DryedMangoez Good Ol’ Reviews written after a television series has completed its premiere run.
On the surface, the 2019 KBS drama Angel’s Last Mission: Love (단, 하나의 사랑) is the almost-epic forbidden love story between two beings who go against the odds to be with each other. But beneath the surface is a bewildering mix of half-cocked religious themes used merely as some sort of mystical twist to an otherwise familiar story.
The 2020 KBS drama series Born Again (본 어게인) has an intriguing premise and excellent cast. But it unfortunately gets bogged down by a plot-driven narrative and unnecessary distractions that ultimately prevent it from being the epic story it had the potential to be.
The 2018 film Stand By Me (덕구/Deok-Goo) is an absolutely terrific character-driven slice of life story. Steller performances from veteran Lee Soon Jae and the young Jung Ji Hoon power the simple, but emotional and relatable film.
The 2016 tvN drama Signal (시그널) is a breathtaking experience. The multi-awarded, highly rated and critically acclaimed series is an emotionally affecting and effectively thrilling character-driven ride. With its stellar cast, strong characters and engaging story, it’s not hard to see why it has enthralled audiences the world over.
The KBS Drama Special has been home to some of Korean television’s most envelope-pushing and experimental storytelling. And being on a national public broadcast network as opposed to a cable network, that’s a pretty big feat to accomplish. The 2020 slate of the KBS Drama Special again features some unique stories. And To My Assailant (나의 가해자에게) is one of them. Though tackling a familiar theme, the episode brings to light a different side of an all too familiar issue in a way that is enlightening and engaging.
FNC’s new six-member group P1Harmony made a very impactful debut with “Siren” in November. And since then, I’ve slowly, but surely become a fan of theirs. In reading up about them and getting to know more about them, I learned they actually starred in a film to gear up for their debut. I decided to check it out. And let me tell you, I was absolutely shocked.
Wish You is a pretty simple and straightforward story. Sang Yi (IMFACT’s Lee Sang) is a timid, but talented young man working in the A&R department of an entertainment company. He becomes a big fan of aspiring singer In Soo (MYNAME’s Kang Insoo) who he is able to successfully recommend to the company to be scouted.
Absurd. Hilarious. Random. Trippy. Terrifying. Foreboding. Bonkers. Insane. Confusing. All of these words can be used to describe The School Nurse Files (보건교사 안은영/Nurse Teacher An Eun-Young). But you could use words like emotional, heartfelt, thought-provoking, enlightening and deep as well. And it all depends on how you approach the Netflix original Korean drama series and take it all in.
Our 30 Minute Sessions (サヨナラまでの30分/30 Minutes Until Goodbye) doesn’t reinvent the wheel. And it doesn’t have to. The 2020 film treads familiar territory, but does it well. With its strong cast, excellent soundtrack and careful direction, the film is an affecting story of healing, purpose and friendship.
Psychological crime thrillers are plentiful on Korean television. And Memorist (메모리스트) is one of them. But this 2020 tvN series ends up being a little too ambitious for its own good. While its stellar cast is able to carry the weight, the series stumbles though its efforts to try and offer something different and more involved than other similar shows in the genre.