Relive your first love ?

Architecture101 is a Korean movie about first loves and making decisions. This 2012 film stars Tae Woong Uhm and Ga In Han as the adult "Seung Min Lee" and "Seo Yun Yang", and Je Hoon Lee and Suzy Bae as the younger "Seung Min" and "Seo Yun" who first met in college in Architecture 101.

While this received high ratings in Korea, it was underrated abroad where Asian drama fans are always expecting deep romance and giggles. This drama is beyond that, it tackles our "first loves" when we were young, the hopes, the dreams, that feeling of having first fallen in love with someone we totally did not expect but in the end it did not work. Later in life, when we have moved on and our paths crossed again with our first love, it's all about how we handle those feelings and making adult decisions, very hard adult decisions which can make or break relationships and our future.

Architecture 101 is for adults who have faced and went through life and the challenges it threw toward us. I do not recommend this to young adults and teenagers as most of them will never appreciate the beauty of the story. Yet highly recommended for anyone who wants to capture the long lost hope, beautiful smiles, and sweet memories that only a first love can ever give.

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Not a Romantic Comedy but a Family Relationship Drama

First of all, this series does not qualify as a RomCom (Romantic Comedy) it is a Drama about family relationships. Yes, there are comedy scenes here and there but those scenes were not even 2% of the 1-hour 50 episodes. With that clear, let's begin with the review.

Review proper:
1. The story. At first it appeared that this is a story about Lee Soon Shin (played by IU) and Shin Joon Ho (played by Jo Jung Suk), the poster, synopsis, and first few episodes were about them. However, as we enter deeper in the series, it became clear that the series was not about them but about the family relationships.

Shin Joon Ho, and in particular Lee Soon Shin, were only used as an anchor to be able to tell the amazing stories of each of the "supporting characters". While this was good overall, without watching the last few episodes, the stories were all over the place. There were too many stories told it was no longer possible to identify which stories qualified as "main" and which were "side" stories.

All 50 episodes should be watched completely to fully appreciate this series. A series about family relationships. The bond that we share with each other. The ups and downs we go through. The love that still triumphs over resentment and hate.

"You Are The Best" is about "YOU" (yes, YOU the reader) being the best because you fight despite all the trials and tribulations that comes in our lives.

I'm giving it an 8 out of 10 stars.

2. Acting/cast. The cast were perfect. The acting they gave to the show were natural, it was as if watching the life of a neighbour or our own. There were no unrealistic acting common in other drama series which is a distraction when watching. Special mention is Kim Hwan Hee for her superb acting, it is rare to see a young kid with that kind of talent in acting. Another special mention is Lee Seul Bi, she should have been given a more active role and more dialogues as she is capable to give the proper emotions and expressions need for her line.

All of them combined, it's 9.5 out of 10 stars.

3. Music. It is not easy to grade this one because the emotion-filled drama is far more memorable and powerful. The music were mainly used to be the scene. Meaning, when the music is removed, the scene will not stand on its own. The impact wouldn't be there. The emotion reaction would have been lacking. It would have been better if the scenes with the music can stand on its own--without the music background--because this would've allowed the music to pull out a far more powerful emotional response.

I'm giving this 7 out of 10 stars.

Conclusion:
Overall, I'm giving the series 8 out of 10 stars. It was a great show and it was very moving. The multiple main stories are relatable and memorable, especially its focus on family relationships instead of a romcom or romance between two love birds. While having multiple main stories was good, it diminished the focus and impact of the main story between the two main characters. It was also slow at first and took ten to twenty episodes to reach the meat of the main plot. Regardless, the acting given by all the actors and actresses were so good and natural that overall it is worth watching again.

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Powerful stories about life and family

If I'm going to pick one thing about this series as a review, it's the flashbacks. They showed us the challenges of living, be it with special powers or as an ordinary human being.

And then they touched on the relationships of adults.

Then parents and their kids.

It is very touching. Every single episode with flashbacks is very touching. The director knows how to create the scenes, and what sequence it should be to capture the audience and deliver the message the writer wants.

Forget about superpowers. The flashbacks are more powerful and meaningful than their superpowers.

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Great episode 6. You have to give it to this team, the brains (PD and staff), Torong, and whoever is the guy wearing Torong, making us laugh and have fun with them.

You don't have to imagine you are with them, the editing, camera shots, the way they talk, laugh, you are easily immersed. It's like playing and having fun with your family and friends. There are teasing, there are jokes. It's casual enough to feel there is bond.

You wouldn't even think they're filming a variety show. You wouldn't even think they're doing it because it is their job, and it is expected of them.

Even if you remove the cameras, it will be the same fun and bonding moments.

That's make this show amazing and worth watching for almost 2 hours every week.

Keep giving us this natural laughter and real bonding. More power.

(And I hope you visit the Philippines, too. Drop me a line too, I want to meet you all haha.)

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A different level of drama.

This is a different level of drama. So many interconnected things happening at the same time. If one falls, everything will unravel.

You don't know who's a friend and who's a foe. Anyone can backstab anyone at any time, anywhere.

All characters have their own agenda. They all want something. They are doing things for themselves. Even characters that appear to be “holy”, they have something deep inside driving them.

Everyone is very calculating and patient. No one's moving for the kill. I can't wait for the episodes when they are all going to make their move and go for the kill. It's going to be bloody. Maybe literally bloody.

Also, you don't know who you want to hate and who you want to support. Good and evil isn't clear-cut.

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An impactful lesson-filled short story

"Dear My Name" (2019) was a 6-episode web series for 10 minutes each which was later re-released as a 2-episode show. However, do not get distracted by it, not every good story has to be long just as how short stories can be as awesome as novels, "Dear My Name" was as awesome as any other full-length TV drama.

The acting was simple and the production and direction captured the spirit of the plot. A story about soulmates, liking each other, rejection, moving on, courage to confess, and having the freedom to choose who we want to spend our lives with. Having presented these "stages of relationships" in a total of one hour tells us the talent of the actors, actresses, the writer, and the director.

Could it have been done longer? Sure. But it won't be as perfect as what it is with its current format.

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A 花より男子 (Hana Yori Dango); Meteor Garden show with political sibling rivalry

I. Story
In a story with many important characters, it is important to tell it clearly, they did well in doing that. The political war between the brothers were interesting, they also picked a good period for the Korean version of a Chinese novel.

Sadly, the romantic aspect of the story was delivered poorly. It did not elicit any emotional reaction. There was no built-up. This is primarily a story about sibling rivalry gone to the political level.

II. Acting
It was lacking in some areas, there were also scenes which looked like they were practicing. There were also memorable scenes, from pure laughter to serious where their acting were very natural.

III. Music
The music, unfortunately, did not make an impact. There were scenes where a powerful music fits but instead it did not have any or a weaker music was used. They should've used more.

IV. Production
The production was very good. They spent for quality materials and designs for the wardrobe of the actors. This is specially true for IU where she was able to wear historical wardrobes yet with a modern touch which fits her aura. Great job in blending the two eras.

However, close-up shots were overused to the 5th power. It wasn't needed in many of the scenes, it became annoying. In the boat scenes, there was too much backlight glare from the sun the actors (again close-up shots) can be barely seen.

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The Greatest Science Fiction Romance in the last 40 years

"더 킹: 영원의 군주" or "The King: Eternal Monarch" (2020) was the best science fiction and romance of the 2010 decade. I would say that this show has gained the number one (#1) spot in my list of "Top 10 Overall Best Sci-fi TV Show" pushing down "Fringe" (2008) which held that rank for 12 years.

I. Story
The writer, Kim Eun Sook of the "Lovers in Paris" (2004); "Descendants of the Sun" (2016); "Goblin" (2016); and "Mr. Sunshine" (2018) fame, once again showed us her amazing talent in creating stories that truly captures the imagination and heart of the audience.

In "The King: Eternal Monarch" (2020), Kim Eun Sook has woven beautifully the "parallel world" trope into her memorable romance plots. She did not leave it simply as a literary device then forgotten, she placed it in the center of the series, and the drama and romance unfolded through it.

Each episode was more or less one hour and ten minutes, and no episode was boring, no episode was dragging, no episode was a repeat of previous ones. In every episode there is a fresh plot, a new story to tell which added to the development of the characters, the relationships between them, and the tension and clashes when worlds and ambitions collide.

II. Acting/Cast
What an amazing cast--Lee Min Ho, Kim Go Eun, Woo Do Hwan, Kim Kyung Nam, Jung Eun CHae, Lee Jung Jin, Kim Yong Ji, Kang Hong Suk--they picked the right people for the roles. Their unique acting styles made their characters fully alive and their interaction with each other natural.

The show was not only about "Yi Gon" (Lee Min Ho) and "Jeong Tae Eul" (Kim Go Eun), everyone were key persons in creating the world of the "Kingdom of Corea". They all brought their best and created a masterpiece.

III. Production
While there were a few noticeable errors, the editing and sequence of the scenes covered it all. I especially like how they did not present the stories, in each episode, in a linear fashion; instead they kept scenes for the next episodes and did flashbacks at the right time.

The mixing of historical with the modern in the fictional "Kingdom of Corea" were seamless. There were no out-of-place moments. Where there are modern things, the room was designed to fit these modern gadgets. Where there should be a historical look and feel, the room either did not have any modern materials or the few blended with the environment. Not an easy task to achieve.

It was not only the interior designers but it was also the directors and cameramen who did great shots in creating a seamless mix of historical and the modern environments.

IV. Conclusion
I highly recommend "더 킹: 영원의 군주" or "The King: Eternal Monarch" (2020) especially if one is a fan of "parallel world" type of science fiction. Think of this show as "Fringe" (2008) but with touchy romance and intense family rivalry.

Overall score of 9.5 out of 10 stars.

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