KDrama to Miss: Crash Landing on You (2019)

 

Crash Landing on You (2019)

Grade: C+

16 Episodes, 1.25 hrs each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Yoon Se-ri runs a successful cosmetics and fashion company, but one day during a test-flight of some new athletic wear, her simple paragliding outing turns into a stormy nightmare: she is blown right across the North Korean border into enemy territory! Luckily the army captain who finds her at the border outpost wants to cause as little trouble as possible for his small troop of loyal soldiers, and Ri Jeong Hyeok does everything he can to return Se-ri before anyone else finds out. 

However, Ri Jeong Hyeok is also investigating his brother's mysterious death – an accident which appears to be part of larger corruption among North Korea's top military leaders – and who better to expose Se-ri than Cho Cheol Gang, the man with leverage against almost every top official in North Korea? What happens when Cho Cheol Gang evades capture for his crimes and flees south, threatening Se-ri's life? Will Ri Jeong Hyeok allow himself to love after losing his brother so tragically?

*This story felt a bit long and slow in places. All the “bad guys” aside from Cho Cheol Gang end up not actually being bad. There is also an actual – spoiler alert – death of a secondary character, the 2nd male lead, which I don't recall seeing in a drama before! So the 2nd female lead doesn't get a happy romance story line; instead she gets the “it's cool to be single” ending, which feels quite American/Western, unfortunately, or just plain tragic at the very least. 

I have heard that the portrayal of North Korea is based on actual reports from defectors, so it's supposed to be quite accurate in that regard. There are some cute, humorous moments seeing people experience technology & plentiful stores for the first time – very similar to other kdramas where people from the past end up in modern times. 

Overall, this doesn't have the happiest of endings – he can't leave North Korea long term, and she certainly can't live there, so they settle for only seeing each other for 2 weeks of the year, living together in a neutral country (Switzerland, where they originally met). Wouldn't watch again.

KDrama to Miss: "Doom at your Service" (2021)

Doom At Your Service (2021)

Grade: C

16 Episodes, 1 Hr each
Viewing Platform: Netflix

Tak Dong-kyung is an editor at a web novel company who helped raise her younger brother after both their parents died when they were young. Her aunt did take them in, but now that the siblings are grown, Dong-kyung has been on her own for a while. She gets the life-changing news that she has a brain tumor, and it is fatal, with only a few months to live. To top that off, she discovers her boyfriend is actually married with a pregnant wife, a pervert bothers her, and she gets reprimanded at work. In a moment of deep frustration, she wishes for “doom” to end everything – her life, and the entire world! What happens when Dong-kyung discovers Doom is real and he offers to grant her a wish in exchange for ending the world? Will “god” allow Doom to destroy humanity? And what happens when Dong-kyung's kind heart starts to pity the miserable Doom?

*The premise had promise, but this ends up being a super soapy drama with little humor and a lot of angst. I ended up watching this on 1.5x speed just to finish it faster. “God” is portrayed as a creation of mankind – a teen girl who suffers and dies repeatedly as humanity's way of purging sin (an odd interpretation of religion). I wasn't totally invested in Doom succeeding either way; Dong-kyung was kind of cute, and because she's kind I did want her to get a happy ending. I was going to give this a lower grade, but the last episode and overall ending is soft, happy, and gentle, so that bumped it up a bit. Still, not a drama I'd recommend or watch again.*

 

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