Unemployed Romance

Written by Kidge.

Could someone please explain to me why they chose to make this show only 10 episodes? Everyone wants to see more of Namgung Min. I feel totally jipped. It actually prevented me from being able to enjoy this show because it meant the storyline had to be condensed into a measly ten hours!

Quick summary: A man and woman who once dated are reunited in the unemployment benefits office as a result of Im Seung Hee’s recent unemployment. Kim Jong-dae is none to happy to see the woman who tore out his heart, so drama ensues. 

Thoughts:

I was so excited for this show to air because I love Namgung Min, plus the promos looked super cute. But I ended up feeling unfulfilled, mainly because of the number of episodes this show was slated to have. I knew this from the start but went in with hope, only to feel like a fluffy bunny had been taken from me.

There were things to love about this show, namely the central romance. We spent a lot of time seeing their relationship in the past, which was filled with some adorable scenes. Watching Namgung Min being frazzled and love whipped pretty much made my day. But unfortunately we always returned to the present, which was so incredibly slow. We don’t even see a single shot of Kim Jong-dae until like episode four. I was practically chaffing at the bit wondering when the actual plot line was going to begin.

That is what I found frustrating about the show. If it had been sixteen episodes, I wouldn’t have minded the slow build up and introduction to the central romance. But it was just frustrating, and ultimately a waste when there was only ten hours to work with. The result was a rushed ending which gave us no time to enjoy them as a couple in the present.

Unfortunately I can’t stand characters not being together for the good of the other, and being weak willed in going after what is obviously the right person for you just grinds my gears. So I found myself lacking a certain love for the writers of this show. However, I congratulate them on the oddity that is Park Jin-joo. This assistant writer stole most of the scenes that she was in.

Ultimately, I think if you go in knowing that the show is a slow burn, and mainly focused on working through issues from the past, rather than seeing a huge amount of progress in the present, then you will enjoy this show more than I did. Plus if you watch it now, you won’t have the frustration of only one episode per week, which makes me remember why I don’t watch Western TV series live.

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K-Drama Review: Mirae’s Choice/Marry Him If You Dare

Written by Aimes.

So this will definitely contain spoilers.

I’m going to talk about the end first because that’s what everyone is going crazy over. For all you realists out there, I understand your explanations of the ending. Really, I do. But when Yoon Eun-Hye is in a drama and there is no kiss, consider me displeased. Having said that, I still thought it was a pretty good drama. Like with most dramas, I did skip stuff, but I do that with everything I watch.

What I was impressed with was the ability of this show to convert me to a Kim Shin fan. When Jung Yong-Hwa rocked in as Park Se-Joo, I didn’t think Lee Dong-Gun stood a chance of becoming my bias, but as the show wore on, I was completely converted.

Hands up if these scenes had you squealing like a small child at Christmas.

Now this isn’t to say I didn’t love Se-Joo, because I totally did, but I think it was a bit of a friend-zone situation with him and Mirae. Such a great guy, they seem totally natural together, but the deeper relationship chemistry isn’t quite there. They did have some really cute/funny moments though. I totally approve of all their skinship.

Big brother Na Joo-Hyun (Oh Jung-Se) also gets a mention for his protectiveness of Mirae and their great sibling chemistry. 

Another thing I loved was the character growth of Seo Yoo-Kyung. It wasn’t that you saw her family and situation and felt sorry for her –I hate the idea of anyone suddenly feeling bad for/liking her just because of pity. She had already won me over during the Pandoras Box interview with the family who’s house was renovated. This scene also holds a special place in my heart.

Overall, it was worth watching. It's a good drama with some great character development, cute and fluffy moments and displays of manly sadness. Too bad the ending sucked.

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Mid-way Reviews: Reply 1994

Written by Kidge.

I freaking love this show. If I were in the habit of swearing (which I’m not) I would even use expletives to express that love.  But as I am a silver tongued soul, I will simply say that in recent months I have found myself hitting the refresh button on my browser at highly regular intervals on the weekend, in order to check whether the newly subbed episode has arrived yet. I can even be found raging at my laptop vigorously when it decides to overheat and die in the middle of watching said episodes, as I race down my stairs to find a less unreliable viewing instrument. Moving on.

I loved Reply 1997, so my expectations were quite high for this show, even at the beginning, and while the show is by no means perfect, it has managed to exceed my expectations. Which is no mean feat.

The show centres on a family who runs a boarding house in Seoul, which is inhabited by a motley crew of country individuals who are trying to find their feet in the big city lights as they attend university.  The main conceit of the show is the big question of who will marry the heroine? A tomboyish, straight talking gal played by Go Ara. This question is highly addictive, while also being responsible for many a charged netizen argument about which ‘ship’ will ultimately reign victorious. It is also accountable for my continual wish that I hadn’t started watching the show as it was airing, because I am now stuck, like an addict, waiting for each episode, hoping it will shed more light on the question.

And what a question it is! Unlike in Reply 1997, where I was convinced about who the heroine would end up with right from the start, Reply 1994 has successfully made me fall in love with both of the male leads. Oppa and Chilbongie have both cemented themselves into my heart so that whoever ends up with Na-jung, I will still genuinely feel the pang of bittersweet loss for the other. Given the most recent episode, I am feeling like the puzzle is starting to unravel, but I don’t want to call the game over before it’s really over, to paraphrase Yoggi Berra. Suffice to say that I frequently feel like I am melting into a puddle of goo when I watch these two, and their wonderfully played interactions with Go Ara. Well done, Jung Woo and Yoo Yeon-seok, you have ruined me for other male leads.

What is so fantastic about this show is that it is nothing like most other K-dramas out there. It is written and shot with a realism which you just don’t really find in most dramas. The characters and their relationships, platonic or otherwise, are the central focus of the show and the reason why you laugh, cry and generally find yourself completely empathising with their experiences. I truly love all the characters, with their bizarre idiosyncrasies. But mainly I enjoy their interactions with one another, and the way in which you can't help but want to be a part of the boarding house with substitute parents who look after you like you are their own.

The show has had issues with pacing. In reality I think they should have restrained themselves to 16 episodes, rather than the 21 we are now looking forward to. It would have forced the writers to use more concise plotting, and in particular ensure a slightly speedier reveal of certain characters feelings. Oppa’s opaque emotions were a serious frustration for a while there. Plus his motivations were quite weak. I actually think that this was in order to allow Chilbongie the room to grow and become a serious contender in the love triangle. Unfortunately though, I think this has negatively impacted on Oppa’s character and people’s willingness to be taken along with where the love-lines are now heading.

All of this aside, what this show has done so well, is take realistic moments in life and created wonderful characters that you can’t help but fall completely in love with.  Hands up if you stopped and laughed for a good five minutes when Na-jung farted in Chilbongie’s face. Yep, I was rolling on the floor.

So this is my mid way review of these two shows. I’m looking forward to the downhill run, and am pretty sure I will be devo when they are over.

But maybe you feel differently about these shows. Let me know what you think.

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Mid-way Reviews: The Heirs

Written by Kidge.

So I couldn’t help myself. I have to do a mid way review for 'The Heirs' and 'Reply 1994' because I have been faithfully watching both, but they have created extremely different reactions in me. One has been one of my biggest disappointments this year, while the other has been one of the highlights.

So let’s hop to it.

Okay, so if you don’t know what this show is about by now, I feel like you may either be a newbie to K-Drama or alternatively….Wait, there is no alternatively. If you have any interest in K-Drama you will already know about The Heirs with its ridiculously long promotional period and its all-star cast. But just in case you managed to escape the onslaught, the show centres around two teenagers. One comes from a very poor background and the other is the wealthy but illegitimate son of a Chaebol. They fall in love, but social hierarchy problems ensue, not to mention a brewing war between brothers over who will inherit.

If you think this plot line sounds familiar, then you would be forgiven for thinking that, because it has got to be the most common trope of drama land: Chaebol and Candy meet and have to overcome the world in order to be together. Sigh. I blame Cinderella and every girl’s inner dream of being loved by a rich, handsome, wonderful man. Anyway…

So The Heirs was poised to be the hit of the year. With Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, Choi Jin-hyuk, Krystal, Kim Woo-bin, Kang Min-hyuk – I mean the list goes on forever – this young and very popular cast has meant that people have watched the show despite its failings. I like all of these actresses/actors but I am not going to lie, the show has left me feeling like someone gave me a really nice shiny present, only to rip it out of my hands and laugh in my face as I cry in the corner. Is that a little dramatic? I don’t know, but it’s how I feel.

The show began in the US of A, with some of the worst American actors on the planet. Honestly I wanted to rip surfer dudes head off with the way he held out his arms, bugged out his eyes and spoke in the most ridiculous imitation of a stoner voice I have ever heard. But putting that aside, the show held some promise for me with Park Shin-hye’s character actually having a personality and some spunk, and Lee Min-ho portraying a toned down version of the average Chaebol heir, which I found quite refreshing. But then once we headed back to Korea, we reverted to what can only be described as a formulaic, irritating and incredibly slow paced exercise in who can sacrifice more in order to live within the structures of a society that will never let you be together.

Speaking of a society that hates you. Kim Woo-bin. Kim Woo-bin. What happened??? I love this guy and his acting is still great in this show, but I honestly experienced such a serious hatred of this character that I am finding it extremely difficult to come back from that now he has come to a small turning point. I blame the writers for this, because even a cold hearted heir who has habitually bullied people for most of his life is redeemable if you give him genuine reasons for sadness and small hints of a soul underneath it all. But no matter how awful your parents are, it does not give you a right to bully people to the point of them having to leave the school, or to threaten people because you can’t seem to feel any significance as a person without making everyone around you miserable and terrified. I know he has had a hair change, and his inner demons are becoming visible for us to see, but I think it’s all just too little too late. Kim Woo-bin, I applaud you for playing a character I dislike so thoroughly.

Speaking of poorly written characters. Rachel. Why oh why must you exist. I’m sorry but being a bitch is just being a bitch. HE DOESN’T WANT YOU. Please get with the program and find someone who actually gives a crap about how you feel, because Kim Tan is not it. And Kim Tan, if you don’t stop ordering Eun-sang around and grabbing her by the wrist, I may just give you a serious piece of my mind. She is not a doll.

Having said all this, I understand the need to keep watching this show and at the very least find out what happens. The cast is beautiful, there are nuggets of potential gold than have yet to be mined, and seem to have been given very limited time to be explored. Plus there is always Chan-young and Bo-na to lighten everyone’s mood and keep us entertained with their cute and cheerful ways. But overall, I feel like The Heirs hasn’t lived up to its potential. I will keep watching and hope that the last third of the series proves to be less of a killjoy than the first two thirds. Here’s hoping. 

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