simple and fun... what else could you ask for?

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo tells the story of athletes on a college campus trying to achieve their dreams and follows the weightlifting journey and first love experience of a young woman named Kim Bok Joo. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is very much a slice of life story on a college campus.  The drama has some nice humor with lots of heartwarming moments as it portrays the students working hard to succeed in their individual sports. It also really highlights both the good and bad that comes with being a top athlete.
Lee Sung Kyung was great as our Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. Bok Joo is a bit frumpy and awkward. Her personality comes off a bit tough, but really she is super sweet and innocent. Lee Sung Kyung makes some truly wonderful and hilarious faces that really make this character enjoyable.
Nam Joo Hyuk was a lot of fun as Joon Hyung. He’s outgoing and confident with a sort of childishness to him. He was easily my favorite character in the drama. He’s such a genuinely nice guy that you can’t help but root for him in everything he does.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Joon Hyung and Bok Joo in the first couple episodes. But then it felt like it took a backseat to some of the other happenings in the drama especially as we go on Bok Joo’s one-sided journey of first love with Jae Yi. Finally, around the halfway point, things really improved in the relationship department. Joon Hyung becomes a real friend to Bok Joo which soon turns into romantic feelings. He becomes very protective of her and only wants to see her happy. He also loves her for who she is. I definitely perked up seeing his passion and caring for her. I would call the romance between Joon Hyung and Bok Joo cute. There is a lot of playfulness and fun that provides a lot of humor. I didn’t find it swoon-worthy in any way though.
It also didn’t really have that push and pull dynamic that I like. It takes a long while for them to move through the stages of annoyance, to friends, and to lovers.
And then things are pretty simple aside from some small misunderstandings. I just didn’t feel any high stakes between the two and their relationship. But they are still unbelievably adorable, and their strength comes from how natural they are together. They are about as cute as can be!


I do feel that the drama moved along pretty leisurely for my tastes. For me, this was mostly due to there not being a grander plot running in the background. It really does just focus on Bok Joo and her first experiences with love. And that’s not a bad thing, it just feels a bit too normal in many ways.
Most of the characters also feel pretty one dimensional. Although characters reacted emotionally to difficult situations, the conflicts felts very surface level. Even the characters that had serious issues to deal with, such as Shi Ho, felt like that was all there was to them. For the most part, everyone just had their role to play.

I did enjoy the sports theme of the drama. I’m not big into sports, but I really enjoy the Olympic sports like swimming and gymnastics. So this fit that perfectly. I think the drama captured the atmosphere of being at a sports university well, but I would have loved to have seen more actual competitions for the students. Since the drama focuses more on their personal lives, I didn’t feel to invested in their actual competitions. But overall I was happy to see sports incorporated into a drama.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is a fun and inspirational drama on many levels. While I did find it a bit slow overall and would have liked to have seen a bit more story, it still had plenty going for it. Joon Hyung and Bok Joo are super adorable together and are the best thing about the drama. If you like cute couples, slice of life stories, and dramas without a lot of angst, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is a perfect fit.

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super interesting with an amazing romance...

Suspicious Partner is a romantic comedy thriller about a talented prosecutor (Ji Chang Wook) who suffered trauma in his past that gets mixed up with a judicial trainee (Nam Ji Hyun) who ends up wrongfully accused of murder.  And if things aren’t complicated enough, they then have to deal with a serial killer coming after them. Suspicious Partner is one of those really solid dramas that has a great story coupled with interesting characters played by a talented group of actors. It’s a nice mixture of genres with romantic comedy, mystery, and legal thriller elements. And I loved it!

Ji Chang Wook plays our prosecutor turned attorney Noh Ji Wook. I loved his character so much! He’s an awkward guy whose personality is a bit off putting. He’s bored with his life and frequently looks quite sad and lonely. But he’s a very honorable man who always seeks the truth and wants to help those around him. Ji Chang Wook really brought Ji Wook to life with the awkward mannerisms and making the character very nuanced and layered. He conveyed what a good heart Ji Wook had and how much pain he was suffering from past trauma. What he was going through greatly affected him throughout the drama, and I really just wanted him to find peace and be happy.
Nam Ji Hyun is Eun Bong Hee, a judicial trainee who finds herself in the horrible position of being accused of murder. It ruins her career and leaves her in a difficult situation. But she is a hard worker with a bright personality and is always ready to give her all. I thought Nam Ji Hyun was perfect as she is just so endearing. Her smile lights up the room plus she can really deliver heartfelt emotions.
Choi Tae Joon plays Ji Eun Hyuk. He’s a long-time friend of Ji Wook’s, but the two have some bad history which creates a strain on their relationship. Choi Tae Joon really delighted me with this character. He’s such a fun and good hearted man.

Overall, I just loved how the drama felt. It had this atmosphere that made me feel completely comfortable. It’s interesting because I’ve seen plenty of legal dramas and they are definitely not a genre I gravitate towards.
But as mentioned, this one had just that right combination of elements with a solid overarching story. I thoroughly enjoyed just going on the journey with the characters as they tried to overcome obstacles and find happiness.

I loved Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun’s interactions. They had such a great rapport between them. Their bickering was spot on as well as their awkward encounters. Then the romance gave me plenty of feels. It was quite fun first getting to watch Bong Hee obsess over Ji Wook. I just felt for her so much. Of course, the timing is off between them, so we eventually get to see the reverse and watch Ji Wook awkwardly try to win her affections. And that was way too adorable!

The relationship dynamics between all of the characters was also very well done. We had the relationship between Ji Wook and Eun Hyuk that was strained but had some touching moments. Eun Hyuk and Bong Hee developed a nice supportive friendship. And Yoo Jung had complicated relationships with everyone in the group. It was all done so well.


Suspicious Partner was so enjoyable. The serial killer mystery was simple but well executed. It even included a few twists and explored some interesting psychological issues. The characters were so well done and really brought the drama to life. It was satisfying on so many levels, and I’m very sad to see it end.

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super fun and interesting...

Run On tells the love story of Ki Seon-gyeom, a former sprinter who is working to become a sports agent, and Oh Mi-joo, a subtitle translator.
Im Si-wan plays Ki Seon-gyeom. He is a professional runner who also quite socially awkward.
Shin Se-kyung plays Oh Mi-joo. She is a foreign film translator and subtitler.
Sooyoung plays Seo Dan-ah. She is a president alpha bitch but shows signs of a hidden heart of gold.
 Kang Tae-oh plays Lee Yeong-hwa. He is a university student and talented artist.

I enjoyed the stories of both couples, they made me laugh and I thought they were cute. Also, I realized: sometimes it’s okay for a couple to just click and work, without all the fuss and dramatics, you know? It never felt like their respect or feelings for each other were in doubt or denied and I appreciated that. I think the second couple had more intensity but they (Dan-A) were more frustrating. I think I didn’t mind it because they weren’t the true lead/priority in the storyline, but if they were it could approach the border of toxicity. I do think the first couple is more likely to survive a pandemic together and that’s the way I judge how I feel about couples now.

Sun-Gyeom learns how to let the people around him in (friends and romance) & let people care for him like he cares for others. Though, I couldn’t tell if his obviousness was natural or forced to deal with the toxicity his family brought brought onto them. Also, re: the reason he left the sport: why so righteous?
I loved how Yeong-hwa eventually demanded respect from Dan-A, who also learns how to treat people better, all while remaining true to herself.

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sweet romance and interesting plot...

Melting Me Softly is a romantic comedy about a variety show PD (Ji Chang Wook) and a part time worker (Won Jin Ah) at a broadcast station who are involved in a project where they are supposed to be frozen for 24 hours, but after something goes wrong, they instead wake up 20 years later.
Ji Chang Wook plays Ma Dong Chan.  He’s a star PD who is great at his job and likes taking risks. He quickly jumps at the chance to be a part of the Frozen Human Project, but he never could have guessed the experiment would go wrong and land him 20 years in the future.
Won Jin Ah is Go Mi Ran. Mi Ran is a struggling part time worker at Dong Chan’s broadcast station and is known for being willing to participate in crazy stunts. That’s how she ends up joining the experiment and having her life completely changed.

Melting Me Softly was such a fun drama for me. I got hooked quickly and really loved the first few episodes. They introduced the story well with the interesting concept of people being frozen and waking up 20 years later. I liked how they told the initial story while mixing scenes from the “present” 1999 time line combined with flashbacks leading up to the frozen project. It connected me with the characters, their situations, and their relationship dynamics.
We briefly see what happened right after they were frozen and then we jump 20 years into the future to 2019. The drama did excellent at showing how disorienting it was for Dong Chan and Mi Ran to find themselves in the future as well as their families reactions to the situation. It was jam-packed with feels as we see everyone reunite and try to adjust to everything. I was thoroughly pleased with how it was all handled.

The drama leans heavily towards the romantic comedy side with a dash of sci-fi surrounding the frozen experiment. The comedy is quite silly, and I would compare it to another drama from this writer, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.
It worked for me, and I actually found Melting Me Softly quite funny. Any drama that has a time travel type concept is primed for fun regarding adjusting to the future. I was happy that this drama spent a few episodes showing the humor around that.

About a third of the way through the drama, we really get the romance starting to take shape. I liked seeing Dong Chan and Mi Ran develop feelings for each other. They were in a very unique situation that only the two of them could understand. They also have to contend with a side effect of them being frozen…they have to keep their body temperatures lower than normal or they could die. It makes for some dramatic situations where their lives are at stake.
For those considering watching this one, expectations are key. It’s a rom-com with a side of sci-fi. It’s meant to be silly and fun with a sci-fi story that is on the fantastical side. Not everything makes logical sense, but I wouldn’t expect it to with this type drama.
It’s not meant to be over-analyzed as there is a basic problem to solve regarding our couple being frozen and a straight forward villain looking to cause trouble. This part of the story isn’t particularly hard hitting, but it adds in a nice back drop for the romance and the comedy.

This was one of those times where I was really surprised to see how many people really disliked this drama and thought the story was bad and boring. It felt like I had watched a different drama. That wasn’t my experience at all as I thought the story progressed nicely from the set up, to our characters adjusting to their new lives, to the sci-fi mystery, and then turning into a wonderful romance.
Just remember, this is meant to be fun and not super serious. And there were other people like me who really enjoyed this drama, so I would recommend at least giving it a try to see if the style works for you.
There are also a good amount of cute couple moments with them being very adorable. I loved watching them develop feelings and how protective they were towards each other. This couple faced quite a few challenges, sometimes with their lives at stake, and they were always there for one another.

Melting Me Softly was just a wonderful watch. The sci-fi concept was interesting, and I loved all of the characters who made me laugh quite a lot. I also thoroughly enjoyed the sweet romance that blossomed into such a caring and nurturing relationship.

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Pinocchio tells the story a man whose life was devastated by corrupt reporters who seeks to reveal their true motives by becoming one himself and a girl who suffers from Pinocchio Syndrome which results in her being unable to lie without hiccupping. The two go on a journey of self-discovery that forces them to face some uncomfortable truths. The drama sets up the story very well so that we clearly understand the situations and emotions our characters are experiencing as well as their motives right from the beginning.  We then move into the present time for the rest of the drama.

Lee Jong Suk is wonderful as Choi Dal Po.  His life is absolutely destroyed by reporters, and he is on a quest to show the truth to the world.  Along the way, he learns things aren’t always black and white, and his mission is put in jeopardy by his feelings for the daughter of the reporter he hates most.
Park Shin Hye was perfect for the role of In Ha.  I always enjoy Park Shin Hye, but I particularly liked her in this role.  She is full of spunk and because of her Pinocchio Syndrome, she always tells it like it is.  Her optimism, dedication, and willingness to put her family first easily made me love her character.

And how I love this couple!  Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye play off each other so well and seem completely comfortable with each other.  Because they grow up together, they treat each other like family.  But even though they are very at ease with each other, they have fabulous chemistry.  The looks between these two are intense.
This drama contains a couple of my all time favorite kdrama kisses including the famous Toast Kiss.  That is one sexy scene!  And for those of you who have been underwhelmed by Park Shin Hye’s kisses in past dramas, never fear!  She has some fabulous kisses with Lee Jong Suk in Pinocchio.  Don’t miss out!

 It has that nice mix of a beautifully woven story along with comedy, romance, and drama that all come together.  I love this writer because of their well-rounded and emotionally engaging stories.  A great soundtrack also sets a wonderful tone for the drama. Dal Po and In Ha are one of my favorite drama couples, and all of the acting is intense and wonderful throughout.  I smiled so much and truly felt for these characters.  I was never bored once with this gem of a drama and have enjoyed it multiple times.  I consider Pinocchio a must see kdrama.

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Lovestruck in the City is a romance about the dating lives of young people including a passionate architect (Ji Chang Wook) who meets a freelance marketer (Kim Ji Won) posing as a free spirit in a new city.
Ji Chang Wook plays Park Jae Won. He is an architect who takes a long vacation to the beach to stay in a camper. There he meets a free-spirited woman who captures his heart…and then destroys it.
Kim Ji Won is Lee Eun Oh. She is a freelance marketer who experiences some difficulties in life and decides to reinvent herself in a new city as a free-spirited woman. She falls for Park Jae Won, but he falls in love with her fake identity which creates a big problem for her.
We then have our other couples which consist of Kyung Joon (Kim Min Suk) and Rin Yi (So Ju Yeon) as well as Gun (Ryu Kyung Soo) and Sun Young (Han Ji Eun).

Lovestruck in the City was a bit of mixed bag for me. It had some elements that I really loved and some that I didn’t care for it. Let’s jump into the positives first. I really loved the main love story between Jae Won and Eun Oh.
Ji Chang Wook is made for roles like this where he gets to be adorably awkward, and Kim Ji Won was great at showing two sides of her character as well as the pain she was experiencing.

Their story was told in flashbacks as well as in the present. I was completely drawn in to their whirlwind romance on the beach in the past. They had great chemistry and were very engaging. We don’t get to see much of them together in the present until a good way through the drama, but their individual journeys were nice to see. Things then get very interesting when they reunite. So all in all, I really enjoyed their romance and was completely engaged in that part of the drama.

I had one big problem with the main romance too. Eun Oh’s story was a fascinating one for sure, and I did like seeing her character growth from start to finish as she finally came out of her shell and found herself, but she really was terrible to Jae Won. It was understandable how she acted when they first got together at the beach and unexpectedly fell in love.
Her actions in the present were awful though. The hoops she jumps through to keep her secret are next level. And then when she is discovered, she won’t even explain anything to Jae Won. Not just once either, but for quite a while. The drama did do good at diving in to why she acted the way she did, but there just really isn’t an excuse for the complete shut out of information from her.

Overall, Lovestruck in the City was a quick and easy watch with 17 half hour episodes, though it could have definitely told its story in less time. I didn’t love the format, but I thoroughly enjoyed the main romance that provided swoony moments as well as some nice character exploration. It was a decent watch.

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this drama is hilarious and the couple is super adorable and cute...

Strong Woman Bo Dong Soon is about a woman with super strength (Park Bo Young) who becomes the bodyguard to an eccentric chaebol heir (Park Hyung Shik).  A love triangle develops between them and the woman’s longtime friend (Ji Soo) who is now a police detective on the hunt for a serial kidnapper.
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon was a fun drama that mixed in romantic comedy along with darker crime elements. It has some issues, but with a main couple that will leave you with a cheesy grin on your face episode after episode, they are the reason to watch this drama.
Park Bo Young plays our strong woman Do Bong Soon. She’s so tiny and is about as cute as can be! Park Bo Young really brings this character to life with her comedic abilities as well as being so completely endearing. Bong Soon is an easy character to root for and connect with.
Park Hyung Shik is our eccentric chaebol heir who runs a software company. When he discovers Bong Soon’s ability, he immediately hires her as his bodyguard. Little did he know that he would fall head over heels for her. And if you like a leading man that dotes upon his lady and displays all kinds of cuteness, look no further than Park Hyung Shik!
Ji Soo plays In Gook Doo. He’s a long-time friend of Bong Soon’s who she has harbored a crush on since middle school. Now a police detective, he’s on the hunt for a criminal who is abducting young women. And it’s his concern for Bong Soon’s safety that finally brings his feelings for her to the surface.
We then have the crime side of the drama which gives us a little excitement and some thrills. There are definitely some pretty dark elements involving the abducted women. The kidnapper is pretty creepy, and the women go through some quite difficult and scary things.
Despite some shortcomings, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon did end up being a very fun drama overall. Park Hyung Shik and Park Bo Young are both adorable individually as well as together. As I mentioned earlier, they are the reason to watch this drama.
The main story is good, though it suffered from a lack of development and uneven pacing. There is plenty of humor as well as a few thrills to keep things exciting. So overall, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon was more than enjoyable and left me with mostly good feelings.

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this drama destroyed me....

Goblin is a fantasy romance about a modern day goblin (Gong Yoo) who seeks to end his cursed immortal life and needs a human bride (Kim Go Eun) to do so.  His life then becomes intertwined with a grim reaper (Lee Dong Wook) who is unable to remember his past. But when the goblin finally finds his bride, he suddenly realizes he wants to live and be with her.
Goblin is an epic tale with a story that spans centuries. It was quite an interesting ride filled with some amazing characters, talented actors, and a fresh and unique story woven beautifully throughout each episode. I really love seeing a kdrama with such a heavy fantasy concept. It creates a full mythology surrounding the characters and how certain things work. That makes discovering this world and its secrets very interesting. There are some very impressive shots in the opening episode featuring an intense battle during the historical portion and a huge ship caught in raging waters. The historical portion as a whole had a very cinematic quality to it that was also very gripping right from the start.
Gong Yoo plays our cursed Goblin, Kim Shin. There are many different sides to Shin’s character, and Gong Yoo played them all perfectly. He’s a brave and fierce warrior in the historical portion where he finds himself at odds with the king.
We then have our Goblin bride, Ji Eun Tak, played by Kim Go Eun. Kim Go Eun was very endearing as Eun Tak. She was bright, adorable, and full of life. Her youthful exuberance is like a ray of sunshine that warms up Shin’s heart. It’s easy to see why our Goblin falls hard for her.
Lee Dong Wook is our Grim Reaper. I have a soft spot for Lee Dong Wook, and I absolutely loved his character. He has such a commanding presence that instills power and fear, yet he easily transitions to a sort of awkward and bumbling character.
Yoo In Na was lovely as Sunny. She seems a bit bored with life, but things really liven up for her when the Grim Reaper shows up doing all of these things she finds strange and fascinating.
Yook Sung Jae did well as Yoo Duk Hwa. His family has served the Goblin for 900 years. He’s immature and a bit spoiled, but he has a good heart. He was a nice addition to our Goblin family.
The story is very rich, and I loved delving deep into it. The drama sets up the story very well with high stakes and plenty of questions. While it does take a while to get answers, once we continue deeper into the story, the drama just gets better and better. The drama does include a lot of humor which is something I greatly appreciate, but it was also sort of a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I thought they spent a little too much time on basic character interactions without a whole lot of forward plot development in the first half of the drama. Ideally, I would have liked more of the meat of the story to be better dispersed throughout the drama.
In the beginning, Shin and the Grim Reaper are mostly the deadpan style. Initially, that made it more difficult for me to warm up to them. But the more I saw of their interactions, the more comfortable I became and the more hilarious I found them to be. As the drama progresses and they grow more comfortable with each other, their humor also became more of the fun and goofy style that I like. And that produces some truly hilarious scenes!
Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun were a really sweet and fun couple. Their relationship has such a strong importance right from the beginning. Eun Tak was able to warm up the lonely Shin’s heart, and he was able to provide her a family.

Goblin is a unique drama in the kdrama landscape. Its rich fantasy story that intertwined everyone’s fates was done very eloquently. Each character is memorable and engaging and completely brought to life by all of the talented actors portraying them.
It’s an epic story of love, friendship, and forgiveness that tugs at the heart. It’s a poignant and moving drama that definitely left a lasting impression.

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This drama broke me...

The romance between Lee Yeon and Ji Ah is a big one. These ill-fated lovers shared a forbidden love hundreds of years ago, and it ended in tragedy. They get a do over in modern times, but the same fate threatens them again.
This pair has a fun banter between them in the early stages of the series. Then as they grow closer, the romance picks up. There is a lot that Ji Ah doesn’t know about her past life and their past relationship though. Those secrets create plenty of issues for them.
I really enjoyed seeing how dedicated Lee Yeon was to Ji Ah. He goes through a lot to try and give Ji Ah a happy life, but he sure does face a lot of problems in doing so. Ji Ah also appreciates Lee Yeon and becomes a valuable partner for him as they face their enemies.
We get a little love/hate bromance in Tale of the Nine Tailed too. Lee Yeon and his half-brother Lee Rang have been at odds for hundreds of years. They also had a tragic past that tainted their relationship.
Lee Rang (my favorite) goes full villain and does his best to cause trouble for Lee Yeon, but it is evident that Lee Rang is acting out and still cares for his brother. Lee Yeon faces an uphill battle in trying to get through to him. We get some really great moments between this duo as they face their issues as well as some good character growth from Lee Rang.
This is the kind of show that has tons of wonderful supporting characters. Many of them will win your heart with their stories and current relationships. Others are of the villainous variety that add lots of drama and tension to the show.
Overall, I absolutely loved Tale of the Nine-Tailed. Dramas like this are my bread and butter because of the great mixture of elements involving fantasy, romance, thrills, and mystery. It’s always nice to see shows like this come together so nicely and treat the audience to such a fun story.

More detailed review here: https://bookswithnatasa.home.blog/category/kdramas/

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this drama has become my new obsession...

The Korean drama blockbuster Descendants Of The Sun is an essential watch for all K-drama fans and can be enjoyed by both women and men, since, unlike many other K-dramas, it cannot possibly be confined to just a “chick flick” description; it has many delicious ingredients that will delight both sexes: romance for the gals, military skirmishes, lots of action shots, international politics, and criminal intrigues for the guys, and both sexes love the humor in their shows.

Descendants Of The Sun also features a significant portion of its story filmed on location in Greece (these were my favorite parts since I’m of Greek descent and have been there twice), adding a sense of exoticism rarely found in most other K-dramas today. I feel that traveling to other locations to shoot part of a story always adds interest to a K-drama because Koreans tend to be an insular people, so when their television dramas are set in locations around the world that makes their people more curious to check the stories out.

A love story develops between Captain Yoo Shi Jin, from South Korean Special Forces, and Doctor Kang Mo Yeon, who works as a Surgeon at Haesung Hospital in Seoul. They will find themselves in the middle of great events and deadly dangers, both in their Motherland and in the fictitious, war-torn country of Urk.

Anyways romance is about revealing more of the character and who they are. I am so, so happy that a couple that I love so much has one of the least problematic relationships in a kdrama I’ve seen. Between the hair grabs (Master’s Son) and the forceful, stiff kissing (Heartstrings, Gentleman’s Dignity), and all-around lack of female agency and deleting of female personality, a plethora of assholey main love interests and sexist tropes that saturate many, many kdramas, I was so worried this one was going to end up with me trying to claw out my eyes. Not so with this couple.

More detailed review here: https://bookswithnatasa.home.blog/2021/08/27/should-watch-25-descendants-of-the-sun/

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this drama is super fun with amazing storyline...

True Beauty is a romantic comedy about a high school girl (Moon Ga Young) who goes to great lengths to never be caught without makeup on and the only guy (Cha Eun Woo) who has seen her bare face.
Moon Ga Young plays Lim Ju Kyung. She was made fun of and bullied because of her looks which eventually led her to master the art of make-up in order to hide her true face. She does whatever she can to avoid anyone seeing her bare face, but when a guy from her school does, she worries he will tell and her world will come crumbling down.
Cha Eun Woo is Lee Su Ho. He is handsome but cold to those around him. He also carries deep pain from events in his past. His world brightens a bit though when he meets Ju Kyung and likes her even though he has seen her bare face.
Then we have Hwang in Yeop as Han Seo Joon. He is known as a cool bad boy, but he is actually very kind. He has a history with Su Ho and then gets involved in a love triangle with Ju Kyung.

True Beauty is a drama that is just plain fun! It is breezy and entertaining as it swiftly moves the story along. It honestly doesn’t really do anything revolutionary as you’ll find a simple story with a hefty sprinkling of classic kdrama tropes, but it packages it all in such a fun and engaging way that just made it so easy to watch.
I am definitely a sucker for stories like this as an “unattractive” girl hides her true face which makes everyone think she is beautiful. Luckily, the only guy who has seen her bare face likes her and thinks she’s pretty just the way she is. Aww!!

The romance is fun as we get to see plenty of bickering between Ju Kyung and Su Ho as well as lots of meaningful moments. It takes a while for them to get on the same page with sharing their feelings, but it’s a fun journey to watch. Then we see their relationship blossom quite nicely.
Ju Kyung and Su Ho’s individual stories were good too. Ju Kyung is bullied because of her looks, and it was terrible to see. She is able to pull herself out of the situation by learning to use makeup, but then she is forced to live a life of secrecy so no one finds out what she actually looks like.

True Beauty also features a pretty fun love triangle. Our bad boy with a heart of gold gets off on the wrong foot with Ju Kyung, but in true k-drama fashion, it doesn’t take long before he is pining away for her. Combine that with some ongoing issues he has with Su Ho, and we get an entertaining love triangle for sure! And the love/hate bromance was also a great addition to the show, as their relationship has plenty to unpack.

This is the kind of drama where there are lots of misunderstandings and the characters don’t always communicate very well. So expect that going in. It’s just part of this type of story though, and everything was well done enough that I don’t consider it a real negative.
I really enjoyed True Beauty as a whole. Its zany brand of humor made it fun with plenty of laughs. There are some very heartfelt elements to the story that deliver emotion and tears. In the midst of the fun are also nice little moments of insight that add some depth to the drama. If you want a classic high school rom-com kdrama that is packaged in just the right way, True Beauty is for you. Laughs, fun, and heart make for a terrific watch.

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this is a super fun drama....

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim is a romantic comedy about the narcissistic vice president (Park Seo Joon) of a large corporation who learns his long time devoted secretary (Park Min Young) of nine years is going to quit her job.
Park Seo Joon plays Lee Young Joon who is the vice president of his family’s company.  He’s very narcissistic and doesn’t miss an opportunity to give himself some praise. Things are going along just fine for him until his world is completely turned upside down when his secretary decides to quit.
Park Min Young is his devoted secretary Kim Mi So. She is amazing at her job and is always ready and waiting to meet Young Joon’s needs. That is until she decides she wants a change and gives him her resignation.
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim seems like it has been everyone’s favorite drama over the past few months. It brought in all kinds of nice ratings and was also a hit with international fans. The love for the drama was evident.
Now I didn’t fall head over heels for the drama like so many did, but I still liked it. It had a few issues for me, but overall I found it pretty enjoyable. First, onto what there is to love!
Park Seo Joon and Park Min Young are quite a treat as a couple. Their pluses are many and include a wonderful rapport between the pair. Their snappy bickering was humorous as was their awkwardness in navigating the change in their relationship.
I think many people will also enjoy Young Joon’s character. At first, he seems like your typical arrogant rich chaebol, but he has some quirks that help with that. He is so narcissistic in an over the top way that makes him immediately humorous. And he’s actually got a pretty pleasant personality that is easy to warm up to. If you don’t like those typical jerk leads who need a lesson in learning how to behave, Young Joon is a great alternative.
There are some hilarious supporting characters. This is a drama where these characters add so much humor and don’t just feel like filler. You get to know these people at the office and enjoy their interactions, troubles, and romances.
Then we had a pretty interesting tonal shift around the middle of the drama. We have a little mystery to slowly peel back concerning Young Joon and Mi So’s childhoods. The plot thickens as we learn more back story and have some difficult issues for our characters to deal with. So that added a nice layer to the plot that I really appreciated.

So despite the issues for me, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim was a mostly fun watch. It checks the right boxes for a solid romantic comedy. We have a lovely couple at the center of the story, a little something extra to add to the plot, and a nice cast of supporting characters. All in all, there’s a lot to enjoy, especially for romantic comedy fans.

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this drama broke my heart and glued it back together...

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Extraordinary You! It was a bit of a surprise just how much too. Now I do I love stories that deal with meta things, and characters in a comic becoming self-aware fits the bill perfectly. But I really wasn’t sure what kind of story this would be or what tone it would have, and aside from Kim Hye Yoon, I wasn’t very familiar with most of the other main actors.
Extraordinary You is a very easy watch. It is bright and fun with plenty of humor. The comic world is portrayed as a stereotypical romantic comedy, so that is ripe for all kinds of jokes to poke fun at the classic tropes we all know.
When Dan Oh finally becomes self-aware, she goes through a lot of confusion and emotions. Not only does she find out she is a character and has no control over her own fate, but she’s not even the lead. She’s just an extra! She was then able to see how cringy the comic story and all of the parts being played were.
I loved delving into the rules of how the comic world operated. I thought it was really interesting how when a character became aware, they still had to follow the script set forth by the writer whether or not they wanted to. They were compelled to play out the scenes.
But when a scene ended, there was a space called the Shadow which took place in between the scenes. This is where the characters had freedom. And Dan Oh uses that freedom to try to change the story and her fate.
I really loved Dan Oh and Ha Ru’s relationship. It was super sweet with plenty of heart as they struggled to beat the story and be together. But their actions have consequences as the comic world begins to change in unexpected ways. They have to face some major trials in their attempt to be together. Their love story was a great mix of cute fun and low-key angst.
Then there’s Baek Kyung, the man that Dan Oh is engaged to in the story. I had a lot of negative feelings towards this character. He really is a complete jerk in every way and was always so mean to Dan Oh. For most of the drama, I just couldn’t feel for him.
Extraordinary You also had a very serious side as characters are really put through the ringer. They deal with separation, helplessness, and life and death stakes. Learning the back story behind the characters and the comic was really fascinating.
It’s a hard battle going up against an all powerful writer, but even when the characters had limitations, they made the best of them. Seeing their friendship, growth, independence, and determination was very inspiring. Dan Oh and Ha Ru in particular really fought for what they wanted in their lives, and no matter what they faced, they never gave up on each other.
Extraordinary You was perfect in every way. I loved the characters and the world that they inhabited. It was all kinds of fun with lots of heart. I had such a wonderful time watching it.


More detailed review here: https://bookswithnatasa.home.blog/category/kdramas/

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