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Reviews
Hanappunin Naepyeon (2018)
Emotional Drama
I watched all 53 episodes of this drama! I liked the premise and the story was good. The main characters are a daughter (Jang Da-Ya) and father (Kang Soo-il). The father is released after 28 years of a life sentence in prison for murder while his daughter was left with his close friend and his wife to bring up as their own. The wife, however, is not happy with this situation and does not treat her well, although she is doted upon by her adoptive father. She does not know that she is not their biological child. Her biological father comes back into contact with her without her knowing who he is. He tries to help her without her finding out his identity therefore avoiding the stigma of having a father who is a murderer. Secrets and stories are uncovered throughout the drama as you become more familiar with the characters.
The culture of parents being able to approve or disapprove of and often choose their childs' spouses is a major theme in the drama and there is a definite class system apparent and animosity towards any spouse who is deemed inappropriate. Perhaps it is because I am British, but it was difficult for me to understand why a married couple didn't move out of the family house when there were conflicts with their in-laws. Why Jang Da-Ya didn't stick up for herself more may have been a cultural thing, but I wanted to shake her!
It is a long series, but it kept me engaged. I enjoyed the romances and the different stories which connected the characters, but OMG the amount of shouting and crying was emotionally exhausting. I can't remember an episode where there wasn't a good amount of both. It got a bit depressing part way through and I had wanted a feel good drama to help me through lockdown! I did really enjoy the last couple of episodes which were more positive, so I am glad I watched those.
So on the positive side, it is a good story which kept me going for so many episodes, but I almost gave up halfway through due to all the sobbing that was going on!
Kakafukaka (2019)
Refreshing Romantic Drama
I enjoyed this series. It was very different from most things I have watched before, the only thing that it slightly reminded me of was 'Normal People' (BBC 2020).
The story begins with Aki Terada working part time in a convenience store and on her return home after work, finding her boyfriend with another woman. She finds herself in a situation where she has nowhere to live and not enough money to get a flat on her own so she accepts the suggestion of a friend to take her place in a shared house when she leaves. When she arrives, She is shocked to see a high school boyfriend again (their earlier relationship is shown in flashback now and again). Sparks fly when she agrees to help him out with a problem he has. However, another housemate also has his eyes on her.
I liked that you aren't waiting 6 episodes to find out whether characters are getting together, I also found it amusing that the characters were so open about personal matters, which Terada also found unsettling. She did seem to be retreating from situations quite a lot, which was unsurprising because I could feel how overwhelming and confusing the situations she was in much have felt. I also recognised characteristics of the male members of the house - the quiet one, her high school boyfriend, who didn't communicate with her on more than a superficial level and the housemate (the owner) who had a good job, was open with his feelings and the person who she wanted to like in a romantic way. I also liked the way the two females in the house spoke and the dynamics of the house share as a whole.
I like character driven dramas and I felt that this is what I got here. Her inner dialogue, background and conversations with the female housemate helped to understand her and what drove her. (It helps that the male lead was good looking!).
I am a fan of south Asian romantic series, although this is the first Japanese series of this genre I have watched and has left me wanting to watch more.
Time Trap (2017)
Good for Time Travel Fans
I love time travel movies and I think Time Trap would be enjoyed by most fans of the genre. Although not entirely new, I dd feel the film presented ideas about the way the characters time travelled and time itself in a different and clever way. The script was good enough to keep me engaged, despite most of the film being set in caves underground. For a low budget film, I felt that a lot of thought and work had gone into it. I would have liked more time spent on the ending as I would have felt things could have been explained better, as one of the characters mentioned in the final scene "We have a lot to talk about."