Philippines/Korean Film to Miss: Ultimate Oppa (2022)

 Ultimate Oppa (2022)

Viewing platform: Amazon Prime

Yana is a Filipino girl, working in a fast-food chicken shop while she dreams of one day becoming a romance writer. Yana would love to write a drama for television starring her favorite Kdrama star, Moon Shi Woo – he replies with such sincere, heartfelt support every time she sends him her fanfic online. It isn't actually Shi Woo who replies to all his fans, though – his assistant Jay does. One day the conceited actor responds to some haters online, and it immediately spins out of control. His agency then decides to hold a special contest for all his fans to help redeem his image. Yana is selected, and she gets to experience an all-expenses paid trip to a ski resort in South Korea! The other contestants try to outdo each other in the elimination round competitions, but Yana is gracious throughout, genuinely impressing Shi Woo. Meanwhile, Jay keeps coming to Yana's rescue – finding her locked out of her room in the cold, locating her misplaced passport, singing a duet with her in the karaoke competition. What happens when the two young men both start to develop feelings for the sweet, kindhearted Yana?

*This was a disappointing movie. There were at least a dozen F-words throughout, and with the mix of Korean, English, and Tagalog, the dialogue didn't come across with the same sincerity as the single-language shows I've watched. While it does have a happy ending, the charm was lost in translation, coming across as stilted and cheesy in an uncomfortable way. Wouldn't watch again or recommend.*

InFilm to Miss: Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018)

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018)

Viewing Platform: Amazon Prime

Verdict: Pass

Sonu and Titu are childhood best friends. The pair became inseparable when, at age 13, Sonu's mother died and Titu's family took him into their home to finish raising him. Sonu is more worldly and he takes it upon himself to assist in hapless Titu's disastrous love life. Is it a bit manipulative of Sonu to pressure his friend to end what Sonu considers a bad relationship? Yes, but it comes from the right place – especially as Titu is the sole heir to his family's successful sweets shop franchise. When Titu jumps into an arranged marriage after only a few months post-breakup, Sonu tries to talk him out of it, thinking it's just a “rebound” type response, but Sweety is the perfect bride candidate and the family welcomes her with open arms. Sweety finally shows her hand after the engagement ceremony, admitting she is the villain in this story – but only after Sonu blundered into an ungraceful accusation against Sweety, which she easily (and convincingly) explained away. Will Sonu be able to convince Titu he's telling the truth about Sweety's gold-digging scheme? Or will the villain succeed in coming between the two lifelong friends?

*This should not be labeled a comedy, as ~ spoiler alert ~ there is NO wedding among ANY of the characters! I have a feeling the writers chose this in order to stand out from all the other traditional Bollywood films, which is their prerogative, but I was disappointed. It would have been funnier if Sweety and Sonu fell for each other instead – they're a better match with their machinations and plotting anyway – and Titu could have gone back to his former girlfriend. Plus there was Sweety, taking all these steps to trick and manipulate Titu and his family, while Sonu did next to nothing; again, it would have been funnier if the writers had him match her, move for move. Instead it all came down to Sonu crying at the end; seemed like a weak way to end it. I also didn't like how several dance numbers were very suggestive, in an American/western fashion; and Sweety looked too fake (veneers, contact lenses, and possibly a nose job). I won't watch this again, and I don't recommend it.*

KDrama to Maybe Watch: Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019)

Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019)

Grade: B-

16 Episodes, approx 1 Hr each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Low-born Gae-ttong has one goal in life: to earn enough money to find her long-lost brother and have a decent place to live. Her friend, the local blacksmith's son, promises to help her and proposes, after the locally famous matchmakers, the Flower Crew, agree to help. On the day of the wedding, however, Kim Su never shows up, and Gae-ttong is devastated. Ma Hun does not want this blemish on his record though, so he commits to helping Gae-ttong find her missing fiance and allows her to stay with them and help with their business in the meantime. What happens when the crew discovers the reason Su never arrived is because the royal court kidnapped Su and revealed his true lineage, as Joseon's new king? Will Su be able to gain enough power to elevate Gae-ttong and make her his queen? Or will the other crew members' pasts catch up with them and the evil machinations of Hun's father destroy everything?

*I'm still not a huge fan of period dramas, but I like to give one a try every now & again. Honestly, this would have been SO much better if the writers had focused on the marriage crew's job, writing the episodes to detail various funny matchmaking story lines. Instead, it focused on politics and the tragedy each main character had gone through. I'm also not sure I like who Gae-ttong ends up with – SPOILER ALERT – it really isn't Su's fault that he became king, so why should he also lose his love? I guess it's good Gae-ttong wasn't also forced into an aristocrat's life, but it seems a little disloyal of her to choose the other guy; plus I didn't get much chemistry between Gae-ttong and Hun. I probably won't watch it again, but it might be enjoyable to those who like the period kdrama pieces.*

KDrama to Miss: Because This Is My First Life (2017)

Because This Is My First Life (2017)

Grade: D+

16 Episodes, 1 Hr each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Yoon Ji-ho is a struggling assistant drama writer, and when she is almost sexually assaulted by a coworker, she decides to quit writing altogether. Then her younger freeloading brother gets his girlfriend pregnant and Ji-ho's father kicks her out of their city apartment she'd been making payments on for the past 5 years. A mutual friend finds her a room in someone else's apartment though, and a solid week goes by before Ji-ho meets the owner: the socially withdrawn computer programmer, Nam Se-hee. (Each had assumed the other was their same gender.) Ji-ho and Se-hee have simliar fastidious, clean habits however; also, Ji-ho just wants somewhere safe to live while Se-hee wants everyone to stop nagging him to marry – so they end up getting married (in name only) to meet both their needs. But what happens when Ji-ho starts to develop feelings for the taciturn older man she's married to? Will Se-hee be able to confess why he's given up on love for himself? And what about their friends' relationships?

*This is NOT a rom-com but a dreadfully tedious commentary on society. Sure, there are a couple funny moments, but the romance is not the focus. Rather, it's an exploration of adult life of a particular generation (1980s babies) and a criticism of traditional Korean values & societal roles. All the main characters have sex out of wedlock (at least, I think 2 of them are divorced when they get together – it was hard to follow at that point); marriage is looked down on; and there are several uncomfortable instances of workplace sexual harassment (towards/against women – which, if it needs to be said, then fine, but I don't like watching it when I'm trying to be entertained). It's not a fun show and I wouldn't be surprised if Netflix removing it from their platform is because it didn't do well ratings-wise. Wouldn't recommend and won't watch again.*

KDrama to Maybe Watch: Heartbeat (2023)

Heartbeat (2023)

Grade: C+

16 Episodes
Viewing Platform: Amazon Prime

Joo In-hae is a young school nurse, trying to make ends meet ever since her father abandoned their family and her mother died. She loses her apartment and deposit as her “landlord” runs off on demolition day and is about to lose her job because she cut a student's hair. (It was an attempt to draw attention to the girl being bullied.) Then In-hae receives word that her father has been declared legally dead, and she receives a spooky mansion as an inheritance. While exploring the large old house, she discovers a coffin with a BODY INSIDE. Turns out she interrupted vampire Seon Woo-hyul's hundred-year sleep – one day short of his goal to turn human because he wants to experience “heart-pounding” love! Will Woo-hyul be able to complete his transformation into a human and find his reincarnated lost love? Will In-hae's successful old college friend (who is actually a vampire hunter descendant) succeed in drinking a half-vampire's blood to cure his early, inherited death sentence? And what will Woo-hyul's vampire rival do in response to Woo-hyul's return?

*The first 6 episodes of this drama were SO GOOD! I always love a supernatural element to a kdrama, and the intro music and animation are the PERFECT backdrop for a story like this. There are several funny and romantic tension scenes, which I love – but then the pacing drops off and a bunch of sad dialogue and moody “staring off into the distance” shots take over. Honestly, it would have been SO much better if they had chosen to make this an action-romance-comedy instead of a romance-tragedy. The writers portray Woo-hyul like a terminal patient instead of a supernatural creature, and (SPOILER alert) they just let him die! I don't want to see a normal, believable ending when there are characters who are unbelievable; give me a fantastic ending to match the fantasy start! I enjoyed parts of this show, but overall I won't watch it again.*

Photo By Naver, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73858975

KDrama to Miss: Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)

Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)

Grade: C-

16 Episodes, about 75 min each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Na Hee-do is an aspiring teenage fencer in the 1990s, with only one dream: to be the rival of talented, Olympic champion Ko Yu-rim. Hee-do convinces her famous news anchor mother to let her transfer to Yu-rim's school, and in the meantime, she meets an alumnus of that school, Baek Yi-jin – a young man who is down on his luck ever since his rich father's lawbreaking was discovered and the huge financial crisis hit South Korea. Will Yu-rim accept Hee-do as a worthy opponent? What happens when Yi-jin has to go live near the sea with his uncle because he isn't a college grad and can't find a job anywhere else? And what will Hee-do's aspiring ballerina daughter, looking back on her mother's adolescence, think of all this?

*This kdrama felt SO LONG and sad and drawn out! I don't like when a show decides to cover several years of time with its characters (not including the flashbacks). This is definitely a “coming of age” story with a heavy dose of nostalgia (a particular flavor of which I don't relate to as an American). It is also NOT a lovely, exciting romance, but rather a *spoiler alert* bittersweet, slow-death tale of an ill-fated first love. Seriously, I don't understand the drive to choose career over love in modern storytelling; it's so depressing and too much like real-life, when all I want to do is escape reality with my precious downtime. I understand that Yi-jin had MUCH fewer options because he wasn't able to continue his education, but it just wasn't romantic for him to pick his job over his girlfriend. Won't watch again.*

KDrama to Miss: Beauty Inside (2018)

The Beauty Inside (2018)

Grade: D

16 Episodes, 1 Hr each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

The talented actress Han Se-gye has a strange secret: once a month, she mystically transforms into an entirely different person! Her transformation mimics that of a woman's monthly cycle, in that it is mostly predictable and lasts a few days to a week at a time – but it differs in that she can become young or old, male or female, as well as any race or nationality. She can recognize the signs of it coming, which has earned her the reputation of a runaway of sorts, but the saddest part is not even her friends or family recognize her when she is wearing a different face. What happens when the face-blind chaebol Seo Do-jae runs into Han Se-gye and still recognizes who she is, despite her other forms? Will she be able to keep her secret? Will Do-jae ever recover from his malady?

*This kdrama had a lot of promise – I love a touch of mysticism or magic in a show (“Secret Garden” comes to mind), but I was greatly disappointed in this drama: there is no explanation for it whatsoever, and it's treated like a background or secondary problem. The other issue is the male lead was not very charming or attractive; it makes sense for a person with face-blindness to have a “dead” look in their eyes, but it made him a lot harder to like. Plus I just don't think he's a good actor. I also didn't like the pro-trans/gay messaging, with Do-jae's character having to love Se-gye no matter her gender. A person's identity is intrinsically tied to their gender, and the modern ideology that one's soul is “beyond” or “outside” of that is false. The drama also moves rather slowly, with far too many sad moments. I wouldn't watch this again or recommend it.*