This is one of those movies that I’ve only ever heard good things about, and have always wanted to watch.
The reason it’s taken me this long to actually get to it, is that I just.. got distracted by other things and forgot to look for it, until I chanced on it the other day, while browsing movie titles.
The moment I saw this one, it jumped to the top of my watch list immediately.
And now that I’ve seen it, I must say, it really is as excellent as everyone says it is.
Psst: Links to watch are at the end of the review!
I genuinely enjoy both Kim Ji Suk and Jung So Min, so when I saw that they’d starred in this little drama special together, and that it had garnered more than 10 million views, I couldn’t not give it a look.
That, and the fact that I’d recently checked out episode 1 of Monthly Magazine Home, and hadn’t been super wowed; this little drama special had felt like a nice, quick alternative way to have them on my screen.
I hafta say, Kim Ji Suk’s character in this, is definitely more quickly endearing than his character in Monthly Magazine Home, who starts out as a quintessential jerkwad type.
I wonder if I’ve stockpiled enough goodwill for him through watching this drama special, to attempt episode 2 of Monthly Magazine Home..? 🤔😅
Remember when I first got sucked into the Aaron Handsome while watching Fall In Love With Me? That show had lots of pretty going for it, but was, er, lacking in some pretty major ways.
The Aaron Handsome – and his (mostly) gorgeously sharp wardrobe – saw me through the entire watch, so it wasn’t a complete wash-out.
When I told you guys about the experience, and about my appreciative, er, appreciation of the Aaron Handsome, many of you – really, so many! – told me that I would do well to check out Just You, which you all agreed added up to be a much better show.
The advice came with a caveat; essentially, that Show would take a while to settle, but if I would give it about 4 episodes, that Show would become a pretty fun watch.
Well, guess what – you guys were absolutely right. This one was a lot funner than Fall In Love With Me. Which is why I thought it was important to come out and share the love. 😉
Well, it actually took me a pretty long time to appreciate Heartless City. Truth be told, I was slow on the uptake with this one.
While many of my dramaland friends fell in instant love with this show (and others felt an instant disconnect), I fell somewhere in that vague no man’s land of not hating it, but not quite loving it either.
Show later fixed that by creeping up on me and laying firm hold on my heart in the later episodes, so much so that the moment I reached the end, I actually went right back to the beginning for a partial re-watch. Kinda crazy, but completely true.
So maybe my appreciation is sorta like fine wine? 😛
Y’know, there was a time when I literally wouldn’t have touched this show with a ten-foot pole. Seriously.
Partly, it was because the premise didn’t interest me all that much. Partly, it was also because at 50 episodes, My Daughter Seo Young was a big commitment, and I could think of many much more interesting places to spend those drama hours.
Especially since I wasn’t all that interested in the premise. Mostly, though, it was because I didn’t care too much for Lee Bo Young as an actress (note the use of past tense!), and couldn’t see myself sitting through a long drama where she played the protagonist.
To think that I now have not only finished the entire show (50 whole episodes!), but would recommend it to other drama fans too. Wow, right?
So what made me pick this up again in recent months? Well, I’m gonna hafta say, it’s mostly coz Lee Sang Yoon looks roguishly delish with a shadow of a goatee. 😉
After liking Lee Ki Kwang’s performance quite well in Twenty Years Old (quick review here), I’d put this drama special on my watch list, but kept putting off actually checking it out, thanks to all the other stuff on my drama plate consistently jostling for my limited drama hours.
On my return flight home a few nights ago, it just so happened that the sound on my in-flight entertainment system wasn’t working. Boo.
So I did what any other drama-focused fangirl would do in the same situation. I whipped out my trusty laptop and watched the only drama-related thing that happened to be saved on it. Ha. Of course, that happened to be My Friend Is Still Alive.
I had no idea what to expect since I went in fairly blind. The thing is, this drama short managed to amuse me, aggravate me, move me and make me cry, all in one little hour. I actually felt glad, that I hadn’t been able to use my in-flight entertainment system. Pretty impressive, right?
Despite its flaws and indulgent streaks, Answer Me 1994 is a lovely little show that’s peopled by likable, bubbly characters that not only feel real, but also feel like they’re real friends with one another.
The characters and their relationships are the shining jewels crowning this show, and together, they shine so brightly that it’s not hard to overlook the occasional uneven writing, the consistently bloated episodes and the dreaded Who’s The Hubs game that Show inherited from its predecessor Answer Me 1997.
To be perfectly honest, She is WOW is pretty different from your typical kdrama.
Irreverent and saucy much of the time, and dark, bittersweet and even a little bit mysterious the rest of the time, this show is not for everyone.
I picked up this drama coz of the modest measure of positive buzz that followed it while it aired, and the bottom line, for me, is that while I don’t think this drama is quite my cup of tea, in its own irreverent way, it manages to still be a thought-provoking show that asks some hard questions.
When I first decided to dip my toes in Jang Ok Jung, I happened to tweet about the terrible Mandarin that the Qing characters spoke in episode 1, and was quickly greeted by a flurry of concern from my dramaland friends.
Consistently, pretty much every single one of them advised me – strongly – to drop the show while I could, assuring me that it was for the better, since I’d only get frustrated with the show in its later episodes.
I gladly complied, and congratulated myself on having dodged a dud drama. I quickly poured myself into some other drama, and promptly forgot all about Jang Ok Jung.
That is, until many months later, when I was doing some spring-cleaning on the hard disk where I’d saved this drama, and decided to randomly click through an early-ish episode (I think it was episode 5), just to be extra sure that I wanted to delete the drama from my collection.
Well. Imagine my complete and utter surprise, when I happened on a scene that actually piqued my interest. I soon found myself devouring the drama with the help of my Fast Forward button, and I was hooked.
Breezy, light, and just a little bit quirky, Dating Agency Cyrano is a fun little show for when you’re in the mood for a bit of mindless fluff.
Plot logic regularly requires some suspension of disbelief, but there are enough plus points in this show to still make it an enjoyable watch.
More than the overarching story, and more than the cases of the day, it’s the characters and their warmth that wormed their way into my heart, then resonated and lingered with me.
Far from cracktastic, but still a good dose of fun.
