Yoon Hyun Min

Review: True To Love [Bo Ra! Deborah]

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THE SHORT VERDICT:

On the upside, Show presents some really thoughtful reflections about love, relationships, breakups and healing. When Show is in this space, it’s pretty excellent.

On the downside, Show is clumsy at best, when it’s not in that thoughtful reflective space. In fact, some moments are downright bad, not gonna lie.

Yoo In Na and Yoon Hyun Min are both charming in their own right, and the entire cast does a valiant job of delivering on the material that they’re given, but this still works out to be a very mixed bag.

How well you take to this one really depends on how much you like the thoughtful reflections, stacked up against how awful you find the bad bits. Which means that your mileage will definitely vary.

Worth a try, with the right lens – especially if you’ve got a ready finger on the Fast Forward button to help you along. 😉

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Flash Review: My Holo Love

| kfangurl

If you’re on the market for a light, simple romance with some A.I. leanings, and you’re not fussed much at all, about suspension of disbelief or stretches in logic, and don’t mind having some more of Dramaland’s recent favorite affliction, face blindness, on your screen, then this show might be for you.

I decided to check out this show coz I’d seen quite a few of my drama friends remark that this one is a short, sweet little show that they enjoyed quite well, and were glad to have checked out.

I.. am quite sure I enjoyed this in a more.. shall we say, moderate fashion than most, but I will also say that after a slow burn to start, I did eventually enjoy my watch more, in Show’s last third or so.

And now that I’ve emerged on the other side, I can honestly say that the ending was satisfying enough, that I don’t regret checking it out. That’s.. not bad, overall?

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Flash Review: Heartless City [Cruel City]

| kfangurl

You know how they say fine wine takes time?

Well, it actually took me a pretty long time to appreciate Heartless City. Truth be told, I was slow on the uptake with this one.

While many of my dramaland friends fell in instant love with this show (and others felt an instant disconnect), I fell somewhere in that vague no man’s land of not hating it, but not quite loving it either.

Show later fixed that by creeping up on me and laying firm hold on my heart in the later episodes, so much so that the moment I reached the end, I actually went right back to the beginning for a partial re-watch. Kinda crazy, but completely true.

So maybe my appreciation is sorta like fine wine? 😛

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Flash Review: Because It’s The First Time

| kfangurl

I really liked this, guys. Like, in a I’m-sorry-to-see-it-end, I’d-love-to-catch-up-with-these-characters-again sort of way.

In a drama landscape where a lot of the lighter fare can feel tropey and sort of tired (from overuse of all the predictable tropes), Because It’s The First Time manages to achieve a lovely balance between showcasing a more realistic take on the growing up experience, while maintaining a sense of lightness and fun, through it all.

At just 8 episodes, this turned out to be quite the charming little drama snack. Yum.

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Review: Falling For Innocence

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THE SHORT VERDICT:

While never terribly strong on the logic front, nor on managing its corporate machinations, Falling For Innocence manages to be a warm, engaging and uplifting watch.

Despite being quite fantastical in its premise as well as its execution, the narrative stays grounded via the emotional resonance and heft imparted by its committed cast.

Amid the many solid performances delivered by the cast, Jung Kyung Ho stands out as THE shining star of this drama world. His fabulous, faceted performance resonates with so much heart that it actually helps to overcome Show’s flawed logic. That’s skillz.

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Review: Witch’s Romance

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A winsome little drama that is as charming as it is sweet, and boasts a good helping of fun on the side. Witch’s Romance may not be the most epic noona romance out there, but it’s certainly one of the most earnest and heartfelt.

While (almost) the entire cast is likable, it’s really the OTP that steals the show. Uhm Jung Hwa embodies cautious vulnerability beneath her strong, fearless veneer, while Park Seo Joon exudes a truly lovely blend of sincerity, earnestness and warmth.

Individually, they deliver praise-worthy performances. Together, their chemistry feels so real and palpable that it sometimes leaps off the screen to knock you right over.

The writing falters at times and the execution is a little uneven, but with this wonderful, delightful puppy flashing this melty smile at you, it won’t hurt much, I promise.

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