Tag: 16 Episodes

Review: May I Help You?

Posted February 2, 2023 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

May I Help You?

Starring: Lee Hyeri, Lee Jun Young, Song Deok Ho, Han Dong Hee, Tae In Ho, Lee Kyu Han
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: Drama, Supernatural, Romance
Country: South Korea
Director: Shim So Yeon
Screenwriter: Lee Seon Hye
Where I Watched It: Prime Video
Who I Watched It For: Lee Hyeri

Baek Dong Ju works as a funeral director. She has a special ability that allows her to see and talk to dead people. The dead people ask Baek Dong Ju to grant their last wish. If Baek Dong Ju doesn’t grant their wishes, her day becomes filled with bad luck. This motivates her to listen to their wishes and grant them their wishes, with the help of Kim Jib Sa.

Kim Jib Sa is an employee at errand service “Ildangbaek,” which is owned by his uncle Vincent. Ildangbaek provides service for pretty much anything clients ask for, even minor things like changing light bulbs. Kim Jib-Sa does his best for his clients.

This show starred Lee Hyeri, so, of course, I was going to watch this. I was also really interested in watching this one because of Lee Jun Young. I think he’s adorable and loved watching him in the other shows of his that I watched so going into this one, I was pretty sure that I was going to love it.

The Story

This story follows the two main leads as they live their lives and deal with whatever life throws at them. At the same time, they’re getting to know each other and falling in love with each other. Our male lead is dealing with some personal things and a whole lot of grief. His guilt is keeping him from working as the doctor he went to school for and our female lead is dealing with trying to come to terms with a special power she’s been given for communicating with the dead and helping them deal with unfinished business before they cross over the bridge to Heaven. The two of them kept bumping into each other all over town and what started as them pretty much hating each other, they grow closer and of course, they fall in love with each other.

Male Lead

Kim Tae Hee was one of my favorite male leads of the ending of 2022. Every episode I adored him more and more. He was such a likable character that was trying to make the most of what he was doing now and as his story unravels and we get to know him and his situation more, you can’t help but feel for him. Even in the beginning when he broke up with Dong Joo, I adored him. I thought he handled the second lead pretty well, considering her coming around kept hurting my girl Dong Joo, I thought that Tae Hee did his best to keep his distance from his ex and still enjoy getting to know Dong Joo. Overall, his character was such a winner for me.

Female Lead

Dong Joo was another fantastic female lead (played by Lee Hyeri). At first, I didn’t think that I would enjoy her character as much as some of her other characters but I’m glad to report that I was wrong. Dong Joo has a special power that puts her in contact with dead people who haven’t crossed over yet. When she first gets this power, she runs away from it and had the worst karma because of that. So she goes back to working at the funeral and she starts listening to the dead people around her and she starts helping them out. While she’s busy with all of this, she meets and keeps meeting Tae Hee and seeing her come into her feelings for him and then putting herself out there with him made me love the hell out of her. She was just a sweet, fun, and totally capable person who was kindhearted as well and *sigh* I just…loved her.

The Cast

There were a lot of great side characters in this show. From Tae Hee’s Uncle to Dong Joo’s father and her Uncle to Dong Joo’s friends, I enjoyed everyone except for Tae Hee’s ex-girlfriend and her Mom and well, I also didn’t like the bad guy. Even the dead people that Dong Joo worked with were great characters. I cried a lot getting to know the dead people and then after all of that stuff with Dong Joo’s Dad. Lots of familiar faces and some that I was all too happy to see again so this cast was colorful and they were beautiful and added different things that made for a great show so I loved them all! My favorites outside of Tae Hee and Dong Joo were definitely the uncles. Haha, they were too good!

Final Thoughts

This show was such a delightful one that deals with heavy things like grief and heartbreak. It had sweet moments, funny moments, and a romance that made me smile throughout the entire thing. I felt all of the emotions watching this one and I enjoyed the beginning half of the season a lot more than the second half but overall, it was a good run and I’m super glad that I watched it. Lee Jun Young and Lee Hyeri were great together and I totally felt their chemistry with each other but also with the other characters in the series. I definitely recommend it.

Final Rating


via GIPHY

4 out of 5

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Review: Hotel Del Luna

Posted December 15, 2022 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Hotel Del Luna

Starring: IU, Yeo Jin Goo, Shin Jung Keun, Bae Hae Seon, P.O, Jo Hyun Chul
Year Released: 2019
Number of Episodes: Drama, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Romance
Country: South Korea
Director: Oh Choong Hwan
Screenwriter: Hong Jung Eun, Hong Mi Ran
Where I Watched It: Netflix
Who I Watched It For: IU

Nestled deep in the heart of Seoul’s thriving downtown sits a curious hotel, the like of which no one has ever seen before. Old beyond measure, the building has stood for millennia, an ever-present testament to the fact that things are not always what they seem. Running this hotel is Jang Man Wol, a greedy, suspicious soul who has spent the past thousand years acting as the establishment’s CEO. Bound to the hotel by a deity who keeps her there to save her from going berserk and self-destruction with rage, hatred and thirst for revenge. Her only hope of escape is if she could let go of her resentment and hatred, and find love. Trapped in her resentment for a betrayal, Man Wol is doomed to spend all of the eternity running this odd establishment, catering to the needs of the most peculiar clientele.

Things take an interesting turn when Goo Chan Sung shows up. Once the youngest assistant manager ever to work at a multinational hotel corporation, Chan Sung finds himself forced to manage the Hotel del Luna because of a deal his father made with Man Wol years ago. Excellent with managing money, he starts to put Jang’s excessive spending and disastrous finance situation in order, that may be exactly what this odd establishment and its cursed CEO needs.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about this show so it’s been on my radar for a while now. It didn’t come up on Netflix or Viki or anything whenever I would browse for new shows to watch but when it finally did, I didn’t even stop think about it. I just started watching. IU has fast become one of my favorite k-actresses and I thought was another solid effort of hers and if anything, made me an even bigger supporter of hers now.

I’m going to skip the story portion of my reviews and jump right into everything. The blurb included above does a pretty decent job of explaining what this drama is about. 🙂

Main Male Lead

I can’t remember seeing Yeo Jin Goo in anything else before so this was my introduction to him and his acting. I don’t have a single complaint about his work here. I was so invested in his journey, and in him finding his way with and without Man Wol. Over the course of the show, I grew softer and softer for his character and I cried a lot with him and for him.

Chan Sung was an interesting character that captured my attention from the very first episode seeing him fight and bicker his way into some super heavy feelings for Mang Wol and seeing him come to terms with his part in just everything made the show that much more compelling for me. I really liked him.

Main Female Lead

IU did her thing in this show. Jang Mang Wol was such a complex character that had a lot of hidden depths. She was so complex that at first, it was hard to connect with her but with each passing episode, you start to connect and feel for her and what she’s been through. She comes off as one kind of person but the more you dig, the more you realize that there’s more than meets the eye. By the time her story is completely out there, you won’t be able to help yourself. You’re going to love the hell out of her. At first, she frustrated me with how bratty she was but by the middle of the show, I was completely Team Jang Mang Wol…and so was Goo Chan Sung. Hehe.

The Cast

There were a lot of familiar faces on this cast and I liked each and every single one of them. My favorites of the bunch being Ji Hyun Joong (the bell boy) and Sanchez, but also the high school girl, Kim Yoo Na. As great as everything and everyone else were, aside from Man Wol and Chan Sung, I was most interested in these guys.

I thought each character made a great addition to the overall story being told and I really enjoyed the way that they all came together.

Final Thoughts

IU, Jin Goo, and everyone created a fun, interesting, and delightful drama and I’m super glad that I watched it. I wasn’t expecting the humor and the brightness in such a dark drama but I’m so glad for those additions because they made the drama pop with a color that I enjoyed. I will say that there was a beginning hump that I had to get through so there was a lot of confusion on my end but once everything started clicking, it was hard for me to stay away. I watched this one pretty quickly and even though it’s a drama that is heavy and on the dark side, it wasn’t hard to watch at all. Once the confusion lifts, it’s pretty easy to keep up and root for our main leads. Though it’s not my favorite drama ever, I still enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for a humorous supernatural watch.

Final Rating

via GIPHY

4 out of 5

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Review: Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Posted December 8, 2022 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Starring: Park Eun Bin, Kang Tae Oh, Kang Ki Young, Jeon Bae Soo, Baek Ji Won, Jin Kyung
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: Drama, Law, Life, Romance
Country: South Korea
Director: Yoo In Shik
Screenwriter: Moon Ji Woon
Where I Watched It: Netflix
Who I Watched It For: Kang Tae Oh

Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, 27-year-old Woo Young Woo graduated at the top of her class from the prestigious Seoul National University for both college and law school due to her high IQ of 164, impressive memory, and creative thought process. Working as a lawyer, she finds herself struggling when it comes to social interactions.

This drama came across my radar while browsing through Netflix right before the first episode dropped.

I’ve watched Park Eun Bin and Kang Tae Oh in other dramas so seeing that they were starring in a drama together piqued my interest and I immediately added it to My List. I’m glad that I did because this show was a delight from beginning to end. Each episode showcased an interesting case that we saw our team of lawyers tackle and seeing the cases come together from start to finish made each week a fun viewing experience.

Was everything perfect? Of course not. But there was enough good in the show as a whole that I’m super glad that I watched it.

The Story

The story follows our favorite lawyer on the autistic spectrum, Woo Young Woo, as she starts her career in law at one of the leading law firms in Korea. With each passing episode, we get to know Young Woo as a person, as a daughter, as a friend, and lastly, as a lawyer. She’s new to her job but she’s smart and she’s straightforward and she’s on a team that isn’t perfect but seeing them tackle each case together (and sometimes against each other) made this show charming as hell.

I loved that we tackled a lot of things with Young Woo as well. We see her struggle and we see her fall in love and through all of it, we see how strong she’s always been and how strong she grows.

Main Male Lead

Lee Jun Ho was one of my favorite parts of this show. He was such a great male lead for Young Woo. There were moments when he disappointed me but his earnest love for Young Woo and the way that he loved her just the way that she was made me love him all the more. I thought he was great with Young Woo and great for Young Woo. He learned things about her, about the way that she sees things so that he can understand her and I loved that.

I loved that with every new thing he learns about Young Woo, his feelings for her grew. No matter what anyone said about them, what obstacle was thrown in their path, he was steadfast in his feelings. When he stands up for himself to Young Woo toward the end, my heart soared because while I understood why Young Woo did what she did, I still wanted them to trust in their love for each other to see things through together. Alls well that ends well though and Lee Jun Ho was such a delightful and loving character and I adored him to pieces. I loved Jun Ho so much that he’s at the very top of my favorite drama boyfriends of the year. Kang Tae Oh did such a great job of bringing his character to life.

Main Female Lead

Woo Young Woo was the very best part of this show. She was the heart and soul and seeing her struggle and then soar on her own made me so happy. There were many parts of the show that frustrated me, and it was mostly with the way that people treated Young Woo. They treated her like shit and a lot of it went over Young Woo’s head and that frustrated me even more. I connected with a lot of stuff that Young Woo went through and cheered her on from beginning to end. She had a unique way of seeing things and I loved that she wasted no time or energy on things that she didn’t think were worthy of her time. She stayed true to herself as often as she could and learned from her mistakes and seeing the way that her mistakes affected her made her all the more charming.

Park Eun Bin is such a great actress and I thought she did a great job with Young Woo’s character. It couldn’t have been easy and seeing in the behind the scenes, interviews, and everything else that she’s done to promote the show, it was nice to see how seriously she took her job. I’m also glad for her stance on a second season. I would have loved for this show to continue on and on forever, in all honesty, I don’t think it’s needed.

The Cast

My favorite secondary character was Young Woo’s boss. Myung Seok was the bomb. I loved that he wasn’t above doing better when he realizes that he messed up. He was the kind of leader that took care of his team and dealt with whatever problems arose as a team. He learned a lot from his team and his team learned a lot from him. I also really loved Young Woo’s best friend and her Dad. I loved the way that they loved Young Woo. Like Jun Ho, they loved her as she was and helped her navigate life when she didn’t understand anything and I just loved the relationships Woo Young had with all of them.

The character that I wanted to drop kick into Tuesday was freaking Min Woo’s punk ass and I didn’t even care for his little redemption arc in the end. He can still suck toes. The cast of characters all made this show such a delight. Lots and lots of great folks in this one.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a great show with a lot of heart, a lot of charm, and a whole lot of goodness that I fell right into this show head first. It’s hard not to root for Young Woo, her team, and just the show in general. While it wasn’t without it’s problematic stuff, like that whole thing with home dude that kidnapped those kids to show them a good time? That was weird and I don’t care what his motives were, how pure his heart was, if he had done that with my kid. There isn’t an excuse in the world that make me forgive anyone for taking my kid without my permission any fucking where. You want me to ease up on my child, then you fucking come and talk to me cause the shit that he did? Not cool. Not cool at all.

Aside from that case, I can’t remember if there were any other cases where I was mad but the ones that I do remember, they were interesting. Like the wedding case where her dress fell? Talk about embarrassing but I really liked that how that case ended and there were others that I was interested in and I really loved the way that each case came together, how Young Woo’s brain worked them all out and I really loved seeing her grow in confidence both professionally and personally. She was the very best part of this show and I enjoyed this show all the more because she was at the lead. Highly recommend this one.

Final Rating

4.5 out of 5

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Review: Love in Contract

Posted December 6, 2022 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Love in Contract

Starring: Park Min Young, Go Kyung Pyo, Kim Jae Young, Lee Joo Bin, Kang Hyung Suk, Jin Kyung
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: Drama, Business, Contemporary, Romance
Country: South Korea
Director: Nam Sung Woo
Screenwriter: Ha Gu Dam
Where I Watched It: Viki
Who I Watched It For: Park Min Young

Undeniably attractive, talented, and charming, Choi Sang Eun is the living definition of the perfect partner. This is exactly why instead of marrying, she chooses to employ her skills as a contract marriage master. Transforming herself into the perfect partner for each of her clients, Sang Eun allows those who employ her services to live the perfect single life, without having to agree to a committed, life-long relationship.

A long-term client, Jung Ji Ho has been using Sang Eun’s services every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for the past five years. A man shrouded in mystery, Sang Eun knows virtually nothing about Ji Ho but that doesn’t stop her from developing some rather unexpected feelings for him. Making her life even more difficult are the equally unexpected feelings she’s recently developed for one of her newest clients, Kang Hae Jin. A popular actor who employs her services on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, Hae Jin often makes Sang Eun’s heart flutter.

Torn between her professional obligations and the feelings she harbors for both Ji Ho and Hae Jin, Sang Eun finds herself in an unexpected predicament. How can she possibly maintain her professionalism when her heart is leading her in two different directions?

I went into this drama expecting one thing but got something else in return. I’m not mad about it. I enjoyed all of the characters, cheered for the mains and was happy in the end. Watching this was a good idea. Let’s get into my thoughts, shall we?

The Story

This story followed three main leads as they try to find love for the first time. These are three individuals who have never been shown an ounce of love in their lives so it was rough going for a while. They all stumbled their way around their feelings, each other, and everything else going on in their individual lives. All of that made this show a whole lot more interesting than I was expecting when I first started it. I was expecting something light, clumsy, and silly but the show ended up being a lot deeper than all that.

Main Male Lead

I was sucked into this show because Go Kyung Pyo’s character, Ji Ho, was such a curious one. He hired a wife that only met up with him three days a week and he forced himself to not want more even though it was obvious that he had feelings for her. He read books on how to act in social situations, and he hardly ever spoke to anyone unless he absolutely had to. He was the least popular guy at work because he was so strange to everyone around him and yet, he got up and went to work anyway.

He was seeing a therapist about everything and for a while, it seemed that his therapist was the closest he had to a friend. But with Sang Eun’s help, he won everyone else over. Sure, he was still strange and it took a while but watching him come into his own and learn how to love and be loved in return was so satisfying. I adored him.

Main Female Lead

I may have been sucked into this drama because of Go Kyung Pyo’s character but I started this drama because I like and enjoy Park Min Young’s acting. I haven’t watched everything that she’s been in but the few shows that I have watched, I liked her a lot. As much as I liked her as Secretary Kim, I think that Choi Sang Eun is my favorite character of hers.

Choi Sang Eun was a dawg. She was a big dawg. She had a pretty rough childhood. She was an orphan and when a pretty woman came and took her away, she built up all of these fantasies about being part of a family so she tried her hardest to please everyone around her, and instead of being happy, she was used at every turn. She was being groomed to be married off to further business opportunities and when she couldn’t take it anymore, she stormed off and never returned to that life. She turned all of that grooming into a successful business for herself and though she lived her life for herself, she still had ties to the woman that kept trying to sell her off to the highest bidder.

Each and every single time that Sang Eun was knocked down, she got right back up and dusted herself off then went out and tried again. She never backed down from a fight and she faced each and every single thing bravely. I really liked her and liked the person she was with both her best friend but with the two male leads as well. She was strong, she was capable, and she was caring. She was the bomb even when she got on my nerves, I loved her.

Second Lead

Kang Hae Jin really grew on me. Not that I ever hated him or anything but he was never in the running for who I wanted Sang Eun to end up with. With each passing episode, I got softer and softer for him because man, my guy just wanted to be happy and in love with someone who loved him back. Who wouldn’t want that? I loved seeing him grow into his own over the course of the drama too. When we first meet him, he’s kind of bratty and the typical celebrity who is only concerned about himself but the more you get to know him, the more you realize that all is not what you see. There was depth to his character and though he was running from his problems, when he finally stands up and fixes them, I thought he handled them well.

So yeah, I loved him too.

The Cast

From Ji Ho’s work place peeps to Hae Jin’s work place peeps and then Sang Eun’s best friend, I thought each group was a lot of fun though my favorite group of the bunch is definitely Ji Ho’s work friends. They each made me laugh, made me mad, or just made me happy. I thought each of them really delivered their best efforts in trying to bring the stories to life and I really enjoyed getting to know each of them.

Hae Jin’s family was a piece of work and I wanted to kick them all in the dick right along with Sang Eun’s Mom. I’m glad that both Hae Jin and Sang Eun were able to find their own people who loved and supported them. Does Sang Eun’s Mom play any other kind of character though? I’m tired of hating her in every drama I see her in. A lot of the cast were new faces to me but I enjoyed them a lot so I’m looking forward to seeing them around other k-dramas. Lots of fun folks for sure.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this drama was an unexpected delight for me. I went into it thinking that I’d get one thing and got something else completely. Something much better. This is a totally bingeable Korean drama. Its packed with a great cast of characters that made me laugh, cry, and happy sigh. Each episode built the story up bit by bit and I appreciated the writers efforts in delivering an enjoyable watching experience. I definitely recommend this drama if you’re looking for a straight up good drama.

Final Rating

via GIPHY

4 out of 5

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Review: Blind

Posted December 1, 2022 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Blind

Starring: Ok Taec Yeon, Ha Seok Jin, Jung Eun Ji, Jung In Ki, Jung Eui Wook, Park Ji Bin
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Director: Shin Yong Hwi
Screenwriter: Kwon Ki Kyung

Ryu Sung Joon, Ryu Sung Hoon, and Jo Eun Ki become involved in a serial murder case involving jury members as the victims. These three individuals try to uncover the truth behind the deaths.

Ryu Sung Joon works as an enthusiastic detective. He is always determined to catch the bad guys. Due to his determination, his arrest rate is always among the top for detectives. His older brother is Ryu Sung Hoon and he works as a judge. Ryu Sung Hoon is a perfectionist and smart enough to have passed the bar exam with the top score and graduated at the top of his class at the Judicial Research and Training Institute. He is an upright man who does his best to impart a fair judgment. Jo Eun Ki works as a social worker. She has a warm heart and is full of justice. She always puts people first and tries to be a reliable guardian to children who come from poor backgrounds.

I’m not sure why this drama came onto my radar but man am I glad that it did. I have enjoyed Ok Taec Yeon in every drama that I’ve seen him in and this drama wasn’t an exception. This drama introduced me to some new actors that I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for and from beginning to end, this drama had me captivated and wanting more. Everything about this drama was interesting.

The Story

The story here was out of this world crazy. It was one of the most thrilling dramas that I’ve watched all year the way that the story started, how it unfolded, and then how it ended? All of it was woven together so well that it was hard to say goodbye to this one. I’m going to miss the suspense, the thrills, and the OMG moments.

So this story starts off with a jury trial but as we get more and more into the drama, we start to realize that this particular story starts long before that jury trial but each member of the jury trial was specifically chosen for reasons that start to make sense as the drama continues. The above synopsis summarizes the story of this drama up really well and I’m trying to stay away from any major spoilers so I’ll keep this short and brief. Just trust me, the story is good.

The Cast

Each member of the cast did their thing in this one. I enjoyed every character (good and bad), and I liked how each character had a story to tell, had a part to play that moved the story along. Not one character felt out of place. There were no wasted characters or space in this one so I thought that was good.

Our three main leads led the way and were each memorable in their own way. They each brought something different, and unexpected, and the way that their story arcs wrapped up in the end was satisfying and just felt right.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this drama was packed with so much action, angst, and revenge that it was hard to keep up with everything. It was hard to get through at points because of that too. It was a really dark drama with a compelling story and a group of actors that really brought the story to life. I thought each actor did a fantastic job of carrying this story and keeping the viewer invested in what was going on. The writers did a great job of writing those plot twists and keeping those plot twists coming. So was this good? Heck yes. Do I recommend? Of course. Lots of great storytelling here so if you’re in the mood for a good thriller, try this one.

Final Rating

via GIPHY

4.5 out of 5

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