Long Series Kdrama Review My Man’s Secret

Have a lot of backlog for Long Series Kdrama Reviews haha. Updated the Long Series Korean Dramas page recently.

Doing this review by memory. Watched it some time ago. Actually, I wrote this review on the page some time ago but only managed to post it now haha.

My Man’s Secret (2017) 我男人的秘密

Episodes: 100

starring Song Chang Eui as Kang Jae Wook / Han Ji Sub, Kang Se Jung as Ki Seo Ra / Jin Yeo Rim, Park Jung Ah as Jin Hae Rim, Kim Da Hyun as Kang In Wook, Bae Jung Hwa as Yang Mi Ryung, Kwon Ye Eun as Han Hae Sol

Liked Song Chang Eui’s acting in this drama as the drama goes. Last saw him in Heartstrings. Liked how he acts well for both twins, Jae Wook and Ji Sub. It is interesting how Jae Wook always makes a sound with his tongue (?). It is a distinct characteristic that identifies him and it is also well used when there is a plot twist. Liked how both twins get to live each other’s life. Ji Sub gets to live a life of luxury and holds a high position in the company. After Jae Wook awakes from coma, he ends up being found (?) by Ji Sub’s wife and lives as Ji Sub. Liked how only Ji Sub’s daughter can differentiate between Ji Sub and Jae Wook. I guess children are more open-minded so they will observe and feel for themselves and not just believe what they want to believe. Another possibility is that people tend to show their true nature when with children as they see children as no harm. Liked how Jae Wook changes from being hostile to treating Ji Sub’s daughter like his own daughter. Liked the development of relationship between Jae Wook and Ji Sub’s daughter. They start to like each other and play with each other. Jae Wook even protects Ji Sub’s daughter and is severely injured while saving her from a vehicle. It is funny how Jae Wook and Ji Sub take turn postponing switching lives secretly with each other.

Towards the end, it was heartbreaking and I could feel tears in my eyes. Liked how Han Ji Sub chooses to be gone so that his wife and child can have happiness. At first, I feel that Han Ji Sub is good as he tries his best to achieve what Jae Wook’s mother wants so that he can return to his family. He is smart and good at dealing with situations. He even manages to do well in the high position in the company, despite coming from a poor background. Then, he becomes in the grey area when he tries to kill Jae Wook to survive and when he marries Jae Wook’s fiancee. Started to like the character again after he realises that he has brain tumour and tries to make things right. I guess loyalty is not important in this drama. His previous wife, Yeo Rim, goes with Jae Wook’s stepbrother/half-brother at the end, despite how she keeps grabbing onto him and pursuing the truth earlier on. Liked how Mi Ryung manages to counterattack later on after being held captive by Jae Wook’s mother for a period of time. She has evidence and becomes smarter, being of great help to the good side. Liked how she is loyal to Jae Wook. Didnt like Ji Sub’s aunt who causes trouble to Ji Sub and his family. Liked how Jae Wook’s mother rebuts her with her wrong doings when Ji Sub’s aunt criticises her for stealing Jae Wook. Liked the relationship between Jae Wook and his stepbrother/half brother.

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Dropped Korean Drama Review Extraordinary You EY

Scanned through some parts of Tale of the Nine Tailed while it was screening after dropping it. Liked ep 9. Liked the part where Ji Ah and Lee Rang are trapped in a world they fear. They have to overcome the fear to exit. Lee Yeon only can choose to save one of them and he chooses to save his half brother. Liked how Ji Ah is smart and observant. She manages to see through Lee Rang’s disguises and is able to catch Lee Yeon. Admired how Ji Ah is so daring. She jumps off the building just to test if Lee Yeon has supernatural power and check if he is the one she is looking for. Liked the development of relationship between Lee Yeon and Lee Rang. Liked the chemistry between Ji Ah and Lee Yeon. Liked the other characters: the vet, the gumiho that follows Lee Rang, the couple who lost their son’s soul, the Snail Bride. Liked Lee Tae Ri’s/Lee Min Ho (1993)’s acting as the evil Imoogi. Saw him in Extraordinary you too. Wonder if I will see him as lead character in a drama I watch.

Dropped Sweet Home as there is too much smoking and violence at the start. Dropped My Roommate Is Gumiho and Doom at Your Service due to lack of interesting plot development, even though they have fantasy. Dropped The Witch’s Diner as it feels negative and it reminds me of 365: Repeat the Year that the female lead acted in. Started Police University because of the scene I saw in Instagram about Sun Ho who is good at hacking helping his adoptive brother/best friend with his love confession but ends up confessing himself. However, the pace of the drama is too slow and there is not enough tension. I tried scanning through it again but ends up still dropping it after a few episodes. Scanned through the rest of the drama at a very fast pace after that. I dont think I saw Sun Ho’s adoptive brother/best friend appear in the last episode. He seems to be quite important in the first episode but he doesnt appear in most of the drama. I expected that he will at least appear towards the end of the drama. I also dont feel that there is enough tension or danger for the lead characters, even though the villain is portrayed as powerful and can kill people easily.

For Lovers of the Red Sky, I was more interested about what would happen to the lead characters at the end than the process due to foreshadowing at the first episode. However,  when the last episode was screened, I had lost interest in the drama. I dont find stealing peaches romantic haha. Scanned through The King’s Affection at a very fast pace. Dropped it towards the end. The plot somehow doesnt make me want to continue watching. Maybe because I have watched quite a number of historical dramas on twins and twin girl. The plot feels common to me. I dont know why but the childhood lovers part doesnt work well for me for Lovers of the Red Sky and also slightly for The King’s Affection. It is a bit boring to me. I didnt feel that in the past. Maybe watched too many similar ones.

Nowadays, kdramas have become quite slow-paced. Unlike in the past, I have to forward the dramas. I used to only do that for China dramas. Luckily I still manage to get a hold of some kdramas (one at a time) that I dont need to forward since some time ago.

Dropped Forecasting Love and Weather and Melancholia after some episodes due to lack of interesting plot development. It is cool how Song Kang’s character is so good at predicting the weather in Forecasting Love and Weather. It is cool how Lee Do Hyun’s character is a Mathematics genius in Melancholia. Dropped Moonshine and Secret Royal Inspector Joy after the first episode. Didnt like how Kim Hye Yoon’s character started as a married woman in Secret Royal Inspector Joy. Scanned through The Devil Judge. Finished watching The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Ghost Doctor, and Twenty-Five Twenty-One. Too many reviews not done… Currently watching Tomorrow and Sh**ting Stars. Currently scanning through From Now, Showtime!. I happened to chance upon Confession, a 2019 kdrama, on YouTube and currently scanning through it too.

Kept postponing this review. I am not sure when I will have the time to write a long review again haha. Doing this review mostly by memory.

Extraordinary You (2019) 偶然发现的一天

 

starring Kim Hye Yoon as Eun Dan Oh, Kim Ro woon as Ha Roo/Haru, Lee Jae Wook as Baek Kyung, Lee Na Eun as Yeo Joo Da, Jung Gun Joo as Lee Do Hwa, Kim Young Dae as Oh Nam Joo, Lee Tae Ri as Jin Mi Chae, Kim Ji In as Shin Sae Mi, Kim Hyun Mok as Ahn Soo Chul, Uhm Hyo Sup as Eun Moo Young (Dan Oh’s father), Choi Jin Ho as Baek Dae Sung (Baek Kyung’s father), Yoo Ji Soo as Ra Hye Young (Baek Kyung’s step mother), Bae Hyun Sung as Baek Joon Hyun (Baek Kyung’s half brother)

Didnt expect much from the drama. Watched the drama due to the plot involving fantasy. Felt that the plot is refreshing after trying the drama.

This drama explores the topic on free will. As they are characters in the comic book, their fates depend on the writer and they will need to be on stage/at the place and say and do what they are supposed to. However, when offstage/in the shadow, they can do whatever they want and are not controlled by the writer. Dan Oh tries to change the fate of her character. Haru tries to help her. This makes it interesting to watch and I chase the drama to find out if Dan Oh will successfully make changes and later successfully change her fate. As the drama goes, I feel that there is actually no free will which makes me feel like dropping the drama. The past events in the historical comic book are just repeating themselves in Secret, no matter offstage or onstage. Some of what the characters say and do offstage in Secret are the same as what happened onstage in the historical comic book which makes me wonder if their characters offstage are also created by the writer. I also cant see what is supposed to be in the book Secret so I am not sure if changes really happen. The pace also dropped. I eventually dropped the drama at ep 25-26 and scanned through the last few episodes quickly. The second last episode was more worth watching than the last episode.

My favourite characters in the drama are Dan Oh and Do Hwa. Liked how they are kind-hearted and funny. Liked how the emotional struggles are being portrayed by both characters. They are both persistent in achieving what they want. Dan Oh is persistent to prevent her death. It is sad when Dan Oh thinks/talks about her impending death. Do Hwa is persistent to pursue Joo Da. He does not want to be the second lead. It is sad when Do Hwa is forced to be there for Joo Da and also to witness her with Nam Joo. Liked his violin playing and multiple confessions to Joo Da offstage, even though Joo Da will not remember later. Found it sweet. Liked how both characters add humour to the drama. Dan Oh is crazy at times, doing crazy things, especially since she knows she is a comic book character and her death is approaching. Laughed at the scene where she uses her back to bump into every guy’s back quickly to find the character who can change her fate. I still laugh at the scene after watching it many times. Her reactions are fun to watch too. Do Hwa is forced to play the violin for Joo Da to cheer her up. It is funny how he anticipates Joo Da’s appearance whenever he plays the violin and he dislikes it. Laughed at the scene where Do Hwa realises that he is a comic book character and his exasperated reaction. He says that it is difficult to find the cafeteria. Every time he goes near it, it disappears. He is chatting with his friends and suddenly he is playing the violin while crying at the next moment. It is funny how such exaggeration of emotions is felt when he reads the comic book about them. Liked the interactions among Dan Oh, Do Hwa, and Haru, individually and as a group.

Somehow only felt neutral about Haru. I somehow could not feel the emotional struggle in Haru which makes the character plain. I am not sure if it is the acting or the character is supposed to be like that. At least at the last quarter of the drama, there should be emotional struggle of Haru portrayed but it is a pity that there wasnt. I didnt watch the part that Dan Oh loses her memory so maybe I didnt see it. I think the only time I can feel some emotional struggle is when Haru changes the stage but it ends up with Baek Kyung’s confession to Dan Oh. It is cool how Haru can make changes to the stage. It is cool how Haru stands up against Baek Kyung or wins Baek Kyung sometimes. It is cool when Haru says that there is no point telling Baek Kyung who he is as the scene is changing soon and Baek Kyung will not remember him. Liked the development of relationship and chemistry between Haru and Dan Oh. Liked how mysterious Haru is at the start. Liked how there are two purposes of the heart rate monitor of Dan Oh’s watch. It is funny how Dan Oh says that it is broken and tells it to keep quiet when her heart beats faster because of Haru. Liked how Haru evokes jealousy in Baek Kyung. Liked the night sky Haru made for Dan Oh. Liked how they play around with the word “extra” and “extraordinary” you.

Didnt like the character Baek Kyung, even though many people seem to like him. He is bad to Dan Oh and does not care about her feelings. When he knows about the stage, he tries to change the stage to suit his liking, without caring if Dan Oh wants it. The only part that makes me change my mind about Baek Kyung is the part towards the end where he chooses to help Dan Oh and Haru get together. Felt heartbreaking at the scene where Dan Oh says that Dan Oh of “Secret” wants to thank him while Dan Oh of “Trumpet Creeper” forgives him and Baek Kyung cries. It is also a little heartbreaking when Baek Kyung finally realises how important Dan Oh is to him which he didnt in the past. Liked how Baek Kyung’s emotional struggle is being portrayed in those scenes. Found child Dan Oh and child Baek Kyung cute. Found Oh Nam Joo good-looking haha. Nam Joo is arrogant, from a rich family, powerful, good-looking, aggressive and with a cute side, a typical male lead in stories/dramas. The character would have been overshadowed by the other more unique characters. The good thing is I dont feel that Nam Joo is an extra in the drama haha. His presence still can be felt. Found the scene that he talks to a soccer ball funny. Felt neutral about the character Joo Da. I think my sister disliked Joo Da who friend-zones Do Hwa. The interesting part about Joo Da is that she does not want to go against her character’s fate when she realises that she can make a different choice of who she wants to be with. She thinks that it is easier to just follow what the writer wants so that she can suffer less. I am not sure if that changes later on as I dropped the drama.

Liked the fantasy in the drama. When the characters are onstage and they know about it, there is a book flipping sound. Found it cool when Dan Oh is being transported to another place and doing different things when there is a book flipping sound. It is nice how Dan Oh doesnt need to study or do what she is supposed to do as she will end up getting the same results or doing what she is supposed to do onstage. It is interesting how there are light being shone on the lead characters and special effects which the characters can see after gaining awareness. It is funny how so many things that Dan Oh needs to do are to help Nam Joo and Joo Da get together. It is funny how Dan Oh has to act as a pushover/someone who likes Baek Kyung in front of Baek Kyung but in her mind she is thinking differently and wants to do different things but cannot. Later on, she just changes her attitude towards Baek Kyung straightaway once it is offstage. It is fun to watch Do Hwa being forced to play sad music on his violin. He chooses to play happy music for Joo Da when offstage. It is funny how the characters feel that they have memory loss after gaining awareness. It is funny how Kyung loses his memory in the blink of an eye. It is interesting how Baek Kyung’s real feelings are being leaked out at times offstage. He has been looking all night for Dan Oh and is worried about her, even though the stage has been changed by Haru already. It is interesting how Dan Oh can see the future while Haru can see the past later on. Liked how the stage can be changed, even though there are times it changed for the worse. It is cool how some of the furniture are upside down or in the air. It is cool how the characters can do what they want when they are not onstage since the other characters wont remember later on.

I shipped the Sae Mi-Soo Chul couple haha. Some of the small characters in the drama are good-looking. Didnt like the character, Dried Squid Fairy, who is mysterious and seems to know a lot but actually he doesnt know much haha.

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Dropped Korean Drama Review Sisyphus: The Myth STM

This is another unintended review. Was writing about some of the dramas I dropped on top of a kdrama review I wanted to post and ended up writing more and more for this drama.

Sisyphus: The Myth (2021) 西西弗斯：神话

starring Cho Seung Woo as Han Tae Sul, Jung Hyun Jun as Han Tae Sul (young), Park Shin Hye as Kang Seo Hae, Seo Yi Soo (서이수) as young Kang Seo Hae (young), Kim Byung Chul as Sigma / Seo Won Joo, Lee Joo Won (이주원) as Won Joo (child), Heo Joon Seok as Han Tae San, Tae In Ho as Eddie Kim, Jun Gook Hwan as Kim Han Yong, Jung Hye In as Kim Seo Jin, Tae Won Suk as Yeo Bong Sun, Kim Jong Tae as Kang Dong Ki, Lee Yeon Soo as Lee Eun Hee, Chae Jong Hyup as Sun, Choi Jung Woo as Hwang Hyun Seung, Go Yoon as Jung Hyun Ki, Sung Dong Il as Park Hyung Do (President Park), Lee Shi Woo (이시우) as Bing Bing (Asia Mart employee), Lee Myung Ro (이명로) as Uhm Sun Jae (Asia Mart employee), Jung Ha Joon (정하준) as Uhm Sun Ho (Asia Mart employee, Sun Jae’s younger brother)

Dropped Sisyphus: The Myth after watching around 7 episodes. The drama is quite brain-cracking. Dropped this drama once due to the starting part of the drama. The starting part feels like people leaving to another planet for survival. Started watching the drama again due to videos of Tae Sul I saw in Instagram. Liked the character Tae Sul. Liked how he is smart and how he frequently uses his physics + engineering knowledge for many different purposes: to prevent an aeroplane he is in from crashing, to create a bomb, to create coke weapons, to hide a key using magnetism, to make a phone work without using a socket, to hack into a stranger’s car system so that he can drive the car, to make a place blackout etc. The car chase with many drones is interesting. Liked how he is so calm. He tries to fix a crashing plane and even leaves his will through the video phone call with Eddie Kim in case he dies. He is so rich haha. It is funny how people think that his house is being ransacked when they visit but it is originally like that. Liked the relationship between Tae Sul and his brother, Tae Sun, mostly seen through flashbacks. Liked how Tae Sun protects his brother with his life and supports his brother’s dream. Liked the relationship between Tae Sul and his bodyguard. Liked the character Seo Hae. Liked how she is good at fighting, shooting, jumping from places to places. It is funny how Seo Hae throws people down buildings, Tae Sul and Sun. It is crazy and cool how Seo Hae and Tae Sul slide down the exterior of a building. Liked how it is first shown that Tae Sul is calling Seo Hae through the phone and Seo Hae surprisingly tells him to lower his head and she kills the person who is going to attack him. In the next episode, it is then shown that Seo Hae has been shooting with her gun from above the many people who are pursuing Tae Sul. Was waiting for the romance between Tae Sul and Seo Hae to grow but it seems to not come. I wanted to know why they are married in the photograph.

Eddie Kim is hilarious at the start. Liked his dramatic reactions when Tae Sul says that he is on a plane and when he says that he is fixing a crashing plane. It is funny how Tae Sul always skips the board meeting and Eddie Kim is exasperated. Liked the character Sun. May become a fan of Chae Jong Hyup after this drama. It is funny how Sun is frightened when Seo Hae points a knife at him. Liked how he provides help for Seo Hae when she needs it: giving her food and letting her rest at his house after she first arrives, arriving with his expensive car when she is almost caught etc. Liked the lottery scene where he rushes to buy a lottery ticket Seo Hae helped him shade before the deadline. It is so intense haha. It is cool how some of their gunshots dont kill. When they are killed, they seem to go to another timeline. The timelines in the drama is confusing to me.

After quickly scanning through the rest of the drama, I feel that it was right to stop at 7 episodes. It is not a happy ending and nothing much really happens after that haha. Liked the part where all the time-travellers disappear as the person who makes the uploader dies. It is sad but it feels like mission is accomplished. I guess the drama sticks to its theme and title well as everything keeps going back to square one. Sisyphus the myth based on what I checked means never-ending cycle. Even after the war is prevented, the villain manages to get a hold of the notebook that has events that happen in the future written in it, implying that history will repeat itself.  After one villain is gotten rid of, another appears and there is also the ultimate villain, Sigma.

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Imitation (2021) Korean Drama

Ended up helping my sister write this review. Didnt intend to write this review haha. Was writing about some of the dramas I dropped on top of a kdrama review I wanted to post and ended up writing more and more for this drama. Nowadays, my sister is mostly in the animation world after the drama world “fails” her.

Imitation (2021)

Cast: Jung Ji So as Lee Ma Ha (Tea Party), Lee Joon Young as Kwon Ryuk (SHAX), Park Ji Yeon as La Ri Ma, Jung Yoon Ho as Lee Yoo Jin (Sparkling), Danny Ahn as Ji Hak, Kang Chan Hee as Eun Jo, Park Yoo Ri as Do Jin (the rapper), Ahn Jung Hoon as Jae Woo (the leader), Hwi Young as Kang Yi Hyun (the rapper/producer), Choi Jong Ho as Hyuk (the main vocal/maknae), Oh Hee Joon as Dae Kwon (Shax’s manager), Lim Na Young as Hyun Ji (the visual), Kim Min Seo as Ri Ah (the main vocal), Lee Soo Woong as Hyun Oh (the eldest member/former center), Cho Jung Chi as Ha Seok, Kong Jung Hwan as CEO Park

Episodes: 12

My own review:

Was attracted to the poster of Imitation but was hesitant to watch it. As my sister tried the drama, I watched it too. As my sister stopped watching it towards the end when Ryuk and Ma Ha break up, so did I haha. Would have dropped it at ep 1 as I found it negative. However, as my sister continued watching, I watched some parts as well. Things take a turn for the better at ep 2 and there is hope for a change. Liked the cliffhanger at the end of ep 2. Liked how Ryuk and Ma Ha manage to complete a dance together perfectly on a show to be aired without any rehearsal in ep 3. Not sure why but I had problem with face recognition for this drama at first, except for the actor who acted as Ryuk as I previously saw him in Please Don’t Date Him that my sister watched, but later I managed to recognise the characters. This seldom happens haha.

Liked the characters, Ma Ha, Ryuk, Hyun Ji, Ri Ah, and the SHAX members. Liked how Ma Ha learns dancing steps fast and can imitate Ri Ma and Ryuk well. Liked how Ryuk is good at dancing and acting fighting scenes for movies. It is funny how his sword drops into the pond while he is practising one of the scenes alone. He still thinks that someone took a picture of him when it is actually Ma Ha secretly watching and laughing. Ma Ha and Ryuk are so good at dancing that I thought they are really from idol groups that need to sing and dance. Didnt like Hyun Ji and Ri Ah when they stop Ma Ha from getting closer with Ryuk as he is from SHAX. Liked how the SHAX members have distinct characteristics. It is funny how the SHAX members fight over how to enjoy the food at the start. Liked the interactions among SHAX members. Liked how they take each other’s side/support each other and apologise as a group, even though Ryuk made the mistake. SHAX fan club has so much power and say haha. I see the power of fans in this drama haha. Laughed at how Ryuk seeks relationship advice from 1 of the SHAX members, Do Jin, and later Hyuk also joins in after overhearing their conversation. It is hilarious how both Do Jin and Hyuk say that Ryuk has no friend when Ryuk doesnt want to say it is him and says that it is his friend. It is funny how Ryuk uses A and B to represent the parties, making Do Jin confused and he asks if it is a mathematics problem. Later on, another SHAX member, Yi Hyun, also uses the A and B to seek advice from Ryuk and Ryuk says that A and B already have a happy ending. Do Jin and Hyuk also cover up for Ryuk when needed later on and help Ma Ha meet Ryuk secretly when he is hospitalised. Liked how Do Jin and Hyuk add humour to the drama. Liked the interactions between Ri Ah and Yi Hyun who often camps at his mentor’s recording studio. It is sad that the SHAX members are not allowed to date people if not the future of the group will be ruined. Their former member, Eun Jo, has to leave the group secretly because of that.

Liked Yi Hyun’s friend (?)/mentor who helps Tea Party produce their songs. He works under someone, even though he is talented as he does not have courage to step out of his comfort zone and be the boss. Liked Tea Party manager, former SHAX manager, Ji Hak, who is strategic at helping Tea Party debut. Liked how he is resourceful and has a lot of connections and friends. He makes them go on different types of shows to publicise the group before they make their official debut and gives them a monthly pay. Touched by the scene that Tea Party members continue their performance after the music is cut off due to shorter screen time caused by SHAX’s Entertainment Company. They freeze on stage for a while before continuing their performance. They failed to make their debut once due to news of suicide (?) of a girl previously from the Entertainment Company they were in and were dragged off the stage on their debut day. Liked how Ji Hak gives advice to members of groups he managed, including Ri Ma. My sister managed to watch the last episode after some time. She expected all of them to end up with Ji Hak and it really happens in the last episode (sry for the spoiler). A bit didnt like Ri Ma at the start as she picks on Ma Ha who is her copycat but I liked how she is direct and straightaway tells Ma Ha she likes Ryuk and cant let her have him and when she is on Tea Party’s side when someone frames them. Didnt like Ma Ha’s friend in Sparkling, Yoo Jin, who uses Hyun Ji to get updates about Ma Ha. Isnt he closer to Ma Ha than Hyun Ji? Why would he need to do that? Liked the tension between Yoo Jin and Hyun Oh, the former center of the group. They are scared but not scared of each other. It is funny how Hyun Oh says “If looks could kill” to Yoo Jin when Yoo Jin glares at him for saying bad things about Ma Ha.

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China Drama Review The King’s Avatar 全职高手

Dropped Love Unexpected and Mysterious Love after some episodes due to lack of interesting plot development. It is interesting how the male lead character can feel the female lead character’s physical pain and the female lead character can feel the male lead character’s emotions due to an incident in Love Unexpected. Felt that Fan Shi Qi didnt act well enough. His face is not emotionless enough, even though his character is supposed to not be able to feel his emotions. This problem is amplified after the incident when his emotions are transferred to the female lead character. Liked how the female lead character is good at fighting. It is interesting how she is strong and protects him a few times unlike the usual. Mysterious Love is mysterious. The male lead character has a dangerous job (?) and pretends not to know the female lead character when they finally meet after a few years. Liked how the male lead character teaches the female lead character shooting skill. Liked the male lead character’s friend who supports and helps him. Liked the development of relationship between the male lead character’s friend and female lead character’s friend. Liked the development of relationship and interaction between the female lead character’s friend and the male lead character’s friend’s naughty and fierce adoptive child.

Quite sick of e-sports/professional gaming already haha after watching 3 dramas on that. Hence, I only tried Falling Into Your Smile because my sister wanted to try it. My sister is still not sick of e-sports drama yet haha. Seen Xu Kai in roles that are cute or naughty. Wanted to see him act in a cold guy role. Finally, it happens in Falling Into Your Smile but too bad I dropped it after a few episodes. It is not clear which characters are playing which game characters when they are playing the games during competitions so it is confusing to me and I cant follow well. I feel that it is quite important for audience to be able to follow the games in a professional gaming drama. Besides, the game characters are too cute for professional gaming to me haha. Found the supporting male lead actor/female lead character’s ex-boyfriend good-looking and found him familiar. After searching, I realised I found him good-looking in Happy Camp in the past haha.

Watched Twelve Legends from the last episode backwards. There is some fantasy. The couples in the drama mostly have tragic endings. Watched until one of the characters becomes a fox forever as the villain manages to steal her fox bead by possessing her injured lover. It is tragic for that couple as the injured lover wakes up later but cant find her and carries the fox (her) found at his bedside while looking desperately for her. Found it negative and stopped at that point. Liked that actor’s acting which is different from his character in All I Want for Love is You. Watched the first episode of the drama, Humans. It is made creepier than it is and has sadistic elements/characters haha. It is mysterious but not a drama I would continue. In Love With Your Dimples has a funny and nice first episode and there is mystery as the male lead character knows the female lead character but she doesnt remember him. But somehow dropped the drama after some time. Scanned through some parts of Moonlight. My sister prefers Ding Yu Xi’s other characters, the colder ones. I only finished one Ding Yu Xi’s drama so far which is The Romance of Tiger and Rose. Scanned through some parts of Well Dominated Love, Mr Honesty, Word of Honour, and You Are My Hero while they were screening. The male lead character in Mr Honesty is interesting. The boss in Well Dominated Love is cute in some ways.

Finished scanning through Hello Mr. Gu, Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard, and Timeless Love. Tried to scan Hello Mr Gu a second time at a slower pace but gave up after about half of the drama. Found the drama sweet. Not including the female lead character in the male lead character’s whole recovery process from the psychological disorder makes the last quarter of the drama not as sweet but I guess it is the unique thing about this drama. Its message is probably “Only you can overcome your own problems”. It is painful that he doesnt even get a chance to meet her to explain himself and is stuck downstairs. It is painful how there is no chance for them to repair their relationship and show that they still care for each other before the happy ending. Scanned the last quarter of Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard at a slower pace a second time. Dont think I have the patience to scan the rest again haha. Liked the fantasy/sci-fiction parts. Felt that Ren Jia Lun acts well to portray the pain the character feels and how he is living off borrowed time. Scanned through Timeless Love at a slower pace a second time for around the first half of the drama. Watched the drama because of the psychological element. Watched The Trick of Life and Love until Cheng Ming regains his memory. Scanned through the rest of it. Liked the fantasy/sci-fiction element in Love Crossed but the pace of the drama is too slow for me.

The King’s Avatar (2019) 全职高手

   

starring Yang Yang as Ye Xiu/Jun Mo Xiao/Ye Qiu, Huang Yi as Ye Xiu [Young], Maggie Jiang as Chen Guo, Lai Yu Meng as Su Mu Cheng, Daisy Li as Tang Rou, Leon Lai as Bao Rong Xing/Bao Zi Ruqin, Fan Jin Wei as Qiao Yi Fan/Yi Cun Hui [Wei Cao’s team member], Sun Ning as Luo Ji/Mei Guang, Li Jun Chen as An Wen Yi, Bai Xiang as Wei Chen, Yang Ting Dong as Mo Fan, Chris Song as Wu Chen, Sunday Jiang as Huang Shao Tian [Lan Yu’s Team Member], Kido Gao as Yu Wen Zhou [Lan Yu’s team captain], Leo Liang as Sun Xiang/Yue Yun [Jia Shi’s New Team Captain], Zhao Chu Lun as Tao Xuan [Jia Shi’s Team Manager], Hao Shuai as Chen Ye Hui [Jia Shi’s Team Member], Yin Yi as Su Mu Qiu, Eddie Gu as Han Wen Qing [Ba Tu’s Team Captain], Zhai Zi Lu as Qiu Fei, Daniel Gu as Wang Jie Xi/Tiny Herb Captain, Li Xiao Pang as Chang Xian/Yue Zhong mian, Andrew Leng as Xiao Shi Qin

Watched this drama from episode 13 in 2019. Supposed to post this review at the time that I posted the quotes for the drama but it was postponed haha. When I saw the poster of the drama, I found the actor familiar but I didnt even recognise Yang Yang. His appearance has changed from when I last saw him in Love O2O and Whirlwind girl. My sister didnt want to watch the downfall of Master Ye Qiu (Ye Xiu) so we didnt watch the drama. After some time, I randomly tried ep 13 of the drama and found it exciting, funny, and heartwarming. It is the episode that Master Ye Qiu (Ye Xiu) makes a comeback after his downfall by secretly playing the game backstage for Tang Rou whom he previously guided on playing the game. Ye Xiu, Chen Guo, and Tang Rou are there as spectators to watch the game. Tang Rou happens to be chosen as the lucky spectator to play with a professional-to-be player (?). Tang Rou follows the steps Ye Xiu taught and makes the professional-to-be player at a loss and causes him embarrassment. The professional-to-be player’s captain then secretly goes backstage to help him and kills Tang Rou’s game character slowly to humiliate her. After that, Ye Xiu cant watch anymore and goes backstage to help her defeat them. Ye Xiu includes the technique that only he knows how to use as the last move and defeats them at the last moment. People that have been following e-sports know that it is him playing the game. The reporters go backstage but he already leaves with the voiceover “Every unwilling departure is for the final return.” I showed my sister the scenes and we decided to watch the drama from there.

 

Enjoyed watching the game competitions. There are individual and team game competitions. They are exciting and cool. There is humour for most of the game competitions too. Towards the end, when there is no more game competition, it is not as interesting. Ye Xiu’s spirit shines through in the drama. Admired how he doesnt give up and fights to the last moment. Enjoyed watching how there are many unexpected twists at the very last moments of the game competitions he plays. An example of unexpected twists is there are spies that keep hitting the wall while pretending to help them and missing the beast (?). All the team members think that they are going to lose but Ye Xiu uses it to his advantage and the wall eventually collapses on the beast, killing it at the last moment. Another example is when it is revealed that Ye Xiu’s game character manages to shield Tang Rou’s game character and his game character with his umbrella weapon when people think that his team members are all killed by a big attack. Another example is that at first the opponent team has won already but because Ye Xiu breaks the record on the number of moves/attacks used in the game, there are extra points given to his team so his team wins the game. He seems to always make miracles happen. Liked how Ye Xiu is smart and good at coming up with strategies before and during the game competitions. Liked how he is good at leading the team. Enjoyed watching the game competition between Lan Yu and Ye Xiu’s team, Xing Xin. Wei Chen doesnt want to cooperate and does ridiculous things in the competition like playing hopscotch, resting on the bench in the game, and watching Yi Fan’s game character fighting an opponent team member’s game character like a bystander. Wei Chen even asks Yi Fan why Yi Fan saves him after Wei Chen’s game character gets attacked by another opponent team member’s game character and is rescued by Yi Fan’s game character. Yi Fan is shocked and thinks if he did wrongly. Ye Xiu’s game character fights Shao Tian’s game character at first but ends up fleeing. Shao Tian’s game character chases him and ends up getting stuck after being pushed by Ye Xiu’s game character into a small space in between buildings. It is funny how the players in the league are the commentators for the final non-league competition. Enjoyed watching Shao Tian and the captains being commentators. Shao Tian is just saying whatever he wants and not really describing and explaining the game process haha. I wonder how they manage to control communication in the gaming headsets. They just speak into it no matter talking to their team members or to opposing team members.

It is funny how Ye Xiu is unscrupulous when recruiting some of his team members. Ye Xiu takes Wei Chen’s beloved weapon from his game character after defeating him in the game in order to get Wei Chen to come and find him. Ye Xiu traps Mo Fan’s game character in a well in the game so that Mo Fan cant play the game and has to find him. Mo Fan’s only pleasure is playing the game and it is painful when he cant because of Ye Xiu. Not only that, Ye Xiu makes Mo Fan lose his game id card by tempting Mo Fan and making Mo Fan make a bet with him. Mo Fan doesnt want to join the team at first as he prefers to lead his loner life. Rain is well-used to intensify Mo Fan’s feelings. Ye Xiu reads people like a book. He is good at predicting what people will do. He is good at setting traps and making people fall into them. Liked how Ye Xiu is good at giving advice to others and guiding the team members. He helps Yi Fan bounce back from his setback and overcome his fears regarding making decisions and leading the other team members. Ye Xiu is good at creating situations and events which can help his team members realise things themselves. He also gives them space to make their own decisions, no matter it will lead to what he wants. Not only Ye Xiu’s own team members, but he also gives advice and motivates players from other teams. For example, Ye Xiu tells former Thunderbolt captain, Shi Qin, to persist and fill up his whole notebook. Perhaps the last insistence will lead to success. Shi Qin becomes an excellent strategist later on and becomes a great opponent of Xing Xin. Liked how the underlying meaning of hard work is being examined. It is true that it is more advantageous for geniuses/talented people but as long as we put in effort in the correct way and keep working on that thing, we will become better and better at it and one day be seen as genius by others in the future. Liked how Ye Xiu purely loves to play the game. He plays the game with chefs and other people, enjoying it. He makes it clear that he is playing the game professionally not because of the fans but because he loves it. He thanks the fans for their support but the fans is not the reason he continues playing. Liked the character Ye Xiu and there is a lot to learn from him.

It is so nice how Ye Xiu has many expert friends. I also want to have such friends. Liked the friendship between Ye Xiu and all the captains. They have a competitive spark among them. Liked how there are many distinct characters in the drama and liked the acting by the cast. Liked the character Shao Tian. Liked how he is so noisy and humorous. He can talk non-stop in his daily life and when playing the game. Liked the friendship between Shao Tian and Ye Xiu. Liked the relationship between Shao Tian and Lan Yu captain, Wen Zhou. Liked the relationship between Shao Tian and Lan Yu former captain, Wei Chen. Liked the character Shi Qin. Found Shi Qin good-looking haha. Liked how he is smart. He is able to break any attack by the opponent. Liked how he is able to work with Sun Xiang who is competitive and individualistic and bring out the strengths of Sun Xiang. Felt neutral about Sun Xiang at first. But started to like the character after he shows his other side. For example, Sun Xiang secretly goes to watch Xing Xin’s competition and is spotted by Mu Cheng. He denies that he is watching Xing Xin and says that he is watching the opponent team. He is so flustered when Mu Cheng removes the hood of his hoodie. Liked how he stands up against Mr Tao when Mr Tao blames him for Jia Shi losing. Sun Xiang says that Glory is not a single-player game, everyone is responsible for the failure including Mr Tao. It is funny how Sun Xiang cant help but compete with Qiu Fei, Ye Xiu’s disciple, after Qiu Fei returns from overseas. They have the same game character and similar personality. It is interesting to watch Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei work together as a team. Liked the character Qiu Fei. Found Qiu Fei good-looking haha. Liked the relationship between Qiu Fei and Ye Xiu. After Qiu Fei is framed for cheating during a competition, Ye Xiu advises him to go overseas to improve his gaming skills. Although Qiu Fei is upset that Ye Xiu is no longer in Jia Shi when he returns, he confronts Ye Xiu instead of believing others that Ye Xiu betrayed Jia Shi.

Liked how the characters in Xing Xin are distinct. The only character that I disliked is Wen Yi. He criticises Yi Fan but he himself is just a fake. Wen Yi’s friend is the one that plays his game id for him. At least Wen Yi didnt give in to a Jia Shi guy’s threat. I disliked Wei Chen at the time when he changes Ye Xiu’s plan when Ye Xiu is not around, thinking that Wu Chen betrayed the team. Wei Chen could have confronted Wu Chen about it. Furthermore, Wei Chen’s hand injury will cause him to lose the round anyway. Liked the interactions among the team members in Xing Xin. It is funny how Bao Zi/Rong Xing dresses as his game character when Ye Xiu says that they just need to dress to fit the professional status. Laughed at how they dont want to bring him along and trick him to leave him behind. It is funny how Rong Xing, Tang Rou, and Luo Ji tell Yi Fan not to check the announcement on which professional league team they will be playing against but they all end up checking at different corners of the Internet cafe. It is ironic and funny how Luo Ji uses the Murphy Law to explain so much to them that they should not be fearful and go to rest but he himself is acting otherwise. It is funny how they pretend to be drunk at one glass to prove that they are professional gamers. Liked their growth as they learn to work as a team, depend on each other and overcome setbacks together. They also grow individually to become better. When the team disbands once and members go their separate ways after they lose badly, Mo Fan still trusts that the team members will return and waits for them. Wu Chen continues to buy things in the game for upgrade purposes. Rong Xing makes sure that Wei Chen doesnt sell his game id. It is touching when they all choose to come back and make a surprise return. Chen Guo realises at ep 13 that her employee/Internet cafe manager(?), Ye Xiu, is actually her idol, Master Ye Qiu. Laughed at how she covers him with her jacket when the reporters run towards them, thinking that the reporters are going for Ye Xiu but actually they are not. She ends up making Ye Xiu’s hair messy. Liked how Ye Xiu tells her to just be herself and speak her mind when interacting with him. It is exhausting for him to act like her idol if she wants to be his fan. Liked how Chen Guo supports Ye Xiu when he wants to build a new team. She provides a place for training and provides financial support. It is hilarious and sweet how Luo Ji and Rong Xing offer candy and lemon to Chen Guo respectively when she is sad. Didnt know can offer lemon haha. “Its sour can let you forget all the troubles.”

 

Liked the character Mu Cheng. She is good at attacking in the game. If I didnt remember wrongly, Mo Fan was scared of/angry with her attacks. Felt that Mu Cheng’s bowing scenes are sad/heartwarming. Mu Cheng bows to apologise to the fans the time when Jia Shi loses and cant enter the professional league. The fans say they dont blame her. Another time is when she wins the round and her fans are cheering for her. It is sad when Mu Cheng finally ends her relationship with Jia Shi. There is so much memories. Mr Tao drives two of the old players out of Jia Shi. Mr Tao becomes the businessman he previously disliked. Mu Cheng remains in Jia Shi after Ye Xiu is forced to leave. Liked the design of the rooms for players of Jia Shi. Liked the relationship and interactions between Mu Cheng and Ye Xiu. They give advice to each other, comfort each other in difficult times, tease each other, and spend time doing things together. They are previously team mates but will eventually meet as opponents after Ye Xiu leaves. Mu Cheng finally becomes Ye Xiu’s team mate again at the end. Shipped Mu Cheng and Ye Xiu. Too bad this drama doesnt have romance. Liked how Mu Cheng and Ye Xiu do their best when playing the game no matter what.

I wonder what happened to Mu Cheng’s brother, Mu Qiu. I think he passed away. Maybe it is revealed in the episodes that I didnt watch. Liked the friendship and the interactions between Mu Qiu and Ye Xiu, mostly seen as recall. Liked young Ye Xiu and young Mu Qiu. It is funny how Ye Xiu impacts Mu Qiu’s life. Ye Xiu manages to change Mu Qiu’s decisions for the better when Mu Qiu is making life-changing decisions. It is sad that Ye Xiu doesnt overtake Mu Qiu’s ranking when playing the arcade game motorcycle Ye Xiu bought many years ago. Liked how the arcade game motorcycle ranking and the incident when the umbrella weapon made by Mu Qiu is broken show how Ye Xiu wants to preserve what Mu Qiu did and his unwillingness to let Mu Qiu go. The two things also later reflect when Ye Xiu is willing to let go and move on. Perhaps if Mu Qiu is still around, Mr Tao and Ye Xiu’s relationship wont be so bad. Mu Qiu is the mediator between them. Liked the relationship between Ye Xiu and his grandfather. The grandfather is the only one in the family that plays games with him and supports his e-sports journey. It is sad that Ye Xiu is not there at his final moments. If I didnt remember wrongly, he leaves a key so that Ye Xiu can come back home one day. It is interesting how Ye Xiu has a twin brother who tries to bring him back home. He is often tricked by Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu took Ye Qiu’s identity card when he runs away from home to pursue e-sports. It is funny how Ye Xiu’s father finally accepts Ye Xiu being a professional gamer and comes to watch his competition and Chang Xian, Ye Xiu’s loyal fan + a reporter, thinks that Ye Xiu’s father is Ye Xiu’s fan and gives him a sign for fans to raise. Touched by what Chang Xian says when Xing Xin is thought to have lost. “Sharing the joy if we win, sharing the pain if we lose. At the worst, we will accompany Xing Xin to restart everything and wait one extra year.” It is fun to watch Chang Xian slowly discovers that the Internet cafe manager is his idol. It is funny how Ye Xiu tries to wear a mask to prevent himself from being discovered but isnt it more obvious since his previous self wears a mask? It is funny how Chang Xian gives Ye Xiu gifts that Ye Xiu is allergic to. Liked how Chang Xian brings a lot of people to the Internet cafe one time to help Xing Xin in one of the game missions. The people keep doing the mission until it is accomplished even when not in the Internet cafe.

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Long Series Kdrama Review Father, I’ll Take Care of You

Doing this review by memory. Watched it some time ago.

Father, I’ll Take Care of You (2016-2017) 爸爸，我來伺候你

Episodes: 50

starring Kim Jae Won as Lee Hyun Woo, Park Eun Bin as Oh Dong Hee, Lee Tae Hwan as Han Sung Joon, Lee Soo Kyung as Han Jung Eun, Na Moon Hee as Hwang Mi Ok, Kim Chang Wan as Han Hyung Sub, Kim Hye Ok as Moon Jung Ae, Lee Seung Joon as Han Sung Hoon, Hwang Dong Joo as Han Sung Sik, Kim Sun Young as Seo Hye Joo, Shin Dong Mi as Kang Hee Sook, Shin Ki Joon as Han Ji Hun, Son Bo Seung (손보승) as Han Chang Soo, Oh Yeon Ah as Han Jung Hwa, Lee Ye Won as Han Ah In

Hyun Woo is plotting revenge against a family because of his father’s death and him losing his younger brother. He ends up falling in love with the daughter in that family. (This usually happens haha.) Little does he know his younger brother is the youngest son in that family. Liked the development of relationship between Hyun Woo and Jung Eun. Liked how Jung Eun slowly breaks the ice. Liked how Jung Eun has a cafe later on and makes pastries for Hyun Woo. Liked how the pastries have emotional meaning for Hyun Woo. Liked how Kim Jae Won portrayed Hyun Woo’s emotional struggle. It is sad that the children in that family, Sung Hoon, Sung Sik, and Jung Hwa, fall for Hyun Woo’s traps. Liked the development of relationship between Sung Joon and Dong Hee. Liked the dog. It is funny how Sung Joon’s parents oppose Sung Joon being with Dong Hee because she is poor but she is actually a rich family’s granddaughter.

The scenes that show how Sung Sik is being neglected by his parents are ridiculously funny and sad at the same time. His parents like the eldest son, Sung Hoon, more. They welcome him with feast and hug (?) when he is back from army but not so for Sung Sik. They tolerate Sung Hoon even though he does crazy things like wanting to be a rock singer/monk (?). They also support Sung Hoon in opening business (if I didnt remember wrongly). The only part I like is how Sung Hoon goes against his parents to marry his current wife and he says he wants to marry her because she is pretty.

My most favourite part of the drama is the children part. Ji Hoon is Sung Sik’s son while Chang Soo is Sung Hoon’s son. Ji Hoon, being pressured by his mother to study all the time and to do well academically, suffers from insomnia and other illnesses. Ji Hoon wishes to change life with Chang Soo. His cousin, Chang Soo, is his best friend. Chang Soo is fat and does everything he wants. Ji Hoon finally decides to commit suicide as he cannot stand it anymore. If I didnt remember wrongly, the doctor decides to help them change lives and says that they were accidentally switched at birth. It is refreshing as it is a fake switch at birth plot unlike the usual real switch at birth plot in Long Series Kdramas. It is hilarious how Chang Soo’s mother and Ji Hoon’s mother always quarrel. Enjoyed watching them quarrelling. I found Ji Hoon’s mother comical. Ji Hoon’s mother always doesnt want Ji Hoon to spend time with Chang Soo. It is funny how both Ji Hoon’s parents and Chang Soo’s parents are shocked when they know their children were switched. Enjoyed watching how Ji Hoon does not need to be controlled by his mother anymore. He reads comic books and goes to internet cafe which he is not allowed to do in the past. His mother looks at him doing so in front of her eyes but she cant do anything about it as she knows that she does not have the right to interfere anymore. Laughed at her exasperated facial expression. Ji Hoon gets to have fun and play. Laughed at how Chang Soo boasts about the food he gets to eat after being in the rich family and describes in detail about how he feels while eating the food to his mother, making her angry. My sister feels that he is not loyal to his previous family. His mother still buys him his favourite food. Felt that it is good that both children switch lives. Both children benefit from it. Although Chang Soo’s parents are poor, they give enough love which Ji Hoon needs to him. It is heartwarming to watch Ji Hoon finding comfort at the other family. Ji Hoon’s mother manages to groom Chang Soo into a (opera?) singer. She is really good at helping her child achieve things. Admired her persistence and how she is strategic in finding the best teacher for Chang Soo. I guess she is a good parent for children that can handle stress well. It is funny how Ji Hoon’s mother and father are the last to know when everyone gradually knows that the switch is fake. Liked how Ji Hoon’s mother finally knows the importance of children having fun/playing towards the end of the drama.

Found the ending funny. Sung Sik’s family, Sung Hoon’s family, and Jung Hwa and her daughter all live in their parents’ house. They live at different parts of the house. If I am not wrong, it is based on the rental fee they pay. When they finally all move away towards the end of the drama, their parents finally can have their couple time. However, they end up all running back for various reasons. They chase their parents who are going hiking to explain their situations but their parents run away from them haha. They should just give their parents a break haha.

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Long Series Kdrama Review Golden Pouch

Have a lot of backlog for Long Series Kdrama Reviews haha. Updated the Long Series Korean Dramas page in June.

Doing this review by memory. Watched it some time ago.

Golden Pouch (2016-2017) 黃金口袋

Episodes: 122

starring Kim Ji Han as Han Suk Hoon, Ryu Hyo Young as Geum Sul Hwa, Lee Sun Ho as Yoon Joon Sang, Ahn Nae Sang as Geum Jung Do, Oh Young Shil as Kim Choo Ja, Dana as Geum Doo Na, Baek Seo Yi as Geum Se Na, Seo Woo Rim as Eun Gab Ja, Cha Kwang Soo as Yoon Jae Rim, Ji Soo Won as Mo Nan Sul, Na Jong Chan as Yoon Ji Sang, Yoo Hye Ri as Sa Gwi Jung, Son Seung Woo as Bae Min Hee, Lee Yong Joo as Bae Min Kyu, Lee Shi Hoon as Kim Kun

Liked Kim Ji Han/Became a fan of Kim Ji Han since Happiness in the wind. Liked the concept of family in this drama. Liked how Sul Hwa’s family treats Suk Hoon like he is part of the family after he loses his memory. When Sul Hwa’s family’s shop is framed and business is forced to be suspended, Sul Hwa’s father gives up on the business. Suk Hoon manages to gather everyone to start it up again. He also manages to touch Sul Hwa’s father heart and makes him want to continue the business. It is funny how he feels jealous when he sees Sul Hwa with Joon Sang when he is not supposed to. I am not sure if this is the drama but I wonder why Sul Hwa’s mother willingly accepted Sul Hwa as her daughter, even though her husband brought her in from somewhere. Furthermore, Sul Hwa has heart problem (?) and needed a lot of money to treat it when she was young.

It is funny how Min Kyu always ends up sleeping with one of Sul Hwa’s sisters when they are drunk. Sul Hwa’s sister hides him at their house when he leaves his house to be away from his controlling mother. Liked the character Min Kyu. Although he causes trouble to Suk Hoon due to his mistake, he is the only good person in his family. I think there is another sister of Sul Hwa that wants to be an announcer (?). My sister feels that the guy who likes her, Jae Rim, is too good for her. Jae Rim is actually Suk Hoon’s half brother. Jae Rim’s mother wants him to take over the company but he is not interested. Jae Rim’s mother even gets someone to take Suk Hoon’s place so that she can control him. Suk Hoon and his mother lived at another place when Suk Hoon was young. There was a fire and Jae Rim’s mother who wanted to be rich, takes the substitute to the rich family’s house. Felt that young Suk Hoon looks like the older version haha. I guess genes play a big role. The guy who takes Suk Hoon’s place in the rich family is not that good at managing the company haha. I cant remember what I thought about Joon Sang, the substitute. Although he is controlled, I think he still lives quite a good life compared to previously. It is funny how Min Hee’s mother separates Min Hee and Suk Hoon and ends up marrying her to Suk Hoon’s substitute.

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Korean Drama Review The Tale of Nokdu

Not sure if it is due to lack of time or discipline, I am struggling to post one review every month haha. I am not sure if I can keep it up after I get a full-time job in the future. Still facing drama drought as usual.

Watched Star Awards 2021 one or two days after it was screened. Liked the musical at the start of the show. It is a bit awkward at the start. Found the musical funny and nice. The unique thing about the one this year is that it is at Changi Airport. The main (?) hosts Quan Yi Fong and Guo Liang are at the indoor waterfall. The rest of the people are at different parts of the airport. It is cool how the trophy comes out from the stand (?) by itself and it is funny how people forget to take the trophy before saying their acceptance speech. The award presenters are connected online. A Quest to Heal wins a lot of awards this year, making me curious about the drama but I am quite sick of time-travelling so I may not watch it. I thought Hello from the other side will win some awards haha. Anyway, I dropped Hello from the other side after some episodes. Scanned through some fantasy sg dramas, Mister Flower and Super Dad, some time ago. Dropped CTRL after some episodes. I think it is due to lack of interesting plot development/lack of tension/pace. Cant remember which. Found the hacker related plot refreshing. Like the drama opening theme song video! Found it cool! Felt that the theme song music video is better than the drama haha.

Currently watching Sisyphus: The Myth and Sell Your Haunted House. Sisyphus: The Myth is quite brain-cracking and dry so it doesnt give me much motivation to continue watching. The pace of Hello me is slower than normal, even though it has a bit of fantasy. Dropped it after some episodes. Not sure if I will just watch the last few episodes.

True Beauty has more pain and bitterness in it than sweet moments. Liked the ending part of ep 2 the most. Found it the best moment in the drama! There is enough tension and sweetness. Liked Cha Eun Woo since Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung. Like in Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung, I felt that Cha Eun Woo acted well for the pain the character feels. However, in True Beauty, I felt that he didnt act well enough for some of the crying scenes and some of the sweet scenes. Although he is saying sweet things, I dont know why I cant feel the sweet feeling. Many people seem to like the character Seo Joon but I didnt like him (or more to neutral). He didnt find out what happened between Soo Ho and Se Yun and just blame Soo Ho for Se Yun’s death. He also pretends that Ju Kyung likes him in front of Soo Ho. I guess it is good in some way as it evokes jealousy in Soo Ho and pushes him to take action. I felt that the drama didnt resolve the psychological illness of Soo Ho well. And there seems to be more than one cause of the illness.

Dropped The Spy Who Loved Me and Mr Queen some time ago. The Spy Who Loved Me is too fast-paced to me. I feel like they are squeezing 10 missions in one episode. It is confusing and I have difficulty digesting what is happening. The fighting part is cool. Lim Ju Hwan looks like a bad guy (psychopath) haha since Oh My Ghost. Was quite sick of time-travelling so felt like dropping Mr Queen at the first episode. I also couldnt accept that the person the king will like is a guy from modern time. My sister continued watching it to a certain episode so I watched with her. Found Mr Queen negative as it goes as the king struggles to take revenge and take control. Shin Hye Sun acted well, portraying the guy, Jang Bong Hwan, in her well. Liked the cooking parts. There are many interesting dishes So Yong can cook as Bong Hwan is a chef in the modern times. Enjoyed the scene that she dances in the rain. Found it hilarious. Liked how the king pretends to be a puppet king but is good at fighting. Starting to notice Lee Jae Won. Found his character likeable in Record of Youth (even though he is a bad elder brother) and in Mr Queen.

Scanned through here and there for Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. I feel that the drama should have given Ra Ra the chance to take care of Joon towards the end of the drama (when he had Leukemia/cancer) since Joon took care of her at the start. Was not happy with it. Also found it unnecessary to stage Joon’s death. (?) Liked the heartwarming moments in the drama for example, how Ra Ra’s father praises her from below the stage and gives her a standing ovation when she performed badly and she does the same when her student performs badly for the piano competition. Found Ra Ra’s dog cute. It can even play the piano haha.

The Tale of Nokdu (2019) 綠豆傳

Genre: Historical, Romance, Comedy

Enjoyment: 10/10 at the start, 8/10 towards the end Pace: 8.5/10  No. of times I watched it: 1

starring Jang Dong Yoon as Jun Nok Doo, Kim So Hyun as Dong Dong Joo, Kang Tae Oh as Cha Yul Moo / Prince Neungyang, Jung Joon Ho as King Gwanghae, Yoon Yoo Sun as Chun Haeng Soo, Lee Seung Joon as Jung Yoon Jeo, Song Gun Hee as Jun Hwang Tae, Lee Moon Sik as Hwang Jang Koon, Ko Gun Han as Yeon Geun, Park Da Yun as Aeng Doo, Kim Tae Woo as Heo Yoon, Park Min Jung as Queen Inmok, Jo Soo Hyang as Kim Ssook

 

Finished this drama around the date it finished screening in 2019. Supposed to post this review long ago. Started watching this drama as my sister decided to randomly try dramas. Glad that she did. It is funny how Dong Joo pretends to be male to do her missions while Nokdu pretends to be female to go into the widow village. It is refreshing as it is not just the common woman disguising as male in this drama. Jang Dong Yoon acted well. May become his fan after this drama. Enjoyed watching how he pretends to be a woman. Not only his behaviours, his way of talking also feels like a woman when he pretends to be a woman. He looks cute in the woman attire. It is funny how he is shocked/scared and looks away when Dong Joo removes her clothes. Laughed at how Nokdu tells Dong Joo to change her clothes outside or tells her to let him be mentally prepared before she changes and Dong Joo’s exasperated look. He tells Dong Joo to go outside when he changes also. It is funny how he avoids bathing with the others to conceal his identity. Liked how his male characteristics are still being shown. For example, how he is insensitive, how he is strong. It is funny how he breaks his clothes while chopping wood and hurries to hide it. Liked how Nokdu is smart and quick-witted and responds fast to situations. Liked how he is fast at learning things. He is so quick at learning the gisaeng dance. Liked his dance. Liked how he is good at fighting. Liked how he is good at cooking. It is interesting to watch him catch fishes by jumping into the water. Liked how Dong Joo is good at making weapons and good at shooting arrows.

Liked the development of relationship and chemistry between Nokdu and Dong Joo. Nokdu saves Dong Joo at the start. They bicker a lot when they are roommates in the widow village. Liked the scene that he teaches Dong Joo how to do the gisaeng dance. Felt the attraction between them growing in that scene. It is funny how Nokdu adopts Dong Joo as “her” daughter later on so she does not need to be a gisaeng. It is funny how he tells Dong Joo to call him mother. Liked how Dong Joo teaches Nokdu how to make a weapon to steal an elephant figurine. He needs to steal the elephant from his “father-in-law” as a mission to join the secret organisation in the widow village. How the father-in-law adores the elephant is amusing. It is funny how Nokdu has to pretend to be the widow who escaped with another man since he uses that identity. As the widow and that man get caught while he is carrying out the mission, he needs to save them so that his identity wont be exposed. Dong Joo helps him out during the mission as well. Liked how Nokdu tells Dong Joo not to restrain herself and do whatever she wants to do. Liked how they become each other’s support and they protect each other. Happy that Nokdu tries his best to hold onto his relationship with Dong Joo later on after he goes to the palace. Liked the windy wedding ceremony between Nokdu and Dong Joo. The things are flying away and dropping and things drop on Nokdu’s adoptive father while he is talking. It is one of the funniest wedding ceremonies I have seen. Felt like laughing and crying at the same time. It is like all the sufferings are over and those that are still alive are gathering and maybe they can have a new and more blissful life.

 

Liked the acting of Kang Tae Oh. Yul Moo seems like a foolish person who has a one-sided love for Dong Joo but he is actually evil. He abandons people when they are not useful and when his secret is about to be exposed. He sends people to set fire to the whole widow village after using them for his benefits. He is cruel and kills people easily. Liked how he cooks or gives food to Dong Joo and looks out for Dong Joo. It was fun watching how he makes dessert for Dong Joo. It is funny how Nokdu successfully steals food meant for Dong Joo twice haha. Liked how Dong Joo tells Yul Moo that one’s sincerity and affection for someone are not something one can work on towards the end of the drama. Liked how Jang Dong Yoon, Kim So Hyun, and Song Gun Hee portrayed their characters’ emotional struggles. Liked the scene where Dong Joo is swinging on the swing. She is thinking of her dead family and reminiscing her past. The ost, her facial expression (crying and smiling), and the swinging make the scene sad and beautiful. She is often trying to kill the king who caused her family’s death. Liked how Hwang Tae, Nokdu’s stepbrother, becomes kind of like a double spy towards the end. He betrays Yul Moo at the last crucial moment. Even if he chooses to be on Yul Moo’s side, I am fine with it haha. He has suffered so much because of Nokdu’s identity. Hwang Tae’s family has to keep moving house and are always on the run. Hwang Tae’s father is at first a high-ranking official but he chooses to give up on his status and wealth to save Nokdu and protect him. Hwang Tae’s mother passes away due to illness. Hwang Tae’s mother may not have passed away if Hwang Tae’s father did not do that. Liked how Hwang Tae’s father treats Nokdu like his own son. Liked how he is righteous and does whatever he thinks is right no matter the consequences. Luckily, he didnt die (sry for the spoiler). May become a fan of Lee Seung Joon after this drama. Special mentions to Jo Soo Hyang and Yoon Yoo Sun. Liked their characters. Liked how Yoon Yoo Sun’s character cares for the people in widow village and sacrifices herself to save them. Liked how Jo Soo Hyang’s character is elegant, good at fighting, and is warm-hearted. Both are part of the secret organisation in widow village.

After around half of the drama, the tone of the drama changes. The first half is light-hearted romantic comedy. For the second half, it is darker and there is politics involved as Nokdu searches for his real identity. My sister dropped this drama around the half way mark. I managed to continue it to the end because of the lead couple and the tension due to Nokdu being the son of the king who killed his son due to a prophecy (?). Liked the comedy scenes at the first half. The comedy scenes are mostly when Nokdu is pretending to be a woman. Laughed a lot at the scene where he is insensitive and describes one woman’s facial features when she complains about how people say she looks like another woman. It is a mess as they fight. Dong Joo who comes to stop the fight burns her hands while Nokdu burns his bottom. It is funny how Nokdu pretends to like Yul Moo and even kisses him to prevent drunk Dong Joo from revealing his identity. Laughed at the scene Yul Moo runs away when Nokdu calls him. When Yul Moo trips and is falling into the pond, he also doesnt want to grab onto Nokdu’s stretched out hand. It is funny how Yeon Geun has a crush on Nokdu. Found the child, Aeng Du, cute. She adds humour to the drama. She wants Nokdu to be her husband and is always chasing after him. Liked how she likes to eat. She finishes eating while Dong Joo and Nokdu are bickering. When Nokdu asks her where she is going, she says that she needs to eat lunch now that she has finished breakfast. It is funny how she likes Yul Moo as he is good at cooking. It is hilarious how Dong Joo is so poor at cooking, causing an explosion and she and Aeng Du jump out of the place like they are in an action movie when Nokdu opens the door. Laughed at how Aeng Du makes Nokdu do things by evoking jealousy in Nokdu like saying that Yul Moo will do it for her. Liked how Aeng Du’s father (Nokdu’s master/teacher) is good at fighting. Liked his relationship with Nokdu and his family. Too bad the king chooses to kill his son to be the king. Usually kings that kill people to get the throne will end up not being a good king, even though they are very good and think for the people before that. I guess sometimes the mean to an end is important, not just the end.

The Tale of Nokdu ost ig post

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Scanned through China Drama Review About Is Love 大约是爱

Wanted to post a China Drama Review in December last year but was too busy. I wrote small reviews for My Poseidon and The Night of the Comet at our page. I am unlikely to write long reviews for them. I guess the drama drought didnt affect me as much the past few months as I was too busy working haha. I think the last China Drama that I finished was Love and Redemption. Dropped quite a lot of modern China Dramas. China school dramas usually dont work out for me. My sister likes them haha (not the recent ones though). Dramas that use compensation as the reason to get close/be good to the other party didnt work out for me. I found Go Ahead negative and would not have watched it until around ep 12 if my sister wasnt watching it. It would be refreshing if the siblings dont fall for one another. Dropped Perfect and Casual after some episodes due to lack of interesting plot development. My sister managed to finish it. Found Wei Zhe Ming good-looking since previous dramas but he somehow doesnt fit the professor role. Meeting you was interesting at the start due to it including Social Anxiety Disorder but it wasnt made good use of and the male lead with the disorder is already recovering from it. I see a few dramas with Hu Yi Tian as main lead but I didnt finish any drama with him as male lead yet. Scanned through some parts of Be With You, Legend of Fei, and Cambrian Period. Scanned through My Dear Lady when it was screening.

Finished Korean Drama True Beauty after putting it aside for some time at the last few episodes. Will write about the kdramas I dropped if I write a kdrama review.

Scanned through this drama some time ago, probably in 2019. Doing this mostly by memory.

About Is Love (2018) 大约是爱 

 

starring Yan Xi as Wei Qing, Xu Xiao Nuo as Zhou Shi, Li Xin Bo as Bi Qiu Jing, Hu Wen Zhe as Li Ming Cheng, Cai Yi Jia as Ning Fei, Yang Xin Ying as Lin Fei Fei

Scanned through this drama because of character Ning Fei. Happened to watch a video about the third/second last episode on Instagram and just watched the third/second last episode for fun. Liked the character Ning Fei then. After some time, my sister talks about watching a drama about a strong girl who the male lead can touch without being allergic. I realised that it is the same drama that I watched and watched some videos about the drama on YouTube after she mentioned it. After that, I decided to scan through it.

Liked how the character Ning Fei’s actions are like a cat. He sleeps easily and is cute. Due to his past, he is afraid of being abandoned and erases his existence while living with other people. Liked how he is observant, even though the reason why he is observant is sad. Liked how he follows Zhou Shi and waits for Zhou Shi to return home when he lives at the place Zhou Shi, Qiu Jing, and Fei Fei lives in. Liked the scene that Zhou Shi falls backward into his shopping trolley due to him hitting her ladder at the start of the drama and he is shocked at first but later just pushes her to the cashier after putting more things on her. Never seen it happen in dramas before haha. Liked how he is arrogant. Liked the scene that Zhou Shi follows him into the library. Zhou Shi asks if he only turns up at school to hand in homework or take examinations and he says yes. Then, she asks if the director and professor will look for him and he asks who they are. She asks on what right he is so arrogant and he says that it is probably because he draws well. When Zhou Shi asks him what book he is searching for, the book he is looking for has such a long name. Liked how he is well-established in his career. Liked how he is rich. He is such a big spender. When he goes to the supermarket, he buys so many things. When Fei Fei says that the refrigerator is not big enough, he suggests buying a new refrigerator. When Fei Fei says that they cant carry so many things, he says that his card can buy a car. Then, Fei Fei asks since he is so rich, why doesnt he buy the supermarket. Seeing Ning Fei’s reaction, she says “You are not allowed to buy a supermarket, dont even think about it.” Found that scene cute.

My sister didnt want Fei Fei to end up with Ning Fei due to her actions at the start of the drama. She pursues superficial things, takes credit for what Zhou Shi did, and accepts money from Ning Fei’s adoptive mother (?) without wanting to have anything to do with Ning Fei. I felt neutral about it haha. It will take more than that for me to dislike a character. Liked how Fei Fei stands up for Zhou Shi and scolds Wei Qing when Zhou Shi is not being treated well by Wei Qing. Liked the development of relationship between Ning Fei and Fei Fei. Liked how Fei Fei takes care of Ning Fei later on in the drama and he sleeps with his head on her lap. Ning Fei is able to protect Fei Fei and her pride, even though he seems young. Liked the relationship between Zhou Shi and Ning Fei, from Ning Fei giving Zhou Shi paint, Zhou Shi saving him, Zhou Shi bringing him back home when he has nowhere to go, Ning Fei following Zhou Shi and looking out for her to Ning Fei revealing that he is her idol, Zhou Shi protecting his work etc.

Liked the development of relationship between Zhou Shi and Wei Qing. Liked the chemistry between them. Liked the scene where Wei Qing helps Zhou Shi practise her confession towards Ming Cheng. Found it hilarious. Zhou Shi wears like the person Ming Cheng described as his ideal type in an interview I think conducted by Wei Qing (?). Later on, Wei Qing also wears like Ming Cheng so that she can immerse herself. It is funny how they put real feelings into the act, especially Wei Qing. Found her confession touching. Found the scene that Wei Qing is being chased by many ex-girlfriends ridiculously funny. They chase him round and round and Zhou Shi has to come and save him.

Liked the friendship among Zhou Shi, Qiu Jing, and Fei Fei. Liked how they look out for one another, care for one another, and help one another. Found Ming Cheng good-looking haha. Liked the development of relationship between Ming Cheng and Qiu Jing. It is funny how Ming Cheng likes Qiu Jing. Zhou Shi doesnt even know that the person Ming Cheng described during the interview is her best friend and she wears like her and puts on glasses and a short hair wig to confess to Ming Cheng. Although it is a failed confession by Ming Cheng (if I didnt remember wrongly), it is cool that Ming Cheng confesses by writing some formula on his shirt that only Qiu Jing will understand. When Ming Cheng is compared to Qiu Jing, another genius at studying, he seems small in comparison haha. Qiu Jing manages to help him to solve a big issue when he works at Wei Qing’s company. It is interesting and funny that Qiu Jing sings the periodic table song when they go for karaoke haha. Never heard of it before. She likes studying so much. It is funny how Qiu Jing and Ming Cheng like to play chess/weiqi (?) together online and offline. It is funny how they see marriage as fun and game and a challenge to conquer. Wei Qing happens to walk by and is shocked to witness the marriage proposal by Ming Cheng at the third/second last episode. Felt that the proposal is too simple haha but it somehow suits them.

Skipped some parts on Wei Qing and his family. Felt that Ning Fei’s insecurity is not needed. Wei Qing would have accepted him as family. It is sad that Wei Qing’s family is broken apart because the parents didnt deal properly with the situations and didnt trust their own son. At least his father still leaves the business for Wei Qing, knowing that he has talent in business management, even though Wei Qing does not have talent in art like his father. Glad that the stepbrothers work together later on. Wei Qing is a good businessman while Ning Fei is a good artist. I learnt that in creative industries, knowing business is important to protect you and your work and to help you earn a living.

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Seventeen (2017) Korean Web Drama

Seventeen (2017)

Cast: Yoo Hye In as Kim Se Ri, Kim Do Wan as Ji Eun Woo, Kang Yul as Han Hae Sung, Kim Doo Ri as Lee Seul Bi, Shin Joo Hyup as Ha Jun

Episodes: 8

Recommendation: 8/10

My Own Review:

I really liked all the stories that they talked about while they were reminiscing about their 17-year-old life. The memories that they talked about included the friendship and relationship problems that they faced and also the relationships that they formed.

There was one relationship formed and broken in the show that I find quite sad but I am not going to go into the details as it will definitely become a spoiler. How I wish that the relationship was not broken. It was especially sad at the last scene and I think you will know what I am talking about if you watched it.

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