Review

Review: You and Everything Else

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

The most important thing I feel I could say about this show, is, don’t let its somber premise put you off.

Show is thoughtfully written, tenderly directed and wonderfully delivered, so much so that I found myself feeling fully engaged, from beginning to end.

Our entire cast is excellent, but the standouts are our leads, Kim Go Eun and Park Ji Hyun, who both give us performances that feel wonderfully raw and real, so much so that I could fully buy that they just simply were these people.

An underrated gem that’s absolutely worth the investment of your drama hours – and your heart. 🥲

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Review: Shin’s Project

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

If you’re looking for something that goes down quite light, but still has a bit of substance to it, this little show could be worth putting on your list.

In a nutshell, this is basically kinda-sorta like Dr. Romantic – just make it law, rather than medicine.

So if you loved Dr. Romantic and Han Seok Kyu in it (Open Threads for Season 1 here!), then this show is pretty likely one that you’d be able to enjoy, coz it’s basically like getting Kim Sabu back, just in a different area of expertise. 😁

No, this is not brilliant, but it does scratch that Dr. Romantic sort of itch quite nicely.

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Review: Legend of the Female General [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Whether or not this show could work for you, really depends on your expectations.

If you’re looking for realism and logic, this show probably isn’t for you, because Show fundamentally expects you to be able to suspend disbelief – because in no world does Zhou Ye look like a tough fighter male general. 😁

However, if you’re able to roll with those logic stretches; if you enjoy stories about strong female characters; if you just like Cheng Lei’s scowling, smoldering intensity – then this one could be quite enjoyable for you.

Me? I was in it for Cheng Lei’s simmering smolder. 😁🔥

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Review: A Dream Within A Dream [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

When Show’s at its best, it’s screaming good fun, coz it’s just that funny and unexpected, in all the right ways. I don’t often laugh out loud with my dramas, but there were a good number of times that I had to pause an episode, just to laugh.

Unfortunately, when Show is not at its best, it can feel frustrating, like it’s cycling in place and reusing the same narrative ground. I didn’t like that very much.

As an upside, Show’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses, and Show does manage to stick the landing, in my opinion.

Overall, worth a look, especially if you enjoy transmigration stories.

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Review: Tempest

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Big-budgeted, glossy and peppered with big-name stars, Tempest was poised to be Disney’s big kdrama hit of the year.

Unfortunately, it does feel like, whichever camp you’re in – whether you’re in this for the romance, or the politics, or the mystery-thriller aspect of things – you’d likely come away from this one feeling not completely satisfied.

Also, whichever camp you’re in, you’re also likely to agree that Show seems to have been rather too ambitious, resulting in a rather uneven watch experience.

Not terrible, overall, but still a regrettable waste of potential.

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Review: Bon Appetit, Your Majesty

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show starts off very strong, with an opening that’s both comedic yet well thought-out, and follows up soon after, with glorious food scenes, which quickly become one of Show’s big anchors.

Unfortunately, I feel that Show kind of forgets to develop the other big anchor in this type of story, and that is, a believably strong love connection between our OTP. As a result, our OTP is very pretty, but their loveline lacks oomph.

Add on what I feel is a misguided amount of time spent on a cooking competition, that could have been spent on developing the OTP connection, and I can’t help but feel that there are too many missed opportunities in the making of this show.

Not bad, but could have been great. 🥲

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Review: Beyond The Bar

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

On the upside, the characters in this show grow on you, the cases are carefully chosen to bring interest to the story, while also giving us insight into our characters, and character relationships are carefully teased out.

On the not-so-upside, Show does employ a fair amount of coincidence to nudge its story forward, while also having its share of logic stretches. I also wasn’t super interested in the law firm politics, which were also inevitably present.

Overall, I did find this to be solidly engaging and watchable, which is saying a lot, since I don’t tend to gravitate towards legal dramas.

Worth a look, in my opinion.

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Review: The Winning Try

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

If you enjoy underdog stories, I do think that there’s quite a bit to enjoy in this little show.

This one is a little rough around the edges, in that the characterization leans OTT, particularly when it comes to the villains in our story, but Show more than makes up for it with how much heart it has, and also, in how easy it is, to watch.

I grew really fond of our resident underdogs over the course of my watch, and I was sincerely sorry to say goodbye. 🥲

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Review: A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You [Japan]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

If you enjoy “marriage first, relationship-building after” type stories, this is for you. If you enjoy stories featuring shy, introverted leads, this one is also for you.

And if you like both of those things, this one’s doubly for you. 😁

Slice-of-life, a little quirky, and built like a collection of vignettes, almost, Show might take a hot second to get used to, but it shouldn’t take you long to get with Show’s groove, and be utterly charmed by our pair of very endearing leads.

Worth savoring slowly, in my opinion. 🥰

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Review: Law And The City

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Unassuming, low-key and slice-of-life, this show would easily get passed over for more exciting dramas, I feel like.

However, I have to say that this one grew on me very well, so much so that I felt wistful to say goodbye to these characters, by the time I approached the finale.

This might not be as dramatic or as exciting as some of its drama cousins, but it’s got interesting cases handled with heart, and the friend group at the center really does come together to carry this show, by its later stretch.

Solid and enjoyable, on balance.

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