Jung So Min

Review: Alchemy Of Souls: Light And Shadow

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show continues our magicky narrative from Season 1 (review here!), and manages to serve up a solid story, while sticking to its own mythology and internal rules.

On top of that, I found Show nicely engaging on the emotional front, once I got my bearings in Season 2.

To address the elephant in the room, yes, I thought Go Yoon Jung was very good as our female lead, and I thought the change of female lead between Season 1 and 2, was nicely managed.

Importantly, even though I did feel like Show wobbled a little bit at the end, it does, in fact, give us a solid ending, while working within the mythological framework it’s set up for itself.

Not bad at all, I say.

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Review: Alchemy Of Souls

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show works out to be a solid homage to the xianxia genre, while still managing to be its own thing.

And, as its own thing, Show manages to stick to its internal mythology, while mixing its more dramatic arcs with spots of comedy and levity, and remains interesting and engaging, all through its 20 episodes. That in itself feels like a writing coup, credit to the Hong sisters.

Our cast is generally strong and varied, and I especially enjoyed the performances by Lee Jae Wook and Jung So Min, which I thought worked to ground the emotional beats in particular.

A very enjoyable ride from start to finish, and here’s hoping that Part 2 (review here!) will remain just as good.

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Flash Review: Homme Fatale [Movie]

| kfangurl

As many of you know, because of my deep affection for Junho, I’ve been on a mission to check out his various projects.

I’d been meaning to watch this movie and write it a review (this was my third attempt – more on that in a bit), so what better time to do that, than the weekend that Junho wins Best Actor, at the Baeksang Awards?? Ahhh!!! 🤩

For the record, I’m so, SO happy for him, and so proud of him, and having him on my screen for an hour and 50 minutes this weekend, felt like a perfect way to celebrate his (well-deserved) win. 😍

Psst: Links to watch are at the end of the review! ❤️

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Dropped: Monthly Magazine Home

| kfangurl

In the spirit of closure (partly because we are getting to the end of the year, eep!), I thought I’d officially call it quits on Monthly Magazine Home.

I’d actually really looked forward to this one, but, to be brutally honest, episode 1 just didn’t appeal to me very much at all. I’d then shelved it, with vague good intentions of giving it another chance, but.. that’s not gonna happen, after all.

Here’s the quick rundown of why this one didn’t work for me, even from episode 1. 😅

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Review: My Roommate Is A Gumiho

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

The great thing about My Roommate is a Gumiho, is how fresh it manages to feel, despite it appearing, at first glance, to be like just about any other romcom dotting Dramaland. Yes, there are tropes, but most of the time, they’re there to be turned on their heads.

In particular, I love our female lead, who’s anything but a Candy. She might appear rather goofy on the surface, but she’s gracious and classy, and has such a good head on her shoulders, that it’s hard not to love her.

I feel that Hye Ri and Jang Ki Yong are well-cast and well-directed in this; I enjoyed them both very much, and I feel that their chemistry works really well. As a bonus, Kang Han Na is wonderful in this, as a ditzy ex-gumiho. This is literally my favorite role of Kang Han Na’s, to date.

I found the ending a touch underwhelming, especially when compared to how solidly the rest of the show stacks up, but overall, it’s still a very enjoyable drama that I’d recommend!

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Flash Review: The Red Teacher [Drama Special]

| kfangurl

You guys. I really, really enjoyed this little show.

It’s only 1 hour and 16 minutes long, yet manages to feel like a full story. Plus, it manages to feel fresh and different from most other drama offerings as well. On top of this, I felt completely absorbed during my watch, too.

What more could one ask for, from a little drama special, right?

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Flash Review: Came To Me And Became A Star [Drama Special]

| kfangurl

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..? 🤔😅

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Flash Review: The Smile Has Left Your Eyes [Hundred Million Stars From The Sky]

| kfangurl

You guys, this is possibly the one show that I ended up watching quite literally by accident.

See, even though quite a few of you had suggested this show to me, I’d put it vaguely on my list for “later,” and my track record shows that “later” often stretches into a black hole void of “maybe never,” mostly because there are just too many newer shows vying for my attention and I can’t keep up with it all.

The thing is, when I saw this available on Viu, I thought I’d click on episode 1, “just to see.” Well, whaddya know. I got sucked in within mere minutes.

This one struck me as immediately engaging the way a classic melo like Winter Sonata is immediately engaging, and by the 30-minute mark, I knew I’d be following this one through to the end. In a drama landscape where a good number of dramas take about 4 episodes to get going in earnest, that’s skillz.

The question is, did Show manage to keep it up all the way through to the end?

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Flash Review: Because This Is My First Life

| kfangurl

The experience of watching this show is similar to what I imagine it would be like, to be on an exceptional winning streak in your favorite computer game: you are in disbelief as you clear round after round, trouncing the system in ways that you didn’t think possible.

You start to wonder if you will – gasp! – actually be able to pull off a perfect game – a feat that is only rumored to be possible. You make it to the final rounds – OMG am I almost there?! – ..only for the system to beat you in the end, after all. *sadface*

And then you console yourself that, yes, you didn’t make it all the way through this time, but you still did really well – and maybe, just maybe, you’ll make it next time.

Sigh. That’s how I feel about this show, you guys. There was so much to love in this one, and it felt so surprisingly fresh in so many ways, that I thought we might actually have a thoroughly amazing drama on our hands.

Alas, Show wobbled a fair bit in its final episodes, to my eyes. I’m disappointed about that, but just like in the analogy of the computer game, I’m consoling myself that being awesome for 14 episodes is still head and shoulders above most other dramas. Right?

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Flash Review: Father Is Strange

| kfangurl

You know a show’s gotta be Quite Something, if it’s luring me out of the writing-hiatus-cum-drama-rut I’ve found myself ensconced in for the last couple of months.

I literally just finished watching the last episode of Father Is Strange today, and liked it enough to start poking around to craft a review right away.

Considering that 1, Father Is Strange is a 52-episode family drama, and 2, I’ve been feeling pretty uninspired on both the writing and drama fronts, this is a Big Testament to how likable I’ve found this show and its characters.

Even if you’re not usually into family dramas, I really do think you might like this one.

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