Hello, My Twenties Season 1

Episodes: 12
Synopsis: 

This drama is a slice-of-life story about a group of five college girls in their early 20s. The drama shows the different struggles one might face such as financial troubles, romance issues, and career goals. It also shows the power of girl friendship and also the need to adapt to others and learn from others when living together.

Review: 

This was so enjoyable to watch and so relatable. The 5 main characters are also so different that you are bound to relate to at least one of them or see your best friends in one of them. The five characters are:
1) Yoon Jin Myung-- a 28 year old who is working numerous jobs while attending college. She is late to graduate as she has to work so often and help her family financially. She is very cold, quiet, and detached from other people and it is very hard to get close to her. However, outside the cold exterior, she is a strong, caring individual. She is very career-oriented and hardworking. I thought that her manager at the restaurant was ridiculously shady (but there are many people who face workplace superiors who try to take advantage of them). However, she also gets to interact with the chef at the restaurant who truly cares about her and wants to help her out. It's nice to see how strong this character is and how she isn't scared to fight back. Truly refreshing. Also the chef dude is ultimate husband material. However, I'm glad that this girl isn't swayed by another person's kindness easily. She appreciates the kindness and help but she also remains strong and independent.

2) Jung Ye Eun-- a bubbly, girly 22 year old. Her life, outside of being a nutrition major at school, revolves around her good-for-nothing boyfriend and her friendships with her housemates. She is constantly having to deal with a boyfriend who disrespects her, cheats on her, and also tries to hit on her housemate. However, time after time, she forgives him because she loves him. She was a pretty frustrating character to watch and I think a big part of that is because when you're in a toxic relationship, you slowly toxic person toward others as well. She faces a lot of trust and jealousy issues when she is in her relationship. But when she finally learns to love herself and be more independent upon breaking up with her boyfriend, she ends up in a kidnapping and domestic violence case where her obsessed boyfriend tries to force her to get back together with him.

3) Song Ji Won-- a single, male-desperate 22 year old. She is the eccentric one of the group and she constantly dresses uniquely and makes up ghost stories that she claims are true. She is constant rambling about the importance of losing her virginity before looking for careers but has yet to find a man to have sex with. She appears to be male-desperate but she also doesn't really go for anyone. She also isn't sad or depressed about the fact that she is single and not accomplishing her virginity loss goals. She's fairly happy with her life and uses her lack-of-a-love-life as a joking matter with friends.

4) Kang Yi Na-- a seductive, strong-willed 24 year old who has no career or academic aspirations. She is the one person who is not attending college but instead is earning money by being an escort to rich men. She is extremely confident and also feels very comfortable in her own skin and in the decisions she makes for herself. At the same time, she also carries a burden of surviving at the sake of another person's life during an accident. I really liked her personality and I personally related to her confidence and the manner she deals with problems the most. Also, while none of her relationships with wealthy men are real, her friendship with this male escort is endearing. They both work in the same field but he really watches out for her and also even checked in on her when he thought she got hurt.

5) Yoo Eun Jae--a socially awkward 22 year old psychology major. She is extremely quiet and timid. She also has a complicated past as her brother passed away from a peanut allergy and she fears she might have accidentally caused her father's car accident when she was younger. She has trouble voicing out at times but she is extremely sweet natured. Her boyfriend in this drama is pretty dorky but I really liked how he was so head-over-heels in love with her and wanted her to have more of a backbone.

I loved the friendship dynamics between the girls so much and I also loved seeing them develop their own friendships/relationships outside of their house. They're so supportive and realistic of each other. The fights the girls have together resemble sister fights and it was kind of touching when they would make up the next day. The shade they sometimes threw at each other when one was in a bad mood was also absolutely hilarious. It felt so realistic and it just makes you realize girl-on-girl friendships are amazing.
But honestly speaking my friends better be able to differentiate me and another person via messaging the way these girls did when they figured out Ye Eun got kidnapped.
I also really liked the mini interviews at the end of the dramas where the characters talk about what happened in that episode or talk about each other. It gave me The Office vibes but with a more realistic touch. I thought it was so funny when they were asked to rate each other's fashion sense and also the interviews where they talk to the shady characters (like the restaurant manager and the abusive boyfriend). Made this drama feel more like a slice of life. I also like how not everything is explained in this drama and that there are some mini time jumps from drama to drama. But it isn't hard to follow this drama at all. 

Tempted

Episodes: 32 

Synopsis: 

To write a synopsis for this drama is not very easy. For starters, this is a melodrama. There is romance and comedy but there is also tragedy and angst. This drama focuses on four main characters as they fall in love, manipulate love and their loved ones, and emotionally lash out at others. It is a story that is rooted in passion, temptation, and also revenge. When Choi Soo Ji gets humiliated and hurt by a man, she immediately seeks help from her two best friends Kwon Shi Hyun and Lee Se Joo to hurt that man's first love. She manages to convince her friends to work together and have Kwon Shi Hyun seduce the independent, soft-natured Eun Tae Hee. As Shi Hyun begins to seduce Eun Tae Hee, he finds himself falling for her as she begins to fall for him. Thus the drama begins as their fake act of romance turns real and friendships go sour. All in all, it is a great drama and the name "Tempted" is fairly appropriate.

Review:

This drama was thoroughly entertaining to watch as it was a perfect mix of drama, tragedy, comedy, and romance. While this drama does have its flaws, I think I appreciated the drama's pros more.

         I really enjoyed the acting in this drama. A lot of people seemed to dislike Joy's acting as Eun Tae Hee at times but I personally feel like she did a great job. Emotions were conveyed very well between actors and I feel like they all really understood their roles well. I did notice the chemistry between Kwon Shi Hyun and Eun Tae Hee slowly diminish as their love story dragged on but at that point, I was already too emotionally invested in their relationship to turn away. Also, the characters in this drama are so distinct, unique, and brilliant in their own ways. You can hate them but you can also love them; you cannot believe them but you also understand them. I loved this because nobody is truly perfect and this drama shows that. Everyone believes that what they are doing is right but they don't realize the full extent of their situation at times. I also really loved this drama because while there were many toxic friendships and relationships in this drama, the drama did not sugarcoat it or romanticize it. They make it very clear that it is wrong and manipulative...even if you understand why it is the way it is. I think it is healthy to have representations of toxic friendships/relationships and have it blatantly stated as unhealthy. For instance in episode 14, Shi Hyun warns Soo Ji to not push him to his limits and to not "use friendships like weapons." 

         The romance between Eun Tae Hee and Kwon Shi Hyun was actually pretty cute, even when I knew it was all an act at the beginning. I think it was interestingly portrayed in this drama as the lines of the relationship gets blurred as Kwon Shi Hyun begins to fall in love for real. The pool scene in episode 11 was truly a big step for Kwon Shi Hyun as he slowly realizes that he's in too deep in this bet and it might fall apart on him as he's actually catching feelings. It was also an amazing scene to witness Eun Tae Hee's strength when she confronts Choi Soo Ji. Choi Soo Ji acts the way she does due to circumstances, not necessarily because she is a bad person. However, that doesn't excuse her actions. She often puts on a pity party in order to have things go her way and will do anything to get what she wants. (Soo Ji is honestly a Slytherin Queen). So it was so refreshing to see her try to put on a pity party show about how she has this big secret to Eun Tae Hee and have Tae Hee shut her down with: "I don't care if you tell me the secret. The thing about a secret is that it's a big deal for the person who tells the secret but it means nothing to other people. (Ooooo girl!!)

         But I really appreciated Kwon Shi Hyun's relationship with Eun Tae Hee because they sort of become each other's rocks. It also was fascinating to see the character development. Like for instance Shi Hyun used to act cold and suave when he was trying to get her for the bet, but as he fell for her he became more vulnerable (episode 13) and also more willing to open up to her and cry in front of her (like in episode 15 when he didn't have to pretend to be okay in front of her). Tae Hee on the other hand used to not really take the time to open up and be vulnerable as well. But she's finally able to show that cute side with Shi Hyun and she also has someone to watch out for her, motivate her to do well in school and in fitness, and so forth. The other main relationship is between Se Joo and Soo Ji. They had a fairly toxic relationship/friendship but they were supportive of each other's toxic ways. However, they truly grew together as well and they also helped support each other and protect one another. Se Joo probably deserved better but who's to say Soo Ji isn't the one for him...especially since he knew her over the years and knows what kind of person she can be. 

            The plot was pretty solid. There were parts that dragged and the ending felt a bit rushed. But it was still satisfying as everyone ended up with who the audience expected them to end up with (or at least who the audience thought was  healthy for the characters). I also really liked the fashion in this drama. I stan Choi Soo Ji and Eun Tae Hee's fashion sense so much. Pretty good drama, overall. I enjoyed it.