I really enjoyed Legend of the Blue Sea very much. I was prepared to give this a higher rating than I did, but there were a few things that kept this from being perfect. The story was very good, I enjoyed the reincarnation/past lives aspect and the flashback scenes to the Joseon counterparts. I wish those parts had been able to continue further into the story. The writer really set up her myth very well. I've heard some say that it was too reminiscent of My Love From Another Star, and I can see where the set up was very similar in style. I enjoyed all the characters, though, and the writer did put in some good twists to the story. There were a few inconsistencies, but nothing that distracted too much from my enjoyment. And although the ending was good, I felt like it still could have been better. They did a good job at wrapping up, but I didn't feel like they spent enough time with our main couple for the last episode. This drama was actually my first experience watching Lee Min Ho. I thought I finally got why he was such a "big deal" a few years back. (No, I have never watched BOF and probably won't!) I liked him enough to find another drama of his to watch while waiting for new episodes. While he impressed me fairly well in the first part, I found that he lacked emotional punch in some scenes toward the end which lowered my acting score a bit. Jun Ji Hyun, though, has become one of the actresses that I enjoy very much. She has a great comedic sense and stands out from a lot of the Korean actresses I see. She did an excellent job in this show as well. I thought all the side characters were interesting and well-acted for their roles. Especially all the actors doing double duty as past and present characters. The music was pretty good, but nothing that was extraordinary. The theme song was cheesy but still somewhat catchy. It's not something I would like or enjoy listening to outside of being the theme song for this show, though. So, it was good for its purpose. I think this has good rewatch value, even if I myself may not rewatch it. Overall, I gave this an 7.5. It was a fairly solid drama and I would recommend it to anyone that likes romance and fantasy elements. I think this show airing during the same time frame as Goblin may hurt its ratings a bit, but it was still a great show and I don't have any major criticisms for it.

Leia Mais

Blows everything else I've seen out of the water - true masterpiece

I have to thank my friend for sending me the trailer of this show before it started. I initially had no desire to see this drama as I thought that the synopsis sounded like something I wouldn't be interesting. As soon as I saw the trailer I knew I had to see this. (I even got my husband on board to watch it with me and he fell in love with the show as well.) The music was haunting and Seo Ye Ji's voice was sexy as heck. I'm in. And I'll fully admit that this was so much better than I ever could have expected. The story is one of a kind. There is something for everyone in this show. Drama, Melo, Romance, Comedy, Mystery, and Healing. I laughed and I cried. There was so much heart in this drama - it was so well-written and well-acted. Watching the main trio heal from their trauma touched my heart so much, and I also loved the fairy tale backdrop for the show was well as the episodes themselves.

This was the first time I've watched Seo Ye Ji, but safe to say I am now a fan. She was simply gorgeous as Ko Mun Young. She had times where she was fierce and times where she showed innocence. The acting from all three leads was phenomenal. Oh Jung Se as Moon Sang Tae completely stole the show so many times though - he may have been my favorite character of the entire show. All three of them acted their hearts out in this. They all had scenes that drew on my emotions and brought tears to my eyes.
I have to give props to the supporting cast as well. Everyone really did a phenomenal job with this show. I have nothing but praises for all of them.

I've said before that the OST has to be really outstanding for me to take notice because I'm not much on noticing music. This show had one of the best OSTs I've ever heard. (surpasses Goblin and Mr. Sunshine which had been my two previous mentions for best OST.) Janet Suh's In Silence (and I'm Your Psycho), Lee Sun Hyun's In Your Time, Elaine's Wake Up (opening credits), Ga Eun's Got You, Kim Feel's Hallelujah - some of the best tunes from the show.

Best of all, this has been one of the most satisfying endings of any show I've watched lately. It was more than I even hoped for. It was just beautiful all the way around. I've been through a string of great shows with lackluster endings, but this show brought its 'A game' for every episode right up until the final credits of the very last episode (and Netflix even treated us to a final credit blooper reel!)
This show is a definite re-watch.

Leia Mais

Watch this solely for the meta moments, to laugh at the way it pokes at the k-drama fans and K-drama itself. This is where its strength lies.
The acting is mediocre, as is the story (but that could be part of the intent!). This is very short - 10 episodes running at about 11-12 minutes long, which accounts for why the story wasn't fleshed out better. Think of this as more of a parody than a real story and you will probably still be entertained somewhat.
Just don't take the story too seriously and you will still have fun. Try to watch in one go if possible since it's short enough to do so.

Leia Mais

This movie just left me :O
The story was simple, but quietly and effectively told. If you are adverse to mature scenes, this will not be the movie for you. While there is not much in the way of skin shown, a couple of scenes are pretty explicit.
They are not gratuitous, though and they are integral to the story we are being shown. Jang Hyuk's character finds himself in quite the predicament for a moment's indiscretion. His student swiftly spirals out of control and so does his life. I can't give away what happens, but the buildup of tension and ultimate climax (no pun intended) left me with my jaw hanging open.

Acting was sensational. The actress that played Young Eun gave me goosebumps. Her portrayal of YE was the best performance in the movie.

Music - don't really remember the music, so it didn't stand out
Re-watch value - marked lower because the punch is gone once you've seen it.

Leia Mais

I know there are a ton of reviews already, but I'm going to throw mine in there also. May I just start off by saying that I think Gu Dae Young is such a great character and Yoon Doo Joon did an amazing job playing him. And I dare say that I think I may have preferred this season to the first, but I left a long gap between watching the 1st and the 2nd. However, there is one area that knocked this back a couple of points for me and I won't say in case it gives anything away.

I loved the chemistry between all the actors and the camraderie of the characters who lived in the Sejong Apartment. There were lots of beautiful food shots, so if you love food and eating you'll be salivating over the dishes. I even thought the dishes that I would never try in a million years looked tasty! LOL!
The characters relationships are the main driving force of the show more than the story itself.

It's a good watch, light on the romance, heavy on the food porn. I don't know that I would watch it again, but I would watch YDJ play Gu Dae Young in another installment again in a heartbeat! :)

Leia Mais

If you watched Go Back Couple and you think that this drama will be like it, you would be far off. Although the concept is the similar, the execution is different. Cha Joo Hyuk and Seo Woo Jin have become miserable in their marriage. Most of it is because Joo Hyuk is immature, selfish, and passive. He thinks his wife has become a shrew and he begins to think of divorce. By chance, he gets the opportunity to go back and change his life. What will he do? This grass isn't always greener on the other side....It's greener on the side where you water it.

Ji Sung and Han Ji Min put forth exceptional acting, as always. I was charmed by the entire cast, and enjoyed seeing the different scenarios play out. I was happy and thankful that some things stayed the same no matter which time we were in, even while other things changed. I feel like Joo Hyuk's character went through the growth that he needed to in order for everyone in his life to be happier. He found out what the true source of his wife's unhappiness and anger was, and was smacked in the face with the truth. What will he do about it though? And when Woo Jin discovers the truth....will she take matters into her own hands?

I always love a good epilogue, and this show was not the exception. I feel like the writers wrapped this show up VERY soundly, even if they took the entire last episode to do it. The ending felt a little meandering, even though it was nice to see the continuation of progress for our characters.
I liked that even though I thought I knew where the show would go, the writers surprised me a couple of times. And although they didn't go where I had hoped with the script, we got something possibly better for all of the characters and not just the leads. The travel in time affected the side characters as well - at least in some ways.

The music was nice, and fit well with the scenes. I enjoyed the song No Longer Mine by Roy Kim the most.

I doubt I'll re-watch this one anytime soon, but it is definitely worth a one time watch!

Leia Mais

I enjoyed this show a lot, but feel like it'll be hard to review as there were parts that also frustrated me. I loved Eric Mun as Tae Ha. He had incredible growth through the series. Jung Yu Mi as Han Yeo Reum was an endearing, if confusing, heroine. This story is one that sort of unfolds in layers. It's a bit reminiscent of Another Miss Oh and Marriage, Not Dating in story-telling style. So, if you liked either of these, then you'll probably like this as well.



I liked all of the parts of Tae Ha and Yeo Reum re-kindling their lost love and discovering what went wrong and seeing their growth and maturing process. Like with AMO and MND, the relationships were complicated and messy and raw. I both loved and hated this show for the frustration of it all, but in a way that meant that the writing was good. These characters are flawed, and you feel like you can see each of their points of view...and my feelings toward each fluctuated as I learned more about each.



I loved Yoon Sol and Do Joon Ho as side characters. They also provided a lot of the tension relieving humor throughout the show.



The push/pull was hard to watch sometimes and I felt that the love triangle was solved way too late. My biggest complaint about the show as a whole, was the ending because I feel like they didn't leave enough time to make it as satisfying as it should have been considering the turmoil they put us through along with our OTP. I would still recommend it for a one-time watch.

Leia Mais

WHOA! Just WHOA!!
Admittedly, I watched this just to see TOP (and bonus, TOP 'top'less - which, if you are Big Bang fan, you will know is a 'very big deal.' LOL!)

But I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It started off with some funny scenes, and quickly became a Korean Tarantino movie. I lost count of how many times my eyes about bugged out of my head and how many times I had to pause it to catch my breath and calm down from the intensity of the scenes.

TOP's acting is superb. It would be worth watching just for him...but I got a roller coaster ride of crossing and double crossing, mixed with laughs AND blood. Shin Se Kyung as Mi Na played her part so very coolly. (I believe this is my first time seeing her act.) And the friends and enemies that Ham Dae Gil meets along the way are not to be missed. You'll never know until the end where loyalties lie.

If you can handle the blood, you should put this movie on your PTW list pronto!

Leia Mais

I stepped out of my usual "comfort zone" rom-com dramas to watch this show, and I am extremely happy with that decision. You're All Surrounded is a little bit of everything. There is action, comedy, mystery, intrigue, and a touch of romance. Although the first episode, as usual, sets up the story, it was done very well and drew me in immediately.

Story - I thought the story was handled very well. There were lots of twists and turns that turned me into a "tv detective". You know - where you are sitting in your comfortable spot, watching your show and making guesses as to the "real" culprits and motives. :)
The only criticisms I have for this is that the cases handled by the detectives were too neatly intertwined (but it's a drama - not real life. We all know coincidences like this are not reality!), but they had to do this to move the story along. And also the Chief's backstory arc could have been stronger -I thought the concept was a little weak. Other than that, this show kept me very entertained and kept me intrigued about the mystery. The writers did a good job at drawing out the suspense and keeping you on your toes. I don't want to give away too much and spoil the enjoyment. I don't feel like there were any lagging or boring episodes and that every episode moved the story forward. There was a little bit of romance, but it was not the main focus of the story in any way.

Acting - The acting by the main cast was well done. Cha Seung Won did a wonderful job in this, as did Lee Seung Gi and Go Ara. I thought that the characters of Ji Gook and Tae Il were a little on the weak side, but I understand why their roles were not stronger stories. I think they did an okay job of acting out their roles as they were given. Tae Il was given a little bit of a backstory - but just enough to explain why he became a detective. Ji Gook wasn't given much of anything at all. They were just mainly there to help along the plot, so very much supporting roles and nothing else. The other side characters were well used and played their parts well.

Music - The music was not standout, but it served its purpose as a backdrop to what was happening on screen.

Re-watch value - I didn't mark the re-watch value very high because of the nature of the drama. Once the mystery and suspense are given away, then the second round doesn't have the same punch. However, it was very enjoyable and may be worth the RW regardless.

Overall - This is a fun and suspenseful show, and I think it's a worthy recommendation for drama lovers or even new kdrama watchers.

Leia Mais

This was another drama I watched mainly to see Seo In Guk. And I ended up really liking the character played by Ryu Soo Young - he really stole the show for me. This was laggy in certain parts, but overall I enjoyed this family drama. There were a few parts I would have liked to have ff'd through just to get back to the parts I liked better. I think the parents were more of the rascals than the sons in this. The main mother was naggy no matter what and wasn't really someone I liked until the last episode. The mother of Tae Ju was horrible and all her sighing and pouting and carrying on was a real turn off. There were a few romances going on in this. The main couple of Hyung Gi and In Ok got to be a little tiresome during the last few of the 50 episodes - almost too much forced drama. The middle brother Min Gi (played by Ryu Soo Young) had an unrequited love for his best friend's fiancé, but thankfully resolved that and had a much better romance with Jin Yu Ri, played by Lizzy (and reminded me of Jung Eun Ji from Reply 1997 -she was adorable and I'm now a fan.) I'm glad they sent off the friend and his fiancé part way through the show because they weren't fun characters to watch and it got Min Gi's real romance started. The youngest brother, was Seung Gi (played by Seo In Guk) and his player ways at first. I really thought that I would end up disliking this character, but he really had a lot of character growth during the course of the drama. I felt bad for his missed romance with Song Hee, and I wished that the actress that played Mi Rim - his wife, could have played a character with more passion. She's a beautiful actress, but the character could have been written better. Min-Gi and Yu-Ri's romance was the highlight of the show for me and made me want to watch more of Ryu Soo Young in other works. Probably will not re-watch due to length, but may go back to revisit some favorite scenes.

Leia Mais

I'm so in love with Dong Man and Ae Ra! I would watch this show again and again and again. There doesn't seem to be much of a plot in this show at first, but the story is more character driven. And the characters are relatable and real. I have my favorite supernatural dramas out there, but this has become my new favorite rom-com.

Park Seo Joon was not on my radar before this show. I thought I disliked him after watching She Was Pretty, but after starting this I want to see everything he's in. Kim Ji Won is super adorable as Ae Ra as well. The actors did a great job holding the romantic tension -- I was wound tighter than a drum waiting for them to get together. And when they finally did, it was magical! The show treated us to lots of skinship and I gobbled it up like a Thanksgiving feast. I had nothing but heart eyes for our main couple.

Our second leads did a good job as well, although they had a different trajectory than the main couple. There are completely different feelings for their romance. The other side characters were well played, and as always, Kim Sung Oh makes a great supporting cast member.

I have relatively few criticisms for this show. It is what it is - a romantic comedy with a little drama to keep things interesting and move the storyline along. The show did its thing well and I was along for the ride every step of the way, anxiously awaiting new episodes every week, and am feeling quite sad to let Dong Man and Ae Ra go so soon. If you love a good romance, this is your crack. :)

Re-watch? Already started.... :)

Leia Mais

I dropped it but picked it back up and finished

I don't know if I would have disliked this drama if I had binged it all the way through. I got through the first 8 episodes months ago, and then paused and didn't think I would finish. I don't know what made me decide to go ahead and finish it up.
This is a very slow story and has a twist to it that wasn't wholly unexpected but not completely how I though it would play out either. I don't want to give it away, but this show ended up being pretty raw and ended up making me cry in the end. I don't think it's for everyone, so I can't say that I'd recommend it for everyone. I feel like some people will hate it, and some people may appreciate it for personal reasons like I did.

Kim Hye Ja is a great actress and really carried this drama. Nam Joo Hyuk seems sort of awkward, and for Han Ji Min, I don't think she got enough of the spotlight but did a good job with her role.

Leia Mais

I don't often watch these longer dramas. In fact, this is only the 4th or so that I've attempted. But out of these, Five Children has been the best family drama I've watched so far. In the past, the ones I've watched have suffered from draggy middle parts or overbearing characters. Watching Five Children was a treat - I never fast forwarded through a thing and when I thought I would watch this at a casual pace, filling in empty time here and there -- well, that didn't happen at all. I flew through this 54 episode drama in just about a week. I couldn't stop watching it. I even put off watching my currently airing shows to finish this.

I enjoyed all the cast. So Yoo Jin as Ahn Mi Jung, the main female lead, was really enjoyable and a very likable actress. I wish there was more she had done that I was interested in watching. Ahn Jae Wook as Lee Sang Tae, the main male lead was also charming and his character was a steady rock. The show stealers were Sung Hoon as Kim Sang Min and Shin Hye Sun as Lee Yeon Tae, though. Their couple was so adorable and heart-fluttery. Sang Min was such a doting boyfriend and wooed shy Yeon Tae very romantically (and sometimes cheese-ily..yes, I made that word up.) and gently instructed her in the ways of dating without being over bearing or pushy. I could have watched a whole drama around JUST those two. The actors playing the parents all did a good job because their antics could definitely have crossed over into the annoying meddling parental roles we've all seen done to death. But somehow, they were still likable even with all that sort of behavior that I usually abhor. I think the couple I was least interested in was Lee Ho Tae and Mo Soon Young, but the Yoon In Chul and Kang So Young couple were the least developed character-wise and didn't really fit well into the rest of the story. I enjoyed the Kim Tae Min and Jang Jin Joo couple also, even though I thought I'd dislike Jin Joo at first as well. I think she had some incredible character growth during the series. The child actors played their parts well also. I have nothing bad to say at all about the acting. Wonderful casting!

The story was not that original maybe, and not realistic in how they were all intertwined together, but they still wrote an engaging and entertaining story that kept me wanting to see what came next.

The music was good, but not really stand out. They had a cute little theme song, and I heard several American songs as background when the characters were meeting out and about at cafes and restaurants.

If this were not such a long drama, I would not mind rewatching it. Due to the length though, I will probably just rewatch some favorite scenes at most (and they are pretty much all Sang Min and Yeon Tae scenes!) I'm still thinking about these characters days after I've finished, so I think that says a lot.

If you are new to family dramas, I would say that this is a solid choice to get your feet wet with! :)

Leia Mais

I had no idea I would love this so much. I'm sad that it's over now. I'm not even mad about the 'openness' of the ending. I think it ended the way it needed to even though I happily would have watched more.
Son Seok Koo -- I absolutely want to see him on screen again, but I doubt any character he plays will be as smoldering sexy as Gu. This was the first time I've taken notice of his acting (that I knew of at the time), but I thought that he hit it out of the park. Saying a million things with just a look.
Kim Ji Won, Lee El, and Lee Min Ki all did a wonderful job playing the Yeom siblings in a relatable and sympathetic way. I enjoyed watching each of them grow and evolve.

I tend to love slice of life dramas. I watched this in the middle of 3 such shows that were more melo than I am usually on board with. I thought for sure that I would need to break up this trio with a comedy, but I never did. MLN has been my favorite of them. I looked forward to new episodes every week. Even when it seemed like there was barely any movement in the story, as each episode was just so quiet. It relaxed me to see the siblings living their lives and trying to break free from the monotony their lives had become. It was just so dang relatable on this basic level that I was sucked in, wanting to see what choices they would make. What would change in their lives to allow some joy to come through in their exhausted drudgery of life they were living.

It was just a beautiful drama.
If you can handle the quiet, slice of life style, this one should be on your list.

Leia Mais

This drama started off really rough. I kept hoping that it was going to get better, so I stuck with it. And about halfway through episode 4, I finally started to see the light. This was also about the time that news came out that the writers intended to postpone the show for a week for major re-writing. When episode 5 came out, it was vastly different. From there forward, the main leads were both toned down a bit in intensity. Ro Woon was not as aggressive and annoying, and Hwan Gi was not so reclusive and in his head that it was frustrating to watch. They evened out the characters and made them much more enjoyable to watch. However, I think that the storyline may have suffered. I feel like they set out to tell a more intense story, and what we got instead was a little lackluster and messy. The motivations for everyone's actions were either very weak or not explained well.

The two main leads did a nice job with their acting. And the kissing scenes were really nice. The rest of the cast did a fair job, but their characters weren't very well developed for the most part.

Music was nice, serviceable.

I won't be rewatching this show as it didn't impress me in any way. In short, the re-write only made the characters more palatable, but screwed up the story. Either way, this one didn't live up to its potential.

Leia Mais