FEMALE LEADS I WISH WOULD BE MY FRIENDS IN REAL LIFE

People sleep on the females in this drama  , and it's easy to do so. What with  the central focus being on  Moo Jin's journey . The drama itself was crisp, sharp and one of my favourite finds . 

It truly is gold though, because  ALL the women in the drama kicked ass. From lead  Ha Na Kyung to ALL the supporting roles . And the best part is none of them were a mere romantic interest pawn.  Ambitious, smart , talented , level headed , strong well rounded , flawed female representation for the WIN.  Be it council woman Kang , Secretary Jung , reporter Shin Young ,or first lady Choi Kang  Yun , they all  wowed me , even within the limited screen time they had, and TRULY added value to the plot . Even  if political thrillers are not your thing , watch it for the amazing plot , acting  and characters 

I'd like to go out to a classy dinner with this lot 

I was thrilled with this find. 

ACTUAL RATING : 8.8 

A female lead who makes decisions on her own,  will fight if her back is to the wall , is smart and interesting.  Shin Ga Hyun has an actual job, and one she retains throughout the drama , a job that actually allows us sneak peeks into her personality and contributes to the plot . A FL who is financial independent, at a non work related drama . Super Bonus points. Smart , brave in every sense of the word , interesting , artistic AND logical , Ga Hyun she is my girl crush of the month . A FL who treats and is treated by  the ML as an equal. ? 

*Give this drama a gold medal*  Side note : The supporting role females were just as intersting complex and layered as the FL , and I am here for it .

Goes to hang out together at a cafe :D

* Chef's kiss* ,  hands out gold medals . 

Hotel Del Luna by itself was fantastic because it dealt with SUPREMELY complex issues of death, loss , pain and grief with an unbelievably light hand. Jang Man Wol  was the perfect representation of being a  BOSS queen , and what the price of being taken seriously as a woman in a top post can be . Unapologetically herself , whether she was being a sarcastic demanding   supernatural being , or a painfully vulnerable soft self . She does things on her terms , which is not to  say she is unbending , watching her grow as a character was  extremely rewarding. 

Man Wol  represents being a rebel in the face of a society that demands you conform. She kicks supernatural ass in ridiculously cute outfits and  fabulous shoes  , challenging the viewers expectations of her at every turn.

Truly quirky, fashionable ,  flawed , layered a true grey character ,vulnerable, unconventional , intelligent and empathetic, Jan Man Wol is the poster child of BE your own damn self .

*clinks champagne glass* 

Grabs her girl gang in a hug , as we sit munching pizza , complaining about life and watching trashy tv shows .

Laughter in Waikiki is popular for it's bromance (Which was truly epic), and it's AMAZING comic timing and the slice of life , delivered lightly . ALL TRUE.  However what gets missed out is the truly diverse and true representation of women's issues it has . The struggles of being a single mother, body image issues , patriarchal pressures women face,   harassments at work,  being dismissed as just a pretty face . The list is endless, and the drama tackled it all beautifully

Instead of showing perfect women who love each other at once , Waikiki showed viewers the complex dynamics that it takes to make female friendships work .  Each of the 3 FL's were unique - complex , strong , vulnerable and ambitious in their own ways . Yes , they were romantic interests , but they were never reduced to merely being pretty pawns . 

GO GO WAIKIKI !

This was a fun drama , and an interesting one . I enjoyed Strong Woman Do Bong Soon for many reasons . Here we go .  Goes to grab ramen .

•  It played with the idea of super strength , an ideal typical associated with male superheros ,  and damsels in distress  ; and then turned the idea on it's head.
• Yes ,  SWDBS was about super powers , but it was also about finding peace with who she was , and learning to own her unconventionality , instead of running from it .
• The show had some great female friendship and bonding moments , that were not limited to , oh boys and men type of conversations 
• Yes , Bong Soon is the love interest , but it was only a small part of her character. It handled the work romance angle very well , and the romance actually seemed realistic
• It focused on the multidimensional nature of strength  : Physical as well as the emotional

A brilliant drama  wrapped up in a crisp script , tight editing and amazing acting .

Gulps a cup of black coffee while on the run with these two 

The women of Circle are complex , and sometimes you forget there is more than one .  First,  Han  Jung Yeon is the first female character I'd found in a long time  who was smart , intelligent ,brave a risk taker and a true rebel in the k drama world . She wasn't just there to play the role of woe is me love interest.  

 Though she was there for a  smaller amount of screen time ,Park Min Young was just as fascinating , a character who was the definition of stand by your beliefs systems,  fight the good fight t. Both of them were rebels , fighting for a bigger cause. Women with steel spines , and razor sharp intellect , and complex, layered personalities .