Tune in For Love (Movie)

Synopsis and Review:

        This movie tells the poorly timed love story between Hyun Woo and Mi Soo. They first meet in the 1990s. Mi Soo works at a bakery with her mother-like figure/friend Eun Ja. Hyun Woo just got out of a juvenile prison center after being found guilty of his classmate's accidental death and begins to work at the bakery alongside the two women. The three become close friends but separate when Hyun Woo's past catches up with him and he leaves the bakery. Years later, Hyun Woo and Mi Soo unexpectedly meet one another. However, the time they were able to spend together was only for one night as Hyun Woo heads off to military service. 

        During the two years, Mi Soo sends Hyun Woo numerous emails to an account that she failed to give Hyun Woo a password for. She hoped he would one day figure out the password and reunite with her.  At this point, Mi Soo begins to pursue a career in writing and Eunja marries a single-father and begins to run a noodle shop. Lives are not what they have hoped it would be. Despite many poorly timed parts to their love story, they eventually are able to reunite. As they fall in love despite the gaps in their relationship, the two learn to trust, love, and grow together. 

        This was a very cute movie. It was simple and made you nostalgic for a time that you weren't a part of. I found many scenes very aesthetic -- such as the rain scene while they sat at their bakery. The cinematography was great. However, I did find the romance to be fairly unrealistic. They never truly had a long-term relationship considering the time they did spend together was so short and the gaps in their relationship were so long. When I was watching this with my boyfriend, we both questioned the likelihood of two individuals both remaining single and waiting for the other person despite the story being told in almost five years of time.

The story was cute but I feel like it didn't do anything beyond and above. I think a big part of my failure to be invested in their relationship despite the movie being about their relationship is because of the many gaps in their relationship. However, interestingly, I did appreciate the talks of not being in a satisfying job or not feeling good about oneself when comparing to others. It definitely shows how it takes time to grow and develop ourselves. That everyone's timing is different and success isn't measured on the same scale for everyone. It did make me think about the ways we often associate productivity/prestige to success at school or work...but that is definitely me thinking deeper than what this movie was showing. 

Hotel Del Luna

Episodes: 16

Synopsis: 

Hotel Del Luna is a fancy hotel located in Myeongdong, Seoul. However, despite being open, no guests seem to reside there. This is because all of their clients are ghosts. In fact, Hotel Del Luna acts as a resting stop for ghosts before they move on to the afterlife. Jang Man Wol is the CEO of the hotel, and she is tethered to Hotel Del Luna and forced to cater to the dead due to a huge sin she committed a millennium ago when she was still human. Her grudge toward those who harmed her then and her bitterness toward life force her to live a life tied to the hotel. With the help of the deities, Jang Man Wol meets Gu Chan Sung's father and makes a deal with him. He is allowed to safely return home to his son but his child would have to come work for her after 20 years. This child, Gu Chan Sung, grew up to be a righteous, sincere young man who works as a hotelier. He comes back to South Korea after his father's death to be an assistant manager at a well-known hotel corporation, only to find Jang Man Wol is awaiting his arrival to come work as the manager of Hotel Del Luna. As Gu Chan Sung gets used to the strange line of work he is engaged in, he also teaches Jang Man Wol to do more good for those who have passed away and to also face her fears and grudges. 

Review: 

        I loved this drama so much! This is by far one of my top favorite dramas that I watched in 2019. This drama reminded me of Goblin in many ways as it deals with the same questions of what life is like after death, the same concept of a character tethered to the mortal world for thousands of years due to a grudge/sin, and the ways in which we can learn how to let go and find peace in ourselves. I also cried so much at the ending (so much more than I expected to).

Some things I liked:
- IU's acting as Jang Man Wol was so impressive. She was sassy, emotional, deeply sad, cold, hilarious, serious, etc all at once. I was very pleased with the wide range and depth she provided with this role. I have also read many reports that she enjoyed this drama a lot more than some previous drama roles she had.
- I think Yeo Jin Goo is great at recognizing how much he needs to act and how he has to act. In fact, his crying scenes really hit differently. It's crazy how I watched him when he was a child actor in dramas like "Iljimae" and "The Moon Embraces the Sun" to him now acting in mature lead roles as such.
- The ghost stories were very entertaining to watch as each told a story. It definitely feels less scary when you have Jang Man Wol explaining things or assisting along the way. I definitely was more invested in the three main ghosts that worked at Hotel Del Luna. Most of my tears were for them.
- I do question how Gu Chan Sung resumed normal life after Jang Man Wol. I know he is a mature, reasonable, and strong-willed character in this drama. But it seems close to impossible to move on from a connection he shared with Jang Man Wol.
- I feel like Jang Man Wol and Gu Chan Sung had great chemistry as friends but it did feel a bit awkward when they turned romantic. I can't quite put my finger on it...but their chemistry and compatibility were amazing in scenes when they're engaged in deep conversation or are joking together.
- I loved the ways in which it showed different soulmate connections and also the ill-fated ones. I loved the way it depicted life, death, and so forth. It was very comforting.
- Cried so much during the last two episodes

The Legend of the White Snake

Episodes: 36
Synopsis: This drama is basically another retelling of the mythical story of the white snake and her romance with a mortal. It tells the story of Xu Xian, a virtuous medicine apprentice, and Bai Su Zhen, a 1000 year old white snake spirit. After transforming into a woman, the two fall in love. However, they face many challenges.

Review:
        The only thing I really liked about this drama was their OST. It was very beautiful, mysterious, and upbeat all at the same time. I think that is the only redeeming quality of this drama. This drama definitely has many weak points, and it was pretty easy to deem as not up to par.
         The cinematography of this drama is extremely overexposed. The characters were blindingly white...basically like you're looking at a blank Word document for most of the drama. In some scenes, the brightness did enhance the viewing experience because you can see things clearly. However, more often than not, it just resulted in a very monotonous viewing experience. The plotline was also fairly weak. A big part of it may have to do with the fact that this story has been told and retold in so many formats that it is hard to really spice things up/give it it's own identity. All in all, I found myself very bored with the plot for most of the drama as it was fairly repetitive. I was annoyed at the monk because I felt like he was causing more problems than good to begin with. I was also annoyed with Ruyi. She was just so obnoxious in her pursuit for Xu Xian despite knowing that she wouldn't get him. Hence, the character shift toward the very end where she became "good" seemed so abrupt and inconsistent with her irrational her character is. There were also many things I did not find necessary for the plot either. I felt like there were a lot of loose endings and no comforting resolution to any of their issues...especially those tied to the monk and Ruyi. There was never a clear cut answer and they seemed to continue to be a hindrance.
          Other than poorly written plots and characters, the acting was so bland. I felt like all actors and actresses were trying to make their faces as stiff and perfect as possible. There were no expressive emotions throughout the entire drama. Every emotion these characters felt seemed to have the same expression. There was no depth in the acting. I found myself getting annoyed with how boring the acting was. Our main character, Bai Su Zhen, was played by a beautiful woman. I think she would have been a great lead actress to have if her character allowed her to have more depth. I wish the director allowed her to be more expressive rather than just sit there and look pretty/dainty. A good example of good acting despite acting as a spirit/deity would be Yang Zi's performance in "Ashes of Love." I became more invested in the green snake despite her acting being fairly shallow as well.  I did find the green snake's story more interesting, and I wish the plot focused on her a bit more. I was so glad when they let go of her human lover because the moment he appeared and started interacting with her, I got bored so fast. I loved her more as an independent because she was just so much more quirky and impulsive than when she started to fall in love.

In conclusion, I do not recommend this drama.

Romance is a Bonus Book

Episodes: 16

Synopsis:

Kang Dani is a newly divorced stay-at-home mom. With many years not being in the workforce, she struggles to find a job with a lack of recent experience and intense job competition. In a desperate attempt, she hides away her prestigious education and previous work experience and applies for an internship position at a book publishing company where her childhood friend, Cha Eun Ho, works as a senior editor. Cha Eun Ho does what he can to support his friend as she seeks to find her sense of self and become more independent. He helps her at work in ways he can, lets her room at his home, and takes care of her during hardships. It is during this time that Kang Dani feels more confident in what she can accomplish on her own and also where she finally starts to realize that the person who has truly loved her had been around her all this time. 

Review:

This is a long-overdue review, especially considering I watched this a year ago. I have rewatched this a few times and have recommended this drama to many friends during this time period. I think this is a great drama to watch because it involves healthy communication, strong female friendships, independent characters, and also interesting takes on the family vs. career question women constantly face when they join the workforce. The characters were all very likable and this drama somehow managed to give them all enough depth for you to understand their motives, their personality, and what really makes them unique from another character in the drama. Since I cannot speak to the small details as clearly, I will list a few things that I genuinely enjoyed in this drama in terms of what it has to offer (in no particular order)

1. It makes me want to work in a book publishing industry. It dived into small details such as what happens when printing goes wrong, the amount of teamwork that goes into it, and the ways in which the book industry is constantly shifting to keep up with a device-driven world.

2. It makes you analyze what decisions are meant for you. There was one very touching scene where three women in the office got together to look back on the decisions they made: whether it is sacrificing a career for love, sacrificing love for a career, or not sacrificing either but losing oneself to family/work/responsibilities. The way it goes in-depth shows the complexity of what a woman will face as they move into the future, and it also shows how all the sacrifices are not fulfilling at the end of the day with so many other considerations such as personality differences, gender roles, the person you are with or not with, etc.

3. Strong female role models. Normally, we find ourselves disliking women who are interested in the same men BUT you actually see how their lives are more than just liking one person. They are able to accept the reality and move on gracefully AS WELL AS excel in the job they are doing with great professionalism. You can see this in Song Hae Rin's character. You can even see it in other female characters in this drama as they all try to strive to be better versions of themselves.

4. Character growth in many characters -- you can see growing confidence, responsibility, and maturity in not just the main characters but also the side characters

5. The relationship between Kang Dan I and Cha Eun Ho was very natural and sweet. It had just enough to be realistic yet also unrealistic (because it is still a drama haha). It's also a great contrast to what Dan I's relationship was like with her previous husband, who was stifling her in so many ways

6. Beautiful cinematography throughout

7. Shows that romance is multifaceted -- can be beautiful but there will always be hardships in life

8. There is a plot hole though! Kang Dan I has a daughter that goes to school abroad. However, we only hear of this child in the beginning when she is requesting tuition and medical fees. Her daughter had like one phone call in the beginning. However, as the drama went on, we seem to forget that Kang Dan I is a mother and it seems like she did too.

All in all, watch it! Things resolve themselves easily, great character depth, good plot! It is not frustrating drama but also a drama that can make you feel many things!