Soul Survivors - AoS Concludes

AoS-2 is a seamless continuation of S1. It picks up about 3 years after the dramatic events of S1's close.

As the show opens it appears that they've spent a lot of money on the special effects. It's quite beautiful. The music is top tier also. Blue Flower by LIA is Shazamable. Aching, by Kassy, is too, as is I′m Sorry. by Ailee, and Raindrops, by Gummy.

They switch up the FL and she's got a very different personality than our S1 FL. She's also suffering from memory loss which explains part of the change. She has no memories and he doesn't recognize her, so they need to fall in love all over again. It should have been awesome, but their delivery is barely above average. Is it big-buget disease? Too often, a bigger budget bankrupts the humanity.

AoS doesn't take itself seriously. In S2 I was hoping they would go loftier, but they opted to go lower - they get more nonsensical than I would prefer. It's still a fantastic watch.

If I wasn't already familiar with Chinese fantasy, I may not have had those thoughts. Chinese fantasy, despite its often clunky special effects, is arguably the best in the world, and AoS has Chinese influence written all over it. If you like it, alchemize your watch list to include these amazing Cdramas:
Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!,
Eternal Love-8.3,
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8,
Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9,
Love and Redemption-10

AoS-2 drops off slightly from S1, but it is a solid conclusion to the popular show. I wrote more about it in my S1 review.

Leia Mais

Mother's Love Will Never Abandon You ♡ A Sad Show With A Bobbled Ending

This is a good drama, but it made me sad - and not a cathartic "sad," like a Chinese or Shakespearean tragedy that is somehow fulfilling. This show brings on an empty sadness.

In the +, the characters are all complex and thus, they remain interesting. I loved the cameo of Seobinggo and Shin Soon-ae from Oh My Ghost, which I consider to be one of the best romcoms ever made. OMG & HBM share a director, Yoo Je-Won. He has 10 works credited to him, all of which are rated 7 or higher. That's outstanding. So far I've seen Tomorrow With You(7-VG but major logical problems and a couple of crashes with consistency) The King: Eternal Monarch(7.9 it's different, and it's not perfect, but it's mostly excellent) and Abyss(4.7 Poor - it's awful, which hurts my feelings because I love Park Bo-young), and Oh My Ghost(10 - it's superb). His most popular shows are Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha & Crash Course in Romance, which are ones I haven't gotten to, yet.

This drama addresses weighty topics (death, loss, regret, guilt) and does it well. Yu-ri shows thoughtfulness and grace… and MOXIE. The best moments are when the ladies get together, especially when they don their sunglasses-of-doom.

There are shortcomings - too many for it to be considered a top-tier production. Some things that happen are unexpected, but the final outcome comes speeding down the road and arrives just as foreshadowed. There is poor resolution. We are treated to some final moments peeking a few years down the line, but it’s too brief and way too ill-defined, and we don't witness much of any healing. Not all the drinks that are poured are imbibed, meaning that many of the characters seem like they would get more of a story arc, but they just evaporated instead. The rules of the "game" are not laid out. Even when the reason Yu-ri came back is confirmed, it doesn't change any of the problems. It is actually a weak plot point: If that method works, we shouldn't need funeral directors or cemeteries as no one would ever stay dead. As lovely as that would be, it doesn't play well in this show.

Their effort to analyze the mother/daughter cycle is respectable. It seems the show's diffuse focus redirects the audience from an exploratory surgery that would provide a deeper analysis of the truth, to: "Take an aspirin and get some rest. It will all blow by "

In summary, this is not a feel-good drama. Don't look for that. It did not help me process my own recent loss: Don't look for that either.

IMHO...
Suggested Age 12& up.


Directing 6.7
Acting 8
Romance 3
Thought provocation 6

Leia Mais

Dimestore Harlequin Novel On Your TV ~ VG Lite-Snack Romcom

This is not an instant classic. Nor will it be studied in a film class. It is a classic, somewhat cheesy, romance without any major flaws. Classic, here, means it's akin to those cheap paperback novels that were written by the dozens a few decades ago, the biggest publisher being Harlequin. My sister would by the bagfuls.

Yumi is a girl who is trying to live a better life than her narcissistic ex-adult film star mother. She was teased relentlessly in school over her parentage, so she doesn't want to be equated with her mother anymore. Enough already. She needs distance. She wants to be a *whole world* away from her & her mother's pasts. To draw a solid line between her and Oma, Yumi keeps herself buttoned up and tries to stumble her way through life in the background.

She embarks on a weekend trip for mom's second (Wait. It was the 3rd, maybe?) marriage. For Yumi, the weekend is one fiasco followed by another, culminating in a one night stand. In a convertible. On the beach. With a dude so good looking, he's almost too pretty. None of this makes Yumi feel better about it. She's disgusted with herself. She doesn't even know his name! (But HER mother wouldn't be so ashamed). She wakes first in the morning, slinking off with some of dude's clothing, leaving him exposed to the elements... and gawkers- quite a crowd, actually. All ages. They loved the show. He received loads of fanfare, too.

Yumi, next, slinks back home to focus on putting her life in order. She graduates with a dietary sciences/nutrition degree and is thrilled to land a job at a large corporation that offers great benefits. She's thrilled /until/ she runs into HIM. She has to figure out how to best slice and dice this situation pronto.

That sets the table. You'll have to watch it to see what's on the menu.

MSR is not devoid of quality elements. "No matter how many bad things happen in a day, if one lucky thing happens, it's a lucky day," says Yum-i, while buddy-chugging wine from the bottle, in a convertible, surfside, under the magically lit sky… 15 min later they have a 1 night stand.

{Timeout: That's never a good idea. It's unacceptable risk to one's physical and emotional health, and one will win the lottery before it leads to committed love. That's one reason it's a fun thing to watch and wonder, and then walk away. }

This is a show to which lovers of romance, who need a mental vacation, can relax and enjoy some healthy snacks. Their little chess game, misunderstandings, series of non-communications, and many memorable meals, will make loveaholics smile. Cha Jin-hook (Played by the otherworldly gorgeous Sung Hoon) tells his father, who is pushing for his marriage: "My wife is right here," metaphorically meaning the business. However, his wife is literally #there, in the building. Nice morsel. I suspect that Yumi's name is a play on the English word "Yummy" - also a clever detail.

There are scattered problems: Some minor, some moderate, but they don't bring on indigestion. MSR is what it was designed to be, as a whole - simple escapism. However, it could be improved on. Starting in Ep11, there were too toooooo 2*2*2 many sappy flashback scenes, with sappy background music. They could have made it an episode shorter, or, better yet, make optimal use of that screen time with more content. Do yourself a favor, and FF thru them. When Yumi is singing Karaoke, be warned: They do the #whole song with flashbacks. Then Mr. Cha goes down memory lane. It gets ridiculous, but some quick remote control work takes care of it. Trust me on this one.

The actors are likable, and they did a great job. The secondary romances are brief pleasures. It's easy to root for them. The CEO's aid wears over-the-top-flowered-polka dot-paisley-anything-suits. He's amazing, and wears them proudly. He's one for the highlight reels.

This is a good enough aperitif between heavier shows. If you are at a loss as to what to watch next, but in the mood for a heroine-exits-cocoon style romance, this will do as nicely as an afternoon tea.

IMHO...

Age 16+ My reasoning: Her mom is an ex-porn star, which has been a lifetime vexation for Yumi. Also, they have a one-night-stand when they hardly know each other. There's so many other great Kdramas to watch, so there's no rush for teens to see this one.

Directing 7
Acting 7.4
Romance 8
Flutters 7
Warmth 7.7
Art 7.6
Laughs 6.6
Thought provocation 6
Ending 8

Leia Mais

Like Pizza Delivered Upside Down ~ Could Have Been ⤴️ But It's Just ⤵️ °4.6° °Poor°

I tried to roll along with BIOG, I really did. When watching fiction - especially fantasy - we must hold our suspension of disbelief in order to go along with the show and enjoy it. It's more relaxing to be on the generous side of the issue. Each time we have to dismiss inconsistencies, errors, a clumsy cadence, stupid dialogue or other disappointments, it's like a pinprick. At some point blood starts to gush and one can't let it go anymore. Then almost everything posi+ive drains dry, which is what happened here. This show just doesn't work; it's lifeless. Inconsistencies kept that "little ✒pinch" feeling going. For instance:

✒Can people see ghosts, or just evil spirits? It's unclear. We are told that seeing ghosts is something only a few people can do, but as the show goes on, more and more people are seeing ghosts. The viewer can make some guesses as to why this happens, but we shouldn't have to guess. The rules of this world should be explained and then adhered to. Or it hurts.

✒Hyun Ji's wardrobe, and how she is able to obtain, wear and change clothes is inconsistent. Her clothing is a plot driver in some episodes, yet rules about wardrobe laid out early on are bent, broken or tossed out altogether later. While I'm on the subject of costume, when Hyun Ji is wearing black she should have had spike-heeled boots on, not the frumpy-dumpies she wears. How kick@$$ing could she be when wearing them? They only could have helped.

✒She gets wet when it rains but her hair is dry when she comes out of the lake(?)

✒Why don't people see the forks and knives moving and the glasses being raised when ghosts are eating?

✒The police investigate a buried body in the woods and declare that it may not be a natural death? Possibly. What made them think that? Oh, right, the body was BURIED.

✒I'm almost shocked that the two seniors, In Rang and Cheon Sang, who only want to film ghosts in the beginning of the show, seem to forget all about it, and their youtube channel, as the episodes go on. The writer and director just let that aspect float out there and never used it. Letting something so important to the characters just fall away with no reason provided is downright lazy plot and character development.

✒We aren't told how technically skillful In Rang is, early on, so when he magically displays prowess later, it seems to sprout from nowhere.

✒Do we know the monk's actual relationship to Bong Pal? He seems to be an uncle, but if that was stated I missed it. We shouldn't be left to guess.

✒Do we know if Hyun Ji got all of her memories back from her time with Park Bong Pal?

✒What's going on in ep16 when they claim they don't need money and they have to be convinced to earn some? Bizarre.

It's as if they mixed scenes together like four and water. They don't have the sugar and the eggs, so no cake. It's gloop. Instead of a cohesive product that works, they just have a pile of separated scenes that don't combine for a better whole. On top of the inconsistencies and general sloppiness, the soundtrack and sound effects are lackluster.

The acting was fine. The actors suffer from bad directing. It doesn't seem like it's their fault. There appears to be a lack of chemistry, but it's probably a lack of good direction. Joon Hwa Park has a great lineup as a director. Hopefully this is an outlier. Conversely, one of the best things in the show is an incentive twist. That was a pleasant surprise. The villain is well done also, but none of that can bless this offering.

IMHO…

Directing 4
Acting 7
Romance 5
Flutters 4
Thought provocation 3

Age 13& up.

Leia Mais

Boy Wonder ✨️ Batman's Bratty Lil Bro °8.5° °Excellent°

“Everyone has their own task in their life. But I've never believed that.” It opens up dark and foggy. It's creepy. It looks more like a horror film. “Living with no purpose was not that bad. But now, a question was thrown into my life. Now I start my journey to find an answer.”

After that opening we jump back 2 mos. It's bright. It's colorful. Sparkly jazz is playing while bloody Marys are pouring. Su ditches the board meeting in the morning, telling his butler he needs to sleep more. He forces that butler to watch a clip of him swimming with the sharks. He looks like another worthless rich guy, a spoiled brat without a care in the world. Before he goes back to sleep, however, he gets a notification. There's been a kidnapping! The next thing we see is that he's on the SWAT team - Is he Batman? Is he a rich do-gooder, who appears aimless, but actually fights crime on the sly with the vast resources available at his fingertips? Nah, this is
the dress-up/role-play swat team. This guy doesn't work hard, but he plays hard. This isn't a spoiler ~ we're still under 10 minutes in.

Soon we cut to real cops (Violent Crimes Investigative Team 1) chasing a real criminal. In the vicinity, our ML, Jin I “Su”, has to defend himself against an assailant, but all Hy the cop sees, when she catches up to the action, is Su assaulting someone. He's arrested - Our leads meet that way. Su's chair-dad finds out about the arrest from a reporter. ~ At his press conference ~ He was attempting to announce his candidacy for Mayor of Seoul when he's blindsided by the news. He angrily vows to disown Su… Until the police realize during the course of their investigation that Su actually captured a murderer. He did not commit assault: It was self-defense. Su's father, the chairman, is furious once again, and the police are squirming because they're in a lot of trouble. They work out a win-all-around solution: the police will say that Su's been a cop for 2 months and worked with them to capture this murderer. Now, e’erbody happy. Everybody except Su's “co-workers” and the reporter that is now accused of making a false report, as he released the story that Sue had been arrested. So now….

Su's on the force. The cops are forced to work with him. But they're hoping he never actually shows up to work.

FXC is a 2024 release that is rated 90 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 70-minute episodes. It's plenty typical and formulaic, but if you go for cop shows that incorporate humor with a couple surprises, you'll likely enjoy this. I certainly did. The episode about hypnosis is a little bit weak, but all-in-all, one can't ask for more from a cop-edy drama. It's really good - They could turn this into a franchise. The cases are interesting and well conceived. Apparently, S2 has already been announced.

Ahn Bo Hyun (Kairos, See You in My 19th Life) plays the rich & spoiled Su. He's been shows that I loved: Her Private Life-8, My Only Love Song-8.7, & Descendants of the Sun-8.3. He was in a show that I liked: My Runway-7.5, and one that I hated: My Name-5.7. He's completely different in everything, so he's as versatile as he is good looking - and he is a specimen. Su inhabits a world that is entirely unfamiliar to the police. He has an advantage when it comes to investigating people of wealth and status as the son of the chairman - the /illegitimate/ son. Therefore, his stepmother despises him. Su might seem obnoxious at first, but he's a kind-hearted and delightful person. He's a touch carefree, even careless, but he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. His mother died when he was about 7. He has no memory of it, but he's told it was a car accident. His father is concerned that “he'll get his memories back”.

Park Ji Hyun (Love All Play, Reborn Rich) is Lee Gang Hyeon/”Hy”. She's not the most feminine female. Dad, also a decorated detective, is her drinking buddy. She's positively rough… and RUDE, and she despises Su. Her everyday look is so utilitarian that it was jolting to see her dressed up for a sting operation. She looks great. As mature as she seems, she's actually 6 years younger than her co-star. Ahn Bo Hyun must have some amazing genetics, because he looks like he could play a high school kid, still.

Kang Sang Jun (Marry My Husband, Doctor Slump) is hardboiled detective Park Jun Yeong, who has been alongside Hy since the academy. He seems overly interested in, and overprotective of her. He doesn't try to hide his disdain for Su. Kim Shin Bi (Journey to the Shore, Revenant) is the friendly junior detective and social media follower of Su, Choi Gyeong Jin. Jung Ga Hee (Longing for You,The Glory) plays medical examiner Yun Ji Won. I love this ME. She's got a dry wit, a great attitude, and she's funny. Jokes coming out of the autopsy room sort of write themselves. In one scene she puts a decayed rice cake that supposedly choked someone to death on the metal tray. She then takes a fresh one, bites it, and puts it on the tray next to the one she extracted from the deceased's throat, showing how the one from the dead body was obviously cut, not bitten. Point made, she picks up the one she had started eating off of the tray and pops it in her mouth. The delivery was perfect. I laughed out loud. Ms Jung has a short resume, and I look forward to seeing her more. Her credits are sure to accumulate as she is absolutely darling.

Director: Kim Jae Hong - He's a rock star. His most recent 4 efforts: FXC, Revenant, Through the Darkness, & Begins Youth are all rated 8.7 on MDL. He has 7 other credits; 3 in the 7.5-7.8 range and 4 in the 6.6-7.3 bracket. Not a dud in a bunch. Screenwriter: Kim Ba Da of A Man Who Was Superman & the popular My Name-5.7, which I didn't care for at all.

The cops do everything they can to keep Su on the sidelines, but he's just not the kind of guy to sit quietly in the corner. The next couple episodes deal with him proving himself. They're going to have to work with him, they realize. Money makes the day-to-day stuff easier (being a cop sure is costing Su a fortune), but it can really mess up relationships. That's the theme. Speaking of wealth, Su questions a wealthy person of interest at a tanning salon. Given that Kdramas are so pasty skinned my jaw dropped and I haven't found it yet. This is the first tanning bed I've seen in a Kdrama.

His stepmother is so abhorrent that he ends up moving back to the house where he lived with his mom, only to find out that Hy now lives across the street. This creates situations where he must interact with her parents. “For your information, this will be salty. I recommend not eating it.” So Hy advises when she delivers the kimchi that her mother forced her to bring over. (It took 3 days of nagging but she finally caved in). And that’s why Hy crossed the road ~ maybe the chicken was following her.

Will the seeds of romance bloom in S2? They aren't there yet, and they have more than one road to cross.

She's drab. Oh, how his presence must hurt her eyes! Lime. Plum. Lemon. Tangerine. Grape. His clothes are colorful, bright, expensive, and capital-F-Flashy. He's a peacock. Her car is really messy. She's more dude than chick. He comments on a sticky brown residue in the cup holder. “Oh, I spilled coffee yesterday.” Unsatisfied, he presses further: “Didn't you clean it up?” Her unfazed answer: “I did” Unconvinced, he responds: “Do you have a tissue or anything?” She looks around, “Use this.” She hands him a piece of /junk mail/. Only someone who's lived like a slob or has been around a slob would be able to write that. That's too authentic. It cracked me up.

Her Oma falls in love with Su first. Perhaps that's because she sees a potential mate for her rapidly aging daughter. There's nice juxtaposition when he's at his family's home for a press interview. Afterwards, dinner is being laid out, but stepwitch informs him that they are /not/ setting a place for him. When he gets home, Hy's mother insists that he come over and have dinner with them.

They have to do a stake-out which means spending even more time with eachother. That's followed up by an undercover operation where they are forced closer together. Su has things to work through before he can give all to a relationship. As we get to know Su, it becomes obvious that his cavalier attitude is the way he deals with pain. He's got some trauma that he's never dealt with. He's locked it away under the surface as evinced by his reoccurring dream about a painting of a woman submerged in water. Hy starts to hear from people (her father and a psychiatrist, for example) to be wary of Su: He's a ticking time bomb, she's warned. Halfway through the show, he gets his memory back.

Be that as it may, Hy will be the last one to deal with her own feelings. Most of S1 sees her on the fence as to whether she can tolerate Su at all. She wrote up a brutal recommendation to release him from the force, and it sits in her desk drawer. This mindset leads to amusing scenes, for example, when they're about to do a group arrest. She's handing out guns to everyone on the team. Su puts out his hand. Hy gives him handcuffs. There's NO WAY she's giving him a gun. Naturally, /he's/ the one that ends up saving the day and slapping the handcuffs on the perp. Later on, we see that he's had them gold-plated! You can't beat a guy with optimism (and resources) like that. You might as well tune in, then: You know if you can't beat ‘em, you might as well join ‘em!


〰QUOTE〰

There's no one who is strong enough to beat everything.


〰IMHO〰

RATINGS
Directing 8.5
Writing 8.3
Acting 8
Romance 5
Flutters 4
Art 7
Sound & music 7.4
Ending 8.5

LEVELS
Warmth 5.5
Action/ Excitement 6.5
Laughs 4.5
Tears 4.5
Fright 3
Tension/Anxiety 3
Gore 3
Thought provocation 3.5
Snores 0

Re-watch? Totally worth it


Age + Violence
Language: It's not in every episode, but there's R-rated Fbombs, @$$, $h!+, etc verbiage.

Rated TV-15

Leia Mais

Red Bun Coalition ♟️ The Means Rustify the Soul °8.4° °Excellent°

Corruption: the process by which something is changed from its original use to one that is erroneous or debased. A departure from what is pure or correct. Decay, decomposition, dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it," said Mark Twain. Even if leaders want the right things, too often they are willing to do the wrong things to get them.

US is a historical political fiction thriller based on true events. Three characters are based on actual historical figures while everyone else seems to be an amalgam of other players that created the political debacle of 1959-60 in SK, Uncle Sam being the most amalgamous. Communism was spreading, the world was in chaos. World War II had rewritten the map of the world. The North and the South Koreans were at odds. SK was closely monitored by an on-site U.S. military. This is one of Director/writer Shin Youn-Shick (Cassiopeia) higher rated offerings. “I think Korea is the only country that asks if one has eaten as a greeting. (The series) portrays the difficult times right after the Korean War, when it was truly challenging to have even one meal a day,” Shin said. Yet it was politics as usual at the top. These back-room ghouls think nothing of the suffering masses.

Not interested? I gravitate to the imaginative side of entertainment myself - Sci-fi, thrillers, fantasy… romance. We have to make an effort to try new things to be more well rounded. As such, one could tag me a somewhat reluctant viewer. Around Ep5 it became clear that this is an excellent drama. US might not be my go-to genre, but it is an excellently created show. It starts like a tank. It grinds slowly but really cranks up towards the end. The acting and directing are sublime. What's most important is that it's a peek under the hood of politics, another reminder that politics is overrun by hoods. “This is what it means to be in politics,” muses Joo In-tae. His daughter had just asked him how he could work with a guy who had tortured him during the Japanese occupation. Many well meaning people do jump into the “public service” foray with the intent to ‘do-good’, but they slowly get absorbed by a system that pumps out ‘doo-doo’. Politics is one big manure spreader. As KS says, it's “Hypocrisy disguised as a dream.”

1960. The March15 Election Fraud is abt the rigged re-election of Syngman Rhee, in power since post WWII. That led to The April Revolution: A series of protests and demonstrations demanding reform that led to the removal of Rhee. We open in 1960, but the cars look older, indicating that money is scarce and they're getting by on older belongings and older technology. It is a dark, wet night and authorities are dragging away a man who is screaming that it's Samsik's fault. What is a Samsik? Well, he is a dude who made sure everyone in his circle had three meals a day. Even during the war. “Sam” means three. “Sik” means food. “Chingoo Chincha.” A true friend.

US is a 2024 release that is rated 86 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 42ish-minute eps that positively fly by in comparison to a typical Kdrama. Not only is US an excellent drama, but it's also a primer on politics and the slippery slope that topples the naive. The good they sincerely want to do is the carrot. Getting reelected is the stick. It helps me understand politicians more and it also makes me despise politics all the more. It's a filthy, slimy business. Cliches are always based on entrenched patterns. The cliche, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” still rings true. The human race hasn't outgrown that problem. Voters and the general public seem to have the attention span of a fruit fly and the memory of an ostrich. We neither know nor understand our history. Therefore we are doomed to suffer corrupt leadership. It just isn't wise to put too much trust or hope in political leaders.

After we hear what a nurturing guy US Is, we revert to 1959 for a closer peek. There's protesters in Seoul. I've not seen one political Kdrama where that isn't going on. It appears to be part of the fabric of Kcountry. The opening eps go back and forth between that point & MPs questioning suspects in 1960. Questions? In ‘59 these guys staged a coup.

Samsik appears to be more mobster than businessman. He's slowly built up enough to enable him to buy into a chaebol level company - he's about to become a business baron. “Do you know what pizza is?” He's in a great mood and jawwing to someone at the meal before his induction ceremony. “You probably don't even know what cheese is.” He tries to explain pizza to a traditional 1959 Korean. It might as well be explaining the 5th dimension. Try explaining soy sauce to someone who has never had Asian cuisine.

Later that night, he's at a political rally to raise trouble, and the meeting does break up in mayhem, but then Kim San takes the podium. To paraphrase, he says ~I just got back from the USA. No one is going hungary. Every building shines. They don't even eat all their food. I lived above a pizza shop. Do any of you know what Pizza is?~ He goes on to talk of a vision where Koreans aren't starving but, rather, where Korea is the center for commerce in the world. Uncle Samsik is listening. Attentively. The scene is quite powerful.

Park Doo Chil (Snowpiercer) plays ML Uncle SamSik with his coat swinging; part of Sam's signature swagger. It's been 35 years since he did TV. Coming into US, I could only see him as he was in Parasite-9, w/ the greasy face and that smell. (I KNOW one can't smell anything through the TV. That is partly why Parasite is so brilliant!) He made an impression. He's excellent in Taxi Driver-8.4 as well, which is also half-fictionalized events based in a true setting and, historically, serves as a bookend to US. In US, PDC is indefatigable. His character is so alive, so energetic, so garrulous, so thoroughly compelling that, for someone with chronic fatigue, it's actually exhausting. US is a man that has gotten used to exploiting opportunities; it's such a habit that he never questions it. He understands that when your stomach is full your mind tends to open. He won people over by feeding them. We're not that much different than stray cats and dogs in that way. He is portrayed as a split personality. Like the best criminals, he's a savant of human psychology. He grew up poor. Therefore he says things like: “Do you like people that are admired? They're the worst.” Yet he fully embraces the system. He is fundamentally decent to those around him and he's generally loyal, but he has no moral backbone whatsoever. He operates outside of the law entirely. US opens up in ep2: ‘I love red bean buns. I could never afford them, but I wanted them so badly I killed a man one day.’

Byun Yo Han, who is positively luminescent in Mr. Sunshine-9 & Misaeng-9.1, plays Kim San/KS, a man who has the best of intentions but gets marinated and stuck to the bottom by the political sauce. Mr. Byun shows that he can play a serious role. Other actors can as well, but what other actors can't do is capture the magic of the other characters BYH has portrayed. He conveys a nearly tangible sense of delight. That is rare magic, indeed. KS has a soft spot for people that recognize his worth. That only means that he's too self-focused, and his pride is too important to him. It's something that will trip us up. He is so determined to pass his economic reform pkg, (it would be wonderful for Kcountry) that he's willing to do anything. ANYTHING. He thinks he can wash away the stink later.

Lee Kyu Hyung (Doctor John) plays the spineless but powerful Kang Seong-Min. Even though he's a beautiful man, he's terrifying because he's completely self-focused, he has no empathy, and he's gutless. If someone makes him the slightest bit nervous, he orders a hit on them. Choo Sang-Rok is Park Ji-Wook. During the Japanese Occupation he was a quisling and worked as a police officer on behalf of the occupiers. In 1959 he’s a prominent politician. Tiffany Young (Reborn Rich) is marvelous as Rachel Jung. Jin Ki Joo (My Perfect Stranger) is Joo Yeo Jin, KS's fiance, as the show opens. Seo Hyun Woo (Flower of Evil-8.9) plays Jung Han Min.

Those based on true historical figures:

~Ryu Tae-ho as Choi Han-rim: a prestigious general who KS calls a 2nd father. WIKI - “Based on Lee Han-lim, he is known for his political neutrality and being the only commanding officer to declare public opposition to the May 16 coup. After graduating from Shinkyong Military Academy and studying at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, he served as an officer… was a classmate of Park Chung Hee,” part of the Imperial Japanese Arm & finally 1st Army CDR when the 5/16/60 coup occurred. “He opposed the military's intervention in politics and stood on the opposite line from those who led the military coup of Park Chung-hee. He had prepared to mobilize reserve forces to suppress the coup, but withdrew to prevent a civil war and potential North Korean invasion. Due to his opposition, he was arrested two days later and discharged along with the 5th District Commander and Army Major General Park Ki-byung.”

~Park Hyuk-kwon “as Choi Min-gyu: Minister of Home Affairs who collaborates with the Liberal Party government. Based on Choi In-gyu.”

~Oh Kwang-rok “as Joo In-tae: a politician who insists on national prosperity and peaceful coexistence. Loosely based on Cho Bong-am. …Three years after the election, Cho was charged with espionage and receiving funds from NK. His first trial resulted in an acquittal but he was convicted in a second trial and was executed on 31 July 1959. His death sentence was posthumously overturned in 2011 by the South Korean Supreme Court.”

The Albright Stonebridge Group is a real Foundation committed to economic growth in SK.

The slippery slope. KS is courted more than a duke's only daughter. How does Samsik seduce him? With intoxicating statements like this: “Nobody gets to fulfill more than 25% of their desires. Nobody gets 80 or 90% so what do you do? You increase your desires by 40-50-60%. Have ambition.” When KS finally succumbs, he has this conversation with the party chief: “I don't need nice guys. We are waging a war here. I won't tolerate any tears.” “I've already shed all my tears. I'm done with that.” By that time he had abandoned his fiance, ignored dozens of illegalities, and had started sewing the seeds of revolution. Samsik stays in the shadows. One might almost think he invented subversive triangulation, but apparently politics is the same at all times and in all places. It's a filthy business in which those in power take advantage of those in need. Catch rivals committing crimes? It's merely an invitation to control them. Turning them in is the last thing that US would do. Even so, Samsik and KS form an unbreakable bond. They have good goals that they intend to implement by any means possible. Following proper channels never even occurs to Samsik, and he manages to slowly and steadily bend KS to his will.

It's always the things that we think we know, our faulty presuppositions, that are going to bring us down. “There was an explosion of people that spilled onto the streets instantly. Ultimately, none of the promises or plans we made mattered at all… No one could have predicted the way the winds would take us, or or how the waves would crash.” The director is adept at building up tension throughout the show. It explodes into the protests. There's an aerial shot of marchers that pans several blocks. It's really spectacular. Next, he intersperses the filming with genuine newsreels from the time itself. It's quite emotional. Another nice touch is how KS is gifted a light grey suit. It stands out amongst the unified dark suit coalition. I think it represents how his white intentions became muddied and gray through his interactions with US. In the last ep KS wears a black suit. His eyeglasses are two tones of grey.

Uncle Sam knows things are going sideways in the last ep. He can sense it. He looks at the hotel lobby. People are chit-chatting, drinking and going on with their evening as if nothing's happening. They're completely unaware of the day, of the country, & of the rotation and revolution of the earth. Isn't that always the case? The soldiers enter. It's a profound scene.

US, himself, is often profound. We'll let him close this out: “Let me ask you about the principles that govern this world. Spring arrives, then summer. Flowers bloom, then wilt. They're what make the World Go Round And the sun rise and set. The Earth's rotation and revolution. Can you feel it right now? The rotation and revolution? That's precisely the kind of man I am. The Earth's rotation and revolution…” (looks like the earth still goes around without him). “Sometimes I feel… I feel tossed aside in the world, completely abandoned. I'm flooded with loneliness. It's in those times that I find what I fear most of all… is when that loneliness… becomes familiar.


(more) 〰️QUOTES〰️

So you think love is trivial? Guess you don't know much about love.

People think they're different from each other. Eventually, they figure out they're all the same. When they figure it out, it's too late.

You have a bad habit. You underestimate people who are younger than you. You need to fix that.

An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought. ~Simon Cameron US financier & politician, 1799-1889~

✏〰 IMHO
Ratings
Directing 8.3
Writing 8.5
Acting 8.5
Romance 3
Flutters 4
Warmth 4.5
Art 8
Sound & music 7.5
Ending 9

Levels
Excitement 5.5
Laughs 2
Tears 6
Fright 3
Tension/anxiety 3.5
Gore 3
Thought provocation 7
Snores 0


📣8.3 📝8.5 🎭8.5 💓3 🦋4 🎨8 🎵/🔊7.5 🔚9 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡5.5 😅2 😭6 😱3 😯3.5 🤢3 🤔7 💤0

Age 14+
Language Rated-R Fbombs, some violence, gore, and scares, but the tradeoff is the primer on politics and human relationships. This is an educational jaunt as well as an excellent drama.

Rated TV-MA

Re-watch? Would

Leia Mais

It's All Good In The Hood❕️ °Excellent°

Is this a romance, or an exploration of parent child relationships?

It's both. It's actually more the latter. There's loss, longing, loneliness, laughter and love, with scary tension mixed in for good measure. The neighborhood is a character on its own. The place to which they've taken us is so charming. Good directing, good acting, good writing and a good soundtrack all come together beautifully, like Donbaek's pork stir-fry. The romance between the two leads is sweet. The mystery surrounding the murders is also handled very well. Most of the character arcs are satisfying.

Dongbaek is uncomfortably passive and within herself in the first few episodes. Watching her develop... and bloom... is a treat. I've become a big fan of Lee Jeong Eun, Dongbaek's mom. She's a stellar talent and currently my favorite actress. I first saw her in Oh My Ghost which is a romcom that's cooked up to perfection. She, along with the other 3 leads deliver magnificent performances in that show and I have had a love affair with all of them ever since. (The other three are Kim Seul-Gi, Jo Jung-Seok, and Park Bo-Young).

This show is 95% excellent. Here's a complimentary sample of unimportant nitpicks:

It doesn't quite make sense to open a restaurant/bar because you can make one good dish.... .

It would have been fun to see policeman Young Shik catch a few more criminals, but it is understandable that one case started to consume all of his time.

I wasn't pleased with the treatment of Jong Ryul, Pil-Gu's father. It seemed more severe than he deserved. He truly cares for Dongbaek. He never had a chance to know his son. He made mistakes when he was immature, and has since grown up. The reason for the break-up and her attitude toward him is less in focus than other plot lines. I'm glad they didn't make him a cartoonish bad guy, at least. That's a played out stereotype; he has more complexity.

The efforts to catch the Joker had some holes, or flaws. Obvious things that should have been done were not, mostly to maintain the plot.

Any criticisms are easily overlooked due to the overall excellence of the show. Hwang Yong-Sik's energy alone is worth the time spent. Kang Ha-Neul is really terrific as the ML. So grab the peanuts and Soju and enjoy your stay in Ongsan.

QUOTE〰

"I scratched on cement that hasn't hardened." (Meaning that since he's a kid it will mark him, hurt him, and stay with him for life).


〰IMHO

Directing 8
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 5
Thought provocation 6

Suggested Age 14& up.

Leia Mais

W♡nder-Girl Meets Bad☆Boy☆Band! °8.3° °Excellent°

Wondering if this is worth your time?

If you love Kromcoms, this show is mandatory. If you think romcoms are Daebek, SK or otherwise, you will want to add this one to your list. Here's the test: If you aren't starstruck by ep2's conclusion, just move on; BOF is not for you.

Jun-Pyo may love viewing the skies through his telescope, but BOF isn't intended to be viewed through a high powered one. Lie back, look at the stars and dream a spell. Yes, there's consistency issues, and 2-2-Too much back and forth. Yet, I couldn't stop watching. 25 episodes is a LOT, and yes, it should have been trimmed back. The last vignette is best forgotten; it's that 5th season that never should have been made. Ask Jun-Pyo to hand over a towel in order to wipe that one away.

Additionally, it stretches credulity a tad far when we see these ruthless and cruel overlords of the school all (rather quickly) turn from black holes into North Stars. Actually, the 3 aren't necessarily cruel, but they are indifferent, which is just as bad. Since they were in playpens together, it seems that his 3 quasi underlings just let Jun-Pyo be Jun-Pyo. He is the sole instigator, the solar flare. Jan-di's parents are over the top of Namsam tower extra, but within the sphere of comedies at large. Jan-di has some strange moments in the first 3 or so episodes. She almost looks (clinically) spastic. Obviously, the director was going for laughs, but ultimately gets a "Huh?" None of that is important, though, because this is very Pride and Prejudice (especially if Darcy had an evil queen for a mother) with some Beauty and the Beast stardust thrown in.

Geum Jan-di is a beautiful soul, and Gu Jun-pyo loves her so completely, that I fell for them. Their relationship is lovable... when it's not WWIII, that is. The way they tit-for-tat fight, make up, and merely converse (always addressing each other using full names only, for example) is adorable. The leads did a bang-up job: The attachment feels authentic, and the sparks are visceral. While I haven't seen the lauded Japanese version, Koo Hye-sun is perfect - she's artsy, smart, and still forward-strong: She's a singer-songwriter, actress, director and artist now. I love her Jan-di, except for the loose handful of Red Cards. Lee Min-Ho - Don't dismiss him. He's not a heartthrob merely because he dropped from the sky that way. He built his image one work at a time, and BOF was his big launch to international stardom.

It does make sense that he falls for her, btw. "No" is something he'd never heard. Ever. He's no longer a lone star in upper space looking down on everything. Here comes a moon at his level, orbiting him. He loves the challenge. While engaging in the contest and in partial shock a girl exists that isn't interested in him, Gu Jun-Pyo concludes that Jan-di is the #only light in his sky. He's been denied love and family time, which is what his heart wants most. She blew his mind by standing up to him. He fixates on Jan-di as his panacea, his home. He boorishly pursues her, knowing nothing but bossing people around. He'll grab her arm to drag her somewhere, and she #lets him. She, likely, has no idea why(?!) she lets him. She certainly doesn't want to like him - given how much she °loathes° him. The human heart is a mystery, indeed. If you find his behavior offensive, you're right, but only for a twinkle. Gu Jun-Pyo is a quasar, Jan-di, the red giant. Once their paths collide, the quasar changes course, shooting down to earth. All those episodes find Jan-di schooling Gu Jun-Pyo. He accepts her tutoring and becomes a better, happier, more peaceful man. The opening of the show finds him a veritable toddler - le infantile terrible - throwing tantrums and money at everything that vexes him. Don't think for a moment that he's domineering, abusive, or controlling in the relationship; that ain't what's going down. Jan-di would kick him in the head if she didn't want his attentions. Anyone thinking Gu Jun-Pyo is in the lead is projecting. He enters HER world, and it's endearing. They travel light-years to bond, only to have that bond tested to the extreme. The gravitational pull between them only strengthens as they share any orbit to work through obstacles together.

BOF is an excellent choice for teens. Jan-di is a shining role model. Her beautiful smile elevates all who are in her proximity (except The Witch). She stands for what's right. She is courageous. She's a veritable Joan Of Arc in the battle for Shinwa High- Without the burned-at-the-stake thing. Yet, she can be as comforting as a plate of warm pancakes. The way Gu Jun-Pyo adores her, emitting rays of warmth in which she can bask, should resonate with teenage girls, and prod them to reflect on their standards when it comes to boyfriend material. If you can swim with it and overlook some of the goofy stuff, you will escape to the great beyond with this entire group of friends. You will also be treated to an epic kiss, mid thruway at rush hour, in the background is the sun dropping from the sky, igniting the space between them. Eat your hearts out Sunny, Ginger & Miranda.

The notoriety of the show, which includes its effect on popular culture, plus the fact that BOF boosted Kdramas' popularity globally, as well as the numerous nominations and awards bestowed all supply evidence that this series is WONDER-FUL.

IMHO~》》

Directing 7
Acting 8
Romance 9
Flutters 8
Warmth 7
Art 7
Action 5
Thought provocation 6
Ending 8

For Age 13+ with cautions: Jan-di gets duped into taking fetish photos. She's shown in a childlike skirt and wearing bunny ears. She holds up a revealing costume and refuses to put it on. There are two setups to look like two singles shared a bedroom (to get an enemy in trouble), and there was a lie about a pregnancy scare. These would all be good for generating worthy discussions regarding safety of person and reputation. Decide accordingly.

Leia Mais

⬜️Fun with Light & Shadow ⬛ Slightly Silly ❣ Yet Utterly Adorable °Excellent°

I've always said that if you aren't willing to at least risk being tacky, you won't have any fun.

That's one of the themes of this show. The opening line is: "All Children Are Artists." As we see when the group later goes to an orphanage, the children take pure joy in expressing & sharing of themselves. They aren't worried about critics or reviews.

This show introduces us to Duk-mi. She's an energetic, hard working & passionate person who lives in Technicolor. A once aspiring artist, Duk-mi is now the curator of a privately owned museum. Her job is not ideal as she, along with her suggestions, are rarely respected. Duk-mi is not easily suppressed, though. She does her job with verve. She also has a secret life away from the museum. If found out, she would be fired. You see, Duk-mi …🥁🥁🥁… Is a "fan😍girl." {GASP!} Pop singer Si-an is the recipient of her affection, and she is not alone.

Fangirls are a sisterhood of women, ALL devoted to a star. Besides knowing ALL the music and ALL the useless trivia about their idol, to be a true fangirl, one must be at ALL the star's public appearances. This includes ALL airport arrivals and book signings, not just concerts. ALL this dedication is neither easy nor cheap. We watch Duk-mi go from the museum, straight to a Si-an appearance lugging a step ladder & 14 inches of zoom lens. From behind a black mask, she snaps her photos & heads home, where we see how deeply her obsession is etched onto her being. Her studio apt is a giant Si-an collage. It's jammed with every souvenir of which one could conceive - posters, dolls, the requisite cardboard cutout & even Si-an pillows... Even a water bottle, half full, that Si-an threw to the crowd once. (I said 'half full' out of habit. This water bottle is definitely half-empty!). It's basically the tackiest decorating ever - Even worse than Bette Mildler’s in Ruthless People.

We then meet Ryan (Conventional. Condescending. Cheerless). He's an artist turned lauded NYC critic. A mental block has severed him from his craft. He can dip a brush 🎨, but he can't touch it to the canvas. As a critic he isn't known to look at many pieces for more than 3 seconds (<1 sec is typical, 2+ could launch a new artist). He stopped creating art when a painting of 🫧 bubbles arrested his gaze. Believing it was Stendhal Syndrome ('When exposed to an incredible work of art, one may experience a rush of psychological symptoms.') he sees a psychiatrist. His therapy was going the way of his paint brushes, though: Nowhere. It's a mystery in the NYC art scene, as is the artist, Lee Sol, who brushed on those 🫧 that popped Ryan's career. Nobody seems to know anything about the painter.

The first time Duk-mi and Ryan meet is at an art auction in Shanghai. They fight over a painting. The painting is of 🫧soap bubbles🫧. Artist: Lee Sol.

Duk-mi knows that "her SI-AN" is a fan of Lee Sol's work. Every year, The Road To Si-an webpage pools money from fans to buy a big gift for the object of their adoration. Her boss thinks it's merely a work trip, but Duk-mi's real mission is to get that 🖼 for Si-an. She loses. She tries to talk Ryan into surrendering the painting to her. He looks at her like she's a lunatic. Fate is at work; these 2 have 2 other chance meetings, though they both don't put it all together until later.

Duk-mi's boss, the director/owner of the museum, is a garrish, overweening tyrant. She is played by the great Kim Sun-young, who's clearly having the time of her life in the role & in those preposterous outfits. She makes Duk-mi miserable. Fortunately, her husband is embroiled in a scandal, so she must step down temporarily.

You get one guess as to who the next director is.

They don't blend well.

That should adequately lay out the paints on the 🎨: Except for their overlapping love of art, Duk-mi & Ryan, a Korean adopted overseas, have opposite existences. They are compared & contrasted in visual ways. Dude's home is painted a deep Wedgwood blue. While it's a pretty color, when it covers 4 walls it only reflects his current bleakness. Taste aside, Duk-mi's room is vibrant. She's open, which is why she can feel art so intuitively. She's full of love and passion. Ryan is dried up like old paint.

Ryan becomes drawn-in by hearing Duk-mi talk about works of art. With admiring fondness, she seems to be able to scry an artist's thoughts & emotions. He becomes fascinated with her w/o realizing it or thinking about why. Fascination leads to close observation. (😱! Don't look behind the mask!) We can feel doom approaching. What will Ryan, who is from that snotty NYC art world, think if he ever discovers HPL?

Another theme is family & togetherness. Duk-mi's parents created a home where all are welcomed. Duk-mi's mother is, well, /motherly/. She wants to feed and love-on everybody that comes through their door. They even raised Eun-gi - from birth - for an overwhelmed single mother. He & Duk-mi consider themselves siblings. Fellow fangirl, Seon-joo, who runs the local coffee shop, is Thelma to Duk-mi's Louise. The office, Duk-mi's apt, the museum, the coffee shop, and her parents place are all frequent gathering spots. Duk-mi's life is shared with family, and friends-that-are-family.

Ryan's life is solitude. That's why he's angry when Duk-mi pokes around his place when he's not there. He seems to have no one.

The two seem to fall for eachother quickly, though it takes them a few eps to realize it. While the falling-in-love is usually the funnest thing in a romance, in the case of Duk-mi & Ryan, I found the series even more entertaining after they get together. The way they mix it up is sensational; their relationship is pure enjoyment. Duk-mi smiles with her whole being. She smiles a lot. At first it seemed overdone, but it's rather by design. She is the SUN that warms him back up. Art is all about light. Ryan couldn't step forward until he came out of the darkness. His first steps towards healing were in Duk-mi's direction.

There are mysteries to be solved, secrets to be revealed, and singers to love in the balance of the show.

HPL also sketched in some laughs. They have trouble with R-r-ryan's name, so they call him “Lion”. Eun-gi tells Da-ni that she'd be an annoying friend. She looks at him and says: "You're a good judge of character." We understand Duk-mi's obsessive side when we get a full look at her family home: It's genetic. The two protags are in a chess game over a notebook and the truth about Duk-mi, which is amusing. Generating laughter could be the trickiest art of all, and HPL sells it.

Poor Eun-gi. He's coming in 2nd again. He wins the silver medal (again) in scoring his gf. Duk-mi was just a primer, actually. He certainly has a type! In my ledger, Eun-gi‘s gf won: Eun-gi is arguably more attractive, & he's protective, loyal, appreciative, chill, great to hang out with, and... Well, did you /see/ that shower scene?? That actor probably has fangirls himself. Nuff of that...

While HPL is certainly silly, and completely adorable, romance-wise, it can also be profound. The following exchange is a free therapy session: Seon-joo's TV producer husband is pushed into doing an 'expose’ show on 'crazy' fans. He hides this from Seon-joo, and even secretly copies files from her computer. When she finds out, she could have foamed up milk with no machine. She was STEAMED. He tries to explain, with the most positive framing, all the good reasons why he made the show, including securing the transfer she had wanted him to get. Fangirl nails it. She might be silly, but she ain't dumb. She asks if it was all for /her/ sake then? He says no, he didn't "mean that..." She responds:

"Do you know what I really hate about you right now? If you've hurt me, you should just remain as the assailant. Why are you using me as an excuse to act like a victim? Do you expect me to understand and pity you in this situation?"

He replies that he shouldn't have waited to tell her, and he's not sure why he stalled with that. She comes back at him again:

"Do you want to know why you didn't tell me beforehand? It's because you didn't feel the need to. You knew I'd throw a fit later on, but you were simply going to escape that moment." In finishing, she informs him that he didn't talk to her because he was already determined to do it.

One of the excuses he used was that it was all for their son. Her response: "You used my precious family as a weapon to stab me, and {your son} as a shield to hide behind. It was a nasty and cowardly move."

Perhaps that exchange will be useful for your next relationship argument. She later says that 'in a relationship there are things that cannot be resolved with logic. This is a matter of emotion.' Well put.

There are disappointments: No big "reveal" to Si-an, we don't see the exposé show & leaving a child at the playground?! C'mon. They could have done plenty of things better, but the positives redeem it. It's good enough to hang in your gallery.

The most important takeaway from HPL is that a loving and caring family unit can do a lot of good. Duk-mi and her mother make numerous lives better. Duk-mi's mother gets the credit as she raised Duk-mi. We ran the “open house" in our neighborhood. We are close with many of the kids still, and we even Christmas with two of the brothers that were fixtures in our home for a few years. We can't go after everything we want AND love others. The two are exclusionary. The odd thing is that helping others is more fulfilling than going after everything we want.

Quote: In Korea, if you kiss and don't go out, they send you to jail.

Originally 〰️🖊 9/2021

Leia Mais

Joseon-Seoul Drift ~‍⚕️~ Doctors Without⏳Borders °VG° °7.6°

This one had me on pins and needles😁. {Oh, dear. Many apologies. I had to excise that from my system. Okie dokie, moving on...}

I wasn't enthusiastic about LUTYN a couple episodes deep. It didn't spike my interest. It almost seemed too ridiculous and I wasn't getting the point. It's a house rule that the whole series must be watched prior to weighing in (intolerable, stabbing pain being the exception). Some shows are perfected or impaled in the final episodes, therefore, prodding - um, plodding on was the only choice.

It paid off like hidden treasure.

The show's premise is that Dr. Heo Im, the most famous and gifted physician/acupuncturist from the Joseon era, suddenly time slips to the 21st century. While a 400 year jump would put a strain on anybody, he penetrates 21st century society uncommonly well. The primary reason is that his skills are still relevant and on📍point for modern-day.

Dr. Heo Im undergoes a remarkable transition (healing) in the course of the show. His touching relationship with Ha-ra (it's precious) is enough reason to stick with this series. The interactions with Bong-sik and Mom are almost as sweet. Watching Dr. Choi Yearn-keyong (played by Kim A-Joong, who makes 200 Pounds Beauty-6.5 worth watching) and Dr. Im circling round eachother, while the circles become a tightening loop that stitches one to the other, is pure pleasure.

One coincidence after another keeps him and Dr. Choi poking into eachother. She, understandably, thinks he's screwy. Eventually, she is forced to believe him as they are thrust into, and stuck in, many harrowing situations while they try to understand what in the wide world is going on. It's not a new concept, but LUTYN tells a great story in a skillful way that punctured my bubble of resistance. One scene that was particularly cute was when they played some carnival style games. She's better at throwing darts and popping 🎈🎈🎈 than Mr. Needle is.

LUTYN has a light-hearted feel, but it also managed to sting my eyes on a couple occasions. They also address some piercing questions that prickle beyond mere medical ethics. It's shot (filmed) well, and while LUTYN is not a high budget feature, the battle scene is impressive. Dr. Im's patients aren't the only ones that get skewered.

The biggest head-scratcher, from my perspective, is how they failed to prepare and equip Dr. Im with the best tools for the final penetration, er - mission. It's difficult to elaborate without spoilers, so we'll leave it there, lest I pierce your eyes. The ending is better than the average. Too many Kdramas have rushed, or tacked-on endings. The cadence on LUTYN is perfect. They 🔨nail it.

The soundtrack is solid. The action song, which is the title track, nicks beats from the 80's. It's similar to the ROCKY theme, but perhaps, even better. "Troubleshooter" is a get-ready-to-go that's jazzy, and has a pinch of a 70's/80's cop show sound. "Not gonna wait," and "Fate" also snagged my interest and are inserted into my playlists.

My recommendation: Have a little trust, stick around, and give 4 or 5 episodes a 💉 before you seek a second opinion.


QUOTE📢

You get angry at others for your own mistakes.


〰🖍 IMHO

⚡6 🎬7.5 🤔5 🎭8 💓7 🦋5

Age 12+

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:
Modern Day -
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love to Hate You 8.9;
Her Private Life 8;
Touch your heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9;
Love Struck in the City 7.3;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9;


Historical/Period -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl / Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo 8.5;
Saimdang 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

Action/Sci-fi/fantasy -
K2 8;
Private Lives 8.1;
Sisyphus 8;
Tunnel 8.1;
Signal 8.6;
The Cursed 8.3;
Flower of Evil 8.9;
The Man from Nowhere 8.9;
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;
Kingdom 8.3;
Sweet Home 8.4

Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance 7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks);
Boys Over Flowers 8 ~ melodrama to the max;
The Bride of Habaek 7;
Heirs 7.3;
That Winter, The Wind Blows 7;
Something in the Rain 9;
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
You are my destiny 6.8 cute, sweet & 1/2 padding;
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9


Consider a Chinese historical fantasy romcom: The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8, Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9, Love and Redemption 10 or Japanese lite romcoms: Maid Sama 10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo 7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4, or Toradora 8.5

Leia Mais

⏳BONG BONG ⚙ Sing A Song ... Say What!?! ..... Drop It Down.... ⏱H, yeah.....⌛ °8.7°

This show is seriously funny, especially the first half, so... Drop in!

I had just watched Live Up To Your Name-7.6 which involves time travel to/from the Joseon period, so redundancy was a concern. Turns out, there was no need to worry, tee-hee.

There's nothing novel about entertainment features that portray time travel to a romanticized past era, anyway. Not only is the contrast between different cultures fascinating, but the fact that people are the same, no matter the circumstances, resonates.

Did I say fascinating? Not on this show. This show displays that the differences are HILARI🤣US.

What's so funny, you ask? Driving a big van through a cramped Joseon shopping district- after beheading the "monster" (the van) didn't work. Pulling out a 99cent lighter and causing panic. Teaching the Joseans "2 thumbs up👍🏽," drinking games, or slang. Fine, it's all been done before, but this show reaches into the backseat and pulls out the laughs. It's all giggles until a misplaced history book almost wipes out Korea entirely. Oh my. What should we do?

The van, Bong-Bong, is the most intelligent of the characters. Bong-Bong clearly has an agenda, and drives the plot, ahem.

Speaking of characters, we have the petulant actress, the greedy flimflam artist, the Mute Ninja who communicates with his mind, the escaped princess, the villain (a narcissist in full bloom), and more.

I loved this corny little show. The episodes are all just 30 minutes, so each one is its own brief escape. Bong-Bong may take me anywhere. Let him (yes, Bong-Bong is a male, even though On-dal calls him 'my lady' throughout) anyway, let him take you through 20 fun filled episodes. You won't want to return!

You have reached your destination.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣9 📝7 🎭8 💓8 🦋8 🌞6 🎨7 ⚡6 🎵/🔊8 😅7 😭3 😱3 😯3 😖3 🤔5 💤0 🔚10

Age13+
R language F💣 X 4 which is later played back

Leia Mais

Out Of The Chrysalis ➰️ Into Self Awareness ➰️ An Art School Fable About Taking Wing VG 7.6

Right from the start I'm thinking:
"Yo! Oh NO! Women and girls don't need to be watching this!"

This story follows the lives of art students, particularly Nabi's group of friends. Though the focus is on their love lives, the stresses of classes, projects, competitions, and future plans factor heavily in the story. The protagonist is Yu Nabi, a beautiful and talented but resigned, student.

The show starts with her painful break-up. She is then quickly seduced by the powerfully sexual Park Jae-eon (Song Kang from Sweet Home-8.5 & Navillera), who is a notorious womanizer. They couldn't be more different, except for the "road closure" signs on the way to their hearts. She starts a physical relationship with him but continually doubts him. He never asked for more anyway. This type of dude is not good in real life. Users like this tend to be on the sociopathic scale. Naive girls will think the can change him, that they'll succeed where other women have failed. It won't work, girls. You will get your heart shredded.

"It's making me so uncomfortable," was my thought, from EP 2 through midway when there was a plot shift. At the same time, I was also thinking that the director & actors handled the seduction scenes well. They are as steamy as the kitchen in a noodle restaurant. Nabi moves on to other guys. She has no shortage of admirers herself. These relationships may make her more at ease, but there are clearly no sparks, such as the ones Jae-eon ejects when he's performing his craft.

My method is: No reviews without watching the entire show, intolerable pain being the exception. If I had broken it off with Nevertheless in the early episodes, which I was not enjoying, I would've had a much different opinion than I now do after watching every frame. A solid 25% (it seems) of the early episodes consists of Nabi staring with an emptiness that showcases how a hammer shattered her fragile shell. Her emotional core is pulverized. She's struggling with school. Nothing is going right. She's shut down.

Nabi brightens up in the very last scene, when she settles on the next step in the direction of her future. She smiles radiantly, her voice lifts an octave or so, her words suddenly flow with ease: She's confident. There was so much transformation in that last smiling sentence that it was breathtaking.

The director, Kim Ga Ram (Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency -7.4), created her own piece of art in this series. This is Kim Ga-ram's third effort. All three are rated solidly with an increase in the IMDB rating for each one. We should be looking forward to more excellent offerings from Ms Kim. Screenwriter, Jung Won, is just getting started.

Not only was Nabi's transformation handled aptly, but there are many scenes that are excellent, with imagery and metaphors noticeable in the first watch. (Another go-through would only reveal more.) In Ep9, for example, Do-hyeuk gives Nabi an umbrella. He told her it will rain. He has an extra umbrella. Cut to Jae-eon who looks out at the deluge, umbrellaless. Do-hyeuk was prepared for heartache. He had braced himself. He was ready for rain. Heartache snuck up on Jae-eon. He never saw it coming. Several others in the extended group, who had been longstanding friends, also pair up. Their romances were all done well.

Adorned with a butterfly tattoo on the back of his neck, Jae-eon claims it means: The ugliness & pain of happiness & a lack of freedom. While Jae-eon has looks, money, talent, and popularity, which are all things that people believe will make them happy, he's not happy. He's lived free with many women, which left him not free to pursue a meaningful relationship. It's obvious that Jae-eon's dingy apartment -it's almost grayscale- is emblematic of his closed off heart. "Nabi" means butterfly. Nabi emerges from her chrysalis at the end of the show. That emergence had nothing to do with a man. The criticism of Nevertheless promoting toxic relationships is not fair. Nabi's confidence, in the end, was from, by, and through HER, not anyone else. This show is a cocoon that yields it's beauty right on time.

The sculpture on which Nabi labours for the entire semester appears lackluster, just as Nabi does. She takes a step toward joining society by finally taking on assistants. The reveal for finished works will be the end of semester art show. What's on display is Nabi herself. Nabi's piece has taken up wings to fly. The process and the show are the stages of a butterfly. The matured Nabi powers through her entrapments in full stained glass splendor. She might as well fuse with her sun-catcher and bracelet.

This is a well-crafted show. I would give it a rating of around 7.6, but it doesn't rise to the level of a solid 8. The director will likely be there with her next effort. Nevertheless, this series is well worth watching. It's not like the 3' deep cutesy romances. The director has crafted something more complex. In fact, I would classify this as a drama about self-awareness and self-liberation first, and a romance second.


QUOTE📢

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne~


〰🖍 IMHO

🎬8 🤔6 🎭8 💓6 🦋8 ⚡1

Age 15+

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day:
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love to Hate You 8.9;
Oh My Ghost 10;
Our Blues 8.7 - ensemble piece;
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9;
Love Struck in the City 7.3;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9;


Action/Sci-fi/fantasy:
Signal 8.6;
The Cursed 8.3;
Flower of Evil 8.9;
The Man from Nowhere 8.9;
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;


Romance junkies only:
My Secret Romance 7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks);
Boys Over Flowers 8 ~ melodrama to the max;
The Bride of Habaek 7;
Heirs 7.3;
That Winter, The Wind Blows7
Something in the Rain 9

Leia Mais

☂ Drunk Dialing 4 Dummies ⛈ Dysfunction Under Inspection ☂ °7.8° °Excellent°

Spoilers are clearly marked and at the bottom.

Witches brew: These 3 friends are cursed!

Wu-Yeon(Wu) the 'ex-collector', says she's cursed to be forever trapped in a 1sided ♥️ w/ Su, despite days, mos, years~> Despite the /decade/ that's elapsed. She seems composed, but when alcohol pours in, emotions pour out into Su's vm. Wu has a most-of-life crush on Su, who has declared them to be in friendzone⛔️… more than twice, or thrice (or double on ice) for a full decade. Su drops into town & mixes her up, only to exit without leaving a gratuity. That forever leaves Wu forlorn & in need of liquid relief, which leads to slurpee vms on Su's phone. She's a serial drunk-dialer, & her friends are so hungover it. Su might be their friend, but he drags the party down.

Yeong-Hui(Hu) grew up poor, w/ no advantages behind, & only struggles ahead. She's been cursed to a life of toil, poverty, & unworthiness. Hu is 1/2 of the couple mixed within the group. She and her BF struggle to face life's hardships and muddled family pressures, while trying to stay strong together. The only true struggle is that Hu refuses to accept that the man she loves can truly accept her: She's too poor and her family is always in trouble: She will only drag him down, she'scertain.

Jin-Ju(Ju) is cursed as well: Never to know ♥️. Ju struggles with loneliness. Her life, without love, is a drag.

MTF pulls up a chair alongside a band of boozers & toast the twenties. Wu, Hu & Ju were fused 🔗by combat in the HS arena. Now it's 10 years post graduation, when everybody thinks they have it figured out, but virtually no one does. They're learning to navigate adult jobs, situations and relationships. The 3 girls have a lifetime bond from their early HS years, so when Yeong-Hui pairs up with her BF, his friends come along as chasers to round out a 6-pack: 1 couple + 4 drinking buddies.

This brings us to now. Su is back in town, and once again sends signals to Wu that appear encouraging (is it finally happy hour?), only to flip the table on her once more. Again. As soon as Wu moves on to someone else, Su suddenly declares feelings for.... Guess who.

Their stories dial-in to several themes, including:

☂ Scars from thoughtlessness

☂ Pain's effects on emotional health, incl toxic Parent-child relationships & self-inflicted wounds

☂ Surviving 1sided♥️ - They all go through it

☂ Faulty suppositions - recheck yours every 5 years or so. They can't all be right.

☂ The sinking loneliness of selfishness vs the buoyancy of generous & committed ♥️

MTF also offers paths to resolution: L♥️ve is opening, giving & accepting. Maturity is learning to be unselfish, even when it hurts. Especially then.

For a few episodes, it was difficult to tell if it was worth the wait for last call. There were a generous pours of quality exchanges, metaphors, quotes, ironies, basically the usual for the better Kdramas - The ones they do well are outstanding, if not superbly divine. 75% into the show, I had only been looking at it through narrowed eyes in low light, waiting for the moment a glass would shatter and MTF would be easily swept away & forgotten. However, by ep15, I felt like a regular with the gang at the pour-it-all-out-house. Unexpectedly, real tears started flowing. Inner conflict overflowed next over the proper rating: 7? Am I looking at this thru the bottom of the glass? An absolutely stunning conversation put the answer into focus - MTF has buoyancy. It is refreshing, and it dazzles when it catches the light.

There's a spill of latent (submerged) emotions in MTF's examination of the 3 women and the challenges they stare down from across the table in their quest for: Love, financial independence, and the most elusive honesty-to-self. MTF opens their circle and invites the viewer in. Like with any relationship, the show leaves room to allow the viewers to drop in and raise a glass, even though we must hold back the urge to smash a soju bottle over some noggins.

This is more of a drama than a romance, and it is a worthy one. The cast is smooth and fluid; not a sour in the bunch. Ong Seong-Wu exhibits a truly great performance as Su. Be prepared for the slower cadence with anything that helps bring relaxation, and watch them blend, stir, and shake their lives.

〰QUOTES〰

Words are like boomerangs. The come back at you. (Aigoo. HEAR, youngins!)

Emotions are determined by the person on the receiving end. (Isn't perspective & timing everything?)

I'm afraid you will use the wounds you received as a shield & grow up a warped adult.

Back views are the saddest


〰IMHO〰

🎬7.5 🎭7.5 🖋〰 8 (This is the writer's 1st credited work, so we've been promised future brilliance) 💓7 🦋5 🤔8 🌞5 🎨7 🔚8

Age 15+



⚠️SPOILER SECTION⚠️

Before the next round, let's sweep away the broken bottles: MTF deliberately matures at a slow, near frustrating pace. It's relaxing if you can - Just un-tense↪ now breathe〰 What will likely frustrate every viewer is that Su, Wu, & Hu are as irritating as a botched drink order. Perhaps it's not what you're expecting, but the director & writer have placed tasty fusion on the table.

In defense of the house specials, 1st we'll look at:

Su. Most people dislike him. For most of MTF he's emotionless. He's cold & self-isolated. Su was alone his entire childhood. Now he's alone, even amongst friends. From his view, human interaction means bitterly spatting parents. Affection denied is intimacy died. ‘Relationships are distasteful’, is what he learned at home. No wonder he's a photographer. He studies but never participates. At the same time, he desperately tries to let ☀ inside. Obnoxious, cold, or odd behaviors are childhood painkillers. Kids cope in any way they can. Entrenched behaviors turn into bad habits that are difficult to delete, like a voicemail once it's already been delivered. "Kron-ih-'kah," while it's appropriate (helpful, even) to call out bad behavior, we shouldn't tell a person that s/he isn't handling pain "right". Be patient & generous w/ others.

Though Su won't imbibe his own feelings, it's obvious that he's always been intoxicated with Wu~

⏱ Per his overseas friend, when Su's in the USA, his comment card mentions Wu ·only· by name. No one else from Kcountry

⏱ Su picked on, cheered up &/or defended no girls, other than than Wu

⏱ No doubts, he enjoys spending ⏱ w/ Wu

⏱ He enjoys it so much that he fills her ☕️ & ⏱ whenever he's back, despite her deflections. "I want to see Wu as much as I can before I leave," he says, etc

⏱ His narcissistic jokes are on the tab, but he never leaves tips about the the good things he's done for Wu

Su's a world away from understanding how his actions leave Wu as frozen as a daiquiri. He lied to himself 1st, being blinded by fear & blunting to his underexposed emotions. Feelings for Wu gush out after she leaves the table to sit in the corner w/ another guy. Then (THEN!) he declares himself. Its effect is 100% contrary to his hopes.

{Bunny⚫> IRL, ya'll RUN AWAY! A romantic relationship won't, nor is it supposed to, fix such problems. People like this often don't want to be part of a project that will hire them. The very moment their desired 'object' stirs, they'll dump ice water all over. MTF is fiction. Don't mix up your life that way}

Enough w/ the ♥️🔺s! Not realizing, as a newbie, what a departure MTF is from Kdrama tropes (the CEO is not the best match), the kind CEO seems the better choice. Su is a different person by the end. He exits w/ his glass ½ full. He loves. He's open to friendship. He is now able to point the lens Wu's way: It's HE that's been in a 1-sided♥️ w/ HER, he declares. I was stunned, and so was Wu. She stops, reviews, & realizes ALL her relationships had been 1sided~> b/c of HER. That's top-shelf writing. It was this scene + crying real tears that took my rating from 7 to 8.

Wu: Though shy, she seems adjusted in HS, but her life's blood is leaking. Sensing she's helpless, sharks attack. Even w/ her friends' support, her emotions are still stunted. HS is when she begins to take Su's cues as clues of his interest. Sadly, Su ain't got a clue ·yet· Wu musters the courage to offer her 💝 to Su at the airport as he's escaping M&D by going to the USA. He visibly stiffens to rebuff her w/ blank eyes & rigid face, as a resolute chill falls like a dropped napkin. It's the 1st in a decade of misalignments between them. She cries for a long ⏱. Eventually, she just cries when she's sozzled. This ♻ repeats in bursts. Su reappears & appears interested, so Wu is frozen in hope. Her loved ones are hungover from it all. They don't like Su.

Wu is her most frustrating when she breaks up w/ Su. She's wrong. She agrees to go abroad w/ him, goes back on her promise, & then blames him for not being there - he doesn't ♥️ her enough, she blames. She wasn't honest about ·what· she needed from ·whom· preferring a draught of resentment when her needs sat empty. Just as she always flits from ex-to-the-next, never once opening up, then floating away, she pivots and does the same to Su.

1-sided♥️ is a symptom, as is her projec/deflec·tion. Neither she nor Su is able to heal the other. They must self-heal to self-liberate or they'll self-isolate & self-medicate.

Hu is suffering from what's referenced in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower: "We accept the 💘 we think we deserve." Always railing against poverty, her mother's complaints drip continuously until their tiny apt was overflowing. Mom's resentment became a bitterness that long ago blotted out affection. Hu has been plied with inferiority. She was dunked into the whirlpool w/ no way to emerge, so she truly believes she's dragging down Hun-Jae, her BF since HS. After all, he shouldn't suffer the way she has! Once again, as is the case w/ Su, the branding from childhood cannot be brushed away. She's also extremely stubborn, like mom, so it takes her a long ⏱ to come around.

It's frustrating how nobody has a faster epiphany, but isn't that true life? People don't pivot like Michael Jordan. These characters, blinded by pain, aren't contrived. I'm reminded of Kafka's Metamorphosis & how fed up I was w/ Gregor: "Someone should smash this bug!" Lol〰 Kafka's manipulations: He tricks the reader into being just as fed up as Gregor's family. Gregor didn't do anything wrong↪ Except↪he frustrated us↪so "bring out the Raid!"

The series is to the rim w/ metaphors:

☂ Absent Su, the dummies are drinking. Wu keeps looking at the empty Su-less chair next to her

☂ Jurassic Park's "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear" is cleverly placed (Su's apt in rearview)

☂ Wu & Su's clothes will start matching as they see each other more often

☂ Pinocchio's nose teaches us that lying distances us from others. We always lie to ourselves 1st. What sensible profundity

〰☂〰 ⛈Rain⛈ 〰☂〰

In MTF, rain represents the rough stuff of life that hammers all. Similar to armor, the ☂☂s are protective Shields. When Su decides to ♥️ Wu, he abandons his ☂ (He ✨ when wet. Ahem). Unprotected, Su hazards the elements & gets drenched. (Song-Wu Ong should do more scenes in the rain, all wet ☺).

People don't share ☂s often in the show. They're all alone in trying to protect themselves from the ⛈ of life. Instead of a lightweight ☂, they're wrapped up & weighted down in armor. We stand strong, walk shielded, & party-on better TOGETHER. It's not a coincidence that Hu compares turtle shells to armor over scars. Eventually, one will die from the weight or learn to take some off. (Of all the hypocrisy! - As if she's going to walk in the rain & not get wet! She will finally pull her chair all the way up to the table.)

About hypocrisy... When Ju tells the other girls how she sees ♥️, fate, & commitment, she might have been staggering around the room from the looks Hu&Wu shot her. The viewer's expectation is that the 2 will choose a personal-life application from the menu. Instead, they comment on how /Ju/ has matured! We're all blind to our own stuff. That scene drops a case of stuff.

Along w/the ♥️🔺, MTF serves up another trope: MSS (Mandatory-Separation-Syndrome). Usually painful as cirrhosis, for Su & Wu it's a good thing. The power balance between them should be 1:1 parts, which is necessary for them to grow together. It's also appropriate that Su's devotion be proof-tested.

The men in this show are saint-level good: Loving, patient, supportive... These girls tapped-the-majic-keg! Even though Wu didn't choose Saint CEO, she did catalyze Su into becoming her prince. Ding-dong! The curse is lifted. Each girl gets her prince! Ju, the girl w/ the loveless curse, gets married 1st. (It looks that way - they'll make it. Right? ;)) She had been looking & lamenting that she would never find him, but he had always been spilled out in front of her. The other two come to realize they weren't cursed in the first place. None of them were.

Leia Mais

Swoosh Flick & Flare °6.5° °has its moments°

They're messing with his mind. He arrives at his new school. A pretty girl greets him. He's happy… until he's carried off to the underground fights by buff boys in boxers. BTS is a 2017 release that is rated 89 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 8 30-minute groaners, I mean episodes. And boy are they idiotic. They're also pretty funny.

It is simple, childish, and arguably stooopid, but that's its charm. These transfer students each has special abilities. After the fight is sorted, they learn it was part of an evaluation. Their new school is a force for good! They've been selected to clean up schools in trouble. Almost immediately, they are placed on assignment as transfer students at schools in need of reform. They don't know how to use their abilities, however, so they generally get beat up in the field and luck into any successes.

The first mission is at an academy that has been feeding their charges a brain food supplement. The supplement has the unfortunate side effect of turning people into zombies. Another school is all girls; they've taken to kidnapping boys. Our heroes are so distracted by the girls during that one that they forget to rescue the kidnap victim. He had to escape on his own.

Shigeoka Daiki (Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen!, Higuma) is Kakeru Shigeoka. He falls in love with Hikari at first sight. He is cute, but infinitely average. Kiriyama Akito (Asa ga Kita, Gekikaradou) is Kiriyama Kakeru. He is an old soul. Nakama Junta Ninjani (Calling on! Fight Towards the Future, Gokusen 3) is Kakeru Nakama. His glasses are smarter than he is. Kamiyama Tomohiro (Daibinbo, Switched) portrays Kakeru Kamiyama. He has a thing for moms. Fujii Ryusei (Yokoso Wagaya e, Rokuhodo Yotsuiro Biyori) is Kakeru Fujii. His flowing blonde hair is glorious. He knows that. Hamada Takahiro (Kazama Kimichika: Kyojo Zero, Shotai) plays Kakeru Hamada. He's a brawler. Kotaki Nozomu (Momikeshite Fuyu, Rokuhodo Yotsuiro Biyori) plays Kakeru Kotaki. He's also a brawler - right out of the 1950's. He would NEVER make a woman cry.

Yep, they're all named Kakeru. They're all weird in their own way. One likes mature women, though he dresses like a little boy. One has special glasses that can help him figure out anything. One dresses like a sushi chef at an Edo period themed restaurant. Two are brawlers, one of which has to doowap hairdo. And the last one does seem like a pretty average guy, and he's definitely NOT Hikari's brother.

Kawashima Idaten (Umika Ie, Tsuite Itte ii Desuka) is Hikari, the cutie that's also an aid to the principal. The director is Lee Toshio of When I Get Home, My Wife Always Pretends to Be Dead & Dad's Backdrop. The screenwriter is Kawabe Yuko, who brought us Koi no Yamai to Yarougumi, Koi no Yamai to Yarougumi, Toyama Erika Grandma no Yuutsu & BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen.

The acting is actually quite good in that things seemed effortless. The directing is crisp, something necessary given that the show is just over 3hrs. Comedy is the least respected genre, yet it's also the most challenging. BTS passed the test in that it did make me laugh a few times. It's based on a manga. Manga and anime are all about a child-like sense of wonder and silliness. Viewers that have a silly side are likely to enjoy this. If you aren't the type to roll your eyes and grin at the same time, then enroll elsewhere.


QUOTES📢

Narcissists are invincible.

Luck is a skill.


〰🖍 IMHO
RATINGS
Directing 7
Writing 6
Acting 7,5
Art 6
Sound & music 6
Ending 6.5

LEVELS
Warmth 4
Action 6
Laughs 4
Tears 2
Fright 3
Tension / Anxiety 2
Gore 2
Thought provocation 2
Snores 1
📣7 📝6 🎭7.5 🎨6🎵/🔊6 🔚6.5 ▪ 🌞4⚡6 😅5 😭2 😱3 😯2 🤢2 🤔2 💤1

Age 15+
Language: R-rated F💣s, sex & boob jokes, but not much

Rated TV-MA: Mature Audience Only.

Re-📺?
This one's in the good-to-pass-the-time category, but I may never pass this way again….

You may also like:

After the Rain 7.3,
Ao-chan Can't Study 7.8,
Beyond the Boundary 7.8,
Chaika The Coffin Princess 8.4,
Chihayafuru 8.5,
The Eminence in Shadow 8.8,
Flowers of Evil 7.7 (not dubbed),
Food Wars 8.2,
Girls Und Panzer 8,
Kokoro Connect 7.4,
Land Of The Lustrous 8.1,
Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4,
Made in Abyss 9,
Maid Sama 10,
Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun 7.7,
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU 8,
Parasyte the Maxim 8.9,
Pet Girl of Sakura Hall 7.3,
Real Girl 7.5,
Senryu Girl 7.5,
Special A Class 8.2,
You're Under Arrest 7.8

Leia Mais

Every Sunflower Needs Its Sun °7.8° °cuteness overload°

Adapted from the novel, "She’s a Little Crazy”, WIFTY is as cute as cute gets. Zhang Miao Yi (Exclusive Fairytale) plays FL Su Zai Zai. She might be alittle crazy, but she's also like sunshine. Crazy, in this case, means an uninhibited, hyper-focused go-getter. She's gonna go get herself Zhang Lu Rang (Zhou Yi Ran from The Legend of Zhuohua, Falling into Your Smile-5.7). He's gloomy and more like the moon, but he likes sunflowers. Lu Rang is good at every subject but English. Languages are a snap for Zai Zai, but she struggles with everything else. They end up tutoring eachother. After you meet Lu Rang's mother, it makes sense that he likes Su Zai Zai.

WIFTY is a 2023 release that is rated a high-flying 9 on MDL. (Romance fans love it, yo). It is 1 season consisting of 24 cuddly 35-minute episodes. They fly by quickly. Jiang Zhi Nan (The Best Day of My Life) as Jiang Jia & Bian Tian Yang (Bright Time, Song of Youth-7.2) as Gu Ran round out the 2ndary couple. They are fun. (“As dumb@$$ he is, he actually didn't fall for my trick. This is so odd. What's more, how does he manage to be so obnoxious?”). Actor, Bian Tian Yang, and his part, are adorable. The director is Mao De Shu (Lovely Us) and the screenwriters are Yue An & Tao Kai Xin who also collaborated on Let's Meet Now.

The original creator is Zhu Yi of the wildly popular show, Hidden Love-7.8. Consequently, WIFTY and HL are very similar. They are both low drama ride-alongs. The viewer hangs out with these simple characters throughout several years of their simple lives, but not much happens. That isn't to say that WIFTY isn't lovely. It is absolutely darling. WIFTY and HL are low on complexity, shade and tension, but they are high on romantic charm and the Prozac effect. They both include likable characters with some growing up to do. They both feature a FL who suffers from an instant crush that lasts for (presumably) a lifetime. Both cover from middle school to first post-grad positions. And both promote relaxation and tranquility. The viewer is unlikely to cry, will probably smile but not laugh, won't experience much angst or frustration, and will feel at peace. There will always be a place for such entertainment. To be fair, I will rewatch a feature that is of sub-standard quality yet it touches the heart before a piece that is intelligent and technically perfect but emotionally flat; but when it comes to rating a show, technical skill and the way it moves the heart are both important. A low degree of difficulty does lower the maximum potential score.

What they do in WIFTY they do well. The music is solid. They play a snippet from Brit rockers, Queen, for a hot 5 seconds. It was amusing and quite unexpected. Before, by Zeyué is Shazam-worthy. The acting is excellent. The protagonists are engaging and there's some great dialogue. Long before they become a couple, our couple works on English prepositions and contrapositions together.

“If I exist, my love for you exists.”

“If I don't like you anymore, that I would no longer be me.”

It's a sweet scene.

“You don't necessarily have to become the sun. If you're willing to, you could be a star, a street light, or a firefly. They're all capable of shining when they want to shine. When they don't feel like shining they can slack off,” we hear in a challenge to shine as brightly as possible,

WIFTY shines as brightly as possible. Su Zai Zai is as unforgettable as she is adorable. While it's unlikely to appeal to anyone who isn't a serious romance fan, the show is simply delightful from one end to the other. If romance is your thing, make sure to exult in its warmth.


〰IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 7.8
Writing 7.7
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 6
Art 5.5
Sound & music
Ending

LEVELS
Warmth 7
Action 3
Laughs 4
Tears 2
Fright 1
Tension / Anxiety 1
Gore 1
Thought provocation 3
Snores 0

📣7.8 📝7.7 🎭8 💓7 🦋6 🎨5.5 🎵/🔊7 🔚8 ▪ 🌞7 ⚡3 😅4 😭2 😱1 😯1 🤢1 🤔3 💤0

Age 13+
It's very clean. They do cohabitate prior to marriage

Rated
TV-PG: Parental Guidance Suggested

Re-📺? Very Possible

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

♥️ -
C: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K :
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

Period -
C: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

Fantasy
C: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

Action/horror -
C: Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;
K:
K2 8;
Private Lives 8.1;
Sisyphus 8;
Tunnel 8.1;
Signal 8.6;
The Man From Nowhere 8.9
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;
Kingdom 8.3;
Sweet Home 8.4

Japanese🇯🇵 lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5

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