Tag: week in review

Week in Review (Nov 8 – 14, 2020)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 1 Comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Signal (2016)

Signal was one of those shows that on the surface seems like a police procedural, dark and gritty and all the things that encompass a detective show. However, I found the cases intriguing, and as I proceeded with the show, there were actually more links between the cases than seemed apparent at first.

Overall, I found the show extremely engaging, and our trio of detectives each brought their own unique take and style to the team. Detective Lee’s (Cho Jin-woong) cautious optimism for the future was balanced out well with Detective Park’s (Lee Jae-hoon) cynicism and Detective Cha (Kim Hye-soo) helps to bridge the two worlds between the past and the present, by providing helpful insights and a strong emotional thread to connect Lee and Park.

While both Cho and Kim delivered strong performances, at times Lee felt a bit forced in his role. When Lee was onscreen it didn’t feel like I was seeing the character, but rather watching an actor deliver lines, where the other two actors seemed to inhabit their characters like a second skin.

The visual styling of the show was also quite interesting, and I found the flashback in particular stood out. Having the compressed look to them immediately told you what timeline you were in, without the need for clunky exposition or date tags of any sort. It also put me a little off-kilter every time I saw that compressed view, skewing the universe and telling me that something isn’t quite right, as though I’m seeing something I shouldn’t be privy to, getting a peek through a crack I shouldn’t look through.

Ultimately, even though I enjoyed the show, the ending made me angry. Even though I like when an ending is left open with room for interpretation, I found myself yelling at my screen “Is that it?!” as everything went to black and the ending was left open. I think the reason for this was two-fold. First, in a show where the structure serves to provide clear-cut answers to cases, with clear perpetrators and victims, I found it counter-to-message to leave unanswered questions. Second was that I was waiting for some sort of explanation to all the time-related aspects of the show: Why did the radio choose Park? Did they create a paradox when Lee survived? Why did Cha only remember some of the changes to the timeline but not others if she was so closely linked to it? Perhaps I’m taking too much of a sci-fi approach to a cop show, but I think that this was where the show let me down the most, and while I can say that I enjoyed the show for what it was, I wish the writer’s had put a little more thought into the mechanics of the universe they set up.

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) – Ep 11

I only managed to get through one of the two episodes this week, but it was one of my favourites. The kindly harabeoji Kim Man-bok (Lee Soon-jae) has been the silent helping hand throughout the show so far, so it was nice that we finally got some insight into his character this episode. And what a beautiful and poignant tale it is, one that serves as a lesson just as much as it shows the small opportunities and decisions that make up a lifetime. The flashbacks – featuring Go Ara and Lee Jae-wook as the younger counterparts – serve as a record that timing is an important factor in life, serving as the basis for luck and fate to do their work. My largest take-away from Man-bok’s telling of his story was that the separation from his then-future wife actually served to solidify his feelings for her even more, because they made him realise that much more how special she was to him.

Other than looking at his past, Man-bok got to pay homage to his wife in the present. Ra-ra suggested a recital to play his wife’s favourite song on the anniversary of her death, and while he may not be quite at the skill level that he wants to achieve yet, he played with such heart that the townspeople (and I) were moved to tears just to see the depth of emotion he poured into his performance. Whether intentional or not, this show has always seemed to be an advocate for doing the things you love, even when they don’t line up with what is expected of you, even if it isn’t the thing you are best at. Ra-ra played piano out of love for her father, Joon stood up to his parents out of love for his friend, and I suspect that a lot of the townspeople perform similar acts of kindness for one another because of their love for each other.

The other thing that stood out to me in this episode was the lack of all the usual sparkles and shine. There was much more muted tone to this episode to reflect the Ra-ra’s current temperament. I’d mentioned previously that the shows eccentric style seems to be a reflection of Ra-ra own world view, and as she’e faced more hardships, thing seem to have become more muted. I’m hoping that the show can return to its original vibrancy as Ra-ra begins to return to her original bubbly self.

Week in Review (Nov 1 – 7, 2020)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Splash Splash Love (2015)

Anyone who knows me probably knows my love for historical fiction. This cute little two part mini-series sageuk was the perfect pick-me-up. With its blending of modern and historical elements, it was a funny story about an underachieving girl, Dan-bi (Kim Seul-gi). who accidentally gets transported to the Joseon period. Her frame of reference is the sageuk dramas her mother always had on in the background, and her limited knowledge from her high-school history class, which she uses to embed herself in the royal court and avoid getting into trouble with King Lee Do (Yoon Doo-joon) as she tries to find her way back home. Hijinks ensue, and the 2-hour format perfectly suited the minimalist storytelling. It didn’t have all the issues that long-format dramas can often have, with extraneous plot elements and drawn out conflicts. Overall, a very fun watch with just the right balance of humour and heart.

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) – Ep 9-10

Okay, I’m going to hunker down and power through this drama, because I am enjoying too many elements of this show to not at least give it a shot.

This week saw resolutions to some of the mysteries that have been plaguing our gang. Stalker Ahn Joong-ho (Kang Hyeong-suk) has finally been apprehended and his arrest also meant Joon’s mom (Seo Yi-.sook) has finally found him, and she will hopefully stop handing out all those white envelope (I laughed so hard that her minion actually saved her name as ‘White Envelope’ in his phone). There was actually some very clear communication, almost unheard of in dramas, and everything got cleared up in a matter of minutes once we actually got everyone in the same place. Of course, this means that Ra-ra (Go Ara) also found out about Joon (Lee Jae-wook), although she didn’t get to hear it from him. 

In what was actually a really heartbreaking scene, Joon and Ra-ra were separated, by her own doing no less. His dad has also finally found out that he ran away, which is what Joon had wanted in the first place as a form of protest. He seems to have gotten through to his mother to some extent and I think she may end up switching teams and go all out to help her son get out from under his father’s thumb. *fingers crossed*

The other characters were a little bit sidelined this week, and aside from Jae-min’s recital and celebration dinner, we didn’t get to see too much of them. Even those ended up being more about Ra-ra’s epiphany about her father and Joon’s sense of familial belonging, at the recital and the dinner respectively.

Although the remaining of the series is probably going to focus largely on reuniting Joon and Ra-ra, I’m looking forward to seeing how things shake out with Ra-ra’s mysterious benefactor. I’m also excited for Ra-ra to set down roots, and hopefully we’ll find out what actually happened with her dad’s company (don’t think I forgot about the shady secretary, Show!). Now that we’re past the halfway point, I’m hoping the pace will pick up a little. And I wouldn’t mind a bit of a time jump at this stage, at least for Joon’s sake.

Week in Review (Oct 25 – 31, 2020)

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What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

The School Nurse Files (2020)

The School Nurse Files was a fast, fun, and memorable watch, quite possibly one of the strangest I’ve had in the kdrama world to date. The tone of the show felt a bit off-kilter the entire time I was watching, and I kept being surprised at the stylistic choices the director made. It has the feel of a highly polished Hollywood movie while still retaining an independent film vibe when it came to the writing and characters. 

As far as those characters are concerned, I felt like I never truly got the sense of their motivations or backgrounds, though. How or why did Ahn Eun-young (Jung Yu-mi) end up with her abilities? What made Hong In-pyo (Nam Joo-hyuk) able to recharge her abilities? Why was everyone and their mother after him? I felt like I came away from the show with a lot of questions and not as many answers as I would have liked. And no clear impression if this is it for the show or not. Do we get more, Netflix?

There was generally a tongue-in-cheek style of humour in the show, almost veering on black comedy, but never quite fully immersing itself in that territory. I think that was the biggest draw for me initially, that the show seemed like it would try different things, but then it was also where I found myself always wanting more and hoping that the writing would be bolder and take more risks. Sadly, I was never quite satisfied.

At this point, it seems to be more a matter of knowing if there will be more of The School Nurse Files. If not, then I find myself a little disappointed for getting so little pay-off for the scale of things that were established. But if there is more, then there is potential for a massive universe and a lot of room for exploration considering the richness of the environment that they have set-up and the avenues that they have for the characters to go down. I’m hoping for the latter.

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) – Ep 7-8

*sigh* I was holding off on really making any comments about last week’s big reveal until some some light was shed by the writer, but the time has come to take a much more critical approach to the writing than I ever thought I might need to for a light-hearted romantic comedy.

For some reason that has yet to be clarified, Writer Oh Ji-young has chosen to make Joon (Lee Jae-wook) a high school senior. It automatically adds several problematic elements to his relationship with Ra-ra (Go Ara), considering the age difference, the creditor-debtor dynamic they already have, and their growing romantic feelings for one another.

While a five year age difference in and of itself isn’t a problem, the question of age of majority does come into play now. However, the writer has somehow managed to create a situation where the characters manage to remain guilt-free and unaware of anything being amiss, while also making the viewer extremely aware of them. By having Joon be the one who’s keeping his age from Ra-ra, it absolves her of any sin until she finds out. However, I feel that by having them confess feelings for one another and initiate a tentative relationship following their kiss at the end of the last episode, when the truth is finally revealed it’s only going to exacerbate the situation that much more.

It also brings into question Joon’s approach to life. He posed an interesting question of Seung-ki (Yoon Jong-bin) in Episode 8: “ If you have feelings to confess and a secret to tell, which should you do first?” I suspect that he got the answer he wanted, that you should confess first, be sure of the girl’s feelings for you and then let her know your secret once you feel she won’t flee. Which is a rather round-about and manipulative approach if you look at it too closely. From his point of view, he doesn’t want to reveal a secret to someone unless he’s sure they’re going to keep it. But by taking the approach that he did, he’s also denying Ra-ra of knowing an essential part of him, thereby denying her the choice to make an informed decision. It’s extremely messy as it stands right now, and I’m not sure how it can be fixed – that is, if the writer even thinks of it as a problem to begin with (signs point to ‘no’). 

At this point, as a viewer, there’s a choice that I need to make: Do I continue to watch the show in hopes of a magical resolution that absolves everyone? Or do I shelve the show and hope that in the event that I ever return to it, I come back to a show that has a clear message at the end of its run? It really is a shame, because I am enjoying the other aspects of the show, namely the townspeople, the visual style, the music and the even the aspects of Ra-ra and Joon’s relationship outside of the romance. Maybe there’s an option number 3 then: That I can watch the show and simply ignore the icky romance?

Movies

Back to the Future (1985)

Back to the Future is one of my favourite movies of all time. Crazy characters, whacky science and an even stranger plot, everything about this movie cracks me up. I wanted to do a rewatch to introduce my sister to this movie, and from the opening scene, I got sucked into the story, seeing that impressive set-up that Doctor Brown (Christopher Lloyd) has. You know right away that something isn’t right, from the burning toast to the days-old dog food that’s been heaping up. And that’s the most normal thing that could go wrong in the film. From that point on Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) runs into one problem after another, from not having enough fuel to get himself back the his own time after he transports himself into the past by mistake, to having his mom accidentally fall in love with him after he interrupts his parents’ first meeting, which means that his siblings and him start to fade from existence. 

As dire as those situations sound the film is played with humour and heart, the sci-fi elements taking a backseat in favour of character development and story. This movie is such a fun watch and you come away from it feeling like you watched something really strange but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Week in Review (Oct 18 – 24, 2020)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 1 Comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

100 Days My Prince (2018)

100 Days at face value seems like it would be a complete cliche, and in a lot of respects it is. But because it doesn’t have any grand illusions about what it wants to accomplish, the show just is and it’s perfectly content in that. 

The shows strength lies in its characters, and the actors really put the nuance into their performances, making the townspeople seem like they’ve been living there all their lives, going in and out of each others houses, exchanging greetings and sharing their lives together.

This isn’t to say that the show doesn’t have flaws, as the story got off to a very slow start and never seemed to find the right pace. But from my perspective, getting to watch the show in one go, it didn’t really bother me as much because I was setting my own viewing pace as well.

The palace stuff was the other thing that never really seemed to find the right balance, at times seeming almost unnecessary to the overall arc of the show. In fact, one could argue that if the palace storyline had been taken out entirely, the show would still have felt complete in its village setting, as a story about a man who loses his memory and a woman who helps him become a kinder person.

This show is more or less exactly what I expected it to be, and I suspect the writers went into it knowing they were going to lean into all the tropes they set up. But I find that I finished the show feeling satisfied, perhaps because I went in not expecting it to be much and just enjoyed going along for the ride.

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) – Ep 5-6

While last week’s episodes focused largely on building out the universe and establishing the town of Eunpo and its inhabitants, this week focused much more on our main pair. We got more information about Joon’s past (Lee Jae-wook) and his reasons for being on the run (side note: why are dramas always giving characters dead friends and shitty parents to angst over?) and we also got to see Ra-ra (Go Ara) settling into her current life, as the veneer comes off and a lot the gang start to see that she’s even stranger than she appears on first glance. I’m enjoying watching Go Ara find the physicality of the character and slowly flesh her out each week.

The show also continues to engage my senses (and make me hungry, is it really necessary to film the food this way?) and play with visual elements, making me want to go back to rewatch all the little sparkles they add to the show. With the music coming to the forefront, I’m sure it will continue to do that, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the show ties it in with the emotional threads.

Week in Review (Oct 11 – 17, 2020)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 1 Comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) – Ep 3-4

So many mysteries were set up this week, and things are getting creepier. Stalkers, murder and fraud have all become part of the mix and the show seems to be throwing the characters and us a lot of red herrings as to who these people may end up being. My guess on the body that was found is that it’s going to be the same man from the picture Joon (Lee Jae-wook) was looking at since we got a couple of shots of that watch, and the man in the picture also had a distinct-looking watch. Could it possibly be Joon’s friend and also the reason that he felt the need to run away from home?

As for the stalker, I highly doubt that it’s going to be Eun-seok (Kim Joo-hun), but it does bother me that he keeps showing up and that he lives in the same building as the ladies. Add to that the uncomfortable feeling that Ra-ra (Go Ara) has around him, and he just gets even more mysterious.

But the bright centre of this show is still Ra-ra as she continues to navigate her way through her hardships. I’m curious if she is genuinely as nice as she seems or if she’s just really good at subtly manipulating the people around her, having grown up in the cutthroat world of high-society. She was absolutely masterful in getting the mother-daughter duo to do what she wanted just by putting on a bright smile and throwing some compliments their way. We seemed to get glimpses of Ra-ra being extremely aware of her surroundings, although she still seems to be rather naive in a lot of other respects.

The visuals of this show are the strongest of the show so far. That scene where Sook-kyeong (Ye Ji-won) was making the sandwiches made my mouth water. The show is actually quite good at linking the sense, adding visuals elements to allow us to follow sounds and smells and tastes, as well as linking them to emotions. We also got our first few looks at how the director will incorporate music into the show, and so far I like it. The scene where the old man (Lee Soon-jae) asks her to play had me tearing up, and the animation of her talking to the stars had a soft dreamy quality to it.

The show does have some over-the-top tendencies, but I’m willing to forgive them for the moment because I feel like that’s part of the storytelling, trying to show us the world not as it is, but as Ra-ra sees it. Everything in Eunpo has a shiny glow over to it, and when contrasted with the cooler tones of the Seoul scenes, it seems even more vibrant. I’m sure that as Ra-ra embeds herself further into life in Eunpo and becomes closer to its residents, that will only become more pronounced.

Week in Review (Oct 4 – 10, 2020)

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What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon (2017)

The entire time I spent watching Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, I kept asking myself “How did this show get made?” On the surface it appears to be a fluffy romantic comedy, but on a closer look it reveals much stronger (heh) plot elements. Overall, Strong Woman was a delight to watch, even if it left me a bit confused by its sense of humour sometimes.

The core of the show was our romance storyline, and this is definitely where our show excels. Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young) unassuming appearance is the perfect misdirect for the power she holds within, and it’s no wonder that Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik) falls for her when he sees her in full action. But Min-hyuk packs a whopper of a punch in the charms department himself, and seeing his moments of falling for Bong-soon are absolutely swoon-worthy. It’s no surprise these two are drawn to each other.

What I wasn’t expecting from the show was the darker storyline of the kidnappings. It served to be terrifying in its own right, but when contrasted with the uplifting elements of the rest of the show, it takes on a whole other light. I liked that the mystery of the show wasn’t in the criminal’s identity necessarily, but in the stakes that it raises for our heroes. It teaches them the value of teamwork, and despite not agreeing with one another, or even particularly liking one another in the case of Min-hyuk and Guk-doo (Ji-soo), they understand the need to put aside their differences to work towards something bigger than them.

The other elements that stood out to me were the visual style of the show. In many ways, this show feels like the older brother to What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?, with its vivid colour palette, animations (especially that aura around Min-hyuk) and minimalist styling. This show almost feels like it was paving the way, by being bold and brash. This even comes through with a lot of the side characters, and while some of them were downright bizarre (what was up with the doppelgängers) others were hilarious (the high school gang) or heartfelt (Kyung-sim and the Do family). I applaud the show’s writer for being a risk taker.

With its poignant social commentary and its out-there approach, the show was definitely memorable, even if some moments were hit-or-miss. Overall though, I really enjoyed Strong Woman and I was happy to join the adventures of Bong-Bong and Min-Min.

My Ajusshi (2018) – Ep 1-2

The plot is intriguing and the performances are good, but the pacing is just a little too show for my liking at the moment. I’m hoping that things start to pick up soon.

Right now it’s all about the office politics which can be really appealing if done right but isn’t quite working for me just yet. I feel like we’ve been thrown into the deep end with nothing to hold on to. But if this show goes the direction I think it’s headed in, which is to become more about exploring the relationships, I think it’s going to punch me in the feels. I can’t wait!

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) – Ep 1-2

My second set of premier episodes of the week is the long-awaited Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. Full disclosure: I’m here for Lee Jae-wook finally being the lead, after really enjoying him in Search: WWW. Yes, I have a problem…

While a lot has happened to our lead heroine in these first two episodes, it does feel like the writer is just moving all the necessary pieces into place before she really gets the story going. Goo Ra-ra (Go Ara) seems like your typical naive chaebol who’s lost everything, but she seems to have the best luck in the world since she ran into the only man who seems to be generous enough to actually help her. I hope she has a pretty steep learning curve, because it coming off more as childish than charming. While I am hoping the show goes well, I won’t be terribly disappointed if I just get a cute romance that makes me laugh.

Week in Review (Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2020)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 1 Comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

When the Camellia Blooms (2019)

I think I went into When the Camellia Blooms with very high expectations, and that might have been the main reason why it didn’t quite match up to them. 

A lot of the time I found the show to be a bit contradictory in what its message was. When it came to motherhood especially, it started off on a very positive note, addressing single motherhood and the effect that it has on both the parent and the child, showing that you don’t need a second parent to live a fulfilling life. But then it also turned that same issue into a hinderance in Dong-baek’s (Kong Hyo-jin) other relationships. All the more, when it was coming from Deok-sun (Ko Du-shim) –  the one woman who might have actually been able to relate to Dong-baek –  it made all the conflict that much more confusing, since she should have understood the hardships of raising children by herself, too. I guess the message was that even nice people can be hypocrites sometimes…

I also found Yong-sik to be a bit immature, despite all the charm with which he was portrayed by Kang Ha-neul. His absolute devotion to Dong-baek seemed a bit out of the blue. Yes, this is dramaland, where characters fall in love at the drop of a hat, but to me it never seemed like there was enough of a foundation for them liking one another.

Quite possibly the most contradictory part of the show though, came in the form of the murder mystery. Without giving away any spoilers, I found the killer’s motivation lacking in many ways, and the final payoff felt unearned.

Perhaps my favourite part of the show was the village ajummas, who were passive-aggressive in the best way. Kim Sun-young has a knack for playing larger than life characters, and she is always a delight to watch, even when she’s being loud and obnoxious.

I really wanted to like this show, but ultimately there just wasn’t enough there to give this show that warm fuzzy glow I was hoping for.

Week in Review (Sep 20 – 26, 2020)

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What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

Dream High (2011)

Dream High has been on my watchlist for ages, at my friend’s suggestion, but for some reason, I kept putting it off. Which was really odd, because it blends all of my favourite components into a single show. Music, check. High school setting, check. Drama, check. What finally pushed me into watching it is my newfound appreciation for Kim Soo-hyun, and wanting to see the project that started it all. And man! am I glad I did, because it has quickly become one of my favourite shows.

While the first episode doesn’t really give you much to go on, by the second episode the show hits the ground running, moving all the characters into the right places for the drama to truly begin. The characters still took a bit of time to find their footing, the most hilarious of which was turning Hye-mi’s character into the gifted-yet-emotionless brat to account for Bae Suzy’s (lack of) acting ability. The producers were really good about developing the show around their performers’ strengths, adapting as they found the things that resonated with their audience.

Although the story itself was usually quite typical, the way that it was executed felt fresh, even for something that I’m watching nearly a decade after it was first released. Song Sam-dong (Kim Soo-hyun) is the prime example of this, as the country boy who follows a pretty girl to the city, and ends up finding himself while he’s there. This was probably the most Dramatic part of the story, but it was also the most satisfying to watch him grow by overcoming the hardships life threw at him. Not to mention it was mesmerising to see Kim really get to stretch his acting muscles to their full potential. The other dynamic that I loved was the relationships between the teachers. Mr. Yang (Eom Ki-joon) was the perfect mentor, Mr. Kang (Park Jin Young) the hilarious trainer, and Ms Si’s (Lee Yoon-ji) tough love approach rounded out the group.

The musical elements of the show resonated with the emotions that the writers were trying to elicit, and the big group numbers were usually the ones that I enjoyed the most. But seeing the training montages and the amount of effort that the kids put into their performances were sometimes more inspiring than the songs themselves. Watching them stumble and then pick themselves back up is what showcases their strength more than any elaborate and highly curated performance might.

Dream High may have had its flaws, but it’s a solid piece of entertainment and it was well written and well developed. Park Jin Young’s vision was executed beautifully, and save a few pretentious moments and acting that left something to be desired from a lot of the younger stars, the show was very comfortable poking fun at itself and being heartfelt when the story called for it. It leaves a warm fuzzy feeling when you finish watching it, and I’m so glad that my friend recommended the show to me. Thanks, Norlisa!

Week in Review (Sep 13 – 19, 2020)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 1 Comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

Reply 1997 (2012)

Oh, Reply series, how you do make me nostalgic. It’s even funnier that I didn’t actually live through this time as a teenager, being a 5-year-old at the time, let alone in Busan of all places. But the sense that I got from this show is that it has the universal theme of longing for a time that’s gone. Add to that the group dynamics, which Writer Lee clearly enjoys exploring (having done that several times since this in her other shows too), and the 90s styling and you get the perfect recreation, not necessarily as it was, but of how we look back on it with our rose-tinted glasses.

The friend group obviously forms the heart of the show, making you laugh, cry and die of secondhand embarrassment right alongside them (I loved it every time Seong-jae (Lee Si-eon) was on my screen). But by far, the show stealers were the parents. Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa were pitch-perfect as the overbearing dad who didn’t understand his daughter and the laissez-faire mom who was always ready to feed an army. 

The fangirl aspects of the show were probably the thing that felt the most Dramatic, in that they were usually the bits that seemed the most unrealistic, the most exaggerated. I find it hard to believe in that level of commitment to anything, let alone a boyband. But maybe that’s just the cynic in me. Reply 1997 delved into the nature of that relationship, and showed that it wasn’t just about enjoying the music, but it was also about making friends (and enemies) and feeling a sense of belonging when others in your life can’t understand or accept you.

While I liked the framework of the high school reunion to establish the setting for the show, one aspect that I felt could have worked slightly better was the romance mystery. At times, it really felt like we were being given rather weak red herrings, and it wasn’t the most convincing. But it was exciting to see the couple grow and become aware of their feelings for one another, even if it did take forever for them to get there. 

I’m looking forward to the next one in the series, although I have heard that it doesn’t have quite the same charm as this one. But at least I’ll have Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa to keep me entertained.

Week in Review (Sep 6 – 12, 2020)

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What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) – Ep 14-16

I’m not sure what they idea was with episodes 14 and 15, but it seemed like the show suddenly swerved into makjang territory. Nurse Park felt overacted, which really took me out of the scenes that she was in. I think that character and the arc they were attempting worked much better as an idea and didn’t land at all in execution. The saving grace was that they didn’t particularly linger on it, and wrapped the storyline up pretty quickly, with the villain getting her comeuppance, and we could switch back to our trio for the final stretch. 

Episode 16 came back to the show that I felt I had been watching, giving us the familiar feeling of comfort we’ve grown accustomed to with our family unit. When Sang-tae is reading his book to his mother, I felt every bit of the cathartic release that he felt, in finally having achieved something that he was probably told all his life he wouldn’t be able to. The pride in his brother’s face killed me, and I was a crying mess right next to them.

While the show was far from perfect, it definitely ranks high on my list of favourites. The actors gave excellent performances, the writing was (mostly) consistent and true to character, and I came away from the show with a sense of feeling whole, if a little bittersweet. Although they were going their separate ways, we knew that in the end the brothers’ bond was just as strong as when we first encountered them, if not better for the trials they were put through.  And Moon-yeong helped make them better in her quest for her own self-discovery, finding out that family doesn’t have to be those related by blood. I love knowing that these characters will live on in their own way, ever-evolving, having their stumbles but all the better for them.

Movies

Mulan (2020)

*Sigh* I knew there was a reason I didn’t watch the live-action remakes that Disney were making, and Mulan is the perfect example of why.

The writing was drab, the characters underdeveloped, and why were the songs taken out? There didn’t seem to be any logic in Mulan’s journey through the film, and the writing gave me no reason to empathise with her or the soldiers that fought alongside her. There were practically no stakes and no real reason for me to care which side won because I didn’t really understand why they were all up in arm in the first place. Overall, this was a poor adaptation, but it fails to stand on its own merit either.

Sadly, there really isn’t much else I want to say about this movie. If you want a live action version that’s true to character, might I suggest this instead.