See You in My 19th Life – Full Review

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See You in My 19th Life – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

See You in My 19th Life – Full Review

 

Welcome to  See You in My 19th Life  – Full Review.     A woman who remembers all of her 18 past lives goes in search of those she loved in her last life.  If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

See You in My 19th Life

Aired: June 17 – July 23, 2023

# of Episodes:  12

Where to Watch: Netflix

Genre: Fantasy Rom-Com 

Starring:  Shin Hye Sun and Ahn Bo Hyun

See You in My 19th Life - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

A woman with the ability to remember all of her past lives decides to spend her 19th life searching for her first love from her past life.  They were both just children when she was tragically killed in a car accident.  Now they have both grown into adults, and while she remembers everything about the time they shared together, he doesn’t recognize the quirky woman who keeps showing up in his life to be the girl he still pines for. But she is determined to prove to him that she is someone he has loved in the past as Joo Won and can love again now as Ji Eum.  

See You in My 19th Life - Unspoiled Review

The Leads

 

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review
See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

Shin Hye Sun as Ban Ji Eum

After living through 18 lives that span almost 1000 years, Ban Ji Eum has a unique and quirky perspective on life.  But because she died so young in her last life and was reborn immediately, she has a chance to see her loved ones from her last life in her present one.  And the number one person on that list is Seo Ha, who was her first love.  Ji Eum planned her whole life around putting herself in a position to be able to Seo Ha again.  But when she shows up at his family’s hotel looking for a job, Seo Ha isn’t sure she is a good business risk and he certainly doesn’t remember her as the girl he once loved.  So Ji Eum begins a campaign to win Seo Ha’s heart again and she is sure she will be successful. 

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

Ji Eum is practical and mature.  She has learned the lessons of life over and over again during the course of her lives, and she understands both the joys and the struggles.  In her 19th life, her only real goal is to spend all the days she can at Seo Ha’s side.  Shin Hye Sun is a great actress with amazing comic timing, but I am not sure this script lived up to her potential.  She brought her usual array of funny facial expressions and fast talking line delivery, but in the end, Ji Eum’s character lacked any real development.  Maybe because she was already wisened by the years, the writers didn’t feel the need to focus as much on her growth.  

Ahn Bo Hyun as Moon Seo Ha

Moon Seo Ha lost his mother to an illness while he was still a boy.  His best friend and first love, Joo Won, helped him through his loss.  So when Seo Ha and Joo Won were involved in a car accident shortly after, that left Joo Won dead and Seo Ha hard of hearing, the boy was completely devastated.  Even years later, he still carries around the pain of losing the two most important people in his life.  But when a strange woman starts showing up in front of him, he is puzzled as to why she makes him think of Joo Won, regardless of the fact that they look nothing alke.  And by the time he learns that Ji Eum really is the reincarnated Joo Won, he has already fallen in love with her again in her current form.  

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

Moon Seo Ha had a rough childhood that left him emotionally sensitive and cautious.  With the exception of his close friend, Do Yoon who also serves as his private secretary, he doesn’t really have any friends.  His dream is to take over the hotel that his mother managed while she was alive and return it to its former glory.  I liked Ahn Bo Hyun in this role.  He plays this kind of quiet mannered character well and I found his thoughtful introspection to be genuine and relatable. 

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

Supporting Characters

 

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review
See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

Ha Yoon Kyung as Yoon Cho Won

Yoon Cho Won is Joo Won’s younger sister.  She was a very young child when Joo Won died, but she has fond memories of her.  Now that she is an adult, she does landscaping and floral design.  Because she has always been in love with Do Yoon, she sends in an application to participate in the renovation project going to at Seo Ha’s hotel.  During her time there, she meets Ji Eum and eventually finds out who Ji Eum was in her last life.

Ahn Dong Goo as Ha Do Yoon

Ha Do Yoon has known Seo Ha since  they were students.  The pair have been friends ever since.  But what Seo Ha doesn’t know is that Do Yoon’s father was the one driving the car the day that Joo Won died, or that his dad was also a victim of the accident.  Do Yoon is in love with Cho Won, but he refuses to date her because he knows that people will say he loves her because of her rich family.  

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review
See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

Cha Chung Hwa as Kim Ae Kyung

Kim Ae Kyung was Ji Eum’s neice in her 17th life.  When Ji Eum ran away from home in this life and needed a place to go, she went to Ae Kyung because she knew Ae Kyung would believe she was once her loving uncle. Since then, Ji Eum has lived with her and Ae Kyung has acted as her mother and confidante.  But when Ae Kyung finds out she is sick and doctors can’t find a cause, she decides to hide it from Ji Eum.  

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ Diverse Past Lives

I really loved the fact that instead of just using the same actress in different costumes, Ji Eum’s past lives included all different appearances with both genders.  I’ve never seen another show about past lives use this approach and I really like the scope it gave the drama.  Especially since one of her most lasting relationships occurred while she was living as the man who was Ae Kyung’s uncle.  Also, a shout out to the actress that played the young Ji Eum.  She was fabulous!

♥ Ae Kyung

Cha Chung Hwa is a wonderful actress and I really loved the character of Kim Ae Kyung.  Hearing her call Ji Eum “Uncle” always brought a little smile to my face.  I especially loved that Cha Chung Hwa and Shin Hye Sun were reunited after appearing together in “Mr. Queen”.  The pair obviously have a lot of genuine affection for each other and that comes through the screen when they have scenes together.  

 ♥ Second Lead Couple

The second lead couple of Do Joon and Cho Won were a fun match to watch.  Personally I would like to have seen more scenes of them together, but what we did see was cute, and I thought they had great chemistry.  They had a good push and pull that was never one-sided and the depth of their feelings was always apparent.  

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

Things I Didn’t Like

 

Holes and Questions

There are so many loose ends in this drama that I can barely list them all.  What exactly was Min Ki’s motivation in all of this?  Was he also released from the curse once Ji Eum broke it?  Did Do Yoon ever tell off those bully jerks?  Why did we need to see the whole loan shark saga with Ji Eun’s dad and brother? If Seo Ho’s mom knew that Seo Ha already knew about Ji Eum’s past life, why didn’t she tell him who she was so they could have a proper reunion before she forgot him forever?  I just felt like this drama tried to do too much, and it led to a lot of frustrating plot holes and underdeveloped characters.  I also found the excessive amount of flashbacks over and over again to get old.

Memory Loss Ending

So about that ending…I have a wealth of questions.  But really the most pressing one, is exactly how does this memory loss thing work?  Does Ji Eum know she has gaps in her memory or did they fill them in with fake memories?  Where does she live if her relationship with Ae Kyung just disappeared?  Obviously the main characters know not to mention Ji Eum’s past, but if she is the only one who doesn’t remember, then what about people like her co-worker?  Wouldn’t they ask what happened at the hotel?  And who wears an obvious couple ring without knowing where it came from or why you are wearing it?

Hotel Story

With all of the characters and sub-plots in this drama, I felt like the excessive amount of time on the hotel story was a waste of time and pretty irrelevant to the big picture.  I have no idea what the point of Yeon Ok and her son was.  Maybe if they had shown at least a couple of scenes of Seo Ha’s mom working at the hotel, we could have understood his attachment to it.  But as it was, it seemed totally disconnected to the story.  

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

The Ending

 

“See You in My 19th Life” has a confusing but mostly happy ending.  I have to hand it to them.  In all the dramas I have seen, I have never seen this approach to the past life story.  Ji Eum finally remembers everything from her first life, including the fact that it was Min Ki and not Seo Ha who actually killed her.  Once Ji Eum knows everything, she realizes she has to let go of her past and forget all of them.  Seo Ha assures her that he will find her this time, so all she needs to do is wait.  Cho Won decides the only way to quit hurting Do Yoon is to let him go.  But luckily, Do Yoon finally gets his act together and admits his feelings. A slight time jump after Ye Eum has undone the curse shows that everyone else still remembers her.  Ae Kyung is healthy again, Do Yoon and Cho Won are doing well as a couple, and Seo Ha has been patiently waiting for Ji Eum to come to him naturally.  But he becomes impatient and takes matters into his own hands.  He meets Ji Eum casually at Ae Kyung’s restaurant and later at the hotel, they meet by the pool. Seo Ha proposes the same deal Ji Eum used on him in the beginning, saying he will ask her to date three times.  And it is pretty obvious that, like Ji Eum before, he will be successful in winning her heart.  

See You in My 19th Life - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

See You in My 19th Life - Unspoiled Review

“See You in My 19th Life” is a fantasy rom-com that revolves around past lives and the idea of fate in love.  The plot is unique and interesting, and the relationships between the characters are sweet.  The large number of characters related to the main lead, between both her past and present lives, can overwhelm the central theme, making the drama itself feel clunky at times. But if you like a good blend of fantasy and romance and don’t mind some glaring plot holes, this one does a nice job. I give “See You in My 19th Life” an 8 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

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Winter Sonata – Full Review

Kdrama and Ramen

For the love of all things Kdrama

News and Reviews

Winter Sonata – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

Winter Sonata – Full Review

 

Welcome to  Winter Sonata – Full Review.   A young woman is shocked to meet a man who looks exactly like her first love who died 10 years ago.  If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

Winter Sonata

Aired: January 14 – March 19, 2002

# of Episodes:  20

Where to Watch: Viki

Genre: Romantic Drama

Starring:  Bae Young Joon and Choi Ji Woo

Winter Sonata - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

Winter Sonata - Full Review

A high school student falls in love with a new transfer student.  But their romance is cut short when he is tragically killed in car accident one night.  Although the girl carries on with her life, she never stops missing her first love.  Ten years later, as a successful architect, she shows up to work with a new company on a project renovating a ski resort, and is shocked to find that her new boss looks exactly like the boy she had loved so deeply.  But he swears he is not the sweet young man she had known.  As the couple are drawn together in the present, they begin to unlock shocking secrets from both of their pasts.  

Winter Sonata - Unspoiled Review<br />

The Leads

 

Winter Sonata - Full Review
Winter Sonata - Full Review

Bae Yong Joon as Kang Joon Sang/Lee Min Hyung

Kang Joon Sang transfers from Seoul to a small high school in his mother’s hometown in the hopes of finding the father he has never known.  On his first day at his new school, he meets Jung Yu Jin, a classmate who is friendly and optimistic.  The pair immediately fall for each other.  One night, Joon Sang is hit by a car and his friends are all told that he died.  But 10 years later, Joon Sang returns to the town as Min Hyung, a successful architect with no memory of his life as Joon Sang or any of his former classmates.  As he sees people’s shock at his appearance, he begins to question who he really is and why he looks just like someone who has been dead for 10 years.  

Winter Sonata - Full Review

While Joon Sang was serious and troubled, Min Hyung is relaxed and sincere.  And he begins to understand how he can be both people when he finds out that his mother hired a doctor to use hypnotherapy to replace all of Joon Sang’s unhappy memories with happier ones. Yu Jin helps him find his lost memories and use them to learn to feel emotionally whole again.  I really loved Bae Yong Joon in this drama.  His character was soft-spoken and kind, and his gentle screen presence was the best part of the series as a whole.  

Choi Ji Woo as Jung Yu Jin

Jung Yu Jin grew up in a small town surrounded by friends she had known since childhood.  But when she meets a handsome young man on the bus one morning, she never dreams that he will be her new classmate.  She is immediately drawn to his quiet temprement and mysterious charm.  When he is killed in a car accident, she is broken hearted and refuses to forget him.  10 years later, while she still carries her memories of Joon Sang, she has moved on with her life and is engaged to her childhood family friend, Sang Hyuk.  When she walks into a new job site, she is shocked to find her new boss looks exactly like Joon Sang.  But Min Hyung assures her that he has never lived in this town and has never met her.  Regardless of his assertations, Yu Jin is irresistable attracted to Min Hyung.  And when she finds out he really is Joon Sang, her heart feels complete for the first time in years.  

Winter Sonata - Full Review

Jung Yu Jin loves passionately and without hesitation.  And whether he is Joon Sang or Min Hyung, all she really knows is that she loves this man exactly as he is.  But the burden of breaking Sang Hyuk’s heart again weighs heavily on her.  I didn’t love the character of Yu Jin, but I felt lke Choi Ji Woo played her well as she was written.  There were times when her histrionics got a bit old but what is a melodrama without excessive amounts of angst and tears?

Winter Sonata - Full Review

Supporting Characters

 

Winter Sonata - Full Review
Winter Sonata - Full Review

Park Yong Ha as Kim Sang Hyuk

Kim Sang Hyuk is Yu Jin’s best friend.  The pair have been close since they were kids, but Sang Hyuk has always considered Yu Jin his first love.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t really felt the same way, as Sang Hyuk learns the hard way when Joon Sang comes on the scene.  10 years later, he has finally convinced Yu Jin to marry him, but when Min Hyung shows up, Sang Hyuk quickly starts to feel his dreams slip away.  But he is determined to do everything he can to hang on to Yu Jin.

Park Sol Mi as Oh Che Lin

Oh Che Lin also grew up with Yu Jin and Sang Hyuk.  But she is spoiled and selfish.  She also falls in love with Joon Sang, but Joon Sang is never interested in her. Years later, she meets Min Hyung in France and begins dating him.  She brings him back to meet her friends, knowing how much his appearance will shock them all.  But unfortunately for her, her plan backfires and history repeats itself, when Min Hyung starts to show an interest in Yu Jin.  

Winter Sonata - Full Review
Winter Sonata - Full Review

Jung Dong Hwan as Professor Kim Jin Woo

Professor Kim Jin Woo is Sang Hyuk’s dad.  He was also Yu Jin’s dad’s best friend, before her father passed away.  As the story unfolds, we find out that Jin Woo was involved in a love triangle with Yu Jin’s dad and Joon Sang’s mom.  And while we find out that one of them is indeed Joon Sang’s father, we are unsure which one.  Joon Sang’s mother tells both Joon Sang and Professor Kim that Yu Jin’s father is also Joon Sang’s father, which is why they can never date.  But after Jin Woo has a paternity test performed, we find out that he is the real father.  

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ Classic Style

Both the story and visuals of this drama are true, classic kdrama.  There is a touch of elegance to this drama that I really enjoyed.  I feel like we don’t see this kind of style in current melodramas.  The OST and the beautiful snowy landscape gave a depth to the story itself that drew me in and made me feel emotionally invested in the characters.  And it seems like I’m not the only one to fall in love with Nami Island.  

 ♥ Kim Seonbae

I thought Kim Seonbae was a great character in this drama.  His ability to pry while still respecting Min Hyung’s space made him the perfect friend and advisor for Min Hyung.  He liked and supported the women that Min Hyung dated without ever picking sides or offering unsolicited advise.  And although we didn’t get to see much besides some light flirting, I liked him with Jeong Ah.  

♥ Controlled Tailspin

After finishing “Autumn in My Heart” I really wasn’t sure I wanted to put myself through the second installment of this series.  But while “Autumn in My Heart” manages to wring any joy out of the story or its ending, this drama keeps the happy and sad emotions in a nice balance that allows you to feel the highs and lows without feeling emotionally gutted.  I much prefer this more balanced approach to my emotional roller coasters.  

Winter Sonata - Full Review

Things I Didn’t Like

 

Kang Mi Hee

The amount of delusional behavior from Mi Hee was mind-boggling.  As if erasing your son’s memories so he can act like the doting child she always wanted wasn’t bad enough, she really convinced herself that Yu Jin’s dad was Joon Sang’s father because she couldn’t get over her obsessioin.  And even if I could understand that, since her denial is only hurting herself anyway, I can’t believe that she insisted it was true when she knew it would be devastating for Yu Jin and Joon Sang.  Personally, I kind of wish Min Hyung would have broken ties with her entirely, but I’m glad he is a kinder person than me.  

Yu Jin’s Sister

In the beginning of the dramas, the writers took the time to show several scenes of Yu Jin with her little sister.  They seemed to have a close relationship  So I thought it was weird that she all but disappeared after that.  Aside from a quick scene at the broadcasting club that made me go, “Oh yeah.  She has a sister” we don’t see anything from her, even in passing.  All the scenes that take place at Yu Jin’s house and she is never there.  I just thought it was strange.  

Brothers

Even at the height of their rivalry over Yu Jin, Joon Sang and Sang Hyuk have a grudging respect for each other that I really enjoyed.  It’s obvious that if Yu Jin were not involved, the two would have been real friends.  So I was disappointed that after finding out that they were brothers, Min Hyung didn’t seem to keep in contact with Sang Hyuk after going to the states.  A few more brother-like moments between the two would have been very welcome.  

Winter Sonata - Full Review

The Ending

 

It’s a hard fight to a happy ending with this one.  Min Hyung decides to keep the truth about his father a secret from Yu Jin and go to the states for surgery. Yu Jin makes plans to go study alone in France.  3 years later, we see Yu Jin and Sang Hyuk with a toddler.  Luckily it is Jin Sook and Yong Gook’s.  Yu Jin is just back from her study abroad and goes to Polaris to take care of some business.  Jeong Ah shows her that someone actually built the house Yu Jin had designed years ago.  Yu Jin immediately knows it must be Min Hyung and she rushes to see him.  Min Hyung is shown feeling his way along his new home to show us that he is blind now.  He goes out to run an errand.  Yu Jin wanders in while he is out and sees the puzzle hanging on the wall.  Min Hyung comes back and finds her there.  The final scene shows the couple in silhouette, sitting on the balcony.  They share a kiss as Min Hyung gently touches her face.  The end!

Winter Sonata - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

Winter Sonata - Full Review

“Winter Sonata” is a classic emotional rollercoaster melodrama.  It is the second installment of the popular drama series “Endless Love”.  Unlike it’s predecessor, this drama manages to take you through all the feels without dipping into absolute depression.  You should expect to spend the 20 episodes of this drama feeling both touched by the characters and extremely frustrated with them. This one is very slow paced and relies on a constant push and pull that may get tedious for some.  On the plus side, this series is visually stunning and the lead male, Bae Yong Joon, is really wonderful. I found the story heartwarming and emotionally rewarding.  I give “Winter Sonata” an 8 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

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Crazy Love – Full Review

Kdrama and Ramen

For the love of all things Kdrama

News and Reviews

Crazy Love – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

Crazy Love – Full Review

 

Welcome to  Crazy Love – Full Review.   When a mean-tempered math instructor is involved in an accident and loses his memory, his secretary tells everyone they are engaged to be married, but first they will need to find out who really tried to kill him.  If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

Crazy Love

Aired: March 7 – April 26, 2022

# of Episodes:  16

Where to Watch: Hulu

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Starring:  Kim Jae Wook and Krystal Jung

Crazy Love - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

Crazy Love - Full Review

The secretary of a cranky, genius math instructor goes to his house to get revenge.  So later when her boss suffers a serious accident and loses his memory, she becomes the top suspect.  In desperation, she lies and says they are secretly engaged.  But as she stays at his side, nursing him back to health, she finds he is not the monster she once believed he was.  And as she begins helping him try to find out who the real culprit is, she finds herself wishing their relationship wasn’t fake after all.  

Crazy Love - Unspoiled Review

The Leads

 

Crazy Love - Full Review
Crazy Love - Full Review

Kim Jae Wook as Noh Go Jin

Noh Go Jin is a mathematical genius who worked his way up to become a famous math instructor.  But personally, his prickly personality and unwavering expectations make him a difficult person to be around.  Just ask the string of ex-secretaries he has left behind.  So when someone tries to kill him outside his home, the list of suspects is long.  To buy himself some time to find his unseen enemy, he pretends to have amnesia.  But he is shocked when his current secretary tells everyone that they are engaged.  At first, he goes along with it mostly so he can keep his eye on her, but as he spends more time with her, he begins to depend on her selfless support of him.  

Crazy Love - Full Review

Noh Go Jin had his heart broken as a young man, and from that time, he became rude and cranky with everyone.  But behind his brash exterior, he is a caring man who doesn’t know how to approach or trust others.  As he begins to trust Shin A, she urges him to let down his walls and show people his true heart.  I heard that Kim Jae Wook came out of a 3 year hiatus to do this drama because he wanted to make people laugh.  I think he was perfect in this role and his comedic timing did make me laugh, for sure.  

Krystal Jung as Lee Shin A

Lee Shin A has always dreamed of being a teacher.  But when she fails her teaching demonstration, they move her into the position as Go Jin’s secretary.  Although he is demanding and rude, Shin A suffers through it all to achieve her dream.  But as she celebrates her year anniversary in that position, she finds out that she is dying of cancer.  Blaming her harsh work environment, she vows revenge on Go Jin.  That night, when she goes to his house to confront him, he runs after her and is hit by a car.  According to police, she is the number one suspect.  So when she hears Go Jin has no memory, she pretends they are engaged.  But as she takes care of him and works closely with him, she begins to see that he is not the person she had always thought.  And as she falls in love with him, she is determined to find out who tried to hurt him.  

Crazy Love - Full Review

Lee Shin A is hard working and generous.  She is known by friends and family as someone who doesn’t know how to say no.  But she has been pushed around by Go Jin and her other co-workers to the point that she is truly sick of it.  And her cancer diagnosis is the last straw!  Krystal Jung has made the transition from idol to actress pretty well, and I thought she did a nice job in this role.  She played the part with an honest and straightforward  attitude that fit the character well.  

Crazy Love - Full Review

Supporting Characters

 

Crazy Love - Full Review
Crazy Love - Full Review

Ha Joon as Oh Se Gi

Oh Se Gi is Go Jin’s best friend.  The two of them started their education business together and have slowly built it into a successful company.  But behind his sweet smile and kind gestures, Se Gi has a secret from his past that threatens to rock the very foundation of his and Go Jin’s  work together.  

Yoo In Younas Baek Soo Young

Baek Soo Young is Go Jin’s first love and the one who broke his heart when he was young.  Now she is back and in charge of one of GOTOP’s biggest competitors.  But she is more interested in winning back Go Jin’s heart than stealing his company.  Unfortunately for her, even without his memory, Go Jin seems completely uninterested in her, no matter how hard she pushes.  

Crazy Love - Full Review
Crazy Love - Full Review

Park Han Sol as Chu Ok Hee 

Chu Ok Hee is Shin A’s best friend and roommate.  They come from the same home town and their fathers are friends.  Ok Hee, like Shin A’s younger brother Soo Ho, is an aspiring actor.  But when she starts spending time helping Soo Ho with his acting, the two end up secretly dating.  

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ Shin A’s Father

The relationship between Shin A and her family was a fun element of this drama.  I especially liked it when Go Jin started interacting with them.  Soo Ho’s quick acceptance of him as an older brother was sweet and fun to watch.  But it was Shin A’s father who really stole the show in this department.  His good natured urging that Shin A should be having her fiance stay over was fun and unexpected.  And the way he immediately felt a genuine affection for Go Jin was very heartwarming, especially when we have seen how much Go Jin has missed having a family of his own.  

♥ Se Gi

While I would have liked to see more screen time for Se Gi’s character, I liked the development that he did get.  We see him go from the “angel” of the company, to the evil villain mastermind, to just a normal flawed person who has been led to believe something about his friend that is not at all true.  And yet, through his many shifts and facets, he remains largely steadfast and constant.  If he had succeeded in destroying Go Jin, he would certainly have seemed less likable, but luckily he discovers the truth before he can cause any real damage.  

 ♥ Web of “Villains”

I have complained before about the ladder of villains, that just when it seems like the mystery is solved, we find out there is another more evil villain still to come.  But in this drama, there is a complex web of villains who each have a part to play in what happened to Go Jin.  It was interesting the way they weaved each of the strings in to complete the full picture.  While the ex-secretary breaking the security camera isn’t a big deal in itself, it played a pivotal part in allowing the true villains to stay hidden.  Each character has some impact, no matter how small, in the big picture of  Go Jin’s accident and injury.  

Crazy Love - Full Review

Things I Didn’t Like

 

Soo Young

I usually don’t like the “ex is back” trope, and this one really irritated me.  Soo Young’s character seemed unrealistic and egotistical.  The idea that she could just blame her actions on her dad and waltz back in as if nothing happened doesn’t seem logical to me.  Also, in one breath, she says that maybe if Go Jin can’t remember the past, he will fall in love with her again.  And in the next breath, she is angry that she is the only one who remembers their time together. You can’t have it both ways!  

Abrupt Plot Ends

This drama attempted quite a lot.  With so many characters and sub-plots, its hard to give them all the development and closure they need.  The whole cancer story ended very suddenly and quite flat.  For the fact that Jong Ho was the top villain, we learned very little about his character.  Even the revelation of Ok Hee and Soo Ho dating seemed kind of anti-climatic.  And really, the fact that everyone except Jung Ho seem to walk away without any repercussions for their actions, seems a bit unfair.  

Park Yang Tae

I’m not sure I understand the point of Park Yang Tae’s character.  If Soo Young’s company was going to be the one to come in and challenge GOTOP, then why did we even need Yang Tae.  He gives some insight into Go Jin’s past, but Soo Young could have easily done that on her own.  There are a couple funny scenes between Yang Tae and Go Jin early on and we do see Ms. Ma working with him, but in the end the character and his company have little bearing on the overall plot.  With so many sub-plots going on, his screen time could have been better used with some of the other, more pivotal characters.  

Crazy Love - Full Review

The Ending

 

“Crazy Love” ends on a happy note for pretty much everyone.  We find out the Jong Ho is the real villain mastermind.  He was dating Se Gi’s sister, and her suicide had more to do with guilt over stealing Go Jin’s teaching material than Go Jin’s cruel words.  Refusing to accept his own part in her death, Jong Ho chose to blame Go Jin.  And he tampered with a voice recording to convince Se Gi that it was Go Jin who was responsible.  With all of this out in the open, Go Jin realizes how much he has inflicted pain on those around him.  And with Shin A’s encouragement, he begins to apologize to everyone he has hurt along the way.  And with his apologies, all the bad feelings magically melt away.  Go Jin hires back most everyone who was fired or had quit.  Shin A decides to take her future into her own hands by becoming the masked instructor online. And this leads to her being hired by Soo Young.  On her first day of lecture, Go Jin meets Shin A after work and finally proposes for real.  The final montage shows the happy couple, married and living a crazy life together.  

Crazy Love - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

Crazy Love - Unspoiled Review

“Crazy Love” is a dark romantic comedy with a mystery twist.  This one is quirky and chaotic, but I kind of loved it for that.  The leads have a nice chemistry and the romance story is fairly straight-forward, without a lot of unnecessary relationship drama.  The mystery of who tried to kill Go Jin is full of lots of interesting surprise plot twists that continue to build throughout the drama.  All the crazy humor aside, this series is not all fun and games.  It has some serious messages about the impact of our words and actions on those around us.    I give “Crazy Love” an 8 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

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Dr. Romantic Season 3 – Full Review

Kdrama and Ramen

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Dr. Romantic Season 3 – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

Dr. Romantic Season 3 – Full Review

 

Welcome to  Doctor Romantic Season 3 – Full Review.  Our favorite doctors and staff are back at Doldham Hospital, and this season they will open a brand new trauma center that will bring in new cases and old doctors.  If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

Dr. Romantic Season 3

Aired: April 28 – June 17, 2023

# of Episodes:  16

Where to Watch: Hulu

Genre: Medical Drama

Starring:  Han Seok Kyu, Lee Sung Kyung and Ahn Hyo Seop

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review

Doldham Hospital is opening a brand new, state-of-the-art Trauma Center.  But specialty hospitals like this come with their own complications.  From working with self-serving politicians to raise financial backing to finding the right person to act as the center’s Director, Master Kim will try to manage it all, while still treating the ER patients who flood into the hospital.  But beyond just opening the center, Master Kim dreams of creating a super team of doctors, surgeons, and staff from those he has spent his career mentoring.  

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Unspoiled Review

The Leads

 

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review
Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review

Han Seok Kyu as Master Kim

Master Kim has finally achieved his dream of opening a state of the art trauma center that is connected to the original wing of Doldham Hospital.  Now he just needs to find the right person to take over the Director position, so the new director and Director Park can secure financial funding and finish staffing the facility.  But filling the job is trickier than he hoped and he will find himself caught between the new directors, who each have their own vision of what their center should look like, and the doctors and staff he has spent years training for this day.  And in the midst of all this stress, he and his Doldham family are carefully monitoring the onset of his MS symptoms.  

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review

Master Kim has spent years training bright, talented doctors.  And now, with the trauma center ready to open, he hopes to finally bring all of those great students under the same roof to create a medical dream team.  But as he watches each of them, he begins to examine his own legacy, both positive and negative, and question whether he really wants those he cares about to take the kind of extreme risks that he has built his career on.  I love Master Kim and this season only made me fall more in love with his quiet humor and deep affection for his staff.  The world would be lucky to have such a caring and dedicated Doctor!

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review
Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review

Lee Sung Kyung as Cha Eun Jae

Cha Eun Jae has come a long way from the delicate doctor who fainted at the sight of blood.  Under Master Kim’s wing, she has grown and become an amazing surgeon.  But when her father takes the job as the new Director of the Trauma Center, she will be caught between his severe approach to medicine and the empathetic skills she has learned under Master Kim.  She will also need to learn how to navigate her romantic relationship with Woo Jin under the watchful eye of her judgmental parents.  Luckily, the skills she has learned over the past few years as a doctor will help her learn to advocate for her own happiness.

Ahn Hyo Seop as Seo Woo Jin

Seo Woo Jin has always had the skills to be a great doctor, but he needed a mentor like Master Kim to give him confidence and to channel his energies into the patients and their treatments.  But he still has a desire to prove himself and to show the same kind of dedication to the job that Master Kim has over the years.  And when that desperation leads to a serious accident at a disaster site, he wil suffer the consequences.  His own traumatic injury to his hand will threaten his whole future as a surgeon.  But it will also remind him of the amazing people he is surrounded by every day and how thankful he is for the Doldham family.  

Supporting Characters

 

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review
Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review

So Ju Yeon as Yoon Ah Reum

Yoon Ah Reum is an ER resident.  This season, with the other doctors moving over to the trauma center, we see Ah Reum get an opportunity to step up as a leader in the ER.  But her bright and outgoing pesonality is dampened by her growing suspicions that her boyfriend, Eun Tak, doesn’t care about her as much as she loves him.  

Kim Min Jae as Park Eun Tak

Park Eun Tak is a nurse practioner.  He has worked hard to become a nurse, often doing double duty with work and his studies.  He is quiet and dependable, and because of this, many of the doctors at Doldham turn to him for assistance during stressful emergency situations.  But unfortunately, his reserved manners make him a better nurse than a boyfriend, and Eun Tak is brokenhearted to find that he is losing Ah Reum and he has no idea how to stop it from happening.  

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review
Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review

Lee Shin Young as Jang Dong Hwa

Jang Dong Hwa is a new general surgeon at Doldham this season.  Unlike all the other doctors, Dong Hwa has no problem leaving the hospital behind as soon as his shifts end.  He is good at what he does, but his lack of passion keeps him from progressing beyond that.  While working at Doldham, he will be forced to examine his own reasons for becoming a doctor, and what will be next for him once he finishes his brief rotation there.  

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ Established Characters

I have grown to love these characters over 3 seasons. The writers do such a nice job of creating complex characters.  I enjoy watching them develop from season to season, while also still feeling like they are old friends that I know and understand.  The continuity in casting for this series is one of the things that I think make it so well done.  I think it also makes it possible to have lots of characters who have at least some backstory, like the short story arc this season with In Soo and his wife and daughter.

♥ Dong Hwa

Dong Hwa was a fun addition to Doldham Hospital this season, and they gave his character lots of interesting development.  You see him slowly drawn into the intense culture of Master Kim and his trainees.  And as that light of passion slowly starts to flicker, we see Dong Hwa begin to embrace that magical element that Master Kim calls “romance”.  I was thrilled that he decides to stay on for another rotation and I would love to see a Season 4, so we can continue to see Dong Hwa grow.  

 ♥ Proposal

So, I’m kind of a stickler for overly-dramatic proposals.  The more fanfare, the better in my book.  And usually the couple has earned it after overcoming numerous dramatic obstacles by the end of the series.  But Woo Jin’s subtle proposal to Eun Jae was absolutely perfect for their characters.  It was sweet and understated, just like their relationship.  And the way he just left her to chase after him had me giggling like a crazy fan!  Big points for the creative team on this one!

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review

Things I Didn’t Like

 

Sun Woong Development

I really enjoyed both of the new doctors this season.  But while I thought they did a great job developing Dong Hwa’s character, Sun Woong is another story.  He started off strong, having come to the hospital as a military doctor who seemed to always be suspiciously lurking close by.  But then the only real back story he got was a short scene where we find out he is colorblind.  Not to underplay the challenges he had to overcome, but the story itself fell pretty flat.  And that was his whole development.  Other than that, he was just there to support Dong Hwa instead of getting his own storyline.  

Woo Jin

After watching this season, my first question is did Ahn Hyo Seop do something to make the writers mad, because they really put Woo Jin through the emotional wringer.  Woo Jin was held hostage by a crazy escaped soldier, trapped in a collapsed building, insulted by Eun Jae’s mother right to his face, watched his mentor start to display symptoms of his progressing MS, was challenged by Dong Joo’s leadership, and then to finish it all, he lost mobility in his hand.  What a rough journey this was for him.  But I’m relieved to say that he handled it all like the trooper he is.  

Cafe

I love Nam Da Il’s quiet, steady personality.  He is a constant support to both Nurse Oh and Master Kim.  And I love the idea that he is a completely average cook who runs his own cafe.  I always look forward to the quiet gatherings after shift in the cafe and I missed them this season.  There were a couple mentions of the cafe, but there were no after work parties there, like we had in previous seasons.  I guess I just like the fact that the cafe scenes give us a chance to see Da Il out from behind all that medical equipment.  It makes him feel more accessible, and I like that.  

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review

The Ending

 

“Dr. Romantic 3” ends with one last natural disaster as a forest fire blazes out of control just a few miles from the hospital.  Things are tense and patients are evacuated before a miracle rain shower ends the threat.  Eun Tak and Ah Reum finally clear up their misunderstanding.  Eun Tak promises to do better, and later we see the couple timidly start to talk about their hopes and dreams for the future, hopefully together.  Dong Hwa announces that he plans to stay on at the hospital for another rotation.  And Woo Jin finally takes out the engagement ring he bought Eun Jae and slips it on her finger while she is asleep.  She wakes up and chases after him for a sweet kiss.  Obviously she accepts.  The letter announcing the trauma center’s grant money finally arrives, in their favor.  And with that hope for the future, the final scene shows a mysterious woman arriving outside the hospital with her luggage.  A quick flash on her luggage tag reveals the name Yoon Seo Jung.  Now everyone is home!  The door is open for a season 4, but with such a large cast to schedule around now and Kim Min Jae off to the military, we will have to see.  For now, the producers are keeping it vague.  

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

Dr. Romantic Season 3 - Unspoiled Review

“Doctor Romantic Season 3” is a medical drama that follows the doctors and staff of Doldham Hospital.  The opening of a new trauma center gives this season a slightly different flavor from the first two. But for those who have followed the series all the way through, we are already invested in these familiar characters and their continued development.  The trauma cases are a bit more intense than most of the past stories and there is a lot of interpersonal drama this season.  Their years of working together give this cast an amazingly smooth chemistry that never feels forced or fake. This series have been a favorite of mine over the years and this season didn’t disappoint. Sequels are hard, and this one isn’t perfect, but the series and its characters always delight my heart. I give “Doctor Romantic Season 3” a 9 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

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That Winter, the Wind Blows – Full Review

Kdrama and Ramen

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That Winter, the Wind Blows – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

That Winter, the Wind Blows – Full Review

 

Welcome to  That Winter, the Wind Blows – Full Review.  A gambler takes advantages of his friend’s death by stealing his identity and posing as the brother of a rich, blind woman.  If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

That Winter, the Wind Blows

Aired: February 13 – April 4, 2013

# of Episodes:  16

Where to Watch: Viki

Genre: Romantic Melodrama

Starring:  Zo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review

A gambler and conman pretends to be the long-lost brother of a rich heiress in order to get the money to repay his gambling debt.  But his plans begin to falter when he finds himself falling in love with the innocent young lady who has lived a lonely and frustrating life.  At some point along the way, he finds that he is more concerned about protecting her than paying back the dangerous loan sharks threatening his life.  And when he learns that she is facing a life or death health crisis, he vows to save her at all costs.  But will she ever be able to trust him again, once she finds out that their whole relationship has been based on lies?

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Unspoiled Review

The Leads

 

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review
That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review

Zo In Sung as Oh Soo

Oh Soo has always had a tough life. After being framed by a possessive girlfriend, Soo ends up owing a huge amount of money to a local loan shark.  So when a case of mistaken identity suddenly turns him into the son of a wealthy family, and the only brother to a young, blind heiress named Young, he just can’t walk away.  He moves into the family mansion to be near his “sister” and luckily stumbles into a secret room with all the clues he needs to fill in his missing memories of his family.  But he is shocked to find that the more time he spends with Young, the more he falls in love with her.  And soon her safety and happiness become more important than the money he owes or his own life.  But somewhere along the way, he knows that he is going to have to tell Young the truth about who he really is, and he is terrified of what she will do when she finds out it has all been a lie.

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review

Oh Soo is charming and skilled as a conman.  Even after spending a year in prison for his crimes, he likes living on the edge and feels he has nothing to lose.  The inferiority he feels at having been abandoned by his mother, combined with the guilt of causing the death of his first love, has left emotional scars that make him cold and indifferent to those around him.  But Young’s innocent beauty and unwavering trust in him finally begins to melt the ice and teach him how to love.  Zo In Sung is a passionate and intense actor.  This style of melodrama really works for him.  I loved the chemistry he had with Song Hye Kyo and I thought his honest portrayal of this character made everyone want to see him finally find happiness. 

Song Hye Kyo as Oh Young

Oh Young was extremely close to her brother growing up, so when her parents divorced and her mother chose to take her brother and leave Young with her father, she was understandably devastated.  Shortly after, Young lost her eye sight.  Since that time, she has spent most of her life locked at home, lonely and angry at the world around her.  After the recent death of her father, Young is determined to finally find her brother and bring him home.  And she is thrilled when Jang Sung tells her he has found him.  Young insists on having her brother move back home.  But Soo tells her he can only stay for 3 months.  Wanting to make up for all the time they have lost, the two begin an intense relationship where they are seldom apart.  But Young is hiding the fact that the brain tumor she had removed as a child seems to be back and she is afraid to face the painful treatment she remembers from her childhood.  

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review

Oh Young is naive and quick tempered.  Because of her blindness, her friends and family have always sheltered and caudled her.  But when Soo comes home, he challenges her to finally grow up.  He teaches her to fight for what she wants but also how to ask for help when she needs it. And most importantly, he helps her learn how to be honest with herself about her feelings.  This was not an easy role, and I felt like Song Hye Kyo channeled Young’s complex emotions admirably.  You could feel the internal conflict and it made the character realistic and genuine.  

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review

Supporting Characters

 

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review
That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review

Kim Bum as Park Jin Sung

Park Jin Sung has been Soo’s best friend and brother since they were young.  Jin Sung’s family took Soo in and supported him, and even though he ended up selling his father’s prized cow to take the money, they still believe in Soo.  Jin Sung is loyal and loving.  His faith in Soo seems limitless.  Together they run cons, take on ruthless thugs, and live life to its fullest.  Jin Sung is in love with Hee Sun, but she is too busy looking at Soo to see or return his feelings.  

Jung Eun Ji as Moon Hee Sun

Moon Hee Sun is the little sister of Soo’s first love.  But after her sister is killed in a motorcycle accident after having a fight with Soo, Hee Sun holds Soo responsible for her death.  Hee Sun acts tough and unfeeling, but she really loves Soo.  And even though she tries to hold on to her anger, they both know that she would protect him at all costs.  Hee Sun helps Soo get information about Young to make everyone believe he is really her brother.  

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review
That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review

Bae Jong Ok as Wang Hye Ji 

Secretary Wang took on the role of Young’s mother after her real mom left with Soo.  It was her refusal to have Young’s eyes treated that led to her blindness, although she paid a doctor to say it was caused by Young’s brain tumor.  Young has always known that Secretary Wang was to blame for her blindness, and because of that she has never trusted her.  Secretary Wang   is also the one who has been encouraging Young to marry Myung Ho, since she and Myung Ho are working together to gain control of the company.  

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ Side Kick

This drama has some great side characters and my favorites are those closest to the leads.  Jin Sung and Hee Sun are a great couple.  Kim Bum really shone in this role and I enjoyed his story.  His constant quest to win Hee Sun’s heart was cute and I was happy to see him finally succeed.  On the other side, I really appreciated Lawyer Jang for his constant love and support of Young.  Even though he had romantic feelings for Secretary Wang, his first responsiblity and loyalty was always for Young.  He followed her wishes without question and I loved that about him.  

♥ Intense Chemistry

While I never felt like this couple acted like siblings at all, I did enjoy watching the intense chemistry they shared.  Their bond formed quickly and the emotions behind their relationship were complex and swoon-worthy.  I loved Soo’s character and his strongest scenes were when he shared the screen with Young.  The conflicting emotions that both felt as they navigated their difficult feelings felt so strong and clear.  And  I do think there was a part of Young that knew from the beginning that he wasn’t really her brother.  But I think she lived in denial so she could keep him with her.  

 ♥ The “Real” Oh Soo

I’m glad that this drama gave us a brief chance to see and get to know Young’s real brother, Oh Soo, before his death.  The few scenes we see of him shows his warm and loving personaltiy.  And it made it easy to see how Young must have missed him over the years.  Also, seeing his sincere friendship with Soo and Jin Sung made Soo’s posing as him feel less callous.  He wasn’t just using his friend’s identity to take their family money.  There was a part of Soo, even from the beginning, that wanted to protect the sister his friend had treasured so much.  

Weekly Update - July 8 -14

Things I Didn’t Like

 

So Ra and Myung Ho

I don’t really think we need these extra love interests.  Neither character was very interesting.  In fact, they were both downright irritating.  And the leads were never interested in either one of them, so there wasn’t any romantic tension.  While each one does tie back to the lead’s pasts, these elements could have easily been introduced without them.  Actualy I would have loved more screen time for Moo Chul and his story with his sister.  

Secretary Wang’s Second Chance

Maybe I am just heartless, but I didn’t really feel like Secretary Wang deserved to be forgiven so easily.  I mean, she let Young go blind just so she could feel needed.  To pretend that somehow equals motherly love just seems silly.  I don’t understand how Soo could trust her when he wouldn’t even be around to make sure she didn’t try one last move of desperation to hang on to the power she held over Young for years.  

Secret Room

With Secretary Wang watching Young’s every move, how exactly did a blind person discover and set up her own secret room without her finding out?  And even if it was possible, what is the purpose of a blind person having a collection of photos she can’t see.  The movies make sense, since she can at least listen to them.  But the pictures were obviously chosen by Young.  I guess Lawyer Yang could have helped her get the pictures, but it doesn’t make the room itself any more believable for me.  

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review

The Ending

 

“That Winter, the Wind Blows” has one of those messy, open-ended endings that leaves fans to interpret on their own.  What we see is pretty straightforward.   Moon Chul collapses on the street after getting into a fight with one of his boss’ thugs.  Jin Sung finds him and carries him to the hospital, but he dies on the way.  We see Young going in for surgery on her tumor. ​And the Big Boss blackmails Jin Sung into killing Soo to save his own family.  We see Jin Sung stab Soo, and then Soo is lying on the ground bleeding.  One year later, we find Jin Sung and Hee Sun together in the country.  Hee Sun is flirting with some random guy, but Jin Sung jumps in to stake his claim.  And the couple talk about taking flowers to Soo.  Next, we see Young, who still carries a cane, but later walks cofidently on her own proving at least some of her eyesight has returned.  She sees Soo on a bicycle, but while he stops momentarily, he eventually keeps going.  Young arrives at a restaurant and the cook there is Soo.  There is some back and forth before Soo realizes that she knows who he is and she is here to see him.  The 2 kiss and then we see them walking hand in hand through the cherry blossoms.  The final scene shows them sharing a kiss.  So, here are the 2 camps.  First is the face value theory.  Soo survived and after staying away for a year, presumably for Young’s safety, she finally goes to him. The blurry frames represent what the picture looks like to Young, who still can’t see clearly. The other side says that one or both of them are dead, which is why the frames are blurry and why Jin Sung was taking flowers to Soo. So there it is.  You be the judge.  I think I will cling to the first idea, that Soo magically survived and they will finally get to be together. 

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

That Winter, the Wind Blows - Unspoiled Review

“That Winter, the Wind Blows” is a classic melodrama about love, grief and betrayal.  This drama is not as depressing or heavy-handed as some of the other dramas in this genre.  It also branches out with several interesting side-plots rather than only being about the love story.  But there is still plenty of angst and forbidden love.  The acting and lead chemistry is excellent and the cinematography is beautiful.  If you enjoy a drama that takes you through a series of emotional ups and downs without totally ripping your heart to pieces, this one fits the bill.   I give “That Winter, the Wind Blows” an 8 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

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My Perfect Stranger – Full Review

Kdrama and Ramen

For the love of all things Kdrama

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My Perfect Stranger – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

My Perfect Stranger – Full Review

 

Welcome to  My Perfect Stranger – Full Review.  Two strangers find themselves transported back to the year 1987 to solve a serial killer case.  If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

My Perfect Stranger

Aired: May 1 – June 20, 2023

# of Episodes:  16

Where to Watch: Viki

Genre: Sci-Fi Mystery Drama

Starring:  Kim Dong Wook and Jin Ki Joo 

My Perfect Stranger - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

Two seemingly random strangers somehow get transported back to the year 1987 together.  But as the stories from their own pasts begin to intersect and crossover, they realize that maybe their relationship is not as random as it first seems.  They will have to work as a team is they hope to solve a decades-old serial killer case.  And catching the killer in 1987 will save two important lives from their present-time.  But finding a serial killer isn’t the only thing that will preoccupy their time, as they each meet and gain new understanding of the younger versions of their parents and grandparents.  

My Perfect Stranger - Unspoiled Review

The Leads

 

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review
My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

Kim Dong Wook as Yoon Hae Joon

Yoon Hae Joon is a successful journalist.  When he finds a time travel car, complete with driver’s manual, he decides to go into the future.  But upon arrival, he finds out he was murdered.  Returning back to the present, he does some research that connects his murder to a trio of serial murders back in 1987.  So he points his fancy car into the past.  Once there, he is able to secure a job as a school teacher, since all of the victims were young students.  He continues “commuting” between his present day journalism job and his 1987 teaching gig.  But one day, on his drive back to the past, a mysterious young woman, Baek Yoon Young, gets transported with him. And an accident along the way leaves their ride home unusable. Now he and Yoon Young will team up to try and catch the killer.  Surprisingly, she has her own reasons for wanting the murderer caught and her help and knowledge of the residents of that neighborhood in 1987 will be indispensable.  

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

Yoon Hae Joon is quick thinking and calm under pressure.  The murders aren’t the only thing that tie him to 1987, as the principal at his new job is actually his grandfather.  But he has worked diligently to keep his real identity a secret from everyone, most especially his family.  Kim Dong Wook plays this calm, almost emotionless character well.  His subtle facial expressions often leave you wondering just what his character is really thinking.  And in this case, that fit the role perfectly.  I actually find Kim Dong Wook’s unflappable personality to be quite charming, although I have heard others complain that it causes a lack of chemistry with his co-stars.  For me, he brings just enough quiet affection to this role to make it work without having the romance storyline overshadow the more prominent themes of murder and family relationships.

Jin Ki Joo as Baek Yoon Young

Baek Yoon Young is a personal assistant to the famous author, Go Mi Sook.  Although she isn’t crazy about her boss, she loves reading and anything to do with books.  One day Yoon Young’s mother kills herself by wading into the river.  In complete shock, Yoon Young visits the river and on her way back, along a dark deserted road, she is almost run over by a speeding car.  Still in a daze, she continues walking, only to find herself back in the year 1987.  And one of the first people she sees is the younger version of her mother.  The crazy driver, Hae Joon, catches up to her and explains everything that has happened.  Including the fact that, for the time being, they can’t go back to the present.  But Yoon Young has already made plans for her time in the past.  She believes her mother would have been much happier if she had never married Yoon Young’s father, so she decides to keep them from meeting, in the hopes it might be enough to keep her mother from taking such drastic measures in the present.  

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

Baek Yoon Young is driven and thoughtful.  She is willing to keep her mom from meeting her dad,  even if it means she would never be born.  Her persistance keeps their murder investigation going, even when Hae Joon feels like giving up.  The fact that they made Yoon Young dress like a high school student made the age gap between her and Hae Joon feel more exagerrated than it needed to be.  Sometimes she really did seem more like a younger neice than a love interest, but that wasn’t really her fault.  For her part, I like Jin Ki Joo in this role, and her youthfulness gave her great chemistry with the younger actors who played her parents.  

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

Supporting Characters

 

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review
My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

Seo Ji Hye as Lee Soon Ae [1987]

Lee Soon Ae is Yoon Young’s mom, who we meet as a young high schooler.  She is a quiet student who dreams of becoming a writer.  Before Yoon Young comes to town, Soon Ae is a loner who doesn’t have many friends.  But then she meets Yoon Young and Hee Seop, and even against the traumatic backdrop of her sister’s murder and her own attacks, we see her begin to blossom and gain confidence.

Lee Won Jung as Baek Hee Seop [1987]

Baek Hee Seop is a new student who comes to town to live with his uncle, a local detective.  Hee Seop fall in love with Soon Ae immediately, but Yoon Young is determined to keep them apart because of the future father she knows him to be.  But as the trio gets sucked into the murder cases and spend time together, Yoon Young gets to know her father’s innocent, youthful side and she can’t deny his charm.

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review
My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

Ji Hye Won as Go Mi Sook [1987]

In the present, Go Mi Sook is Yoon Young’s boss.  She is a famous writer of murder mysteries.  Yoon Young is shocked to find Mi Sook in 1987, as a school bully and classmate of her parents. Mi Sook has her own trauma in the form of an abusive brother.  Her twisted lies begin as a way to save herself from him.  But lies beget lies, and keeping her brother in jail will only lead to more lies and tragedies.

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ Hee Seop

Every once in a while I find a character that I just look forward to seeing every time they show up onscreen.  For me, Hee Seop was this kind of character.  I don’t know exactly what it was, but his bashful charm and caring personality made a really delightful character.  And the tension of knowing that this lighthearted, kind boy could have turned into the angry, drunk we saw in the present gave him a bittersweet appeal.  I was rooting for Yoon Young to somehow save the young man he was, to give them all a happy future.  

♥ Evil Siblings

While the heroes in this story get fresh starts in life, there are a couple villains who get a different kind of redemption.  Go Min Su is proven innocent of the murders that he didn’t commit, which is only fair.  But that doesn’t make him any less a piece of trash who beats his sister and abuses young girls.  To turn him into a suddenly upright young citizen would have been insincere, and I was glad they didn’t do it.  Mi Sook also gets partial redemption.  She finally comes clean about who the real killer is and her statement helps finally catch him.  But with her writing career taken from her, she no longer has the power to hurt people in the present. 

 ♥ Parents are People Too

We can all be accused at some time of holding our parents to some ridiculous standard.  It’s easy to forget that they were once young people with hopes and dreams that may or may not have gone as they wanted.  I love how we see Yoon Young come into this drama with lots of misunderstanding and unrealistic expectations.  But all of that changes when she gets to know her parents not as they are in her present, but as regular high schoolers.  It’s unfortunate we all can’t have such a life-changing opportunity.  But this drama is enough to at least remind us, that our parents were once just people like us, doing their best through the ups and downs of everyday life.  

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

Things I Didn’t Like

 

Yoon Young’s Ignorance

I was particularly baffled as to how Yoon Young could know so little about her family history.  I understand that bringing up a murdered sister would be difficult for her mom, but by the time Yoon Young was an adult it seems like someone could have mentioned it.  Also, she seemed totally in the dark as to how her father injured his leg.  Again, his injury is a huge focus for why her mom’s life was so difficult.  Don’t you think she would have wanted to know how it all happened?  And when Yoon Young first shows up in the past, she doesn’t seem to know anything about her parent’s hometown.  For someone as bright and inquisitive as Yoon Young, her lack of family history felt silly.  

The Son

I actually love the idea that it is Hae Joon and Yoon Young’s son who made the time machine and started all of this.  But I wish they would have introduced him in some way earlier.  It would have been great if we got to see him lurking around.  They could have even used him as a possible suspect.  Leaving him until the very end and then suddenly having him appear felt too convient.  It would have been much better if we had at least had clues that he was there checking in before the grand reveal.  

Motive

Easily the weakest part of this drama, in my opinion, is the arrest of Hae Joon’s dad and the revelation of the motive.  The whole idea that he killed all of those people because he has mommy issues is just not that interesting.  Plus I question why a university teacher would leave the job where he is surrounded by women who read, to come home to his small town, to search out victims.  None of it really works that well.  And once the truth is out, he is captured with no real resistance.  I can’t believe he didn’t at least try to steal the time machine.  Wouldn’t that be his first thought?  And did he actually kill Yoon Young’s mom?  Soon Ae had given up on reading a long time ago, so that couldn’t have been the reason. Or was that the adult Mi Sook, who showed up with blood and mud on her clothes?  And no one, including Hae Joon, get a satisfactory answer as to why he would try to kill his own son.  That hardly seems fair!

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

The Ending

 

“My Perfect Stranger” gives us all the happy endings.  The murderer is arrested, which saves Hae Gyeong and any future victims.  After Hae Joon’s son shows up to fix the time machine he made, Hae Joon suggests they keep his identity a secret from Yoon Young.  Hae Joon bridges the gap in his relationship with his grandfather by taking him fishing.  And just like that, the years of fear and walls disappear.  He also sits down for a heart to heart with his mother before she leaves town.  Yoon Young spends some quality time with Soon Ae and Hee Seop.  And then the couple is ready to return to the present.  They find their new reality in the present to be all they had hoped for.  The changes in the past all translated to positive outcomes in the future, with no serious implications.  Soon Ae is now a successful author and Hee Seop has become a musician with no visible limp.  A year later, our love birds meet to hold hands and walk along the beach.  But in a nod to a possible season 2, they decide to go back to 1987, just briefly, to check on their old friends back there.  

My Perfect Stranger - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

My Perfect Stranger

For me, “My Perfect Stranger” was a very pleasant surprise.  This character driven murder mystery/time travel drama is a gem of balanced genres and gripping story telling.  It manages to create a suspenseful mystery while avoiding a dark, violent tone.  If you prefer chilling serial killer stories, tight time-travel story elements, or passionate love stories, maybe you won’t enjoy the middle of the road approach.  But if you appreciate trace elements of all these things with a good dose of heartwarming family interactions, this one is a lot of fun.  The characters are well-written, their family stories are interesting, and the whodunit elements have plenty of well-executed plot twists.  I give “My Perfect Stranger” a 9 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

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Autumn in My Heart – Full Review

Kdrama and Ramen

For the love of all things Kdrama

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Autumn in My Heart – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

Autumn in My Heart – Full Review

 

Welcome to  Autumn in My Heart – Full Review.  Two star-crossed lovers who grew up as siblings will fight unwaveringly to stay together through life’s unforeseen tragedies and social prejudices.  If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

Autumn in My Heart

Aired: September 18 – November 7, 2000

# of Episodes:  16

Where to Watch: Viki

Genre: Melodrama

Starring:  Song Seung Heon and Song Hye Kyo 

Autumn in My Heart - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

A middleschool student loses her loving parents and the big brother she adores when they discover that she and another baby were accidentally switched at the hospital just after the babies were born.  She is returned to her biological mother while the family that raised her take their “real” daughter and move to the US.  Although she makes the best of her situation, she never stops missing the family who raised her.  Years later, she and her brother are reunited.  And they realize that the feelings they share have nothing to do with being siblings.  But their ill-fated relationship will be met with opposition on every side.  

Autumn in My Heart - Unspoiled Review

The Leads

 

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review
Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

Song Seung Heon as Yoon Joon Suh

Yoon Joon Suh grew up as a devoted brother and son.  But he always suspected there was something strange about the way his sister made his heart flutter.  When the details of her being switched in the hospital come to light, she is sent back to her family and Joon Suh is taken away to the US.  But Joon Suh never forgets his first love.  So years later, he finally returns to Korea to look for Eun Suh.  When he finds her, he is devastated to see the struggles she has gone through while they were away. And as they spend time together, Joon Suh realizes that his feelings for her have only deepened with time.  Now that they are both in relationships with other people and their friends and family consider their relationship a moral taboo, being together feels impossible.  But when Joon Suh finds out that Eun Suh is fatally ill, he refuses to let anything stop him from spending her final days by her side.  

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

Joon Suh is a sensitive and mild-mannered man.  His years growing up with Eun Suh have formed a bond that is unbreakable, even in death as it turns out.  But he will need to learn to put his own happiness first for a change if he is going to break through all the obstacles that try to keep he and Eun Suh apart.  I love Song Seung Heon and I think he carried this deep, emotional role wonderfully.  Even as a young actor, his ability to express his feelings clearly made this character feel sincere and relatable.  

Song Hye Kyo as Yoon Eun Suh / Choi Eun Suh

Yoon Eun Suh was a happy, well adjusted middle school student from a wealthy family until they discover that she isn’t actually their real daughter.  When her parents find out she was switched at the hospital shortly after she was born, they decide to return her to her biological mother.  Now she has a struggling single mother and an abusive brother.  But she does her best to live a good life, despite the many hardships.  So when she suddenly runs into Joon Suh after so many years, she is ashamed to let him see who she has become.  But eventually, her joy of seeing him again outweighs any hesitation.  She has always understood that her big brother was her first love.  But as Tae Suk, Yoo Mi, and her family get involved, she feels like she has to hide her own feelings for everyone else’s sake.  Even when she finds out she is dying, she begs Tae Suk not to let Joon Suh know.  But in the end, Joon Suh’s love for her wins out over everything else.   

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

Yoon Eun Suh is optimistic and cheerful, despite her difficult life.  She refuses to dwell on the negative aspects of life.  She works tirelessly and loves without question.  She also has an uncanny ability to find good in everyone, even when they don’t deserve it.  Song Hye Kyo has had a great year, and there is no question that she has talent, but I really enjoyed this tender, youthful side of her.  Her vulnerability was well portrayed and I felt a huge amount of sympathy for the character she created.  

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

Supporting Characters

 

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review
Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

Won Bin as Han Tae Suk

Han Tae Suk is Joon Suh’s best friend.  He is a rich playboy who owns a hotel chain.  When he meets Eun Suh, who is working as a maid in the hotel he is managing, he falls for her immediately.  But Eun Suh resists his many advances.  Over time, Tae Suk’s sincere affection for Eun Suh brings them closer together.  While he is never able to win her heart away from Joon Suh, he does become an anchor for Eun Suh during her difficult times.  

Han Na Na as Shin Yoo Mi

Shin Yoo Mi grew up as a sheltered child before becoming an art student in college.  While at university, she met Tae Suk who introduced her to Joon Suh.  After dating through school, she and Joon Suh are now engaged.  But she immediately senses the danger in having Joon Suh spend time with Eun Suh.  Over time, Yoo Mi becomes more desperate to keep Joon Suh at her side, no matter what she has to do to make it happen.  

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review
Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

Han Chae Young as Choi Shin Ae / Yoon Shin Ae

Choi Shin Ae is the woman who was switched with Eun Suh at birth.  For her, growing up in a poor family and resenting how difficult her life was, finding out she her biological parents were rich and stable was the best thing that ever happened to her.  But even though she became a part of a new family, she is still insecure about her place in that family and the fact that they obviously miss Eun Suh very much.  

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ Pacing

I really appreciated that this drama hit the ground running with it’s “switched at birth” plot.  There isn’t a lot of wasted set up time.  We see the switch early in the first episode, and the story takes off from there.  While the mood and dialogues of this drama are slow and subtle, the plot itself moves along at a steady pace that speeds toward the tragic conclusion.  Much like the characters themselves, we seldom get a chance to stop and take in the small moments of joy before having it be overwhelmed with life’s dramatic circumstance.  

♥ Paintings

There were some great backdrops for this drama.  I loved the beach scenes and the time at the Farm.  But there was something magical about Joon Suh’s house and studio, and the emotions that he used to create during his time there.  I was so touched when he finally has his art show and we get a chance to see all the beautiful scenery he has created; all with a small, subtle sillouette of Eun Suh.  I wish we could have seen more of his works as he put them together.

 ♥ Tae Suk

Tae Suk is a wonderful character.  Sure, he starts as a real jerk, and there are times when he is tempted to let his own selfishness dominate his actions.  But at every turn, in the end, he protects Eun Suh’s happiness, even when it is painful for him.  I enjoyed his abiding friendship with Joon Suh and his ability to be honest and transparent about his thoughts and feelings throughout the drama.  And Won Bin did a great job of showing his constantly conflicted emotions.  This is not your average love triangle, and I loved the intricacies of Tae Suk’s character.  

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

Things I Didn’t Like

 

Yoo Mi

While I loved Tae Suk, Yoo Mi’s character was the exact opposite.  She is greedy, obsessive, and spoiled.  I’m not sure she ever really loved Joon Suh at all.  She just wanted him and the security of a relationship.  If she had cared even an ounce about his feelings, she would have let him go the first time she saw him look at Eun Suh.  The way she continued to live in total denial was frustrating.  And it seemed obvious that Joon Suh never really cared for her beyond a close friendship.  His heart was always reserved for Eun Suh.  Tae Suk saw that quickly because he knew how to be honest with himself.  Yoo Mi on the otherhand, refused to accept what was obvious to everyone.  

Shin Ae

I felt like Shin Ae should have gotten more of her own storyline.  We find out very little about how she lived and felt while she was in the US.  While there are bits and pieces, her story is the other side of Eun Suh’s, and that makes it important.  We know Joon Suh’s mom struggled, and Shin Ae was constantly jealous of the memory of Eun Suh, but we don’t know about her relationships with the men of the family or how they influenced her day to day life.  Her character was kind of a non-factor and I would have loved to see at least a secondary plotline that gave her a story and some character development as well. 

Sibling Story

Okay, so let’s just get this out of the way.  There is something a little creepy about the fact that Joon Suh and Eun Suh first fell in love while they still thought they were siblings.  Sure, it didn’t end up being true, but still.  It’s a bit strange.  I would have liked it better if they fell in love after meeting as adults.  But maybe that’s just me.  Also, it seemed weird how their relationship lacked any real romantic passion.  I really feel like they act more like close siblings than lovers through most of the drama.  They do finally share one kiss, but even that lacked any real fire.  Their love was deep, pure and platonic, and that is beautiful, but I’m not convinced they felt more than that.  It just felt like their forced separation added an intensity to their relationship that made their feelings confusing.  And this theme of compounding emotional suffering over time is featured throughout this whole drama.  

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

The Ending

 

Well, if you thought that you were finally going to get a happy ending to make all this emotional angst worthwhile, you will be sadly disappointed.  “Autumn in My Heart” ends on one of the saddest, most bittersweet moments I have ever seen.  But we do have a few moments of happiness along the way.  Joon Suh brings Eun Suh home to stay with him for the short amount of time she has left.  The pair have their own makeshift wedding ceremony and pledge their undying love.  We see the other characters react to Eun Suh’s impending death, but honestly none of their individual stories are really important, so I will skip a recap.  Joon Suh takes Eun Suh to the beach where they went as teenagers and she passes away quietly while Joon Suh carries her on his back and talks to her comfortingly.  Eun Suh made Joon Suh promise that he wouldn’t kill himself after she was gone, so he is left in a haze of trauma.  He leaves the funeral to say goodbye to Eun Suh in his own way.  Going back to their old neighborhood, he stops at the intersection where Eun Suh had her accident.  As Tae Suk spreads Eun Suh’s ashes in the sea, we see Joon Suh get hit by the “truck of death” (Only not white this time, surprisingly!!) and as he flies through the air, pressumably dying, we see his memories of his life with Eun Suh pass before his eyes.  And then we see two shadow sillouettes make their way happily together through the tunnel of light. The end.  Strangely, it somehow made me less sad to know that he was able to die with her without having to break his promise to her.  And that is the very essence of tragic and bittersweet.  

Autumn in My Heart - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

Autumn in My Heart - Unspoiled Review

“Autumn in My Heart” is a tragic melodrama from 2000 with some dated elements and techniques but plenty of well-delivered sincerity and character driven story.  This tale of star-crossed lovers is a constant downward spiral that is heartbreakingly beautiful.  The well-developed characters and warm interactions make this emotional tearjerker a rich experience that will touch your heart.  This one is pure melodrama with angsty, introspective characters and heavy plot scenarios that will take you through the emotional wringer and leave you with a bittersweet appreciation of their stories. This show is the beginning of the 4 part season-themed drama series “Endless Love”.  I will be watching the other 3 in upcoming weeks, so stay tuned.  I give “Autumn in My Heart” an 8 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

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The Good Bad Mother – Full Review

Kdrama and Ramen

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The Good Bad Mother – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

The Good Bad Mother  – Full Review

 

Welcome to  The Good Bad Mother – Full Review.  A young prosecutor is forced to move back to his hometown following a near-fatal car accident, where he is forced to relearn the importance of love and family.  If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

The Good Bad Mother

Aired: April 26 – June 8, 2023

# of Episodes:  14

Where to Watch: Netflix

Genre: Life Drama

Starring:  Ra Mi Ran and Lee Do Hyun 

The Good Bad Mother - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

The Good Bad Mother - Full Review

An ambitious young man leaves his grassroots behind to pursue a career as a prosecutor in Seoul, with the hopes of investigating the death of his father before he was even born.  But when he crosses a powerful enemy, he suffers a terrible accident that leaves him unable to care for himself and with no memory of his life beyond childhood. Although their relationship has been distant in the past, his mother brings him home to the small, country town where he was raised so she can care for him.  And as they spend time together, the pair gain new understanding of each other and the struggles they have each faced and dealt with in their own ways.  And that won’t be his only opportunity for second chances, as he becomes reunited with the people in town who helped raise him and the friends he left behind.  

The Good Bad Mother - Unspoiled Review

The Leads

 

The Good Bad Mother - Full Review
The Good Bad Mother - Full Review

Ra Mi Ran as Jin Young Soon

Jin Young Soon has had a difficult life.  After losing her parents at an early age, she finally marries a man she loves.  But he dies mysteriously while she is still pregnant with their first child, leaving her alone to run the pig farm they owned and raise their son, Kang Ho, on her own.  But her desperate desire to give him a better life than she had caused her to be cold and pushy as a mother.  Now that Kang Ho is an adult, he has become a cool, calculating prosecutor in Seoul, with little time for his backwoods hometown.  But a serious car accident leaves him in a wheelchair, with the mentality of a 7 year old.  As tragic as Kang Ho’s accident is, Young Soon feels some relief at the opportunity to bring him home and start their relationship again.  But old habits are hard to break, and her desperation for Kang Ho to succeed becomes even more intense when she receives bad news about her own health.

The Good Bad Mother - Full Review

Young Soon is honest and matter of fact, often to a fault.  She has never had the privilege in life to be soft or timid.  But after the death of her husband, she made the wise decision to pick up and move her son and her pigs to a new town.  And that town gave her the support and friendship that saw her through the long and difficult years of raising Kang Ho.  Ra Mi Ran was wonderful in this role.  Her struggles and doubts were well expressed and it was easy to feel her conflicting emotions.  She fit this role perfectly and I can’t imagine anyone else playing Young Soon.  

Lee Do Hyun as Choi Kang Ho

Choi Kang Ho has spent his life dreaming of becoming a prosecutor so that he can investigate his father’s death and find the people responsible for the difficult life he and his mother were forced to live.  In order to do that, he has distanced himself from his past life, and lives a double life in Seoul, winning over the powerful men he came to destroy.  But when he sets his sights on the daughter of a national assemblyman, the politician tries to kill him.  While his plan is not successful, it does leave Kang Ho unable to walk or remember anything about his life.  Unable to care for himself, his mother brings him home to the farm.  And as he relives moments of his youth, his relationship with his mom will get a second chance.  When his childhood friend and first love, Mi Joo, also moves back to her mother’s, his life will take another dramatic turn.  Unfortunately he has a long road of recovery before he even remembers who she is.  Luckily for him, she has never been able to forget him or the life they started together.  

The Good Bad Mother - Full Review

While Choi Kang Ho seems rude and uncaring at the beginning of this drama, we soon find out that all of it is part of his plan for revenge.  Rather than resenting his mother for the way she pushed him to succeed, he has focused a lifetime worth of resentment on the men who caused it to happen in the first place.  Lee Do Hyun basically played 3 different roles throught the course of this drama; from successful prosecutor, to child, to loving son.  And he handled all of them with amazing skill.  Each stage of his character’s development was distinct and carefully crafted.  I have long been a fan of this actor, but this role has put him on a whole new level.  

The Good Bad Mother - Full Review

Supporting Characters

 

The Good Bad Mother - Full Review
The Good Bad Mother - Full Review

Ahn Eun Jin as Lee Mi Joo

Lee Mi Joo is Kang Ho’s childhood friend.  The 2 were born on the same day, side by side.  Later she became his first love.  She helped support him through law school and expected them to get married once he finished.  But having a vulnerablility, like a wife, did not fit into Kang Ho’s plans for revenge.  So he left her, not knowing she was carrying his children.  Mi Joo dropped the babies with her mother so she could work in Seoul and send money home.  But she always held out hope that Kang Ho would come back to her and the kids someday.  

Yoo In Soo as Bang Sam Sik

Bang Sam Sik is a few months older than Kang Ho and Mi Joo.  He grew up always feeling like he lived in Kang Ho’s shadow.  He has a crush on Mi Joo, but Mi Joo sees him more as a big brother than a boyfriend.  After a criminal tricks Sam Sik into running an illegal errand for him, Sam Sik spends some time in jail before coming back home to get a fresh start. And he is surprised to find both his childhood friends back in town as well.  

The Good Bad Mother - Full Review
The Good Bad Mother - Full Review

Choi Moo Sung as Song Woo Byeok

Song Woo Byeok is the CEO of Woobyeok Group.  Years ago, when Kang Ho’s father refused to sell his property to Woo Byeok, Woo Byeok sets the farm on fire and stages his father’s death to look like suicide.  Back then he was an aspiring thug, but these days he has used his greed and corruption to increase his power and influence in the worlds of business and politics.  Kang Ho has spent the last few years becoming indispensable as Woo Byeok’s legal advisor.  But Kang Ho’s plans for revenge are interrupted by his accident.  

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ Romance

I really loved the relationship between Kang Ho and Mi Joo.  The writers did a nice job of showing a stable relationship born of years of friendship and familiarity.  Even after Kang Ho left her with no explanation, she chose to believe that he must have a very good reason.  I appreciated the lack of histrionics.  And watching the twins with Kang Ho was absolutely heartwarming.  While both characters individually had their flaws, together they were a delight.  

♥ Emotional Depth

This drama hinges on the emotions and complexity of its characters.  Their realistically compex personalites remind us that real life is seldom black and white, and sometimes our flaws can actually become our strengths.  Whether we agree with the actions and decisions of these characters or not, the glimpse into their thoughts and feelings makes it impossible to ignore their intentions, no matter how misguided.  

 ♥ Mother Bond

I enjoyed the extended family feeling they created among the residents of their town.  It was especially fun to watch the bond that the mothers were able to share.  Just like family, they had their fair share of misunderstandings and struggles, but when push came to shove, they were always there for each other.  The difference in each mother’s temperament and style of parenting is truly the spicy of life.  

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

Things I Didn’t Like

 

Father Reunion

I was hoping for a more emotional reunion between Kang Ho and the twins.  Their scenes together were all so wonderfully done and natural.  And I had high hopes for a moving scene of them acknowledging their new relationship.  This whole idea gets glossed over with the assumption that any discussion with Kang Ho about being their dad happened offscreen.  And that felt like a waste to me.  

Revenge Story

There are points during the middle of this drama where I can almost forget there is a revenge story at all.  The villains are seldom seen and their story loses a lot of its importance next to the captivating story of Young Soon and the rest of the villagers.  For me, in the end, the revenge story just wasn’t that interesting and the creepy villains didn’t carry much weight.  

Bad Mother

I think its impossible to talk about this drama without acknowledging that some of Young Soon’s actions were cruel and hurtful.  I think this drama does a nice job of giving us some insight into her intentions and feelings without pretending that is enough to just make it all better.  But I think we can all agree that while the things she did may not be excusable, we can at least understand why she did them.  And I would also like to throw Mi Joo in here as well. While I loved her character, the fact that she dumped her kids with her mother and then continued to lie to them about some mystery dad living in America was not her finest hour. Again, we can sympathize with the circumstance, but it doesn’t totally excuse the behavior.  Of course, I think the point of this story is to remind us that being a mother is a tough job and we all need a bit of grace from time to time.      

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

The Ending

 

“The Good Bad Mother” brings us in for a bittersweet ending that is the perfect balance for this drama.  Kang Ho 2.0 has regained all of his memories. But after reliving much of his childhood, he has learned the importance of love and family. Kang Ho gets both villains into the courtroom by pitting them against each other, and exposes both of their crimes to the public, so they will be off to jail.  Young Soon has a goodbye party with all of her friends and family before quietly dying in her sleep, with Kang Ho at her side.  Everyone shows up for her funeral, where Kang Ho bows just like she taught him and then leads everyone in singing his mom’s favorite song “I Am Happy”.  Sam Shik has finally let go of Mi Joo to pursue Ha Young, who is currently in jail for her part in Kang Ho’s accident. Mi Joo’s mom has started dating Hoon Ah, Young Ra’s wife finds out she is pregnant, and our city slicker thugs have become successful lettuce farmers.  In the final scene, we see Kang Ho propose to Mi Joo, and, of course, she accepts!

The Good Bad Mother - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

The Good Bad Mother - Unspoiled Review

“The Good Bad Mother” is a small town family drama.  It focuses on the heartbreaking relationship between a single mother and her adult son, as they are given  a chance to relive pieces of his childhood and clear up important misunderstandings following his near-fatal car accident.  The drama is character driven and emotionally complex.  These characters are honestly portrayed and definitely flawed, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself disliking them, especially in the beginning.  Maybe I had raised my expectations too high.  I did find the story a bit hard to get into at first.  But I settled in after the first couple of episodes, so I would encourage you to not give up too soon.  The cast is amazing and the revenge element of the story is a fun twist.  First love, family, friendship, cute kids, betrayal, and legal suspense;  this drama has something for everyone. I give “The Good Bad Mother” a 9 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

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Link: Eat, Love, Kill – Full Review

Kdrama and Ramen

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Link: Eat, Love, Kill – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

Link:  Eat, Love, Kill  – Full Review

 

Welcome to  Link:  Eat, Love, Kill – Full Review.  A young chef returns to his hometown to try to solve the mysterious disappearance of his twin sister 12 years ago.  If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

Link:  Eat, Love, Kill

Aired: June 6 – July 26, 2022

# of Episodes:  16

Where to Watch: Hulu

Genre: Mystery Romance

Starring:  Yeo Jin Gu and Mun Ka Young

Link:  Eat, Love, Kill - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

A successful chef moves back to his childhood neighborhood to open his own restaurant.  But the town and its people are a constant reminder of his twin sister, who went missing 12 years ago, and was never found.  When he finds himself emotionally “connected” to the young woman across the street, in the same way that he had once been connected to his sister, he begins to wonder if she could either be his long-lost sibling or have some tie to her disappearance.  Though the woman doesn’t seem to remember anything from that time, pieces of the past begin to surface.  And as memories and events come to light, unexpected enemies and allies are also revealed.  

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Unspoiled Review

The Leads

 

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review
Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

Yeo Jin Goo as Eun Gye Hoon

Eun Gye Hoon says he is moving back to his home town to open a restaurant, but his real goal is to uncover the truth behind his twin sister’s mysterious disappearance 12 years ago.  And  he plans to start with the woman living across the street.  For unknown reasons, he is suddenly able to feel her emotions as if they were his own.  This is a phenomenon he hasn’t experienced with anyone since his sister.  And he is sure that Da Hyun plays some part in his sister’s story.  But long-time residents of the town aren’t at all happy to see Gye Hoon or to relive the terrible tragedy of his sister’s disappearance.  Their suspicious actions only add fuel to the feeling that they know more than they are saying.   

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

Gye Young’s disappearance leaves her family’s life shattered.  Her mother becomes mentally unstable, her father runs away to spend his life searching for her, and Gye Hoon cuts off all emotion, working tirelessly to support him and their mom.  Gye Hoon’s guilt that he should have been taking better care of his sister that day haunts him daily.  But finding out what really happened could at least give him a sense of closure.  Yeo Jin Goo is one of my absolute favorites and he plays this role well.  This character seems cool and reserved, but the raw emotions that he keeps just under the surface will ocassionally peak through to reveal his pain.  And Yeo Jin Goo handles both sides wonderfully.  

Mun Ka Young as Noh Da Hyun

Noh Da Hyun lives with her mother and grandmother, who own a traditional Korean restaurant in their neighborhood.  When she is attacked one night by a stalker, she thinks she kills him.  Her mother and grandmother hide the body in a refrigerator that Gye Hoon threw away while remodeling the restaurant across the street.  But when the refrigerator ends up back inside, Da Hyun starts spending time with Gye Hoon to try to find out what happened to the man.  And as she spends time with Gye Hoon, she learns his story.  Confused about why her memories from that time in the neighborhood are so vague, she agrees to help him try to solve the mystery of his sister’s disappearance.  And as she works with Gye Hoon, pieces of her own repressed trauma begin to come to light.  

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

Noh Da Hyun is emotional and caring.  The fact that she was missing pieces of her childhood memories never really concerned her before meeting Gye Hoon.  Da Hyun’s grandmother has always encouraged her to focus on the present and look toward the future.  She said that focusing on the past was pointless.  But as her memory starts to come back, Da Hyun begins to suspect that there is a reason her mom and grandma didn’t want her to remember her own past.  Mun Ka Young is an amazing actress, and she is really good at showing a vulnerable side to her characters.  I found Da Hyun’s character to be very endearing and genuine.  

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

Supporting Characters

 

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review
Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

Song Deok Ho as Ji Won Tak 

Ji Won Tak was Gye Hoon’s best friend growing up in the neighborhood.  But when Won Tak’s father was falsely accused of killing Gye Young, the friends broke off contact and Gye Hoon and his parents moved away.  Won Tak’s life was unfairly torn apart by the assumed guilt of his father, which lead him to pursue a career as a police officer.  Won Tak was also in a relationship with Officer Hwang, but she broke if off after Won Tak’s anger issues became a problem.  But now that Won Tak is back working in his hometown, he will have a chance to reunite with his old friend and the woman he still loves.  

Kim Ji Young as Hong Bok Hee

Hong Bok Hee is Da Hyun’s mother.  She was married to an abusive husband before leaving him to raise Da Hyun on her own.  Now she runs a Korean restaurant where the food is not very good, but her customers eat there out of loyalty.  On the night that Gye Young disappeared, Bok Hee experierenced her own trauma, but she has never told anyone but her “mother” about what really happened.  Now, she hopes to keep Gye Hoon and Da Hyun apart so that the truth of that time never comes out.  

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review
Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

Ye Soo Jung as Na Chun Ok

Na Chun Ok has lived as Bok Hee’s mother for many years.  But in truth she is the mother of Da Hyun’s father.  She knew that her son was mean-spirited and that Bok Hee would suffer if she married him, but she couldn’t bring herself to warn Bok Hee.  As her form of repentance, she moved in with Bok Hee to help her raise Da Hyun after Bok Hee and her son’s  divorce.  

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ Da Hyun’s Family

The three-generation family of Da Hyun was a highlight of this drama for me.  The 3 women had many funny scenes together.  Even the otherwise dour Lee Eun Jung couldn’t help but giggle while watching them interact.  And finding out that Chun Ok was not really Bok Hee’s mother only made their relationship all the more sweet.  Through thick and thin, this trio offered their support and unsolicited advice in even doses.  And although they always seemed to be bickering, their love for each other was obvious!

♥ Second Chances

This drama did a beautiful job of focusing on second chances, and no character is a better example of that than Won Tak.  Through the course of this drama, he is given the opportunity to reunite with his best friend, his father, and the woman he loves.  His story alone was moving and compelling.  But add to that, Da Hyun’s second chance with her first love and Bok Hee’s second chance to find love with Officer An, just to name a couple.  They were able to use this theme throughout the drama, which gave the plot great cohesion.  

 ♥ Link Concept

I really found the emotional link concept in this drama to be interesting.  And I was happy with the way they used it throughout the show to help bring the past back into focus.  These concepts often get thrown by the wayside as dramas progress.  But in this case, every late night meeting in the restaurant was a reminder that Gye Hoon knew how Da Hyun was feeling, and that connection brought them together so that they could ultimately solve the mystery of Gye Young’s disappearance.  I also appreciated the way they explained how Da Hyun’s time playing with Gye Young and her promise to convey Gye Young’s message to her brother could explain the strange connection Gye Hoon felt.  

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

Things I Didn’t Like

 

Gye Hoon’s Father

Gye Hoon’s father’s story felt a bit incomplete and sporadic to me.  The idea that he was missing seems like it should have been handled more seriously than just a casual aside.  And the impact of the idea that he was found buried next to Gye Young could have been much stronger.  Instead it is quickly mentioned without much fanfare.  The lack of his storyline is noticeable when compared to the number of scenes that centered around Gye Hoon’s mother.  I would have liked to know more about what his years of searching were like. 

The Dead Woman

So, as I have mentioned, if you examine this drama too closely you are bound to find loose ends.  But the one that  felt the most obvious to me is the dead woman from the apartment building.  Did Lee Jin Geun have something to do with it?  He definitely was effected by the violence he saw as a child and his mental stability was obviously questionable.  But they made a big show of bringing the body out, with a large crowd gathered around.  And then, not another word as to what actually happened.  

Why??

The one question that never gets answered in this drama is why.  Why did Young Hoon do it in the first place?  Were there others?  It seems unlikely, since the search for bodies turns up only Gye Young and her father.  If he had been a serial killer, it would have made more sense.  But one random death feels kind of weird.  It’s strange to get to the end of this mystery and still not really understand the motive or mindset of the killer.  

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

The Ending

 

“Link: Eat, Love, Kill” gives us most of the answers and some happy reunions. Young Hoon ends up behind bars for his crime, and of course his accomplices are both dead, so that’s the end of that.  Da Hyun gets all her memories of that day back, so that she can actually begin the process of healing.  Gye Hoon finally opens his cafe, with lines out the door.  He and Da Hyun no longer share an emotional connection, which is making it hard for Gye Hoon to know what his girlfriend is thinking sometimes. But they are learning just like any other couple.   Won Tak and Min Jo are also officially a couple again.  And Bok Hee and Jung Ho are slowly working toward some kind of romantic relationship, as are Eun Jung and Jin Hoo.  The final closure comes when Jung Ho takes it upon himself to get Young Hoon to confess to where the bodies of both Gye Young and her father are buried.  And once the bodies are found, Gye Hoon and his mother can finally move on with some peace of mind.  

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

Link:  Eat, Love, Kill - Unspoiled Review

“Link: Eat, Love, Kill” is a romantic mystery drama that hinges on a bit of sci-fi. Maybe it is just my inability to give anything starring Yeo Jin Gu a low score, but feelings were mixed on this one.  This drama is not perfect. The plot has plenty of holes that are frustrating and the overall pace of the drama is surprisingly slow. So, if you are looking for an action based, logical murder mystery, this isn’t a good option. But as a romantic drama with a bit of suspense, and touches of dark humor, this one does a nice job.  The cast was amazing, the concept of the lead’s mysterious “connection” was utilized and ultimately explained well, and the story of the missing sister is evenly paced throughout. Don’t let the unfortunate title scare you.  This one is neither gory or unnecessarily heavy.  You might even call it a “Beyond Evil” lite.  I give “Link:  Eat, Love Kill” a 9 out of 10 ramen.

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