Category: Reviews

Review: He is Psychometric

Posted March 2, 2023 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

He is Psychometric

Starring: Park Jin Young, Shin Ye Eun, Kim Kwon, Kim Da Som, Noh Jong Hyun, Go Youn Jung
Year Released: 2019
Number of Episodes: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural
Country: South Korea
Director: Kim Byung Soo
Screenwriter: Yang Jin Ah
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Viki

After losing his parents in a fire, Lee Ahn acquires the power of psychometry, the ability to read a person or an object’s past through physical contact, and he decides to use it to take bad people down. While he does not know how to control his power yet, he meets Yoon Jae In who tries her best to hide her painful secrets. Together with his foster guardian, prosecutor Kang Seong Mo, and the latter’s colleague, investigator Eun Ji Soo, they team up to solve an elusive case that has been haunting the lives of Ahn, Sung Mo, and Jae In. The case revolves around the life of prosecutor Kang’s mother and father, who were the main cause of the fire. Jae In and Lee Ahn heal each other through their past present and future and find the culprit.

My best friend Therese and I started this drama right after we finished Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow because we wanted some more Go Youn Jung. We are huge fans of both her and Lee Jae Wook. We finished this show in just a few days and came away huge fans of Park Jin Young’s fine ass. Haha.

The Story

Our main character, Lee Ahn gets hurt in an apartment fire that took both of his parents from him when he was like ten years old. He also gets the power of psychometry. This power of his came with a lot of growing pains but once he’s a teenager, he’s come to terms with this power, and though he doesn’t have control over his powers, he knows to keeps his hands off of people if he doesn’t want to be bombarded by their pasts. He’s a very confident person that lives with his older brother. He’s part of a found family of people that were affected from the apartment fire and he’s determined to grow up into a good, upstanding adult just like his older foster brother. When he meets Yoon Jae In, she hates his guts because of a misunderstanding and the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that she’s got a tight grip on her secrets, and her past.

This drama centers around Lee Ahn but also around everyone close to him. Their lives are all connected through cases that are all connected to that apartment fire and seeing everything come together piece by piece made for a very engaging drama that me and my best friend enjoyed from start to finish.

The Cast

Our main couple, Lee Ahn and Yoon Jae In were cute but I’ll admit that I enjoyed their romance as it was developing. Once they got together, I cared more about everything and everyone else. That’s not to say that I didn’t love Lee Ahn and Yoon Jae In, cause I did. I just kept waiting for crumbs from Kim So Hyun (Go Youn Jung) more. Lee Ahn was my favorite and I loved every bit of his acting in this show. He showed us such great scenes with a variety of emotions and knocked every single scene out of the park. The humor, the sweetness, the love he had for the people around him while still feeling the effects of being an orphan and without his parents. The way that he clung to his older brother and the hurts he suffered throughout the show made me a really big fan of Park Jin Young. He really showed out.

I loved all of the other characters as well. From the older brother, Kang Sung Mo to the detective, Eun Ji Soo and then Lee Dae Bong and Kim So Hyun and even Jae In’s Aunt and her boss at the police station. They were all such great characters and did a great job of bringing this story to life. The only character outside of Park Jin Young and Go Youn Jung that I knew was Shin Ye Eun. I knew her as that little cheeky ass girl from Yumi’s Cells that made me mad at Jin Young’s character, haha.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a solid drama that my bestie and I enjoyed the heck out of. This was definitely one of the better ones that we’ve watched lately and there have been some duds that we didn’t even end up finishing so it was good to be excited about a drama after Alchemy of Souls finished. I love that Therese LOVES Jin Young now and I loved that she seems to be enjoying k-dramas more and more with me because let me tell you, watching these shows with someone else who is just as invested in it all as you are makes the watching experience that much more fun. Big ups to the writers, the actors, and the staff that delivered a solid story with characters that had us rooting for them and even when things didn’t go our way, we still enjoyed this one. So yeah, I definitely recommend this one.

Final Rating

4 out of 5

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The SVT Listen: Second Wind by BSS

Posted March 1, 2023 by Rowena in Features, Reviews | 0 Comments

Welcome to my deep dive down the rabbit hole that is Seventeen. I’m going to try to write out my thoughts on the different albums coming out from both BTS and Seventeen since right now, they’re the only groups that I actively stan but I’m also going to start my Seventeen journey for record keeping on the blog.

This week, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on Seventeen’s sub-unit group, BSS. BSS stands for BooSeokSoon, three members of Seventeen, Seungkwan, DK, and Hoshi. They released a single album called Second Wind and I’ve purchased my copy

Second Wind

Release Date: February 6, 2023
Track List: Fighting, Lunch, 7PM
Favorite Song: 7PM
Favorite Line: On a day like any other day, You hear this song start to play, We’ll be there to sing it for you, Gotta keep going, what else can you do?, Fighting, yeah

BSS – the special sub-unit of SEVENTEEN – is officially releasing their first single album, SECOND WIND. BSS stands for BooSeokSoon and is comprised of three SEVENTEEN members: SEUNGKWAN, DK and HOSHI. This first release contains a CD, Outbox, Photo Book (88 pages), Lyric Book (8 pages), Photo Card (random 2 of 6), Sticker, Habit Tracker Mini Card (random 1 of 3), BSS Mini Card (random 1 of 3) and Folded Poster. NA Retail Exclusive: Postcard (random 1 of 3). Dimensions: 185 x 156 x 16 mm.

There are only three songs on this album but I wasn’t mad about it. They gave you a days worth of music to get you through the day. You can listen to one for breakfast, one at lunch (haha), and one after work. With the help of BooSeokSoon to get us through a tiring day, you just can’t go wrong. Right? Here’s some quick thoughts on the individual songs.

Fighting: This song will start your day off right. If you listen to this song first thing in the morning, there is no way that you won’t start the day with a big ass smile and even some exercise from doing the dance because you can’t listen to this without doing the dance. This song, this dance, has been everywhere and there’s no escaping it. Not that I’d want to. This song is fucking great. It’s fun, it’s got a great video, Lee Young Ji did her thing on the feature and it’s just the perfect seratonin boost. Such a great track.

Lunch: This song is another fun one. It’s great to listen to in the afternoon, you know, at lunch time. I like that it’s such an easy listen and that it’s another fun, upbeat song that shows that BSS is determined to make sure we have a good day. It’s been getting a lot of play time on my playlists so if you’re looking for another fun song that is less crackhead energy than Fighting, this one fits the bill.

7PM: This is the song that you put on after work to unwind. This is a soothing song that kind of reminds me of how I feel when I’m coming down from a work out. This song is freaking great. This is my favorite song off the album and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to it (don’t worry, I didn’t loop). I’ve already learned the Korean lyrics and be gone singing along with the guys. I really like Peder Elias’ verse too. I’d never heard of him before but this was a great introduction. This is one of those feel good songs that is the perfect ending to this album.

Stream with Ween

Buy the Album

Weverse | Target | Seventeen Shop

Final Thoughts

Every single thing about this comeback worked for me. I loved the crackhead energy, the dance challenge, the different promotional contents, the music itself, and I really enjoyed seeing BSS doing their thing all over the internet and all of their performances as well. They’re such a fun group and this entire concept worked well for them and I will always include this album in my every day because it’s just that great. To listen to this album is to love fun and I love fun. I think this was a successful comeback for BSS and I had a lot of fun participating in streaming, in keeping up with the different things that they put out. I just really loved this one.

Loved It

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Review: Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area – Pt. 2

Posted February 28, 2023 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Money Heist: Korea – Joint economic Area – Part 2

Starring: Yoo Ji Tae, Park Hae Soo, Jeon Jong Seo, Lee Won Jong, Kim Ji Hoon, Jang Yoon Ju
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: 6
Genre: Drama, Action, , Thriller
Country: South Korea
Director: Kim Hong Seon
Screenwriter: Ryu Yong Jae, Kim Hwan Chae, Choi Sung Joon
Where to Watch: Netflix

Thieves overtake the mint of a unified Korea. With hostages trapped inside, the police must stop them — as well as the shadowy mastermind behind it all.

I’m really not a fan of Netflix splitting up k-drama seasons like this. I wish we would have gotten the episodes the same way that we get the other k-drama episodes, 2 episodes a week because this 6 episode split is annoying as shit.

I will say that because of the split in seasons, by the time this one aired, I wasn’t in a rush to watch it. I forgot about it, I forgot most of what happened in the first season and didn’t take the time to do a re-watch before jumping into this one but even with all of that, I still enjoyed the second season a lot more than I was anticipating to.

The Story

I didn’t watch the original Money Heist so I don’t know how different this version was but overall, I thought this story was solid. From the reasons for the Money Heist team plan, to the carry out, each different cast member, and everything overall I thought was done well. It didn’t take me long at all to finish out the series and once I jumped into part 2, I was right back in. Everything that I forgot, came back pretty quickly and things have progressed in the Mint so they’re gearing up for their final move. Seeing the push and pull between the Professor and Woo Jin was crazy but it only added to the excitement of the story being told.

The Cast

The cast once again made me happy, made me sad, made me cry, and just every little thing under the sun. Each cast member, no matter what side they were on, played their parts well and even the characters that I didn’t like, I liked what they brought to the series so alls well that ends well. I thought that it would be hard to remember who was who, outside of everyone on the team, but it was pretty easy to keep everyone straight from the heist team, the bank people, the cops, the government folks, everyone was easy to recognize and remember. Lots of three dimensional characters and I liked them.

Final Thoughts

I thought this show was pretty good from beginning to end. The lead up to the end kept me invested and I thought that this was such an easy watch that I wondered why it took me so long to finally jump into it. There’s lots of action, lots of twists and turns and just a solid ass show that will entertain the socks off of you so if you’re in the mood for a suspenseful thriller, this one is definitely for you. There’s lots of things to recommend this show. My favorite is this…

So yeah, 4 out of 5, would definitely recommend.

Final Rating

4 out of 5

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Review: Unlock My Boss

Posted February 23, 2023 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Unlock My Boss

Starring: Chae Jong Hyeop, Park Sung Woong, Seo Eun Soo, Heo Ji Na, Ahn Nae Sang, Kim Sung Oh
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: Drama, Fantasy, Comedy, Mystery
Country: South Korea
Director: Lee Chul Ha
Screenwriter: Kim Hyun Min
Where to Watch: Viki

As founder and CEO of one of the country’s largest IT companies, Kim Sun Joo is a name everyone knows. A true genius in his field, Sun Joo has everything in life going for him. But living at the top comes with its own set of challenges, and some would stop at nothing to bring him down. In this case, literally.

Hunted down by an unknown killer, Sun Joo becomes the unfortunate victim of a senseless murder. But instead of leaving this life, Sun Joo’s spirit somehow takes up residence in his smartphone. Now trapped within his phone, Sun Joo might have spent an eternity there, had Park In Sung not stumbled upon it.

A down-and-out university graduate unable to find a job, In Sung is shocked to find a phone inhabited by the spirit of Sun Joo. Taking advantage of the situation Sun Joo does his best to convince In Sung to help him; a task which becomes much easier once he mentions the hefty reward he’s willing to give In Sung in exchange for his services.

Taking on the role of temporary CEO, In Sung steps into Sun Joo’s shoes at the company, much to the chagrin of his secretary, Jung Se Yeon. Working together in secret, will the two be able to find those responsible for Sun Joo’s death?

I became a fan of Chae Jong Hyeop after watching him in The Witch’s Diner and Love All Play. So when this one was being promoted, it was on my radar strictly because Jong Hyeop starred in it. The story itself isn’t one that I thought I would enjoy since it seemed too silly for me and while it’s not a favorite of mine, this show did entertain and keep me curious enough to finish it out though I didn’t think I would in the middle.

The Story

So this drama follows a young man who teams up with the administrative assistant of a CEO of one of the largest IT companies in South Korea as they try to get their boss out of the smartphone. Park In Sung found the phone near his parents house and after some back and forth, arguing with the man that claims to be stuck in the phone, he decides that since he doesn’t have anything else going on, he’ll take a stab at helping this guy find out what happened, who is behind his abduction, and live the rich life for a little bit. Little did he know the adventure that awaited him once he took the job on.

Male Lead

Park In Sung is a down on his luck young adult that can’t seem to land a steady job. He’s been trying but he’s been striking out so when this dream job lands in his lap, he finds himself jumping through hoop after hoop to stay afloat. He’s trying to land a steady job to get his parents, specifically his dad off his back since he seems to have lost confidence that In Sung is going to accomplish anything in his life so he wants him to come back home and help him run their family farm. In Sung is determined to succeed no matter what and with his drive and the good head that he had on his shoulder, I was rooting him on. I loved the way that he was with everyone from the CEO’s young daughter to Uncle Mafia to the female lead, he was genuinely nice to everyone and really tried his hardest to do always do the right thing and I lovedhat about him.

Female Lead

I’m not going to lie, when we’re first introduced to Se Yeong’s character, I didn’t realize she was the female lead and I was side-eyeing the hell out of her. I thought she played a part in the CEO’s abduction and I thought just a whole lot of things that weren’t good. I’m glad that I was wrong on every point because she was so different from Park In Sung and yet I really loved those differences. I loved how smart she was, how strong she was and I really felt for her character and everything she was going through at the same time that she was trying to help find her boss. She ended up being one of my favorite characters and I’m glad for that cause she was pretty awesome. Very relatable.

The Cast

It was a pleasant surprise to see a child actress in this show that I loved so much in the last show that I watched her in. The CEO’s daughter, Min Ah. I absolutely loved her in Our Blues and absolutely loved her in this one as well. I saw a lot of familiar faces in this drama and enjoyed what each of them brought to the show. The characters aren’t what I had issues with, I struggled with the story being told…but I did like everyone (except the bad guys, eff them, haha).

Final Thoughts

Overall, this drama isn’t going to be a favorite of mine but I did enjoy everyone’s efforts. The acting, the humor, the heart were all great. I just wished that I connected with the story being told. The whole AI stuff, the abduction, the bad guys themselves, all of it was super fluffy to me and while I enjoyed the actors, the characters, it was them that I kept tuning in for. I did enjoy the show but I spent most of the time watching this one, hoping that next week it would pick up.

Final Rating

3 out of 5

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Review: Would You Like a Cup of Coffee?

Posted February 21, 2023 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Would You Like a Cup of Coffee?

Starring: Ong Seong Wu, Park Ho San, Seo Young Hee, Kim Ye Eun, Choo Ye Jin, Kim Wang Geun
Year Released: 2021
Number of Episodes: Drama, Life
Country: South Korea
Where to Watch: Netflix

Park Seok is the owner of the successful Café 2Dae coffee shop, a small but much-loved establishment with a group of loyal customers. He works alone in the coffee shop, and has not taken on any staff, even though his solo efforts are starting to take their toll on him. One day, a young man named Kang Go Bi comes to the coffee shop and samples Park Seok’s coffee. He immediately develops an earnest passion for coffee and convinces Park Seok to take him on as a part-time worker at the coffee shop. But Kang Go Bi soon proves that he really wants the older man to become his mentor and to learn how to become a proficient barista in his own right. The duo eventually forms a close bond and learns no end of life lessons from one another – while also helping bring a little warmth into the lives of their many and various customers.

This was the first drama that Therese and I watched after Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow finished. We didn’t want our next show to be bogged down with so many intense storylines and characters and this one seemed to fit the bill so off we went…

The Story

So this story follows our main character, Kang Go Bi. He goes to a coffee shop run by a lone wolf named Park Seok and decides that he wants to learn all there is to learn about coffee and prepare it. He approaches Park Seok to try to get him to take him on as a part-time worker at his coffee shop but Seok isn’t that interested. Determined to make this happen, Go Bi keeps showing up and helping Seok until Seok gives in. The show itself is about these two and the community of regulars that come through the coffee shop day in and day out.

This isn’t a drama that has a lot of bells and whistles. It’s character-driven and while I enjoyed the slow pacing of the show since it worked for the kind of drama that this was, I can’t say that I was completely enamored with anything or anyone, after all, was said and done. It was fine to watch after coming off a thread of intense dramas but it wasn’t exactly memorable.

The Cast

Aside from Park Ho San, Lee Kyu Hyung, and Kim Mi Kyung (who played Mi Na’s Mom), I didn’t recognize a lot of the other actors and actresses. I’ve only seen Go Bi in one other movie but that’s about it so everyone was pretty new to me. The characters that stood out for me in this one outside of Kang Go Bi and Park Seok were the baker and Park Seok’s girlfriend. Jung Ga Won (the baker) was super cute and I liked her enough that I looked her up to see if she was in anything else that I’ve seen or am interested in seeing and she was in a handful of dramas that I’ve seen and even loved but I have no clue who she played in those other dramas so I’m definitely going to be paying attention to her from now on. Kim Joo Hee was cute and I loved seeing her with Park Seok. I did enjoy how loyal the customers of Cafe 2Dae were and I liked seeing Go Bi fumble his way to that ending.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this drama was on the slower side but it worked for the kind of drama this was. This served as a palate cleanser for me and while I appreciated that, this isn’t a drama that I’d watch again. It was fine and all of the coffee tidbits were interesting but that’s really all that I remember. Still, I’m glad that I was introduced to the new characters, and will definitely be checking out the actors and actresses in their other stuff.

Final Rating


gif credits

3 out of 5

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