Jung Young Joo

Review: Miss Night and Day

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

This show was wholesome and funny despite its serial killer arc, and made me laugh week after week, thus becoming an unexpected highlight to my drama week.

I liked our cast as a general rule, but it was Lee Jung Eun who shone the brightest to me, and I just got a huge thrill, watching her get to show her awesomeness on such a regular basis, on my screen. 🤩

Unfortunately, Show did not stick the landing, in my opinion, and that absolutely marred my watch experience, as well as my feelings towards this show.

I don’t regret watching it – but that’s almost exclusively because of how wonderful I thought Lee Jung Eun was, in this. 🥲

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Review: Lovely Runner

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A little show that looks light and fluffy, but is, in fact, so full of heart, and so solidly smart, that it outshines its similar-looking drama cousins, by a long mile.

Smartly written and tenderly directed on the one hand, and sincerely delivered by a cast that feels pitch-perfectly chosen for this story world on the other, Show has a lot to offer, despite its relatively modest pedigree.

Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon are wonderful in this, individually and together, and were the highlights of my watch; I found them both entertaining and endearing in all the right ways.

As a bonus, Show boasts a great OST that just amplifies every feel that Show serves up.

Very much recommend.

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Review: My Liberation Notes

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

This show really isn’t for everyone, I think.

It’s slow, meandering, slice of life, and our characters take time to become more understandable and endearing, all of which are things which I think can work against this show.

However, at the same time, Show is thoughtful, thought-provoking and quite meaty, if you are so inclined to engage.

It’s not quite an escape from real life, like many of us tend to look for in our dramas, but instead, it’s a pretty great gateway through which to reflect on life.

Different, and worthwhile.

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Review: Move To Heaven

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show takes the heavy, delicate topic of death, and gives it a warm, tender and hopeful sort of treatment which I personally find extremely soothing. It’s true that some of the cases are painful to watch, but Show always finds a way to bring a heartfelt, healing touch to each case, which makes the journey feel worthwhile.

On top of this, we also get meaningful character and relationship development for our key characters over the course of the show, and this ties everything together in a way that feels meaningful.

Our cast is excellent, but the stand-out for me is Tang Joon Sang, who does a fantastic job of portraying Geu Ru, a character who’s on the Asperger’s spectrum. I also love that Show often makes Geu Ru our MVP, because this demonstrates so well, that Geu Ru isn’t disabled; he’s just differently abled.

It’s true that Show makes my heart ache, but even so, my heart aches so good.

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Review: At Eighteen [A Moment At Eighteen]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Thoughtful, understated, and yet so full of accurate teenage feels, At Eighteen is the youth drama that we didn’t know we needed, but which we absolutely deserve.

You don’t even need to generally be into youth dramas to enjoy this one, methinks, because this is arguably the most “grown up” youth drama I’ve seen yet.

There’s no hyperbolic cutesy here; growing pains and teenage euphoria are portrayed in such an organic way that it makes me feel like these writers remember exactly what it’s like to be a teenager growing up, and with amazing attention to detail, to boot.

Show manages to create a world that feels real and raw, while still retaining enough pretty and polish to give it that drama lift. The entire cast does an excellent job, but extra kudos goes to our young actors, for making their characters come to life in such an organic-feeling manner.

As a bonus, the music in this is by turn breezy-heartfelt, tinkly-ethereal and gently poignant; all astutely applied just so, to give the watch experience that extra dimension of immersion.

Quite excellent, all-around.

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