KDrama

GyeongSeong Creature – Kdrama Review

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Title: GyeongSeong Creature

Language: Korean

Genres: Historical, Romance, Horror, Action

Objectional Content: Graphic Violence, Language, Death

Synopsis (From MyDramaList) Jang Tae Sang, a charming and resourceful man in Bukchon, Gyeongseong, enjoys his comfortable life until he crosses paths with Yoon Chae Ok, a skilled todugun known for finding missing people. Chae Ok, hardened by a tough childhood traveling through Manchuria and Shanghai, arrives in Gyeongseong searching for her mother, who disappeared a decade ago. Together, they tackle puzzling missing person cases that reveal a chilling truth, pushing Tae Sang to question his values and Chae Ok to confront her past.

My Overview

The synopsis from MyDramaList doesn’t really begin to tell you what this drama is about. It takes place in Korea, during the Japanese Colonial era. As the first episode opens, we see Japanese soldiers preparing to abandon some kind of laboratory. Dead bodies are being piled up and doused in gasoline. Those in charge are gathering important papers and samples in test tubes. Some sort of monstrous creature can be seen before the building goes up in flames.

The narrative then moves to Gyeongseong, where Jang Tae-Sang is tasked with finding the mistress of a Japanese police official who has been missing for a week. To help with the search, Tae-Sang employs a pair of sleuths, father and daughter duo Yoon Joon-Won and Yoon Chae-Ok. The trail leads them to Onseong Hospital, which appears to be a respectable medical centre that caters to the wealthy Japanese, but below the surface lies underground dungeons filled with people being experimented on.

My Review

After watching a few more light hearted romantic comedies, Gyeongseong Creature was a bit of a shock to the senses. This drama grabbed my attention from the very first moment and didn’t let go. I hated the fact that I had to sleep and go to work instead of being able to watch this to the end.

Park Seo-Joon (Tae-Sang) and Han So-Hee (Chae-Ok) are great together. I honestly thought it was so funny how Tae-Sang is clearly infatuated with Chae-Ok from the second he sees her face while she is quite indifferent and standoffish. Jo Han-Chul as Chae-Ok’s father is also fantastic. I’ve seen him in a few other dramas where he’s mostly playing some kind of corporate yuppie, so to see him in a more down to earth and action type role was really great.

There is a fair amount of gore and graphic violence in this drama. Human experimentation, including on children, does take place, so viewer discretion is advised for that. I have seen worse in terms of gore, but I think the fact that it stems from human experimentation makes it more disturbing.

If I hadn’t known that there was already a second season I would have been pretty mad at the ending as it ends on a cliffhanger. Thankfully, season two is already out and available to watch.

My rating for Gyeongseong Creature is 5 out of 5 stars and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a historical horror drama with a good amount of action and some romance and mystery thrown in.

Thanks for reading!

Tale of the Nine-Tailed: 1938 – Review

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Title: Tale of the Nine-Tailed: 1938

Language: Korean

Genres: Historical, Romance, Fantasy, Horror

Objectional Content: Violence, Language

Synopsis: (from MyDramaList): An unexpected case leads Lee Yeon back in time to 1938, where he reencounters Ryu Hong Ju. Once a guardian spirit of the mountain in the west, she’s now the owner of a high-end restaurant in the capital city of Gyeongseong. He also meets his younger brother, Lee Rang. Meanwhile, another former guardian spirit and ex-friend, Cheon Mu Yeong, has become hostile. Lee Yeon struggles to return to the present, to his loved one.

My Review

I’ve been trying to think how to write this review and where to start, so I think I’ll begin with the negative. To be clear, by “negative” I don’t mean “bad” necessarily. This drama deals with time travel, which is always a difficult thing to do well. It’s stated in the show that anything Lee Yeon does while in the past will not have any affect on the future. This is obviously meant to ensure that the events of the first season can’t be impacted, but honestly, if you think about it even a little, how can his presence there not have an affect? The more I think about it, the more things I think of that would have affect on the timeline.

So, my conclusion is that the best way to enjoy this show is to just not think about the consequences of time travel. If you can.

Ok, time travel conundrums aside, Lee Yeon has regained his nine-tailed fox powers and has resumed working for Taluipa in exchange for Lee Rang’s soul being allowed to reincarnate. Not long after the deal is made, the guardian stone which keeps evil spirits from entering the Stream of the Dead is stolen and the thief jumps into a cabinet, traveling back to 1938. Lee Yeon follows after, on a mission to retrieve the stone. Soon after he runs into his younger brother, Lee Rang. From here, shenanigans ensue as Lee Yeon becomes involved in the current events of 1938 while he waits for the right time to be able to return to the present.

We get glimpses into Lee Yeon’s past, his childhood friends and how they grew up before becoming mountain gods. I love the relationship between the brothers. One moment they’re trying to kill one another, the next they’re trying to kill someone else for daring to harm one of them. They bicker and argue constantly but in the end, they truly love each other, even if they won’t say it.

I love when Lee Yeon goes in Fox mode. His eyes turn yellow and his tails show up. The only thing better would be if he actually turned into a fox.

I’m a bit disappointed that there was a pretty major plot point that wasn’t resolved. I’m not sure if a third season is intended or going to be made or not. I certainly hope so because, not only do I love the characters, that one point really needs to be addressed.

My rating for Tale of the Nine-Tailed:1938 is 4 out of 5 stars. It loses a star for the time travel confusion. I’d recommended this to anyone who has seen Tale of the Nine-Tailed and those you enjoy historical dramas with some supernatural flare.

Thanks for reading!

Genie, Make a Wish – Review

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Title: Genie, Make a Wish

Language: Korean

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy

Objectional Content: Violence, Language, Death

Synopsis: (From MyDramaList): Cold, impassive Ga Yeong has spent her life under her grandmother’s care, whose watchful eye and tough-love approach have helped keep Ga Yeong’s psychopathic tendencies in check. When Ga Yeong unexpectedly stumbles upon a magical lamp, she awakens the mysterious spirit Genie from his thousand-year slumber — and yes, he promises the young woman three life-changing wishes. Unleashed into a new millennium, Genie’s mischievous magic shakes up Ga Yeong’s quiet life, and as he navigates the unfamiliar realities of the modern world, the two find themselves in a surprising whirlwind romance. But just when things couldn’t get any less predictable, Ga Yeong learns her wish-granting sidekick is actually Iblis, better known as Satan, who is hell-bent on proving that humans are corruptible. It’s a whole new twist on the genie-in-a-lamp story, and when Ga Yeong’s intractability and tightly controlled routines meet Genie’s trickster energy and clueless charm, it sets the stage for a romance that will be anything but ordinary.

My Review

Where do I begin with this one? It showed up as a recommendation on Netflix and I saw that Kim Woo Bin was the male lead, who I have very much liked in other dramas/movies. I watched the trailer and decided this series would be worth a watch. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting or hoping for. The genie, Iblis, is literally supposed to be Satan, and therefore, evil. Iblis is definitely not evil. Mischievous and kind of a dick sometimes? Yes. Evil? Not by a long shot.

I understand that seeing the modern world after spending nearly a thousand years trapped in a lamp would be very confusing and awe inspiring, but his behaviour borders more on childish than anything. He allows the female lead to literally beat him, despite the fact he can disappear at will, and gets addicted to an arcade game. There are a few times when he does become serious, and almost like an all powerful being that hates humans and wants to corrupt them so they go to hell, but those moments are few and far between.

Bae Suzy as Ki Ga-Yeoung was fantastic. She shows a great deal of range in this show. Ki Ga-Yeong is a psychopath and not once did I disbelieve that. In her past life, she was a sweet and kind person, despite being oppressed and degraded. The supporting characters were also pretty good. I quite liked Sade and Irem. I think they could have a really cute relationship.

My rating for Genie, Make a Wish is 3 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a slightly more serious romance, though with a good amount of comedy thrown in. I think if you start knowing that Iblis isn’t nearly as evil as he should be, this drama is a good series.

Have you watched Genie, Make a Wish? What did you think?

As You Stood By – Review

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As You Stood Buy Netflix poster

Title: As You Stood By

Language: Korean

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological, Crime

Objectional Content: Domestic Violence, Violence against women

Synopsis: (from MyDramaList) Eun Su works in sales at a luxury goods retailer in a high-end department store. She has carried the weight of a deep-seated trauma since childhood. Her friend, Hui Su, shares a similar burden; both women are haunted by the scars of their pasts. Hui Su was once a promising children’s book writer, but her career has long since stalled. Now, she is trapped in a nightmarish existence due to the violent abuse of her husband, Jin Pyo. Desperate to escape his cruelty, Hui Su lives in constant fear, unable to break free from his grasp. One day, Eun Su reaches a breaking point and decides to take matters into her own hands. She makes the life-altering decision to save her friend by ending Jin Pyo’s life. Together, the two women devise a plan to kill him. As their plan unfolds, Jin So Baek, the powerful CEO of Jingang Firm, becomes aware of their intentions. Sensing an opportunity, he offers his support, becoming a strong ally in their dangerous mission. With his backing, the women feel emboldened, but their journey is fraught with peril as they navigate the dangerous path ahead.

My Review

This drama was very hard to watch at times. It highlights the nightmare of being in an abusive relationship, and how difficult it is to leave one. Hui Su tried to leave. Her husband threatened her mother and killed her cat. Hui Su’s sister in law, a police officer, told her to her face not to bother filing a report, as the majority of domestic violence cases never receive justice. The sister in law framed it as if Hui Su were filing a report for a friend, but it was obvious she knew what her own brother was doing to his wife. Her mother in law was even an advocate for abused women, who did nothing to help.

When Hui Su’s best friend, Eun Su finds out about what’s happening to her friend, she also goes to the police. However, their nonchalant attitude about the report disgusts her and makes her leave. She knew that even if she filed the report nothing would be done. After Hui Su attempts to take her own life, the two come up with a plan to kill the abusive husband.

With no one willing to help, especially the authorities, and those closest to her, is it any wonder these two women decided the only way for Hui Su to be safe was to kill the man keeping her trapped by his abuse?

There is no such thing as the perfect crime, however, and soon their criminal deeds threaten to come to light. Even with outside help, there’s only so much they can do to keep their secret.

This drama kept me engaged the whole time. I had to keep watching to know how it was all going to end, even when I found the violence difficult to stomach. I think dramas like this are important. They remind people how prevalent domestic violence is and what the consequences for turning a blind eye can be.

My rating for As You Stood By is 4 out of 5 stars. There was a thing or two that didn’t quite add up in the grand scheme of things. I highly recommend watching this drama to everyone.

Have you seen As You Stood By? What are you thoughts?

The Scholar Who Walks at Night – Review

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Title: The Scholar Who Walks at Night

Language: Korean

Genres: Historical, Mystery, Romance, Fantasy

Objectional Content: Violence, Death

Synopsis: from MyDramaList: In Joseon Dynasty, immaculately dressed in scholarly robes, the young nobleman Kim Sung Yeol lives as a vampire to keep his promise to his friends. When Sung Yeol still was a human, he found out about the vampire Gwi who sits above the King deciding the next royal line and has resurrected as a vampire trying to fight against Gwi. And now, he is living as a guardian vampire fighting against the evil vampire without losing his human nature.

My Review

I found this drama after I watched Tomorrow. I loved Lee Soo Hyuk in that show so much I wanted to know what else he was in. Thus I came across the Scholar Who Walks at Night. I wanted so much to like this drama, and at first it was pretty good. The vampire acting and some of the special affects are a bit cheesy, but I could look past that. The problem is, it just goes on for too long.

Most of the show is spent looking for the “secret plan” to kill the vampire Gwi. Then, once they finally get it, they spend multiple episodes agonizing over how it’s to be used. How the plan is to be used is even misinterpreted, resulting in the belief that the Female Lead needs to be sacrificed to Gwi in order to kill him. Even after they realize that is incorrect, it still takes them forever to come up with a plan.

Kin Sung Yeol started out as a pretty cool character. He has been living as a vampire for 120 years, searching for the way to kill Gwi and free the country from the vampire’s grasp. He is mostly closed off and stoic when he first meets Jo Yang Seon, who is working as a bookseller. As Sung Yeol begins to develop feelings for Yang Seon, he becomes annoyingly whiney. He believes himself to be a horrible beast that may lose control and attack Yang Seon.

In turn, Yang Seon is basically useless. She doesn’t do much except need to be saved constantly. She couldn’t even sacrifice herself for the greater good properly.

Truly, Gwi is the only character that I really liked. The Crown Prince wasn’t bad, but not my favorite. Gwi is a straight forward character. You know what his motives are and how he’s likely to react to certain situations. Yes, he a monster that survives on human blood, but I think in the end he was kind of lonely. I wanted so much for Gwi to win, but I knew that was never going to happen. If you’ve seen any amount of Kdramas in your life, you will know what I mean. The ending was also very cliche.

At one point I considered giving up on this drama, but since I only had a few episodes left, I decided to stick it out.

My rating for the Scholar Who Walks At Night is 3 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy historical dramas with overly sensitive male leads, than this may be a drama for you.

Thanks for reading!

Weak Hero: Class 1 – Review

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Title: Weak Hero: Class 1

Language: Korean

Genres: Action, Youth, Drama

Objectional Content: Violence, Bullying

Synopsis: from MyDramaList: Yeon Shi Eun is a model student who ranks at the top of his high school. Physically, Yeon Shi Eun appears weak, but by using his wits and psychology, he fights against the violence that takes place inside and outside of his school.

My Review

I honestly don’t know what to make of this drama. Is it supposed to be against bullying? Is it showing what happens if you stand up to bullies? Or is it highlighting what Korean society is like?

Our main character, Shi-Eun, seems like a quiet person who keeps to himself and spends all of his time studying. This, apparently, is not acceptable to the school bullies and they begin to harass him. However, because he doesn’t react to being threatened, they instead try to mess with his grades. Using a new student to put a fentanyl patch on Shi-Eun’s neck results in him incorrectly answering a question on an exam. This causes Shi-Eun to lose it and attacks the bully. Everything escalates from there.

The bullies can’t accept that they were beaten and need to get revenge, which leads to involvement with a dangerous gang and everything escalates out of control. Resentment flies all over the place and everyone is getting beaten mercilessly.

The show is very well done. The acting is spot on and the production is great. But, as I said at the beginning of this, I’m not sure what to take away from it.

If you have seen this show, I would really love to know your opinion on it as well. So if you have seen it, please leave your thoughts in the comments. If not, give it a watch and see what you think for yourself.

My rating for Weak Hero Class 1 is 4 out of 5 stars. There is a second season but I have yet to watch it. I needed a palate cleanser after finishing the first season.

Vincenzo – KDrama Review

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Title: Vincenzo

Language: Korean, Italian, English

Genres: Comedy, Law, Crime, Drama

Objectional Content: Violence, Murder

Synopsis: from (MyDramaList): At the age of eight, Park Joo Hyeong left for Italy after being adopted. Now an adult, he is known as Vincenzo Cassano and employed by a Mafia family as a consigliere. Due to warring Mafia factions, he flies to South Korea where he gets involved with lawyer Hong Cha Young. She is the type of attorney who will do anything to win a case. Now back in his motherland, he gives an unrivalled conglomerate a taste of his own medicine—with a side of his own version of justice.

My Review

Vincenzo begins in spectacular fashion when Vincenzo, the character, takes revenge on a rival Mafia family after the death of his boss. Refusing to serve the new boss, Vincenzo flies back to his motherland of Korea. There, safely hidden below and old building, is 15 tons of gold. The rightful owner has passed away and the only people who know about the gold are Vincenzo himself and a friend who helped hide the gold. Unfortunately, the building is bought by illegal means, forcing Vincenzo to become involved in with the building’s tenants and their fight to keep the building from being demolished.

Vincenzo as a character is just amazing. He is calm and collected, even when when being insulted to his face or having his life threatened. He doesn’t give in to his emotions and never acts rashly. He is very good at playing the long game. If someone crosses this man, they will pay for it dearly, but stay on his good side and he will protect you when needed. He is truly a scary type of person. Knowing full well he is not any type of hero for justice, he is a villain that will use what he knows to get what he wants.

In the beginning, I didn’t much like Hong Cha-Young. She is arrogant, loud, and has a weird way of walking like she’s better than those around here. However, after he father is murdered, she quits her high profile law firm to fight again Babel and bring down it’s evil CEO. She kind of grew on me by the end.

Jang Han-Seok is a true psychopath as the true villain of this show. One moment he can be all smiles and innocence, the next he’ll be beating someone with a hockey stick. This man is even more terrifying than Vincenzo because he enjoys the pain he inflicts. I don’t want to spoil anything, but he most definitely gets what he deserves in the end.

This drama has so many twists and turns. There were some genuinely jaw dropping moments and times when I cried. I could barely predict what was to come next. Some dramas can be very formulaic, but not this one. Thankfully, the last episode also wasn’t some stupid kind of filler episode with like a dumb amnesia plot or something.

Although it was slightly open ended in it’s last moments, I’d say this show wrapped up quite nicely, with no loose ends to really wonder about. Considering its been 4 years since it was released, I’d be surprised if they suddenly decided to do a season 2.

My rating for Vincenzo is 4.5 stars out of 5 and I’d recommend it to anyone who is looking for a somewhat intense, but also slow burn story about crime and how people will try to cheat the law.

Thanks for reading!

The Uncanny Counter 2 – Kdrama Review

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The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch

Title: The Uncanny Counter 2

Language: Korean

Genres: Action, Mystery, comedy, Supernatural

Objectional Content: Violence, Domestic Violence, Murder

Synopsis: from (MyDramaList): Evil spirits from the afterlife arrive on Earth in search of an immortal existence. The story follows a group of counters who are tasked with catching these malevolent entities.

My Review

In season 1 of the Uncanny County, So Mun was the rookie of the team. He had to learn to navigate his new powers while also coming to terms with the death of his parents. Now, in season 2, So Mun is the ace of the team. He has mastered his abilities, improved his fighting skills and can use psycokinesis. When a trio of evil spirits kills and consumes a team of Counters in China and gains their abilities, So Mun and his fellow Counters have their skills put to the test.

Mun has gained confidence in his abilities and the rest of the team rely on him to get them through. A new Counter also joins the team, Na Jeok-Bong, who has a unique ability as well. He can smell evil spirits. Too bad for him, they smell foul. He doesn’t really contribute much else to the team, in my opinion. Do Ha-Na seems to be more open in this season. In the past, she was very closed off and reserved, not wanting her team mates to know anything about her past. In this season, they are all much more like family.

At one point, Ha-Na reconnects with an old classmate. For a brief period she gets to experience true happiness and something of what a normal life could be. Sadly, with her job, she knows it’s something she can never really have.

When someone the Counters know and trust is possessed by an evil spirit, things start to get crazy. This evil spirit is stronger than most they have faced before. When the trio from China start to work together with this new spirit, things get very dangerous for the Counters. They all come very close to dying on multiple occasions.

I have to say that I really enjoyed with show. It was great to see these characters again. The ending felt nicely wrapped up so I wouldn’t expect a third season. Honestly, I don’t think a third season would benefit this show at all. They would have to keep upping the stakes and unless one of the team actually dies, I don’t think they can up it much more.

My rating for The Uncanny Counter 2 is 4 out of 5 stars. It loses a star because I didn’t really like Na Jeok-Bong as a character and there are times when it feels a bit cheesy. I’d recommend this show to anyone who watched the first season, and if you haven’t watched the first season, go watch that first!

Have you watched the Uncanny Counter? I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments!

Dr. Brain – Kdrama Review

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Dr. Brain, Kdrama on Apple+

Title: Dr. Brain

Language: Korean

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Medical

Synopsis (from MyDramaList): An emotional journey that follows a brain scientist who is obsessive about figuring out new technologies to access the consciousness and memories of the brain. His life goes sideways when his family falls victim to a mysterious accident, and he uses his skills to access memories from his wife’s brain to piece together the mystery of what actually happened to his family and why.

My Review

Dr. Brain follows Dr. Koh Se Won as he researches how to communicate between two people’s brains. After a family tragedy, he becomes even more determined and ultimately succeeds. He connects with his wife, who is in a coma, to help find their lost son.

I really did enjoy this show, even if there were some things that I found odd, or kind of just out of left field. For example, it makes sense that after syncing with another person’s brain that Se Won might take on some traits of that person’s personality. What is weird is that after synching with a cat, he’s able jump higher than usual and his reflexes have improved considerably. His eyes even glow green momentarily when he accesses those abilities.

The motive behind the whole plot is also rather far fetched. I don’t want to spoil anything about it, but it just didn’t really make sense.

I did like Se Won and seeing him progress and change as a person the more times he synced with people, taking on some of their traits and learning to feel emotions he previously hadn’t. the very end was also a bit confusing. I think there was supposed to be a second season, but unfortunately, Lee Sun Kyun, who played Dr. Koh passed away.

My rating for Dr. Brain is 3 out of 5 stars and I would recommend giving it a watch if you’re looking for something different and short. There are only 6 episodes so it’s easy to get through.

As always, thanks for reading!

Bad and Crazy – Kdrama Review

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Title: Bad and Crazy

Language: Korean

Genres: Action, Thriller, Mystery Comedy

Synopsis (from MyDramaList): Soo Yeol, a skilled but morally compromised officer in the Anti-Corruption Unit, faces a turning point after meeting K, a righteous but eccentric man. Despite his high school diploma, Soo Yeol has climbed the ranks by catering to his superiors’ desires, often ignoring justice in the process. As promotion time nears, he fears being left behind, especially after his hopes with Congressman Do Yoo Gon are shattered by K’s arrival. Together, the “bad boy” and the “crazy guy” form an unlikely partnership—bringing both chaos and change.

My Review

Watching these types of shows makes me wonder about what the justice system is really like in Korea. Are cops really just covering up things for politicians and sucking up to their superiors? I’d like to hope it’s not like that at all and it’s all just dramatization.

I have to say, though, I absolutely loved this drama. Lee Dong Wook and Wi Ha Joon are amazing together! From the very first moment K shows up, hilarity ensues. His very first appearance involves beating Soo Yeol in a bathhouse. That towel must have been on there really well 😉

It becomes apparent pretty quickly what K is and why he is there. Soo Yeol has allowed himself to become corrupt, to do just about anything to get his next promotion. He’ll brown nose and suck up to whoever he needs to for his own gain. Honestly, in the beginning, Soo Yeol is a complete sleaze. At first, I didn’t like him as a character, even though I like Lee Dong Wook as an actor. It was great to watch him learn and change, all while getting his ass handed to him by K.

Although there were many great scenes in this show, one in particular stands out. Soo Yeol and K get trapped in a very small space while investigating and what ensues is pretty funny. I don’t want to spoil anything there, but I honestly wonder how much of that scene was actually scripted.

Endings to Kdramas can sometimes be hit or miss, but in this case, I think it was a hit. Although it is bittersweet, I understand why it ended the way it did and overall it was satisfying.

My rating for Bad and Crazy is 4.5 out of 5 stars. I’m taking away .5 because there were a few little inconsistencies that I noticed, but nothing major. I’d recommend this show to anyone looking for an action thriller with a good mystery and humor.

As always, thanks for reading!