Mirror of the Witch

                                    

Episodes: 20

Synopsis: 
The Queen is unable to conceive a child and so she visits the shaman Hong Joo to help her conceive an heir. After using dark magic and sacrificing another woman's life, twins are born to the queen. But the children are cursed and the only solution was to have the boy's curse moved to the girl as well and then kill the girl as an infant. Hong Joo may have helped the queen but her ultimate goal was to bring down the royal family. The king realizing that sacrificing the princess may have dire consequences asks his loyal subject to save the princess. The princess, Seo Ri, is saved and is then raised by the father of Poong Yeon without ever knowing about her identity or of the curse. She was raised in seclusion (like Rapunzel) and always surrounded by talismans that protected her from the evil shaman. One day she goes out of the protective barriers and the curse becomes reactivated again which leads to Seo Ri's life being endangered and for her to learn the truth about herself and how to lift the curse. As more people get involved, the more lives are endangered or lost. As she tries to change her fate and lift the curse, she is helped by Heo Jun, Poong Yeon, and a couple of other people. 

Summary:

       This drama had a "The Moon Embraces the Sun" vibe but it was a whole lot darker and creepier. In the beginning, it felt like "The Moon Embraces the Sun" because there were shamans, a death, a curse, and a killing of a princess. However, this drama showed a lot of gruesome scenes such as finger nails breaking when the curse took hold and so forth. I actually liked the creepy vibe because it gave the drama more suspense. It was also very interesting to watch the good fighting against the evil and it was nice to see the little "protect the princess" squad form as the drama went on.

       The acting was fairly good throughout the drama in my opinion. All of the characters had their flaw, their own fears, and their own insecurities but many of them were able to be selfless enough to help others and work to lift the curse and help with the greater good. The antagonist was also very good at acting and you really start to hate her or be scared of her because of her psychopathic, manipulative ways. At the same time, the curse was also very creepy because it was literally a little dark cloud with a childish, cackling voice that enters the bodies of people in very weird places (LOL). 

         I feel like a lot of drama would never have happened if the Lord trusted his family with the truth and also telling the main character the truth as well. Because only few people knew of the curse and her princess identity, their ignorance as to what they should do and what they can't do caused a lot of drama throughout the show. I also loved how this drama showed the main character moving on and becoming stronger with those who truly support her by her side. It also showed people that struggled to let go of the past and refuse to see that people have to grow and change. It was an interesting contrast between the two "love" interests (even though I find it hard to see the brother--not related by blood to the princess--as a love interest). Not only did I enjoy a lot of the characters but I also loved the chemistry all the actors had when acting together. The romance was so innocent and carefree and the two main characters were so supportive of each other all the time. The drama was pretty enjoyable for me. The ending was also beautiful and so bittersweet. It gave me all the feels. 

Penny Pinchers (Movie)

   

       This movie is about two people who live next door to one another. One is unemployed and always bluffing to attract women. His name is Chun Ji Woong and he is played by the actor Song Joong Ki. The other is a woman who lives in a frugal manner and saves money in every way she can.She is called Gu Hong Sil and is played by the actress Han Ye Seul. The two are complete opposites. When Hong Sil hears that Ji Woong was going to be evicted, she tries to help him and at the same time get him to help her reach her financial deposit goals at her bank. However, things don't turn out so well even as the two get closer to one another.  

       This was a movie that was filled with comedy. There were also some sexual jokes that were made such as when he ran to go buy condoms but didn't have enough money and so forth. Personally, other than the comedic scenes, this movie was really boring for me. I wasn't that interested in the story line nor was I that invested in the characters of this movie. I found the characters kind of annoying even though I loved the actors. I feel like this movie would've done better if it had more depth, character development, and an interesting story line. 

Oh My Ghostess

Episodes: 16
Synopsis:
 Na Bong Sun (Park Bo Young) can see ghosts and because of it she rarely sleeps at night and is often very timid. She works at the Sun Restaurant which is run by the chef Kang Sun Woo (Jo Jung Suk). Kang Sun Woo was once a pushover as a child but grew up to be a cocky, confident fellow and often finds Na Bong Sun's timid personality a bit frustrating. Na Bong Sun has a crush on Kang Sun Woo but hides it away and watches him from afar. Shin Soon Ae (Kim Seul Gi) is a high spirited ghost who has amnesia about her past and how she died. She wanders about trying to go to heaven peacefully and believes the one thing holding her back is because she is a virgin ghost. Thus she begins to enter the bodies of attractive women to seduce men but was unsuccessful in all cases because the men would all fall in. That was until she entered Na Bong Sun's body and found they were compatible to each other. The two then strike a deal that Na Bong Sun will let Shin Soon Ae use her body to lose her virginity and Shin Soon Ae would help Na Bong Sun seduce Kang Sun Woo.

Review: 
This drama reminded me of Master's Sun in a way since the main character can see ghosts and can't really sleep because the ghosts come to see her or bother her. The ghost reminds me of Arang from Arang and the Magistrate because she's very quirky and sassy. I loved this drama because it was very fast paced, comical, cute, and funny. It is also nice to see characters be so sexually open as the ghost was literally trying to seduce a man the first half of the drama so that her soul could go to peace of not being a virgin. As it went on, it was so interesting to see more of the spirit world and physical world tie in here and there. There were a lot of themes going on about friendship, family, life, and death. It was a very beautiful drama and it did not focus on the idea of losing a virginity too much. I felt like that goal was more for the comedy effect and it worked because it was funny.
        I liked how this drama tried to tie up a lot of plot holes that wouldn't have worked out well. For instance, I felt a bit suspicious at first and I thought: "If Kang Sun Woo falls in love with Na Bong Sun...he's not really in love with her but is instead in love with the ghost." Thankfully, the writers took care of that in a very mature way and allowed the drama to continue successfully along the way. I also liked the relationship that Shin Soon Ae had with everyone and how she used Na Bong Sun's body to establish the same connections to her past life. I like how in a way Shin Soon Ae got Na Bong Sun to watch over her remaining family as well. It was very touching.
       There was also a lot of character development as well. The once quiet and timid girl was possessed and befriended by a confident, loud ghost. The two learn from one another and slowly Na Bong Sun also begins to find her voice with a little help of Shin Soon Ae. I was also fairly satisfied with the ending as it was touchingly sad at first and then it ended on a very happy note. I liked this drama a lot as it was light-hearted with great characters and amazing actors. (Props to Park Bo Young for being able to portray two roles both so well. When she acted as the ghost, she really did give off that vibe).

Pure Love (Movie)

            After seeing clips of this movie all over my Facebook feed, I decided to check it out. This movie was so beautiful and touching. It gave me all the feels and even made me cry. The story is a nostalgic look on the past by a couple of friends. Radio DJ Bum Sil receives a letter that makes him remember his teenage years. His friends, listening to the radio, also reminisce on the past. They think back on friendships, first loves, and their youth. It was very touching watching the friends play together and support one another. It was very realistic and heartwarming in a lot of scenes. I enjoyed this movie greatly and would recommend this for others to watch. I won't get into detail with this movie because I think it is better to watch this and feel the full impact of it yourself without giving you any spoilers.

          It got pretty sad and depressing as it went on but it was still a wonderful watch nonetheless. 

Splash Splash Love (Movie version)

    

      This drama was very comedic and simple. It definitely isn't as detailed as many other time travel dramas/movies and it isn't historically accurate either. The main character got sent back in time to Joseon and got to meet the emperor and so forth. A lot of the historically inaccurate things probably could've been overlooked because it is a movie after all. But it seemed like the emperor would probably get killed off by assassins with the way he's running here and there and out of the palace with ease. That was my main concern. How is he able to just leave the palace? How are other people in this palace able to just leave? It's a palace with guards and rules and everything that would prevent the royal family from leaving so easily like that the way these characters were. At the same time, being the wife of an emperor would mean that she is heavily watched. Any contact with any other man would've been deemed inappropriate. That is why I think the queen is also not historically accurate but instead driven by emotions in this make-believe drama world. But enough of me nitpicking at how this movie isn't historically accurate. I'll dive into the synopsis a bit more and also my views on the story and characters. 

          It is a very light watch with very cute and fluffy characters. There wasn't much depth to the characters. The story revolves around a high school senior, Dan Bi, who hates math and has given up on her future dreams and even her SATs. On the day of her college entrance exam, she runs away from it and jumps into a puddle which brought her to the Joseon  Dynasty. There she meets the king and is mistaken as eunuch because she called herself a "gosam" (high school senior) which also meant a  eunuch. It was believed that she would help bring rain as the country suffered from a drought. The two begin helping one another as she teaches him more about the more advanced world and introduce the information of the future. 

           I liked the actress Kim Seul Gi because I've watched a couple of her dramas before and I am currently watching one she acts in. Yoon  Doo Joon plays the role of Joseon's emperor. It is a very light watch and a very cute friendship and then romance. It was comedic with the way modern day things were implemented and brought into the Joseon dynasty. 

Cheese In The Trap

Episodes: 16

Synopsis: 

Hong Seol (Kim Go Eun) is a very diligent student who has just returned to college after taking some time off to work part-time jobs to pay for her tuition. Consistently studying and doing her best in school, she strives to be the greatest and hopes to be able to help her family in the future financially.  Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin) is an extremely popular student (a senior to many of the underclassmen) who has returned to college as an upperclassman after serving his mandatory military service. After Seol notices that Yoo Jung may not be as nice as he appears to be, Yoo Jung begins to make her life harder through small actions and through people. However, one day, Yoo Jung helped Seol get a scholarship that paid for her tuition and she begins wondering what kind of person he is exactly. As she falls in love and deals with school life and friends, the story unravels as she is caught in a romance with Yoo Jung and is also mediating relationships between him and his friend Baek In Ho. 

Review: 

         This drama definitely had a different feel than most dramas. This one combined romance with mystery. It felt like I was watching a thriller at times. This drama had a lot of creepy vibes and almost all of the characters appear to be slightly crazy in some way. In my opinion, the only normal people in this drama were the main character and her two friends. Everyone else all had this creepy element to them that made me think that some of them just weren't sane or mentally stable. It was either that or they were just kind of annoying. However, do not let this be a turn off as to why you won't watch this drama. This drama had a lot of its own appealing factors that allowed me to enjoy watching it. 

         I liked how Hong Seol isn't one of those typical Korean drama characters and the human relationships she holds with other people are also very realistic in my opinion. Hong Seol notices the small details of people and notices certain factors of their personality right off the bat without others having to hint at her. She noticed that Yoo Jung had two sides to him and how he hides behind a kind exterior while manipulating others and situations to get what he wants. She doesn't do what a lot Kdrama characters do which is talk about their thoughts out loud. Hong Seol was able to go about, noticing things, make her mind about things, and so forth while having the entire thought process in her head only. It made me really appreciate her character. Also, she is from a family that does not have a lot of money and so she struggles in a lot of aspects in comparison to her peers. However, she doesn't make it into a sobfest nor does she expect others to do things for her or fix anything for her either. She does everything through her own hard work and expects other people to know that and respect her character. As scary as Yoo Jung sometimes appeared to be, I did like him for certain factors. He was very smart and he was able to control situations without really getting his hands dirty. He had a side to him that was wary of people. He thought everyone had their own motives for things and so forth. He's also somewhat protective at times but also very supportive. He is manipulative (the drama does not try to downplay it) but there are so many other layers to him. Baek In Ho and Baek In Ha were also very interesting case as well. I really liked the difference between Yoo Jung and Baek In Ho because personally I felt that Baek In Ho felt more normal. The thing about a lot of the characters that you see in the drama is that they aren't really just side characters. They are all fueled by different things and all have different personalities. So it is very interesting to watch the characters interact and how some characters reach a breaking point based on the way they interpret things and so forth. I really liked that about this drama. 

      I really enjoyed the drama because it felt so realistic to me. This drama was also set in a college setting and it showed how much Hong Seol worked to get her good grades. It is somewhat motivating for the viewers to also start being as diligent and so forth. I would recommend this drama because the actors did an amazing job and the story line was very realistic. You'll meet all sorts of people in school or at work. Some people imitate you and follow you around, some obsessively like a person, some are manipulative with a kind exterior, some have traumatizing backstories, and some will make others do their tasks for them. This drama was definitely very interesting, realistic, and also somewhat creepy at times. I enjoyed it greatly. 

Reply 1988

Episodes: 20 

Synopsis: 

This reply drama takes place in the late 1980s as five childhood friends live together in the same Ssangmundong neighborhood of Seoul. They played with each other as children growing up and now reply on one another during their transitions from teenagers to adults. Each of the characters came from a different family background and it was interesting to see the way they bond with one another and how they resolve familial issues. Sung Deok Sun (Hyeri) struggles for attention as the middle child in her poor family. She's the goofball among their friends and also isnt the smartest of the bunch. Kim Jung Hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol) is obsessed with soccer and hopes to be a fighter pilot one day. He lives with his parents and his brother (who has been trying repeatedly to get into college). His family became rich overnight and he was the richest among his group  of friends. Sung Sun Woo (Ko Gyung Pyo) is the perfect son and perfect student. Living with his mother and little sister, he holds a lot of responsibility as he struggles with his family's financial issues and holds on to the memory of his past father. Ryu Dong Ryong (Lee Dong Hwi) is the son of the school's dean. Rather than being smart, he focuses on trivial facts such as girls and so forth. He struggles with his parents constantly working and not paying attention to him. Choi Taek (Park Bo Gum) is a genius baduk player who dropped out of school to be a professional baduk player. This drama follows these characters and their families around as they transition to adulthood and move on to new phases of their life. 

Review: 

      I definitely liked this a lot because this drama not only portrayed the times back then but also managed to show off the charm of the neighborhoods back then and the connections between people. The friendliness between the neighbors was endearing to watch and it made a lot of people, not only myself, look back on the simplistic ways we used to live and interact with one another back then. The scene with all the mothers calling for their children to come eat dinner from their doorsteps was very interestingly filmed and brought a lot of life to this drama in the beginning. I loved how all the families were portrayed differently as were the relationships the characters had with each other. The different ways families functioned and their different statuses in wealth and the jobs they did all played a role in making this drama so realistic. That's the thing with the Reply series. The characters and relationships are all portrayed very realistically---a slice of life---and the story lines are also very realistic yet endearing. It's the sort of drama that makes you see the romance in daily life.

     Once again this drama played with our hearts as we tried to figure out who Deok Sun's future husband is. It rotated between Choi Taek and Kim Jung Hwan throughout the drama. I liked both boys because they both really liked Deok Sun but in different ways. I liked the silent watchfulness of Kim Jung Hwan and the way he teased her when confronted on anything. They were playful and normal. You could see he tried to hide his feelings and sort of maintain their old way of friendship while slowly shifting to something more. I also liked Taek's kindness and the way he smiled so brightly around her. Even when he was tired or feeling down, he would always smile upon seeing her. Personally, I was drawn more to Taek but I do know a lot of people who rooted for Jung Hwan. For me, I was always on Taek's side. His simplicity, his smile, and the way he was always the nice, quiet type made me fall for him.
      This drama made me cry so much at the end. Not because it was sad but rather it filled me with nostalgia and gave me all the feels. I think this is probably my favorite Reply drama out of all the Reply dramas. And that says a lot because the Reply series are probably some of the best dramas I've watched. But this one really gave me so many feels and told me to remember to cherish my youth, my friends who are also in their youth, my parents who will never be as young as they are now, and so forth. Absolutely amazing drama about growth, life, and romance.