Upon hearing so many positive reviews and remarks about this drama, the craze has gotten into me as well. I decided to binge-watch this during my mandatory quarantine. It was very difficult to get into the drama right at the very beginning - the plot seemed too thick to debunk. There was a shroud of mystery surrounding the characters, which was intriguing, but together very complex and required complete concentration to realise the whole plot. The story seemed very underrated and very unlike the traditional cheesy Kdrama. It tackles themes such as mental illness, murder, friendships, romance, childhood trauma and so much more. To be honest, it can be a handful to handle for a beginner watcher. However, the cast is very talented, just as expected from Kdrama veterans, which were perfectly chosen to act for this difficult series. I believe that the characters and the acting is what made this drama spectacular and completely unforgettable. Not to mention the gorgeous sets and beautiful outfits. You cannot disagree that Ko Moon Young is definitely a Kdrama style icon of 2020. In addition, the soundtrack was very fitting, with a mix of Korean ballads and English songs. Personally, I could not rate this a 10 as it was lacking clarity and was not that captivating at the start: I only got into the series as it was progressing. But I will not forget the chemistry and the acting of this drama. Overall, this series is definitely a new concept and I can see the praise behind it. If you are into deeper, heart wrenching and a bit disturbing themes and plots, I feel like you will enjoy this a lot!

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I am so glad I decided to watch this. Was feeling very sad a couple of nights ago, and watching movies that transcend a similar vibe make me more at peace. First off, I really loved the trailer. However, the story was a lot different than I have imagined. It's your typical tear-jerker chronic illness movie, when we all know that the characters cannot stay true to themselves and go great lengths to make others happy before their death. The main couple was beautiful, even more beautiful was the story and how they sacrificed individually. Kind of makes you believe in soulmates, does it not? The overall aesthetic and the vibe of this movie left me really impressed. Makes me want to explore Taiwanese production more. I would definitely recommend this for people who like melodramas, it is a really nice and simple movie.

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So this drama finally ended.

The Great Seducer has always been in my list of dramas that I must watch. Mainly because I'm a big fan of Joy from Red Velvet and I love her acting. Some people did argue and say that she is an amateur actress so right from the start when this show started airing, I was a bit put off by all of the negative comments. First and foremost, I don't get why so many people rate this series as low as 3 or 4 because there are clearly wayyyy more poorly produced dramas in this world. I'm guessing many wanted to see something familiar with the original French story. It's a shame that I haven't read the mother story of The Great Seducer as a piece of literature so I can hardly compare the Korean TV version with the book. Personally, I was expecting this drama to be intriguing, dark, sexy and overall too melodramatic. This series seemed to have smalls chunks of almost every genre, but comparing the first and the last episodes side by side you could even make a logical assumption that the director became a completely different person. I wanted a heart-wrenching story about something inhumane and this drama did not even come close to exceeding my expectations. The characters were very stereotypical, I even loved the side characters more. However, I did enjoy Joy's strong female character and her development. On a more positive note, the music selection was spot on for this drama with the classical music. The cinematography and the music are what made me stay and finish it.

I could see how this drama could've been so much better, but it's not completely unwatchable as many other people claim. Don't worry and go watch it - you might even enjoy it more than you think.

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This is yet again a poorly adapted movie from a famous shoujo manga. I seriously demand a remake because this is originally such a lovely and interesting manga series!

The storyline is very basic and quite intriguing, so if you're interested after reading the plot summary, just head to read the original manga! I guarantee that it's a 100 times better than this adaptation. I guess the movie sucks because the screenwriters had to jumble up 5+ volumes of the manga's storyline into as little as 2h. In my opinion, the writers for this movie adaptation didn't select the right scenes to film, didn't show the development of the supporting characters. Everything felt very unrealistic and out of place, believe me. Not to mention the horrible acting. I thought that the cast was fresh and inexperienced. But to my surprise, the lead actors are actually very famous and this movie is not their biggest one. Especially the female lead - I haven't seen such bad acting in a very long time!

Overall, if I had to put my review in a few words, I'd say that this movie is enjoyable only if you put it on as a background noise while doing your homework. Definitely not worth watching. However, if you're interested in the plot, quickly head to read the manga! It is so much better on paper!

P.S. That ending scene with Bruno Mars' "Marry You" was the cringiest thing I've ever seen...

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This is a Cdrama I've picked up during covid but never got around to finishing it due to studies and later work. "When We Were Young" has been sitting in my watch-list for quite some time now and I finally decided to get over myself and start it again. Personally, one of the winning factors for any show or movie is nostalgia, so this drama really hit the nail in the head. This is your typical 90s slice-of-life, girl and boy next door type of genre, which is quite frankly very easy to digest and watch in the background. I didn't expect much of it but was overall happy to enjoy the 90s aesthetics in a production once again. However, this drama was much more than a shallow everyday story about some school kids: it brought in themes such as social status, love triangle, emotions vs rationality, the elderly etc. I won't lie by saying it even pulled at my heartstrings a little bit towards the end. Won't be a miss if you decide to watch!

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This drama has once again proved that 2016 & 2017 were really the golden years for the best Korean dramas. This was no exception and I'm a bit puzzled why I don't see more people giving this drama the praise that it deserves. First the plot - yes while the writers decided to dump a bunch of cliches and over-the-top drama plot lines, this seemed to have worked wonders in a way where the cliches HAD to be there to make the drama well-written. All characters were absolutely crazy - also a common theme I've been seeing on other user reviews. I've always been a big fan of Seo Hyun Jin and always amazed to see her play a plethora of different characters and how well they can suit her. Chemistry between the FL and ML shouldn't have made sense but oh boy it really did - their kiss scenes were some of the best in Kdrama world. Was a really refreshing watch for after work and I'll definitely miss this, maybe even rewatch in a couple of years.

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Super duper hyped drama on social media and my friend has hyped this too, so I had to give it a go. Quite a refreshing watch, only 12 episodes long and jam packed with fun typical Korean cliches like a reminder why we love corny Kdramas so so much. Quite a star-studded cast, they delivered great performance that was both hilarious and swoon-worthy at times. Like the vast majority here, I actually preferred the second couple storyline a lot more: they had out-of-this-world chemistry and I'd love to see them coming back on the screens soon. The lead couple, on the contrary, I thought only had pockets of moments where sparks really flew. Being such a light-hearted watch, I'd rewatch this in a couple of years with some girlfriends to have a good laugh once again. Netflix - bring some more of these type of dramas soon please!!

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A Taxi Driver is yet another great example how well the industry can create and showcase the turmoil of what was
the 1980s in South Korea. Being brought up by parents from a dictatorship regime, it was almost like I was reliving all of their hardships and experiences through the movie, which just highlights how really half of the world was going through the exactly same thing at the same historical period. The movie nicely bridges the 'Anti-American' sentiment with actual human trust, especially with Song Kang Ho's curious and bubbly character helping out a complete outsider and once again showing to the world how hospitable and family-like Koreans are. As noted, the plot was very dramatic and carrying a powerful message, also doing a great job in translating the strong spirit of the protesters of the time. Truly a great watch if you're curious about Korean history, or just want a great movie night at home.

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Completely forgot that I watched this on a long haul flight, but here I go. And I have to agree with other users that this feels a lot closer to a Hollywood production as compared to South Korea. A movie about connection, what it means to be soulmate and if such a concept exists if one person is unwilling to accept this. More of a hard-hitting watch, the vibe that I was getting from it made me feel ashamed and embarrassed for the lead female character. Many other themes relate to identity, what it's like being a 1st generation Korean-American immigrant, which is close to me as my husband is also Korean-American. I believe viewers can find something relatable to draw from this movie nevertheless. But did this leave me in awe - I can't say so. It felt like an average mature movie to me, something I've seen in Korea before.

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A story that's filled with deep meaning of friendship and communication, Twinkling Watermelon delivered but by a shortfall.

Once again, I gave into the hype a bit too late but you can always trust what the people like, right? I absolutely loved the story, and even though time slip dramas are considered to be some type of a cliche and overdone overall, I completely disagree and love to see a dash of supernatural occurring. More than the romance itself, I particularly enjoyed that the story revolved mainly about the son's relationship with his dad. It was meaningful, and truly a life-long bond being built while travelling to the past. However, I did feel as though the father-mother romance got a bit lost in the mix, and not to mention Cheong A's storyline. She seemed like a complete side character, and even the love story between her and Yi Chan seemed completely out-of-place (I did not see the sparks fly). Overall, a good slice-of-life watch bringing something new into the KDrama sphere, but personally, it was lacking something that I can't exactly pinpoint. Chemistry, further character development for some side characters, quicker pacing maybe? Could be a mix of all of these.

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I was really late to the game, and did not watch this drama when it first came out. And boy was I in the wrong to do so, because this show lit up my everyday, made me chuckle, made me swoon, made me cry...

First and foremost, I love the fact that this drama takes place in a seaside town rather than Seoul. The big cities are so exhaustive when a bigger more than half of Kdramas are based in that area. Coming from a small seaside town like this myself, the show really showcased what a place like that really is in terms of living, working, having a business - the good, the bad and the ugly. The story seemed natural, without overdoing any dramatic car crash scenes etc. Every character trauma, memory, story seemed real and relatable. Second, can we just address the fact that both the female and male leads have so much chemistry together? I had to rewind multiple times just to watch the scenes again. Shin Min Ah has always been one of my favourites, and I loved seeing her in action. The male lead really didn't disappoint as well!

If you enjoy slice of life and romance, this one is for you. Be careful watching as I'm guaranteed you'll have withdrawal symptoms afterwards - it's that good!

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Reply 1994 was a breath of fresh air after a long slump of very mediocre kdramas I've watched lately. So glad I decided to pick this up right after the 1997 series, as I had a hard time finding something nostalgic like that, which fits the same category.

The show starts of with an introduction to the Sinchon boarding house in Seoul, and every character who gets to come and experience the early adulthood in Seoul. I found it comforting have to follow the country kids journeys in college life, as compared to Seoulites, which brought a lot to the table. This drama was a complete glimpse into what the Korean culture is like, the different food and being one big family despite the relation in blood, the hype culture, the technology and Westernisation. There are many more themes I could name, but these are just some that stuck out to me and made me feel really nostalgic and almost like having FOMO for not being a young adult in the 90s.

Character development was also one of the points that shot this show to my list of favourites. Each and every character got their respective screen time, and there wasn't a single character I didn't like. In regards to the love triangle, I had stuck out with a clear bias for the baseball player, however, for the last 3 episodes my heart was wavering. Like seriously, I was torn between the two male leads and still can't make up my decision which one deserves the girl more.

Overall, a must watch to teleport and relive the 90s in the bustling Seoul (while having the 90s Korean playlist in the background, because you WILL be addicted)!

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I've watched the 11 episodes in 2021 and was reluctant to watch it until the end. Really glad I've picked this up again, despite spoiling the ending for myself...

I have a soft spot for nostalgic 1980s-1990s dramas like this one. While it is sweet and reminiscent, it reminds that how much more cruel the society was in the Korea, under the dictatorship. Youth of May is a beautiful love story, intertwined between the harsh and dark history of the Gwangju Uprising. It's a story which reminds us that there's always love and hope whenever there's fear and turmoil.

The characters in this story were amazing. We have Myung Hee, who is a strong young woman who's ambitious, strong-willed and a force that can't be stopped by anyone. By her side, we have Hee Tae, who's charismatic and loveable, although no one can see through his perfect-picture. He's broken inside, but perfectly compliments her timid nature. Their blind-date, and the chemistry that begun there, is out of this world!

While my heart fluttered and was hurting during the last few episodes of this, this drama is definitely in my top list. Worth to remember the uprising, and worth every tear and re-watching every sweet moment.

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