When I first read the synopsis for Good Morning Call, I found it very interesting, although cliche. I was expecting a light, fun and fluffy show that would give me the butterflies and satisfy my weird fantasy of getting to live with a super hot guy without any effort (don't judge). Well, what I got was a very VERY bad execution.

First, let's talk about the story (I gave this a 6\10). As I already said above, the initial synopsis was very interesting to me, making me start the show in the first place. As I actually started to get into the show, I noticed that there really weren't any cool interesting twists that could make up for the overall cliche of this plot, which, to be honest, disappointed me.

Second, there is the cast\acting (I gave this a 3\10). As you can already see from my rating of this point, I despised the acting in this show and I also felt pretty meh about the cast. The cast, as in the way the actors looked in comparison to the manga characters wasn't that bad, but their acting was on another level of cringe. The main female lead (sorry, I forgot her name) always acted so clumsy and innocent, but in an exaggerated and unnatural way that rendered her performance extremely cringy. As for the main male lead (forgot his name too), he just looked like a blank sheet of paper all the freaking time. Like, yeah, I get that he's supposed to be this cold handsome guy, but still, when anyone starts falling in love with someone else, they can't help but show some emotion (concern, affection, etc). Still, in the case of this guy, even in scenes where he's supposed to be worried, he looks fake-worried, which makes his performance cringy too. I won't say anything about the other actors because we'd be here all day.

Third, there was the music, which, for a bubbly japanese rom-com, wasn't too bad. I ended up giving it a 6. Honestly, there isn't that much to say about it.

Fourth, we get to the rewatch value, which for me is very low (2\10). You probably can guess why. As I already said above, I thoroughly disliked this drama, finding it cringy and downright stupid.

Finally, I gave this drama an overall 4.5\10, reflecting my feelings towards it.

Lire davantage

A Quest to Find the Meaning of Life

From the plot to the acting, to the visual effects and production value, this drama lacks nothing. In fact, it is among the most beautiful and touching dramas I have seen to date, without being too tough to watch, with the occasional inclusion of funny moments and Choi Joonwoong's antics.

This drama truly makes one empathize with those at risk for suicide or who have already attempted it, as it makes one understand the struggles and trauma that often lead one to make this difficult decision.

All of my respect goes to the director, the screenwriter, all the cast, and the entire staff, who came together to bring to life the masterpiece that is "Tomorrow (내일)"!

Thank you!

Lire davantage

Exemplar cinematography and beautiful patriotism

Superb! Superb! Superb!

This drama left me in shambles by the end of it with its stunning but heartbreaking ending. Nevertheless, I have been deeply touched by this drama's depiction of Korean independence fighters of the early 20th century and of the unspeakable violence committed by the Japanese army and government in Joseon during that time.

Moreover, the beautiful, healing romance between Go Ae-shin and Eugene Choi was like a rose through its painful beauty.

I was also heartbroken by the death of Gu Dong-mae, as he had quickly become one of my favourite characters through his complexity and good soul.

It is also worth mentioning the stunning soundtrack of this drama, which will keep being played in my house! Astonishingly beautiful!

I will certainly keep thinking about this drama for a long time and will re-watch it for sure.

Lire davantage

"We're only 18." - 16 Episodes of Love, Peace, and Consolation

I will be honest and say that I first started this drama mainly for Moonbin (I love ASTRO), because I was very excited to see him acting in a drama and I had also heard his character was not straight which piqued my interest even more. However, I can say that right from the beginning, the main plot of the drama, along with the full cast of characters made me stay and wholly fall in love with this show.

First, regarding the story, I found it was very close to perfect, touching on some very important topics related to the age of 18 and the struggles of high-schoolers approaching entry into university. I loved how parental pressure and its impact on teens' mental health was deeply explored through both Soo-bin's and the second male lead, Hwi-young's character. Moreover, a very beautiful and consoling aspect of the story related to the topic of academic pressure was the idea that it's okay to not know exactly where you're going at 18 or to not have the most amazing grades. The message was that youth is a time of exploration and of finding oneself, so while every little failure might seem like the end of the world to an 18-year-old, it may just become a trivial aspect of their life when looking back later on, so people should just focus on loving themselves and enjoying their lives. No one's life is 'ruined' if something doesn't go as planned, as Joon-woo himself said in a very poignant scene. Furthermore, this drama's messaging greatly emphasized acceptance, which was very touching for me. This can be seen as related to the blooming love between Soo-bin and Joon-woo and *minor spoiler* her mother's judgmental attitude towards him, seeing him through the lenses of his reputation and his lack of means, things that gave her a completely distorted view of him, making her completely disregard his inherently kind and mature nature *end of minor spoiler*. I could go on and on about why this story touched me and kept me entertained throughout the 16 episodes (wish there were more!), but I will stop here so this doesn't get too long.

Next, the characters/acting/cast: 10/10, I found both the characterization and the choice of actors to be simply perfect. Something that really stood out to me was how the characters look exactly like real-life teenagers instead of the, more commonly seen in dramas, picture-perfect 'teenagers' that look like adults. By this, I am in no way saying the actors are not good looking, they very much are, but what I mean is that their appearance was made to match the real-life look of Korean teenagers, through their hairstyles, their simple and normal-looking clothes/uniforms, and the absence of (obvious) makeup.
One character in particular that I would like to talk about (for the sake of conciseness, I will not touch too much on the rest of the characters) is Oh-je (Moonbin's character). *Oh-je spoilers ahead* I was so impressed with Oh-je's characterization, going from at first seeming just like the cliché handsome guy that all the girls probably have a crush on, to coming into his own through his caring and beautiful friendship with Joon-woo and mostly, his failed relationship with Soo-bin's friend, Da-heen. Throughout their relationship, one can observe how Oh-je seems very uncomfortable around Da-heen, mainly when she emphasizes the romantic aspect of their relationship. However, as time goes on, he starts caring for her very much, but only as a friend, which ends up leading him to break up with her. Still, he cares for her so much that when he sees how depressed she becomes after their breakup, he suddenly comes out to her and reveals his crush on Hwi-young and his confusion regarding his sexuality. Moreover, I really love how, after rumours start spreading about his crush on Hwi-young and after seeing Hwi-young's cold and insulting reaction to them, Oh-je seems to not have a crush on him anymore, showing his level of self-respect and self-love by not wasting his feelings on someone who doesn't even seem to care for him or respect him. Later on, he seems to just focus on his friendship with Joon-woo and Da-heen while being at peace with himself. This type of representation of different sexualities and of the fluidity of sexuality (Oh-je never overtly states that he is gay, he is confused about his romatic attraction) is very healthy and welcomed, as it strays from the common depiction of non-straight people being the victims of society by showing Oh-je be at peace with himself even when rumours about his were circulating at school. *Oh-je spoilers end* What can I say, I LOVED Oh-je's character and Moonbin's depiction of him!

As for the music, it fits perfectly with all the moods of the drama, having an array of sentimental, sad, comforting, and happy songs. I will definitely be listening to the OST of this drama for a while!

Finally, for the rewatch value, it is 10/10, as even now I feel like I could go back and watch it again. I already miss these beautiful characters!

Overall, this drama is a 9.5/10 for me, very close to perfect, so I 100% recommend it! Go watch it if you haven't already!

Lire davantage