UPrince Series: First Class (The Single Lawyer)

Episode: 4 
Synopsis: 
Firstclass is the first student in the last ten years to have straight A's at the Faculty of Law. He is very serious when it comes to things like emotions, relationships, punctuality, and so forth. His biggest hobby is collecting watches and clocks. Minute, on the other hand, is a self-centered, spoiled rich girl. She overspends on brand names constantly. However, one day, she receives a call saying that her family has filed for bankruptcy forcing her to sell her luxuries and lower her quality of life. When her best friend, Firstclass's gay half-brother, offers a deal for her to pretend to be his girlfriend in exchange for money and a place to stay, she immediately goes for it. Minute and Firstclass are constantly butting heads with each other and their differences often clash. However, with time, the two begin to develop feelings for one another.

Review: 
This was a very cute and fast watch. It wasn't anything serious or emotionally moving. It can't even be considered one of my favorites. But I really enjoyed watching this despite the awkward moments and the way this drama was filmed. It feels like an extremely cliche drama in the span for four episodes. However, it was a guilty pleasure watching this (because seriously, the guy is really cute.) There isn't much for me to say about this watch other than that it was lighthearted and fun to watch. Very cute love story. I would suggest watching this if you're extremely bored or if you just want to watch something short and simple.

The K2

                                        

Episodes: 16

Synopsis: 
Kim Je Ha is a highly-skilled mercenary soldier known as "K2." After being wrongly accused of killing his girlfriend Raniya, when he was serving in Iraq, he becomes a fugitive. He finds his way back to Korea and eventualy gets a job as a bodyguard for Choi Yoo Jin, the owner of JSS Security and the wife of presidential candidate Jang Se Joon. Thus, Kim Je Ha is thrust into a world of politics and mind games as he uses his new position to plan his revenge on Park Gwangsoo, whom Je Ha believes ordered the killing of his girlfriend. Park Gwangsoo is the leader of the current ruling party and Jang Se Joon's rival for presidency. Throughout the drama, he is constantly butting heads with Choi Yoo Jin and scheming around to use people against her.
      When Je Ha is assigned to guard Go An Na, the illegitimate daughter of Jang Se Joon, they begin to develop feelings for one another. Go An Na is also planning her revenge against Choi Yoo Jin as she believes her mother's death was not suicide but that Choi Yoo Jin was behind it. As An Na and Choi Yoo Jin plot against each other, Je Ha is stuck between his job and his love. At the same time, Choi Yoo Jin finds herself falling in love with her beloved guard, K2.

Review:

      I was not sure if I was going to enjoy this drama because this kind of drama isn't usually my style. It was very dramatic in my opinion and at times, so dramatic, that the actors (ahem Yoona ahem) couldn't really pull them off as realistically as they would've liked to. I was very concerned when I watched the first episode because it didn't feel like a drama I would be particularly in love with. There was too much going on and I feel like I only got to meet this characters through a surface-level basis. I also feel like a lot of questions were left unanswered as the drama went on. 

     I still do not know if I like Yoona's acting. I can see that she's working at it and in some scenes, it really isn't too shabby. However, it also feels kind of forced coming from her. It's hard to get a natural feeling when watching her acting. I got a bit annoyed with An Na's character because she seemed so useless and also has a very quiet role despite her being the love interest of the male lead. I did enjoy Choi Yoo Jin's character because she reminds me of some of my favorite book villains (shout out to the Lunar Chronicles--Levana). She is a very complicated character and you can't say that she's a good person, but you also can't call her a bad person. She's just a very cold queen who has hardened against the obstacles thrown her away as she holds on to her power. Her relationship with Go An Na reminded me of Snow White and the Evil Queen. This reference is shown throughout the drama in the fact that they are stepmother and stepdaughter, the person she loves doesn't love her but instead he loves her stepdaughter, her favorite companion is a digital system she calls "mirror," and whenever she appears the soundtrack has songs basically about the Snow White story. I actually felt extremely bad for Choi Yoo Jin in the end and honestly enjoyed her cold, badass moments in the drama.
         This was certainly an interesting drama in some aspects but it wasn't my cup of tea. It took me a while to actually finish this and even then I only enjoyed some scenes. This wasn't a bad drama but it wouldn't be a drama I'd recommend to people simply because it didn't have a certain appeal for me. However, if you are the type of person who enjoys political games, mind games, lots of action and fighting, and revenge-based story lines, this drama is probably up your alley. 

Favorite scenes:
Episode 2: The encounter between An Na and Choi Yoo Jin as the OST music plays. I enjoyed this not because of the scene itself but just how well the OST lyrics matched to the situation. The lyrics talked about the story of Snow White as the stepmother plots against her to be the fairest of all. I thought it was interesting.

Episode 4: The fighting scene in the shower is absolutely ridiculous to me. I thought it was so funny because of how stupid it looked. It was definitely an intense scene and all. However, I found it hard to take it that seriously when you have a bunch of censored, naked men running around at each other in a shower. But a lot of fans probably enjoyed this scene because...well, you know.

Episode 5: The ramen scene was cute though.

Episode 6: Strawberry allergy

Diamond Lovers (克拉戀人)

Episode: 68

Synopsis:

Mi Mei Li is an obese, young woman working at a jewelry design company. Due to her obesity, people use her for her passion and talent in designing and often mock her for her appearance. No one takes her seriously. Her love life, social life, and work are all affected by her appearance. She has big dreams of marrying the young and attractive CEO of a diamond company named Xiao Liang but she thinks of it as only a fangirl's heart. Mi Mei Li keeps up an optimistic attitude as she tries to give her best work. With the support of her childhood best friend Lei Yi Ming, Mi Mei Li pushes through life. However, after a series of bad events, Mi Mei Li gets into a car accident and is forced to undergo cosmetic surgery. Suddenly Mei Li turns into an acknowledged beauty with a slim body. She changes her name and identity so people in her past wouldn't come to bother her. She also ended up getting hired to work at the very diamond company owned by the man of her dreams, Xiao Liang. Things start looking up for Mei Li in both her career and love life. Through many challenges and setbacks in her career and relationship, Mei Li comes to learn that her physical appearance can't be used to lie to everyone to get what she desires. 

Review:

      I watched this because Luo Jin and Tang Yan acted in this together and I wanted to see their chemistry again after watching their brilliant performance in Princess Wei Young. This drama gives off "200 Pounds of Beauty" vibes but it was also very different at the same time. While I enjoyed "200 Pounds of Beauty," I wished things went differently for this drama. This drama did not have to be 68 episodes long as the plot wasn't that interesting to have such a long series. A lot of episodes felt like fillers and many conflicts seemed to be dragged out longer than necessary. Things started to feel tiring as the same motifs were being played out over and over again and the same emotions were  being set on repeat. I found myself not enjoying the plot or the main characters as much as I would have liked. This is the one drama that I feel angry that the main lead is getting the girl and will fully stand in support for the second lead, Lei Yi Ming (played by Luo Jin). 

        The person the main character, Mi Mei Li aka Mi Duo, falls in love with is someone I feel isn't the best person to help her grow nor give her the love she deserves. Rain's character is everything the ideal Asian Drama man should be. He is a rich, handsome, young CEO with a troubled childhood. However, he doesn't like her for who she really is but for who he thinks she is. He's in love with an illusion of her and doesn't try to know more about her and that bothers me so much. Meanwhile, second lead Lei Yi Ming loves her for who she is because he was childhood friends with her and watched her go through all her phases. He loved her when she was overweight and he loved her when her appearance changed as well. Not only does he have romantic feelings toward her, he puts her comfort and safety first. He also cherishes his friendship with her and only wishes for her to be happy even when it goes against his own personal desires.

          I also felt like this drama was weird in the sense that usually the girl falls in love with the man that saves her continuously and helps her constantly. They also fall in love with the person who accepts all their quirks. As Mi Duo faces numerous challenges and dangerous situations, the person who always swooped in to save the day was Lei Yi Ming and never Xiao Liang. So it bothered me that Xiao Liang got to be the main love interest simply because Mi Duo is as enamored by his appearance as much as he is by her's. Their love strangely feels superficial to me and it is hard for me to accept their touching moments and how they understand each other that well when they don't even know each other's true feelings and the truth behind each other. I also felt like Mei Duo tried harder to make things work and be okay with Xiao Liang's flaws more than Xiao Liang was with her. Xiao Liang would always tease her when she showed too much affection and even stood her up a few times because of "work duties." However, he didn't really redeem himself by going to go look for her. It was still Mi Duo coming for him. It was really hard for me to fall in love with Xiao Liang's character, in my opinion. 

          I completely fell in love with the "second" love interest in this drama and I believe that all those who watch this drama will agree with me on this opinion. As much as I appreciate Rain, his character is a bit useless and unnecessary. Lei Yi Ming supports her, helps her, and loves her despite all her flaws and mistakes. He's the kind of man you want to find in real life. I feel like he's both a realistic expectation for a good man and an unrealistic expectation for a good man. He's just perfect in many ways but also very human as well. I feel like he would've been the ideal man of choice to be the main lead. Every woman he encountered in this drama, he adjusted to make them feel comfortable and he didn't let his love for one person waver when he set his mind on it. 

          I also feel like it took too long for Mi Duo to tell Xiao Liang her true identity from before her accident. She wants him to wholeheartedly love her but yet fails to let him in on one of the biggest things about her. She let him fall in love with an illusion of herself. She views it as keeping him safe from emotional harm but I feel like this goes father than that. It's manipulation and lying. I understand her fear and reluctance to let him know the truth because she might lose everything. But how she dealt with this situation (along with many others) was an extremely bad way. I found myself not liking the main character for her logic in solving problems and with how she dealt with many things as well. I feel like this drama would've went a lot better had we focused on Lei Yi Ming with the actress girl. I felt like Gao Wen was a refreshing character who loved Lei Yi Ming as much as Lei Yi Ming loved Mi Duo. 

          I did enjoy the beginning of this drama but it really did drag and I didn't really like the direction the story was going. Nothing I wanted to happen was happening and the couples weren't even ideal for me to keep watching. I did get the ending I wanted but the process of getting there was too slow, long, and tiring. It was one of those situations you wished would start dragging out. I would not recommend this drama for people to watch. However, props to Luo Jin for amazing acting skills. His acting did not disappoint here and definitely didn't disappoint Princess Wei Young. I felt like Tang Yan's acting in here was a bit too "whiny" for my liking but she executed her role very well for Princess Wei Young. If you watched them in Princess Wei Young, do not watch this. You'll be severely disappointed. Even if you didn't watch their previous works, this is a series I would not recommend.

Favorite Scenes:
Episode 1: 
- The scene where Lei Yi Ming takes Mi  Duo to a night club to get her accustomed to life as a beauty. She gets excited when a man finally looks her way and he tells her to not fall so easily. It was so funny when he scolded her to close her legs properly.
- When Lei Yi Ming tells Mi Duo (at the night club) that she will not find love in this setting because they are all scum and she immediately asks him if he's scum. Cute friendship.

Episode 2: When she drunk kissed Lei Yi Ming.

Episode 3: When he waited for her when she worked overtime and when he went to bring her food when she was working overtime and helped her study/review material for work.

Episode 4: When Lei Yi Ming called another girl he used to flirt with "Fatty" because he couldn't stop thinking about Mi Duo. (Fatty is an affectionate nickname he uses for Mi Duo)

Episode 5: When Lei Yi Ming piggy backed Mi Duo.

Episode 6: When Lei Yi Ming worries about Mi Duo not coming home for the night.

Episode 14: The actress and Lei Yi Ming hanging out together was so funny because she's a fallen celebrity who's spending like she's still hot shit. And he made her return all her goods when her credit card wasn't working. My Love From Another Star vibes.

Episode 15: LOOOL when she's crying in the hospital (the actress) and Lei Yi Ming is blocking the security cameras. It was so funny when she glanced at the cameras and then went back to hiding behind his hands and crying.

Episode 26: You could tell Lei Yi Ming is better in every aspect. The fact that she only complimented Rain's character on his good body and face shows a lot. He's not there to understand her at all whereas Lei Yi Ming can keep her genuinely happy and understand her.

Episode 16: Lei Yi Ming finally confessed

Episode 31: Lei Yi Ming's second confession. True love is loving her no matter what she looks like & accepting her for all that she is even when he knows her so well.

Episode 32: HOW STRONG LEI YI MING'S LOVE IS FOR MI DUO EVEN WHEN SHE DOESNT WANT TO BE HIS FRIEND ANYMORE AFTER HIS CONFESSION

Episode 36: I like Luo Jin's character so much. Why is Rain's character so annoying and so prideful ugh!

The Princess Weiyoung (锦绣未央)

Episode: 54

Synopsis: 

      Born a princess of the Northern Liang Kingdom, Xin'er's life is fairly happy and she is loved by all around her. She is blessed with an auspicious sign upon her birth and it is noted that she has two fates seen within her. If things go well for her, the princess will eventually rise from the ashes like a phoenix and soar highly above the rest. However, although her life may be carefree, the kingdoms are warring against each other and power struggles are beginning to ensue. Xin'er's life changes overnight when a general from the Chiyun family clan of the Northern Wei kingdom decides to overrun Northern Liang. Driven by his greed and his hunger for power, the general frames Xin'er's father for treason and kills everyone in the royal family. Xin'er with the help of many loved ones manages to survive and escape.  

       Li Wei Young is the illegitimate daughter of the Prime Minister of Northern Wei. She is forced to live in the countryside away from her family's manor. Wei Young finds Xin'er and saves the princess from harm. The two become friends. However, the Li family's first wife is also sending people to kill off Li Wei Young. Wei Young ends up dying protecting Xin'er from the sword when an assassin comes to kill off Wei Young.  All alone, Xin'er holds on to the promise she made to continue to live on and thus takes on Wei Young's identity. (In my review and the rest of this synopsis, the main character will be referred to as Wei Young as she takes on the new identity).

        Seeking revenge against the Chiyun clan and also to live her life as Wei Young, she heads back to the Li family's manor. Using her beauty, wisdom, and strength, Wei Young gains many allies and many enemies along the way. Although she is constantly framed by others and often mistreated, Wei Young does not lose hope nor does she forget what she has to do. Wei Young unexpectedly falls in love with Northern Wei's prince, Tuoba Jun. Tuoba Jun constantly provides her with love and care throughout the entire drama. His support and love for her never wavered. The two share an extremely strong love that is to undergo many turbulences along the way and with many people trying to ruin their relationship. 

Review: 

      I absolutely adored this drama and I was hooked a few episodes into the show. I first found out about this drama because I loved the OST (especially the song by A Lin). I watched the music videos over and over again and I loved the aesthetics of the videos as well. The drama seemed to be fairly good and the music touched my heart. The beginning of the drama was a bit slow and cliche for me though. It seemed very similar to many historical dramas about powerful women. However, I think it was a good buildup in terms of character and you can really see the strength of Xin'er/Wei Young who went through so many hardships. The story would not be able to really flow the way it did without the beginning backstory.  

      A lot of the plot throughout the drama are things that the viewer has to watch themselves. As you can see, it is a 54 episode drama so I can't really get into too much detail. Some parts are definitely more interesting than others. However, I liked that this drama didn't seem to drag out certain scenes as much as other historical dramas have done before. It is fairly straight to the point. I also loved how when they were solving crimes or trying to prove that Wei Young is being framed, they make it so that the viewer has to figure it out along the way as well. At times, I was a bit confused when a certain plot is just immediately resolved. However, the drama immediately starts playing flashbacks to scenes and shows the whole story that the viewer wasn't shown at first. 

        I loved the relationship dynamics between Wei Young and Tuoba Jun. They are definitely relationship goals. The amount of trust and love that they have for each other is incomparable. I have yet to see a historical drama with a love that matches theirs. Tuoba Jun constantly supports Wei Young and trusts her time after time. He also reads her very well and knows when she is lying and when she is not. His ability to read her and care for her is what saves Wei Young many times and what allows them to plan out schemes that will eventually benefit many other people. The two are so selfless when it comes to each other and people always underestimate the strength of their love. Their love is so strong that they are able to withstand all the drama thrown their way and also work in sync with one another through trust and by picking up cues. I was stunned at the last few episodes when they were able to plan out a great scheme without once actually planning it out but instead basing their next moves off of how well they know each other. Also, FUN FACT! The main leads who play Wei Young and Tuoba Jun are actually dating in real life (Tang Yan and Luo Jin).

            The acting was also very good. I would like to praise Luo Jin for his great portrayal of Tuoba Jun. I thought his acting was amazing. Tang Yan also did a great job as Wei Young and I felt like she executed crying scenes perfectly. Their level of emotions and chemistry with all the other actors in the drama was impeccable. The rest of the cast also did an amazing job and the antagonists played their roles so well that you really do hate them and pity them for their lack of self-respect. I really enjoyed the acting and chemistry between all the actors in this drama. The costume design was also beautiful and the cinematic experience was enjoyable and high quality. 

           I highly recommend this drama and definitely recommend you all to check out the OST of this drama because it is really good.

I would like to point out that the ending may seem confusing. But it actually takes place over the span of five years and you can see that based on the addition of the little kid. 

Favorite Scenes: 
Episode 10 + 11: Wei Young gets to show her disaster relief plan when they try to take credit of their work.

Episode 13: When Tuoba Jun was trying to get Wei Young jealous by playing a tune with Chang Le. However, seeing her upset, he immediately chases after her.

Episode 15: Tuoba Jun arranged a private meeting with Wei Young. The meeting was so cute and the part where he "kissed" her hand to suck the poison out of her hand from the poisonous bug was so intimate.

Episode 16+17: The scene where Tuoba Jun saves Wei Young from a scheme arranged by the first wife of the Li family. Tuoba Jun's confession in this episode was also endearing.

Episode 23: The cheek kiss scene

Episode 25: KISS KISS KISS

Episode 27: When Wei Young finally tells Tuoba Jun she is the lost princess of Northern Liang and how even so, Tuoba Jun still wants to love and protect her.

Episode 31: The running hug the two shared and how relieved Tuoba Jun looked to see Wei Young

Episode 33: Jun Tao and Cheng De's relationship that is developing is so cute. I really enjoy their side character relationship because Jun Tao is so tomboyish and Cheng De is like her mini fanboy. Wei Young and Tuoba Jun's mom interacting together was also so cute because you can see that his mom is starting to like Wei Young a lot.

Episode 40: This episode got me so sad because Bai Zhi!!!! And Wei Young is so depressed after that incident and she talks about how she feels like living is pointless because all that she cares about is gone. And it was so sad that Tuoba Jun was watching over her but cannot go to her because he has to pretend to be mean to her as he is trying to help find out who framed her. And it sucks because she doesn't realize he is pretending to be mean to her and is taking everything to heart.

Episode 41: Tuoba Jun trying to knock sense into Wei Young and basically trying to get her to go back to being strong and using her wisdom to overcome difficulties

Episode 43: Tuoba Yu is a shady character but I like the way he protects Wei Young in his own ways.

Episode 44: Wei Young blows up at Tuoba Jun and it is so sad because she doesn't trust him anymore and he can't even tell her he did believe her because he's trying to find out the truth for her. But I love that he finally told her that he is fighting for her and is willing to finally tell her the truth so they could work together.

Episde 45: The flower ocean Tuoba Jun planted for Wei Young! So romantic!
                 Ming De and the Princess's interactions were also so funny. He said something very touching and loving to her and immediately said "Why is that so corny?" before going off to do other things. They are such a playful and cute side couple. I enjoy watching them as well because the Princess is so sincere to everyone and is also so straightforward.

Episode 47: Tuoba Jun and Wei Young go to the lantern festival together and share cute, romantic moments. Tuoba Jun saves Wei Young from lantern fire and is so scared she's gone. When he held on to her and apologized and blamed himself for everything, I just wanted to give him a hug because he looked so scared.

Episode 49: Tuoba Yu says Wei Young is the only woman worth saving and that he only has her in his heart even though she says she only lo Tuoba Jun. The sad life of being the shady second lead (haha)
The scene where three men are trying to save Wei Young from this booby trapped room and the princess also is trying to figure out how to stop the booby trap.

Episode 53: The grand scheme and how strong Tuoba Jun and Wei Young's love and trust in one another is

Episode 54: DAMN WHAT IS THIS BITTERSWEET ENDING. GOT MY HEART IN SO MUCH PAIN.
Jun Tao and Cheng De are so cute and are my favorite side couple!

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Episodes: 16 

Synopsis:

Do Bong Soon comes from a lineage of women who possess Herculean strength. This strength is only passed down to the daughters of the family. However, this strength can only be used to help other people. If she were to use it for personal gain or to mistreat others, she could lose her strength forever, like her mother did. Do Bong Soon dreams of creating her own video game one day but is struggling with unemployment. 

            When Ahn Min Hyuk, the young CEO of AIN Software, a gaming company, witnesses Bong Soon's strength during her fight against a group of gangsters, he decides to hire her. He hires her to be his personal bodyguard to help him catch a man who has been making death threats against him. As the two spend time together, Min Hyuk finds himself falling in love with Do Bong Soon. However, Bong Soon is still in love with her childhood friend, In Guk Doo, a police detective. As a dangerous kidnapper in Bong Soon's neighborhood runs loose, Bong Soon gets increasingly closer with Min Hyuk as they try to track down both the person making the death threats and the kidnapper. When the kidnapper continuously strikes closer to home, Bong Soon's relationship with Min Hyuk grows stronger. The two fall in love as they try to capture the criminal and protect each other and those they love.  

Review:

       I enjoyed this drama greatly. It brought a smile to my face with each episode. I enjoyed how it was both comedic and serious. The drama follows a crime that needs to be solved and also a  romance between a uniquely strong girl and her CEO. Throughout the drama, we meet characters that provide us with comedic relief while a psychopathic kidnapper is on the loose. I would recommend this drama to people to watch because the male lead, Ahn Min Hyuk, is absolutely ideal. He is what I would consider an ideal man because he is independent, intelligent, strong, caring, and extremely supportive. He supports Do Bong Soon in every way possible from her super strength to her dreams of creating and producing a video game at his company. He also doesn't try to minimize who she is. He takes her for how she is and accepts every part of her. He is okay with every part of her and finds himself loving with the things that make Do Bong Soon her. The way he treats her, watches over her, and pushes her to do better throughout the drama was extremely beautiful to watch. Their love story was mutually supportive, respectful, and caring. I think this is a drama worth watching for a romance that is not only extremely cute but also very healthy.
         The two are also entangled in the psychopathic kidnapping spree this drama also highlights. I thought that the crime and mystery added into the drama made it very suspenseful and it gave the characters a lot of purpose in planning their next moves. It also helped bring the characters together as new situations are thrown at them, forcing them to view things differently. A lot of people have also commented that the kidnapper is an attractive actor. I personally think that the kidnapper was a very good actor because he failed to become attractive to me by portraying the character so well. Don't take me wrong. He is a good looking man and if you were to give him a role as a good person in the drama, he'd definitely win a lot of hearts. However, since he is playing a psychopath, I found myself developing an aversion to him because of how creepy his character was. Therefore, I believe that he is a talented actor and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.
          Do Bong Soon's superhuman strength also makes an interesting point in the drama. In the beginning, she views it as a burden and that it hinders her from leading a normal life. She refuses to accept that part of her. As the drama continues, she comes to terms with herself and realizes how useful it is in helping people. She begins to enjoy using it to help others and sometimes she even uses it to help herself. I think this drama makes it a point in saying that we should learn to love and accept ourselves. You may want to lose or change a certain trait about yourself. However, if you were to lose it, would you really be you? Would you really be okay with losing it when it is actually gone? I think that this drama made a good point by giving Do Bong Soon superhuman strength.
             I loved all the side characters in their own way. I loved Do Bong Soon's family dynamic (although I do wish that her mother treated her father a bit better. It was later cleared up in the end that she did not hit him as the drama leads you to believe but it is clear that she is the head of the family and intimidates her father). I also greatly appreciated Do Bong Soon's coworkers and the adult gangsters and high school gangsters. They were hilarious to watch and actually fairly helpful in a lot of ways. I would definitely recommend this to people to watch because it gives me a warm, happy feeling. The vibe that I got (in terms of the romance) was similar to the vibe in "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo." Definitely recommend these two dramas if you want to feel happy watching a realistic love story unravel (even if Strong Woman Do Bong Soon has superhuman elements in it...such as her strength). 

Favorite Episodes:

Episode 7: This was such a cute episode. They got to go to the amusement park, solve the blackmail incidents, and they also started practicing together to control Bong Soon's strength. The scene with the punching bags were so funny to me, I couldn't stop laughing. I love Ahn Min Hyuk so much because he's precious in the way he accepts her just the way she is and doesn't try to lie to himself about what kind of person she is.

Episode 12: The development in the relationship was extremely cute.
-The scenes with the monk were extremely funny. The monk was meant to have a comedic effect and succeeded in making the scenes with the gangsters more entertaining.
- Minhyuk's fanboying for Bong Soon was extremely cute.

Episode 14: The rooftop moment with the bomb and Min Hyuk saying that he would stay with Bong Soon. It was touching and beautiful. It showed the strength in their relationship and their bond with one another.

Episode 15: The piano kiss between Min Hyuk and Bong Soon was extremely romantic and cute. It was also funny how intimate they get in the office after that kiss. Secretary Gong coughing in the elevator saying "Please don't do this in the elevator" while the couple stared lovingly at each other was very entertaining.
- Bong Soon's "Min Min" in the office and Min Hyuk's cute reaction
-The epic scene of catching the criminal--the dynamic trio of Min Hyuk, Bong Soon, and Guk Doo was amazing to watch. Each were able to use their strengths in catching the criminal. It doesn't work with just one strength alone, but together, they succeed.

Episode 16: Min Hyuk's talk with Bong Soon's father was cute and funny at the same time.
The happy ending. 

Suddenly Seventeen ( 28岁未成年)

   

           This movie isnt the best in my opinion but I would still recommend people to watch it for the message this movie conveys. Although the cast is absolutely stunning and made up of actors that have exceeded my expectations in other films, I felt as though none of the actors were able to show off their true potential in the movie. The characters all felt a bit dull and hard to follow at times. However, this movie has a great message about self-love and self-discovery. It focuses on a 28 year old woman named Liang Xia who lost herself over the years. In a series of events, she learns to ocme to terms with herself, find herself again, chase after long-lost dreams, and fall in love with herself instead of with someone else. The idea that who you were when you were younger is still a part of you is very touching  to me and I think people should watch this to remind themselves that no matter how hard life gets, no matter what you're going through, no matter what kind of person you are now, you can still be the person you wanted to be when you were younger. Who you are now can still change for the better and it is never too late because the younger versions of yourself are still within you pushing you forward and cheering you on to be a better person.

         In this movie, Liang Xia and Mao Liang have been together for 10 years and have been living together for 5 years. Mao Liang is a successful CEO and Liang Xia just tends to the house. She has long given up on her dreams of becoming a successful artist just to be with Mao Liang and she has been anticipating the 10 year mark for as long as she could remember. Mao Liang had once made a promise to her that they would get married after 10 years of being together. However, Mao Liang has been more and more invested in business deals and with work instead of in her and eventually ends up breaking up with her. As Liang Xia desperately tries to get Mao Liang to stay, she eats some magical chocolates that she had bought earlier through a television advertisement. These chocolates turn Liang Xia back into a 17 year old mentally while still being in a 28 year old's body for five hours every time she eats a piece of chocolate. 

         17 year old Liang Xia is completely different from the 28 year old Liang Xia. 17 year old Liang Xia is full of life and constantly trying to pursue her dreams of becoming an artist. She's feisty and puts herself first before anyone else. 17 year old Liang Xia and 28 year old Liang Xia begin to communicate via videos they film for each other and constantly make deals to help one another accomplish certain tasks. 17 year old Liang Xia causes a lot of trouble and 28 year old Liang Xia would eventually have to face them and deal with them. However, despite the trouble, the 17 year old version of herself helped Liang Xia find herself again and allow her to return to her passion for painting. This story was heartwarming in it's own way and it really showed the importance of embracing and holding on to your own identity. By doing so, things in your life will fall in place with time. 

Taegukgi (movie)

            I was introduced to this film through a friend who told me that this movie is well-acclaimed and extremely touching. Although this movie is a bit old as it is produced in 2004, I think the story and the characters are still extremely interesting to watch and heartfelt. This was also not a cheap production film so the cinematography was pleasing to the eye and easy to watch. This war film takes place during the Korean War and it shows the hardships of the civilians, the struggles the soldiers had to face and endure, and the undying spirit of family as two brothers become pawns on the battlefield of death. 

            The movie starts off at an excavation site in 2003 as an excavation team dug up the remains of a Korean War soldier. Identifying the belongings of the unknown soldier, the team contacts an elderly man saying that they found remains that appear to be his despite him being alive. The old man goes down to see the remains of this soldier as he has been trying to look for his brother, whom he separated with on the battlefield. Upon visiting the site, the movie takes us back to 1950 Seoul as the Lee family's lives are about to be changed by the war. 

          The older brother Lee Jin Tae works at a shoeshine stand to pay for his younger brother Jin Seok's education. Jin Tae's fiancee Young Shin works with the Lee's noodle shop and watches out for his mother. They were very happy and Jin Tae even buys Jin Seok a silver pen to encourage him in his studies. However, on June 25, 1950, their lives are changed forever as North Korea invades South Korea. Jin Seok is forced to become a soldier and in an attempt to prevent Jin Seok from leaving, Jin Tae is also forcibly conscripted. Both brothers are a part of the first Infantry Division and they were to fight at the Busan perimeter and then advancing North. 

              Desperate to send his brother back home to safety, Jin Tae makes a deal with his commanding officer saying that if he can earn the highest award for a South Korean soldier (a merit award), his brother would have to be safely sent home from the battlefield. Thus, Jin Tae begins to volunteer for many dangerous and risky missions to be promoted and to earn his medal. He eventually is nominated for the medal but it came at a cost as well. The brothers began to feel a toll on their relationship because of their different views and the changes Jin Tae was going through. The entire time Jin Tae is trying to earn his medal, Jin Seok has been trying to get Jin Tae to give up on the goal and said that it should be that they both go home or both stay. Jin Seok is unable to view Jin Tae in a possible light as this goes on and finds that his brother seems to be stuck in the clouds of heroism and that he seems to be increasingly cold-blooded toward others after numerous heroic feats.

              Jin Tae gets his medal but things don't go the way he expected them to. They were located at Seoul for the time being and they learned that his fiance was captured by South Korean militia who accused her of treason for joining the communist party. She tries to explain that they were forced to do so in order to be fed during the time they were occupied by the North Koreans. Jin Tae and Jin Seok try to save her but failed to do so and the two brothers were arrested to be further investigated. Jin Seok is locked up in a prison that was later set on fire which led to Jin Tae giving up on everything he was fighting for. He eventually joins the North Korean army. 

           Luckily,  Jin Seok was not dead and was instead rescued by a fellow soldier. Upon finding out his brother joined the enemy side because of the losses Jin Tae experienced, Jin Seok joins to fight in the next battle by joining the North Korean side. He asks to meet his brother but Jin Tae refuses to come to see him, believing his brother was murdered in the prison fire. While the North Koreans take Jin Seok to be interrogated, their base is attacked by American and South Korean forces. Jin Seok takes advantage of the chaos by searching for his brother. However, Jin Tae has completely lost control of his consciousness and failed to recognize his own brother as he attempts to kill him. Jin Tae eventually was able to recognize his brother and the two shared a heartfelt moment. However, the moment was short lived as Jin Tae tells his brother to leave first and that he would soon follow. Jin Tae tries to buy time for his brother to escape by shooting a machine gun at charging soldiers. Jin Tae eventually dies on the spot and the two never reunited. Jin Seok spent years wondering what happened to his brother and if he was alive. 

                We go back to 2003 where the old Jin Seok is standing at the excavation site staring at the remains of Jin Tae. Examining the items and recognizing the silver pen Jin Tae once gifted him, Jin Seok begins to weep and demands to know why promises were not kept. He also blames himself for not bringing his brother with him to safety instead of listening to Jin Tae and leaving first. This movie was absolutely beautiful because it highlighted the horrors of war and the importance of family in good times and the bad times. I really enjoyed this movie and I recommend that everyone watch it as well. Amazing war film with amazing characters and a heart-wrenching plot.