Review

Review: Good Boy

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show’s got a great cast, an interesting premise, and a whole lotta budget, to bring its story to life.

It’s just too bad that the writing turns out to be the weakest link, in this entire drama.

From focusing on just one Big Bad for 16 whole episodes, to spending all its time, effort and creative energy on designing action and fight scenes, so much so that literally zero time, effort or energy was spent on creating actual character growth, the writing tanks it all, in my opinion.

This show started out pretty fun, but eventually turned into a slog, and it’s such a huge pity, in my opinion.

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Review: The First Night with the Duke

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

When Show is at its best, it’s frothy, irreverent, cheeky fun, all self-aware and blithely poking fun at drama tropes.

However, when Show is not at its best, it’s slow and laborious, like it’s putting all of its effort towards achieving its secret dream of being the best traditional sageuk it can be. 😅

The watch experience is understandably quite uneven, and sometimes, even a little whiplashy.

As a silver lining, Show does manage to serve up a pretty solid ending, despite its missteps along the way.

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Review: The Prisoner Of Beauty [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show starts out really strong, and manages to end on a solid note, but it does kind of waffle a bit, in the middle stretch, which takes away from its overall quality, I feel.

The premise is great, with two very smart, very shrewd leads up against each other, in a political marriage, and who eventually fall in love and become a real couple instead of just a diplomatic one.

Liu Yu Ning and Song Zu Er bring our leads to life very well, so much so that I was hooked from pretty early on, in my watch.

Would have been much better as a shorter series, I think, but at least Show manages to stick the landing in a way that feels worthwhile and meaningful.

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Review: Our Unwritten Seoul

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Sensitively written, tenderly directed, and wonderfully delivered by a talented cast, Our Unwritten Seoul really is a gem of a drama, in my opinion.

It’s a story of healing, growth, and the journey towards self-acceptance and self-love, and it’s capably woven, made up of threads from characters both main and supporting, to make up a nuanced and diverse narrative fabric that I found as heartfelt as I found it engaging.

Our entire cast is extremely solid, but Park Bo Young absolutely stands out, playing dual roles of our twins.

As a bonus, the OST is breezy yet poignant, and pitch perfect, in amplifying the watch experience.

Absolutely, enthusiastically recommend. 🥲

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Review: Always Home [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

If you enjoy coming-of-age c-dramas like When I Fly Towards You (review here), and if you loved Reply 1988 (review here!), then this show is for you.

This show takes the best of both these worlds, and blends it all together to make a hybrid drama that delivers those wholesome community feels that you get in Reply 1988, while retaining all of its defining coming-of-age c-drama characteristics.

Likable characters, comforting community feels, a bit of romance to underscore it all – and the slice-of-life quality that allows you to feel like a fly on these walls?

Win, win and more win! 🥰

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Review: The Haunted Palace

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Less about a central romance and more about a supernaturally-inclined Scooby gang on a ghostly mission, The Haunted Palace is well-paced, generally well-plotted, and really quite entertaining; certainly more entertaining than I’d originally imagined or expected.

Yook Sung Jae and Bona are well cast as our leads, though I would say that Kim Ji Hoon steals very, very large chunks of the show, as our resident King, at least in my opinion. 🤩

Worth a look, even if you’re not typically into ghosts or shamans in your dramas.

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Review: Doubt

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A well-constructed and well-executed psychological thriller, Doubt will likely keep you hanging off the edge of your seat, with each reveal arguably leaving you with more questions than answers.

Han Seok Kyu is excellent as always, but it’s Chae Won Bin who truly surprises, with a breakout performance as our protagonist’s daughter.

A taut and tension-filled slow burn that is worth a look, even if psychological thrillers don’t tend to be your thing.

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Review: Resident Playbook

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

The long-awaited spin-off to the beloved Hospital Playlist series (Season 1 and Season 2 reviews here and here!), this show brings back a lot of the same feels, just from a different angle, and with a new set of characters.

We get a nice balance of screen and story time between individual journeys, the development of our core four as an intact group, the various patient cases, and even an adorable little loveline.

And, to add a bit of spice and excitement to it all, we also get regular cameos from various Hospital Playlist alumni.

Very enjoyable and worthwhile, in my opinion.

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Review: The Best Thing [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Low-key and sweet, this show is basically a perfect little escape from the real world.

Everything’s very prettily filmed, and our characters are basically nice, good, decent people slowly falling in love, as their paths cross.

As a bonus, Show also manages to offer a gentle glimpse into the world of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) without being preachy or heavy-handed about it.

Perfect as a cozy drama nightcap, in my experience. 🥰

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Review: Way Back Love

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A poignant, thoughtful, bittersweet-yet-heartfelt little show that has way more meat on its bones than one might first imagine.

The writing and handling is deft and assured, the music is lovely and atmospheric, and our leads, Kim Min Ha and Gong Myung, are very good in this, both individually and together.

This one is lingering with me, long after the closing credits.

Very good, and very underrated.

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