Tag: Watched in 2022

Review: Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow

Posted February 16, 2023 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow

Starring: Lee Jae Wook, Go Yoon Jung, Hwang Min Hyun, Shin Seung Ho, Yoo Joon Sang, Oh Na Ra
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Romance
Country: South Korea
Director: Park Joon Hwa, Bae Hyun Jin
Screenwriter: Hong Jung Eun, Hong Mi Ran
Where to Watch: Netflix

Jang Uk returns from death, and three years later, the story of the mages unfolds anew. Jang Uk becomes a hunter of the soul-shifters when a young woman, a prisoner in her own home, seeks his help to reclaim her freedom.

After a short break, Alchemy of Souls returned to finish things up and my best friend and I were here for it all. We were here for finishing out the story, and seeing where all the characters ended up and we weren’t mad about the female lead change either. That made sense to me. It worked for the story that was being told, and if I had a gripe about anything in this season, it was that we never got a Naksu vs. JinMu showdown. Everything else? It worked and I enjoyed it a lot.

One thing that I enjoyed about this season was that I didn’t need to watch the first season again to remember where we were in the story, what to expect, or anything like that. Therese and I were able to just jump right into the new season and go from there, so that was good.

The Story

Season 2 of Alchemy of Souls picks up three years after the first season ends. Things look really different in Daeho. Yul is still sick from that damn blood bug that homegirl put inside him last season. Dang Gu and Cho Yeon are separated. Prince Go Won is on the outs with Jang Uk, who has the ice stone and is killing soul shifters left and right. Jin Bu Yeon is back and she’s locked up in the dungeon at Jinyowon. When chasing a soul shifter brings him to Jinyowon, he uses his new powers to sneak in and comes across Bu Yeon. These days, Jang Uk has little time and desire to interact with anyone and it shows when Bu Yeon pleads for his help in escaping her prison. Not being able to completely ignore her, he helps her in the funniest of ways and does not expect to keep running into her wherever he goes. Before he knows what’s what, Jang Uk pretends to marry Bu Yeon and even though he had his reasons for wanting to marry her, loving her was never in the cards for him. Not when he was still drowning in guilt for failing to protect Mudeok, his long lost love.

The more time he spends with his fiance, the more things start to click into place until Jang Uk has no choice but to stand up against the very evil that took his love away from him.

Male Lead

Jang Uk is a lot darker than he was in season one. It makes sense since my guy is heartbroken and dealing with the burden that came along with his new powers from the ice stone. He had no intention or plans to save everyone in Daeho, along with everyone else in the world. He didn’t care about anything or anyone and once he found out that there was a person with divine powers that could put him out of his misery, he planned to make her his wife so that she can destroy the ice stone in him and in turn, probably destroy everything else too. Gone are the days when Jang Uk would have thought to do the right thing and use his powers for good. He doesn’t want any of the responsibility so he wants out.

I’m not going to lie. I spent a good deal of this season pissed at his fine ass. He kept hurting my girl, Bu Yeon, over and over again. But alls well that ends well because once he finally gets over himself, his grief, and gets to know Bu Yeon, he falls in love again and seeing him struggle made my heart hurt for him. Even while I was mad at him for always being so mean to Bu Yeon, I never blamed him for the way that he acted. Even though he didn’t want the responsibility that came with his powers, he dealt with everything that was thrown at him. He grudgingly stepped in when he was needed and even though it would have been so easy to turn to the dark side, he didn’t and he was still a really good friend to his loved ones. No matter how mad I got at him, I still loved him most and if that ain’t love, I don’t know what is.

Female Lead

A lot of people were not a fan of the female casting change but I wasn’t one of them. I started the first season because Go Yoon Jung was in it. Sure, she was only in it for a handful of minutes and I ended up loving everyone else, it was her that brought me around to wanting to watch it. So I was waiting for her return this season, quite anxiously too.

Bu Yeon was the light to Jang Uk’s dark. She was bright, bubbly, and completely adorable to me. I loved that she was determined to get out of that dungeon. I loved that even when the chips were down, she never stayed down. She got right back up and learned to fight another day. I loved that she was so self aware. She knew she was pretty and she also knew that she was a bit of an airhead but didn’t let that stop her from trying to figure out her future outside of her mother’s clutches. I loved how completely sure she was of her love for Jang Uk and even when she realizes that Jang Uk already gave his heart away, I loved that she was prepared to love her all by herself for the rest of her life. She didn’t begrudge him his feelings even if his feelings hurt her. When her memories started coming back and she was so confused about who’s memories they were. If they were hers or if the memories were part of her power somehow, I enjoyed the angst that came with having to wait week after week for more clues to put everything together. As Bu Yeon, I enjoyed her even though I waited all season long for Naksu. It was Naksu that I was invested in and it sucked that after all this time, we never really got to see her.

The Cast

Man, it was so good to see everyone back in action. From the Crown Prince to the Parks, Maidservant Kim, the Seo’s, and hell, even the damn Jin’s. I didn’t miss JinMu’s ass and he annoyed the ever loving shit out of me in this season but it was still good to see everyone again. This season Master Lee and his constant air of mystery annoyed me. I was like, dude we don’t have a lot of time to fuck around, what the hell do you know and who are you telling the truth too because you were telling a lot of stories that conflicted with what you told others. I did like seeing everyone come together to save Yul. I also liked seeing Maidservant Kim and Park Jin being so cute and in love with each other. I loved seeing them worry over their kids and I cried when they all banded together to battle the bad guys and they got caught in the middle of it all. All of the powerful mages were a lot of fun to see in action. I’m gonna miss all of them for a long time.

Final Thoughts

As a whole, this show served the goods. Was it perfect? No. Did that matter to me? Not entirely. Sure, there were a lot of loopholes left when everything was said and done and I was bummed about that because I really wanted a Naksu and JinMu showdown. I wanted Naksu to somehow be able to clear her name and live as her true self, either Naksu or Cho Yeon. I didn’t want her to stay a Jin. Overall, I loved these characters too much to stay mad about not getting the exact show that I wanted. I loved the chemistry between all of the different characters both on screen and off. These characters became very dear for me and I had a hard time saying bye to all of them. All of these actors have made themselves a permanent spot on my favorite actors list and I will be heartily supporting their upcoming and future projects for as long as I amble. So while it’s not perfect, I still loved it and would recommend.

Final Rating


via GIPHY

4 out of 5

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Review: Summer Srike

Posted February 14, 2023 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Summer Strike

Starring: Yim Si Wan, Kim Seol Hyun, Shin Eun Soo, a.mond, Park Ye Young, Kwak Min Gyoo
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: 12
Genre: Drama, Life, Melodrama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Director: Lee Yoon Jung
Screenwriter: Lee Yoon Jung
Where to Watch: Viki

Lee Yeo Reum is a young woman whose career and life are going very well: She has just been awarded permanent contract status at work, and she has a boyfriend she likes very much. But work is starting to get stressful, and then she is hit with a double whammy of misfortune. Her mother dies in a tragic accident just moments after she is dumped by her boyfriend. Feeling utterly dejected and burned out, she decides to quit her job, head to the seaside, and do absolutely nothing for a while – at least until she can recharge her batteries and recover mentally.

She moves to a small seaside village named Angok. And it is here that she meets An Dae Beom, a stuttering librarian who also has his share of skeletons in the closet. Many years ago, he was a math prodigy with a bright academic future ahead of him. But circumstances have forced him away from the big city and the scholastic life. What will happen when these two lost souls meet – and will a spell of “doing nothing” in this small town really cure their ills?

I enjoyed Yim Si Wan and Kim Seol Hyun in other stuff that I’ve watched this in and with how much I enjoyed Our Blues, I thought this had a similar vibe so I was interested in watching it. The first couple of episodes set up the rest of the drama and I’m not going lie, it was slow and I almost didn’t think that I would continue on after the third episode but I’m glad that I stuck with it, even if it didn’t end up being a favorite of mine.

The Story

This story follows our main female lead, Lee Yeo Reum. When we first meet Yeo Reum, she’s working an office job that she hates and dating a guy that doesn’t seem all that interested in her and no matter what she does, she can’t seem to get out of the funk that she’s in. Her boss at work is an asshole, her boyfriend dumps her, and when unexpected grief strikes, Yeo Reum is out. She moves herself to a small town and decides that she’s not going to force herself to rush into finding another job. She’s taking time off do whatever she wants to do. She’s going on a summer strike. When she starts to build a life for herself, make new friends, and everything, she starts to wonder if she should stick around…

Male Lead

I don’t remember watching an introverted male lead in a drama that is as introverted as Dae Beom. I’m usually interested in the more confident male leads but I thought that Yim Si Wan did a really great job of bringing Dae Bom to life. The show was a little on the slow side but even with that, I was invested in what was going on. I was invested in Dae Bom, in his life, in his past, in what really happened with his sister and family, in just about everything and a large part of that was because Yim Si Wan.

He was a great part of the community and a huge draw for me as far as making me come back for more. I adored him.

Female Lead

Our leading lady is the center of the show as the story, and everything else revolves around her. So it was a bit of a let down that I was much more invested in everyone around her then I was in her. I thought she did well as a friend to Kim Bom. I thought she was great with Sung Min, Jae Hoon, and Sung Min’s kid and I didn’t think she deserved the shit she got from Ji Young but overall, her character wasn’t my favorite at all. I would have actually preferred for Kim Bom to be the main lead. I thought her story was much more interesting.

The Cast

I was really invested in the side stories going on here. From trying to figure out what really happened at the pool room, to grieving with Kim Bom and her brother, to everything that went down with Dae Beom and the professor, I was here for all of that. It just took me a long to get invested in those things. The beginning was a lot slower than I would have liked but once Yeo Reum gets to Angok and people start showing up in her life, things picked up but while I enjoyed getting to know everyone else, I can’t say the same for Yeo Reum. I don’t recall seeing any of the other characters in any other drama aside from the kid from Hospital Playlist and the two main leads but I did take notice of the two teens from the show, Bom and Jae Hoon. I did really like the both of them.

Dae Beom’s noona got on my hot damn nerves. She was snobby for no reason and her attitude toward Yeo Reum bothered me but so did her attitude toward Sung Min. The way that she kept trying to warn Yeo Reum away from Dae Beom made me want to pull her hair but when she kept getting turned down, I was like, well, that’s what your ass gets. But aside from her, Sung Min’s Dad, and the professor, I liked everyone else.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this drama was a little on the slow side and while it took me some time to warm up to everything, I did eventually warm up. I thought the romance between Dae Beom and Yeo Reum was cute but I liked the romance between Kim Bom and Jae Hoon more. I cried, I laughed, I happy sighed, and I got hella angry but even with all that, this isn’t a drama that will stay with me and that was a bummer. Still, it was a solid drama.

Final Rating

via GIPHY

3.5 out of 5

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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: Fan Letter, Please

Posted January 10, 2023 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Fan Letter, Please

Starring: Yoon Park, Choi Soo Young, Shin Yeon Woo, Jeon In Ji, Kang Da Hyun, Kim Sang Woo
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Country: South Korea
Where to Watch: Viki

Han Kang Hee is a top star actress who started acting ever since childhood. Because of the pressure as a top star, her self-esteem begins to drop and bad comments about her drama increase. The stress caused by those comments keeps her away from fanletters as well. In this crisis, she coincidentally runs into her first love, Jung Seok. He was a popular kid back in school but is now a single father of a sick child. His daughter Yu Na writes a fanletter to Kang Hee as her huge fan. However, as her letter doesn’t make it to Kang Hee, Jung Seok writes back instead. Kang Hee’s story with a beloved fan and her first love begins with a special fanletter.

Yoon Park made his way onto my radar when I watched him in Forecasting Love and Weather last year. His character started off as such an ass but I’m glad that over the course of the show his character kept right on charming me until eventually, he completely won me over. I don’t remember watching him in any other show so when I saw that this show was coming out, I was in.

The Story

This drama tells the story of A-List actress, Han Kang Hee, and a guy from high school, Bang Jung Seok. Jung Seok had a big crush on Kang Hee when they were in school but after a misunderstanding, they fell out with each other and drifted apart. Years later, they run into each other as adults and their lives are completely different and they, themselves are even more different. Jung Seok is a single father with a daughter who has cancer. Kang Hee is a famous actress that is struggling with PR issues. Jung Seok’s daughter is a huge Kang Hee fan and when she starts writing letters to her, her father delivers them and to everyone’s surprise, Kang Hee starts writing her back.

Kang Hee is also surprised when it comes to her attention that she’s been writing letters to a young girl with cancer and when she finds out that the girl’s father is someone she actually knows, she’s curious.

Male Lead

Yoon Park as Jung Seok was such a sweetheart and a good father and I absolutely adored him. He was smart and he was hard-working and such a devoted father that it was hard not to root for him. It was more than obvious that he still harbored a secret crush on Kang Hee but seeing him grow more and more confident in himself as the show progressed made for an enjoyable viewing experience. He’s not the perfect character that has all of his shit together but he’s a flawed character that is trying his best and I really liked that about him.

Female Lead

I haven’t watched a whole lot of shows with Choi Soo Young in them but I do like her acting. This was a fantastic role for her and I thought she did really well with it. Kang Hee was perfect on the outside but a mess on the inside and seeing her work through her issues and become stronger and stronger as the show progressed was great. It took her a while to work through her fear of getting fan letters (her reason for that was completely understandable, btw) and seeing her grow closer and closer to both Jung Seok and his daughter was great too.

The Cast

Aside from the two main leads, not a lot of other people were familiar to me. There were just a couple of people that I recognized from other shows so I can’t really say much about everyone. As much as I enjoyed the characters from the hospital (the other kids and the Moms), and then the reporter guy, not a lot of them were memorable though I’m sure that will change once I see more stuff with them in them.

The main leads definitely carried this show for me.

Final Thoughts

This show was a lot of fun. It was funny, it made me happy sigh and it even made me tear up as well. It packed a pretty great punch for such a short show. I thought for sure that I’d find it lacking in some way or form but that wasn’t the case at all. I didn’t think that it felt rushed or that the relationship and story suffered from not having more time to develop. I thought the actors, the writers, and everyone else told a solid story, developed a strong romance, and brought about a lovely cast of characters that charmed the socks right off of me. From the main characters to the kids, even the high school friends, and the convenience store owner, everyone did their thing and I enjoyed every last bit of it.

Final Rating

via GIPHY

4 out of 5

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Review: Weak Hero Class 1

Posted December 29, 2022 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Weak Hero, Class 1

Starring: Park Ji Hoo, Choi Hyun Wook, Hong Kyung, Kim Su Gyeom, Lee Yeon, Shin Seung Ho
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: 8
Genre: Drama, Action, Youth
Country: South Korea
Director: You Su Min
Screenwriter: You Su Min
Where to Watch: Viki

Yeon Shi Eun is a model student, who ranks at the top at his high school. Physically, Yeon Shi Eun appears like a weak boy, but by using his smarts, tools, and psychology, he fights against violence that takes place inside and outside of his school.

One of my favorite actors of this year and last is Choi Hyun Wook and the minute news dropped of his inclusion in this drama, I was in there like swimwear. Even though I’m kind of over bully stories, I was going to watch this no matter what and I’m SO glad that I did because this show??? Yeah, it’s that shit.

This is probably the best high school drama centered around bullies and violence that I’ve seen, period. I didn’t read the webtoon so I came into this drama completely ignorant of the story, the characters, and anything else to do with it so my thoughts are completely on the drama. My enjoyment of this drama was so high that I finished all eight episodes in one sitting. Of all the dramas that I watched this year, this is the drama that captivated me and had me at the edge of my seat through every single episode. The writers didn’t waste any scenes, didn’t waste any words, and didn’t waste any time with getting this show on the road.

This drama follows three high school students who become friends. Yeon Shi Eun is a loner who is just trying to graduate, get in college, and mind his business. He’s used to being on his own so when he becomes the target of harassment at school, he does everything he can to make sure it doesn’t escalate. That doesn’t go over well with his bullies who have too much time on their hands and of course, rich parents. Ahn Soo Ho is a coaster. He doesn’t care that much about school, is really only going so that he can graduate because it’s what his grandmother wants and he really loves his grandmother. He’s a really good fighter and that skill comes in handy when he befriends Shi Eun and the new transfer student, Oh Beom Seok. Oh Beom Seok is the son of a politician who had to switch schools because he was picked on pretty rough at his last school so he’s hoping to start new but when he gets roped into helping the bullies pick on Shi Eun, he hires Soo Ho to save Shi Eun.

The three become fast friends, even though Shi Eun did all that he could to discourage that connection as well. There’s no discouraging Soo Ho though. Soo Ho kept showing up until Shi Eun gave up. The thing about the three of these guys is that the school violence goes far beyond the school grounds. It felt like no matter where Shi Eun went, the bullies followed him and made it hard for him to live his life peacefully. The conflict grows when the trio befriends a young girl named Young Yi. When she joins the group, she brings about some internal conflict that seriously pissed me off at every turn.

There was so much conflict for such a short drama and despite there only being 8 episodes, I didn’t feel like the story suffered any because of that. I thought that the execution for this drama was done really well. It’s not an easy watch by any stretch but it was compelling as shit. It was dark, it was violent, but it was also gripping. This show had me in a chokehold and even though I wanted to fight everyone and their mom, I couldn’t stop watching. Park Ji Hoon did the damn thing in this one. I’m not sure if he’s in anything else but this will not be the last drama that I watch him in. I think he’s got a bright future in acting and I look forward to supporting his journey.

As much as I loved him and his portrayal of Shi Eun, Choi Hyun Wook was the highlight for me (who’s surprised?). I really, really, really, really loved his character and I cried buckets at the fight scene (if you know, you know) and I was so furious with Beom Seok that I had a hard time sympathizing with the kind of family life he had. He made it so hard to sympathize with him by acting out the way that he did…especially with Soo Ho. And his answer to Shi Eun when Shi Eun asked him why he did everything that he did? PISSED ME OFF EVEN MORE. I hated that instead of having a conversation with Soo Ho, he becomes the very worst version of himself and he did not deserve Soo Ho. He didn’t even deserve all of the chances that Shi Eun gave him.

I really enjoyed Shi Eun’s character. At first, second, and even third glance, you see a regular kid who doesn’t talk to others much and really minds his own business. He doesn’t look like a fighter and goes out of his way to avoid violence but seeing him driven to defend himself and his friends time and time again had me so soft for him. Like, I wanted to shield him from all of the hurts that this world kept dropping on him. I wanted to be on his side and be the support system that he so desperately needed. The acknowledgment from his parents came too little, too late for me but I did like that despite having shitty and neglectful parents, he still became such a strong and upstanding person.

I know that we’re getting a second season and I cannot wait. I need to know how this all turns out and what happens to Shi Eun, Soo Ho, and even Beom Seok after some time has passed. I’m curious to see if we see them all show up at Shi Eun’s new school. Overall, this was a pretty terrific drama and I’m so glad that I watched it. I’ll be waiting as patiently as I can for any kind of announcement for the next season so if you haven’t already watched this, I highly recommend that you do. This drama was nothing that I imagined it was going to be but I’m okay with that because it was so stinking good.

Final Rating

via GIPHY

4.5 out of 5

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