DryedMangoez reviews of television series, films and music.
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.
Going into tvN’s much-talked about Start Up (스타트업), I was fully aware of the hype and the passionate debate surrounding the series. Usually when a series garners this much attention, it’s easy to have certain expectations about it before ever watching a minute of it. Perhaps because of those expectations, I found myself being pleasantly surprised by what the series actually was. That is, a hopeful and relatable story about family, friends, following your dreams and working to make those dreams a reality.
It’s hard to find good character-driven thrillers. But OCN’s 2020 series Train (트레인) definitely fits the bill and then some. Yoon Shi Yoon and Kyung Soo Jin lead a strong ensemble in this suspenseful roller coaster (train?) ride of emotions, crime and science-fiction.
Peninsula (반도), the 2020 sequel to worldwide hit Train to Busan, is an adrenaline rush of an action film. But fans of the predecessor may want to set aside any expectations about this film. Peninsula is a very different movie, yet enjoyable enough in its own right.
The 2020 tvN series Tale of the Nine Tailed (구미호뎐/Tale of The Nine-Tailed Fox) is an overall enjoyable series with a charming cast. But it falls short of being the fantastical epic romance it seemed set out to be.
The two-hour long, four-episode MBC drama special You Drive Me Crazy (미치겠다, 너땜에!/I’m Crazy, For You!) shows you can tell an engaging romantic story in a short amount of time as long as you have good actors and focused writing.
The 2020 MBC drama series When I Was the Most Beautiful (내가 가장 예뻤을때) is a quintessential romantic melodrama that is powered by an excellent cast, a tightly-written intricate story and an emotional depth rarely seen on television dramas. It has unexpectedly become one of my favorite dramas of the year. And Lim Soo Hyang, Ji Soo and Ha Seok Jin deliver exceptional, must-watch/must-experience performances.