DryedMangoez Good Ol’ Reviews written after a television series has completed its premiere run.
If you want a simple, stress-free K-drama experience, KBS’s Café Minamdang (미남당) might be the series for you. If you’re looking for something a bit more than that, you might be left wanting more. Café Minamdang mixes over-the-top comedy with crime/mystery. And while it isn’t always able to seamlessly blend the two, the series is nonetheless a refreshingly easy watch compared to most of what’s on the Korean airwaves today.
A supermarket producing a webseries? Sure! Puregold, one of the Philippines’ largest supermarket chains, produced Ang Babae Sa Likod Ng Face Mask (The Woman Behind the Face Mask). The romantic comedy stars popular TV host/comedienne/beauty queen Herlene “Hipon” Budol as a young woman who must overcome her insecurities and lack of confidence as she finds love.
Kamen Rider Black Sun (仮面ライダーBLACK SUN) is a refreshing and engaging reimagination of not just the original 1987-88 season of Kamen Rider, but of the entire franchise itself. Celebrating the franchise’s 50-year history, Black Sun is a darker, more mature version of the long-running Sunday morning series. And it draws upon that history to deliver timely and universal stories though the familiar, though more mature confines within the Kamen Rider playbook. It has a little something for everyone, whether you’re a longtime fan or someone stepping into the world of masked Riders for the very first time.
Kim Yoo Jung and Byeon Woo Seok deliver pitch perfect performances to power Netflix’s 20th Century Girl (20세기 소녀). The film is a dreamy and nostalgic story of high school friendship and first love. And the chemistry of the two leads help to make director/writer Bang Woo Ri’s screenplay one that immediately endears and draws you in for maximum emotional effect.
tvN’s Shxxting Stars (or Shooting Stars/별똥별) is a romantic comedy through and through. It might not reinvent the wheel, but it knows what it wants to be and does it well. Yet it is also still refreshing and new while being as fluffy and breezy as a romantic comedy should be. That’s also true even when the series does dabble in more dramatic stories, especially those addressing some of the darker sides of Korean entertainment. But this stylized depiction of a world ripe for K-drama shenanigans is an absolute treat.
Along with a strong supporting cast, fast-paced writing and a long-overdue star turn for leading man Kang Tae Oh, experienced and talented actress Park Eun Bin delivers an endearing and nuanced portrayal of the title character in the ENA drama series Extraordinary Attorney Woo (이상한 변호사 우영우/ Strange Lawyer Woo Young-woo), While shining a light on Attorney Woo who has autism spectrum disorder, the series also provides a refreshing take on the law procedural that has felt a bit tired lately as many recent Korean dramas in the genre seem content on paint by the numbers execution.
If ever there was a series whose title is ripe for a pun-infused critique of it, it is SBS’ Why Her? (왜 오수재인가 /Why Oh Soo Jae?). Because as you’re watching and definitely after you’ve finished the 16 episodes of the drama, you’ll be asking yourself “Why?” Or maybe the more appropriate question is “How?” How could a series with such a strong cast and a seemingly strong start end up half-baked, undercooked and thoroughly contrived.
Netflix manages to balance and temper those worries in their latest Korean original Narco-Saints (수리남/Suriname). The six-episode series plays more like a six-hour film. And because of that, unlike many of Netflix’s originals, it ends up being a wholly satisfying experience. Powered by a stellar, big-name cast and its lush location, Narco-Saints is a well-paced thriller that effectively builds up to a truly exhilarating climax.
Ahead of this weekend’s finale of Top Class, I’ve finally caught up with the Filipino audition program aiming to form the next hit P-pop group. And it’s been pretty good. Both on its own as a TV show and competition as well as a sign of P-pop’s rapid rise. Far from perfect, to be sure. But a solid production.
KBS’ Going to You at a Speed of 493km (너에게 가는 속도 493km) is a charming and relatable slice of life story about growing up and overcoming the everyday struggles and hardships of life. I will refer to the series using its original Korean title as I feel that it better captures the series’ wonderfully poetic storytelling and direction than the more generic English title of Love All Play. The series is a balanced blend of lighthearted romantic drama and coming of age angst. The characters’ personal stories and relationships provide the backbone for the series’ 16 episodes. And the talented young and veteran cast do an excellent job bringing them to life.