THE BEST LEGAL COURTROOM DRAMA EVER!

Are you a fan of the American legal thriller TV series HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER? Then, LAW SCHOOL is definitely for you. Not a remake, but the premise of the drama and the primary set-up is inspired by the said English series.

Law School had been one of the most anticipated drama of the year 2021, that too a rare legal courtroom thriller drama. And everyone can see how it has paid off to everyone's expectations. Kim Myung Min, Kim Bum and Ryu Hye Young are indeed the reason all of us were damn sure about the quality drama it'll be. What a powerful cast to begin with!

The very first scene of the very first episode of this drama; that one single scene where the writer and the director decided to show the faces of the cast for every major character and proved what the class and standard of their drama will be. That was so lovely of a scene to witness and made me feel woah. The production actually succeeded in dragging us into the drama.

Law School has a straicase plot development which means, it's neither steady storyline or a combination of connecting plots; rather a series of related events where everything is revealed in a step by step manner leading to the main climax in the end. I loved the way every character in it catched up to a new event that they were completely unaware of, resonated it on the individual level utilizing law that they study, gave it a trail for good and finally let it go.

Law School has the typical urban thriller editing but they keep the intense mood up all the time by running the screenplay at the apt speed, hence making it interesting and not boring.

To be honest, the first 2 episodes felt a bit dull and confusing. They keep going forward and backward in time, multiple times which didn't allow me to catch up to what exactly was happening. But it caught momentum from the 3rd episode and got better since then. And from the 6th episode, it actually became very interesting and I enjoyed watching.

Character development is a thing that's been shown for only limited characters among a huge number of cast but that's fruitful given how they changed from facile and one dimensional beings to stronger individuals with the drama's progression. Notably, the screentime distribution is even for all the characters, the lead trio being the ones to get slightly more duration; one of the handful dramas where both male and female characters are equally emphasised and well balanced. A major credit to the writer for that.

Kim Myung Min being the arrogant and most lawful man (in the entire world), might make your blood boil to the point that you might wanna smash him down but before you realize, he shall capture your heart with his badguy charisma (I've actually fallen for him :P). DO NOT expect to see much romance between Kim Bum and Hye Young because the drama ain't about that though Kim Bum sometimes love to flirt with Hye Young as he kind of admires her a lot. On the other side, Hye Young who is unaware of her fluttering heart for Kim Bum, is always annoyed by Kim Bum and herself is so annoying, haha. Her character development is notable for she grows to being a righteous law person from a girl, not good at studies.

Let's talk about the legal aspects. I have always felt that not many people watch pure legal dramas unless it has a major part of romance and melodrama but if we are talking about a courtroom drama or movie, it has to be like Law School. Some people might wanna give up because they keep blabbering about the criminal codes, constitutional laws, articles and sections at a rate that you have to pause many times to understand and channelise the things but trust me, that's what happenes in a real courtroom. They have included and discussed a lot of clauses but they also made sure to make us understand them with examples and elaborations even during the trials. They've also wisely introduced the shortcomings in the existing law & order, thus implying a need of change in them. This work is hence highly commendable.

It's done pretty well even if you judge it as a thriller. They kept increasing our urge & curiosity to know who the actual culprit is. Unlike many thrillers, you might hesitate to predict and make theories about this drama because everything is simultaneous and transparent and which is why I thought the revelation of the culprit will come as a huge shock, but not gonna lie, it was disappointing. It turned out to be an already very bad guy so I wasn't like woah. But I doesn't matter because it's primarily a courtroom drama and evem after the revelation, it didn't become boring or anything rather more cases were added on the same episide as compensation which never felt like getting dragged at all.

The background sound editing and screenplay is nice. The direction is amazing as well that kept people going, especially for viewers like me who are into binging. But I think this drama is a huge disadvantage for those who watch ongoing. It's not frustrating as there's nothing to predict or think about and honestly you won't have to wait for a week eagerly to watch the next episode.

Law School is indeed one of the best thrillers of 2021 and overally among all the thrillers too and let me call it the BEST LEGAL COURTROOM KDRAMA EVER PRODUCED.

P. S. I sometimes got the DEAD POETS SOCIETY vibes because of the way Prof. Yang gathered his students and they even had a hideout in the copy room. HAHAHA

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And every single breath we drew was Hallelujah

You know what's the most difficult thing to deal with in the world? It's your soul. Yes, the struggle with your ownself is the most arduous task one must go through at least once in their lifetime. LOST, the Kdrama is the portrayal of the very same aspect that uses immense storytelling method to narrate stories of lost lives, striving to find themselves and see themselves becoming something in some way.

Note: I am sure this drama just like it's title, LOST, has made the audience lost for words to describe or write about properly. Even after I'm done writing, I will look forward to reviews which will have more and better described perspective than me. I love analytical readings after all, haha.

Trust me, the drama is not what it's synopsis says. You might assume that it's a love story between 2 lost beings but more than its simply written plot, it's all about the viewers' mood and frame of mind. What "Lost" demands from its audience are patience and an open mind to embrace anything that is thrown at them. The amount of angst it contains, is good enough for to take a toll on your mind too, so be careful. The drama might look slow but that's the method of storytelling throughout, so if you don't like it, may be it's not your cup of tea. The unique element of this is the immense use of inner monologue narration of the 2 main characters, in the form of writing notes to their respective fathers.

LOST is the story of ordinary individuals who have dreamt to achieve extraordinary things in life and done their very best. But, at the crucial points of their lives, they find themselves lost in an unfamiliar direction and their longing hopes are nowhere to be seen. They're not sure what's happening with them, nor do they have any plans ahead; they're simply breathing their lives until death embraces them. So the basic plot is about a man & a woman seeking immediate meaning to their individual lives while they encounter each other often due to situations and become friends. They help each other comfort and grow as persons and in their subconscious they end up falling for each other at the end which somehow makes everything complicated.

Lee Bu Jung (Jeon Do Yeon) is an ex-team leader at a publishing forum as well as a ghost writer who had once dreamt of publishing a book with her own name on it, as the author. At the age of 40, she, an unemployed is simply making money even when her mental health is completely ruined because of her personal and professional lives. Lee Gang Jae (Ryu Jun Yul), is a prominent & famous face in the line of stand-in service world with his own individual business. At the age of 27 and a almost withering youth, he often finds himself living in a fake world full of fantasy where he's left behind when his clients go back to reality once the task is over.

The story also invoves people around both of these lead characters,their relationship issues, carrer problems and individual struggle to sustain in this harsh and cruel society. I would refeain from describing them to avoid mentioning any spoiler because there's no solid plot as mentioned earlier; It's greatly a slice of life story and everything that happens with the characters, count as minor or major details of the script that should be rather witnessed than simply read, in order to understand.

LOST is truly a depiction of mystery of life and it's operation. The world has undergone a devastating change over years and with our changing lives, we all have become lone men army, lost in our perceptions of life and continuously constructing barriers to assure self sustainability. On our journey to achieve big, we somehow lose the meaning of our existence and end up questioning the worth of living. This leads to the deterioration of our mental health subsequently resulting in depression, loneliness, anxiety as well as panic attacks and sometimes to jealousy, insecurities, possessiveness and ultimately to something as toxic as sadism. LOST is about all these elements of life that either make us miserable or help us learn and grow. LOST is about losing everything you own just to find it little by little, each day. Don't you think that this, in some way, is a pleasurable experience? But I wish the drama were that simple TT.

"아버지, 나는 아무것도 되지 않았습니다." Trans: "Dad, I didn't become anything." is the utmost distress signal or a cry for help by Bu Jung to his 70yo father who is at declining health and the onset of expiration. The feeling of emptiness has taken a toll on her, even when she's surrounded with people, making her a sadist woman who seeks joy when her enemy trembles with insecurities. She has become suicidal because of the unwavering life motos and lack of motives, however, she doesn't have the courage to end everything either. She just wants to run away from everything, knowing that her life has turned into nothingness after the severe downfall she had to go through a year ago.

"사랑하는 아버지, 내 삶의 본질을 잃어버린 것 같합니다" Trans: "Dear loving father, I think I have lost the essence of my life" is the grievance of Gang Jae to his late father whom he lost to a long-term illness when he was in highschool. He could never find any profession suitable for him nor had he any passion he loved, and to earn living he relied on being a companion to others and quickly rose up to be a familiar face in the Stand-in service business. Even with few close people around him, he always felt he's living in a world of illusions where he is left behind alone as soon as his assigned task is over.

One might think the drama is about the romantic development between the ML & FL leading to a relationship but there's strictly the least amount of romance portrayed in the drama. It's neither a chemistry development or a bond strengthening, rather the buildup of peaceful and comforting "soulmate" who help you heal your deepest wounds and nurtures you into a better being. Most part of the story progresses a lot on individual level of the leads showing their lives separately. On that note, the development between them is also a depiction of mutual liking of people stuck in complicated situations, which makes it difficult for their unison. Even for Jung soo and Gyeong Eun's development, it felt so pure. Even though the situation involving 4 of them got complicated by it, they were held back because they felt so disconnected and lost. So how could it not be moving when they were finally able to connect both physically and emotionally with someone? One thing that was common between them was both had that one person, they considered their confidante; for Bu Jung it was his old father and for Gang Jae it was Sun Joo (Just/Taegi).

However, when both of them come into a single frame, the wind changes into something else; something that could be felt well but very intricate to describe with words; something so pure that it can't be named as a particular relationship; that's how I felt all along the drama. On that note, the vibe of the drama is very heavy though heartfelt shades & emotions it depicts are all greatly realistic and awfully relatable, more or less for every single one of us. Bu Jung's relationship with her father was the most beautiful one after the lead's storyline.

The drama showcases various psychological (not psychiatric) mental health issues which are very common among human beings, making it even more congeneric, so it strikes deeper than anything else; make sure you watch it with a major TW and take it easy & slow, in case you're sensitive.

The story is filled with ironies. It is hugely character-driven having characters with flaws, their method of interplay, their real arcs as individuals and how they perceive each other. The writer has very beautifully drawn every character of her story, and those characters have served their roles unerringly, making them lively & relatable. The flaws of the characters are what make them real in any story and this drama implies that no one is good or evil, or even entirely innocent, and no deed is moral & immoral; as long as it's dependent on perceptions, it varies to a great extent. The dialogues are so well written here, both for conversations and for the monologue notes, one might get lost in emotions and tremble with melancholy. They are very thought-provoking, sometimes inspirational & uplifting and some other times emotionally challenging for your mind. Simply, the emotionally moving and very human experiences that the drama visualizes will make you witness, understand and empathize/sympathize the hidden shades of human life and make it easier for you to embrace every forthcoming possibility. What I also loved is the way of reminiscing own's past and relating it with your present; no matter that brings you joy or sadness. The story is accompanied with light comedy here and there in a scattered manner, nevertheless, it's mostly a heavy setup.

I am not a believer, a hardcore atheist but from the pov of quality music, I have known and loved the song "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley (originally by Leonard Choen) but the drama using the old track as a prop to narrate the story, has again changed my perspective of the song as well as life. It's been used a multiple times in the drama which suitably blended into the scenarios portraying different emotions like sorrow, grievance, downfall, isolation, etc.

I wonder the reason the writer Kim Ji Hye was in hiatus for 7 years. Is it because she was busy creating this piece of gem that will stand out for it's way of unique storytelling techniques and awe the world with very-human approaches it has made in order to portray the essence of life? Haha, I'm certain that's not the case but the drama is on some other dimensional level to make you assume so. She herself told it's an ordinary tale, which in actual is true, but what makes it extraordinary is the seemingly ordinary characters on their journey to achieve the longing significance, that they have been seeking for time immemorial. This ain't a predictable trope, rather every single thing that happens, welcomes every possible result which is difficult to guess or make certain of, truly.

The directors have done a job as good as the scriptwriting, I must say. The screenplay techniques used to connect the characters & their stories are very intriguing. The frames jumping from one character to the other at the time of inner monologue narrations of the 2 leads, shows how common the story we have, are yet how different it is for each of us. The way they have tried interpreting simple dialogues with the use of aesthetically pleasing cinematography work and by the use of dark and shady colour palettes, deserves applauses.

In regards of OST too, the composer has been able to do a fabulous job. I mean for a drama with such unique emotions and moods, it'd have been a difficult task to create and produce suitable tracks to fit into the scenarios but how beautiful the songs are! In fact the background tracks and their appropriate editing with subtle classic instrumental gives off the shady vibes and might make it seem slow but trust me, it enhances the quality of storytelling in a different perspective. The loan English song "Hallelujah" is the base of the drama. Other than that, the song that tells the essence of one's tale is "My Story sung by Ha Dong Qn which has the touch of melancholic beauty. "From Me" is the track meant for uplifting the fallen spirits decorated by the beautiful vocal of Sonidia. The high notes of Kim Yuna in "Under the blossom shadow" are highly pleasing and touching. "My Home" by Hajin is a very comforting track.

The other important aspects of life involving both the leads and other supporting characters, portrayed in the drama are: Worrying parents, understanding child, parent-children bonding, fighting long term illness, taking care of bedridden patients, dicorce & separation, untimely demise of life-partner, widowhood, dating relationships, breakups, late age single life, one sided liking, deep friendships, workplace problems, career failure, celebrity life, rich family issues, dirty secrets of entertainment industry, domestic abuse, extra-marital affairs, married life hardships, consequences of ill relationships, miscarriage, stress disorders, loyalty, admiration, respect, caring for family, live-in relationships, second marriages, dreams & hopes, indecisiveness, confusion, swaying of heart, change in feelings, exhaustion from relationships, etc.

I would like to write a little about 2 things that I particularly want to bring to the notice of readers who might not have thought much about:

a) The way the writer has painted the arcs of Gang Jae in regards of his stand-in service profession, is very real. It's just matter of choice and open-mind nature, to realize that this exists in real. In a world where we choose to rely on strangers during odds rather than our close ones, stand-in substitute is in fact what people with money go for in case they're deprived of love & affection, or simply are lonely. Only a few percent of them require the service in events or parties to fill the venue in and show-off. Some others also use substitutes in dates too. Despite the fact that all these are fake, we can't deny it's become a trend in the changing world as more and more of us are growing fond of solitude and lonely lives.

b) Just like the mother-in-laws for most of the shows, Bu-jung's MIL was surely insecure of her daughter-in-law and complaints a lot but the portrayal of her as a person is what intrigued me. She could be nagging and screaming and telling on her a lot but at the end of all, she understands everything. She secretly cherishes her DIL and worries about her at times as well as his son's married life. She's very caring and even concerns about Bu-jung's old father and his health. The sides of a MIL shown in here is truly that ecstatic which are a rare example in the real life.

Not sure how should express my feelings about the ending. Some might think it's absurd and some might be mad because how it ended but trust me you wouldn't see a more realistic approach than this. I mean things ended just as we wanted it to but the time provided to it is very short, which again is very justified if we consider the pace events of the drama. Some things were sorted, some were not, however that's how real it felt, because a story might end, but life continues. I am just lost for words to tell anything or may be I am not knowledgeable enough to state anything about it, pardon.

Some side storylines, the supporting characters and their lives were not clarified well, in fact the 2 lead characters had the same case, which can be interpreted as an open ending, leading to possibilities, but isn't that how slice of life dramas are supposed to be? I think it's safe to assume and imagine here rather expecting for another season, so that it doesn't hurt us later, haha.

To sum up everything, LOST is the story of lost lives, seeking help and prosperity and the ride is surely full of unbearable angst. The relationship between Bu Jung and Gang Jae are beyond the definitions of chemistry or bonding, more of long-lost mates striving to find each other. It's a super slow-burn development yet immensely intense and the seemingly slow paced story that actually is an appropriate one, given the utilized storytelling method. The unspoken intimacy that elicit emotions are truly ecstatic. Also, such seasoned & familiar actors that made the characters justified, I wanna praise all of them. The subtle development of bonding that accumulates a lot and bursts oepn into blooming love at the end is indeed a journey of warmth and pleasure. This is a drama that said a lot without exactly saying anything. The best reason to watch this should be the immense opportunity of character study so grab it as soon as you can.

I'm someone who is over-sensitive and becomes overwhelmed over every little thing, but this drama is actually that intense that my heart felt heavy till the end and I couldn't really bring myself to cry till the ending episodes, when tbe basic plot finally attaining it's peak. I was just watching along with the flow and my heart was trying hard to understand and feel whatever was happening. I cried very lil in the last 2 episodes over naturally moving scenes but after finishing, it suddenly hit me hard that ahh it's over. I immediately strated crying out of despair which went on for a while, in fact I completed writing this thing as my eyes were still teary. (Adding these 2 lines now only)

This drama, again, is not for everyone to watch, and the writer has intentionally tried to test the viewer's patience here; but for someone who is open to trying out everything and watching stuffs with suitable perspective, this drama is a must watch. The genre is a common but for me, the method of storytelling is very very new, certainly a first, and I entirely felt in love with it, I should admit. My sole interest for starting this drama was Ryu Jun Yeol choosing this, and ofc, I have loved Jeon Do Yun and Park Byung Eun, but now that I've finished it, I have no words to describe how it has gone way beyond all my feelings, leaving me with no satisfying word to praise it. LOST is indeed one of a kind unique drama which must get it's worth-deserving attention and recognition, please because it's very underrated. I'm definitely coming back to this again.

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ART OF APPRECIATING LIFE

Move to Heaven drama is the kind of thing you need when you are desperately seeking the meaning of your life. The most important purpose of this drama is to change our perspectives about "grieving" to someone's demise. Every other episode has it's beautiful message to deliver. This drama portrays important issues while celebrating people's life and showing both respect and shade to "death". It is so very wholesome and will truly evoke your emotions. So, if you're a worshiper of "slice of life" dramas,this drama is for YOU.

The drama starts with someone's misery hinting a tragic journey but the entire journey is just beautiful. Saying that it will make you cry tears of happiness will be an understatement because this is one of those heart-warming Kdramas out there.

Simply, the drama consists several different stories that worked likes dots and connecting them made the drama complete. Ofc, it has its basic steady plot too which is appealing (you can read it in the synopsis).

This drama also emphasizes on how a dead can communicate with the living from what they've left behind. This particular thing have touched the core of my heart and I'm sure it's been mesmerizing for everyone too.

The write has done very well in touching different forms if life in the guise of societal issues which will definitely fuel up the positive stances and enroute acceptance in people's midsets. The direction abd screenplay is simply like adding feather to a cap. Good job in cinematography too. The crew has done a commendable job here.

Then comes the cast. I swear to my happiness, the production has done a very good job in casting, be it the major characters or the guest characters, I would say they are the appropriate choice. I was so happy seeing soooo many guest characters.

Lee Jee Hoon, definitely one of the best Korean actors has once again won our hearts with his acting, played his character really well. Tang Joon Sang, being a newbie, I am sure this drama and his acting, will bring him enormous opportunity. He's so cute and was really good in playing someone with Asperger's syndrome. I like Hong Seung Hee in Navillera (another slice of life heart-warming drama) though her screen timing was limited and here she did good too.

EVERYTHING FELT SO BEAUTIFUL.

Let's talk about the ending. Let me say you that I am not okay with it. It has an open ending hinting for a new season but is that necessary? They could have closed the drama with the scene before the last scene too but they decided to extend it with a big twist. Idk what's in the writer's mind but I am looking forward to it. I was actually wishing there'd be more episodes given that it's soooo good, but am not happy because in most of the cases the dramas with extended seasons ended up getting messed. I really really hope it won't happen with MOVE TO HEAVEN.

*****

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ONE OF THE WARMEST KDRAMA EVER

NAVILLERA will remain one of the warmest Korean Drama ever for all the nostalgic & happy vibes it gave through out the entire thing.

Struggling with your age, when you're on the edge of your life and winning over all the obstacles with hard work and determination to soar within your dream and turning it into a gift, is the greatest message that the drama offers to us.

Such a wholesome and overwhelming drama to witness when you're seeking some comfort in your life. Character development of all the characters have been shown in very short yet in very handsome way. Hats off to Song Kang & Park In Hwan for delivering such a beautiful & graceful chemistry through out the show.

Portraying ballet, a form of art, and explaining life through it, is the major theme of this drama. You will smile widely, laugh, and cry from time to time. It indeed tugs your heartstring with its essence.

Apart from the final performance titled Navillera, the scene that touched my heart was when they hug each other for 1st time before the sepration The last scene was the most beautiful for me when Song Kang and Park In Hwan meet across the label crossing and greet each other through theor ballerina style.

Words might fall short but you will never be able to stop describing how beautiful a drama can be.

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AVERAGE yet CUTE & SWEET

This drama could be an average old-styled RomCom Korean Drama, but for many, including me, it holds a really really special place in our hearts. YES, you gussed it right! It's my first Kdrama, that brought me to this precious world; the thing that I love the most.

The story was actually amazing in the time period it was released and every other Kdrama fan including knetz were crazy for such stories and screenplay. It was just beautiful.

Plot was cool and even cast did their job properly. It was a perfect balance between romance & comedy. Baek Seung Jo (Kim Hyun Joong) won over everyone with his charismatic look. Oh Ha Ni (Jung So Min) too impressed us with her cuteness.

Some people might call it a cliche and cringey but comparing to the time period and the demand for such stories at that time, it was so niceeeee.

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DRAMA OF THE YEAR 2021? YESSS!

Life is not all about pain and regrets, but about the experiences and learnings. The best thing about life is that it keeps moving forward. No matter what happens in our lives at one point, it keeps going on while letting us learn from it. This is my interpretation about the entire drama.

갯마을 차차차, literally, "Seashore Village Cha-Cha-Cha, truly is a story living upto it's title, giving justice to its essence while capturing millions of hearts worldwide. It is a combination of coming of age chapters and healthy, warm as well as healing RomCom, accompanied with numerous life lessons, portrayed in the form of various relationships that also throws light upon uncountable shades of life, love and living. So what does it become? A PERFECT SLICE-OF-LIFE KOREAN DRAMA.

Plot is simple as you know. Oh Hye Jin, a capable and righteous dentists resigns from work and unable to find another clinic decides to open her own in the seashore village of Gongjin, which she had gone to visit on her mother's birthday. There she meets Hong Du Shik, an talented yet unemployed man who willfully does all kinds of odd jobs to help out the villagers and wish to continue his simple life. As they encounter each other multiple times and find each other's presence during respective critical times, the bond between them grows closer making them fall in love. All these happens in the premise where lives of the villagers go on parallely, accompanying continuous build-up, growth, healing giving away love & care, as a community which is more like an extended or chosen second family.

This shit is indeed hell of refreshing because of the scenario the drama has choosen as it's set, i. e. the fictional city of "Gongjin" which in real is the seaside village near Daegu-Gyeongbuk of Pohang, a South Korean city located in North Gyeongsang Province. The seaside milieu, the village settings, the city architecture and the awfully ecstatic frame of nature are the elements that undeniably attracted a lot of people to it. And what made it even more eye-catching is the cinematography skills of the production; brownie points please.

What also makes this drama stand out is the method of execution and the very natural way of diegesis (plot narrative). Relationships, regardless of it's type, are unquestionably complicated but life becomes a lil easier when we put efforts make it simple, this also is an underlying message of this drama. It's so natural that i felt I have been there with those people. Obviously, melo is an important element of any show of any genre, which is here too, but events should be as simple as a glass of water that makes it realistic in order to be appealing and relatable to the audience. I feel the drama successfully achieved that outcome.

Another thing that made me go awe was the fashion sense of the characters, please give the stylists bonus, okay? T T. Not just the young and adult characters, the kids and the oldies wore beautiful clothes of different kinds all the times, no matter how simple or flashy they were. I loved the florals that Hongbajang wore and sometimes the loose fit shirts. Hye Jin's one piece long skirts made her look so beautiful. The 3 old women in their usual outfits looked cute. Village chief Young Guk's simple yet loose fit big shirts and pants oof. Hwa Jung and Nam Sook's country-side dotted tops and pants looked nice. Chun Jae ahjussi and his half pant outfit plus scarf, my goodness. Geum Chul's entite country bumpkin style outfit and hairstyle. Bora's peach creamy hair and I Jun's decent clothes toooo. Eun Chul in both police uniform and civil clothes (soooo hot) and Mi Seon in her different kinda outfits. Sorry for the terms Idk bcs of my lack of fashion sense TT.

One of the most notable things about the drama should be all the female characters who made us see various sides of life and learn from it. Potential & stupendous female characters is nothing new for Kdrama industry but this drama should stand out in this regard for perfectly creating and nourishing such beautiful-hearted women. Different women trying their best for people around them and struggling for them isn't something new but these women, from young to the old, understood it better, I felt. Extra points for that for sure.

Since it's a slice of life story where day-to-day happenings are portrayed, drawing a definite plot development in overall is difficult. So, what we can witness are 2 kinds of developments. First the relationship between the leads along with others and secondly the individual character development. Let's talk about that...

Relationship Development of Lead Couple:--
Well, healing romance troupe has become a common factor nowadays but this surely is unique and let me explain how. Not bragging or saying I predicted it but I sure had assumed the way the chemistry between Hong Du Shik & Oh Hye Jin will develop, which happened for real making me so happy. Both of them obviously cared for each other and had liking as persons despite all the bitter encounters but until the point they fell for each in their conscious, the romance was very subtle. It was like they grew onto each other unknowingly and that feelings were piling up bit by bit over time. One day the the sac of love got so heavier, it burst open into an love relationship bonding, that was meant to last for eternity. They were definitely opening up to each other lil by lil and healing the other's pain gradually in the process but in their subconscious, it was love that was blooming up inside their hearts which one day led to prosperity and nostalgic emotions of happiness.

What made me happy how they proposed to each other at the perfect point of the story and even after officially getting into a relationship, the story showed us the following development. This was a gesture that, our lives and stories don't come to an end when we become each other's life because we have a long way to travel together, parallelly healing each other while helping both individual and coupled growth. Tbh, I was worried their relationship will turn typical following the proposal but guess what? They made me and in fact all of us, learn an important lesson of life, i. e. continuity. Obviously, there were many fluff moment's but the way of executing everything through the storytelling method abd screenplay techniques made it maintain own's naturality.

We're at a point where we have run out of new ides about events and stuffs to showcase in a relationship but what matters is how they're showed to us, how natural & relatable they feel and how realistic the outcome becomes. I am cent percent sure, this drama gave off that vibes.

NOTE: HONG DU SHIK & OH HYE JIN, uri ShikHye or dimple couple are one of the best Kdrama couples with one of the best chemistry development and a healing romance.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT :--
This is probably the best thing about the drama. Not just the individual development, the buildup plus nourishment of different kinda relationships were also well drawn. The character arcs of different roles came out so well, making us relate and learnt. Let's talk about them now...

# Hong Du Shik (Kim Seon Ho) aka uri Hong-bajang, the definition of "Jack of all trades, master o̶f̶ ̶n̶o̶n̶e̶ at
all". Talented yet no proper job carrying numerous small job certificates can help fix any kind of situations of the villagers. Loved by all yet orpahned and loner with thanatophobia (fear of losing someone close), he doesn't let anyone into his heart easily. Cares a great deal about the villagers tho.

# Oh Hye Jin (Shin Min Ah), the perfectionist dentist and very righteous at workplace who is also very calculative about her life. A dating rookie and doesn't want to be easygoing abd never gives in to people easily. A definite development as she changes into a warm women who admired everyone and got love in return. Very sensitive to her life decisions and helps Hong bajang in the end in healing his heart.

# Ji Sung Hyun (Lee Sang Yi), a variety show PD and Hye Jin's university senior who comes to Gongjin to shoot his show. He really went from romancing with Da Shik (Da Hee) in Once again (2020) to bromancing with Du Shik in this drama, haha. I can't say he's a potential 2nd ML affecting the lead couple's storyline but ge surely helped them in his subconscious. Very simple and decent character he had.

# Kim Gam Ri (Kim Young Ok) halmeoni, village supervisor and Du Shik's closest who have fed and cared for him since a young age. Very stubborn because of old age. Doesn't like spending money but fond of trying different dishes. Loves Du Shik the most and liked spending time with him.

# Lee Ma Ji (Lee Yong Yi) and Park Sook Ja (Shin Shin Ae) ..wish these halmione-deul had some more story for themselves but they were basically used as sidekick of Ga Rim-ssi. Regardless, very cheerful and cute. Their annoying and active faces plus the halmeoni trio made me cry outta happiness even when they were just fighting, that was so cute uwu.

# Yeo Hwa Jung (Rang Bo Ryun), the zone chief, restaurant owner and owner to both the places used by Hye Jin. Divorced for reasons known only to her and a single mother. Very sane, humble and understanding person she was though a lil insecure about his ex-husband and has hidden stories to tell. Loved the way she walked in here hahaha.

# Jang Young Guk (In Gyo Jin), village chief and Hwa Jung's ex husband, a lone man living alone and a loving father to his son. Irresponsible and indecisive at times. Not knowing the actual reason of divorce he deviates from his path for a while but eventually finds himself back in the same spot.

# Oh Chun Bae (Jo Han Chul), a failed singer, coffee shop owner, a widower and single loving father to his daughter. Still brags about his past achievement and wants recognition tho still a tender-hearted person who cares for his daughter to a great deal and misses his wife.

# Cho Nam Suk (Cha Chung Hwa), Chinese restaurant owner, loner who misses her deceased daughter. She loves to gossip and is the most definitite source of all the rumours that revolves around in the village. Very lively and cheerful as person. Loved her nasal accent and acting.

# Choi Geum Chul (Yoon Suk Hyun), Du Shik's only friend and hardware store owner. Married with a girl child and another to come. Somewhat naive and stupid but loves his family so much.

# Ham Yun Kyung (Kim Joo Yun), Geum Chul's wife and Bora supermarket owner. Very cheerful and mature for her age. Loves and cares for her family a lot and continuously nags her husband to do better job.

# Pyo Mi Sun (Gong Min Jung), Hye Jin's BeFe and the dentist nurse. Very clever and straightforward yet falls for guys instantly. Her chemistry development with constable Eun Chul was surely a sweet thing to watch.

# Choi Eun Chul (Kang Hyung Suk), Police substation constable and Geum Chul's younger brother who's very determined at job but stupid when comes to dating. Mi Sun helps her learn about relationship and they form the cutest couple of the show.

# Oh Ju Ri (Kim Min Seo), Chun Bae's daughter, a high-schooler and diehard fan of the boy group DOS (fandom Hacker). Misses her mother whom she lost right after birth. Can be stubborn and annoying at times still loves her father. A wannabe stylist.

# Choi Bo Ra (Go Do Yun), Yun Kyung & Geum Chul's daughter who's good at studies but have hidden talents. Loves Taekwondo and a lil aggressive. Adored by the villagers.

# Jang Yi Jun (Yi Eun Yoo), Hwa Jung & Young Guk's son who's the definition of genius. Too humble, polite and rationale for his age haha. BeFe with Bora and is always with her. As thoughtful as Hwa Jung.

Other than these major characters are some other actors who justified their decent roles and are indeed notable; Yu Cho Hui (Oh Ji Hee), Ban Young Hoon (Kim Sung Bum), Kang Do Ha (Lee Suk Hyung), Wang Ji Won (Park Ye Young), JUN (Byun Sang Tae), Yoon Tae Hwa (Seo Sang Won), Lee Myung Shin (Woo Mi Hwa), etc.

OSTS:
"Romantic Sunday" by "Car, the Garden" is undoubtedly the best OST of this drama which is the remake of a 2007 hit by "JISLAND". I love all the other OSTs so muxh as well. The lyrics are all so beautiful and were relatable as well suitable for various moods of the drama. "One Sunny Day" by Kassy, "My Romance" by Cheeze, "Wish" by Choi Yu Ree, "Be the Light" by Kim Jae Hwan,
"The Image of You" by Sandeul, "Here Always" by Skz Seungmin are all good. Some of them are romantic and others are soft soulful ones.

Both the writer and director have done a very good job, individually and as partners. It didn't feel like the writer doesn't have enough experience. I mean the number of work she's done is less but who'd say so after watching this drama? The PDnim obviously have enough experience, in fact one of the best drama PDs in Korea and that shows. Cinematography, sound production, screenplay editing are also very well done. Kudos to the entire crew for this amazing outcome. Thank you so much.

Technically, I love the various colour palettes used to showcase the beauty and aesthetics. The subtle presentation of props to connect and relay the storylines are quite alluring. Story progression is smooth and relaxing with multiple peaks as perfect points. Not a single thing felt exaggerated or boring. No twisted and complicated factor except for Hongbajang's mystery; very simple. The 1st ep is basically the introduction so stick to it in case you think it's not good. The childhood and teenage encounter and destined-to-be-together trope might have become a cliché but it's fine as long as the present story is well painted and HomeCha successfully built-up a unique love story.

Let me also add important things included in the drama: mental health issues, loneliness, lgbt+ inclusion & acceptance, gender & clasa equality, dreams and determination to fulfill it, negligence to old parents as well as kids, ways of parenting & parental love, a kid's expectation from parents as well their hidden feelings, mutual understanding, overcoming past trauma, essence of aging and importance of old age, meaning of death, the art of healing other's pain, the difficulties of pregnancy, the urge of marriage, the hopes from your partner, community life & it's importance, self-love and it's vitality, process of opening up to your closest ones, learning to seek help from others, acknowledging the help and care you receive, understanding the gestures, facing life problems & tackling them, essence of independence, appreciating life, respecting other's efforts and their urge to do well, holding on to life, bringing out the best of you..... And many more that will cost me a notebook to mention.

NOTE: The last 3 episodes are the peaks of the episode where you might have to cry continuously, so make sure to take care of yourself if you're highly sensitive and very overwhelming to cry over small things.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha is definitely very realistic, refreshing and relatable with all the elements of a perfect slice of life Kdrama. I repeat, this is the best Kdrama year for 2021. Not only the healing romance of the lead couples, other side storylines that ran parallelly left us with lessons that we seek in our everyday life. Setting the rewatch value at 10/10 bcs this is something that can be easily watched as many as times you wish, even for random watch. PLEASE GO AHEAD WITH IT IF YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. THIS IS DEFINITELY WORTH ALL YOUR TIME AND INVESTED ENERGY PLUS EMOTIONS. *cries under blanket*. In fact been crying throughout while writing this review.

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"The principle of justice are choosen behind the veil of ignorance."

"When you try hard to find answers from your past, the past will come crawling to you and eat you up." The Veil that you wear to protect yourself from external forces, can either cause you immense pain or fee you from all the sufferings. Yet, your efforts to put things at their rightful places shouldn't go waste; make sure of that.

"The Veil" is indeed one of a kind action as well mystery thriller Korean drama, justifying it's own title and doing a good job in relaying it's performance in overall. It's definitely one of the most underrated dramas of the year 2021 bcs of known reasons.

The story revolves around Han Ji Hyuk (Namgoong Min), an ace among the National Intelligence Service (NIS) top agents and an 'one man army', known to be stubborn & unbeatable. While carrying out an operation to destroy an underworld drug cartel in China with his 2 partners, he comes across abrupt truth behind the entire thing and suddenly vanishes off from the earth surface, while his partners are found murdered. He resurfaces after a year in the Peninsula but this time with lost memories of one year, just to discover the rat or traitor among the NIS who helped their enemy on the back to have the upper hand. Due to his unstable state, he is partnered with Yoo Je Yi (Kim Ji Eun) to carry out minor tasks. Je Yi, who has joined the organization to find out about his father, an ex-agent gone missing a decade ago, joins hand with Ji Hyuk. Together, they work secretly and find out the bigger forces behind it, who turn out to be their own and strive to reveal everything.

The plot development is actually very amazing for a 12 episode drama which reflects a steady progression with several temporary brakes, whenever the antagonists face some downfall. Can't really call it a 'staircase' development but the duo keep solving one case after another with clues from previous case, so yeah, it's somewhat similar to it. 1st ep is the basic intro with lots of confusion which is an obvious happening. 2nd ep also lays the foundation further clarifying the previously created subtle indications. The progress after it, is what will amaze you continuously and keep you hooked. The antagonists continue to dig deeper and unveil more answers and the twists at the end of each episode leaves you awestruck. In fact, the revelations are quite astonishing and very unpredictable; it's like you know who is involved and who ain't but in what way and how much, that's the matter of curiosity. In this regard, the writer has painted an intertwined yet intriguing sketch that's quite difficult to figure out for the viewers.

What bothered me is the ending of 9th episode and the entire 10th episode plus it's ending too. The reason is, one of the most major question of the drama was answered at the end of 9th and first half of the 10th episode bore it's detailed explanation. So I really was worried as to what else is left to explain and answer now when we got 2 episodes yet to come? The latter half 10th episode showed further progress in open investigation within the organization with joined efforts of more people who joined the lead duo. The 11th ep was a lil slow but at least not rushed which is better. Anyways, the ep laid foundation for the final big operation to catch the main culprit behind everything and then the finale went very well according to that. I was again afraid something would go wrong for the drama but I am greatly satisfied.

Just like any other crime dramas, The Veil is mysterious & confusing in many ways, ngl. So, some of us might binge it bcs we're anxious to wait but some others also find it interesting to go slow as it's more interesting that way too. I am telling this because I binged the 10 eps in 2 goes and and had a difficult time for a day trying to put everything in place. Since there are only 12 episodes, binging it would feel like time flying by so fast. So take it slow, try to enjoy and relish each episode as it proceeds and make sure you are attentive to the details because lots of facts are interconnected and there are in fact so many small and merely significant characters, each contributing significantly to the story; so if you don't remember them, you might end up getting confused. They introduce new characters each episode as the lead dup keep digging deeper but they don't stick around or simply, as soon as their essence is over, they are thrown out of the script.

Namgoong Min is the central character as said earlier. Not only he's strong and skillful, he's smart enough to predict and draw an entire scenario, before he start executing his plans. He surfers from trauma related to his chikdhood and is also full of untold emotions. Kim Ji Eun (Yoo Je Yi) does her job well by helping the ring leader at many points. She was definitely more quick-witted and what makes her character strong is her instincts of righteousness by the virtue of which she chooses to believe in Ji Hyuk constantly and taking his side till the end, despite all the odds she had to face.

In supporting role, Ha Dong Gyun (Kim Do Hyun), is a mysterious one who turns out to be different from the usual assumption of character. Dir. Kang Pil Ho (Kim Jong Tae) is a concerned superior to his juniors who also has secrets that he commited in order to protect the organization. Dep. Comm. Do Jin Suk (Jang Young Nam) is a ambitious woman who can pull any strings to get her work done. Dep. Comm. Lee In Hwan (Lee Kyung Young) is a greedy and inimical man and source of all the bad deeds in the org. Seo Soo Yun (Park Ha Sun) is the bearer of many secrets behind the conspiracy but her character is the only one that was poorly written and got wasted unreasonably. There are plenty of other characters played by very very good actors but I suppose I should stop here not to give out any spoiler.

Action!? What are you asking about? How should I explain this? Superb, amazing, etc. fancy words would become understatements. Nam Goong Min carried the entire show with his acting plus action skills. I am not a fan of ripped bodies but well, this is NGM *blushes*. His physique is what we call an ideal fit for stunts. The character Han Ji Hyuk, had his ground rules set. Being so skillful & determined as a person, he was unbeatable. His fleetness and swift hand movements, oof, those are reverential moments to witness. What makes the action scenes and NGM's stunts perfect is, the way those elements serve the story as well as his characters. Those were jaw-dropping and heart-poundinh. Most of the scenes also involve several types of firearms, which were also used skillfully and in an enticing way. In overall, the action and stunt scenes are enthralling and greatly pleasurable to eyes. The action director obviously deserve extra bonus for drawing the detailed arcs and keeping the most appropriate pace. "The Veil" definitely is the 2nd best action kdrama of the year after Taxi Driver, this year; at least for me ;-;

Direction is top notch I would say. For any thriller, particularly action thrillers, the chief PD is the most responsible for the execution and here Kim Sung Yong PDnim has done a stupendous job in directing the drama as well as managing and editing the screenplay. Given that he's not that experienced in directing as thw main PD, it's difficult to say so from this drama. The pacing is accurate for the entire drama, there seemed no exaggeration for the story or any specific event.

Applauses for him. Also, I still can't bring myself to believe that it's the writer's first ever script??? I don't know who are they, but dear jakka-nim, you are very talented. This is so very good to prove how nice your skills are. Please keep this up because we anticipate to witness more of your works. The development of overall plot, the character development for Nam Ji Hyuk, the arcs of each seemingly insignifican characterst, the awe-inspiring revelations at perfect points of the story, the U-turn & downfall twists, etc are very well drawn with visibly wonderful efforts. Brownie points for the dialogue writing too. The screenplay writing along with pleasing dialogues is what makes the character to serve well and makes the audience connect and feel. The formatting is nice and subtext is clear plus no dragging of scenes with only important conversations.

The composition is something that you can look forward to too. For a dark and intense action thriller where every other scene has the smell of sobriety, the OSTs and background scores are very well written and composed which gives off appropriate mood and are very suitably used in the drama. "Reason" by YOARI is undoubtedly the show-bearer, which in fact explains the title and essence of the drama. It depicts the emotions and eagerness of a man who is lost in a dreadful tunnel among plenty of enemies surrounding him. "Stay With Me" by Elaine on contrary, is a melancholic track, that portrays a man's emotions of betrayal, self-realization and has losr track of everything. "Get Ya" by Lee Jung Min is an enthralling and catchy song on the other hand. The OSTs are all in English.

I am happy to be aware that they are giving us 2 extra episodes. I mean we deserve it because there are only 12 episodes even though they're around 80mins each. From the trailer, it seems the special episodes will have the back stories of of entire main plot so it's more like a prequel of the drama and the point where it all started. It feels promising too so I'm kinda looking forward to it.

Notes:
1. There is no romance at all, which is expected and I feel that's the best decision by the writer. There is a subtle portrayal of one sided liking but it wasn't anything near to romantic feelings I suppose.
2. It's kinda gore as well. Since it's NIS and not a simple crime investigation unit, killing people easily is nothing biggie so watch it with TW if you're sensitive to bloodshed and murders.

SOOOO, THE VEIL, in overall is such a stupendous Kdrama, in terms of story, direction, acting, performance, action & stunts, etc and definitely a must watch. It also has high rewatch value for those who are avid action fans. Spy investigation dramas involving NIS and action are not something very new to us but this surely stands out for a unique basic storyline, it's immense action scenes and fabulous execution. If you're hesitant to start because the genre ain't your cup of tea, give it a try for Nam Goong Min at least, you can't help but fall for him deep into the firey pit lmao.

P. S. Didn't know I would end up writing a long review for a 12 episode drama with lil context to narrate w/o spoilers but well, now that I'm done writing, I don't wanna remove any part of it TT.

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"A life without love is like a year without summer."

That's a Swedish proverb in my title. I am a winter person, but what good is the cold of winter, without the warmth of summer to give it sweetness? Summer means happy times and good memories as well. One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter in order to remember the warmth that life as well as nature provides you with.

"Our Beloved Summer (그 해 우리는) [2022]" is a story of such warmth, enthusiasm and vehemence; a love story that's worth telling and worth witnessing. It's about the growth, the progress and the upswing of a relationship that thrives even on the verge of vanishing. This is definitely an unique tale that'll bring all kind of emotions out of you and make you experience numerous amount of perspectives of life.

Kook Yeon Soo (Kim Da Mi) and Choi Woong (Choi Woo Shik) were highschool batchmates, persuaded to film a documentary portraying the first and last students of the class together. The documetary goes viral and by the end of the filming, they fall for each other and start dating, which lasts for next few years until they breakup for unknown reason. After 10 years, as they end up working together for a while, they have to film again showing their current situations. How will they cope up with the lingering feeling for each, as they move forward in their lives individually? Well, for that, you have to watch the drama by yourself.

Choi Woong is an Innocent, ingenuous and artless teenage guy whose free-spiritedness has made him the last student of his class though noone has been able to recognize his skills & intellect and what his future beholds. Kook Yeon Soo is a brilliant student, though self-centered and a lil unkind. Despite everyone's assumptions about her she lives an honest life by adapting to her reality.

Kim Ji Woong (Kim Sung Chul) has been the closest friend to Choi Woong since elementary who has now become a documentary PD. NJ (Roh Jung Eui) is a super-successful Idol star who is very honest and kind-hearted. Go Eun Ho (Ahn Dong Goo) is a friend to Choi Woong and his manager. Lee Sol Yi (Park Jin Joo) is the only friend of Yeon Soo and a pub owner. Jung Chae Ran (Jun Hye Won) is the Asst. PD at SBC.

Some old, familiar and experienced faces among supporting character are Seo Jung Yun (Lee Yun Ok) and Park Won Sang (Choi Ho) as Choi Woong's mother and father respectively. Cha Mi Kyung (Kang Ja Kyung) as Yeon Soo's grandmother. Jo Bok Rae (Park Dong Il) as the main PD at SBC.

The child actors for Choi Woong and Ji Woong, Song Ha Hyun and Kim Ji Hoon also did a great job. They were so cute and were able to portray demanded emotions aptly.

Special mention to Lee Joon Hyuk and Kwak Dong Yeon who played guest roles with badboy characters which actually felt like guest roles.

The plot development is steady though it doesn't look like it bcs of longer reminiscences from their highschool days and some flashbacks from their childhood. At the beginning of each episode, they show the progression of the 3 main characters when they were immature teens; combining them won't seem like a consistent tale bcs there are 3 different pov-s for each of them, which is fairly balanced. Also, some of the episodes in the later half, exceptionally, has the pov-s of the current timeline, one of which is given to NJ. Similarly, the ending of each episode is accompanied by epilogues to provide the audience with references.

The pacing is the only problem that lies with the production and editing. It isn't consistent; somewhere slow and somewhere fast. This could have been avoided but it was manageble for me ngl. Talking about the episodic progression, It took me 2 episodes and a half to be hit by the mood of the drama. The furtherance was good, 4th was a bit off in terms of substances, I felt. The ending of 6th felt like an ending of a story itself, I mean ep1-6 somehow felt like a show. And I was wary about what more is left. But to respond my questions, they provided me with a unhurried, warm and beautiful journey while the two parties go on a quest of love and attempt to eradicate all the odds on their way.

The finale week (15th & 16th) came as a surprise. Just when I thought they've forgotten about few things and are gonna end the show with cute moments and jolly fillers, they slapped me with the most important topics to be considered. I am so so so happy they didn't forget them. Honestly, I think those 4 episodes could be better executed but fine. The last 2 episodes are like truckloads of sadness and pain, they got many peak moments and tend to be gloomy for most of the parts. All loose ends were wrapped well in there and even though a lot of things happened in the last episode, it didn't feel rushed.

This is the directorial debut for Kim Yoon Jin PDnim who was, in fact, the producer for one of the 2020 best "It's Okay to Not be Okay". Despite that fact, the job he has done in this drama is so first-rate that it proves all the competence his skills behold. The screen editing, the screenplay management, the storytelling method and the overal execution is well taken care of. The pacing was perfect for the genre providing apt vibes; it's not exactly a warm pure romance but the painfully beautiful vibes wouldn't have been felt without the moderately slow screenplay. The cinematography is perfect; given the genre, mood and messages the story wanted the audience to catch, it was quite successful in doing that. It is beautiful and particularly the warmth could be felt through the camera lenses.

I honestly didn't know about Lee Na Eun jakkanim before watching this drama but given her experience in writing only one short webseries prior to this, she has done a fabulous job, no? I am very much willing to read the original webtoon now. Notably (for those who don't know yet), the drama is a sequel of a webtoon written by the same author and the same title (그 해 우리는 - 초여름이 좋아!). Simply, the webtoon is a prequel for the drama involving the highschool documentary days. I love how she has focused on the character dynamics of not just the 4 leads, but also the seemingly minor supporting characters. I particularly loved Ji Woong and NJ's backstories. The method of storytelling, the monologue notes during the backstory remembrance, the narrations and most importantly the plot development... everything is so good, I swear. I also loved how she has made the characters interpret various thoughts.

Nam Hye Sung PDnim is a super familiar name among the Korean composers and has composed for so many dramas, on the top of that for many excellent ones. There are 13 OSTs in total (by the time I write this) and I seriously love all of them. I usually cite my most fav or top 2 but I wanna mention more than that...

#1 "The Giving Tree" by Lee Seung Yoon is my most favourite. The soft beat song with pleasing vocals is about reminiscing the sweet memories of the past whose warmth is still heartfelt.

#2 "Drawer" by 10cm again is again about reminiscence but with a romantic and aesthetically beautiful tone which could make you cry. 10cm never fails to do his job.

#3 "Our Beloved Summer" by Kim Kyung Hee is the theme song for the drama which is a refreshing harmony and pleasant call for love.

#4 "There For You" by Kim Na Young is a soulful and emotional song, which is known to be her forte. It strikes out one's insecurities in a relationship. I particularly loved the rhythms.

#5 "Summer Rain" by Sam Kim which has the softcore melody that makes your heart flutter, no doubt he is proficient vocalist. The song is a very comforting one.

#6 "Maybe If" by BIBI is a song of 'What-Ifs'. It narrates various possibilities while dissecting the decisions of past to pick out the regrettable ones. BIBI's pointed vocal is so on point.

#7 "Christmas Tree" by BTS V is an eulogy to love. It perfectly depicts the art of loving and the feelings of being loved. Taehyung's vocal is like cherry on the top for this track.

Other OSTs are...
"Squabble" by Ha Sung Woon
"I Will Make You Happy" by Jang Beom Jun
"Even Now" by Yang Yoseob
"Home" and "Why" by Janet Suhh
"Red String of Fate"by Kim Kyung Hee

"From a philosophical pov, love is all about giving; it's what you give, and not what you take." This is an anonymously quoted line that we all know of but lemme assure that Our Beloved Summer goes beyond all the definitions and breaks all the barriers, in order to come forward with its own interpretations. I will try my best not to spoil while explaining this and please note that the next few paragraphs are descriptions relating to the show's scenarios.

For the world to become beautiful, the golden precepts to live by are mutual understanding, respect, tolerance, forgiveness, and love. OBS signifies how important these 4 factors are, in love. Love is love, no matter what but one must be aware of how to love and be loved, and to acquire that knowledge, we must be willing to learn each and every day out of it. OBS also shows how important its to learn despite the pacing and time period taken, bcs what matters is when you come back with full comprehension.

The feelings of not being loved anymore leads to insecurity which works like a poison in a relationship. Even in the strongest relationships, the fear of judgement by your partner is the mark of guilt and the burden of insecurities. Self-esteem, ego and reasonable pride are some elements contributing to it and I'm glad they didn't forget to sort out the lil knots left to untie at the end of the drama, even though it was late.

Honesty is the best policy- as you've heard, but my friend! It takes immense courage to be honest in a relationship. We often forget that we are mere human beings, and not magicians who can read others. So it's important that we tell things to others and also become a good listeners. Hiding is like lying to your own and it accumulates to further treachery. At the same time, opening up to your partner not only relieves the pain to some amount but also comforts your soul. This is another factor they've emphasized in the drama.

"Because nothing would happen If I don't do anything" is a line from this drama which implies that our choices or decisions are what shapes our future. It doesn't matter whether we joy over it or regret it bcs it's already too late to go back. We might have another chance to set things straight but that again depends upon the others involved. Because In the end, that was the choice you made, and it doesn't matter how hard it was to make it. It matters that you did.

"Please keep loving me." was a desperate call from one of the characters in this drama. We all wish to be loved for only ourselves and nothing extrinsic, but what exactly is the necessity and is that entity sufficiently reserved to elicit love alone? Well, the answer lies in our hearts with some reasoning left for our brains to do.

There is a great gift in conflict that is resolved heart to heart—it’s a deeper understanding. You just need to be willing to do your part to dive deep for the pearl. That's the greatest message "Our Beloved Summer" gives away to it's viewers. It simply is being deeply in love than being crazily in love. This drama truly brings out the most basic thing about a dating relationship.

I think I could be the only one but It somehow reminded me of Yumi's Cell. They're not similar in any way but the fact, that both of them are about processes and not constant or regular outcomes, is what makes both of them unique. I came here solely for Choi Woo Shik, Kim Da Mi and Kim Sung Chul bcs I have always loved their performances. Not having read the webtoon, I wasn't expecting much when the drama was still in making but when the hype about it started going up the hill, it took my level of anticipations with it and I am proud to announce that, it has exceeded whatever I thought It'd be.

Final remarks... Our Beloved Summer will remain in the top 10 list of Kdramas based on youth life essence for many years to come. The drama is character-driven and each & every aspect of this drama gets an near perfect score and the credit must go to the entire cast and crew. Couldn't be grateful to all of them for this beautiful piece of art which is thought provoking and very heartfelt. This is definitely a must watch. My ratings reflect how much I loved it and tbh it had it's own flaws whicu are in fact negligible but to be fair, I can't give 10/10 haha.

P. S. Might comeback sometimes to edit bcs I feel this is a bit disorganized since I had a runny nose while writing, hehe.

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Actually pulled it off well...

Developed by 'Studio Dragon' and produced by 'Beyond J', "Killer's Shopping List (살인자의 쇼핑목록) [2022]" is comedy cum mystery thriller drama, adapted from the novel of the same title authored by Kang Ji Young. Directed by Lee Eon Hee, Han Ji Wan has done the screenwriting and the show was broadcasted on tvN.

The story follows three people investigating about a serial murder case that has been happening in their neighbourhood , in the attempt to save the reputation of their supermarket, and all they have to rely on is the information of the items purchased by their customers. Together, they try to put an end to the miserable incidents happening to people they are familiar with, while they themselves are brought under the scanner of suspicion.

Ahn Dae Sung (Lee Kwang Soo) is a highly intelligent guy though he's lost his charm and has been failing exams for years, currently unemployed and working in MS mart, owned by his mother Jung Myung Sook (Jin Hee Kyung). It's the combined efforts and determination of the mother-son duo, that has helped them grow and prosper over years. Do Ah Hee (Kim Seol Hyun) is a police officer at the local substation and Dae Sung's girlfriend of 20 years. As the first murder takes place and the blame is shifted to Dae Sung, both him and Ah Hee begin to secretly investigate the case, soon followed by Myung Sook, and their spectrum of suspicion widens, making things messed up.

The other familiar faces you see in the drama are: Park Ji Bin, Shin Sung Woo, Oh Hye Won, Jo Aram (GGD), Moon Hee Kyung, Lee Yeon Hee, Ryu Eon Seok, Kwon Soo Hyun (4M), Bae Myung Jin, Jang Won Young and Park Chul Min. Special mention to Ahn Se Bin, the child actress playing the role of Seo Yul, who has impressed the audience so much with her satisfying skills.

Plot development is nice. The pilot episode throws light upon the story of Kwang Soo, his mother and their journey from managing a small store to a huge supermart. It's simply funny till that point the murder takes place and the investigation begins. The furtherance throughout is good, as the bring in and eliminate person by person. The final outcome was satisfying.

Writer Han Ji Wan jakkanim has a fair share of experience in screenwriting, to be able to turn a novel into a live-action adaptation, which is not always an easy job. The comedy elements incorporated into serious mystery and the shift of moods is very well drawn. The incipient establishment of ground in the first episode was decent, if not very impressive. The development is good, with several peaks, the unveiling of past consequences in bit-by-bit manner was a good idea. The final outcomes were likable.

Director Lee Eon Hee PDnim, with experiences in both direction and screenwriting has been able to make wise utilization of her skills. The scenario setup, the screenplay management, the screenediting and the cinematography of modern suburb context. The pacing is perfect, the peak moments of frequent chasing, accompanied with adrenaline-inducing background songs.

Composed by Hwang Chan Hee, there are a total of 3 released OSTs in the drama. "Why, Why, Why, Why?" by 6band is a high-beat and fast-paced rock track that's indeed heart-rushing. "Orange Dream" by Nokdu is a melancholic reminiscences to glorious past and has the vibes of a Korean indie R&B; my most favourite of the three, very well composed. "Nothing" by KOONTA is a pop and rap track about the mystery of the show.

What I liked...
# Kwang soo.. yes Kwang Soo himself is the reason you should always look forward to anything he partakes in. He def isn't someone who picks on anything, and to say that, this might not be your mind-blowing crime thriller but it's made with a lot of sense and that shows. His personal sense of humour has been reflected in his character and acting and his comic expressions are alleviating as always.

# I think I haven't watched many comic thrillers, but I loved it as experiencing something new and the comedy elements built in are entertaining and engaging. I found myself laughing out loud and rolling on the floor at instances. In short, it might seem like a simple comedy drama at first but towards the end, you end up realizing how good it was.

# The character development of Kwang Soo with contributions from all the supporting characters is surely likable. The same for Ah Hee was also nice, even so subtle, and at first seemed only like Daesung's love interest, later turning out to be a key character. In fact, the background drawn for the supporting characters is well-narrated in a short span of time, enough to create opinions about them.

# The way of unveiling of mystery is somehow natural and amusingly intriguing. The makers are so clever to let you figure out things so soon, so what they do is divert your attention to a wide range of people, making you suspect the possibility of them being involved. For me, it was quite predictable about who the most potential suspect could be, they have given plenty of hints, and yet keep making the audience pleased about the involvement of another.

# There are very few instances of accurate and meaningful lgbtqia+ representation in Kdramas, and that too trans representation. It makes me so happy that this stands out as an exemplary piece in successfully pulling off the job, in an amazing way, when there are only 8 episodes; along with creating some awareness about the identity and choices of people. In short, it was sensible enough to be talked about and applauded.

What I didn't like...

# I guess me hating on characters like 5dollar and the main detective has nothing to do with the quality of the show but yeah, they made me so angry with their stupidity and nuisance. It could be fair judging from their perspective but it was v v annoying to me, personally. Plus, the way the detective interrogates was unethical though I understand the situations were like that to have him suspect people unnecessarily, but still.

Final Remarks... Overally, "The Killer's Shopping List" is a hilariously funny yet intriguing crime thriller, made with great sagacity and insight, making a decent delivery from beginning to the ending. It was light-hearted yet engaging and you should give it a try, for sure. Watch it for Kwangsoo at least.

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FABULOUS STORY, POOR ENDING.

The best thing about Korean 'crime thriller/ murder mystery' dramas is, they focus more on showing the criminal psychology than anything else.

And what makes 'Memorist' more interesting other than the supernatural thingy is, the meticulous use of cryptology & cryptanalysis. I regret I misjudged it at first.

Being a semi-supernatural drama, it got a fabulous story, which is as expected heavy, since it's also a crime thriller. The lead actor, who got psychometric powers since birth but had to forget about his past in a tragic accident ends up joining South Korean Police force. He rejects plenty of proposals worldwide to get researched on once his superpowers are revealed worth millions of money. Motive: To find about his forgotten past. In this process he along with the profiler female lead, has to encounter challenges involving another superior power, namely 'the executioner' who creates havoc and gets away every time with them.

The direction, screenwriting, editing, connecting plots & events and the entire plot development are really really good. The crew has done an amazing job and the cast too did their respective parts well.

BUT BUT BUT
Let's talk about the ending.
It was DISAPPOINTING. The way the executioner was caught FUNNY and the person who turned out to be the main culprit behind everything, was an absurd end point to the drama. This drama being one of the best of 2020, had to ruin the ending like this. I was totally displeased tbh.

There's a proverb in Hindi language, "Khoda pahad nikli chuhiya" which translates, "dug up the mountain just to find a mice" means "Insignificant returns resulting from enormous toil".

The ending of MEMORIST felt exactly like that. Anyways, this is a must watch that I'd recommend to everyone.

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Life is a strange thing; funny and worth living for, as well.

"Be My Dream Family" truly defines what a family should be like despite of difference in opinions & personalities, least communication and distance. I watched this with lots of anticipations after finishing "Once Again" earlier this year and this, for my 2nd Korean soap opera, is very pleasing to me, if not as good as Once Again. Rather it has more realistic elements and less melo stuffs than Once Again.

Soap operas with big fat joint family drama, do not have a solid plot development; instead a goal at the end, leading to a happy family life for everyone and this drama is no exception.

Geum Jong Hwa & Kang Mo Ran are in their twilight ages and happen to be single when they meet each other as neighboring business owners. As they hang out with each other, both fall in love so much that decide to marry only after 6 months. Both of them have their big families already but now that they become family, they have a hard row to hoe in order to bring all of them together to one plate. The drama is about the journey of the family members going through various challenges in their personal lives as well as fighting among themselves, until they come to embrace various shades of each individual, finally accepting each orher as their own.

Both the screenwriter and director have done a good job in this drama I swear, it's like developing a perfect partnership. The way the script is interlinked between different scenes and director's editing work upon that are very nice. For 80% of the story, one scene starts with a conversation on the topic upon which the previous scene's conversation had ended. The 120 episode dailysoap might feel a bit slow for the first 10 episodes but it definitely gets better as you watch further. There is almost no background score for majority of the drama but again, that's another feature of Korean daily soaps.

Since soap opera family dramas don't have a solid plot, rather daily live happenings are showcased with an ultimate goal leading towards a happy family life, together, I don't there is much to talk about things. So let me just talk a bit about the characters.

I loved the character development of all the characters...

# Geum Jong Hwa: Lonely, aggressive old man to a loving father.
# Kang Mo Ran: Loves and cares for every single family member and tries her best to bring everyone together despite problems.
# Geum Sang Gu: Naive, jobless, family man to a good businessman. Loving husband & father.
# In Young Hye: Responsible mother & wife who craves love. Becomes close to step-in-laws very fast.
# Geum Sang Gu: Rude, arrogant drama PD to caring son and loving husband.

Oh Min Hee: Ambitious actress coming back to industry after 20 years hiatus. Despite difficulties and public backlash she holds onto things and detrmines to do better. One of the best character development of the drama. Loved the way she changed over episodes.

# Geum Sang Min: Twin daughter. Hardworking yet struggling & dirt broke artist of years. Becomes a better son.
# Geum Min Ah: The 20yo SNU student, hardworking yet stubborn and does things without any thought. The cutest probably.

# Geum In Sol: Twin Son. Another best character development. The 20yo guy was neither studios nor decisive. Clueless with what to choose, he tries various job in order to decide what he wants. Regardless, a very good son to parents who thinks clear and takes care of his family.

# Han Geu Roo: 32yo single, with a closed heart. Protective of her family to a great deal and does a very good job work as an editor.
# Han Da Bal: Widowed, a single mother and an amazing judo artist. Loves her daughter and family a lot but still not open to have another partner.
# Min Ga Eun: Orphaned girl living with sister inlaw's family. Very ambitious at work and works hard. Soft-spoken and bubbly.
# Min Sol: Thoughtful despite of her age, loves her mother a lot, loves to befriend everyone.

# Choi Ji Wan: Divorcee, loving father, an amazing CEO of Aarang Publication. The humblest yet clueless.
# Hyun Shi Woon: Temporary marketing head at Aarang. The friendliest and mood maker. A cupid to many lovers. Loved the way he talked.
# Choi Yi Jae: Very shy kid, stuck between separated parents. Changes a lot by opening up to his father with Da Bal and Min Sol's help.

# Ki Young: Physiotherapist, alcoholic, divorced, friendly yet hard to open up to.
# Im Heon: 20yo brilliant student yet a stupid guy just like his wife, Min Ah. Causes trouble together.

COUPLES:

Jong Hwa & Kang Mo Ran: Married at their twilight years after falling in love. Becomes closer with time. Together, bring the 2 families together.

Sang Baek & Young Hye: Felt in love in highschool, married despite situations, care for each other and together manage their small family. Concerned for their children.

Sang Gu & Min Hee: Fall in love as asst. Dir. and rookie actress, marry after pregnancy. Maintain a bitter relationship but later turn in into a loving couple and embrace each other's flaws.

Sang Min & Ga Eun: Formerly student & teacher, met each other after years as step families. End up staying under the same roof, working together and finally falling in love with each other.

Geu Roo & Shi Woon: With a embarrassing first impression, both avoid each other at work but while helping Geu Roo as a cupid both fall in love unknowingly and faced difficulties to maintain it.

Da Bal & Ji Wan: Both the single parents had to go through various challenges to end up together till the end because of their children , family and situations. It was like contrasting characters attracting each other.

Min Ah & Im Heon: Married at 20 bcs of unexpected pregnancy. The cutest couple, both clueless and immature. Cause trouble for family but decide to do everything for their baby to come.

So many important things anf factors of life at different places like home, education, workplace has been portrayed along with various aspects of life. A number of relationships and their various shades are beautifully represented. I am very glad after watching this drama.

Many other things that's also been thrown light upon are: stress from study, early pregnancy, failed business, family responsibilities, alcoholism, fraudulent, cheating, extramarital affairs, highschool first love, dirty sides of entertainment industry, hatred & online abuse, sincere worker, struggle in performing and creative art sector, atmosphere in publication company, child mental health, divorcee life, widower life, love & care within family, understanding, privacy, concerns, etc.

Ep 100-115 were the peak of the drama where life-changing events happened for most of the characters. It has literally everything summed up and despite many problems, the last 5 episodes ended the drama in a very good way. Loved it.

I am happy I decided to watch it soon, bcs I don't really watch daily soaps (this is my 2nd). This drama brought out all kinda emotions from me and I was laughing, crying, smiling widely, cursing and all through out the drama. This drama is in fact more of a funny comedy and ngl, my laugh has become uglier after watching this TT. Korean daily soaps grow on you no matter how you watch it, ongoing or binging.

PLEASE GO FOR THIS.

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Steady story with a simple plot; not bad.

To be very honest, I assumed Imitation would be a musical Kdrama just because I saw that the major cast are all singers, but to my utter disappointment it turned out to be a drama on the life of kpop idols which casts real kpop idols. But anyways, judging as a drama, IMITATION is not a bad drama and I actually liked it even though it had nothing much to offer. I mean the plot, story and screenplay are in fact not something very new to the industry of Kdramas.

STORY & PLOT:
As the synopsis says, Imitation is all about the life of Kpop idols, on individual levels as well as a group, the kpop industry, it's management and also the kpop fandom culture. The major plot involves 2 kpop groups: "SHAX", a 6yo boy group of 5 members who are well established and considered the best kpop band AND "Tea Party" a rookie girl group of 3 members who go through back to back mishaps to debut and struggle in the huge ocean-like industry of kpop. They have some past, separately and together and they help each other grow while facing odds from the management, industry happenings, media and their fans. While the 2 lead characters fall in love and go forward in their relationship secretly, they also find unsaid truth about their pasts and with the help of their fellow teammates, try to resolve it through music.

CAST & ACTING:
Well, I am not sure about others but I honestly did not expect much in regards of acting since the people casted for the major characters are either rookie actors or are with less experience in the industry. So judging from that pov, they've actually done an moderately average job playing their respective roles. SF9 Chani despite playing small roles in many dramas has actually improved a lot and I loved him the most in the drama. After him was Park Ji Yeon noona (T-ara) who is somewhat experienced
also did good in her supporting role. I have seen Jung Ji So in some other dramas and I actually like her acting. Lee Jun Young (U-kiss) and Jung Yun Ho (Ateez) as main characters were good if not more.

I think Danny Ahn (Ji Hak) is the most experienced actor in this drama but he had very less scope to perform. I was a simp for this drama because. Additional character actors like Choi Jong Ho (Ateez), Im Na Yong (IOI), Hwi Young (SF9), Kim Min Seo, Ahn Jung Hun, Park Seong Hwa (Ateez), Lee Soo Woong (Boys Republic), Choi San (Ateez), Park Yu Ri, had very less role to play and they were not actually bad but I won't judge their acting, haha.

I night actually look funny while mentioning all these names but I am a kpop hardcore multifan as well and this drama is like an eye candy for me, particularly because of my love for ATEEZ (cries under the blanket).

DIRECTION:
Not sure whether I can tell much about it but I think it was moderately average because there was no scope in the story to begin with. It's not bad but as a Kdrama fan I can't say it's something very good as well. It could have been unique if it were a musical Kdrama and they had that chance because of this huge kpop idol starcast but I think they somehow failed to utilize the resources well. But for the screenplay editing, I'd say it's okay-okay and not flawed. One episode in between (don't remember which one now) felt a bit off, like slow development but manageable.

OST and Edits:
Ummm, yeah! OSTs are good; some are catchy, some are heart touching and some are melodious but again, not something I can call very great. I am happy with the SHAX tracks though and I have grown fond of "If We Were". The bg score and OST edits in the drama are good and have been done properly. Screenplay edits and organization are okay too.

CONCLUSION:
I actually don't know what else to say because it didn't have much content either. It is a 12 episode drama with almost nothing new or unique to offer but It was at least a good watch. I won't come to rewatch it ever but it's definitely worth a one time watch. I started because of the kpop idol full starcast and thinking it would be a fun musical which it actually wasn't hence the disappointment but go ahead and watch it if you're into Ateez or a hardcore multi. At least this ended well and didn't feel rushed.

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All that glitters is not gold.

"Beautiful and splendid show window... It's open for everyone to see, but once the spotlights go out and the curtains are drawn, no one can ever know what's going on inside." ~ A minor character from the drama said this.

In a world where people care about the vaunting virtue more than one's inner beauty, we have developed ways to showcase what we wish to swank about. But what happens behind the walls, is always more than the alluring self, which most of us don't bother to care about. Show window is one of the most effective way in that regards but little do we know about the camouflaged matters that can either ruin us or shape us for good.

As you already know, this is a makjang, undoubtedly with toxic elements and nerve-racking characters in it. The question should be, "is this worth checking out?" . Well, yes, in my opinion, I would send you a positive nod. It's not something sort of a must watch but if you're fond of the genre, it surely is an enjoyable watch.

I will tell you a simple plotline, differently from the synopsis given everywhere. There is a happy family of four people and one day the husband is caught cheating on the wife. The wife scared of hurting her children by separating from her husband, pushes herself to save the family and simultaneously tries to get rid of the third person. The husband with high ambitions to own his mother-in-law's company doesn't wanna leave his family, nor does he want to abandon his extramarital lover. The story leads towards the unveiling the husband's true self and establish harmony.

This sounds very simple and typical, right? Well because, it is an usual Kdrama makjang storyline with cliché elements but not to spoil the actual plot, the way of occurrence, screenplay and execution are different from what you'll be able to perceive from the above paragraph. And that's why it's a good watch and to mention, it's for those who are into mild makjang stories accompanied by corporate thrillers, i. e. fight for power and hierarchy.

Song Yoon Ah as Han Sun Joo is considered the Queen who has achieved perfection from every aspect and is ideal to many women; born into a wealthy family, she can pull on anything and marries to a capable & devoted man, now having a loving family. Lee Sung Jae as Shin Myung Seop is a highly ambitious man who with his dedication plus wife's support has been able to climb the hierarchial ladder in Lahen group that belongs to his mother in law. Jeon So Min as Yoon Mi Ra is a lady deprived of love and seeks constant attention from the one she loves. She falls for Myung Sup and they immediately get into a mutually reciprocating relationship. Hwang Chan Sung as Han Jung Won is a warm-hearted guy who loves his sister Sun Joo and despite being slow-witted, knows how to deal with situations.

Some other good actors in major roles are: Moon Hee Kyung (Kim Kang Im) as Sun Joo's mother & Lahen's chairperson, Kim Sung Soo (Cha Young Hoon) as Sun Joo's close friend, Kim Byung Ok (Kim Dae Wook) as the Chief Detective. Shin Yi Joon (Shin Tae Hee) and Park Sang Hoon (Shin Tae Yong) play the children of Sun Joo and Myung Sup.

Only the above mentioned 9 characters are of essence while some others in major characters didn't show any sort of notable acting, in fact, many of the characters, to me, felt very unnecessary fillers. They weren't required for the story; especially all of the residents of the town residency complex who were there to just gossip and even so, the amount of gossiping was absolutely useless for a drama.

I have mixed opinions about the plot development of this drama; it is both good and bad, not both at the same, obviously. The first episode, as an introductory wasn't that impressive but as usual, I decided not to judge it that soon. But what I was already loving was the way initial base of the story was being established as the episodes furthered. The screenplay is gripping, intensively appealing and definitely something catchy. But then there's a leap which is not distinctly shown but yeah, things somehow change and there starts another mood of the drama. It becomes even more interesting and makes you expect, which lasts for about next 2 episodes. And that's when the show starts going downhill.

Well, it doesn't really turn bad or suddenly becomes uninteresting but they start attempting to exaggerate the plot to an extent and while doing that, they include some awfully unnecessary elements and morever, they repeat some of them which was clearly visible. What saved it from a probable backlash was the fact that tbe quality starts degrading much later the interval, which in my opinion is a key time period to evaluate a show, hence, I've tried to reflect it through my ratings.

I am very surprised to have come to know that the makers of the drama are both rookies. Not sure if they've worked as assistants before but this definitely seems to be their creation as frontline director and writer and they've undoubtedly done a very commendable job given their experiences. The drama isn't something very wowish but it was surely a decent watch even when you're not into makjangs. The direction was up to par, starting from screenplay management, synchronising various time scales, screen-editing were taken care of very well. The pacing wasn't consistent after 10th episode, still manageable. The cinematography was surely good; the dark yet flashy pallettes with momentary yellow as well as natural delineations were persuading. The writing was lacking, it was a good plot but progression was not well executed. But given that both the director and writer have debuted through this, this is quite well-delivered, no?

OSTs are composed by Kim Jong Chun and I must say all of them are catchy and captivating at the same time. There are total 7 tracks. My most favourite is "Hello' by Hickee which is the main theme song and is very intriguing. It followed by "Heaven Made" by Elsie Bay which was soothing and tragic at the same time, demanding escape towards happiness. The vocals of Ha Domg Qn in "Cry me a river" gave me goosebumps. "Fallin' by HARU, "just myself" by Kim Dong Hee, "Why i cry" Sin Ye Young and "Tears" by Onestar are the other ones which are quite likable and beautifully written as well as composed.

What I liked...

# Despite having a typical story, the screenplay was engaging and entertaining.

# The performance from the main cast was stupendous as they're old and immensely experienced, except Chan Sung and So Min. Well, they weren't that good but did a decent delivery.

# The drama not being a complete makjang. The simultaneous power fight was intriguing tho that plot went downhill and became repetitive in the 2nd half

# The kids not being typical makjang stupidass spoiled brats.

# The portrayal of present scenario in the beginning and ending of each episode and using it to unfold the past through detailed storytelling.

What I didn't like...

# So many unnecessary supporting characters as fillers and their extended scenes just to fill the 16 eps quota.

# The decent plot development that goes downhill starting from 10th episode. The pacing was still okay yet repetitive. They had many instances to finish the drama with a clear-cut ending, but duh!

# Underutilization of Chan Sung and Seung Soo. Their characters didn't have the impressive dynamics that I was expecting. Chang Sung is improving with dramas but Seung Soo is more than just skilled.

# Not to spoil, the thing involving both Jungwon and Mira could have lasted longer with some stirring outcomes but it felt like there was no need if it were gonna be that simple.

# So many kisses, haha. I'm not genophobic or against inclusion of explicit contents but the first half of the show has so many unnecessary making out scenes.

Final remarks.... Show Window 2021-22 isn't really a good show with intriguing plot, star-studded cast and amazing execution but given it's genre, for me, it was an enjoyable and entertaining watch with fabulous performance though the final delivery was average and wasn't pleasing. A fair one time watch.

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Good show, bad ending. TW: Violence & Gore

Dark Hole is a zombie apocalypse Kdrama with a slight touch of supernaturalism and fantasy with ths likes of Sweet Home but unlike Train to Busan which is a typically pure zombie drama.

T W: As the name suggests, the drama is dark, gore and scary. If your over-sensitive and fragile, watch it with precautions.

The drama is set up in a semi-urban South Korean city, Muji in the Jeolla province and involves a number of characters that includes major, supporting, minor to very minor ones just like a survival series should have. The drama focuses on a city mass-survival efforts of different groups of people. The main plotline mentioned above also includes few other major plots for the lead characters and numerous subplots to fit in the concept of compelling individual's interred angst for someone who has done injustice to them.

Dark Hole is about an extra-terrestrial being with unlimited power of rapid mutation. The method of changing people into mutants is the transmission of spore like black substances via a foggy smoke which turns people into monsters with immense power. The purpose is to gain control over human beings.

The most prominent character is a detective who comes to Muji to catch a serial killer, an ex-policeman who works as a towman, chief of a sub- police station, a failed shaman always seeking authority over people, a highschool girl, victim of tragic incidents and a 10yo girl who lost her mother in that incident; everyone commonly sharing a cataclysmic past. Unlike Sweet Home where everyone was stuck in the same building, Dark Hole has different group of people stuck at different places trying to run away from the mutants as well as the black smoke and escape from one place to another. And in that courses, they're separated and unified multiple times.

Most important part about this drama is that the plot development and twists at any instances will make you doubt about the genre of the drama. At a point you'll think it's zombie horror, but next you'll assume it to be sci-fi and after a while it will feel it's supernatural and so on. The fact that the writer kept us intrigued till the end proves how great he's as a screenwriter. FYI, the Jung Yi Do jakka-nim is the writer of dramas like "Save Me" and "Strangers from Hell". And for the matter of fact, Kim Bong Joo pdnim has done a very great job as the director even though it's his first, so a big round of applause for him.

The major cast has done their roles pretty well, specifically Lee Joon Hyuk, for whom a majority of people took interest in this drama has undoubtedly played his charismatic and daring character throughout the drama giving a satisfying result. Also, Kim Ok Bin noona's fierce character is such a treat; her acting, the stunt scenes and the moments she had to deal with the monster in the void, everything was accurate. Oh Yu Jin, the one playing the highschool girl had a difficult task to do but she has done a remarkable job too. Im Won Hae as a police officer is bit namby-pamby yet manages to handle things by risking his life for the honor of his job.

Screen editing, connecting plots, proper organisation of subplot are very good in the drama but some things are making me complain which I am pointing out. Even though the drama is a mixture of so many subplots to keep it intense and eventful, the cause of the drama seemed lost when the drama was heading towards the end; few of the plots perished into nothingness.

Around the midway of the 10th episode, the plot gradually started fastening that gave the feelings that they're trying to rush things but still manageable till the end of 11th episode. But what happenes in the 12th episode which is the finale was totally disappointing. They rushed the entire thing; given that so many things happened in just that episode, they could have extended it to one more episode giving it a smooth goodbye but Idk where did it go wrong. This very good drama just turned into an average thing just because of that episode. This indeed is an missed opportunity and could have been a lotttt better. They simply could have otherwise pur less content which would have not made it look rushed.

I am actually sad that it turned out be this after showing us it's potential during the entire thing but overally, it's not a bad show. I would rate 8.5 to it if I don't consider the last episode.

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Thrilling: Beginning to End

I am someone who finished the 2 seasons of Kingdom very recently just to watch this sidequel in real time and I must say that I am so very impressed. I know all of us expected an entire season out of this but they had anyways said from the beginning that it will be just a special episode and I think it's because they had to delay for a 3rd season due to covid so to compensate the audience they came up with this. But who knows whether it was the case or they had planned it from the very beginning.

Anyways Let me review.
STORY & PLOT:
So, as it was clear that the episode will be of 1.5 hours, I expected lots of contents but it wasn't the case. However, I am okay with it since it's just a sidequel showing the backstory of the major storyline that we have witnessed in the season 1 & 2. And as the name indicates, this side story is all about "Ashin", the female character we had seen at the very end of the season 2 holding a sword. It starts with the young Ashin who lives with his family in a border village of refugees. His father is loyal to Joseon and works as an undercover spy for Joseon (Won't tell further details because it's just an episode). The story advances with how her father, family and the entire village is betrayed; Ashin approaching the wrong side to avenge the betrayal; realizing the truth years later and deciding to destroy everything with her own accord and power.

I feel it's more like a prequel which to some extent also clarifies how it all started in season 1. Just as a group of audience had suspected and made theories, the reason the plauge's starting has been made clear. And in the season 3 the main story will be combined with this back story of Ashin as we have already seen her in the ending of season 2.

CAST & CHARACTERS:
Well, there are only a few major characters from the major Kingdom story in this drama along with Ashin, which is played by our yeppo noona, Jun Ji Hyun. Let me tell you that, Ashin's character in this special episode is almost mute. She doesn't have much dialogue but as always, Jun Ji Hyun has proved her acting skills with her performance which is dope.

Other than her, the center of attention in this drama is Park Byung Eun who has played the role of Min Chi Rok, the righteous inspector general in the previous seasons. However in this season he's in a different position of an Army General fighting at the borders and was in somewhat negative character. 2 other prominent figures in this are Koo Kyo Hwan and Kim Roe Ha. All of them did a good job at their respective roles assigned.

DIRECTION & EDITING:
Kingdom has had us thrilled since the first season even though the seasons had only 6 episodes and less than 1 hour duration each. The kind of sound editing always had my heart beating fast and they never compromised with cinematography, which is very enthralling, we must admit. The direction and screenwriting by Kim Sung Hoon pdnim and Kim Eun Hee jakkanim is totally a top notch.

CONCLUSION:
There is not much to say about this sidequel tbh since it's only 1.5hours otherwise one would end up spoiling. Also, less scope of reviewing because it's just an insight or pov of a main story that everyone gonna watch just to fill in the gaps. Anyways, this is a thrilling watch and I definitely loved it. As someone who don't believe in ghosts what scares me are gore, zombie, mutant and monster apocalypse.

Overally, Kingdom just like it's previous has a n adept writing, stupendous screenplay direction and, amazing acting, fabulous performance and catchy editing which cab attract a lots of audience.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SEASON 3 AND EAGERLY WAITING FOR IT.

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