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meemsyd
Reviews
Challengers (2024)
Style over substance
The Good -
The cinematography in this film is visually engaging, creative and quite unique. Same with the use of sound, quite interesting. Artistically masterful. Actors gave great performances (particularly Mike Faist). It was interesting to watch throughout and the story went back and forth between timelines quite well.
The Not So Good -
Despite a small and concentrated group of characters, I felt like we didn't get to know them very well and they were a bit one dimensional (gentle guy, aggressive guy, power girl). Huge emphasis on visual voyeurism with lingering shots of bodies & kissing that felt very awkward to watch (and I'm no prude), that didn't do much for the story.
It's not a bad watch but I'd class this very much as a *film* rather than a movie that appeals to the masses.
Irish Wish (2024)
Budget tropey romcom, enjoy it for what it is
It's nice to see Lindsay Lohan again, but this movie is not her best work, nor Ed Speeler's. It's mildly enjoyable if you feel like watching a mindless tropey romance, predictable and familiar. There's a love triangle, an element of magic, wedding weekend, meet-cute, caught in a rainstorm etc, so you really feel the similarities to other good romcoms from the 90s & 00s, but it definitely feels like cheaper quality.
Good parts of the film were the scenery, and that the story moved at a good pace since the movie is a standard 1h 30m. Weaknesses were in the cliche unrealistic dialogue (especially with side characters) and the lack of creativity in the story and execution. In no way a classic and I probably wouldn't rewatch it but I enjoyed it for what it was.
Mai Demon (2023)
Enjoyable if not the best.
I was hooked on this drama in the first half of the series; it was lighthearted, funny, beautiful actors, and some interesting fantasy/mythology/supernatural elements. The visuals are breathtaking in some scenes and though it's tropey, if you enjoy that kind of thing it's compelling and entertaining. The pacing in the first half moves quickly, with the characters are introduced well, a couple of different plotlines and personal stakes established, an engaging romance, and it felt well balanced and bingeable.
Unfortunately the good parts started to slowly fall away in the second half of the drama, when the character development took a back seat to more murder mystery / crime solving exposition. It just felt like the focus shifted too much and it became a bit boring and hard to finish. It was still worth a watch even if it was underwhelming at the end, because I did enjoy myself for most of it.
My Life with the Walter Boys (2023)
Stupid but weirdly enjoyable, classic trashy drama
This was basically a hate watch for most of the viewing experience, but by the end I was all in for a second season. So despite the people who made this making some the wackiest decisions ever, I applaud them for subverting my expectations for the main characters by the end, and making me feel invested.
Casting - completely nonsensical. Siblings that look wildly different, some look the same age as their mother, totally unexplained how a woman can have 9 kids and also 2 university degrees whilst looking 40, we were laughing about it throughout the whole show because it was so ridiculous! Like fully thought they would all turn out to be adopted as the big twist, it was so bad!
Story - could not care less about most of the secondary characters but quite liked a few of them. Most of the side plots felt like wasted time, and there were too many (and some of the acting was pretty flat). The main romantic story was full of toxic tropes but actually redeemed itself a bit - my initial "nice guy" I genuinely hated by the end, and the "bad guy" who I hated at the start I really came to feel for by the end. Like obviously a classic trope but it got me! Main character was fairly bland but likeable enough.
Elephant in the room - The main thing that bothered me throughout is that a teenage girl who's been though a really traumatic event is put into this chaotic environment and pursued by what are essentially like her brothers in this situation - I wish the family had actually looked after her (instead of just saying they did) because in real life this would be a worrying situation for a young vulnerable girl. But, it's just a story and in the end she does sort of save herself.
So, I would recommend this show only if you have a buddy to watch with, because there will be parts where you will be ripping your hair out and need someone to laugh about it with. It's totally ridiculous, but pretty entertaining.
Dangshini Jamdeun Saie (2017)
Perfectly balanced story
This is the first 10/10 I think I've ever given. This show is the perfect mix of procedural drama, slice of life, mystery, light fantasy, and romance. So well balanced and executed, couldn't have been a better watching experience.
The characters: A strong first episode hooked me in, and I felt immediately invested in the characters. They are lively and unreserved around each other, and connected naturally via their professions (reporter, prosecutor and police officer) as well as becoming genuine friends. There's great secondary characters in their workplaces that make the show feel grounded and connected in all parts of the story. They're also realistic and mature characters, with careers and backstories, and maintain some levity and humour, despite some tragic elements in their character arcs. There's some great family relationships and a nice sense of domesticity because they all hang out organically, as well as being involved in situations together.
Plot: pacing is excellent throughout, helped by the legal and reporting aspect which means a new case is explored every few episodes, as well as the dreaming/supernatural element which foreshadows future events (but free will can change the outcome, so you're always interested how they will solve the issue). The fantasy element is also limited to our main characters only, making it feel tight and sensical. The overarching plot is helped by well utilised flashbacks which helps the whole story feel like a connected whole spanning years. There is also a visual sense of the seasons passing, giving a realistic sense of time for relationships to develop and change. There's lots of good comedy weaved in to the show which keeps it feeling light even when heavy things are going on.
Romance: A friendship becomes more, and the woman is actually confident and forward with her feelings! They're always secretly on the same page, and just seem like equals, who are mature working people and work together to solve problems and always look out for each other. There's also lots of affection and just a nice wholesome vibe between them and I just love everything about it.
Overall, highly recommend this drama, I don't think you will be disappointed.
Naje Ddeuneun Dal (2023)
Great story, a little bit underwhelming
A touching tragedy about star cross'd lovers basically, featuring reincarnation, past lives and revenge.
The good: Actors have great chemistry, the pacing and story are done well. The historical past lives stuff was the highlight of most episodes; costumes, story and emotions there are so engaging. The story overall is a tragedy but has enough light moments to keep it from feeling overwhelmingly depressing, and the plot is satisfying.
The not so good: I think the emotional connection between the lead characters could have come a little quicker and gone a little deeper. I enjoyed watching the show overall, but wasn't left feeling that "wow, that was so good" feeling.
Nae Yeojachinguneun Gumiho (2010)
Good fun!
The good: The plot is not action packed, but has twists and turns and good character development to keep you engaged throughout. Lead actors are charismatic, cute and expressive.
The not so good: Production quality is not great, especially compared with more recent Korean dramas but it kinda adds to the charm of it in a way. It's ridiculous in it's humour sometimes (which is pretty funny mostly!) but never in a gross-out way. A few aspects of the story are left a bit underexplained/unresolved at the end but nothing major. If you need a cinematic masterpiece, probably not up your alley.
Highly recommend this drama if you're looking for something lighthearted and fun, with a little bit of fantasy and angst. I found it just an easy, light, wholesome watch and would do it again!
Call It Love (2023)
Well produced but underwhelming
A well written and at times, very touching story. At other times, a very slow and frustrating watch. It focuses on loneliness, grief, healing and family.
The good: The setup of the family and story is interesting, and I liked their dynamic, it was realistic and wholesome and fun a lot of the time, which was needed because the rest of the drama is pretty depressing. The cinematography is beautiful. There's a truly platonic male-female friendship which is a breath of fresh air in a romance drama.
The bad: I know the lead actors in this have a decent range, because I've watched other shows with them, but here their characters are very stoic and wooden, and their scenes became a drag. Don't think they had good chemistry, and I mostly finished the show to see what happened with the family and second couple.
The Buccaneers (2023)
Potentially great, ultimately frustrating as hell
So - the concept of this show is interesting. A group of American new money gals ship off to England to find husbands with the titles to make their wealthy families feel more legitimate. Cultural clashes abound.
Good things - production quality was high; costumes were detailed and filming locations/sets were visually very nice. The female friendships of the secondary characters were sweet and honest in some parts. Some good talent involved, the highlight of the whole show for me being Christina Hendricks, she just nails period pieces.
Bad things - the modern hair, just took me out of it every episode. The main character was forgettable after a while and didn't have much agency in the story, and I would say the secondary girlies got better character development and more touching stories. The romantic interests were really poorly developed, didn't care what happened with the love story at all (and I'm a romance lover and easily pleased usually!). And it ends on a weird cliffhanger, like a lot of unresolved plotlines just left hanging. Left feeling annoyed at the writers, it was just so unsatisfying and why? Kind of a waste of time.
Useless Lies (2023)
Fluffy romcom with some good twists
Nothing amazing or unique about this romcom, but it's an enjoyable light watch with some crime elements and intrigue.
The show focuses on a woman with a superpower of being able to detect lies, which she makes a good living out of, but has affected her trust in the people in her life and she's isolated. She meets a man who is accused of a crime and similarly isolated, and hijinks ensue. It's a simple but interesting premise.
The main leads are likeable and both have well developed backstories. The show does a good job developing the plot at a decent pace, with some well written twists and turns. Everything comes full circle by the end, and whilst not a super deep emotional show, it does have some interesting concepts about lying, when and why people choose to do it and the particular effects it has on how the main character perceives the world and her relationships. The romance is cute and wholesome, and doesn't rely on tropes - the communication of all the characters is refreshingly honest which suits the theme.
Would recommend for a light watch, just enough problem solving and mystery to keep you interested, and pretty cute and fluffy as a romcom should be.
W - Du gaeui segye (2016)
Well done fantasy
I really enjoyed this drama. It has a very fun premise, an interesting story, lively characters (and pretty easy on the eyes), and lots of twists and turns.
It revolves around a webtoon character coming to life, and concepts around parallel worlds, revenge, love, forgiveness, family, and aspects of storytelling.
There's a sweet romance but the storyline is solid and good on it's own merit as well. It has a fair bit of angst and hints of tragedy, but it's overall a fun lighthearted ride. Most of the fantasy elements made sense to me and I just went with it and enjoyed the journey. Would recommend!
Cang Lan jue (2022)
Awesome epic fantasy
An awesome epic fantasy. It took me on a journey for real.
The story grows on you slowly (it took me 4 hours of mild interest, then I was truly hooked) and ends up being one of the most beautiful stories I've seen, although the final few episodes left a tiny bit to be desired.
The characters all grew on me and both leads had a great character arc, the world felt so immersive and visually engaging (excellent CGI & art) the pacing was solid and the cast was excellent.
Would highly recommend to anyone who's a fan of high fantasy, epic romance and Asian mythology in general. I'm not surprised this show took so long to produce, because the final product is so high quality.
My Heart Is Beating (2023)
Great drama, tainted by poor resolution
This is a good fantasy story with likeable characters, comedy and refreshing writing.
It's somewhat slow, but I think well paced. The highlights are the male friendships, the back and forth between the love interests when they first meet, that both leads have a decent character arc, and the representation of honest communication/relationships. The writers didn't rely on miscommunications for drama, and seemed like they were inverting a couple of tropes in a cool way.
Unfortunately this series does not wrap up in a satisfying way. There are several plot points that are resolved in kind of a rushed manner, and the endings for the main characters were just weird and didn't make sense really. Not sure what happened in the writer's room towards the end. It's tough to recommend a series when it ends poorly, because you do get really invested in characters. Still a fun watch I would say but not one I'd necessarily recommend sadly.
Yibeon Saengdo Jal Butakhae (2023)
Starts strong, overall pretty average
This show starts off strong, with an intriguing supernatural/reincarnation story and excellent setup. There's child actors who are excellent at portraying a nuanced backstory for the main leads, and some loveable side characters too.
Unfortunately as the series progresses they don't really develop the side characters much, some plot points kind of come out of nowhere and aren't resolved in a satisfying way, and for me the romance didn't really hit - mostly because of how persistent the female lead is towards the male lead, I just kept thinking how uncomfortable I would be if I was in that situation (and I'm female, thinking about it from any perspective). The pacing of the show also gradually worsens, with flashback scenes overutilised repeatedly.
It's not terrible and some will enjoy it for sure, but the story didn't live up to it's potential.
The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021)
Great writing, comedy + feels
Really enjoyed Season 1 of this show, felt like a 10/10. It was an easy watch, smartly written, with pretty realistic characters and plots. And, genuinely made me laugh hard every episode. The girls are all so different but work well together as a group, have some genuine wholesome moments and also realistically take a while before they really become trusting friends. The show handled some tough topics/themes with a lot of sensitivity I think, whilst keeping the overall feel of the series very lighthearted. Think this is the best executed show of this genre I've ever seen.
Season 2 was lower quality, felt like they ran out of ideas for the girls' stories and the pacing and comedy were kinda off. Still worth a watch for Season 1 and I'll watch Season 3 hoping for a return to form.
Ssam maiwei (2017)
Decent
This show does a good job at depicting a realistic look at life in your 20s with the disappointments and hardships, but also the funny moments and friendships they have. There's a focus on career goals, one with taekwondo and one with being an announcer, and the plot moves along at a decent pace. The friends-to-lovers storyline was pretty good, with lots of light moments and good banter. I did think though that overall the character development and arcs left me wanting. The second leads especially for me had a bit of an unsatisfying trajectory that just made me feel a bit sad. Overall it's a decent watch but not my favourite.
The School Nurse Files (2020)
Unmemorable
This is a quick watch with only 6 episodes. It's set in a high school but revolves around two staff members who get involved in some supernatural hijinks. It's a strange but intriguing kind of sci-fi concept, and I kept watching kind of waiting for an explanation as to what is going on. That never came but I didn't feel super frustrated with it, I kind of thought it was purposefully left ambiguous. The tone of the show is kind of dark and gloomy, and feels weird and mysterious. I don't really see the point of this show though as there isn't many themes or character arcs or plot that stick with me. It's not terrible, but it's also just a bit unmemorable and not very affecting as I like a story to be.
Gaet-na-eul cha-cha-cha (2021)
Slow paced and comforting
A story based around a small town community, with each episode kind of exploring a different family or person in relation to our two lead characters. You slowly start to love everyone in the town and the romance develops slowly and I kind of was never fully into it but it was definitely an enjoyable, slow burn type of watch. I thought it suffered a little bit from the mid-drama slump where a handful of episodes feel very slow paced and low quality. The two lead actors are pretty endearing and it is nice to see a more mature look at love from two people in their 30s. They're also quite opposite in personality but I wouldn't say it's a typical enemies to lovers trope, it's quite fun. If you're in the mood for something slow and comforting this is a good one to go for.
Seutateueob (2020)
Lost its way a little
This show has a great premise, well executed beginning to hook you in, and a fresh setting that you can be interested in even if you don't live for romance in a story. The pace moves well and it's shaping up to be a great story right?
The second half loses its way and seems to forget the plot points they set up and doesn't pay them off very well or acknowledge important character conflicts at all sometimes. Some of the choices in writing the characters kind of makes you root against them, and there were some big missed opportunities to explore some characters a lot more. The second half was also paced a lot slower and just was way less enjoyable. I don't know if I can really recommend watching it sadly, even though the first half had some great moments and potential.
Him-ssen yeo-ja Do Bong-soon (2017)
A fun watch
This is a very very cute romcom, the main leads have great chemistry and are fun characters on their own, their interactions are just so wholesome and funny. They also have an interesting dynamic as some gender roles are reversed. There's a thriller sideplot that somehow works alongside the fluffy romance well enough.
Some of the humour was pretty lowbrow and stupid, just skip most of the scenes with the crimebosses if you are turned off like I was, it's not overly important to the story.
Overall an enjoyable watch. Funny and cute, but with some flaws to be prepared to deal with.
Pretty much iconic and worth a watch just for the romance.
Yeokdoyojeong Gim Bokju (2016)
The definition of wholesome
Probably my favourite ever slice of life, slow burn romance and youth story. Friends to lovers done in a very satisfying and endearing way, Nam Joo Hyuk is absolutely charming and adorable as the male lead, and you come to love Kim Bok Joo even if she appears annoying or immature sometimes. The characters feel real and lived in, with no high stakes but just relatable life problems, engaging even though it's not life-and-death dramatic. For the most part it's also very funny and cute, with wholesome moments of friendship and family woven in. Some of the humour was a bit lowbrow for my taste and some side stories I thought were weak, but the main story is so great I easily forget about all that. The pacing is good and the character development feels consistent and earned. It's definitely an overall lighthearted show that will make you feel the warm fuzzies, so if you like a fluffy romcom, definitely put it on the list.
Seumuldaseot Seumulhana (2022)
Beautiful story, just don't watch the end
This is one of those special shows where it feels like a manga, slice of life, romance and coming of age story all in one. The characters are complex and endearing although being flawed and making bad choices at times. The character development and relationships in the show are wonderful and there are lots of relatable moments and interactions that make you feel bittersweet, good life lessons. The romance is subdued, realistic and really makes you pine on their behalf.
The pacing slows in the second half and I wish we saw the "25 21" part of the story much sooner. Personally for me, just treat episode 14 as the ending, as the final two episodes deviate in quite a big way from the established story and characters and make me feel sad and very frustrated. I actually would never watch it again, #1 because it was memorable, #2 because I felt betrayed by the ending. So enjoy with caution!
Byeolttongbyeol (2022)
Feel-good romcom, swoon!
For me, the perfect romcom. There's a charming frenemies to lovers plot, great female friendships, hilarious moments and deeper moments (but never so much angst that you feel super sad or frustrated). It felt really wholesome. The workplace setting is also interesting, behind the scenes of a Korean acting agency (not sure how much is accurate to life).
I will say the first episode is a little strange, but once you get past that it's pretty smooth sailing. I thought the female lead could have had a bit more of her own backstory, but overall the pacing was consistent and the story very satisfying. I found it engaging throughout and confident in the writing to pay off, very satisfying happy endings for everyone and a really nice feel-good watch.
The Forbidden Marriage (2022)
Very enjoyable!
Probably the most enjoyable show I've ever watched. It had a mix of everything I love in a story; fast paced, great character development, a happy ending but a good amount of angst throughout, sexy and intimate but also genuinely heartwarming and hilarious. You will fall in love with every character and it has a really nice lighthearted tone and wholesome vibe, and a modern sense of humour despite being having a historical setting. The acting is pretty great throughout (great eye candy too if you're into that) and the female character is a standout; a layered, flawed, and sassy woman. The final episode is a bit lukewarm but not in a big way and it was an excellent journey. One of the few Kdramas I have watched out of many that I would confidently recommend and rewatch as it's just a great time!
Hwan Hon (2022)
Brilliant at times but very inconsistent
I was hooked on the first 10 episodes of this show, connected so deeply to the world that was established and the complex layered characters and relationships. There is lot of angst and tragedy whilst maintaining an overall sense of levity and humour in the story. I watched the next 10 looking for more but the pacing and character development slowed down immensely and the show felt like it had dipped in quality, leaving more questions than answers and more frustration than catharsis.
The ending of Part 1 is completely jarring/unsatisfying and I would suggest to end your viewing experience at ep19 if you want to stay sane. If I had stopped there I would have given this drama a 9/10.
Part 2 is not worth watching in my opinion, it felt like character/story assassination with very little continuation to Part 1, therefore the series as a whole earns a 6/10.
Still a special story and I really loved the first half, the actors did a brilliant job and the concept is so engaging, but ultimately I felt really let down by the writing and it was overall a very mixed viewing experience.
Manage your expectations well if you decide to watch this - the lead actors are wonderful and you will be invested, then the story will drag midway, and the resolution of some plotlines will feel unsatisfying and/or confusing.