Lee Sang Hee

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: Love Scout

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

This show had me squeeing week to week, right from the beginning, with its understated yet on-point depiction and exploration of burgeoning awareness and attraction between our would-be OTP. So much crackle.

On that note, Lee Joon Hyuk and Han Ji Min are pitch-perfect and really quite wonderful in this.

As a bonus, there are also a good number of likable secondary characters peopling our story world, and I found their side arcs a pleasant addition to our show.

There are several narrative elements that I didn’t care for too much, but these weren’t deal-breakers for me, and this still worked out to be a very solid watch overall.

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Review: Daily Dose Of Sunshine

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

In a nutshell, I’d say that Show is two main things.

One, it works as an educational, illuminating PSA, aiming to help everyone who watches, to come to a better understanding of the struggles that many people face, with regard to mental health.

Two, Show is, at the same time, a tender, compassionate representation of all the patients who have mental health struggles, thereby showing them that they are seen, and they are not alone, and that there is hope.

Poignant, tender, and important.

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Dear kfangurl: Who are your favorite supporting actors – and will they ever get to play lead??

| kfangurl

Beez writes:

Dear Kfangurl, Are supporting actors too funny to ever cast as leads?

I keep waiting for my favorites – Park Jin Joo, Kim Seul Gi and my all time favorite, Kim Sung Oh to be part of an OTP or at least a single lead in their own dramas. I’ve seen all of them give snippets of really moving scenes so their acting talent is not in question. What gives?

And phl1rxd writes:

I would love to see an article on your favorite supporting actors|actresses.

There are so many that pop up in our drama world all the time, and while they are not the leads, their work is great none-the-less.

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Review: A Piece Of Your Mind

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

More lens adjustments are needed for this show than the average kdrama, but with the right lens, Show is a warm and sweet watch experience that manages to feel satisfying, in spite of its flaws, and in spite of Show having had 4 episodes sliced off from its run, in the middle of its run.

If you’re able to dial down your need for logic, and to some extent, cohesiveness, Show presents a thoughtful thematic exploration of love and loss, solitude and solidarity, and the confusing, bemusing journey of dealing with all of those things.

Jung Hae In and Chae Soo Bin are lovely in this, particularly together. This was worth the extra lens management, in my opinion.

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Review: One Spring Night

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A romance that manages to feel real and raw, yet sweet and aspirational, at the same time.

Even though our characters are flawed and sometimes even a little unlikable, Show manages to also make them brave enough, and sweet enough, and considerate enough, that our lead couple feels thoroughly worth rooting for, both separately and together.

While our story doesn’t ever achieve cracky levels of engagement, Show more than makes up for this, with its deft exploration of characters and relationships, while putting some very healthy relationship dynamics on display.

Despite feeling a touch slow in terms of its plot development, Show manages to feel thoughtfully satisfying all the way to the end.

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Flash Review: 20th Century Boy And Girl

| kfangurl

If you’ve read my recent posts, you’d probably know that of late, I’ve been bucking the trend in terms of not loving shows that everyone else seems to love.

I was really kinda bummed that even though J-drama Rich Man, Poor Woman and C-drama Shan Shan Comes To Eat are crowd favorites, they just never became one of my favorites.

Well whaddya know. I’m bucking the trend again, with this show.

But this time, it’s a happier event for me (woot!), coz while lots of folks seemed to be pretty underwhelmed by 20th Century Boy and Girl, I actually really liked this one, you guys. And I mean, in a solid, I’m-sorry-to-say-goodbye kinda way, too.

Maybe with the right lens, you might also end up liking this one. You never know?

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