To be honest, this movie wasn’t even on my radar, even though it’s already been out for more than a year.
When I saw the cast list on this, though – Park Sung Woong! Uhm Jung Hwa! Lee Sang Yoon! 🤩 – I knew I wanted to check it out, even though plane hijackings aren’t my usual kind of thing.
And whaddya know, this one turned out to be a pretty fun ride – with the right lens, which I’ll talk about in just a bit.
Psst: Links to watch are at the end of the review!
I think it’s time to admit that this show just isn’t working for me, you guys.
To be clear, I don’t hate it. There are definitely some things that brightened up my watch, and like I said in my 2020 Year In Review, there’s quite a bit of potential in this show, to examine why people might behave a certain way, with its mockumentary approach giving its characters regular airtime to talk about events that happened in the past, and reflect on them.
It’s just.. Show’s not floating my boat the way I want it to.
But y’know, just because this show didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you?
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This is honestly the show that I didn’t think I’d be interested in, like, at all, when it was first announced, but which ended up sucking me in literally right away, with its mix of emo angst and mystery.
Much thanks to my Twitter pals who gushed about this show’s cracky quality, because that’s honestly the only thing that piqued my interest enough to get me to check this one out.
I mean, the synopsis “a couple whose lives fall apart while they work at a department store on the VIP Management Team” just didn’t sound all that interesting to me, y’know?
And so color me very surprised and very pleased, when I quickly found myself slurping this one up as a priority drama among the other dramas on my plate, sometimes even watching episodes back-to-back, which I rarely ever do anymore. What. An. Excellent. Surprise.
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. 😉
THE SHORT VERDICT:
An understated, quiet creature compared to its other prime-time cousins, Twenty Again manages to prove its worth while bucking quite a few drama trends.
Despite having a central romance, Twenty Again’s main focus is consistently about one woman’s journey of discovery – discovery of truth, discovery of self, re-discovery of her self-worth – and everything else, including the romance, fits around that in a satisfyingly organic, uplifting way.
Wonderful performances by our leads bring that journey to life, and make it completely worthwhile.
Far from flashy, but winsome and inspiring in all the best ways.
Watching Liar Game, for me, has been a demonstration of just how subjective drama appreciation really is.
You know that saying, one man’s meat is another man’s poison, or, as the case may be, one viewer’s crack is another viewer’s meh? Totally applies here.
During the course of its run, I came across quite a few raves about this show, which is why it made it to my watch list to begin with.
I read comments that used generous terms like “brilliant,” “fantastic,” and “excellent” to describe Liar Game, and went in with cautious high hopes.
But, try as I might, I just couldn’t get into this show.
If there’s one thing that everyone seems to be able to agree on, it’s that time is flying. Like, seriously. Where has 2014 gone?
I can hardly believe that 2015 is almost here, promising/threatening gifts of dramas chock-full of vampires, multiple personalities, and other psychological disorders goodies.
Before 2014 makes her exit, though, I wanted to come out and give credit where it’s due. Coz as much as so many of my friends in dramaland have been talking about a meh drama year, I feel like I had a pretty good drama year, actually.
I know. How did that happen, right?
THE SHORT VERDICT:
A lovely family drama that is completely refreshing and that has a wonderful harmonious, comforting tone throughout its 63 episodes.
There is no trace of melodrama in this one. People don’t hate each other; no one is plotting revenge on anyone; there is no web of birth secrets; there is no long-suffering Candy character and no chaebol prince.
The beats are relatively small, and yet I never felt like they were insignificant.
As a bonus, this drama is set in gorgeous, glorious Jeju Island.
Criminally underrated, this gem is a completely enjoyable watch from start to finish.