Review: The Tale of Lady Ok

THE SHORT VERDICT:

I found this to be an interesting and engaging story of personal journey, with a pretty heartfelt love story to go with.

Our entire cast is strong and puts in solid performances, but the standout, to me, is Im Ji Yeon as our titular Lady Ok. Male lead Choo Young Woo is very good as well, displaying a nice range of acting chops.

Briskly paced to the point that this non-fluffy sageuk almost feels breezy sometimes, this show is way more approachable, and way more watchable than most people might expect, given its billing.

Quite underrated, in my opinion.

Continue reading

Review: Romance In The House

THE SHORT VERDICT:

If you enjoy family dramas but tend to be short on time and therefore can’t commit to a 50-episode family drama (coz that’s the length they tend to be, historically), then this one could work really nicely for you.

It’s a little rough around the edges like most family dramas tend to be, and it also manages to serve up the slightly chaotic, warm family feels that come from the type of family dramas that I personally enjoy.

An investment of just 12 episodes, to get family drama type feels? Not a bad deal, I’d say. 😁

Continue reading

Review: Lost [Human Disqualification]

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Carefully written, tenderly directed and richly layered in every aspect, Show isn’t for everyone, but those who love it, will likely love it deeply.

Show explores themes like isolation and connection, and what it means to be human, in the slow unfolding of its narrative, and it all feels more like a compassionate exploration of our characters’ states of being, than a typical story, which might be more event-driven.

Our entire cast is strong, but the stand-outs are absolutely Jeon Do Yeon and Ryu Joon Yeol, who both inhabit their characters so well, that I often felt like I could understand how they felt, without them having to say anything at all.

Altogether thought-provoking and immersive.

Continue reading

Review: Twenty Again

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.

Continue reading