Judge From Hell

November 04, 2024

Judge From Hell

I haven't been here a bit longer than I would like but that's only because I haven't been able to finish any dramas lately 😐 Recently I dropped Serendipity Embrace and Why Her. I noticed yesterday that second review didn't get published so it will be just after this one 😅 I'm still struggling with Perfect Family because I don't like the main character but the content is interesting so I'm going to continue 😉 I started 2 Chinese dramas - Princess Royal and Kill Me Love Me and the first one is brilliant, while the second one is getting interesting. There will be a lot of content is December as I also started Brewing Love with my husband! November might be quiet tho 😅

And now it's time for the star of the evening - Kang Bitna as Judge From Hell.

Kang Bitna has just been murdered. She suppose to end her journey here but instead of getting to heaven, she accidentaly reaches Hell for murderers. Justitia, who should have listened to her story and decided whether she should really go to Hell, did not care about her plea and sentenced Bitna to an eternity of torment. The mistake did not escape the attention of Bael, the ruler of Hell. He punishes Justitia for sentencing the innocent and force demon to live as Kang Bitna on Earth. She must find ten murderers who are unrepentant, take their lives and send them to Hell. If she won't be able to reach the quota in 1 year, Justitia will vanish forever. From day one new Kang Bitna is changing her image and way of ruling. People do not like her anymore. Especially detective Han Da On who is persistant to find why she changed. 

Before watching Death Game I would not have thought that a drama with only 8 episodes could have so many famous and great actors (apart from the main one of course.... bleh). Judge from Hell may not have as many as Death Game but their combination created a truly brilliant drama. It all starts with Justitia who is first played by Oh Na Ra (known from Alchemy of Souls) and later by Park Shin Hye. This lady needs no introduction! She is known, she is pretty and talented AND for the first time DOES NOT PLAY A CRY BABY! 😈 I was shocked hearing that Shin Hye will play a demon and will have to kill. I was like "Nope, that ain't happening. This will be a flop." and I couldn't be more wrong. Her innocent look with splashes of blood was a pinnacle of entertrainment. Just wished Oh Na Ra would show up more in the later episodes 😐 that actress is so gorgeous...

Then we have a male lead - Kim Jae Young. He is not new to this market but since last few years he playse more and more main characters and I must say I really like his way of acting. I very much liked him in Love In Contract, is character there was very well developed and I was hoping till the very end that Park Min Young would chose him over Go Kyung Pyo 😤 he developed since then as in Judge From Hell, he has shown more diverse emotions and body language. 

Who never heard of National Grandma? Kim Young Ok is I think the oldest actress I have ever seen on screen besides Betty White and Maggie Smith. She is 86 now and she is killing it. It is impossible to not to love her, she is too good in what she's doing. I mean Young Ok is acting since she was 19 years old so even if she wasn't good at it at first, now she is an icon 😇

Yang Kyung Won is known for millions of supporting role. It's impossible not to know him from hits like Crash Landing On You and Vincenzo. But here, by the performance in Judge From Hell he crushed all his previous performances. That character was amazing! He was amazing! I was sure Yang Seung Bin was crazy and bi-polar. The fact that it was an acting inception, blown me away. Although his character was gruesome, he played it so beautifully 😮💚

Last but not the least - Bael, played by Shin Sung Rok 😍 Unfortunately, I only know him from Last Empress where he played the degenerate king of Korea in our current times. I only liked him halfway through the drama and only after thinking about his character for a long time did I appreciate this series so much. I was incredibly relieved to hear his voice as the ruler of the underworld and I would like to see him again as a main character... maybe it's time to watch Doctor Lawyer 😏?

We already know perfectly well who is playing here and how great they did it. The drama has a very good pace, practically zero dragged scenes, a good balance between funny and sad moments that do not detract from the darkness of the whole. I won't say I would like more scenes with Bael and the underground, but what we got was very good.

The main villain, the one who notoriously killed and was one of the main backgrounds, is a completely sick person. I watched the drama with a friend, and from the very first scenes we both knew that something about him stinks 😠 that something is wrong with this family. Years of watching k-dramas have taught us that businessmen who meddle in politics and drugs are not to be trusted. There has never been an exception to this. Jung Tae Gyu is one of the sickest characters I've ever seen in a drama. She can easily join the Death Game lunatics. As my grandma used to say... the road to hell is paved with them.

The drama was based on demons and murders, and that was the undisputed leader here. The romance was pushed to the side, which is a shame because demons in sexy scenes are always...interesting 😉 Or at least that's what Lucifer taught me 😈 One thing I didn't understand in the drama is that hell is subordinate to heaven and that Satan, Bael and the Devil are not the same person.... that one of very few minuses I found. Hell could be a bit more explained.

As for me, there is no way that someone could dislike this series. Well, ok... unless you don't like supernatural and religious themes 😅 Then I'll understand that it's not your cup of tea. But other excuses won't work on me. 

PLATFORM DISCLAIMER: If you are like me from Europe, forget about watching this in recent weeks on DisneyPlus. Even though it is advertised to be available, it is everywhere but not on this continent. I had to scout for the episodes on YouTube and DailyMotion before Disney found it and blocked. GOOD LUCK!

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Serendipity's Embrace

October 22, 2024

Serendipity's Embrace

My main plan for creating this blog was not to only write reviews but write them honestly. What I felt while watchin, what I liked and disliked. Be critical. I very much like MyDramaList platform, everything is there about any drama. But there is also too many good reviews about dramas that were less than mediocare 😬 70% of reviews are more or less positive and the ratings rarely drops below 7/10. Frequently dramas that I didn't like or dropped had ratings of 8/10 and are loved by many... Of course, opinions are subjective and everyone likes something else. This cannot be disputed, but I am often struck by the question "what could these people like about it?"

Serendipity's Embrace fully joins the club "what the hell do people like here!?". I literally struggled with it for 5 episodes and the next 3 are going to the trash. I literally was half-asleep watching this drama and bored do death 😣

 Eventually I had to check the reviews.... Serendipity's Embrace doesn't really have very good reviews on MyDramaList but it does have high ratings which is the worst combo 🙈 In my opinion there is no action here, the drama is incredibly slow and boring. Nothing happens here!

The characters may have a background, their past decisions are explained but the scenes of the main couple are all MEH. In Love Next Door you could see the feelings, you could see the embarrassment, you could feel the stress and excitement. In Serendipity's Embrace there was nothing 😤

I can't even think of recommending this drama. I wouldn't say to avoid it completely but like Donna! It's definitely not a production that should be recommended to others....and definitely not to "beginner" k-drama watchers 😣

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Spice up Our Love - an unnecessary spin-off

October 13, 2024

Spice up Our Love - an unnecessary spin-off

I haven't watched such a pointless spin-off in a long time. I don't know why the producers decided to create something like this. When someone decides to make a spin-off, they have to decide what they want to convey. Spice up Our Love was supposed to be an addition to the story of the supporting characters from No Gain, No Love, but it became a laughing stock for Han Ji-hyun and Lee Sang-yi 😞

The concept of throwing the main characters of the drama to the world of the book was a huge mistake. Especially when there is no order of information and the summary of the No Gain, No Love series just was thrown at the viewer. If I hadn't watched this drama just few days ago, I would never have figured out what was going on.

The general content was all over the place as well. For most of the first episode, it was unclear what was happening and who was who. Producers could have go with 2 options: making few episodes and give time to viewer to immerse OR use the concept and create a new drama with different characters. If a secondary couple is unusually popular then Goblin and Touch Your Heart are a brilliant example of how to use this situation. These are 2 separate series with completely unconnected stories but using 2 actors and the general character of their characters in a new show. Gloomy Grim Reaper = sad lawyer, cheerful Sunny = joyfull actress. Ideal. 

 Spice up Our Love had a fine concept but the execution was tragic. As much as I liked Nam Ja Yeon & Bok Gyu Hyun in No Gain, No Love, here they heavily underperformed.... So it you liked the OG serie, do not even try to go after the spin off. Forget it exists.

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No Gain, No Love

October 10, 2024

No Gain, No Love

I'm trying to maintain a new rhythm and punctuality of writing. New season, new me? Almost because the new me is busy with the change of season at the store and I'm shuffling boxes of deliveries. But! I managed to finish another drama with my bestie. My husband is not ideal for this job, he doesn't like love dramas. Well, he does, but... my gay friend understands it more and better 😎😍

No Gain, No Love was not an obvious choice for me. Although the lead actress is one of the most beautiful in Kollywood and the lead actor is a very good up and coming star, their story in this drama did not appeal to me. It was only when a friend encouraged me to watch it in its third episode that I gave the drama a chance.... because friends are made to make you do thinks you don't feel like 😂

Son Hae Yeong is the type of person who doesn't want to lose money under any circumstance. While growing up, she had to share her mother's love with others. She often found her partners in relationships below her break-even point. Now, Hae Yeong faces the possibility of missing out on a job promotion at her workplace. To avoid such a loss, she makes a plan for a fake wedding. She recruits Kim Ji Uk to be her fiance.

Ji Uk works part-time as a cashier at a convenience store. He is the type of person who can't ignore people in need and tries to do the right thing. He is smooth with every customer at the convenience store, except for one person. That person is Hae Yeong. When she suddenly asks him to become the fake groom at her wedding, he somehow accepts her offer.

No Gain, No Love even though was good, will definately not reach the pinnacle of my drama ranking. Drama felt short and haist at the end. There was too many characters introduced for just 12 episodes. Producers didn't think it through. When opening so many doors there must be or more episodes or second season (not lame 2-episode spin off, but this will have separate post....😤) if not, there is no possibility of achieving success. I'm not saying that successful dramas can't have multiple main characters, multiple plots, or few episodes. Almost all of my top ten fall into those descriptions, and as for short dramas, Death Game or Thirty Nine are perfect examples of how you can achieve something great with a drama under 8! eps. No Gain, No Love falls very short (😉 you see what I did there?) in comparison.

The concept of a foster home and the perspective of a child who "belonged" to that home was unconventional. I wouldn't have thought of it. It was a bit far-fetched but not impossible to happen in real life. Shin Min Ah created an interesting character who went from a rebel to an almost exemplary office worker. Both she and Kim Young Dae played typical for them. She beautiful, who succeeds in everything, he always marked by fate, unwanted and tormented but still full of love. For both of them it was not the role of a lifetime. Hometown Cha Cha Cha once reached the pinnacle of quality and acting 💚 I would compare No Gain, No Love more to Moon In The Day where there was potential, something interesting but it turned out so-so. 

In addition to the main couple, there are also 2 side characters, but they did not meet my expectations. The characters of the step-sisters themselves and how they perceived relationships and love were very interesting, but they did not appeal to me as a whole. Maybe if the drama had those 4 more episodes, I would have been able to warm up to these brunettes by the episode 16. Unfortunately with what we got it was too difficult 😐

In closing, No Gain No Love had potential but the characters/actors and script/producers didn't click. It kinda lacked a bit of substance, some development and much of ending .... the drama had the seeds of a soul. It might not look like this but all in all I still liked it 😉 It is definately better than Why Her? but in the same time I was watching Love Next Door and these two dramas couldn't disperse more 😅 I'm far from being thrilled but No Gain No Love was enjoyable to watch!

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Love Next Door

October 01, 2024

Love Next Door

It's been a while since I've been here! Finaly I can take a breath and sit down. Last (almost) 2 months were full of travels and overhours. Of course I had not only a break in writing but also slow-down in watching. This month after all I can come back to being a good k-obsessed-girl 😅

Moving on to the drama.... 💜I love it💜 and I devoured it. I want more dramas like Love Next Door! 

There is basicaly nothing to complain about 😆 This drama was so wholesome that I won't be able to speak about any bad approaches nor bad actors. Everything was here terribly good. Before though I go to the review and basically praising Love Next Door😅, I have to shortly say what was it about. 

Choi Seung Hyo, Bae Seok Ryu and Jung Mo Eum are friends thanks to their mothers who know each other for 40 years. Their children had no other way than spending time together. Choi Seung Hyo's and Bae Seok Ryu's mothers are each other BBFs and wanting or not, their kids spend most of their childhood together. Seung Hyo grew up to be very known young architect in Korea and recently he oppened the architecture firm "Atelier In" in his hometown. For Seok Ryu growing up was also a smooth sail. She was always energetic and best in everything. After graduating from university, she was hired by a large company in States. One day Seok Ryu shows up in Korea and declares breaking up with her fiance and quitting her job. Noone knows what is going on, she says nothing....

 

I adored how they showed producets decided to make love growing in Choi Seung Hyo and Bae Seok Ryu without their actual knowledge. Seung Hyo played constantly annoyed by her, almost despiting and purpously avoiding. Seok Ryu was constantly tormenting him, amusing and annoying. Folrever children on a playground 😅😍 their love evolved with them through any life stages until they were mature enough to face it. 

Jung So Min is my favourite actess. Ok, one of few favourite ones but still on the top 😇 Ever since I saw her in Because This Is My First Life I cannot skip a drama with her. Monthly Magazine Home is still on my watchlist but The Smile Has Left Your Eyes will never have a place on my TV because of Seo In Guk. Nevertheless, So Min has a special place in my heart because she is a great actress. Jung Hae In caught my eye in Something In The Rain but after that I haven't seen him on screen. I defintely see his improvement in acting and look glow-up 😁 he was already then a good actor now he moved on to great one. Snowdrop is aparently a cry drama therefore I might skip it 😒 but Connect will jump in at the end of this year. 

Two great actors created a fantactic couple. I adore their scenes together although they would not make a living of "adult" moments 😂 these two are too inocent and do not have the zing for steamy parts. That's it for nitpicking.

Although drama is meant to revolve around Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu but they are not the only amazing characters/couples in here. Love Next Door is full of lovely stories. Those two love-bird come from 2 completly different households - respectively first one is filled with achievements but lacking emotions, second one lacks money but not love. Once again Jo Han Chul created an amazing character! This man will never stop suprising me and getting more of my love. Wherever he is, he steals the show 😎 he and his wife are adorable but the parents of Seung Hyo are more those whom me and my partner are more likely to become 😜 To be honest those families were more interesting to watch than the main couple because let's be honest, we all knew that Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu will end up together 😅

Last but not the least is the most beautiful girl in k-drama history. Kang Yeon Du is just adorable! Can't wait for her development on screen! Story of her father and future mother is wonderful. I didn't expect them to become such an interesting couple as they turned out to be at the end. The producers surprised me... although maybe it's rather Shim Ji Yoo's doing 😆😅

Love Next Door was doomed to success based on its actors alone 😎 No matter what the story of Jung So Min and Jo Han Chul was, it will pull it off, and the rest of the actors helped them pull this drama really high. Although I focused mainly on the actors and their performances in the review, of course I didn't miss the important topics presented in here: life-work balance, overworking, social pressure .... all these elements were fully conveyed. I'm always happy when dramas show how certain occupational diseases can be and that you can protect yourself from them.

I give Love Next Door 8/10 points because there is no character here that I would hate. It can't go higher because there was nothing innovative here. Its a heartwarming drama with fantastic acting 👌

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My Sweet Mobster

August 19, 2024

My Sweet Mobster

It's rare that I start watching a drama based on an Instagram reel. And even rarer when that reel is sent to me by bestie 😝 But there's always that first time! My Sweet Mobster clips have been making their way across the Internet and I think after watching the 10th clip I couldn't resist watching the drama. It was so crazy and funny that I had to had to had to watch it!

Since when mobsters are sweet?

Go Eun Ha known as "Sister Mini" is a content creator for children. She is not very popular and is used by her employer but she loves what she does and loves working with children. She does everything to make children smile even if they are in the hospital or have busy parents who do not have time for them. Eun Ha started working as a child influencer thanks to her childhood friend Hyeon U, whom she has been trying to find her entire adult life.

In the meantime, Seo Ji Hwan lives as an underground legend, the son of the biggest gangster ... and the one who sent him to prison and disbanded the entire gang. Ji Hwan hates violence and exploitation of others. He created a company producing high-quality meat and meat products and employs ex-convicts in it. Unfortunately, because of this, the company is not popular among ordinary mortals, but often falls into the favor of connoisseurs. One day the colorful Go Eun Ha fall into the gray world of Seo Ji Hwan and mixes it up irreversibly.

It's started fun, fresh and very cute 👌 The idea of ​​observing the daily lives of former convicts and how many of them find it difficult to perform normal tasks without being pointed at. Although the drama is light and funny, it managed to show how important the process of resocialization of convicts is, including their reintegration into society and not allowing them to return to their old gangster habits. Of course, we don't have murderers here, but rather small thugs, but I liked this aspect being combined with judgemental Korean society. Finally, something new and interesting 😍! .... but .....

.... this topic went into the background just after a few episodes and only came back for the last 2 (?). I'm a quite disappointed at that 😔 I was hoping that most of the story would be shown from the point of view of the former mobster and slowly introduce the story of the other roommates and employees. The characters Jung Man Ho and Gwak Jae Su (btw great bromance) are suitable for a spin-off. The dynamic between them and him and the other former gangsters was fantastic. Until the end of the last episode I was hoping for their story to be presented but it didn't happen 😭 The producers decided to focus on boring stereotypes - a useless love triangle, family dramas and the shared story of the children affecting their entire lives.

But let's say these stereotypes can still be experienced. This is quite typical for Korean dramas, so ok... let it be. BUT! inventing certain connections, couples and behaviors drives me crazy. The deliberate creation of side stories, the strange and sudden separation of the main characters, all to create a noble hero is irritating. Uhm Tae Goo as Seo Ji Hwan and the titular Sweet Mobster played a great role, he showed his duality fantastically. I can't say a bad word about him, what I didn't like was his surroundings. In my opinion, this drama should have been more DRAMATIC! It should have been hard for him to leave the world of gangs, to have local habits and fight them. There was more SWEET than MOBSTER here 😒😖

If the drama had been set shortly after his father's arrest (without changing Go Eun Ha's story), when Ji Hwan starts disbanding the gang and hiring more and more ex-cons, the whole thing would have been - for me - a thousand times more interesting 👀 Then they could have easily introduced stories, even truncated, of individual people. Most characters are adorable and are missing a bit of dark and bitter background.

The second problem I had with this drama was the secondary couple. In general, the characters of Ju Il Yeong and Koo Mi Ho were cool but why put them together like that?! 😬 Ok, they had a passionate woohoo and now she's pregnant, it happens. Life. But for the sake of realism, they should have a problem approaching this relationship! 😩 they don't know each other, they are different from each other in every way.... I like them together but the whole thing should be desugarized. Their love story just felt so forced and made in order to fill the minutes before something else will happen. A kind of distraction from main plot.

I fully admit to start watching My Sweet Mobster because of the comical combination of mafia and content for children. I knew it would be a funny drama but still was hoping for the context of the mafia taking more than 30% of airtime. Everything was revolving around love, laughter and children. I didn't really think this though. I think that was my biggest problem - it was too sweet. My Sweet Mobster was too sweet for me. My teeth are hurting now 💀

Will I recommend this drama to someone? I'm not sure, probably yes as it fun to watch. It might not be something I was looking for but it was good. 6,5/10 is also a good result. But simply if someone searches for action, violence .... move on. There is nothing like that here 😬

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Find Yourself

August 07, 2024

Find Yourself

Ok... so drama was nice but I don't know... I just didn't love it. Like it at best. When I read the summary I thought I would totally fall into this series. That I would be absorbed by the story so that it would be really interesting. Later it turned out that the characters were also great but I still couldn't give in to this drama 😐

Following MyDramaList:

A love story between an accomplished career He Fan Xing and 10 years younger Yuan Song. The consecutive blows in her work and love life push her to an emotional quagmire and it is during this time that Ye Lu Ming enters her life. Being older in age, he is mature, stable and knowledgeable. He becomes He Fan Xing's life coach and the source of conflict between the couple. For He Fan Xing, it's not merely a matter of choosing the man that she loves but considering the contradictions of adopting the traditional mindset on marriage.

I really liked Fanxing despite the fact that there was something off about her. She wanted to be "normal" - first of all, what the hell does it mean😅, second - wast amount of chinese female leads has the same characteristics - cheerful, self-sacrificing, idealistic - and to me this feels like a chinese normal to me. As one of viewer wrote in the comment section "It's kind of hard to explain, but a lot of drama characters are written in a way where you enjoy watching them as characters but wouldn't see them as real people." And that is sooooo true! Fanxing was super insecure, hesitant and made herself super frustrated about it. I would never call her a "strong female character" as many was calling her. In my opinon she was kinda "normal", the flaws made her "normal" She is definately a a well-written leading character, where I'm not sure if male one was as good 😬

Yuan was cute and handsome and hyper in love with female lead. I was quite skeptical about Song Wei Long's performance because I had seen him in another drama a while ago... and it quickly ended up in the DROPPED category 😐 Another producer, character, collaborators and the guy managed to get my attention and some feelings. At the begining I didn't like Yuan Song's character, he seemed to be pushy and annoying kid but turned out to be more mature that I expected. I'm not fully sold on him but it was enjoyable to see his performance.

But when it comes to the second male lead.... I had mixed feelings all the way from the first to last episode. His sneakiness was interesting and if it weren't for the lack of chemistry between them, Fanxing would have married him 😅 The plan was really good and if not some coincidances, Yuan would never have guessed a anything. Here is where my liking towards Luming finishes. He was too full of himself, too much know-it-all and just didn't have any chemisty with me either 😂

Moving on to brother and cousin. Cai Min Min and He Can Yang's relationship was the oddest I have ever seen! They were definately equally immature. It was weird for me that they persued the relationship when he was still her teacher so I was very happy when Canyang changed work place. I don't suspect them staying long together 😂

Referring to the title - I'm not sure what Fanxing was looking for and if she found it. Because if she was looking for normality, I don't know if a relationship with a younger guy and being with him for 2 years at a distance (Europe - China) is something normal. But if it was more about accepting yourself and not forcing yourself into social conventions, then she definitely succeeded. Find Yourself is a nice drama, it doesn't have any big plot twists or crazy scenes. It is strongly based on social acceptance of relationships, approach to them and partners. Fangxing's parents were fantastic and in many ways reminded me of my own parents (does that mean I'm Fanxing 😲?!)

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Hierarchy

August 01, 2024

Hierarchy

On the internet you can find very divided opinions about the drama Hierarchy - some say that the acting and plot are weak. Others say that it was good and pleasant to watch, and the last are realists saying that it wasn't bad but could have been better. I am somewhere between the second and third group. I really enjoyed watching the drama but in terms of the plot it could have been better.

But what is the plot? 

We arrive at Jooshin High School which the most prestigious private school in South Korea and meant only for upper-class kids who are chosen to attend by birth. Only a few can receive a scholarship and Kang In Han was one of them.

Unfortunately, In Han's story at this school is very short and has a brutal ending. During one of the parties, he runs out into the street and is fatally hit by a car. The driver runs away and there is no word in the press about this incident. His brother arrives at the school shortly after with one task - to destroy this place. He possesses a pure and innocent smile which makes the concrete world of Jooshin High to crack.

The drama is quite short and if you look at it from a distance, there's not much going on in it. Because Kang Ha comes to school with a clear motive, the other teenagers are clearly spoiled but still incredibly predictable, and if someone watched the Spanish series Elite 😎 on Netflix, they know exactly how it will all look.

From the trailer announcing Hierarchy, I had the impression that I had seen this pattern somewhere before. In both series, we have children of rich and influential parents, a private school for snobs cast in concrete, elegant uniforms (Armani would be proud of such, and I would kill for such at school!) and the sudden death of one of the students. In Hierarchy, a new and "insignificant" student died, so there was no investigation, but in Elite we have a rich man's daughter, so the school is turned upside down. Hierarchy went a step up in terms of dividing the school because it even meant the background of the students... how Korean... it doesn't matter who you are as a person, the most important thing is what family you come from. Elite, maybe more degenerated, but still more inclusive in this aspect 😬

So as you can see, the plot isn't very original but it's still enjoyable to watch and engaging. As for the actors, the gentlemen are the best! I don't know who's prettier and more intriguing. Ladies... I didn't like Jae-I, she was a bit annoying, but He-Ra was great. She's a beautiful actress and looks like she's Lee Min Young's daughter 😲😍 The same beautiful smile, pretty eyes and innocence written all over her face ❤

The element I didn't like was the ending. Supposedly we got the answer as to who, how and why killed Kang In Han but that's it. A few students were reprimanded but the whole thing was swept under the rug again. I hope that the second season (and it is very likely that it will be) will reopen this Pandora's box because such a forced and cut short eding left me just hanging 😑

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V.I.P.

July 25, 2024

V.I.P.

As much as I like Jung Na Ra, I wasn't convinced about her in this drama. I literally was struggling through the first 2 episodes and eventually dropped it. 

I was expecting VIP be engaging and breath taking as both previous dramas with Na Ra but it turned out to be boring and uninspiring. The story was biased, predictable and didn't bring any freshness to the subject. There is so many dramas about cheating husbands and VIP couldn't cope with the subject. At least not for me. I have a rule that if a drama doesn't draw me in after 3 episodes I abandon it. With VIP the second episode disappointed me so much that I lost all desire to watch more. Dialogues were incoherent, you can feel like the cast is struggling to work with them. It looked like noone checked them before filming started 😬

As I don't know the male lead actor, I don't know what to say about him other than that his performance was not realistic and convincing. Both he and Jung Na Ra struggled with their roles. In The Last Empress she was brilliant. So strong, expressive with emotions, real and convincing. Similar goes to Sell Your Haunted House where even though she was fighting ghosts her character was realistic, true and so full of emotions 😍 in VIP she totally lost it. Pity. None the less I'm looking forward to see her in My Happy Ending that not so long ago came to VIKI.

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The Midnight Romance In Hagwon

July 16, 2024

The Midnight Romance In Hagwon

The vibe of Something in the Rain is so strong here that no wonder I felt in love with this drama 💙 I love but I still felt that when it comes to acting and storyline, dramas were not at the same level. Midnight Romance In Hagwon was great but it can't reach the TOP10 like Something in the Rain did in it's first months. 

Quickly about the plot:

After working in a big company for few years, Lee Joon Ho decides to drop that world and start to be academy teacher. He returns to academy that allowed him to get great grades and go to the university. Joon Ho thought that joining the school as language instructor will be easy but didn't expect harsh objection of his former teacher.

Seo Hye Jin has been a Korean language instructor for the past fourteen years. She became a star after the legendary incident labelled “Miracle of Daechi.” Just when her life begins to feel settled, former pupil and troublemaker Lee Joon Ho joins her school. His pretty face is distracting her and suspicious feelings starts to emarge.

Midnight Romance In Hagwon is a quiet drama about a free-flowing romance in a very jealous and competitive environment. Starting with leads - I love it when couples don't break up. Once they declare their feelings, they are faithful to each other and stay together for better or for worse. Maybe society puts pressure on them and tries to disconnect them at all costs. They clearly know who they are and who they want to be with. My cup of tea!

However, I understand when someone may not like the drama. It was truly slow. Sometimes it's even relentless. This is one of the reasons why it cannot be compared to Something in the Rain. It is clear in advance that this is not an idealistic romance with a dreamy approach to love. Here we have a real reaction of society to the affair between a teacher and her former student 👫 As if there's nothing wrong with it, I have nothing against relationships with a large age difference, but the problem here is their occupation. If it weren't for the campaign advertising them as a "teacher-student phenomenon", no one would be moved by this romance.... and the scandal starts 😈

Coming back to the leads, I really enjoyed the playing style of both Jung Ryeo Won and Wi Ha Joon 💞 I've seen him in other dramas, always as a secondary character, and I'm glad he coped with the pressure of a leading role. He was convincing and played well the role of a young man admitting to falling in love with his teacher 😎 However, I saw Jung Ryeo Won for the first time and I have already found another series with her. Significantly better than the young actor, which perfectly matched their age difference.

Going beyond the love part of the drama, Midnight Romance in Hagwon introduces us to the bloodthirsty world of Korean education. Once again we can see how superficial South Korean society is. In The Mask Girl and True Beauty it was looks, and in The Penthouse and The Sky Castle (review somewhere this year) it was money. Here we focus on getting the best grades and getting into college to be considered valuable. It seems that learning and putting it at a high level is not a bad thing, but the obsession of parents (and therefore children) with this issue is abnormal.

Tailor-made preparation for exams, courting parents, attracting new students and hours spent before and after classes to ensure that your students perform at their best 😕 Teenagers are taken as a number, a revenue, and teachers are a way to get that revenue. If they are not popular enough, they are not needed. It's always about money. A lot of money. The competition is huge. South Korean education is a terrible market in my opinion 😤

The combination of two worlds - a sensitive first love and an unforgiving education market - was a fantastic combination. A realistic romance that is totally heartwarming. Even though Midnight Romance in Hagwon had some boring moments, I fell in love with it and I will definitely recommend it widely 😍

Look how lovely they referenced to Something in The Rain

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The Tale Of Rose

July 08, 2024

The Tale Of Rose

This drama gave me such a wonderful mental refresh! Maybe at first it doesn't seem like it but The Tale Of Rose is wonderfully positive production. Thanks to that it went straight to my top10. They way how MeiMei looks at the world is amazing and I am fully inspired by her. She also influanced my blog ^^ say hi to the new look!

Huang Yi Mei is born in a family of scholars who let her be herself at every moment of her life. She is a cherished like aflower in a greenhouse. From a young age, she showed her talents in the arts and thrived after entering the workplace. From there, she meets Zhuang Guo Dong, and they fall in love. Their relationship is passionate and turbulant. The two undergo painful heartbreak. Yi Mei grows and slowly understands the path she wants to take in life. Deciding to further her education and enters university in Shanghai. There she meets and marries Fang Xie Wen. 

However, this marriage is unfortunately doomed tas they have very few in common. After the divorce MeiMei and her daughter move into her parents apartment. Soon she meets her soulmate, Pu Jia Ming. However, Pu Jia Ming is terminally ill and only has a few months left to live. The red string of love between them is ultimately cut short. Despite her grief and pain, Huang Yi Mei ultimately chooses to look forward to the future, living out her life in the fullest. 

THE PASSIONATE LOVE

MeiMei and Zhuang Guo Dong are two people who are head over heels in love with each other. Crystal Liu and Peng Guan Ying perfectly showed what first love looks like. A volcano of emotions, active self-learning, discovery, knowing your place in a relationship and developing at a dizzying speed. They say that first love will never last. It's true here (but I don't fully believe it). The breakdown that MeiMei goes through after the breakup is incredibly graphic, I fully understand her and I suffered with her.

THE CONVENIANT LOVE

In Shanghai, MeiMei turns into a completely different person. She is calm, taciturn and no longer wears those beautiful colors and patterns. Xie Wen had never known this side of his wife. If they had met a few years earlier, there would have been no chance of him getting her. Lin Geng Xin played an interesting role as an insecure and controlling husband for whom money is the most important thing. The character was quite irritating for me, but by the end of the series I kind of liked him.

THE RIGHT LOVE

Wallace Huo playing Pu Jia Ming was great. I liked The Glamorous Imperial Concubine and it's a pity that he couldn't be fully happy and live in love here too. Jia Ming was the only artistically equal to Rosa. Their souls understood each other. They were able to communicate using various techniques. I was delighted with them. Episodes with him are a feast for the eyes... but also a flood for them. I haven't cried so much during a drama in a long time.

THE FRESH LOVE (?) 

The next man who appears in Rosie's life is a young pilot. She meets him thanks to her daughter's whim, and this one-time meeting turns into her mother's new hobby. Yi Mei has divine style here! Heavier than she's ever worn, natural colors, a bit masculine but still incredibly feminine. This is probably my favorite, followed by the one from the First Love stage. Yi Mei is fearless and shows that life can be beautiful at every stage, even if it throws obstacles at you.

MeiMei/Crystal Liu goes through several stages in life over the course of almost 40 episodes. Each of them changes it, gives new possibilities and tests it. Mei Mei does not give up and always comes out unscathed. It's impossible not to love Huang Yi Mei! She is beyond fantastic. I would like to be more like her - always positive, fearless, seeing possibilities, open... and I plan to implement it. When Crystal Liu played Mulan, there were a lot of scandals and negative comments surrounding her and the film. They were understandable but they didn't detract from her talent. Both she and her film partners played truly amazing roles. Also Rosie's brother and friends were brilliant here. 

9/10! 

The Tale of Rose will be on my top 10 list for a very long time and I am overjoyed that another Chinese item is there. China you managed to finally do it!

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