Tag: Kim Ji Won

Review: My Liberation Notes

Posted October 13, 2022 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

My Liberation Notes

Starring: Kim Ji Won, Lee Min Ki, Son Seok Koo, Lee El
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: 16
Genre: Drama, Life, Melodrama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Where I Watched It: Netflix
Recommended By: N/A
Who I Watched It For: Kim Ji Won

Set in Sanpo Village where more people leave than remain, the three Yeom siblings, Chang Hee, Mi Jung, and Ki Jung, wish to escape from a life rife with uncertainty.

A mysterious man, Mr. Goo, moves into their neighborhood. He is a drunkard with the look of someone with many burdens and secrets. His cautious personality and preference for keeping to himself make him the subject of gossip. Mi Jung, the youngest and most timid Yeom sibling, decides to approach him.

I’m not sure why I wanted to watch this show, other than I’m a big fan of Kim Ji Won, but I’m so so glad that I did. The show moved at such a slow pace and while normally, I would have lost interest in the show, that wasn’t the case with this show at all. This story benefitted from the slow pacing. There were times when it moved a smidge too slow for my liking but after all was said and done, I could see why it was done that way. The show follows three siblings as they live their lives. They’re all unhappy and trying their best to stay afloat and you could see them all splintering bit by bit.

The oldest sister is unhappy with her dating life, with her home life, and she’s chasing happiness with every fiber of her being. She keeps striking out and the chinks in her armor are cracking but she keeps getting up every day, ready to tackle the next bullshit that comes her way. There were quite a few times when I wanted to smack some sense into her but the more you get to know her, the more that you feel for her because no matter how bad things got for her, she just kept getting back up to face things head on and I admired her for that. I enjoyed her storyline and thought her romance was the right kind of slow burn kind. It worked for me. I loved seeing her really come into her own and made me realize that you’re never too old learn and grow.

The brother was going through his own shit and seeing him trying to find his own happiness and watching him come to the realizations that he did over the course of this show was interesting. I really enjoyed his character and though there were times I wanted to strangle his ass too, I never hated him. I was rooting for him from beginning to end and seeing him struggle to live the kind of life he wanted, with his parents blessings and seeing him with his friends endeared him to me. I was definitely satisfied with the way that his story wrapped up.

The younger sister, that was my dawg. My spirit sister. I connected with her character the most and I rooted for her the loudest. She was struggling through her own issues, her own choices, and on the outside, she looked fine but on the inside, my girl was a hot mess. She was a giant ball of emotions and she got up every day and did her part in helping her family while trying to figure out her life. The romance that blossomed between her and the guy that worked for her dad was different from what I’m used to but it was seriously compelling. I loved that she was able to find peace and that she was able to give him some peace in return. Seeing him drink himself to death was hard but it made me very curious to know his story. To know why he was so hellbent on destroying himself.

Overall, this drama packed a serious punch. The slow storytelling worked at making me come to love each and every single character. It wasn’t easy to watch it, that’s for sure, but sticking with it totally paid off because I wanted each of these characters to find the peace they so desperately wanted and needed. There were times when I had to step away from the show but I knew that I would always come back and the peace I felt when it all wrapped up let me know that I really enjoyed this show. I definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a solid story about family, about life, and about finding your peace.

Final Rating

via GIPHY

4.5 out of 5

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Eye Candy Friday: Yeon Mi Jung

Posted September 9, 2022 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

Eye Candy Friday is something that I’ve been doing since I first started my personal blog way back in 2003. That first personal blog is long gone but I’ve never really grown out of the eye candy phase. I’m always up for some eye candy. Whether it’s a character from a book (male or female, I don’t discriminate), a character from a movie or TV Show, if I loved them and want to gush about how much I loved them, you’ll find them here. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

This week, I’m featuring Yeom Mi Jung from My Liberation Notes. I just really liked her character and portrayal in this drama. She was a huge draw for me tuning in every week. The show itself was pretty heavy but I never missed an episode.

I’ve seen mention around Twitter that this show was really slow and while I agree that the story moved slowly, I thought the pacing felt right with the kind of story they were telling. I thought Kim Ji Won hit this character out of the park. She was my very favorite part of this show and I had a giant girl crush on her. Love her!

Watch My Liberation Notes

My Liberation Notes

My Drama List | Netflix
Starring: Kim Ji Won, Lee Min Ki, Son Seok Koo, Lee El, Lee Ki Woo, Chun Ho Jin
Year Released: 2022
Genre: Romance, Melodrama, Family

Set in Sanpo Village where more people leave than remain, the three Yeom siblings, Chang Hee, Mi Jung, and Ki Jung, wish to escape from a life rife with uncertainty.

A mysterious man, Mr. Goo, moves into their neighbourhood. He is a drunkard with the look of someone with many burdens and secrets. His cautious personality and preference for keeping to himself make him the subject of gossip. Mi Jung, the youngest and most timid Yeom sibling, decides to approach him.

Until next week…enjoy!

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The Wednesday Five: K-Drama Romances

Posted July 20, 2022 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

I’m a list person. I have a list for every single thing in my life from a to-do list, a list of books that I want to read, a running shopping list, and in the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing different k-entertainment lists that I’ve been keeping track of. You’ll be seeing my top 5 lists of stuff like my current celebrity crushes, my favorite k-drama female protagonists, my favorite k-drama male protagonists, my to-be-watched k-dramas, and you know, stuff like that.

This week’s Wednesday Five will feature My Favorite K-Drama Romances. When I say k-drama romances, I don’t mean k-dramas that are romances. I’m talking about the romance between two characters in a k-drama. I hope that makes sense. I’m a romantic at heart and will sniff a romance out of everything that I consume so I’m always shipping characters together. Today’s list will be on the k-dramas that made me swoon so hard. Check out my list which is in no particular order.

1. Fight for My Way

My Drama List | Viki
Starring: Park Seo Joon, Kim Ji Won, Ahn Jae Hong

I’m not sure what it is about these two but I absolutely adored their friendship that led to more romance. They were just a lot of fun and their romance had its fair share of dramatics but also had a good amount of swoonworthy moments. Watching these two best friends fall in love with each other was so much fun and just super sweet. I’m a HUGE fan of this drama and an even bigger fan of the romance in this k-drama.

2. Goblin

My Drama List | Viki
Starring: Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun, Lee Dong Wook

This one might be a little controversial because of the age difference between the main leads in this drama but that didn’t bother me so much because nothing happens between the two while Eun Tak is in high school. Even when she’s grown up, Kim Shin is steadfast in his refusal to date her. She’s his goblin bride and you can tell that she’s very dear to him but the way that he watched over her, cared for her, and took care of her made their slow-burn love just that much more endearing to me. I ugly-cried so much throughout this entire drama but the romance was just *sigh* so stinkin’ good. One of my favorite love stories of all time.

3. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

My Drama List | Viki
Starring: Park Bo Young, Park Hyung Shik, Ji Soo

Oh goodness, I think this is the romance that I go back to re-watch the most. These two had such great chemistry and they brought their romance to light so freaking well. The way that Min Hyuk loved her on his own for so long before she finally wises up and realizes that he’s the one for her, not Gook Doo. The payoff here was so sweet. I just melted at every turn of this romance because I loved it so much.

4. My Roommate is a Gumiho

My Drama List | Viki
Starring: Jang Ki Yong, Lee Hye Ri, Kang Ha Na

I’ve only seen Lee Hyeri in one other k-drama (the guest star in Record of Youth doesn’t count) and I loved her ass so much. She just has this vibe that I adore so I went into this drama for her but came out, a huge fan of the romance between Woo Yeo and Lee Dam. A lot of my love for their romance was the chemistry between the two actors but I loved the fantasy behind it all as well. They worked through their issues together and I loved that Lee Dam, no matter how things looked, trusted in her love for Woo Yeo to get through everything. Woo Yeo didn’t deserve Lee Dam a lot of the time but he always did better and through it all, I never doubted his love for her. So their romance was one that I cheered for most earnestly.

5. Happiness

My Drama List | Viki
Starring: Han Hyo Joo, Park Hyung Shik, Jo Woo Jin

I adore both of these actors so I was looking forward to the two of them starring in a drama together and they did not disappoint. I loved this friends to lovers romance and I gotta tell you, Park Hyung Shik plays the smitten best friend really well. I loved seeing Sae Bom fall in love with Yi Hyun and I loved seeing Yi Hyun protect and love Sae Bom on his own, quietly until she caught up to him. The way that they were a true team that loved and protected each other against everyone and everything just made me love their romance so much.

So what are some of your favorite romances in k-dramas? Share them in the comments!

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Review: Fight for My Way

Posted September 18, 2020 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Fight for My Way

Male Lead: Park Seo Jun
Female Lead: Kim Ji Won
Secondary Lead: Ahn Jae Hong, Song Ha Yoon
Also Starring: Kim Sung Oh, Chae Dong Hyun, Pyo Ye Jin, Jin Ji Hee, Kim Ye Ryung, Son Byung Ho, Kwak Dong Yeon, Choi Woo Shik, Hwang Bo Ra, Lee Elijah, Jin Hee Kyung
Year Released: 2017
Number of Episodes: 16
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Country: Korea
Where I Watched It: Viki
Recommended By: Park Seo Jun
Who I Watched It For: Park Seo Jun

This drama is about the youth who is not qualified for what the heartless society demands. Without backgrounds such as high education and certificates, the world tells them to focus on playing supporting roles in life. However, they all have their advantages and deserve to be the main character in their own lives. This is a story about four individuals, Dong Man, Ae Ra, Joo Man, and Sul Hee, and the dreams they are pursuing. Dong Man used to be a top athlete in taekwondo. However, his dreams of becoming a national athlete is shredded into pieces when he helplessly loses against authority and money. Choi Ae Ra has always dreamed of becoming an announcer. Although for now, she works at a department store, she continuously goes to job interviews and fights for her way. When the world turns its back on one of them, the other rushes to comfort them.

On my journey through all of Park Seo Jun’s work, I came across this show. I was pretty excited to finally get around to watching it because I haven’t seen Park Seo Jun as a not so serious dork yet. In the shows that I’ve watched, he’s played the serious, no-nonsense kind of guy so Ko Dong Man was way different from what I was used to and boy did I absolutely love Park Seo Jun as Ko Dong Man. After seeing him in Itaewon Class and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, seeing him in Fight for My Way was like a breath of fresh air. He plays the goofy man super well.

Fight for My Way is a best friends to lovers trope and it was such a fun show that I was so sad when I finished it. Ae Ra and Dong Man were such a delightful pair that I laughed at their bickering, I swooned with delight over how they protected each other and I fell head over heels with the two of them together. When we first meet them, they’re in school and Dong Man is at the top of his game as a taekwondo fighter. He wins his fight and is so goofy about it that he gets a slap on the back of his head from his coach. You also see a young Ae Ra and Seol Hee and that was a super fun introduction to our heroine of the show. Fast forward ten years and the gang is almost 30 years old and things are a lot different than they all thought it’d be.

Ae Ra is working at a department store and not at all happy with where her life is. Dong Man is working in a dead-end job and like Ae Ra, not happy with where his life is. After an incident from his past, he walked away from fighting and is still trying to find himself. With their 30th birthday looming, Dong Man decides to shed his fear of the past and live a life of passion. Ae Ra is inspired and decides that she too is going to go after what she really wants as well.

The secondary romance in this show follows Ae Ra and Dong Man’s friends, Seol Hee and Joo Man who are in a relationship but it’s not an ideal one. They work together so they hide their relationship from their coworkers and Joo Man’s family aren’t the biggest fans of Seol Hee so there are some simmering issues there but there’s also a female coworker that is very interested in Joo Man and that’s yet another issue that is simmering between them.

I liked that the main couple’s issues were them trying to figure out their lives while falling in love with each other. Their feelings for each other aren’t the main issue between them though it sure did take Dong Man quite a while to realize what was right in front of him for so long. I really adored the two of them coming together. They were such huge supporters of the other and seeing them hype each other up and step up for each other really got me in the feels. They were great on their own but together, they were just that much better. I adored the two of them and I was cheering for them from the jump. I loved jealous Ae Ra and I hella loved jealous Dong Man. Their fights were epic and so funny that I laughed and laughed and laughed. You can’t be cute with your boyfriend when you grew up with him and he knows everything about you. So when he knows you get gas after eating certain things, you better believe that he’s going to call you on it and seeing them learn how to be with each other, after knowing almost too much about the other was just a lot of fun.

The secondary storyline focused on the relationship between Seol Hee and Joo Man. They’re in a long term relationship and going through some growing pains together. Seol Hee is trying to do what she can to hold them together but Joo Man is distracted and not much help so Seol Hee is pretty much on her own but once she gets tired of trying to hold things down on her own, seeing Joo Man mess up and then try to make things right with her was an interesting addition to this show. I thought their problems balanced my enjoyment of the show overall because I was anxious and mad and then forgiving and hopeful for the two of them. They were great characters and fantastic friends to both Dong Man and Ae Ra.

Overall, this was a fabulously fun show with great characters and a cast of actors that really know how to deliver entertainment. I was glad to have watched this and I enjoyed everyone’s acting so much that I looked up everyone’s backlist and added all of their shows to my To Be Watched list. I can’t wait to dig into their stuff too. I definitely recommend this show if you’re looking for something fun and super cute. Trust me, you’ll want to know Dong Man for yourself. 🙂

Listen to the OST

Final Rating

4.5 out of 5

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Review: Descendants of the Sun

Posted September 10, 2020 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Male Lead: Song Joong Ki
Female Lead: Song Hye Kyo
Also Starring: Jin Goo, Kim Ji Won, Onew, Kim Min Seok, Lee Seung Joon, Hyun Kyu Ni, Lee Yi Kyung, David McInnis, Kang Shin Il, Jo Jae Yoon, Jun Soo Jin, Kim Byung Chul, Seo Jeong Yeon, Jasper Cho, Ji Seung Hyun, Park Hwan Hee, Ahn Bo Hyun, Park Hoon
Year Released: 2016
Number of Episodes: 16
Genre: Contemporary, Drama, Romance
Country: Korea
Where I Watched It: Hulu
Recommended By: B Nice
Who I Watched it For: Song Joong Ki

Some relationships are fated, despite the challenges of time and place.

Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki), the leader of a Special Forces unit, meets trauma surgeon Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) in a hospital emergency room after Shi Jin and his second-in-command, Seo Dae Young (Jin Goo), chase down a thief on their day off.

Shi Jin is immediately smitten with Mo Yeon, and he asks her out on a date. But Shi Jin keeps getting called to duty when he is with Mo Yeon, and the two also realize that they have conflicting views about human life (he will kill to protect his country and she has to save lives at all costs). They decide to break off their budding relationship as a result.

Dae Young also tries to break off his relationship with Army doctor Yoon Myeong Ju (Kim Ji Won) because her father, Lt. General Yoon (Kang Shin Il), thinks Shi Jin is a better match for his daughter.

Shi Jin and Dae Young are then deployed to the fictional war-torn country of Urk on a long-term assignment of helping the United Nations keep peace in the area. After repeatedly being passed over for a promotion because of her lack of connections, Mo Yeon gives up performing surgeries, loosening her principles somewhat to become a celebrity TV doctor and caring for VIP patients at the hospital. But when she refuses the sexual advances of the hospital chairman, Mo Yeon is picked to lead a medical team to staff a clinic in Urk! There, Mo Yeon unexpectedly reconnects with Shi Jin.

“Descendants of the Sun” is a 2016 South Korean drama series directed by Lee Eung Bok. The entire series was pre-produced prior to airing, which is a departure from how Korean dramas are typically produced. The stars and production team spent one month in Greece to film much of the series’ storyline. The drama also is the first project for Song Joong Ki after finishing his mandatory two-year military service.

I watched this show at the recommendation of my friend, B Nice and then I found out that she didn’t even watch it but heard it was good, haha. I still watched it though and though the overall romance was a good one, I struggled with connecting with what was going on and the female lead. I also thought that the male lead was a bit over the top at times but he didn’t annoy me the way that the doctor heroine did.

This show is about two people, who meet and before their romance can take off, the hero does. She’s a doctor and he’s in the military so it’s hard for them to get together because either she’s getting called into surgery or he’s getting called onto missions in faraway places that he can’t even tell her about. So there are some struggles, obviously. They also find out that they have different views on things and then there are more struggles so they call off their budding romance before it grows into anything deeper. They go their separate ways but are brought back together when Mo Yeon is assigned to lead a medical team to run a clinic in Urk, where Shin Jin is stationed. When the two reconnect, sparks fly and the story really picks up.

There’s also a secondary romance between Shin Jin’s buddy Dae Young and an army doctor, Yoon Myeong Ju that is filled with a whole lot of drama. Dae Young’s not the partner that Meyong Ju’s father would have chosen for her and he is very vocal about it. So vocal, in fact, that he consistently abuses his powers at work (he’s one of the higher-ups in the military) to move Dae Young around to make sure that he can’t be with his daughter. Dae Young, of course, doesn’t say any of this to Yoon Myeong Ju, he just goes wherever he’s sent and puts up with the abuse from her father. He kept getting pulled in different directions and his life was thrown upside down at every turn because of his girlfriend so that was some special kind of drama in itself and it drove me just as crazy as the main romance.

I will say that both sets of couples have chemistry in spades. I completely bought everything they were trying to sell and this was my introduction to all of these actors so I was impressed that they can make me feel every single emotion under the sun. I went from happy, to pissed off, to sad, back to happy, back to pissed off, back to sad for all 16 episodes but there was a whole lot of humor from the other characters sprinkled in that my overall experience with this show wasn’t all pissed off.

I’m glad that I watched this show even though it wasn’t my favorite. It introduced me to a bunch of actors I’d like to see in other shows and movies so I’m glad about that. However, this show is made up of a whole lot of stuff that pissed me off that I can’t rate it higher than 3.25 out of 5 stars. I had high hopes that things would turn around but in episode 15, the heroine and the hero were still pissing me off that by then, it was too late for me to absolutely love them. Still, this was a solid drama.

Listen to the OST

Final Rating

3.25 out of 5

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