an affair behind her back, she is forced to call off the wedding.
Similarly Si-Woo is heartbroken when Yoo-Jin finally breaks up with him after becoming disinterested with their dates.

Yet after the storm, there is always a glimpse of sunshine and hope. As Ha-Kyung and Si-Woo attempt to juggle between their newfound situations and their careers, they soon find themselves growing closer to one another along the way.

The screenwriting for ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ was arguably one of the most unexpected collaborations in recent years. Kang Eun-kyung  (probably best known for her screenplays for productions such as as ‘ Bread, Love and Dreams’, ‘ Dr. Romantic’  and ‘ Where Stars Land’) worked together alongside lesser-known screenwriter Sun Young(    ‘Drama Special Season 3: Like a Miracle’) in order to write the screenplay for  ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’; a work which for all intents and purposes felt heavily domineered in style and creativity by Eun-Kyung.

Of course, it isn’t out of the question that a collaborated work can often reflect the style and characteristics of screenwriters. In particular due to the fact that Sun Young’s screenplays are respectfully limited ( and as a consequence it becomes harder to notice specific patterns), it does arguably stand to reason that Eun-Kyung’s writing quirks and traits were more noticeable than Sun Young’s.

On the other hand for those fairly familiar with Eun-Kyung’s style , then it is likely that most will notice that ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ possessed similar flaws and strengths of the screenwriter’s previous projects; light-hearted angst filled with romantic bravado and bubbly setups, but heavily reliant upon screenwriting tropes and bombastic character archetypes. Similar to some of her aforementioned works, ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ felt as though it would often struggle to achieve a successfully consistent and lively tone, often disengaging viewers as a consequence.
 
This was particularly apparent with the narrative’s constantly changing focal points, especially during early episodes of the series. Rather than
focusing on a few concise points and keeping a level of consistency with the established tone and narrative, ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ often felt uncertain with its main topics.

For example, a drama seemingly established as a heartfelt romance between two mismatched individuals, would suddenly be subverted into a topic-heavy drama surrounding mapping and warning systems, before shifting again in a different scene in order to become a melodrama surrounding heartache, infidelity, breakups and heinous exes.
 
Despite some respectfully mixed responses surrounding the casting choices of Song Kang and Park Min-Young initially, both main leads offered fairly decent performances throughout.

On the other hand , it is hard to ignore that despite the talents of both main leads, Kang and Park’s onscreen chemistry was often lukewarm.

Admittedly this isn’t entirely the fault of the actors per say. As characters, Si-Woo and Ha-Kyung were often resorted to the equivalent of carte blanches; excuses by the screenwriters in order to be shoehorned into romantic setups, misunderstandings and seemingly allow the audience to root for them from beginning to end.


In particular, main female lead Ha-Kyung has often come under scrutiny by viewers for her impassivity. This is mainly due to the fact that despite being a character who is meticulous and flawed by her uptight nature, there were few opportunities to explore Ha-Kyung as an individual in her own right . Ha-Kyung had a lot of potential to grow or at least mature through her experiences. ( Such as her breakup or her tumultuous experiences with her ex-fiancé. )However rather than giving screen time for Ha-Kyung to be explored as a character and learning self-acceptance , Ha-Kyung was resorted to the equivalent of a plot asset; necessary for driving forwards the contrived love story at the heart of the show, but rarely being presented as a sentient heroine in between.

 Admittedly these writing problems were not just applicable to Ha-Kyung. Main male lead Si-Woo was often restricted into a similar role as the “ forlorn male lead”.

Despite Si-Woo being an intelligent individual who struggles to understand empathy at times, the narrative rarely offered opportunities for Si Woo to reflect upon his breakup or actions in the past, or at least attempt to reconciliate and display an element of maturity by trying to understand his ex-girlfriend’s perspectives. ( Even if Chae Yoo-Jin’s motives were often villainous, this would’ve easily presented and allowed opportunities for viewers to comprehend Si-Woo’s struggles and journey as a character.)

Instead although some of Si-Woo’s situations could arguably be justified as being “ caught in the moment”, it seemed out of character and unjustified in a lot of situations for Si Woo to behave in this way or become actively involved in these scenarios without a greater motive. ( Aside from the case of for the “ sake of plot”.)

However this problem was not just limited to our main characters.Park and Yura’s acting was respectfully credible but the same cannot be said about their screen personas.

Indeed one of the main areas of debate with Park and Yura’s onscreen characters came through their “ villainous” roles throughout the duration of the series.

Of course it isn’t always necessarily out of the question to create despicable villains, nor is it always necessary to allow moments of moral redemption either.

However where ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ often fell short was how the narrative truly wanted to portray these characters. At times, the series could often lean into presenting Ki-Jun and Yoo-Jin as intrinsically hollow individuals with egocentric goals and motives. ( In particular with Ki-Jun’s megalomaniacal tendencies and Yoo-Jin’s manipulative attempts to climb up the social ladder in the workplace.) However. , the series often seemed to lean into some moments of potential “ sentience ” for these characters which while having the potential to be dynamic and meticulously written, often felt conceited. ( For example Ki-Jun’s “ ambivalent” feelings as well as Yoo-Jin’s workplace drama.)

Of course this isn’t to say that as an audience we didn’t see some moments of error or weaknesses for the characters in this series, this was rarely given more reasoning. When Si-Woo or Ha-Kyung were at fault the series would often find excuses to justify this as “ morally right” without necessarily highlighting the faults or flaws at the heart of their issues. Similarly Ki-Jun and Yoo-Jin’s actions and misdeeds were often labelled as purely diabolical or a cause of disgust and shame, without always necessarily digging deeper into the causes or allowing viewers to see a full-side of the picture .

Nevertheless a shoutout must be given to supporting actor Kwon Hae-Hyo’s  ( ‘ Revenge and Passion’, ‘ Radiant Office’ and ‘ Undercover’) performance as head of the bureau, Ko Bong-Chan. Arguably one of the most underrated performances in the series, Kwon perfectly embodied an oddly authentic cynical charm to his cantankerous onscreen character.
 
 Due to the previously mentioned flaws of ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’, the knock-on effect of these problems evidently dragged down the narrative’s execution and pacing. Admittedly it is inaccurate to claim that the entire trajectory was calamitous. The series often attempted to create a balance between downplaying key events in order to build-up these obstacles for the main leads, as well as offering pacy climatic moments in order to keep viewers intrigued with forlorn hope.

However due to the extent of misunderstandings and conflicts presented with this method of execution, it could often make ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ feel as though it was tediously slow in parts and tiresomely repetitive as a consequence. This was mainly due also to the format of each episode following a similar pattern; a dilemma would become apparent to the audience (though evidently not to the characters at first), the problem would emerge and then a misunderstanding or conflict would occur before being dragged out, resolved and then repeat.
 
Perhaps this wouldn’t have been so bad if there had been variation or by the latter-half, viewers had seen opportunities for the characters to gradually overcome their misunderstandings from the first-half. Instead, the predominant focus upon dragging out tense conflicts and misunderstandings had a severe impact upon the seemingly main relationship between Ha-Kyung and Si-Woo; lacking screentime together in addition to ironically spending more time interacting with their exes onscreen, rarely allowing opportunities for viewers to see this relationship reach a concise or healthy resolution.
 
Under the directing reigns of Cha Young Hoon ( ‘ When The Camellia Blooms’, ‘ Uncontrollably Fond’ and ‘ Gaksital’), it is undeniable that despite some limited camera angles and pan shots at times,  ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ was filled with some sleek and aesthetic shots.

In particular due to the main subject area of the series being upon the field of meteorology and weather, Young Hoon captured some mesmeric moments of weather changes from the rolling tide, to descending fog, dew on the ground and rain.
 
However, this was also used as an effective narrative device also; pathetic fallacy. (For those unfamiliar with the term, pathetic fallacy refers to the usage of weather in order to display the mood, tone or feelings of a narrative and its characters. )

For ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ this became apparent with the brief yet effective usage of these scenes in order to highlight the emotional conflicts of the characters as well as the main leads’ relationship in different stages over the course of the narrative. (Enforced by particular episode titles helping to hint   such as “Signal” , “Localized Heavy Rain”, “Tropical Night” in order to hint at the literal and metaphorical problems of each episode.)
 
In addition to the filming stylistics of ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’, there is also the important discussion surrounding the drama’s comprised OST of schmaltzy pop songs and love ballads. There is no beating around the bush that some of these tracks weren’t particularly memorable. However renowned singer CHEEZE’s upbeat track  ‘Melting (사르르쿵)’, and earnest love ballad ‘ Promise You’ performed by  Kyuhyun were arguably some of the best songs found on the soundtrack which remained noteworthy .
 
Overall impressions of ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ are entirely dependent on expectations. There is a certain unusual attraction to the series’ topic area of meteorology and its visual aesthetics. On the other hand, ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’ could often be caught up in a storm of its own making; inconsistent tonal shifts,  character-writing and questionable pacing did little to bring out the best sides of ‘ Forecasting Love and Weather’.

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Is it Worth Investing Time in ” Hospital Playlist”?

Yes, I am late to the party with only just having completed screenwriter Lee Woo Jung ( Reply series, Prison Playbook ) ‘s drama “ Hospital Playlist”. However with ”Hospital Playlist 2” now ( at the time of writing) being released on Netflix streaming services , I decided it was a good time to give the critically acclaimed and hit series a go.

Of course“ Hospital Playlist” isn’t without its more nuanced flaws. At times ” Hospital Playlist” struggled to step away from the medical show fusion genre scenario with the mundane setup of high drama, lighthearted comedy, “life vs death” consequences, and not every patient makes it through in order to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. (Additionally this provoked the evident problem of tedious pacing in the show also.) However, there’s a more poignant element similar to Friends in the mix, as the quintet are revealed to have a deep-rooted friendship with one another for more than two decades.

Whilst the first couple of episodes invest time within “ getting to know” our ensemble and present the fairly dynamic performances of our main cast, the following episodes explore an oddly balanced investment into the quintet jamming out in their band during their free time, backstories and the current ups and downs of life at the hospital also.

Arguably one of the major roles to talk about in the drama was the role of Jo Jung Suk as Ik Joon. As a single dad, Ik Joon could have easily been stereotyped as the cliched “ estranged father” or having a “ bitter” relationship with his son Woo Joo (Kim Jun) due to the bitter nature of his divorce from his wife , however, Ik Joon is refreshingly nothing but a kindhearted goofy dad, with a charm that easily wins over even his most stubborn of patients in the hospital . Arguably the potential “ love story” element in consideration to his unrequited feelings for Song Hwa ( without decisive spoilers) may leave viewers a little on edge by the unnecessary setup, however, surprisingly the later decisions of Ik Joon felt surprisingly natural for his character.

Following on from Ik Joon is evidently Jung Kyung Ho as Kim Jun Wan.
Despite his tough shell in front of the trainees and his peers , actor Kyung Ho seemed to pretty much nail Jun Wan’s archetype as the “ grizzly bear with a marshmallow heart”. Jun Wan is a harsh teacher at times, but a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon and truly cares for his patients ( even if it means making tough calls). In one particularly heartfelt scene of the series, Jun Wan adorns a terrible suit from Jae Hak (Jung Moon Sung), and attending the wedding of his patient’s daughter as his patient is unable to attend. His love story with Ik Soon ( Ik Joon’s sister) did undeniably start on a bit of an eccentric and uncomfortable setup but did become enjoyable ( especially with Jun Wan’s grouchiness at times) as the series progressed.

As the only female friend of the quintet and a single woman in her 40s Chae Song Hwa could’ve easily done down the more stereotypical route of being “ bitter” or “ pitiful”. However Song Hwa is refreshingly anything but these labels. A Charismatic, compassionate, intellectual and elegant character , its easy to see why actors Jo Jung Suk and Yoo Yeon Seok recommended theatre actress Jeon Mi Do for the role.Arguably whilst season two has given a potential opportunity to explore the landscape of Song Hwa’s mixed feelings for her respected love interests, season one undeniably often failed to truly sketch - out Song Hwa’s more profound complexity in her love life. (However room for a second season will hopefully delve into this issue more.)

Nevertheless arguably one of the most surprisingly heartwarming characters in the series was Kim Dae Myung’s role as Seok Hyung. Seemingly starting off the drama as the cliched and spoilt “ mama’s boy”, Dae Myung’s performance added surprising layers to Seok Kyung as a character with his complicated past and rationale as a medical professional . His potential love story with coworker Min Ah could’ve easily gone down several mundane routes, but his overall development and reactions rarely felt out of character.

On a weaker note, the final member of our quintet was Yoo Yeon Suk as Jeong Won. This isn’t to say that Yoo Yeon Suk’s performance was bad in any way. In fact the actor truly animated his onscreen persona to life with many endearing and likeable qualities. However Jeong Won was sadly a little less well-rounded. Whilst he had an intriguing storyline and a more complicated backstory than a lot of the other characters, but his later motives and personality assets often felt less profound. In addition to this whilst the show did seem to go down the evident route of his potential love story with Gyeo Wool in snippets, it often lacked the same charisma as the rest of the ensemble.

So is “ Hospital Playlist” worth watching? The show doesn’t entirely step upon new ground with its concept with certain characters and storylines felt slightly undeveloped ( although a sequel season will hopefully dismiss these issues) and snail pacing in parts also. On the other hand “ Hospital Playlist” has surprisingly profound and bittersweet themes with backstories and life in the hospital, as characters are often faced with realistically challenging issues which helped to provide food for thought. If you are willing to invest some time into this show, then you’ll absolutely love “ Hospital Playlist”.

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A Sugary Sweet Romance Tale...

Based upon the renowned manga (Hori-san to Miyamura-kun) and having been released fairly simultaneously with an anime series in Japan, the drama version ” Horimiya” undeniably regurgitates the same plot premise of social butterfly Kyoko Hori ( Kubota Sayu) beginning to date seeming otaku Miyamura Izumi ( Suzuka Ouji) who hides a deep secret from his school-life persona. While there are prominent points to praise about “Horimiya”( which will be raised later), there are notable faults which arise from the drama production from casting, trying to transcend notable setups from the manga into a real-life setting, as well as the abridged closure ( or lack of it) in the finale.

Before anything else, it is probably important to address the primary issue which has surrounded the drama with casting choices.

Respectfully, Kubota Sayu wasn’t entirely ‘’ terrible’’ as our female lead Hori. In fact, in an odd way, Sayu did seem to grow into her role fairly well with a sense of genuine emotional investment into her character. However, it is difficult to really point out anything particularly captivating or striking about Sayu’s performance as Hori.

Ironically as a character, Hori is fairly unforgettable by her her eccentricity and outspokenness. Of course, this is not turning a blind eye towards the typical tropes used as a drama sourced from a manga such as the “ popular girl” , the “ academic student” and the “ tougher than she seems” cliches , however, even in the drama, Hori’s greatest trait remained within being able to overcome certain stereotypes about herself as well as her relationship with Miyamura. Hori was given an actual chance in the drama for viewers to fortify her characterisation through her interactions sans with Miyamura, such as her interactions with her father Kyosuke ( Kimura Ryo; one of the few actors who felt fairly well-cast within his role) and her younger brother Sota ( Takagi Haru). Arguably, Hori’s interactions with her mother Yuriko ( Kawai Aoba) and her later friendship with Sengoku Kakeru ( Onodera Akira) and Ayasaki Remi ( Marsh Aya) felt fairly minimal within the drama version, nor truly giving viewers a chance to see Hori’s interactions as a friend as well as her maternal relationship with her own mother in a respectfully fairly masculine household .

The relationship between Hori and Miyamura was the focal point of the series and the plot development. For Hori, Miyamura has a metamorphosis from the archetype “ weird kid” in her class, to a more multifaceted individual. Against all odds of the notable problems which arose in the series and can strike to the surface of romance dramas with emotional gaslighting and “ obstacles in the way of their romance” , the pairing between both characters felt fairly natural as teenagers. Neither character followed the cliche archetypes of having “ had a crush on one another forever” , nor manipulating “ to win someone else’s affections”. Hori simply entered her relationship with Miyamura upon shared grounds early on in the series before the rest of the drama focused upon both characters learning to understand one another and for their feelings for one another to grow mutually. (Perhaps the one element of the relationship that the drama version did better than the manga and anime, was leaving out the more “sexual undertones” of their relationship . This isn’t to condemn these elements in either versions as they do help to portray a more realistic notion of teenagers, however, this always felt slightly mismatched against both characters as individuals even in the original manga and therefore wasn’t really necessary.)

It is fair to say that whilst Sayu is a good actress, she was slightly miscast as Hori by struggling to channel Hori’s personality as a character, consequently making Hori in this drama version, a fairly forgettable character against other romance heroines. ( A shame for an otherwise interesting character.)

Then of course the biggest elephant room (regarding casting) is often raised by the choice of Suzuka Ouji as Miyamura Izumi. Similar to his costar Kubota Sayu, Suzuka was not inherently appalling within his performance
as the male lead. In many ways he did certainly help to animate his character away from the more one-dimensional realm of male protagonists as “ emotionless” . On the other hand, Suzuka did seem to mismatch his character slightly within his physical appearance. This is not suggesting that Suzuka is “physically unattractive” or a slightly younger actor would have been better for the role,however, it does raise certain questions when the drama production sees Suzuka in a terrible long-haired wig without even attempting for the drama production to make this look natural.

Similar to Hori, Miyamura was an intriguing character against all odds of setups. Although initially appearing as “peculiar” and taciturn, Miyamura was fairly kind-hearted as well as hardworking and altruistic by helping out at his mother’s bakery, as well as the ongoing and unusual friendship between Miyamura and his best friend since middle school, Shindo Koichi ( Inoue Yuki). Parallel to Hori, Miyamura enters his relationship with her romantically upon mutual grounds before growing to like her more in a natural process which felt odd against the more cliches stereotypes of the drama. However, there’s a lot to note about the dynamic between Miyamura and the other characters of the series ( sans Hori), both within his fraternal friendship with Hori’s younger brother and father, as well as of course with his best friend and their complicated reasons behind becoming friends in the first place. Arguably, the one element of the series which did feel incredibly rushed and underdeveloped with Miyamura as a character, occurred within his past, especially with his estranged relationship with Makio Takihara. Therefore whilst Miyamura was a fairly intriguing character, it is fair to say that Suzuka was perhaps not entirely suited for the role.

The other side characters of the drama such as Kakeru, Remi , Kono Sakura ( Sakura) and Iura Shu ( Sota Ryosuke) should have been by default interesting characters, however, lacking screen time and setups, easily made them fairly forgettable over the course of the series as individuals (besides their occasional involvement within the plot dynamic between Miyamura and Hori).

Overall whilst certainly not an unwatchable or dire production with some praiseworthy features of having a healthy, fairly realistic relationship between teenagers as lovers and friends as well as some intriguing characters, poor pacing, tropes, miscasting and lacking focus upon certain plot lines for characters, often made this drama feel underdeveloped. The ending of the drama whilst arguably allowing some ground for a second season , did not truly bring a sense of closure or help to tie off characters and the relationship between Miyamura and Hori, as well as friendships also. Therefore it’s important to summarise that whilst Horimiya is not a terrible drama upon any grounds and was sweet within its ultimate concept , there are certainly better dramas to watch out there.

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A Progressive Tale About The Melody of The Heart in Seoul ...

Going into this movie without a lot of prior knowledge of the series beforehand , left open a lot of ground to analyse and draw up where issues and strengths lay within the movie overall.

The biggest thing to say is that the series both portrayed our male leads , rising singer Kang In Soo ( playing himself ) and novice producer Yoo Sang yi ( Lee Sang) ‘s relationship in a refreshingly less cliche way than previous same-sex pairings in Korean productions - not through their sexuality, but through Sang Yi’s journey in making sense of his genuine feelings for Kang In Soo over the course of the movie.

It was an undeniably sweet and modern love story for our two male leads , yet nonetheless sugarcoated in favour of avoiding more difficult issues about Korean society. Whilst South-Korea is undeniably becoming a lot more progressive than other Asian countries and in comparison to its past towards homosexuality, some members of Korean society are still prejudice and homophobic towards homosexuality and gay relationships.

First of all it is important to say that whilst this wasn’t the main aim of the movie to home-in on a “ realistic” relationship and certain Korean beliefs towards this, it still felt a little odd in the particular plot’s centralisation of the music industry, not point or at least suggest this. The repression of sexual orientation amongst musicians and producers in K-pop has particularly come into light in recent years , something which although gradually getting better, is still something which should’ve have at least been raised or emphasised upon the other pressing issue of “ masculinity” as well.

Undeniably, Kang In Soo and Lee Sang were brilliant within their portrayals echoing a certain level of heartache and emotion behind their performances. Their characters were also evidently Kang In Soo was set out to be the “ mysterious” and “ handsome” musician, whilst Lee Sang acted as the “ awkward” and “ kind-hearted” producer. Yet apart from these roles and their evident relationship onscreen, their characters often felt lacking in greater depth.

What makes a character intriguing is getting to know them either through their pasts, friends, family or interactions. Sans from some interactions with In Soo’s best friend Choi Min Seong ( Baek So Bin) and Sang’s Lee Yoo Jin ( Su Bin), we were left a lot in the dark a lot in the movie about our characters as actual individuals- their journey to their respected career choices, if they have faced problems with their sexual orientation as well as problems or connections with their family.

Whilst these points may seem minor, it would have been probably made the relationship between In Soo and Sang Yi more “ fleshed-out” if we’d actually got to know more about them as “ realistic” individuals first, rather than just mere plot devices.

Overall WISH YOU: Your Melody From My Heart isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it was a surprisingly sweet and progressive love story in Seoul with a fairly intriguing premise and brilliant acting from our male leads. However, the show lacked a lot of character depth and realism within its portrayal and the issues around both the music industry and homosexuality in South-Korea, making the production feel sugarcoated and generic at times as well. Certainly worth a watch as a sweet romance movie , but certainly flawed within its deliverance of story and characters.

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Is This Worth Watching, Or Is It A “ Lost” Cause?

Screenwriter Kim Ji Hye’s ‘ Lost’ is an odd-fusion melodrama which both feels old-fashioned within its dated outfit choices, haircuts, over-the-top scenarios and dialogue as well as surprisingly boasting an array of well-crafted main characters. However for newcomers or those merely wanting to pick up ‘ Lost’ this leaves us on an ultimate decision; “Is ‘ Lost’ actually worth investing more than sixteen hours into?”

To cut it to the chase the premise of ‘ Lost’ mainly revolves around Lee Boo Jung ( Jeon Do Yeon) a 40-year old writer stuck in an unhappy marriage with her husband Jin Jung Soo ( Park Byung Eun) who has finally hit a rut in reality by realising that she has not truly achieving or accomplished anything in life . By a whim of fate she ends up encountering someone from a different walk of life, jaded 27 year-old Lee Kang Jae ( Ryu Joon Yeol) who fears for what the future may hold due to his complicated past .

One of the strongest gaining factors for ‘ Lost’ was the casting choice . Admittedly whilst the acting can dip a little at times with certain line deliverances, the main cast immediately help to convey something worth watching. Actress Do Yeon was brilliant as Boo Jung playing the role with a level of complex heartache and angst. Her micro expressions throughout the series captivated all of Jung’s emotions flawlessly and helped to make her onscreen chemistry with her costars believable.

Parallel to Do Yeon was evidently younger costar Ryu Joon Yeol who played his role as Kang Jae with a swift touch of moodiness and arcane mystery. As their onscreen personas Do Yeon and Kang Jae’s chemistry is undeniably slow-burn and well-built up, however, this is also undeniably thanks to screenwriter Kim Ji Hye and directors Hur Jin Ho and Park Hong Soo’s approach to the relationship. Rather than enforcing the typical traits of a lusty affair filled with dirty secrets and dramatic sneak out scenes, both characters’ gradual chemistry was surprisingly refreshing . Admittedly the slow-burn approach could work at a snail pace at times but the ability to see both leads reach out through getting to know one another through their deal( as well as having time to talk about their own feelings) offered surprising relief .

One of screenwriter Ji Hye’s major fortes came through approaches to character writing and interactions throughout the show. Whilst certain character did feel more antagonistic for plot-drive than motives, even these individuals were rarely pinpointed as “ villains” by having their own moments of humanity, flaws and strengths.

Ji Hye even took time away from our main couple to focus on an unlikely relationship between Boo Jung’s somewhat staid husband Jung Soo and his rekindled feelings for his old crush Kyung Eun( Kim Hyo Jin).

Yet ‘ Lost’ is evidently not without its more problematic writing flaws. The drama whilst having an intriguing setup is incredibly slow-paced and takes awhile to really build-up more dramatic momentum . Of course some of this is necessary to build plot, however, the storyline also failed sometimes to reach climatic tension or build-up during entire montages and even entire episodes due to being more focused upon very nuanced details rather than keeping the plot moving more actively .

In addition to this there’s also the problem with the over-the-top cliches. Whilst tropes can be fun and intriguing to see how a screenwriter revamps them and did work well to an extent in the setup of the drama, ‘ Lost’ ‘s usage of the tropes ( including the nearly-farcical cliche of the “ slap on the cheek”) often felt mismatched against the stronger and fresher writing attributes of character-build and relationship. The ending certainly matched the more profound writing moments of the series- bittersweet and interpretative, yet oddly appropriate.

Overall the viewing expectations for ‘ Lost’ is entirely dependent on what you’re looking for in a drama series. ‘ Lost’ embodies the classic tropes of a melodrama series from the overused tropes which lack more profound depth, to slow-paced story build-up in order to “ create slow burn tension ”. The acting front is undeniably one of the show’s winning strengths alongside the drama’s more original approach to the adulterous affair cliche. The directors carefully used an artistic touch to the moody and drab cinematography which symbiotically helped to reflect the tension and ambience of the plot. So is ‘ Lost’ actually worth watching? ‘ Lost’ is a drama which is dependent on your patience and tastes. Those looking for a more adrenaline-rushed and quick paced drama with flaring chemistry may be disappointed. However if you have patience and enjoy slow burn chemistry, then you’ll absolutely adore ‘ Lost’. Whilst not flawless this is undeniably one of 2021’s hidden gems.

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"In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream…"

Choi Han Yong’s ‘ The Silent Sea’ is a series which will like divide its audience demographic greatly. Notable A-listers such as Bae Doona and Gong Yoo will likely attract drama enthusiasts towards the drama’s cast lineup and involvement. However ‘The Silent Sea’’s amalgamation of different sci-fi stories and Han Yong’s attempted execution of these plot points may naturally lead to some divided opinions amongst drama enthusiasts and sci-fi aficionados alike.

The plot takes place in a dystopian alternative-future where the earth’s water coverage has been reduced by nearly forty -percent. In an attempt to govern humanity and ration supplies, citizens are assigned a “water grade” based on a hierarchy ranking system that determines how much of the liquid they’re allowed to access. So in an attempt to resolve problems humanity attempts to look for answers ( quite literally) in the stars.

Astrobiologist Dr. Song Ji-an ( Bae Doona )is sent on a salvage mission alongside gruff soldier Han Yoon-Jae ( Gong Yoo) in order to collect samples at the deserted Balhae moon station. With both characters having their own personal motives for taking on the assigned task the duo come across some startling and horrifying secrets as they begin their mission.

Netflix’s ‘The Silent Sea’ origins were admittedly still quite visionary by being based upon Han Yong’s notable short movie ‘ The Sea of Tranquillity’. Yet unlike the art-house-style influences of Yong’s original directed work, ‘ The Silent Sea’ notably markets itself to a wider audience demographic as a “ sci-fi and dystopian epic” with slow- burn mystery ; a mini-series that is likely to eagerly please and disappoint in equal measure.

The plot twists and turns that become apparent throughout ‘ The Silent Sea’ will likely divide those familiar with the sci-if genre; action sequences straight out of Ridley Scott’s ‘ Alien’, a suspenseful tone familiar to Christopher Nolan’s ‘ Interstellar’, bilingual exchanges paying an evident homage to Joss Whedon’s ‘ Firefly’( changed evidently to Korean and English ) , a key plot point nearly strikingly familiar to Jo Sung Hee’s ‘ Space Sweepers’, and an unsurprising likeliness to the water -themed 2009 British series’ ‘Doctor Who’ special ‘The Waters of Mars’, will possibly highlight the fine-line between paying homage and striking similarities to other notable works throughout the drama.

Of course whilst the familiarity of some of these plot twists does come into question when looking back at ‘ The Silent Sea’ it’s important to point out that the series does facilitate a solid pace with its revelations and twists right up till the last episode. However while the plot surprises are still interesting to some extent , ‘The Silent Sea’ could often neglect a crucial element to delivering its attempted tour de force moments: the cast and the characters.

Bae Doona and Gong Yoo are the undeniable star- attractions of the drama through their idiosyncratic performances offering a subtle touch of mystique and heartache as their onscreen counterparts.

Nevertheless given the evident potential for character depth in a series which explores the complexity of humanity, it will likely strike viewers as slightly unusual that ‘ The Silent Sea’ rarely diverged into using even initial exposition for establishing character personalities and adding a tweak of depth to their seemingly profound egocentric motives . Whilst later episodes place a quintessential limelight upon the characters’ roles to play in the events of the series and plot-drive, without baseline personalities ( aside from Doctor Song), notable main and important characters in the series could often slightly shallow and uninteresting .

The design of ‘The Silent Sea‘’s “ advanced” technological world and the cinematography are decent enough during viewings. There is an undeniable high reliance on CGI throughout the filming of the series; not out of the question for a series set in space, but also leading to some heavy artistic licensing by Han Yong. ( Astrophysicists, engineers and science experts may want to look away from these scenes as the logic is often devoid during these scenes .) The established setting is also not too preposterous for audiences ; several holographic displays subtly reminding the audience that this is series is set in the near-future every so often but admittedly not quite being awe-inspiring either.

‘The Silent Sea’ delivered a promising sci-fi mystery epic that brought together a myriad of sci-fi plot point twists to an original concept. With that said the series felt as though it could’ve had more episodes in order to actually flesh-out characters and the world-building of the series , leading to a mixture of mixed-reception with the final production. Viewers looking for a quick binge-watch investment with some familiar faces along the way may revel in the series’ end result . However fans of the sci-fi genre may be slightly disappointed by Netflix’s s high- budget extravaganza which whilst satisfactory for the most part did lack more of an impactful punch.

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