Review

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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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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